Framework and vehicle for Christian Scholasticism and loss of confidence

Posted on 2015/12/29 by Christadelphians

Matthew Parris in the December issue of the Spectator questions where Christianity began to lose confidence (as he thinks it now has) that its teachings can offer a sure framework for day-to-day moral reasoning.

Detail of The School of Athens by Raffaello Sanzio, 1509, showing Plato (left) and Aristotle (right) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

According to us all went wrong when the church fathers agreed to Constantine the Great to adapt their faith to the Roman faith and to include their gods in the god of Christianity, creating a three-headed god like in the Roman and Greek culture. They also were very attracted to the philosophers of antiquity. One of the greatest intellectual figures of Western history got his philosophies in the teachings of the false teachers of Christendom.

Aristotle, Greek Aristoteles (384 bce, Stagira, Chalcidice, Greece – 322, Chalcis, Euboea) his philosophical and scientific system that became the framework and vehicle for both Christian Scholasticism and medieval Islamic philosophy. Even after the intellectual revolutions of the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Enlightenment, Aristotelian concepts remained embedded in Western thinking. For him

ethical questions were soluble by the application of logic and common sense that he could advise anyone seeking to determine the ‘right’ course of action to ask themselves what a respected gentleman would recommend; and if still in doubt ask what would be going too far, and would not be going far enough, and thereby locate the mean between them as the appropriate action. The Nichomachean Ethics do not speak to me of an age of aching uncertainty about the rules for human coexistence. From those times, only Pilate’s ‘what is truth?’ calls to us down the ages with a modern ring. {The question Christianity fails to answer: ‘Who is my neighbour?’}

Though he was the the founder of formal logic, devising for it a finished system that for centuries was regarded as the sum of the discipline, the 4th century church leaders did not seem to have much interest to keep everything logical and to keep just to what the words of the Bible said. Though the idea of the homoousios [consubstantial, of the same substance] used by the council of Council of Nicaea in 325, to define the Son’s relationship to the Father was not universally popular, different emanations from God looked much cooler and by transferring the god Zeus into the person of Jeshua corrupting his name to Issou or Jesus (Hail Zeus),they could go with the Roman emperor his ideas and keep the minds at ease, not confronting the Roman merchants with the instructions of followers of Jeshua to their believers not to buy figurines or sculptures to have them as representation of God or gods in their house.

The raising and discussing of doctrinal difficulties became a popular pastime. It also created the possibility for church-fathers to create writings and to gain popularity in certain circles. But because they agreed to certain Roman elements they became in difficulties with the Aristotelian use of deductive reasoning proceeding from self-evident principles or discovered general truths; and syllogistic forms of demonstrative or persuasive arguments. On lie or false teaching made they had to crate an other lie or a doctrine people had to take for truth, with the saying that it is something to difficult to understand for a human mind and therefore Christians had just to believe it as a creed of faith.

Matthew Parris writes

Early Christianity strikes me as inheriting much from Aristotle’s ‘think about it: it’s obvious’ approach. The Roman Catholic church added layer upon layer of specific rules, all underwritten by a claim to divine authority — the big ‘Because’ — as handed down by a clear and certain hierarchy of human office-holders. The Reformation at first aimed to replace Roman Catholic certainties with certainties of its own. But in time the Reformation produced so many competing answers to the big ethical questions that in the schisms, sects and splinters — the rival certainties — modern Europe’s sense of one great, shared moral certainty was lost. {The question Christianity fails to answer: ‘Who is my neighbour?’}

The early Christians had already became distressed by heresies and by men who liked to have the pre-eminence over others. This resulted in schism and fragmentation. When the apostles were alive they still could call others to order. They made every effort to rebuke and educate those in error, sometimes with success and sometimes not. Those they could not bring to order or following the teachings of Christ Jesus grew in number and as such more and more people preferred those teachers which allowed them to keep the heathen rituals and to enjoy the human traditions. Still today we see that this is the main reason why many Christians do not want to convert to the truthful Christian groups which only want to keep to Biblical teaching and not to the human doctrines.

Some people are convinced that Aristotle is the most wise man who was keenly attuned to the realm of the divine. They also want to think that the divine the philosopher was talking about would have been the same divine Jesus and other Hebrew prophets were talking about.

He might have thought the divine being the origin of the human and the human at its best approaches the divine.

The latter is a paradoxical truth at the center of human existence {Aristotle’s Key to Christmas}

writes John Cuddeback who thinks

the more perfect a human life, the more it stretches beyond the human and almost touches the divine. One who sees deeply into human greatness can as it were see through it, to something beyond. For men can become like gods. Such a profound truth Aristotle saw. {Aristotle’s Key to Christmas}

Aristotle had confidence — though not certitude — that the gods will reward those who become like them, and the followers of Christ asked their disciples to become like Christ. For lots of human beings to become like God would be the most favourable and the climax in their life, the sum-mum. So, having Christ Jesus as their god would be better than the gentiles having their Roman or Greek gods, when they would equal Jesus with the God of Abraham.

All the preaching of the Hebrew prophets and rabbi Jeshua was about becoming one with the God Most High, building up a relation to last in eternity.

In some sense the possibility of God and men becoming friends does enter his mind. It enters his mind as a possibility to be rejected: “when one party is removed to a great distance, as god is, the possibility of friendship ceases” (also from the Nicomachean Ethics). It is not that the notion was inconceivable to him. Rather, there was simply no ground to consider it a real possibility. For God and men to be friends an apparently unbridgeable gap would have to be bridged. For as Aristotle often points out, friends share one life together, and there is nothing for which they so yearn as to be together. {Aristotle’s Key to Christmas}

Such idea makes some Christian philosophers or Christian teachers, also today, placing Aristotle as the visionist who not only could tell what is truly virtuous and what is mistakenly thought to be so, but also could tell the world what the meaning of Christmas is.

And this, then, is what Aristotle has to say about Christmas, about its deepest meaning. If men are ever to become more than just somewhat-like the divine, if we are ever (tremble at the words) to live one life with him, and thus be his friends, then something very specific has to happen. And there is no human ground to expect that it ever will. {Aristotle’s Key to Christmas}

As you see, it was thought of that one could live with the gods and to be befriended with the gods and with God. In Ethika Politika John Cuddeback speaks about that happening in what he calls the “first Christmas”. With that “first Christmas” he refers to what lots of Christians have taken as the birthday of Christ.

That celebration which is still popular by many Christians and is even seen as a Christian holiday by many non-religious persons is a pagan celebration with lots of figures which have nothing to do at all with the birth of the promised saviour, Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

But we can see or understand why many want to bring Aristotle’s thinking to that pagan celebration and to bring it in Christendom. For man it has always been a question why they lived, why they had to suffer so much and how they could bring an end to suffering and get a better life.

Many have searched for happiness and came to the conclusion it must also have to do with having friendly relationships to living beings and perhaps also to divine beings.

According to John Cuddeback

Aristotle had the key to understanding Christmas. His master achievement was a profound understanding of human happiness. It is as though he grasped as much as can be grasped by human reason alone. {Aristotle’s Key to Christmas}

Men are designed for greatness, a greatness that few ever achieve. True human happiness consists, simply put, in living virtuously. And virtuous living is the fundamental requirement and the necessary context for that deepest of human longings—true friendship. {Aristotle’s Key to Christmas}

gods take an interest in the struggles of men? Here, writing in the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle is more tentative:

For if the gods have any care for human affairs, as it seems they do, it would be reasonable both that they should delight in that which was best and most akin to them and that they should reward those who love and honor this most, as caring for things that are dear to them.

Remarkably, he has confidence—though not certitude—that the gods will reward those who become like them.

But this is as far as far as it goes. Surely the possibility of God and men entering into some sort of shared life never entered his mind. Right?

This is a subtle matter. In some sense the possibility of God and men becoming friends does enter his mind. It enters his mind as a possibility to be rejected:

“when one party is removed to a great distance, as god is, the possibility of friendship ceases” (also from the Nicomachean Ethics).

It is not that the notion was inconceivable to him. Rather, there was simply no ground to consider it a real possibility. For God and men to be friends an apparently unbridgeable gap would have to be bridged. For as Aristotle often points out, friends share one life together, and there is nothing for which they so yearn as to be together. {Aristotle’s Key to Christmas}

When for Aristotle the happiness meant to become wholesome, the early church argued people could become complete went hey became like Christ, though we do not know if they intentionally would say by that that people could become like God, because they came to take Christ Jesus to be God.

For Aristotle, eudaimonia was about living in accordance with reason; fulfilling our sense of purpose; doing our civic duty; living virtuously; being fully engaged with the world and, especially, experiencing the richness of human love and friendship. {Hugh Mackay, ‘Why we sometimes need to be sad’ – Happiness, Aristotle & Catholicism}

Today we do not see many Christians who understand that living the life Christ calls us to live as Christians is a very logical exercise. Many Christians do not want to believe Jesus when he says who he is and who is grater than him.

A 22 year old Catholic woman writes

if He is indeed God, then it is only logical that I need to center my life around Him. {Happiness, Aristotle & Catholicism}

But than she makes a funny remark as if Jesus would not be saying who he is, but than says

On the other hand, if Jesus is not who He says He is, if He is not God, then He’s not a nice man, He’s a dangerous fanatic, and therefore I would do well to avoid centering my life around Him. {Happiness, Aristotle & Catholicism}

what she does not seem to see that Jesus never told lies, because according to the Holy Scriptures, which we take to be the infallible word of God, being from the Most High God of gods Who does not tell lies, Jesus would not have sinned and as such would not have told lies. Jesus tells very clearly how he relates to God and how we like him have to relate to his heavenly Father.

As a Catholic she believes that our hearts are designed for union with God. She has reason to believe that, but she takes the wrong person to be her god. She has to be in union with her brothers and sisters in Christ and with Christ in union with God, like Jesus was in union with his heavenly Father. This will not make us to become Christ nor to become God, like Jesus was also not God, though one with God like we have to be one with Him.

This unity is the purpose of our existence that is inscribed into us; to love God and to be loved by God.

St. Augustine said,

“You have made us for Yourself, oh Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You”

And so, when we live in a way that we were designed to live, we experience a pervading joy and peace that the world cannot give. St. Catherine of Siena said,

“Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire.”

In other words, to be fully alive is to be who we are meant to be. {Happiness, Aristotle & Catholicism}

These days in darker times of the year man tries to look at light and hopes to find in it happiness. He has taken the day of the goddess of light as the day to celebrate and present a Santa Claus, who has taken the place of Christ and the place of God. Man has become so materialistic and thinking happiness lays in the material goods one can get, that he is blinded not seeing the light of Christ and the Way to God.

All those false teachings were many became victim of give them a false hope of their spirit leaving their body and going to a sort heaven where they shall be able to find happiness. They do forget that Christ Jesus came to safe us and liberated us already some two thousand years ago from the penalty of death. thanks to him we are able to receive here already lots of happiness and hope in a marvellous new world here on earth.

Christian joy is living in accordance with reason, in a way that fulfills our sense of purpose, living virtuously, being fully engaged with the world and experiencing the richness of love and friendship with God. {Happiness, Aristotle & Catholicism}

A reason that follows with reason the words form the most sacred Book of books, the Bible and not from human dogmatic teachings and philosophies.

Preceding

Focus on outward appearances

Marriage of Jesus 7 Impaled

Roman, Aztec and other rites still influencing us today

Irminsul, dies natalis solis invicti, birthday of light, Christmas and Saturnalia

Additional reading

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Azteekse en Romeinse tradities die ons nog steeds beïnvloeden

Posted on 2015/12/21 by Belgian Biblestudents - Belgische Bijbelstudenten

In zijn boek The Trouble With Christmas zette de schrijver Tom Flynn de conclusies uiteen waartoe hij na jaren van onderzoek in verband met Kerstmis was gekomen:

„Een groot aantal tradities die we nu met Kerstmis associëren zijn geworteld in voorchristelijke heidense religieuze tradities. Sommige hebben maatschappelijke, seksuele of kosmologische associaties die onderlegde, cultureel gevoelige moderne mensen ertoe zouden kunnen brengen de tradities te verwerpen zodra ze de oorsprong ervan beter zijn gaan begrijpen.” — Bladzijde 19.

Na een grote hoeveelheid ondersteunende inlichtingen verschaft te hebben, keert Flynn naar het uitgangspunt terug:

„Een van de grootste tegenstrijdigheden van Kerstmis is hoe weinig ervan werkelijk christelijk is. Wanneer we de voorchristelijke elementen eenmaal hebben verwijderd, is het merendeel van wat overblijft nachristelijk in plaats van authentiek christelijk van oorsprong.” — Bladzijde 155.

Kerstgebruiken — Zijn ze christelijk?

De kersttijd is aangebroken. Wat betekent dat voor u, uw gezin en uw vrienden? Gaat het om een geestelijk evenement of alleen maar om een feestelijke en vrolijke periode? Is het een tijd om over de geboorte van Jezus Christus na te denken of een periode waarin men zich niets van christelijke normen hoeft aan te trekken?

Houd bij een beschouwing van die vragen in gedachte dat de kersttradities in de streek waar u woont, kunnen afwijken.

In Mexico en andere Latijns-Amerikaanse landen wordt bijvoorbeeld zelfs een andere naam gebruikt. Zoals in de Grote Winkler Prins Encyclopedie wordt opgemerkt, is het woord Kerstmis „afgeleid van ’Christus-mis’”, terwijl La Navidad, zoals het kerstfeest in deze Latijns-Amerikaanse landen wordt genoemd, betrekking heeft op de geboorte van Christus.

Geboortedag en een geboortefeest op een andere dag

Vreemd is wel dat de beloofde Messias, de zoon van Jozef en Maria uit het geslacht van koning David geboren is op 17 oktober 4 VGT en dat men het volstrekt op 25 december wil vieren het geboortefeest van de god van het licht.

Als we kijken naar het weer zouden we niet de indruk krijgen dat wij het koudste seizoen van het jaar tegemoet gaan. We kunnen niet voorbijgaan aan de kortere dagen, die er ons aan herinneren dat we dichter bij de langste duisternis van het jaar komen.

Die duisternis maakt altijd angstige mensen en daarom keken ze in het verleden en nu nog steeds naar manieren om meer licht te krijgen. De duisternis was ook een tijd dat mensen dichter bij elkaar wensten te zijn, om zich veiliger te voelen, en om samen aangename dingen te doen die hun gedachten konden verzetten.

Medio december vierden de Romeinen feest, namelijk de Saturnalia welk voor vele latere generaties de basis vormde voor hun Winter feesten. Voor hen en voor vele mensen nu is het wat zij noemen ‘De tijd van het Jaar’ en ‘Christmas’ of ‘Kerstmis’. Van die viering werd bijvoorbeeld de uitgebreide feesten, het geven van geschenken, en het branden van kaarsen afgeleid.

Seizoenen, stormen, donkerte, donder en licht

De Winter zonnewende brengt meerdere heidense mensen samen om de terugkeer van het licht te vieren.

In andere culturen vinden we ook dat vele eeuwen voordat Jezus geboren werd de geboorte van het licht werd gevierd. De Rooms-Katholieke Kerk voelde zich niet verlegen veel tradities van heidense mensen die natuurelementen, zoals het licht en de de ‘keiringen’ van de stand van de maan en de zon en de verandering van het seizoen over te nemen. Zelfs de Israëlieten namen dergelijke natuurlijke elementen zoals de vier tekufot op in hun gebruiken (Teḳufat Nisan, Teḳufat Tammuz, Teḳufat Tishri en de Teḳufat Tebet), waarbij ook bijgeloof werd verbonden met die tekufot feest. Hai Gaon [Hai ben Sherira (of Hai geboren te Sherira (Gaon)], in de tiende eeuw, in antwoord op een vraag naar de prevalentie van de gewoonte in het “Westen” (dwz, ten westen van Babylon), gaf aan dat al het in het huis opgeborgen water in vaten in het eerste uur van de tekufah moest worden weggegooid in de overtuiging dat het water dan vergiftigd is, en als het gedronken werd zwelling van het lichaam, ziekte, en soms de dood zou veroorzaken, dat dit alleen volgde om dat het nieuwe seizoen kan worden begonnen met een toevoer van vers, zoet water.

Wanneer de zon Capricornus binnentreedt krijgt men het begin van de winter, of ” et ha-ḥoref “(strippen-tijd), wanneer de nacht de langste is van het jaar. Voor meerdere mensen was het de tijd dat iets moest worden gestript of onggedaan gemaakt worden. Met sommige dingen die gebeurd waren in het verleden moest komaf worden gemaakt. De slechte dingen moesten worden vergeten of afgelegd worden. Er werden dan voornemens gemaakt om het in de komende tijd het beter te doen. Die vermelding van betere voornemens zien wij in verscheidene landen nog opduiken met het voorlezen van een ‘Nieuwjaarsbrief‘. Na de invoering van de Gregoriaanse kalender in 1582 werd 1 januari aanvaard als nieuwjaarsdag in steeds meer landen in Europa en daarna in de wereld en werd het voorlezen van de nieuwjaarsbrief een Vlaamse traditie. ‘te zijn over met’ en nieuwe wegen weer kon worden genomen. Het was de tijd van een ‘draai’ of een wedergeboorte.

De Griekse oppergod Zeus (Jupiter bij de Romeinen), die heerste vanaf de berg Olympus, was in de Frygische en Thracische mythologie Sabazios de nomadische stormgod en vadergod. In de Indo-Europese talen zoals het Frygisch gaat het ‘-zios’ element in de naam terug op Dyeus, de gemeenschappelijke voorloper van ‘dios’, ‘deus’ (god) en ook van de naam Zeus.

Bij de ‘kering’ van de donkerste dagen naar terug lichter wordende dagen keek het volk uit naar de wedergeboorte van de zon en hoopte dat alles goed zou gaan. Daarom boden zij de rest van hun voedsel aan de goden van de natuur die er voor moesten zorgen dat in het komende jaar de gewassen veel vruchten zouden dragen en er goed weer zou zijn. Met hun offergaven, vuur maken (licht maken) en veel lawaai maken (vervangen door vuurwerk) wenste men de god van de donder (hemel en donder god Zeus) te verzoeken en hoopte men dat hij zich niet boos zou maken op hen. Het lawaai diende ook om de slechte geesten af te houden en zo het eigen huis te beveiligen. Voor hem werd ook een dag van verering genomen, namelijk de ‘zondag’ waarop mensen bijeenkwamen om Zeus of Jupiter (zoals zoon van Kronos ook genoemd werd) te vereren en offergaven te brengen.

Onder Constantijn (Constantinus) de Grote, die op de plaats van een tempel van Aphrodite de nieuwe Kerk van de Heilige Apostelen liet bouwen en de Heilig Grafkerk in Jeruzalem en de oude Sint-Pietersbasiliek te Rome stichtte, gingen de kerkleiders akkoord om Jeshua‘s naam te veranderen (ter behoud van de vrede) naar ‘Issou‘ of ‘Heil Zeus‘ dat in het Nederlands eerst ‘Jesus‘ werd en eind vorige eeuw ‘Jezus‘ werd. Zo kon de ‘leider’ van de christenen eveneens een godheid worden en samen vallen met de godenverheerlijking van de Romeinen. De Romeinse driegodheid werd gelijk gesteld met hun godheid die aldoende een Drie-eenheid werd. De beeltenis van oppergod Jupiter, gelijkgesteld met Jeshua/Yashua/Yahshuah/Yehoshuah voor יהושע die de naam Jezus kreeg ter verering van Zeus, kon nu door de marktkramers verder verkocht worden aan de Christenen die deze beeldjes dan ook in hun huizen opnamen.

In ruil voor de aanvaarding van de driegodheid voerde Constantijn verscheidene legislatieve maatregelen in met betrekking tot de joden: het werd hen verboden christelijke slaven te hebben of hun slaven te besnijden. Bekering van christenen tot het jodendom werd verboden. Bijeenkomsten voor religieuze diensten werden beperkt, maar het werd joden toegestaan jaarlijks Jeruzalem binnen te gaan op Tisja be’Aaw, waarop de verwoesting van de Eerste Joodse Tempel (in 587 VGT door de Babyloniërs) als de Tweede Joodse Tempel in 70 GT (aan het einde van de Joodse Oorlog) wordt herdacht. Constantijn dwong van het eerste concilie van Nicaea ook een verbod af tegen het vieren van Pasen op de dag voor het joodse Pesach op 14 Nisan, zoals de quartodecimanen deden.

De luidruchtige activiteiten ter verering van de godheden die het lieten donderen en bliksemen en instonden voor het licht werden ook na het verval van het Romeinse rijk verder in ere gehouden.

Ook in Latijns-Amerika kunnen we zulke zeer luidruchtige feesten vinden. Voor veel mensen zijn de donkere nachten een goede gelegenheid om samen de ‘goede’ dingen naar boven te halen. Alle slechtheid moest weg naar beneden. Op 24 december was het grote moment om te kijken naar de volgende dag wanneer de godin van het licht zou terugkeren in het geval ze zich al bereid toonde haar goedheid te tonen na de gebaren van de mensen. Met al het licht en lawaai moest men de goedgezindheid van de godin van het licht oproepen.

Posada feesten

In de 16de eeuw nam de in Geeraardsbergen geboren Franciskaanse broeder Pedro de Gante ook gekend onder Pedro de Mura en Pieter van der Moere, de Spaanse gewoonte van de negen daagse viering Las Posadas mee naar zuid Amerika waar in Mexico het een nog steeds gehouden traditie is die verder vermengd werd met Azteekse elementen.

Pyrotechnische verlichting door lijnen van vuurwerk in 2007 Parrandas.

Ook in Cuba brachten Spaanse broeders in de 18e eeuw, onder leiding van ‘Vader Francisco Vigil de Quiñones’, de priester van de grote kathedraal van Remedios, de Parrandas, om volk te lokken naar hun kerken. Hij liet hen samenkomen om middernacht doorheen de week voor kerst waarbij hij groepen kinderen samenstelde en hen voorzag van potten, borden en lepels, zodat ze rond het dorp konden lopen terwijl zij lawaai maakten en verzen zongen.

Kinderen in Oaxaca, Mexico vieren Las Posadas door het breken van een traditionele stervormige Piñata.

Van 16 december tot 23 december in Latijns-Amerika worden acht Posada feesten gehouden en op de 24e, Nochebuena (De Goede of bij ons gekend als Heilige Nacht of Kerstavond) wordt gevierd, en gezinnen een inspanning leveren om samen te zijn voor een speciaal diner. Ook in West-Europa is deze gewoonte van een kerst maaltijd al lang een favoriete moment.

Gun u een ogenblik om enkele details uit Mexico te beschouwen. Hierdoor kunt u worden geholpen uw eigen mening over dit feest bij te schaven.

De posadas, „de drie koningen” en de nacimiento

Latijns-Amerika, geografisch

De festiviteiten beginnen op 16 december met de posadas. In het boek Mexico’s Feasts of Life wordt opgemerkt:

„Het is de tijd van de posadas, negen magische dagen vóór kerstavond, waarin de eenzame zwerftocht van Jozef en Maria in de stad Bethlehem en het ogenblik waarop ze uiteindelijk hartelijkheid en een onderkomen vonden, worden herdacht. Familie en vrienden komen ’s avonds bijeen om de dagen vóór de geboorte van Christus na te spelen.”

File:Piñata Animation.gif Traditiegetrouw draagt een groep mensen beeldjes van Maria en Jozef naar een huis en vraagt in een lied om onderdak, oftewel posada. De personen in het huis zingen bij wijze van antwoord, totdat het de bezoekers uiteindelijk wordt toegestaan binnen te komen. Dan begint een feestelijk samenzijn, waarbij sommigen — geblinddoekt en met een stok in de hand — om de beurt proberen de piñata, een grote versierde aardewerken pot die aan een koord hangt, kapot te slaan. Is de pot eenmaal gebroken, dan wordt de inhoud (snoep, fruit en dergelijke) door de feestvierders bijeengeraapt. Hierna breekt de tijd aan voor eten, drinken, muziek en dans. Van 16 tot en met 23 december worden acht posada-feestavonden gehouden. Op de 24ste wordt nochebuena (kerstavond) gevierd en doen gezinnen extra moeite om met z’n allen een speciale maaltijd te nuttigen.

The tradition in Spain and some Latin American countries is that the Three Wise Men are who bring gifts to children at Christmas. In recent years, as an assimilation of the Anglo-Saxon tradition of Santa Claus, they often appear at gift shops and shopping malls, where children have the opportunity to take a picture sitting on their knees and deliver the letter with their demands. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Het Driekoningenfeest, Jan Steen

Kort daarna volgt nieuwjaarsdag, waarop zeer luidruchtig feest wordt gevierd. Op de avond van 5 januari is het gebruikelijk dat de Tres Reyes Magos („drie koningen”) de kinderen speelgoed brengen. Het hoogtepunt wordt gevormd door een feest op 6 januari, waarop er een rosca de Reyes (ringvormige koek) wordt geserveerd. Als dit gebak wordt gegeten, zal iemand in zijn stuk een poppetje aantreffen dat de baby Jezus voorstelt. De vinder is verplicht op 2 februari een laatste feest te organiseren waarop hij of zij als gastheer of gastvrouw zal optreden. (Op sommige plaatsen gebruikt men drie poppetjes, die „de drie koningen” voorstellen.) Zoals u ziet, gaan de festiviteiten in verband met Kerstmis alsmaar door.

In deze periode neemt de nacimiento [Geboorte (leven) kerststal) een behoorlijk belangrijke plaats in. Wat is hierbij betrokken? Welnu, zowel op openbare plaatsen als in kerken en huizen worden taferelen opgebouwd met figuren (groot of klein) van aardewerk, hout of klei. Ze beelden Jozef en Maria af, knielend voor een kribbe waarin een pasgeboren baby ligt. Vaak zijn er herders, alsook Los Reyes Magos („de drie koningen”). De entourage is een stal, en er kunnen ook enkele dieren in voorkomen om het tafereel compleet te maken. De centrale figuur is echter de pasgeboren baby, in het Spaans el Niño Dios (de Kindgod) genoemd. Deze sleutelfiguur wordt meestal op kerstavond in de stal geplaatst.

De kerststaltradities nader bekeken

The Encyclopedia Americana zegt over de kerstviering zoals men die in de hele wereld algemeen kent:

„De meeste gebruiken die nu met Kerstmis verband houden, waren oorspronkelijk geen kerstgebruiken maar veeleer voorchristelijke en niet-christelijke gebruiken die door de christelijke kerk werden geassimileerd. De saturnaliën, een Romeins feest dat half december werd gevierd, verschaften het model voor een groot aantal van de met Kerstmis verband houdende festiviteiten. Aan deze viering zijn bijvoorbeeld de uitgebreide feestmaaltijden, het geven van geschenken en het branden van kaarsen ontleend.”

In Latijns-Amerika worden aan die fundamentele kerstgebruiken vaak nog extra gebruiken toegevoegd. ’Uit welke bron’, vraagt u zich misschien af. Eerlijk gezegd beseffen velen die zich aan de bijbel willen houden dat sommige gebruiken puur azteekse riten zijn. El Universal, een krant die in Mexico-Stad verschijnt, merkte op:

„Fraters van verschillende orden trokken voordeel van de omstandigheid dat festiviteiten van de indiaanse rituele kalender samenvielen met de katholieke liturgische kalender, en daarom maakten ze hier gebruik van om hun evangelisatie- en zendingswerk te ondersteunen. Ze vervingen de vieringen ter ere van de pre-Columbiaanse godheden door festiviteiten ter ere van christelijke godheden, introduceerden Europese feesten en activiteiten en trokken ook voordeel van de indiaanse festiviteiten, hetgeen in een cultureel syncretisme resulteerde dat tot authentiek Mexicaanse uitingen heeft geleid.”

Geboorte van een kindgod

The Encyclopedia Americana legt uit:

„Kerstspelen werden al vroeg een deel van de kerstviering . . . De Heilige Franciscus is er naar verluidt mee begonnen in de kerk een kerststal in te richten.”

Deze spelen waarin de geboorte van Christus werd uitgebeeld, werden in het begin van de kolonisatie van Mexico in de kerken opgevoerd. Ze werden door franciscaner monniken georganiseerd om de indianen over het kerstgebeuren te onderwijzen. Later werden de posadas populairder. Welke oorspronkelijke bedoeling er ook achter de posadas geschuild mag hebben, de manier waarop ze in deze tijd worden gehouden, spreekt voor zichzelf. Als u in deze periode in Mexico bent, kunt u zien of ervaren wat een schrijver voor El Universal in zijn commentaar speciaal belichtte:

„De posadas, die een manier vormden om ons aan de pelgrimage van Jezus’ ouders te herinneren toen ze naar een plaats zochten waar de Kindgod geboren kon worden, zijn in deze tijd louter dagen van dronkenschap, excessen, gulzigheid, zinloosheid en toenemende misdaad.”

De gedachte van de nacimiento is tijdens de kolonisatie van Mexico uit de oorspronkelijke opvoeringen in de kerken ontstaan. Sommigen zullen het idee misschien aantrekkelijk vinden, maar geeft het correct weer wat de bijbel zegt? Dat is een goede vraag. Toen de zogenoemde drie koningen — die in werkelijkheid astrologen waren — op bezoek kwamen, verbleven Jezus en zijn ouders niet langer in een stal. Er was tijd overheen gegaan en het gezin woonde in een huis. U zult het interessant vinden dit detail in het geïnspireerde verslag in Mattheüs 2:1, 11 op te merken. U kunt ook opmerken dat de bijbel niet zegt hoeveel astrologen er waren.

Nog een detail dat niet over het hoofd gezien mag worden: In de Mexicaanse nacimiento wordt de baby „de Kindgod” genoemd, met de gedachte dat hij God zelf was die als baby naar de aarde was gekomen. In de bijbel wordt Jezus echter voorgesteld als de Zoon van God die op aarde werd geboren; hij was niet dezelfde als of gelijk aan Jehovah, de almachtige God. Beschouw eens hoe de waarheid hierover wordt uiteengezet in Lukas 1:35; Johannes 3:16; 5:37; 14:1, 6, 9, 28; 17:1, 3; 20:17.

Jezus is niet God zelf maar de gezondene van God.

35 De engel gaf haar ten antwoord: „Heilige geest+ zal over u komen en kracht van de Allerhoogste zal u overschaduwen. Daarom ook zal hetgeen wordt geboren, heilig,+ Gods Zoon, worden genoemd.+ (Lukas 1:35)

16 Want God heeft de wereld* zozeer liefgehad+ dat hij zijn eniggeboren Zoon heeft gegeven,+ opdat een ieder die geloof+ oefent in hem, niet vernietigd zou worden,+ maar eeuwig leven zou hebben.+ 17 Want God heeft zijn Zoon niet naar de wereld uitgezonden opdat hij de wereld zou oordelen,+ maar opdat de wereld door bemiddeling van hem gered zou worden.+ (Johannes 3:16-17)

36 Het getuigenis echter dat ik heb, is groter dan dat van Joha̱nnes, want het zijn juist de werken die ik in opdracht van mijn Vader moet volbrengen, de werken zelf die ik doe,+ die getuigenis over mij afleggen dat de Vader mij heeft gezonden. 37 Ook de Vader zelf, die mij heeft gezonden, heeft getuigenis over mij afgelegd.+ GIJ hebt noch zijn stem ooit gehoord, noch zijn gedaante gezien;+ 38 en zijn woord hebt GIJ niet blijvend in U, omdat GIJ juist degene die hij gezonden heeft, niet gelooft.(Johannes 5:36-37)

14 „Laat UW hart niet verontrust worden.+ Oefent geloof in God,+ oefent ook geloof in mij.+ 2 In het huis van mijn Vader zijn vele woningen.+ ….. 6 Jezus zei tot hem: „Ik ben de weg+ en de waarheid+ en het leven.+ Niemand komt tot de Vader dan door bemiddeling van mij.+ …. 9 Jezus zei tot hem: „Nu ben ik al zo’n lange tijd bij ulieden, en nog hebt gij mij niet leren kennen, Fili̱ppus? Wie mij heeft gezien, heeft [ook] de Vader gezien.+ Hoe kunt gij dan zeggen: ’Toon ons de Vader’?+ 10 Gelooft gij niet dat ik in eendracht met de Vader ben en de Vader in eendracht met mij is?+ De dingen die ik tot ulieden zeg, spreek ik niet uit mijzelf; maar de Vader, die in eendracht met mij blijft, doet zijn werken.+ 11 Gelooft mij, dat ik in eendracht met de Vader ben en de Vader in eendracht met mij is; of anders, gelooft op grond van de werken zelf.+ 12 Voorwaar, voorwaar, ik zeg U: Wie geloof oefent in mij, zal ook zelf de werken doen die ik doe; en hij zal grotere+ werken dan deze doen, omdat ik heenga naar de Vader.+ 13 En wat GIJ ook vraagt in mijn naam, dat zal ik doen, opdat de Vader in verband met de Zoon verheerlijkt moge worden.+ 14 Indien GIJ iets vraagt* in mijn naam, ik zal het doen. … 28 GIJ hebt gehoord dat ik tot U heb gezegd: Ik ga heen en ik kom tot U [terug]. Indien GIJ mij liefhadt, zoudt GIJ U verheugen dat ik heenga naar de Vader, want de Vader is groter+ dan ik. (Johannes 14:1, 6, 9-14, 28)

17 Deze dingen sprak Jezus, en terwijl hij zijn ogen naar de hemel opsloeg,+ zei hij: „Vader, het uur is gekomen; verheerlijk uw zoon, opdat uw zoon u verheerlijkt,+ 2 gelijk gij hem autoriteit over alle vlees hebt gegeven,+ opdat hij, wat het gehele [aantal] betreft [van hen] die gij hem hebt gegeven,+ hun eeuwig leven moge geven.+ 3 Dit betekent eeuwig leven,+ dat zij voortdurend kennis+ in zich opnemen van u,* de enige ware God,+ en van hem die gij hebt uitgezonden, Jezus Christus.+ 4 Ik heb u op de aarde verheerlijkt,+ daar ik het werk heb voleindigd dat gij mij te doen hebt gegeven.+ 5 En nu, Vader, verheerlijk mij naast uzelf met de heerlijkheid die ik naast u had voordat de wereld was.+ (Johannes 17:1-5)

17 Jezus zei tot haar: „Klem u niet langer aan mij vast. Want ik ben nog niet naar de Vader opgestegen. Maar ga naar mijn broeders+ en zeg hun: ’Ik stijg op naar mijn Vader+ en UW Vader en naar mijn God+ en UW God.’”+ 18 (Johannes 20:17).

Viering van Jezus geboorte en de drie koningen

In Latijns-Amerika is het idee van de kerstman vervangen door de drie koningen. Maar net als in veel andere landen, verstoppen veel ouders speelgoed in huis. Op de ochtend van 6 januari gaan de kinderen er dan naar op zoek, alsof de drie koningen het hebben gebracht. Dit is een lucratieve tijd voor speelgoedwinkeliers, en sommige hebben veel geld verdiend aan wat veel eerlijke mensen als slechts een illusie beschouwen. De mythe van de drie koningen verliest onder heel wat mensen, zelfs onder kleine kinderen, aan geloofwaardigheid. Sommigen mogen het weliswaar betreuren dat steeds minder mensen deze mythe geloven, maar wat kan men verwachten van een illusie die alleen maar in stand gehouden wordt ter wille van de traditie en het commerciële voordeel?

Kerstmis, of het geboortefeest, werd niet door de vroege christenen gevierd. Een encyclopedie zegt er het volgende over:

„In de eerste eeuwen van de christelijke kerk werd het feest niet gevierd, omdat het onder christenen in het algemeen gebruikelijk was de dood van opmerkelijke personen te vieren in plaats van hun geboorte.”

De bijbel brengt de viering van verjaardagen in verband met heidenen, niet met Gods ware aanbidders. (Mattheüs 14:6-10).

Dit wil natuurlijk niet zeggen dat het niet nuttig is de werkelijke gebeurtenissen in verband met de geboorte van de Zoon van God te weten te komen en in gedachte te houden. Het bijbelse feitenrelaas verschaft belangrijke verhelderende inlichtingen en lessen voor allen die willen doen wat God van hen verlangt.

De geboorte van Jezus volgens de bijbel

In de Evangeliën van Mattheüs en Lukas zult u betrouwbare inlichtingen over de geboorte van Jezus aantreffen. Ze tonen aan dat de engel Gabriël in de Galilese stad Nazareth een jonge ongehuwde vrouw, Maria genaamd, bezocht. Welke boodschap bracht hij?

„Zie! gij zult in uw schoot ontvangen en een zoon baren, en gij moet hem de naam Jezus geven. Deze zal groot zijn en de Zoon van de Allerhoogste worden genoemd; en Jehovah God zal hem de troon van zijn vader David geven, en hij zal voor eeuwig als koning over het huis van Jakob regeren en aan zijn koninkrijk zal geen einde zijn.” (Lukas 1:31-33).

Maria was erg verbaasd over deze boodschap. Omdat ze ongehuwd was, zei ze:

„Hoe zal dit geschieden, daar ik geen gemeenschap heb met een man?”

De engel antwoordde:

„Heilige geest zal over u komen en kracht van de Allerhoogste zal u overschaduwen. Daarom ook zal hetgeen wordt geboren, heilig, Gods Zoon, worden genoemd.” Maria, die besefte dat dit Gods wil was, zei: „Zie! Jehovah’s slavin! Mij geschiede naar uw verklaring.” (Lukas 1:34-38).

Een engel vertelde Jozef over de wonderbare geboorte, opdat Jozef niet van Maria zou scheiden, zoals hij van plan was toen hij op de hoogte raakte van haar zwangerschap. Jozef was daarna bereid de verantwoordelijkheid op zich te nemen om voor de Zoon van God te zorgen.

18 De geboorte van Jezus Christus nu geschiedde aldus. Terwijl zijn moeder Mari̱a aan Jo̱zef ten huwelijk beloofd was,+ bleek zij voordat zij verenigd waren, zwanger te zijn door heilige geest.+ 19 Daar Jo̱zef, haar man, echter rechtvaardig was en haar niet in het openbaar tentoon wilde stellen,+ was hij van plan in het geheim van haar te scheiden.*+ 20 Doch nadat hij deze dingen had overdacht, zie! daar verscheen hem Jehovah’s* engel in een droom en zei: „Jo̱zef, zoon van Da̱vid, wees niet bevreesd Mari̱a, uw vrouw, mee naar huis te nemen, want dat wat in haar verwekt is, is door heilige geest.+ 21 Zij zal een zoon baren, en gij moet hem de naam Jezus*+ geven, want hij zal zijn volk+ van hun zonden+ redden.”+ 22 Dit alles is in werkelijkheid geschied opdat vervuld zou worden hetgeen Jehovah*+ door bemiddeling van zijn profeet had gesproken,+ toen hij zei: 23 „Ziet! De maagd*+ zal zwanger worden en een zoon baren, en zij zullen hem de naam Imma̱nuël*+ geven”, hetgeen vertaald betekent: „Met ons is God.”+

24 Toen ontwaakte Jo̱zef uit zijn slaap en deed zoals de engel van Jehovah* hem had voorgeschreven, en hij nam zijn vrouw mee naar huis. 25 Hij had echter geen gemeenschap+ met haar* totdat zij een zoon had gebaard;+ en hij gaf hem de naam Jezus.+ (Mattheüs 1:18-25).

Vervolgens werden Jozef en Maria, wegens een verordening van caesar Augustus, gedwongen Nazareth in Galilea te verlaten en naar Bethlehem in Judea, de stad van hun voorvaders, te gaan om zich te laten inschrijven.

„Terwijl zij daar waren, werden de dagen vervuld dat zij moest baren. En zij baarde haar zoon, de eerstgeborene, en bond hem in windsels van doeken en legde hem in een kribbe, omdat er in het gastverblijf geen plaats voor hen was.” (Lukas 2:1-7).

Lukas 2:8-14 beschrijft wat er daarna gebeurde:

„Er waren in diezelfde landstreek ook herders, die buitenshuis verbleven en ’s nachts de wacht hielden over hun kudden. En plotseling stond Jehovah’s engel bij hen, en Jehovah’s heerlijkheid omscheen hen, en zij werden zeer bevreesd. Maar de engel zei tot hen: ’Vreest niet, want ziet! ik maak u goed nieuws bekend omtrent een grote vreugde, die heel het volk ten deel zal vallen, want heden is u in Davids stad een Redder geboren, die Christus de Heer is. En dit is een teken voor u: gij zult een baby vinden in windsels van doeken gebonden en liggend in een kribbe.’ En plotseling bevond zich bij de engel een menigte van de hemelse legerschare, die God loofde en zei: ’Glorie in de hoogste hoogten aan God, en op aarde vrede onder mensen van goede wil.’”

De astrologen

In Mattheüs’ verslag wordt vermeld dat er astrologen uit het oosten naar Jeruzalem kwamen om de plaats te zoeken waar de Koning van de joden geboren was. Koning Herodes had hier veel belangstelling voor — maar niet met goede bedoelingen.

„Hij zond hen naar Bethlehem en zei: ’Gaat, stelt een nauwkeurig onderzoek in naar het jonge kind, en wanneer gij het gevonden hebt, bericht het mij dan, opdat ook ik het hulde kan gaan brengen.’”

Toen de astrologen het jonge kind vonden,

„openden zij hun schatten en boden het geschenken aan: goud en geurige hars en mirre”.

Maar ze gingen niet terug naar Herodes.

’Hun was in een droom een goddelijke waarschuwing gegeven niet naar Herodes terug te keren.’

God gebruikte een engel om Jozef voor Herodes’ bedoelingen te waarschuwen. Jozef en Maria vluchtten daarop met hun zoon naar Egypte. Daarna, in een poging de nieuwe Koning uit de weg te ruimen, gaf de wrede koning Herodes opdracht jongens in het gebied van Bethlehem te doden. Welke jongens? Jongetjes van twee jaar oud en daaronder. (Mattheüs 2:1-16).

Wat kunnen we van het verslag leren?

De op bezoek zijnde astrologen — ongeacht hoeveel het er waren — aanbaden niet de ware God. De bijbelvertaling La Nueva Biblia Latinoamérica (uitgave van 1989) verklaart in een voetnoot:

„De magiërs waren geen koningen, maar waarzeggers en priesters van een heidense religie.”

Hun komst hield verband met hun kennis van de sterren, waaraan ze waren toegewijd. Als God hen naar het jonge kind had willen leiden, zouden ze naar de precieze plaats zijn gebracht zonder eerst naar Jeruzalem en Herodes’ paleis te hoeven gaan. Later kwam God tussenbeide om hun route te veranderen en zo het kind te beschermen.

In de kersttijd wordt dit verslag vaak in een mythische en romantische sfeer gehuld waardoor het belangrijkste feit wordt verdoezeld: dat deze baby werd geboren om een luisterrijke Koning te zijn, zoals aan Maria en de herders was bekendgemaakt. Nee, Jezus Christus is niet langer een baby, of zelfs een kind. Hij is de regerende Koning van Gods koninkrijk, dat zeer binnenkort alle regeringen die tegen Gods wil gekant zijn zal verwijderen en alle problemen van de mensheid zal oplossen. Dat is het Koninkrijk waar we in het Onze Vader om bidden. (Daniël 2:44; Mattheüs 6:9, 10).

Via de bekendmaking van de engelen aan de herders vernemen we dat de gelegenheid tot redding voor allen openstaat die bereid zijn naar de boodschap van het goede nieuws te luisteren. Degenen die Gods gunst verwerven, worden „mensen van goede wil”. Er zijn schitterende vooruitzichten op vrede in de hele wereld onder het koninkrijk van Jezus Christus, maar men moet bereid zijn Gods wil te doen. Is de kersttijd hier bevorderlijk voor en wordt dat verlangen in deze periode weerspiegeld? Veel oprechte mensen die overeenkomstig de bijbel willen leven, zijn van mening dat het antwoord duidelijk is.

10 Maar de engel zei tot hen: „Vreest niet, want ziet! ik maak U goed nieuws bekend omtrent een grote vreugde, die heel het volk ten deel zal vallen,+ 11 want heden is U in Da̱vids stad+ een Redder geboren,+ die Christus [de] Heer* is.*+ … : 14 „Glorie in de hoogste hoogten+ aan God, en op aarde vrede+ onder mensen van goede wil.”*+ — Lukas 2:10, 11, 14.

Voorgaande

Engelstalige versie / English version: Roman, Aztec and other rites still influencing us today

De eerste christenen hun vieringen

Aanvullende lectuur

+++

Verder interessante aanverwante lectuur

+++

Here comes Santa Cop – Right down Washburn Ave. (wibw.com)
Weeping Fathers (tworiversblog.com)
A Light, A Word, A Child. (pasturescott.org)
Christmas Expectations and Emotions (girltalkhome.com)
A Classical Christmas (brianlauritzen.com)
-Atheist Complaints Against Public Christmas Displays Backfire (answersforthefaith.com)
Jesus’s house? The abysmal state of “Biblical archaeology” (whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com)
True Life (genesisone.wordpress.com)
Worshiping King Jesus! (brentkuhlman.wordpress.com)
Advent – a Season of All Tenses! (biblicalpreaching.net)

Roman, Aztec and other rites still influencing us today

Posted on 2015/12/19 by Belgian Biblestudents - Belgische Bijbelstudenten

Days shortening and darkness coming over us

When we look at the weather we would not have the impression we are coming to the coldest season of the year. We can not ignore the shorter days, which remind us that we are coming closer to the longest darkness of the year.

That darkness has always frightened people and therefore they looked for ways to get more light again.

Saturnalia, a Roman feast celebrated in mid-December, provided the model for many of the merry-making customs we know now as ‘The time of the Year‘ or ‘Christmas‘. From this celebration, for example, were derived the elaborate feasting, the giving of gifts, and the burning of candles.

Seasons, storms, thunder, darkness and light

In other cultures we also find that many centuries before Jesus was born they celebrated the ‘birth of light‘. The Roman Catholic Church was not shy to take over many traditions from heathen people who celebrated such elements as the ‘turn’ of the position of moon and sun and the change of season. Even the Israelites came to feast such natural elements as the four teḳufot (Teḳufat Nisan, Teḳufat Tammuz, Teḳufat Tishri and the Teḳufat Ṭebet) by which also superstition became connected with the teḳufot. Hai Gaon, in the tenth century, in reply to a question as to the prevalence of the custom in the “West” (i.e., west of Babylon) that all water that may be in the house or stored away in vessels in the first hour of the teḳufah had to be thrown away in the belief that the water is then poisoned, and if drunk would cause swelling of the body, sickness, and sometimes death, said it was followed only in order that the new season might be begun with a supply of fresh, sweet water.

Zeus, god of the sky, lightning, thunder, law, order, justice – The Jupiter de Smyrne, discovered in Smyrna in 1680

When the sun enters Capricornus; this is the beginning of winter, or “‘et ha-ḥoref”(stripping-time), when the night is the longest during the year.For several people it was the time something had to be stripped down or some things that happened in the past had to be done with. The bad things had to be forgotten or to ‘be over with’ and new paths could be taken again. It was the time of a ‘turn over’ or a rebirth. People looked forward to the rebirth of the sun and hoped that everything would go well. For that reason they offered the rest of their food to the gods of nature which had to bear them fruits and good weather, not making the god of thunder (sky and thunder god Zeus) angry by forgetting him or to have bad spirits around, lots of noise was made to get them away from the own house.

Also in Latin America we can find such very noisy parties. For many people the darker nights were there for getting the ‘good’ and ‘goods’ together. All badness had to be down away. On the 24th of December it was the big moment to look for the next day when the goddess of light would return in case they all showed the goodness and willingness to her.

From December 16 through December 23 in Latin America eight posada parties are held and on the 24th, Nochebuena (The Good Night)(Christmas Eve) is celebrated, and families make an effort to be together for a special dinner. Also in West Europe this custom of a Christmas meal has been long a favourite moment.

Roman influences

Capitoline Triad – the three godheads side by side transposed in the Roman catholic church and shims of that church to the Trinity, being a God the Father, god the son, and a god the holy spirit.

Constantine the Great had managed to got the church leaders to agree to many of his demands so that the Christians would not any more be persecuted. For that reason they had to agree to the three-headed Roman god and Jeshua could become the ‘counterpart’ or ‘alias’ for Zeus with his name calling ‘hail Zeus‘ or ‘Issou‘ ‘Jesus‘. And they had to keep to the Roman festivals and as such should place their Christian Zeus (Jesus) his birth on the same major feast for the ‘light’ in the Roman world. As such rabbi Jeshua became Jesus , and his birth day became the 25th of December instead of October 17. Constantine insisted that the mighty king of the gods (Jupiter) or the Roman god of the sky, thunderstorms, lightning, weather and air got honoured on his day (December 25).

But it were not only Roman customs which entered Christendom.

Aztec influences

Latin Americans should come to see that American Christmas customs are nothing but Aztec rites. El Universal, a newspaper in Mexico City, commented:

“Friars from different orders took advantage of the fact that festivities of the Indian ritual calendar coincided with the Catholic liturgical calendar, so they used this to support their evangelizing and missionary work. They replaced the commemorations to the pre-Hispanic divinities with festivities to Christian divinities, introduced European festivities and activities, and also took advantage of the Indian festivities, which resulted in a cultural syncretism from which authentically Mexican expressions have arisen.”

The Encyclopedia Americana explains:

“Nativity plays early became a part of the Christmas celebration . . . The representation in church of the crèche [the manger scene] is said to have been begun by Saint Francis.”

These plays featuring the birth of Christ were performed in the churches during the beginning of the colonization of Mexico. They were organized by Franciscan monks in order to teach the Indians about the Nativity. Later the posadas became more popular. Whatever the original intention behind them, the way the posadas are held today speaks for itself. If you are in Mexico during this season, you can see or sense something that a writer for El Universal highlighted in his comment:

“The posadas, which were a way to remind us of the pilgrimage of Jesus’ parents looking for a shelter where the Child God could be born, are today only days of drunkenness, excesses, gluttony, vanities, and more and more crime.”

Traditional Nativity scenes

The idea of the nacimiento emerged during Colonial times from the original live representations in churches. While some find it attractive, does it correctly represent what the Bible says?
That is a valid question.

When the so-called three wise men — who in fact were astrologers — visited, Jesus and his family were no longer living in a stable. Time had passed, and the family was living in a house. You will find it interesting to note this detail in the inspired record at Matthew 2:1, 11. You can also note that the Bible does not say how many astrologers there were.

After Jesus had been born in Bethʹle·hem+ of Ju·deʹa in the days of Herod*+ the king, look! astrologers* from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying: “Where is the one born king of the Jews?+ For we saw his star when we were in the East, and we have come to do obeisance* to him.” … 10 On seeing the star, they rejoiced with great joy. 11 And when they went into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and falling down, they did obeisance* to him. They also opened their treasures and presented him with gifts—gold and frankincense and myrrh. (Matthew 2:1-2,10-11)

Another detail should not be ignored: In the Mexican nacimiento, the baby is referred to as “the Child God” with the idea that it was God himself who came to earth as a baby. However, the Bible presents Jesus as being the Son of God who was born on earth; he was not the same as or equal to Jehovah, the Almighty God. Consider the truth about this, presented at Luke 1:35; John 3:16; 5:37; 14:1, 6, 9, 28; 17:1, 3; 20:17.

35 In answer the angel said to her: “Holy spirit will come upon you,+ and power of the Most High will overshadow you. And for that reason the one who is born will be called holy,+ God’s Son.+ (Luke 1:35 )

16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son,+ so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.+ 17 For God did not send his Son into the world for him to judge the world, but for the world to be saved through him.+ 18 Whoever exercises faith in him is not to be judged.+ Whoever does not exercise faith has been judged already, because he has not exercised faith in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.+ (John 3:16 -18)

Three wise men, Santa and birthday celebrations

In Latin America, the three wise men replace the idea of Santa Claus. Still, as is done in other lands, many parents hide toys in the home. Then on the morning of January 6, the children look for them, as if the three wise men brought them. This is a money-making time for toy sellers, and some have made a fortune on what many honesthearted people recognize is just a fantasy. The myth of the three wise men is losing credibility among a goodly number, even among little children. Though some are displeased that this myth is losing believers, what can anyone expect of a fantasy maintained only for the sake of tradition and for commercial convenience?

Christmas, or the Nativity, was not celebrated by early Christians. One encyclopedia says about this:

“The celebration was not observed in the first centuries of the Christian church, since the Christian usage in general was to celebrate the death of remarkable persons rather than their birth.”

The Bible links the celebration of birthdays with pagans, not with God’s true worshippers.

6 But when Herod’s birthday+ was being celebrated, the daughter of He·roʹdi·as danced for the occasion and pleased Herod so much+ 7 that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8 Then she, at her mother’s prompting, said: “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”+ 9 Grieved though he was, the king, out of regard for his oaths and for those dining* with him, commanded it to be given. 10 So he sent and had John beheaded in the prison. (Matthew 14:6-10).

This does not, of course, mean that it is not beneficial to learn and remember the actual events involved in the birth of the Son of God. The factual Bible account provides important insights and lessons for all those who want to do God’s will.

Birth of Jesus According to the Bible

You will find reliable information about Jesus’ birth in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. They show that the angel Gabriel visited a young unmarried woman by the name of Mary in the Galilean town of Nazareth. What message did he deliver?

“Look! you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you are to call his name Jesus. This one will be great and will be called Son of the Most High; and Jehovah God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule as king over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end of his kingdom.” (Luke 1:31-33.)

Mary was very surprised by this message. Not being married, she said:

“How is this to be, since I am having no intercourse with a man?” The angel answered: “Holy spirit will come upon you, and power of the Most High will overshadow you. For that reason also what is born will be called holy, God’s Son.” Mary, recognizing that this was the will of God, said: “Look! Jehovah’s slave girl! May it take place with me according to your declaration.” (Luke 1:34-38).

An angel told Joseph about the miraculous birth so that he would not divorce Mary, which he was planning to do after he learned of her pregnancy. He was then willing to assume the responsibility of taking care of the Son of God. (Matthew 1:18-25).

Then a decree from Caesar Augustus forced Joseph and Mary to travel from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea, the city of their forefathers, to be registered.

“While they were there, the days came to the full for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her son, the firstborn, and she bound him with cloth bands and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the lodging room.” (Luke 2:1-7).

Luke 2:8-14 describes what followed:

“There were also in that same country shepherds living out of doors and keeping watches in the night over their flocks. And suddenly Jehovah’s angel stood by them, and Jehovah’s glory gleamed around them, and they became very fearful. But the angel said to them: ‘Have no fear, for, look! I am declaring to you good news of a great joy that all the people will have, because there was born to you today a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in David’s city. And this is a sign for you: you will find an infant bound in cloth bands and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there came to be with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God and saying: ‘Glory in the heights above to God, and upon earth peace among men of goodwill.’”

The Astrologers

Matthew’s account mentions that astrologers from the East came to Jerusalem looking for the place where the King of the Jews was born. King Herod was very interested in this — but not with good intentions.

“Sending them to Bethlehem,

he said:

‘Go make a careful search for the young child, and when you have found it report back to me, that I too may go and do it obeisance.’”

The astrologers found the young child and

“opened their treasures and presented it with gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.”

But they did not go back to Herod.

“They were given divine warning in a dream not to return to Herod.”

God used an angel to warn Joseph of Herod’s intentions. Joseph and Mary then fled to Egypt with their son. Next, in an effort to eliminate the new King, cruel King Herod ordered the killing of boys in the Bethlehem area. Which boys? Those two years of age and under. (Matthew 2:1-16).

What Can We Learn From the Account?

The visiting astrologers — however many of them there were — did not worship the true God. The Bible version La Nueva Biblia Latinoamérica (1989 Edition) states in a footnote:

“The Magi were not kings, but fortune-tellers and priests of a pagan religion.”

They came in line with their knowledge of the stars to which they were devoted. Had God wanted to guide them to the young child, they would have been led to the exact place without needing to go first to Jerusalem and to Herod’s palace. Later on, God did intervene to alter their course to protect the child.

At Christmastime this account is often surrounded by a mythical and romantic atmosphere that obscures the most important thing: that this baby was born to be a magnificent King, as was announced to Mary and to the shepherds. No, Jesus Christ is not a baby anymore, or even a child. He is the ruling King of God’s Kingdom, which very soon will eliminate all rulerships opposed to God’s will, and he will solve all problems of mankind. That is the Kingdom we ask for in the Lord’s Prayer.

44 “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom+ that will never be destroyed.+ And this kingdom will not be passed on to any other people.+ It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms,+ and it alone will stand forever,+ (Daniel 2:44)

9 “You must pray, then, this way:+

“‘Our Father in the heavens, let your name+ be sanctified.*+ 10 Let your Kingdom+ come. Let your will+ take place, as in heaven, also on earth.+ (Matthew 6:9, 10).

Through the angels’ declaration to the shepherds, we learn that the opportunity for salvation is open to all who are willing to hear the message of the good news. Those who gain the favour of God become “men of goodwill.”
There are marvellous prospects for peace in all the world under the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, but people must be willing to do God’s will. Is the Christmas season conducive to this, and does it reflect that desire?
Many sincere people who want to follow the Bible feel that the answer is obvious.

10 But the angel said to them: “Do not be afraid, for look! I am declaring to you good news of a great joy that all the people will have. 11 For today there was born to you in David’s city+ a savior,+ who is Christ the Lord.+ 12 And this is a sign for you: You will find an infant wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army,+ praising God and saying: 14 “Glory in the heights above to God, and on earth peace among men of goodwill.”* (Luke 2:10, 11, 14).

Preceding articles:

Irminsul, dies natalis solis invicti, birthday of light, Christmas and Saturnalia

Winter Solstice 2015: Shortest Day Of The Year Celebrated As Pagan Yule

Holidays, holy days and traditions

Focus on outward appearances

Autumn traditions for 2014 – 1: Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet

Traditionalists Vow to Fight Charges of Racism in Netherlands

The imaginational war against Christmas

Additional reading

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Denominationalism exists because?

Posted on 2015/07/31 by Guestspeaker

In this world we do see many religions and in each religion many divisions. This tells a lot about man.

In Christendom we may find Christianity with people who follow Biblical doctrines and on the other-side lots of people who do prefer to follow human doctrines. those following the false teachings of man make up the majority in Christendom. They made themselves a three-headed god and many often did made graven images of their god and bow down in front of those pictures or statues to pray for, though according God’s Word, the Bible this is an abomination in God’s eyes.

Already very soon after Jeshua (Jesus Christ) died false teachings came into the ‘Christian‘ system, like it previously also had done in the Judaic system.

Perhaps one can bring as an excuse that the way of man is not in himself, but we must know that each of us is responsible for his own actions and his own thinking and his reaction on it.

‘Hautain’ man= arrogantly superior and disdainful haughty man thinks him superior to God’s Word and dares to frighten people that they would not be able to understand the Bible without their teachings. They forget that God His Word is infallible and indestructible, saying everything it has to say in a way that all people can understand and can have enough information according to their capabilities.

It are those theologians and church-institutions who wanted to keep their power or get more power, who adapted their teachings for the best of their institutions. Often they overlooked that for one lie an other one had to be created to have their teaching ‘soundproof’.

All denominations have their own specific worship-houses or church-buildings. – Greek orthodox churches.

Denominationalism is a man-made concept which we really do not need. We do have to follow Christ who is the cornerstone of the Church of God and not of a church of men.
In that church of God we do have to become one with Christ like Jesus is one with the Father. And all should be as brethren and sisters in Christ, worshipping only One True God, the God of Jesus Who is the God of Abraham.

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Spiritual speak – Who is talking God’s language?

Biblical Notes

By Ron Thomas

Why are there so many denominations? This is the question asked in a Bible study book called God’s Answers to Man’s Questions (p. 178). The answer given? “Each is probably like a variety of fruit and it takes many varieties to make an orchard. (Many spokes to make a wheel.) Christ’s desire is that the Church on earth should be clean, glorious and holy, Eph. 5:27. ‘That He might present it (the Church) to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it (you and I) should be holy and without blemish.’”

This is all there is to his answer. Did he answer it? Yes, I suppose you can say he did. Is his answer adequate or, better yet, biblical? It is not. The Bible passage he referenced is certainly biblical, but it does not support the contention of the…

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Get Your Wonderful Disease-proof Human Body

Posted on 2014/09/18 by Guestspeaker

Get Your Wonderful Disease-proof Human Body from Elohim!!

Chris Bapuohyele

Today, mankind is fighting a losing battle against an ever-growing menace to life. This menace is disease. Mankind’s body is constantly besieged by disease-causing bacteria, germs, viruses, etc.

Histopathogic image of senile plaques seen in the cerebral cortex in a patient with Alzheimer disease of presenile onset. Silver impregnation. The same case as shown in a file “Alzheimer_dementia_(1)_presenile_onset.jpg”. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Man’s body, composed of earth, has become the habitat of all types of parasites and killer micro organisms commonly available in soil—their natural habitat!

Elohim foresaw lifestyles of mankind rendering His disease control mechanisms placed in man ineffective to all manner of diseases—epilepsy, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, AIDS, . . .—and, therefore, about two millennia ago, put in place a miracle healthcare plan that would give mankind a disease-proof body!

Before this disease-proof body became available to mankind, Elohim, over the entire period that the Old Covenant was running, constantly announced its coming and demonstrated its veracity and glory in, and by, His dealings with Israel.

Hear what Elohim says to Israel under the Old Covenant—

“. . . for I am the Lord that healeth thee” (Exodus 15:26); “Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases” (Psalm 103:3);

and

“He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions” (Psalm 107:20).

When Yeshua began his earthly ministry, he announced that he came bringing Eternal Life — the Life of the Creator — to indwell individual bodies of mankind (John 3:14-16) by recreating the bodies of all who would believe in him, to make them disease-proof, and to co-join all of such bodies to his own disease-proof body in a tree-and-branch relationship (John 15:5).

When fulfilment of John 3:14-16 was due for mankind to access the blessing of such a disease-proof human body, Yeshua’s own disease-proof body was bruised with whip lashes (Isaiah 53:4-5, First Peter 2:24), and hung on a pole outside the Holy City, in similar manner that the bronze serpent in Israel’s wilderness journey was hung on a pole outside the camp, to heal people from snake bites (Numbers 21:5-9).

Today, anybody who is led in the Wisdom of Elohim to Mt. Calvary to behold the disfigured body of the Saviour on a pole, with an understanding of that horrible spectacle, and who sorrows in his heart for his sins being the cause of what happened to the Saviour, gains instant healing for his disease-riddled body!

Elohim’s wish is for the repentant sinner to keep this healed body, forever! Elohim, therefore, takes him one step further in this regard — He instructs this healed person to go through the ordinance of baptism into Yeshua.

When one enters the waters of baptism, the wisdom and power of Elohim act to immediately dissolve the whole vile body of the one, and then reassembles it after whatever contaminants were in this body, arising from the sin of the first Adam, have been dropped in the water!

This mystery of baptism brings to mind how salt is separated from salt-sand mixtures; that is, dissolving the salt-sand mixture in a container with water to have the insoluble sand settled at the bottom of the container, and then, evaporating to dryness the obtained brine to recover sand-free salt.

All suitable waters for baptism are, in effect, two liquids in one mix — the blood of Yeshua and a salt solution. Bodies of those baptized into Yeshua, therefore, are become reconstituted as mixes of water, salt, and the blood of Yeshua (Ezekiel 16:4, Matthew 5:13, Ephesians 5:30, First John 5:6).

The salt within them makes it impossible for disease-causing micro organisms to enter this body or live in it. Also, miraculously, the blood of Yeshua in this body ensures no sin stays within it, for this blood constantly cleanses this wonder body from sin (First John 1:7)

To forever render this wonder body, made of water, salt, and the blood of Yeshua, impervious to all unwanted substances, it must be thoroughly baked. Baked? Yes; baked in the fires of the Holy Spirit as The Potter must do to His molded clay vessels in order to eternally preserve them!!

So then, as the born again person walks out of the waters of baptism, the Holy Spirit of Elohim rushes into him to take full possession of his newly created body, in completion of the born of water and of the Spirit process of John 3:5.

In as much as all sicknesses result from the committing of sin, this sin-proof human body, indeed, becomes a bank of inexhaustible vibrant life—the very Life of the Creator—that may even be dispensed in faith in “laying of hands” by the human vessel holding it to heal any people suffering from diseases!!

For those genuinely born again into the salvation of Elohim, their disease-proof bodies become His dwelling places, unable to suffer disease while He is actively resident in them! This is what it means for a man to have Eternal Life dwelling in him while living here on earth!!

Shalom.

The writer is a Bible expositor and an author. Website: http://sbpra.com/ChrisBapuohyele

Additional reading:

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The Perfect Spiritual Solution to EBOLA Revealed-2 (spyghana.com)
Upon eating the forbidden fruit, three horrible things happened to Adam that were meant to also affect all his yet to be born seed then in his loins! First, Adam lost his fellowship, peace, and protection he had with and from his Maker. This loss was also to affect his seed even before birth and was to be their bane throughout their life on Earth.
+
EBOLA is in a hide and seek with mankind according to the determinate will of Lucifer and sending mankind running helter-skelter without finding the solutions to EBOLA!! I dare say this will continue to be so for all inhabitants of Earth until they find and make use of Elohim’s antidote to Lucifer’s callousness of causing man to sin unto death by EBOLA and other viruses.Elohim’s antidote to EBOLA and all other diseases is simply marvelous! It is revealed in His Word to mankind in the Hebrew Holy Scriptures. Elohim instructs for everyone to be born again or recreated, by obeying His instructions to make a teshuva (repentance) for the sin committed against Him by Adam and Eve and self, followed by tevilah (baptism) in a mikveh mayim (place of naturally gathered waters, as in a river) in the name of His Son, Yeshua HaMashiach, the only name with power in it to save man from the committing of sin!!
The Cost-free and Drugs-free Healthcare of Elohim for Mankind Part 2 of 2 (spyghana.com)
the Almighty’s wish is for the repentant sinner to keep this healing, forever; and so He takes him one step further in this regard. The Almighty further instructs this repentant and healed sinner to go through the simple ritual of baptism into the name of Yeshua in natural living water. This baptism is the initiation rite required for entry into the life-giving body of Yeshua.When, therefore, one is fully immersed in the waters of baptism, the wisdom and power of the Almighty dissolves the vile body of the one, and then reassembles it after whatever contaminants that were in this body arising from the sin of the first Adam, had been dropped in the water; all this, within nanoseconds!
Learning To Become The One New Man, Not Two Separate Men! (paradoxparables.justparadox.com)
Unity of the Spirit, one body, one spirit, on hope, one adonai, one faith, one baptism, one elohim and one father of all
Chronicles of YHWH 18: Deadbeat Dad (maasaiboys.wordpress.com)
With his hands securely stapled to the cross, Yeshua looked up into the skies, and cried: “Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthani!”, which loosely translates to “Father, father, you are a Deadbeat Dad!”. YHWH disagreed with this assessment, and so the two held the following conversation.
Incense, Prayer, & the Golden Altar (kumi07.wordpress.com)
After you have offered yourself a living sacrifice of praise & thanksgiving and washed the world off, sought forgiveness and repentance, and renewed your mind in the Word [Yeshua], you burn incense at the altar of incense, sweet prayers arising as smoke before the very throne, the Seat of Mercy and Righteousness Himself.
The Anointing & The Oil (kumi07.wordpress.com)
Now Ya’akov leaves the foundational stones of his faith, his mother Rivqah [Rebbeca, the beauty] and Yitzchak [laughter], his father, and ventures out in the desert which is void of worship of the Elohim [God] of his fathers. He goes to a “certain place”, stays all night, laying his head [~the mind, thoughts] on those ‘stones of faith’, the Rock of Ages.
The Best Quote – Ever. Eternal. (hisimagenme.wordpress.com)
Yeshua exampled exactly what He asked us to do by asking us to ‘Follow Him’. All the way. .. without one falter. So that in every falter in every follower after; the only thing the Father hears is. ..”It is finished. ” the only thing the Father sees is Him. That is why those Words are the best quote even before the second one posted here. Without the former. .. the latter would never have been true. Those Words fulfilled every Word before and all that would come after. .. forever. I believe in Hebrew He did actually say. ..”It is fulfilled.” “It” – being the Father’s will. ..a heart, a Being of pure Love… that never intended to let His creation go.

Marriage of Jesus 10 Old and New Covenant

Posted on 2014/06/10 by Marcus Ampe

Divinity Hall, Harvard Divinity School, view from Divinity Avenue (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Harvard Divinity School Professor Karen King agrees that the fragment, written in Coptic, she analysed,

“does not, however, provide evidence that the historical Jesus was married, nor does it prove that he was not married. The earliest reliable historical tradition is completely silent on that. So we’re in the same position we were before it was found. We don’t know if he was married or not.”

In the previous postings I mentioned already that when we look at the accounts of Jesus’ life in the Bible and the many non-religious writings of the early centuries, there is no mention of his marital status, while the accounts do mention Jesus’ mother, father and siblings.

Darrell Bock, a senior research professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminar said:

“There’s no indication we have that Jesus was married. One could say the text is silent on Jesus’ marital status because there was nothing to say.”

Bock agreed with the notion that the text fragment shared similarities with the Gnostic Gospels and said the text could be referring to a gnostic rite of marriage but

“it’s a small text with very little context. We don’t know what’s wrapped around it to know what it’s saying.”

King writes:

“the importance of the ‘Gospel of Jesus’ Wife’ lies in supplying a new voice within the diverse chorus of early Christian traditions about Jesus that documents that some Christians depicted Jesus as married.”

In “Marriage of Jesus 8 Wife of Yahweh” and “Marriage of Jesus 9 Reason for a new marriage” I pointed out to the Wife of God, indicating the Book of books speaks about God being married to Israel, but this being spiritually talking about the relationship of Jehovah God with His Chosen People, Israel, or the Israelites, the religious Jews. From the Old Testament text we can understand that Jehovah God cast Israel off as a wife, and that it was impossible for Him to marry her as a “virgin” (Jeremiah 3:1-18; Ezekiel 16; Hosea 2; 3:1-5). We can see what faithless Israel has done and find God giving her the notice or her certificate of divorce and having sent her away because of all her adulteries.

“She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore.” (Jeremiah 3:8 ESV)

“Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him…” (Photo credit: -Reji)

God had made a promise to Abraham, that his seed would multiply and God would make a people for Him out of his descendants. God always keeps to His promises. One of them, at the beginning of human history,just after the foundation of the earth, was also that He would provide a solution for the sin the first man and woman (the 1° Adam and Eve) committed. There He indicated already His special relationship with the human beings, and planned for a son to whom He would give the throne to restore the paradise and bring to fulfilment the clean and safe Kingdom of God (the 2° Adam).

” And [Psa. 102:25-27 says “Thou, Yahweh/Adonay/Jehovah”], “Lord, in the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hand. (11) They will be destroyed, but you will remain. And they [i.e., the heavens and earth] will all wear out like an article of clothing. (12) And you will fold them up like a robe, and they will be changed like an article of clothing. But you will stay the same and your years will never end.” (13) But which one of the angels did God ever say [this] about [Psa. 110:1], “You should sit at my right side until I put your enemies [in full subjection] beneath your feet?”” (Heb 1:10-13 AUV)

“So [then], we [Christians] should pay closer attention to the things we have heard, so that we do not drift away from [believing and practicing] them. (2) For if the message spoken through angels proved to be binding [Note: This is a reference to the Law of Moses. See Acts 7:53; Gal. 3:19], and every violation [of it] and disobedience [to it] received a just penalty, (3) how will we escape [punishment] if we neglect such a great salvation? [For it was] first announced [to people] by the Lord and then confirmed to us [i.e., the writer and other Christians] by those who heard Him [i.e., the original apostles]. (4) God also testified, along with those people, by [giving them] both signs and wonders and various miracles, and by [supernatural] gifts distributed [to them] by the Holy Spirit, as He desired. (5) For God did not place the coming inhabited world [Note: “The coming inhabited world” here probably refers to the present Christian age. It was viewed as “coming” from the perspective of Old Testament times], under the control of angels [and] that is the world we are talking about.” (Heb 2:1-5 AUV)

With regards to which of the angelic messengers “emissaries”, none where invited tocome to sit next to God, but His son Jeshua (Jesus Christ), who was first lower than the angels (remember God is, was and always shall be the Most High) was placed higher after his resurrection and invited to come to sit at the right hand of God to become a mediator between God and man. In case Jesus was God he could not be sitting next to himself nor take on the duty of mediator or intermediary. His position as arbitrator for man and woman would be of no value either when he would have been God and the end judge of it all. The third party has to be someone other than the principals who are involved in a transaction. In the Bible is also written that he would hand over the Kingdom of God to his Father. In case he himself is the same person as the Father there is no use nor any possibility to hand over the Kingdom to himself.

But in the text in front of us we hear about the world to come: the New World. The angels are ministering spirits, servants, with no royal dignity; having a subordinate role of serving God. God’s concern is not with angels, but with us, and He accordingly sends those angels or messengers of God, to bring help to those who will inherit salvation.

“And if children, then also lawfully-allotted ones, lawfully-allotted ones surely of God, moreover, lawfully-allotted-with the Anointed One, if- we -wholly suffer-with Him, in order that, we may also be given splendor-with Him.” (Romans 8:17 AS )

In the Old Times God shared His passion with His people, who kept stubborn and did not want to recognise the Promised One, the Christos, or Christ the Messiah. God placed Jesus in a higher position than His angels and by doing this God’s glory becomes Christ’s glory and finally, in measure, our glory also, because in him, Jesus Christ, we can be saved and become part of the Body of Christ. The apostle Paul brings some ‘with’ words in his 8° letter to the Romans (8:1-39), that testify of what we are and what we do jointly with Christ. There it is said the Anointed One should be from-within us, being lawfully-allotted ones, joint-heirs with the Anointed, even when we ourselves still dare to groan inside ourselves, waiting for our adoption, to wit, the ransom of our body, we may find not such an adoption, becoming children of God, but also finding the redemption of the body we still have here on earth. (In this world.)

God did not spare His own son Jeshua, but delivered him up for us all. (Romans 8:32) This Jesus is raised up, and is actually at the right hand of God, and makes intercession for us. (Romans 8:34) In the Old World the angels were in charge.

” Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold, And see the reward of the wicked. (9) For thou, O Jehovah, art my refuge! Thou hast made the Most High thy habitation; (10) There shall no evil befall thee, Neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent. (11) For he will give his angels charge over thee, To keep thee in all thy ways. (12) They shall bear thee up in their hands, Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.” (Psalm 91:8-12 ASV)

But now God choose a cornerstone in His son, to whom angels already came to minister him in his lifetime (Matthew 4:11; cp Matthew 26:53)

” You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, (8) putting everything in subjection under his feet.” Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. (9) But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” (Hebrews 2:7-9 ESV)

We all share in flesh and blood, the same as the son of God Jesus Christ partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the evil, the adversary of God. For ages God’s People where thrown through and fro and often did not make a proper choice. Because of His great dissatisfaction god was not inclined any more to keep the bond of His ‘marriage’ with them alone. Too many times the Israelites were ill-disposed to their Creator. They often behaved unlawful and that hurtled the Most High in such a way that He allowed His son to provide a New Covenant, to deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery (Hebrews 2:15).

God renewed His bond or covenant with His son and with the Spiritual Israel, which had to become the Church of God, the Body of Christ where the Nazarene Jeshua (Jesus) would be the cornerstone, to bring the lovers of God close to Him and to put down the adversaries or hostile ones, their necks under his foot.

Besides the heavenly Bride, the transfigured, translated, and risen Church, reigning over the earth with Christ, there is also the earthly bride, Israel, in the flesh, never yet divorced, though for a time separated, from her divine husband, who shall then be reunited to the Lord and be mother Church of the millennial earth, Christianized through her. Note, we ought, as Scripture does, restrict the language drawn from marriage—love to the Bride, the Church as a whole; not use it as individuals in our relation to Christ, as Rome does in the case of her nuns.” { All the Women of the Bible » Chapter 4. Symbolic and Representative Bible Women » The Bride, The Lamb’s Wife}

In his teaching period Jesus explained that some people may prefer to stay single “for the sake of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:12). We should understand that by choosing celibacy to have more time to devote to proclaiming and living out God’s kingdom. They would find earthly responsibilities, such as those that go with marriage and parenting, a hindrance to their kingdom calling. This is similar to the situation of the disciples who were called away from their professions (fishermen, tax collectors, etc.) in order to follow Jesus with singular purpose. As I mentioned earlier such people consider themselves as married to Christ. They have taken Christ as their “bride“, like Jesus preferred to stay single and be the spouse or “wife of God“.

We always should remember that the Old Testament uses a lot of metaphors, and marriage is such one of them. Early Christians also used such metaphors to describe the relationship between celibate believers and Christ. Nuptial imagery is commonly used to describe salvation and heaven in the New Testament; and later Christian martyrs are sometimes called or portrayed as brides of Christ.

In the most difficult book of the bible, the apostle John describes in his vision the marriage scene in which the Bridegroom makes His Bride His wife. The ones who accept Christ as the son of God and their saviour may be glad and rejoice, and give honour now to him they wanted to follow and God raised out of the dead. He, the Lamb of God has now been taken up in heaven where the marriage of the Lamb took place. The ‘new’ wife of God or the wife for us in heaven has made herself ready in the presence of the one who is presented in fine linen, clean and white, like so many women their wedding dress. For the fine linen is the righteousness of saints, the ones who are set-apart from the world. The followers of Christ may become part of the new Israel, the new chosen people of God, though they might have been gentiles, they are now called righteous and also sons and daughters of God. We should know that blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb, Jesus Messiah. We all better listen to the true sayings of God. We best remember what He has done for us and whom He provided for us and how we should worship that only One True God,the Father of Jesus, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

“Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; (8) it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. (9) And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” (10) Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Revelation 19:7-10 ESV )

A woman, of course, only becomes a wife on the completion of her marriage to the man to whom she has been engaged or espoused. In this age of Grace, the church is the affianced Bride of Christ. At the marriage of the Lamb, she becomes His wedded wife (Ephesians 5:22, 23; 2 Corinthians 11:2). { All the Women of the Bible » Chapter 4. Symbolic and Representative Bible Women » The Bride, The Lamb’s Wife}

The “Gospel of Jesus’s Wife,” a papyrus written in Coptic and containing text that refers to Jesus being married, is looking more and more like it is not authentic, research is revealing.

Conclusion

Professor King has devoted much of her scholarly career to making a case that the early church falsely constructed an orthodox understanding of Jesus that minimized the role of women. Back in 2003 she released The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman Apostle, in which she argued that at least some ancient texts pointed to Mary Magdalene as an apostle. In 2012 she told the writer for Smithsonian: “You’re talking to someone who’s trying to integrate a whole set of ‘heretical’ literature into the standard history.” {It’s Back — The “Gospel of Jesus’s Wife” and the State of Modern Scholarship}

King saying

“it does not make sense that a forger with poor Coptic and scribal skills could also manage to acquire the right kind of papyrus and ink, and leave no ink out of place at the microscopic level.”

in her judgment may be right that “such a combination of bumbling and sophistication seems extremely unlikely” and that the world has a genuine old manuscript. But this does not mean it is a worthy “gospel” fragment or a sacred text.

King said.

“Is Jesus talking about a real wife, or the church, or a sister-wife? Who is the Mary—his mother, his wife, or some other Mary entirely?”

As I tried to explain in these 10 chapters is that we might understand it that when we would like to translate it with “wife” we should understand it to be a “woman” or female person in the bond of covenant-ship of being a pupil or follower of Christ.

What also might be important is that certain conservative ideas about the role of women in church herewith would be contradicted. If the papyrus fragment reflects religious writing copied from earlier texts, perhaps ones in the fourth century, it would speak to early Christian concerns about the role of the family in the early Church, which famously called upon its adherents to put aside family and civic loyalties, King suggests.

“This is not evidence that Jesus was married. We don’t know,”

Professor King originally interpreted the document as a debate about celibacy and had said:

“But early Christians were extremely interested in questions about whether they should be married or be celibate.”

Last month she added:

‘Now when I come back and read the fragment, it seems the major issue being talked about was that Jesus was affirming that wives and mothers can be his disciples,’ she said in an interview earlier this week.

The Harvard Divinity School writes:

If ancient, this tiny, damaged fragment provides tantalizing glimpses into issues about family, discipleship, and marriage that concerned ancient Christians. The main topic of the dialogue between Jesus and his disciples is one that deeply concerned early Christians, who were asked to put loyalty to Jesus before their natal families, as the New Testament gospels show. Christians were talking about themselves as a family, with God the Father, his son Jesus, and members as brothers and sisters. The particular focus in the Gospel of Jesus’s Wife, however, is on women: his mother, Mary, his wife, and a female disciple. The disciples discuss whether Mary is worthy, and Jesus states that “she can be my disciple.” These signs indicate some controversy over whether women who are sexually active (mothers and wives) can be disciples of Jesus. Other early Christian writings defend marriage and reproduction against fellow Christians who think virginity and celibacy are required for all, or who argue that “women are not worthy of life.”

This gospel fragment provides a reason to reconsider what we thought we knew by asking what role claims about Jesus’ marital status played historically in early Christian controversies over marriage, celibacy, and family. The Gospel of Jesus’s Wife makes it possible to say that some early Christians believed that Jesus was married. This conclusion potentially has significant implications for the history of ancient Christian attitudes toward marriage, sexuality, and reproduction.

I agree with professor King that the papyrus may show that there were early Christians for whom …

“sexual union in marriage could be an imitation of God’s creativity and it could be spiritually proper and appropriate.”

For her the so-called ‘Gospel of Jesus’ Wife’ may have been thrown out

“because the ideas it contained flowed so strongly against the ascetic currents of the tides in which Christian practices and understandings of marriage and sexual intercourse were surging.”

This representation of Jesus as a man with earthly passions and needs has not survived in the doctrines of the established churches, which emphasise celibacy and asceticism as a spiritual ideal. We as Christians should remember how Jesus preached equality between man and how we all had to love each other becoming one, united. Men and women equally united in the lord Christ Jesus, having the bride Jesus, him married to spiritual Israel, the Church.

The John papyrus fragment (right) comes from the same anonymous owner as the Gospel of Jesus’s wife and has the same line breaks as a papyrus transcribed in 1924 (shown on left). The papyrus and Gospel of Jesus’s Wife have similar ink and writing styles, suggesting the latter is a fake.

Find in this series:

Marriage of Jesus 1 Mary, John, Judas, Thomas and Brown

Marriage of Jesus 2 Standard writings about Jesus

Marriage of Jesus 3 Listening women

Marriage of Jesus 4 Place of the woman

Marriage of Jesus 5 Papyrus fragment in Egyptian Coptic

Marriage of Jesus 6 Jesus said to them “My wife”

Marriage of Jesus 7 Impaled

Marriage of Jesus 8 Wife of Yahweh

Marriage of Jesus 9 Reason for a new marriage

Marriage of Jesus 10 Old and New Covenant

To be continued with:

The Bride New Jerusalem

Additional reading:

Please find also of interest:

The ‘Gospel of Jesus’s Wife’ is Still as Big a Mystery as Ever
Given that King announced the discovery at a professional conference and immediately made preliminary test results and high-resolution photographs available to the world, it is difficult to know what she could have done differently. Certainly a more somber title—something in Latin perhaps—would have conveyed more nuance and garnered less attention, but getting attention for the discovery and the field was King’s aim. It used to be the case that papyrus discoveries were routinely announced on the front pages of the Times of London, but things have changed. It’s tough out there when you’re not a Kardashian, and a catchy title and clear message can go a long way. It’s rare for scholars to pass up the opportunity to reach a broader audience when the opportunity presents itself, even if that means giving up some precision.

It’s Back — The “Gospel of Jesus’s Wife” and the State of Modern Scholarship

Last week, the Harvard Theological Review released a much-delayed series of articles on the fragment. After a series of investigations undertaken by diverse scholars, the general judgment claimed by Professor King is that the fragment probably is not a forgery — or at least that it dates back to ancient times. The analysis suggested that the fragment dated from about four centuries later than Professor King had first suggested. This would place the fragment, if authentic, in the context of eighth-century Egypt — hundreds of years after the New Testament was written and completed.

The language used by the national media in reporting the story this time reveals the lack of confidence now placed in the fragment. The Boston Globe reported that the tests “have turned up no evidence of modern forgery,” but the reporter had to acknowledge that at least one of the scholars writing in the Harvard Theological Review insisted that the fragment is not only a forgery, but an amateurish effort. The New York Times ran a story that featured a headline announcing that the fragment “is more likely ancient than fake.” Note the uncertainty evident even in the headline.

“The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife? When Sensationalism Masquerades as Scholarship,”
One British newspaper notes that the claims about a married Jesus seem more worthy of fans of Dan Brown’s fictional work, The Da Vinci Code, than “real-life Harvard professors.” If the fragment is authenticated, the existence of this little document will be of interest to historians of the era, but it is insanity to make the claims now running through the media.

“No Evidence of Modern Forgery in Ancient Text Mentioning Jesus’s Wife,”
Specialists said, hypothetically, that a highly skilled modern forger could have obtained the right kind of ink and meticulously applied it to a blank piece of ancient papyrus.

Determining the age of the ink using conventional testing methods would destroy the tiny document, roughly the size of a business card. Groundbreaking work by Columbia University researchers may soon uncover a way to date the ink without harming the fragment, which would offer a more definitive verdict about its authenticity.

‘Gospel of Jesus’s Wife’ likely isn’t a modern forgery, scientists claim
The Vatican has previously said that the document is most likely a modern forgery, but scientists from Columbia University, Harvard, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say their analysis strongly suggests that it is indeed part of an ancient manuscript and that it wasn’t edited or tampered with. The researchers used micro-Raman and infrared spectroscopy to analyze the composition of the ink, looking for clues as to whether it may have been applied after the original document was damaged.
“There is absolutely no evidence for that,” Timothy Swager, an MIT chemistry professor who worked on the project, tells the New York Times. “It would have been extremely difficult, if not impossible.” The researchers dated the fragment to between the sixth and ninth century AD, noting that it bears a strong resemblance to other texts from that era.

The ‘Gospel of Jesus’s Wife’ Is Real: What Now?
As with all scholarly work on the ancient world, it seems impossible to ever fully resolve disputes over the text and its interpretations. This isn’t the last word on the Gospel of Jesus’s Wife, but it is a fragment of understanding about how early Christians saw their savior.

No Forgery Evidence Seen in “Gospel of Jesus’s Wife” Papyrus
One report in the journal, by epigrapher Leo Depuydt of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, claims grammatical errors dog the text and concludes, “The author of this analysis has not the slightest doubt that the document is a forgery, and not a very good one at that.”

Overall, he suggests that the papyrus was forged from a copy of the ancient Gospel of Thomas text, discovered less than a century ago in Egypt.

King refutes those criticisms in a response in the journal, arguing that the grammar errors are misinterpretations by Depuydt. She also argues that writings similar to the Gospel of Thomas were then prevalent in the eastern Mediterranean, so words from that gospel would not necessarily be a sign of forgery.
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In the journal reports, a chemistry team led by MIT’s Joseph Azzarelli concluded that the age of the papyrus scrap matches that of a verified Gospel of John papyrus from antiquity. The team relied on microspectroscopy of the papyrus, which found the fragment only slightly less oxidized—aged by exposure to air—than the verified gospel.

Likewise, Columbia University’s James Yardley and Alexis Hagadorn looked at the pigments in the ink on the fragment. They found it similar to “lamp black” ink used on other ancient texts.

‘Gospel of Jesus’s Wife’: Doubts Raised About Ancient Text
In an effort to confirm the origins of the papyrus and discover its history, Live Science went searching for more information about Laukamp and his descendents, business partners or friends.

Our findings indicate that Laukamp was a co-owner of the now-defunct ACMB-American Corporation for Milling and Boreworks in Venice, Fla. Documents filed in Sarasota County, Fla., show that Laukamp was based in Germany at the time of his death in 2002 and that a man named René Ernest was named as the representative of his estate in Sarasota County. [Proof of Jesus Christ? 7 Pieces of Evidence Debated]

In an exchange of emails in German, Ernest said that Laukamp did not collect antiquities, did not own this papyrus and, in fact, was living in West Berlin in 1963, so he couldn’t have crossed the Berlin Wall into Potsdam. Laukamp, he said, was a toolmaker and had no interest in old things. In fact, Ernest was astonished to hear that Laukamp’s name had been linked to this papyrus.

Is the ‘Gospel of Jesus’s Wife’ a fake after all? Fresh doubts cast over ancient papyrus that suggested Jesus was married after another in the collection with the Same handwriting is proved to be a forgery
Fresh questions over the authenticity of the ‘Gospel of Jesus’s Wife’ papyrus have been raised after a text from the same collection written in the same handwriting was proved to be a fake, experts say.
Debate over the fragment’s authenticity is set to continue as some will no doubt question these latest findings.
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Additional tests showed that the ink’s chemical composition is consistent with other inks used by the ancient Egyptians, while microscopic imaging found no suspicious ink pooling that critics of the papyrus said was evidence of the ink being applied in more recent times.

At the same time, other papyri from the collection were tested for means of comparison. One of those was a fragment from the canonical Gospel’ of John written in a rare ancient dialect of Coptic known as Lycopolitan. A Lycopolitan version of John, which was first published in 1924, is now available online.
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Many people over the centuries have tried to work out a ‘bloodline’ for possible descendants of Jesus and Mary Magdalene.

Many historians agree that there is no historical, biblical, archaeological or genetic evidence to support the idea.

New clues cast doubt on ‘Gospel of Jesus’ Wife’

Once we started carbon-dating papyrus, forgers started using authentically ancient papyrus. Once we discovered how to identify ancient ink by its chemical composition, forgers started creating precisely the same ink.

Like steroids in sports, it’s safe to assume that the best bad guys are always one step ahead of the science.

And yet, the dating of the papyrus and ink did shift the burden back on to the doubters. And just this past week, they seem to have discovered something as close to proof as we can really expect in cases like this.
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Add to this the fact that the carbon dating of the John papyrus puts it in the seventh to ninth centuries, but Lycopolitan died out as a language sometime before the sixth century. No one wrote anything in Lycopolitan in the period in which this text would have to be dated.
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This forgery was detected not through lab analysis but through good old-fashioned humanities-based detective work. This was Sherlock Holmes, not “CSI.”

‘Gospel of Jesus’s Wife’ Looks More and More Like a Fake

Just recently, Christian Askeland, a research associate with the Institut für Septuaginta-und biblische Textforschung in Wuppertal Germany, revealed new information that casts further doubt on the papyrus’ authenticity. His work is set to be published in the journal Tyndale Bulletin and is currently posted on a blog.

Askeland analyzed a second papyrus that, according to documents published in the Harvard Theological Review, was also purchased by the anonymous owner from Laukamp. It was presented to Harvard as a papyrus believed to be genuine.

This second papyrus, which has writing on two sides, includes text from the Gospel of John — and is a fake, writes Askeland, its lines being copied from a papyrus published in 1924. In addition, the researcher notes this papyrus has similar handwriting and ink to the Gospel of Jesus’s Wife, making it likely that the Jesus’s wife papyrus is also fake. [Proof of Jesus Christ? 7 Pieces of Evidence Debated]

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Centuries-Old Document Stirs Up Jesus Marriage Debate (fox8.com)
A newly revealed, centuries-old papyrus fragment suggests that some early Christians might have believed Jesus was married. The fragment, written in Coptic, a language used by Egyptian Christians, says in part, “Jesus said to them, ‘My wife …”Harvard Divinity School Professor Karen King announced the findings of the 1 1/2- by 3-inch honey-colored fragment on Tuesday in Rome at the International Association for Coptic Studies.
‘Gospel Of Jesus’ Wife’ Papyrus Is Ancient, Not Fake, Experts Say (huffingtonpost.com)
“The main topic of the fragment is to affirm that women who are mothers and wives can be disciples of Jesus — a topic that was hotly debated in early Christianity as celibate virginity increasingly became highly valued,” King, whose specialties include Coptic literature, Gnosticism and women in the Bible, said in a statement Thursday. “This gospel fragment provides a reason to reconsider what we thought we knew by asking what the role claims of Jesus’ marital status played historically in early Christian controversies over marriage, celibacy, and family.”The legible lines on the front of the artifact seem to form a broken conversation between Jesus and his disciples. The fourth line of the text says, “Jesus said to them, my wife.” Line 5 says “… she will be able to be my disciple,” while the line before the “wife” quote has Jesus saying “Mary is worthy of it” and line 7 says, “As for me, I dwell with her in order to …”
The Great Debate: Death and Taxes Matthew 22:15-33 (whatshotn.wordpress.com)
Jesus has boldly claimed authority as Israel’s Messiah by His triumphal entry, His cleansing of the temple, and His possession of the temple for His teaching and healing ministry (Matthew 21:1-17). It is while Jesus is ministering in the temple that His adversaries, the religious elite of Jerusalem choose to challenge Him publicly, demanding that He declare the source of His authority for all He has been doing (Matthew 21:23).
did jesus kill himself (or, maybe, have himself killed)? (unsettledchristianity.com)
Famously, some liberal theologians suggest Jesus only submitted to the cross after his example was wasted on the folk. Or, some suggest he was the first martyr. Neither of this, I think, does justice to what I am going to propose in my new dissertation. If we allow for the moment that devotio means, in its simplest form, “self-sacrifice,” then we can allow for an exploration of suicide as a form of devotio even if the proper term is not used.
The revelation of Jesus that John saw and heard (correctunderstandingofshinchonji.wordpress.com)
The revelation that John saw, heard, and recorded is the revelation of Jesus Christ (Rv 1:1). Anyone who learns this revelation of Jesus is not learning from mere men; he is learning from Jesus and the angels coming in his name (Jn 14:26; Rv 10). This revelation contains prophecies and their fulfillment (Jn 14:29; Rv 21:6). The prophecies record the events of betrayal, destruction, and salvation (2Thes 2:1-3). The fulfillment of Revelation includes battles and the handling down of judgment (Rv 13; Rv 12). Revelation describes the war between God and the devil, and the battle between God’s promised pastor and the pastors of the devil (Rv 12).
Psalm 2 (The coming reign of Jesus on Earth) (disciplesofhope.wordpress.com)
the scenario of Psalm 2:2 shows that the rulers of the earth are aware not just of God but also about Christ his anointed One. It means that the around that time (which will soon come) most people will have the Gospel preached to them as a witness. So there will be some rulers who will try to go against the Gospel teachings.
The Bible backs same-sex couples: Point by point, why conservatives are wrong (salon.com)
If the essence of marriage involves a covenant-keeping relationship of mutual self-giving, then two men or two women can fulfill that purpose as well as a man and a woman can. But is lifelong commitment between two adults sufficient for realizing a Christian basis for marriage? Or is there something unique about heterosexual relationships that prevents same-sex couples from truly illustrating Christ’s love for the church?
The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife ~ A Rogueclassicist Perspective (rogueclassicism.com)
We also saw some things from the Smithsonian, which may have added some gravitas to the story:
- The Inside Story of a Controversial New Text About Jesus (Smithsonian Magazine … very lengthy and interesting)
- What is the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife? (Video … different Gospels brought up)
… and it became apparent that this was connected to a documentary on the subject which was funded by the Smithsonian and which will appear on the Smithsonian Channel later this month.

Marriage of Jesus 7 Impaled

Posted on 2014/05/27 by Marcus Ampe

In the previous chapters I looked at the papyrus, which if authentic, suggests some people in ancient times believed that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married. Most historians agree that Jesus did in fact exist even may be the most famous man who ever lived, but surprisingly little is known about his life. The circumstances surrounding his life and death — and the supernatural occurrences linked to them — make it difficult to separate fact from legend.

Baptism of the man born in Bethlehem, who came to live in Nazareth and was called the Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Most historians believe Jesus was a real man of flesh and blood, who could be seen by many without them falling death, whilst the Scriptures tell us that God can not be seen by man or they would fall death. For many Christians it is very difficult to believe Jesus could be a human being. They prefer to see him as the God. Contrary to their belief that he is God they still want to put full human feelings in his character and would love to see him to be a married man, because at his age any ‘normal man’ would be married, according to their feelings.

Most Christians also do not want to accept Jesus Christ was a Jew and say he was a Christian, forgetting that his movement, first called the Way, was a Jewish sect, and later became an independent religion, called Christianity or Christendom.

The Jewish historian Josephus tells about the Nazarene Jeshua from Nazareth, today better known as Jesus, whom he also describes as a wise man, a teacher and healer in Galilee and Judea. Several sources mention Jesus’ crucifixion at the hands of Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect. But we can not really find many writings where is been spoken of him having a special relation with some one, a woman or a man. Before 2012 no indication was found that Jesus would have had a wife.

Hanged on a tree. Christ Jesus impaled.

Throughout the ages several artefacts where so called found are attribute a special meaning. As such various physical relics, such as the crucifixion nails and crown of thorns Jesus wore on the ‘cross’, have decidedly less historical or scientific backing. The symbol of the + cross was already something which is not historically right, because the Romans did not yet use such way of bringing people to death. They used poles or wooden stakes, like the word ‘stake’ is originally in the gospel writings, but often now translated as ‘cross’. People at that time where impaled and would not be hung in such a way that their body weight would pull their hands from the T-crossing and bring the body down. Lots of Christians do think a person being crucified would be hanging a person on the 15° century presentation of a cross. In earlier translations we do find a more correct form ‘he was hanged’.

‘Look, we’re going up to JeruSalem where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the Chief Priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death. (19) Then they will hand him over to the ethnics, who will make fun of him, whip him, and impale him. But on the third day, he will be raised!’ (Matthew 20:18-19 2001)

“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death, (19) and will hand him over to the Gentiles to mock, to scourge, and to crucify; and the third day he will be raised up.” (Mat 20:18-19 VGNT)

“Nu we fareð to ierusalem. ænd mannes sune beoð ge-seald þare sacerda eldren & bokeren. & hyo ge-niðeriað hine to deaðe. (19) þeoden to bisemerienne. & to swingenne. & to ahonne. & þam þridde daige he arist.” (Matthew 20:18-19 WS1175)

“The God of our forefathers raised up Jesus whom you killed and hanged on a tree. ” (Acts of the apostles 5:30 WEL)
“The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed, hanging him on a tree.” (Acts of the apostles 5:30 VGNT)
“The Elohim of our forefathers resurrected Jesus, who you killed and hanged on a tree.” (Act 5:30 UTV)
“The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you slew and hanged on a tree.” (Act 5:30 KJ2000)

Jesus ahead of Pontius Pilate and Herod Antipater (Dvakrat 52 Bibliszke historie, 1847) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Most scientific studies suggest that these relics originated long after Jesus died. Also a lot of stories, and mysteries got around and throughout the ages lots was written about that special man, who many would have loved to have killed again or to destroy for ever.

“If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they impale to themselves the Son of Elohim afresh, and put him to an open shame.” (Hebrews 6:6 WoY)

Many also wanted to give him a bad name and therefore send all fictitious stories into the world or doubted his sincerity, his purity and integrity. Several Christians therefore refuse to accept Jesus to be a real man. According to them not one man could stay pure and keep to the commandments of God. But in case nobody could keep to the commandments of God you could question such Laws which are impossible to keep. When they would have been made by a God who loves His creation that would be very strange, surely when He knows everything and should then know that nobody could fulfil His Will, and everybody would from the start be allegedly be condemned to death.

The Jew Saul (Paul) was very well aware of our position as human being and therefore after having come to understand the real position of Jeshua (Jesus Christ) he wrote several letters as further motivation for the readers to press on to a mature understanding of their Christian faith and points out the seriousness of apostasy (e.g. letters to the Hebrews). It is of the greatest importance that the readers give heed to the message of the author and receive the “solid food” he is offering them. Unless the readers go forward, the author predicts, they will meet with disaster. But even today we do find lots of Christians who do not like to hear that message and want to keep to doctrines created by human beings.

Also today they are often carried away by human thinking and placing the character of Jesus in their own way of life, where it is normal that a man of a certain age would be married, so their God Yahweh and their god Jesus also should be married persons.

In the woman who was at the ‘cross’ (Mary Magdalene) they like to see the sinner, even a prostitute, who was been converted to ‘Christianity’ and had become the most precious person of their god, and therefore he had taken her to his wife on earth like he had a wife in heaven.

Are you curious to get to know that wife in heaven also? Continue reading in: Marriage of Jesus 8 Wife of Yahweh opposite wife of Jesus

Preceding articles:

Marriage of Jesus 1 Mary, John, Judas, Thomas and Brown

Marriage of Jesus 2 Standard writings about Jesus

Marriage of Jesus 3 Listening women

Marriage of Jesus 4 Place of the woman

Marriage of Jesus 5 Papyrus fragment in Egyptian Coptic

Marriage of Jesus 6 Jesus said to them “My wife”

To be followed by:

Marriage of Jesus 8 Wife of Yahweh

Marriage of Jesus 9 Reason for a new marriage

Marriage of Jesus 10 Old and New Covenant

Additional reading:

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Antonio Ciseri’s depiction of Pontius Pilate presenting a scourged Christ to the people Ecce homo! (Behold the man!). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Find also to read:

The Implicit Thought Of Jesus In John 2:19 (Against Trinity)
Jesus proved to be worthy of as a sacrifice since he died literally and he had placed his spirit unto his Father thus his spirit is not the one who made himself alive. It was through God’s will and God’s spirit that Jesus became alive.
Some common misconceptions about the truth
There is no writing in the Bible that speaks Jesus as God coequal with the Father. John 1:1 speaks of the Word who is a “god” and not as the God.
The underlying truth in John 1:1
An example verse in the Greek Scriptures (NT) where Paul is identified as “theon” (god) without article is below. Here, Paul is being considered as a god and not the God. Someone who has a quality of a god because the power of God is manifested through him by the miracles he had performed in the eyes of many people. You can check the interlinear link of Acts 28:6 here (http://www.interlinearbible.org/acts/28.htm) Paul is described as GOD (THEON) without article therefore it shows qualitative and that he may be a god also. Thus, we can say that if the subject is defined by a noun then it has an important and necessary force of meaning within that noun. However, we can only get the right and exact interpretation of the word based on the context of the whole sentence. We would not interpret the word that identifies the subject as it would contradict the other phrases. Thus, in getting the meaning of the word that identifies the subject, we have options on how to deal with the grammar structure of the whole sentence.
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the head of Christ is God and that he is going to give his kingdom to his Father after he defeated all his enemies and he will subject himself to God – 1 Corinthians 11:3; 15:27 – 28) These shows that they are not equal (Jesus ≠ Jehovah). Other translations use “The Word is God” to say that he is the God himself or equivalent to Jehovah but in John 1:1b and verse 2 it does shows that they are not equal but distinct who are both present at the same time. One thing would fail in the nature of Jesus with Jehovah is Jesus was created and has beginning while the God Almighty has no beginning and no ending or cannot die. – Proverbs 8:22-31 (Jesus is called the master worker or the craftsman); Colossians 1:15, John 1:14, 18; Habakkuk 1:12; Psalms 90:2
The Jesus god of Christendom
Of all the gods in the world the most popular of them all is the “Jesus” god of Christendom.
The vast army of two billion almost-Christians happily proclaim that their Jesus is “God, the son”, a happy god who loves everyone. Many of the Jesus-worshipers believe that they are “saved” merely by knowing and accepting Jesus as their god.
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“Yahshua never heard the name Jesus. That was a name given to him by the early church many years after His crucifixion, they wanted to remove any Jewishness from the new church. They eliminated His Jewish name (Joshua / Jehoshua) and blended the name of “Zeus” into the Christian church to make it comfortable for all those who previously worshipped
the Greek and Roman gods – to become Christians.
Since Zeus was the top god of their experience, attaching the name Ioesus to Yahshua (Yehoshua) gave Him top priority in the worship hierarchy.”
-Believer or Follower?
The Sound of the Shofar
By Jon Thompson
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“The name that American Christians use for the Messiah is Jesus. This is a derivation of Iesus which is literally translated from Greek as ‘Hail, Zeus’. Using “SUS” at the end of the word is related to Zeus. When Constantine proclaimed Christianity as the state religion of Rome on his deathbed in 300 AD, he changed the names of the Roman gods to become names of Catholic deity and saints. It merged paganism with Christianity and distorted the Gospel message. Christ’s real name in english would
be “Joshua” (or Jehoshua) – the Messiah.”
– Vision Outreach Ministries
KB Gunn & Anamcari
“”Je-Sus”; “Je” (Ie) in Greek meaning “hail” and “Sus” (Zeus) meaning hail Zeus. The Greeks used the ending –sus in naming many of their towns to give homage to their main deity Zeus. Thus, by following modern traditions, we may actually be praising a Pagan God.”
– The Name of the Messiah
Torah Ministries
Who Is Jesus Christ?
Unlike us, Jesus was perfect. So he did not need to die for his sins—he never committed any. Instead, Jesus died for the sins of others. God expressed extraordinary love for mankind by sending his Son to die for us. Jesus also showed love for us by obeying his Father and giving his life for our sins.—Read John 3:16; Romans 5:18, 19.
Who is Jesus?
God’s son was born of Jewish parents who did not know the Greek langauge.
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Jesus. That was a name given to him many years after His death. Rome wanted to remove any Jewishness from the new church. They eliminated His Jewish name and blended the name of Zeus in order to make it comfortable for all those who had previously worshipped the Greek and Roman gods. Since Zeus was the top god of their experience, attaching the name Ioesus (hail Zeus) to Yahshua – gave Him top priority in the worship hierarchy.
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“It is known that the Greek name endings with sus, seus, and sous were attached by the Greeks to names and geographical areas as means to give honour to their supreme deity, Zeus.”
-Dictionary of Christian Lore and Legend
Professor J. C. J. Metford
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“The Hebrews called their coming Savior, the Messiah, Jahshuawah (Jehoshua). The disciples of the Savior accepted Him as such, and to them He was known as Jahshuwah the Messiah. The Greeks, however, rejected the Hebrew name, and called Him (IESOUS-Jesus) instead.”
– The Origin of Christianity by A.B. Traina
Christ never heard himself called Jesus
No one ever called Christ by the name of “Jesus” during his earthly life. As a Hebrew, he was referred to as “Yehoshua” by his 12 Jewish disciples. But Rome would not have anything to do with it. After the apostles left the earthly scene, Rome adopted the religion of Christ and made sharp changes, not only to Christ’s teachings, but even to his name. Constantine and the entire Roman Church Counsels – altered and changed Christ’s name into something more Greek than Jewish; and they even burned books that contained Christ’s original true name. All of these changes were in the interest of the large pagan population in Greece and Rome at that time.
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“In 1415, The Church Of Rome Took An Extraordinary Step To destroy all knowledge of two Second Century Jewish books that it said contained ‘the true name of Christ.’
-What Was The Church Trying to Hide?
by Tony Bushby
“The plan of the Greeks was simple, they merely dropped the Hebrew terminology of names which referred to the Hebrew deity, and substituted the name, or letters, referring to the name of the supreme deity, Zeus.”
-The Faith Magazine
Volume 69
Will Gods-people be stumbled by the name of Jehoshua
The Messiah has been called “Jesus” ever since the Roman’s took over Christianity as a state religion. That’s a long time. So much has been said and done in the name of “Jesus”, that to call him anything but that – will appear as sacrilege in the eyes of many.
But that doesn’t change the fact that “Jesus” never was his name. Christ was never called by that name while he was alive on this earth. His Jewish Apostles never called him that, and the earliest of Christians never called him that. It was only the Greek-speaking apostates, who changed his name to suit their pagan appetites for a god-man with 3 heads to suit their trinity tradition of pagan worship. And along with all these changes, was a complete destruction of Christ’s Jewish heritage and his Jewish name – which translates directly into English as did his Father’s name.
Since Jehovah’s Salvation – called “Jehoshua” is what Christ wants to be called, we should take his request very seriously. It is not a matter of holding onto tradition, or a matter of pleasing those who find the erroneous name “Jesus” to be so dear to their heart. No, it is a matter of “Truth”.
Jehoshua came to the earth to bring mankind back to truth. NOT to be molded into a god that mankind thinks he should be. Jehoshua was sent by Jehovah God, to bring mankind back to him. Christ had an objective of turning the Israel of God back to
truth again.
“Jehovah” and “Jehoshua”
“…in the name of (Jehoshua) Christ the Naz·a·rene´, whom YOU impaled but whom God raised up from the dead, there is no salvation in anyone else, for there is not another name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must get saved.” – (Acts 4:10,12)
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“the construction of theophoric names, starting with the letters “Jeho” is evidence that God’s name is actually ‘Jehovah’
(and that Christ’s name is actually Jehoshua)”
– Smith’s 1863
“A Dictionary of the Bible”
Section 2.1
Christ did not get paid for his preaching work
Christ was a carpenter. Many of his followers were woodworkers, tent-makers (Paul), fishermen (Peter), common laborers, animal herders, a doctor (Luke), and workers in the field, etc.
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Christ and his apostles, miraculously healed the sick and raised the dead. Christ preached fabulous sermons and discourses that lasted for many hours, where people came from far away to listen to him and to be benefited by his miracle healing.
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Christ did not candy coat anything. He was not trying to win Converts to make money. He was not selling himself or his teachings as a means to make income. In fact, he told all of his followers that they should never charge money for their services. They received the knowledge of the truth for free and they were supposed to share that knowledge with others at no cost Whatsoever.

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Crucifixion from ancient Rome to modern Syria (bbc.co.uk)
Disturbing photographs recently emerged from Syria showing the bodies of two executed men hanging on crosses. Why has a punishment used in ancient Rome now emerged as a feature of Syria’s civil war?
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Sheikh Dr Usama Hasan, Islamic scholar and senior researcher in Islamic Studies at the Quilliam Foundation in London, says this form of punishment arises from a very literal, or fundamentalist, reading of the Koran.

Verse 33 of the fifth book of the Koran says: “Indeed, the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive upon earth [to cause] corruption is none but that they be killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides or that they be exiled from the land. That is for them a disgrace in this world; and for them in the Hereafter is a great punishment.”
Nothing Here, But the Blood (brokenbelievers.com)
The Jewish people no longer sacrifice lambs, and the Gentiles have never caught on anyway. But sin has never gone out-of-style. Perhaps this is a result of the New Testament teaching that Jesus offered His blood as the payment of every sin committed. His death wiped our slates clean, forever.
Easter Science: 6 Facts About Jesus (livescience.com)
Most historians believe Jesus was a real man. To test the veracity of biblical claims, historians typically compare Christian accounts of Jesus’ life with historical ones recorded by Romans and Jews, most notably the historians Flavius Josephus and Cornelius Tacitus.
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Most historians fully accept one of Josephus’ references to Jesus and while most believe that parts of the other reference are interpolated by later Christian writers, many if not most historians believe that there is a core that acknowledged Jesus. And no, the Tacitus account is not “widely” thought to be forged – thought so perhaps by anti-Christian ideologues, but not historians. The similarities to other religions are often wildly exaggerated. The vast majority of the “Jesus as myth” crowd are not historians, have little if any relevant expertise, and are basically a movement of anti-Christian zealots. And your point about the Shroud of Turin is silly. As if there is some typical way miracles occur (if that was a miracle). As if an omnipotent being intended to create an impression of Jesus on a shroud, looked at it, and then exclaimed, “Oh no! It looks all spread out!”
Craig S. Keener: Jesus Existed (huffingtonpost.com)
Contrary to some circles on the Internet, very few scholars doubt that Jesus existed, preached and led a movement. Scholars’ confidence has nothing to do with theology but much to do with historiographic common sense. What movement would make up a recent leader, executed by a Roman governor for treason, and then declare, “We’re his followers”? If they wanted to commit suicide, there were simpler ways to do it.One popular objection is that only Christians wrote anything about Jesus. This objection is neither entirely true nor does it reckon with the nature of ancient sources. It usually comes from people who have not worked much with ancient history. Only a small proportion of information from antiquity survives, yet it is often sufficient.
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valuable as examining such historical evidence is, we must return to where we started. Logically, why would Jesus’ followers make up a Jesus to live and die for? Why not glorify real founders (as movements normally did)? Why make up a leader and have him executed on a Roman cross? To follow one executed for treason was itself treason. To follow a crucified leader was to court persecution. Some people do give their lives for their beliefs, but for beliefs, not normally for what they know to be fabricated. Jesus’ first movement would not have made up his execution or his existence. How much they actually remembered about him is a subject for a future post.
Lost Tomb of Jesus (eyeoncitrus.com)
During the last two centuries, fewer and fewer people born into the Christian faith have accepted the four Gospels as the last word on the birth, life and death of Jesus. Ever since the French Enlightenment, a growing number of scholars have begun to look at the New Testament “critically,” trying to unravel the history of the people who wrote it and who appear in its pages.
I am fascinated by Jesus (blogs.timesofisrael.com)
No, not by the central figure of Christianity. I am interested in the Jewish rebel leader who stars in Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan.
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As a Jew living in the modern State of Israel, I am putting my beliefs and faith aside and openly stating that I am interested in the historical figure that lived in this land two thousand years ago. There are two hard facts about Jesus of Nazareth. First of all, Jesus was a Jew who led a popular Jewish movement at a very tumultuous time. The second fact is that Rome crucified Jesus for doing so.These two facts set the stage for the meticulously researched biography by Reza Aslan, published just last month. Entitled Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, this book challenges many long-held assumptions about the man whose life and teachings form the foundations of Christianity. Aslan is not the first author to consider the case of the historical Jesus, but his jargon-free, unprejudiced, reader-friendly presentation of both Scripture and history will ensure that his message will reach a large lay audience.
Did Jesus exist (maasaiboys.wordpress.com)
I don’t understand this inspiration business. Since the gospel authors do not claim to be witnesses for example Luke 1: 1-4 , how do they claim to know what Jesus thought in some occasions when he was in private?
Pope, Netanyahu spar over Jesus’ native language (trust.org)
Pope Francis and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traded words on Monday over the language spoken by Jesus two millennia ago.”Jesus was here, in this land. He spoke Hebrew,” Netanyahu told Francis, at a public meeting in Jerusalem in which the Israeli leader cited a strong connection between Judaism and Christianity.

“Aramaic,” the pope interjected.

“He spoke Aramaic, but he knew Hebrew,” Netanyahu shot back.
Relentless Reliance on Repentance (innercitychurch.wordpress.com)
The Gospel can be (possibly) summed up by four questions;
Where do we come from? The answer to this questions is God. God creates us, God loves us, and God moulded human kind in His image. This is essential to understanding the other points – from love, God created people.
In the article Islam Is a Profoundly Political Religion With Uniquely Prominent Incivil Qualities (venitism.blogspot.com) it is clearly shown that many so called Christians do not understand that Muslims do have a problem not because of them being Christian, but because them adhering three gods. The majority of Muslims do not have any problem with real Christians who believe in only One God and who take Jesus to be Jesus a real son of man

Shabbat Pesach service reading 1/2

Posted on 2014/04/18 by Guestspeaker

Because this Shabbat (Sabbath) falls during Chag HaMatzot (Feast of Unleavened Bread), a special reading is inserted into the regular Torah reading cycle.

This special portion will be read in synagogues around the world during the Shabbat Pesach (Saturday Passover) service.

On this weekend as many believers are also celebrating the resurrection of the Messiah, it is fitting to recall the physical redemption of the Jewish People from Egypt. We know you will be blessed as you discover the Jewish roots of your faith in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

Shabbat Chol HaMoed Pesach (The Intermediate Sabbath of Passover)

Exodus 33:12–34:26; Numbers 28:16–25; Ezekiel 37:1–14; Luke 24

Handmade shmura matzo used at the Passover Seder especially for the mitzvot of eating matzo and afikoman. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread [Chag HaMatzot]. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread [matzah], as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Aviv, for in the month Aviv you came out from Egypt.” (Exodus 34:18)

An Orthodox Jewish boy eats a piece of matzah during Passover.

The Parsha (Scripture portion) for this Shabbat, which occurs in the middle of the Passover week, begins by describing the holy days of Pesach (Passover) and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMatzot) which last seven days.

These two special events are most often blended into one and just called Passover, but there is a crucial difference between the two, which we will explore in today’s study.

During the Passover time frame, there are three distinct events that represent three unique spiritual states or conditions of the soul:

Passover represents salvation: we are saved from the wrath of God by faith in the blood of the Passover Lamb.

“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29)

Jeshua (Jesus) was slain on Passover as the perfect fulfilment of the lamb that saved the Israelites on the very first Passover:

“And when I see the blood I will pass over you.” (Exodus 12:13)

Unleavened bread, also called matzah or the bread of affliction, represents sanctification.

Matzah is flat because it is devoid of yeast (chametz), which represents wickedness, pride and that which causes us to be puffed up or to think more highly of ourselves than we ought.

“Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Messiah, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” (1 Corinthians 5:6–7)

The matzah and wine of the ritual Pesach meal called a Seder (order).

Chametz is closely related to the Hebrew word chamutz, which means sour. Yeast is a souring agent. Likewise, sin causes bitterness in our soul.

“Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread [matzah] of sincerity and truth.” (1 Corinthians 5:8)

The week of unleavened bread, therefore, represents sanctification accomplished through affliction, trials and testing, and the purging of pride in order to teach us humility and obedience by the things we suffer in our wilderness experiences.

“And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” (Deuteronomy 8:2)

A tour group takes shelter from the sun under a lone acacia tree in Israel’s desert.

First Fruits, also called Bikkurim in Hebrew, which occurs the day after the first day of Unleavened Bread (although there is some disagreement as to the timing), represents resurrection.Just as the barley is offered up to the Lord as the first crop after winter, so Jeshua was also raised from the dead on the Feast of Firstfruits.

“But now the Messiah is risen from the dead, and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:20)

From these distinct elements within Passover, we can understand that between the events of salvation and resurrection is a process of sanctification.

Passover → Unleavened Bread → First Fruits

Salvation → Sanctification → Resurrection

A crop of barley in Israel

Additional reading:

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The Beauty of Pesach (Passover) (guardmyheart423.wordpress.com)
Most people, if you know the Bible, know that Passover comes from the account of the Children of Israel’s deliverance from slavery in ancient Egypt. Over 400 years of tears and sweat and blood and agony…Finally, HaShem sends a deliverer – Moshe. Speaks to him through a bush on fire that was not consumed and sends 10 plagues upon the land until Pharoah finally lets up and sends them away, practically.
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Our striped, bruised, pierced, and broken matzah (Yeshua) was raised from the dead, conquering death and hasatan (the deceiver) for good!
We patiently await His return and follow in His footsteps and keep the Feast in all diligence and in His memory. (1 Cor.5:6-8; Luke 22:19; 1 Cor.11:24-25)
Chag Pesach Kasher v’Sameach : חַג כָשֵׁר וְשָׂמֵחַ (jewsdownunder.wordpress.com)
the lessons derived from the Egyptian slavery and the resulting redemption provide a powerful base for Jewish faith and ethics. The journey initiated during Pesach, that of a nation of slaves racing towards freedom, reaches its climax with the festival of Shavuot, without a rendezvous with God at Mt. Sinai. Here the Jews’ new-found freedom finds its purpose.
G-dfearers Participation In Shabbat, And Pesach According To Toby Janicki (paradoxparables.justparadox.com)
Here are some quotes from Toby Janicki author if the book Godfearers and staff writer for First Fruits if Zion regarding Gentile observance of Shabbat and Pesach in the Apostolic Community.
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“Our Master Yeshua chose the wine and the matzah of a Passover Seder to represent his body and blood. More than just learning about and celebrating the concept of freedom from oppression and exile, for disciples of Messiah, the seder celebrates Yeshua’s atoning death and resurrection while remaining firmly grounded and centered on God’s deliverance of the Jewish people from Egypt.” Toby Janicki
Let my people go! – Pesach (Passover)/ The Feast of Unleavened Bread (chandlerozconsultants.wordpress.com) >Let my people go, that they may serve me
‘Pesach’, usually called ‘The Passover’ in English, is the greatest of the Judaic festivals and the oldest in the Jewish calendar. Like the Christian Easter, it varies in date from year to year, occurring in the Spring and lasting for seven or eight days, not all of which are taken as holidays.
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The festival remains essentially a family gathering for remembrance and rejoicing in freedom. In Jewish tradition the festival is known as ‘The Season of Release’, the central theme of which can be interpreted on three levels.
Passover 2014: the Jewish festival explained (independent.co.uk)
As sundown on Monday evening marks the beginning of Passover, we answer some frequently asked questions on one of the most important festivals in the Jewish year.
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To commence a week of complex dietary restrictions, family and friends gather for the Seder meal served on a special ceremonial dish. Eaten in a symbolic, the dinner includes a lamb bone, a roasted egg, a green vegetable to dip in salt water, bitter herbs made from horseradish and a paste made of chopped apples, walnuts and wine called Charoset.
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Moshiach’s Feast, beginning before sunset and continuing until after nightfall, concludes the festival. The meal anticipates the arrival of the Messiah, stared on the first day of Passover when a glass of wine is left out for Elijah.
A Symbolic look at Pesach (Passover) (bibleanswergirl.wordpress.com)
Many people read the Old Testament (Tanakh) and do not read the New Testament (B’rit Hadashah). Conversely, there are a large number of people who read the New Testament and neglect to read the Old Testament. In order to properly understand God’s Holy Scriptures we must read and study both the Old Testament and the New Testament.
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The Matzah is symbolic of the manna the Israelites ate in the wilderness. It also symbolizes Jesus.

John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which means House of Bread and He was buried on the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Unleavened bread (propheticsteps.com)
The feasts of the Lord are of great significance. Their historical importance for the Jewish people and the church should not be overlooked. The most discussed and well-known are the feasts of Passover and Pentecost, for good reason. The other feasts are just as important.
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The difference between bread and crackers, really, is leaven, yeast, hot air. Are we puffed up by our leaven? Has our sin transformed us into something we were never meant to be? That is what sin does, it turns us into something far different from what God would have us be.
Donut Versus Matzah: A Passover Lesson On Arrogance (kissmymezuza.wordpress.com)
On Passover we don’t eat chametz (leavened bread products). They symbolize arrogance. Arrogance is something that doesn’t last. For example, if we left a donut (chametz) around for a couple of months it would grow mold and rot.

Chocolate donut (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Matzah represents humility. Humility is a lasting trait. If we leave matzah around for a couple of months, it’s still good. A humble person endures.
Passover 2014: Date, History, Traditions (latinopost.com)
Jewish people everywhere are saying goodbye to bread, because Passover begins tonight, Monday, April 14, at sundown. The eight-day holiday, which is one of the biggest holidays in the Jewish calendar, ends on Tuesday, April 22.The holiday is always celebrated in early spring, from the 15th through the 22nd of the Hebrew months of Nissan. The holiday commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, and celebrates the freedom that the Jewish people now enjoy.
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Seders are only held on the first two nights of Passover. During the rest of the holiday, chametz, or leavened products, are not eaten until the holiday comes to an end.
Timely Growth (belgianbiblestudents.wordpress.com)
Serious lovers of God and Biblestudents do want to live according to the Law of God and are grateful that they may remember one of the most important happenings in the history of Israel, the People of God, and the liberation of the whole world by the instalment of the New Covenant.

Who Would You Rather Listen To?

Posted on 2014/04/10 by Guestspeaker

Next weekend we will be looking forward to the most important days of the year for Jews and Christians.
Those who believe the Nazarene Jew Jeshua is the promised Messiah, have that extra dimension to the celebrations. First there is the remembrance of this rabbi who took his disciples in the upper room to commemorate the great deliverance of God His people.
The exodus of the People of Israel is not only the story of their liberation of slavery, it is also our liberation from the slavery of death, by remembering the restored relationship with the Most High Elohim.

As Christians we shall come together on 14 Nisan to remember the instalment of the New Covenant, and the opening of the narrow gate to the Kingdom of God, to join God’s chosen People. Christians and Jews should learn the same lessons from their Holy Scriptures and go out into the world to show the Master Hand of the Most High to all around them.

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Additional reading:

Jeshua or Jesus the Christ or Messiah

Are the Jews really God’s Chosen People

The Evolution Of Passover–Past To Present

Commemorating the escape from slavery

Passover and Liberation Theology

1 -15 Nisan

Day of remembrance coming near

Another way looking at a language #4 Ancient times

Self inflicted misery #5 A prophet without a hedge around him

The Advent of the saviour to Roman oppression

Seven days of Passover

On the first day for matzah

A Great Gift commemorated

Jesus memorial

Observance of a day to Remember

A new exodus and offering of a Lamb

In what way were sacrifices “shadows”?

What does ‘atonement’ mean?

Why did Jesus say he wouldn’t drink wine again until the kingdom when he ate and drank other things? (Mark 14:25)

Children ate the OT passover so why not NT bread and wine?

Deliverance and establishement of a theocracy

14 Nisan a day to remember #1 Inception

14 Nisan a day to remember #2 Time of Jesus

14 Nisan a day to remember #3 Before the Passover-feast

14 Nisan a day to remember #4 A Lamb slain

14 Nisan a day to remember #5 The Day to celebrate

Around the feast of Unleavened Bread

High Holidays not only for Israel

Festival of Freedom and persecutions

14-15 Nisan and Easter

The Song of The Lamb #7 Revelation 15

Servant of his Father

For the Will of Him who is greater than Jesus

A Messiah to die

Anointing of Christ as Prophetic Rehearsal of the Burial rites

Death of Christ on the day of preparation

How many souls did the death of Jesus pay for?

Swedish theologian finds historical proof Jesus did not die on a cross

Why 20 Nations Are Defending the Crucifix in Europe

Impaled until death overtook him

Misleading Pictures

A time for everything

2013 Lifestyle, religiously and spiritualy

Fixing our attention

Control your destiny or somebody else will

Allowed to heal

A secret to be revealed

Your Sins Are Forgiven

Slave for people and God

Liberation in Christ

Not bounded by labels but liberated in Christ

Holidays, holy days and traditions

A Holy week in remembrance of the Blood of life

Peter Cottontail and a Bunny laying Eastereggs

Bread and Wine

Around the feast of Unleavened Bread

The son of David and the first day of the feast of unleavened bread

Deliverance and establishment of a theocracy

Focus on outward appearances

Fraternal week-end at Easter in Paris

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Related articles

End Times Matrix News – Nisan Uprising (twclark66.wordpress.com)
This edition of ETMN covers many breaking stories in the first hour including the discussion about the subconscious programming in movies and television about the end of America. The second hour discusses the month of Nisan and April and the tragedies related to American history.

The Spiritual Journey from Purim Through Pesach by Rabbi Marcia Prager (kolaleph.org)
If you have been watching the night sky, perhaps you saw the first sliver of the new moon last week. In the Jewish world, we’re moon-watchers, because each new month begins on the new “moon-th.” In early Spring, or sometimes even late winter, we celebrate the New Moon of the Hebrew month called Adar, the month whose motto is: “With the month of Adar, Joy increases!” Why ? – because winter is winding down, and the festival of Purim is coming!

One month later we’ll see another new moon, which arrives in the night sky to really herald the coming of spring!. This new moon ushers in the month of Nisan, The Month of Spring: liberation from the tight cold of winter! Rebirth! Fifteen days later, on the full moon of Nisan, what happens? The festival of Pesach/Passover!
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During Pesach God blazingly reveals God’s Self to us as the ultimate liberating power, bringing us out of Mitzrayim, and then on to Sinai to covenant with us as a nation. With drama and a cast of thousands, God intervenes in history to liberate an oppressed people and bring us into freedom.

We escape from slavery, and trek into the wilderness of Sinai. At Sinai, God reveals God’s Self to us with lightning and claps of thunder.

We receive Torah and learn to understand freedom in an entirely new way: freedom as commitment.

We will serve no ruler but God.

We hear God call to us: “Be holy, for I, the One Power that “Gods” you, am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2)

We commit ourselves and all future generations to this striving: to be a holy people in a brit olam, an eternal covenant with the Creator of the Universe.

A Survey Of Ebionite Jewish-Christian Scriptures Regarding Gentile Conversion, Judaism, Kashrut, Circumcision, Shabbat, Tefilah and Mikveh Tevilah (paradoxparables.justparadox.com)
“Should Gentile converts to faith in Jesus be required to be circumcised in order to be full members of God’s People? After all, they reasoned, circumcision was an eternal commandment from the days of Abraham on. At the time Gentiles who half-converted to Judaism were called “Godfearers” (Yireh Elohim). Those who moved beyond the Godfearers were called “Converts” (Gerim), and to be a convert one had to experience the covenant blade,” says Scot McKnight.

Christianity Has No Saving Power Only In HaDerech Is Elohims Salvation (spyghana.com)
Christians believe the faith they profess in any brand of Christianity renders them worthy and eligible for Heaven! It is sad to say, however, that all Christians will be utterly disappointed in this because none of them belonging to the countless and diverse denominations of Christianity, qualify for Heaven!

Judaism (whatshotn.wordpress.com)
For one thing much of our culture has been influenced by Judaism. In seminary I studied the Hebrew Bible, what we call the Old Testament, and had to learn to read and write Hebrew and translate specific Biblical texts. I have had several Jewish friends. So I am entering into a religion that I am more familiar and comfortable with.

Judaism is the oldest of the world’s four great monotheistic religions. It’s also the smallest, with only about 12 million followers around the world.

This Week’s Torah Portion – VAYIKRA (And He Called)(terri0729.wordpress.com)
God made Nisan the first month of the year because it was the month in which
the Jewish people were freed from slavery in Egypt.

So too, may we remember our freedom from the slavery of sin and death through
Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah.

The High Holy Days for Atonement – 2012 A.D. (moshebarabraham2013.wordpress.com)
As we prepare for The High Holy Days of Midian, Israel, and Ishmael, we seek Atonement through Fasting and Prayer as handed down to us from our Ancestors under The Covenant of Abraham (COA), Ibrahiym.

Resources for Passover (christinachronicles.com)
Here are some of the resources I have come across that can be useful as we prepare for teaching and observing this set-apart season to YeHoVaH.

“Passover Seder Meal” by Tina Teehankee (santuariodesanantonio.wordpress.com)
We invite families and friends to attend a Christian ritual that allow us to return to the sources of our past that is the very ground of our being. Such a ritual is the Passover Seder Meal.
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The holiday commemorates two events: (1) the deliverance from Egyptian bondage as the beginning of national history and (2) the time of the barley season, a remembrance of the relationship of Israel with the land. Passover is celebrated at the Synagogue and at home. The celebration at home is a re-enactment of the Exodus from Egypt; God’s redemptive liberation of Israel from slavery and spiritual misery. The purpose of the Seder Meal and the directed conversation at table is to draw relationships between the Passover and important New Testament truths. It is vital to our understanding of these relationships that we recognize that Jesus was a faithful Jew who observed Judaic laws. It was within Judaism that Christianity was born and wherein it found essential elements of its faith and cult.

Good Friday or Passover? (biblethingsinbibleways.wordpress.com)
As some celebrate Passover, millions of people are preparing to celebrate Good Friday. What is Passover and what is Good Friday? Is Passover for the Jews and Good Friday for the Christians? Where does these days originate from? Did Yeshua(Hebrew name of Jesus) die on Good Friday? or did He die on Passover? are both these days the same? Does it even matter which day we celebrate it on, as long as we remember it? We will delve in to the subject of Yeshua’s death today, and try to answer some of these questions. Keep an open mind, and let God’s Word show you the truth as some of the things you read here might probably shock you.
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Yeshua rose after the Sabbath According to Mt 28:1-6, Mar 16:2-4, Luke 24:1-3, Joh 20:1,2
The women came to the tomb on the day after the Sabbath, to see it empty.

So According to these verses, we see that Yeshua had risen when the women went to the Tomb on Sunday. So accordingly, we celebrate His “Rising from Death” on Sunday.

He said He would be in the tomb for 3 Days & 3 Nights according to Mat 12:40
If He died on a Friday around 3pm, and was buried before Sundown, before the Sabbath started, and He rose before Sunday Morning, Where are the 3 Days? Friday eve to Sunday Morning is only 1½ Days. Even if we took the whole day of Sunday, it would still be 2 Days. According to a Friday Evening Death and a Resurrection before Sunday Morning, Yeshua seems to have not accomplished what He said He would. And I believe, that He never said anything contrary to what He did. Some say that it doesn’t matter. If it matters to you that you know the Truth, read on. And you will see why it is important to understands the Feasts/Appointments God gave to Israel. (We will do a separate study on the Feasts of God in the near future, where I will cover all of the feasts mentioned in Lev 23, including Passover.)
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Easter Sunday and the Resurrection of Christ

From Jewish Passover to Christian Eucharist: The Story of the Todah (lionessblog.com)
Scholars have often wondered how the practice of Christian Eucharist could have arisen from the Lord’s Supper, which occurred in the context of the Jewish Passover. Since Passover occurs only once a year, how is it that the Christians got the notion that they could celebrate Jesus’ sacrificial meal weekly, if not daily?The answer is found in the ancient Israelite sacrifice called the todah.
While most people have heard of Old Testament sacrifices such as the holocaust offering or burnt offering, those who have heard of the todah sacrifice are as rare as lotto winners. Today’s ignorance concerning the todah, however, should not imply that it was unimportant to the Jews. Far from it. The todah was one of the most significant sacrifices of the Jews.

Indeed, an old Rabbinic teaching says: “In the coming Messianic age all sacrifices will cease, but the thank offering [todah] will never cease.”(1) What is it about this sacrifice that makes it stand alone in such a way that it would outlast all other sacrifices after the redemption of the Messiah?

Christ our Passover Lamb (daysofdaniel.wordpress.com)
In addition to the taking of communion, many Christians celebrate the Passover week in remembrance of Christ. This includes a time of introspection, repentance and making things right with God and man. But without Christ, the Passover is meaningless.

Passover Primer (boiseweekly.com)
Passover, a Jewish holiday celebrated for seven or eight days (depending on the branch of Judaism) that starts on the full moon in April, is a great opportunity to sink your teeth into Jewish history and culinary traditions. Why? Because each item consumed during the Passover seder–a ritual feast that’s hosted on the first night of Passover, this year Monday, April 14–is filled with thousands of years of meaning.
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In addition to matzah, the Passover seder features six symbolic items displayed on a special seder plate. While some of these foods are eaten during the reading of the Haggadah–a guide outlining the order of the seder and explaining the significance of the meal–others are there for ceremonial purposes.
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“What better way to entice people to really think about something than food?” said Lifshitz. “Food is intergenerational dialogue, which is what the Passover seder is about; it’s about a discussion.”

Shabbat HaGadol (layacrust.wordpress.com)
The Shabbat right before Pesach is called Shabbat HaGadol- The Great Sabbath. One interpretation is that “Moshiach”- the Messiah- will come on Passover, so this is the Great Shabbat, the one before that great redemption.Another idea is that the days leading up to the Exodus from Egypt were days of unusual and overwhelming preparation for the Israelites. Those preparations not only affected sacrifices and food but defined faith and self identification. That concept holds true today. Those who choose to prepare for Pesach and change their diet and behaviours for an entire week are declaring their faith in the God of Israel and defining themselves as Jews.

Slaves In Egypt? (brianrushwriter.wordpress.com)
The religion of ancient Israel was not anything that properly deserved to be called Judaism. It was a tribal cult in which the Hebrew God, Adonai or JHVH, was one deity among many in the world, not a universal deity as the Jewish God is today. This God was easy for them to abandon, as the diatribes of the prophets in the Bible show that they frequently did. Moreover, this God was not something to be worshiped in spirit wherever one found oneself; rather, he had a location, and that location was Palestine, especially Jerusalem, more especially the Temple. How can we worship the God of our fathers in a foreign land? the captive Hebrews cried.

G-dfearers Participation In Shabbat, And Pesach According To Toby Janicki (paradoxparables.justparadox.com)
Gentile believers have been brought near to the commonwealth of Israel. Although this does not make Gentile Christians into Jews, they share in the spiritual heritage of the nation of Israel.

Happy Passover! (jewishvoice.wordpress.com)
History repeats itself . . .
First there were the Israelites in Bible times, who were saved from sudden slaughter when they obeyed God by putting blood on the lintels and doorposts of their home. The Angel of Death passed over, and the Hebrew children lived to tell their great story of God’s faithfulness.
Happy Passover! (jewishvoice.wordpress.com)
we as people of faith can celebrate being saved from certain death when we apply the blood of Yeshua our Messiah to our lives and repent of those sins that kept us in our own personal bondage.To help you celebrate this wonderful occasion, we have put together some Passover resources so that you can be educated and inspired by the beauty of this holy feast.

The Unanticipated Passover Seder (ghostriverstudios.wordpress.com)
If there are aspects of the Passover seder from which all people can learn, how much more so is this true for believers in Messiah? After all, our Master Yeshua chose the wine and the matzah of a Passover Seder to represent his body and blood.
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The Unanticipated Passover Seder
I cannot be considered as one of the members of humanity who marched out of Egypt and left behind my slavery, and certainly I cannot project myself into the masses who stood at the foot of Mount Sinai and personally received the Torah from Hashem, as does every person who is Jewish.

The Unanticipated Passover Seder (mymorningmeditations.com)
our Master Yeshua chose the wine and the matzah of a Passover Seder to represent his body and blood. More than just learning about and celebrating the concept of freedom from oppression and exile, for disciples of Messiah, the seder celebrates Yeshua’s atoning death and resurrection while remaining firmly grounded and centered on God’s deliverance of the Jewish people from Egypt.

Passover: A Time To Remember (jacksonandrew.com)
I am thankful that today, we can celebrate this feast without the sacrifice of a life for our sins, as Christ, our Passover Lamb, has once and for all, become the substitute… and with Him, God is well pleased. Don’t forget to remember or you are doomed to return to what once enslaved you.

The Mystery of the Passover Wine Revealed: The Yayin HaMeshumar….Yeshua said, “I shall give you what no eye has seen and what no ear has heard and what no hand has touched and what has never occurred to the mind of man. (Gospel of Thomas 17) (guapotg.wordpress.com)
The phrase “wine that has been kept” in the Hebrew is Yayin HaMeshumar “wine of keeping”. The tradition of the Yayin HaMeshumar runs deep in traditional Judaism. It is the wine that will be served at the Messianic Feast when the Messiah re-establishes the Kingdom of Israel on earth.
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Not only is the Yayin HaMeshumar the blood of the Messiah, but it is more. It is the “mystery” of which the blood of Messiah is only part:
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next time you partake of the cup of redemption in the Passover sader, realize that this cup is symbolic of the Yayin HeMeshumar, the wine that has been kept from the six days in the beginning, the blood of the lamb slain from the foundation which has been hidden and separated and prepared for those who love him.

Passover and the Feast of Unleaven Bread (ourcommunityatfbcdc.wordpress.com)
The Passover meal is eaten on the first day. God commanded that Israel keep this feast perpetually.
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God offers us redemption through the atoning action of Jesus Christ, God’s son who came to the earth, and suffered and died for the sins of the world. He became the Paschal lamb. Under this judgment of sin and ultimate eternal death, God freely offers to all who will believe and accept His provision for us, forgiveness of our sins and life eternal.

The Passover Type and Its Anti-type (compasschurchamman.wordpress.com)
The Old Testament (Exodus 34:18, 25) distinguishes the festivals by using the terms “Feast of Unleavened Bread” and “Passover Feast”. The New Testament (Matthew 26:17; Mark 14:1; Luke 22:1) refers to both of these as “the Passover” and the “Feast of the Unleavened Bread. These festivals were held in immediate sequence. Passover was celebrated at twilight of the 14th day of the month (Exodus 12:6) and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for the seven days following, namely, the 15th to the 21st (Exodus 12:15; Leviticus 23:5f.; Numbers 28:16ff; 2 Chronicles 35:1, 17).
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The timing of Jesus’ death in the Passover season and the conviction that his death was the atoning death of “blood poured out for many” (Mark 14:24) assisted linking his atoning death to the Passover sacrifice. As the Israelite was delivered from the bondage of Egypt through the blood of the Passover lamb, so the Christian is saved from sin through the sacrifice of Christ; but Paul further adds that continual victory over the sins of the world means a continual observing of the Feast of Redemption.

Echoing Passover in This Worship (tbolto.wordpress.com)
The word “Seder” simply means “Order.” Everything is done in a careful order in keeping with God’s instructions in the Old Testament or Torah, as it is known by Jewish people, and with traditions that have been added to keep alive the memory of the original Passover people.

The Crossing of the Red Sea- A Picture of the Process of Salvation…..Just as the Egyptians followed the Hebrews into the Red Sea but the Hebrews alone emerged alive, when we enter into the death burial and resurrection of Messiah as symbolized by water im (guapotg.wordpress.com)
When someone asks “are you saved”? the natural question is “saved from what?” “Saved” is a verb that begs for a direct object. Yet many who ask you “are you saved” cannot actually tell you what they mean.

Pesach
I imagine that the death of Jesus was still sad in heaven even though they knew the whole plan. Suffering is sorrowful. I don’t really know what was happening while Jesus was dead so I won’t try to guess here.

“Christ Is Our Passover Lamb” / The Message of the High Sabbath beginning the eve of March 25, 2013 (owprince.wordpress.com)
Remarkably, the celebration of Easter, one of the most holy of Christian holidays, cannot be found anywhere in the Bible. In 1949 the Encyclopedia Britannica in its article on Easter stated the following regarding this day: “There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament, or in the writings of the apostolic fathers.”

Jesus Christ, Our Passover (fredswolfe.wordpress.com)
Jesus was dead in the grave with no consciousness for 3 full days and 3 full nights = 72 hours. There is no way in Hell to fit 3 full days and 3 full nights between Sunset Friday and Sunrise Sunday. Therefore, there is no such thing as Good Friday! Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb,was sacrificed for us and was buried on a Wednesday around sunset beginning the 1st night (Thursday). At dawn Thursday began the first day. At sunset Thurs. began the 2nd night of Friday, then Friday day; thenFri at sunset began the 3rd night, Saturday; then Saturday at sunset completed the 3 days and 3 nights. Sunset Sat. began Sunday night:Jn 20:1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.KJV
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If you find the word Easter in your Bible, it’s actually a mistranslation that is noted in your Bible’s margin. Most recent translations of the Bible make the correction. The correct translations use the word Passoverinstead of Easter.

The LORD Jesus Christ- Our Passover (zionsgate.wordpress.com)
Pesach (PAY-sahk) means to ‘pass over’. The Passover meal, seder (SAY der), celebrates this historic event.
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The LORD’s supper is a remembrance of his sacrifice as the perfect Passover Lamb and the fulfillment of the new covenant between GOD and man (Luke 22:20; 1st Corinthians 5:7; Ephesians 2:11-13). Prophecy of this sacrifice is found in Psalm 22. The Hebrew prophet Isaiah also spoke of the sufferings and sacrifice of the Messiah, and how that sacrifice would be the ultimate atonement for the sins of GOD’s people (Isaiah 53).

The Spinning Rabbi - Heart & Soul

Next week the Jewish people will celebrate Passover. Passover commemorates their Exodus from 210 years of slavery in Egypt. Jews are commanded to constantly remember their slavery, to remember it as though they were there. There are several very valuable lessons in doing this. One of those valuable lessons of this remembering, is this – G-d freed the Jews so that they were no longer physical slaves, yet they were still slaves. Now they were their own Pharaoh and the slavery was of the self-imposed spiritual and emotional variety. Once physically free, it was up to them to free themselves spiritually and emotionally.

This lesson applies to all people who are blessed to live in freedom today. This means that the only one who can free you now, is you. It’s up to you to free yourself from your personal Egypt.

We all (some more, some less) hold ourselves back…

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People Seeking for God 7 The Lord and lords

Posted on 2014/03/10 by Christadelphians

With purpose in the previous article People Seeking for God 6 Strategy we used a few times the words LORD and Lord. We can ask if everybody could clearly know about whom we where talking. When people read certain New Testaments in their language they can find often written ‘Lord’ or ‘lord’, but for sure it is not clear about whom it is been talking. Several people also use the title “Lord” to indicate God, but at the same time they use is it also to denote Jesus Christ (‘hail Zeus the Anointed”), whose name is really Jeshua in full Jehosjhua or Jehosjoea (“Salvation or Help from Jehovah”).

John Tenniel’s “Our New ‘First Lord’ at Sea” for the 13 October 1877 issue (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Though the Most High Elohim is certainly the Master or owner of everything it may be very confusing to only keep calling Him”Lord”. In the Bible or Holy Scriptures we do find several times that there is somebody speaking who says about Himself He is the “Sovereign Lord Jehovah“. The “Sovran” or sovrin or supreme ruler or head and lord (lörd) master or feudal superior, the proprietor or owner and a dominant person. It could be a titled nobleman, a duke marquess, earl, viscount or baron, a peer. But than we face the other lord also, who could be by courtesy the son of a duke or marquis, or the eldest son of an earl.

Today many do take it when they speak about the ‘lord’, they mean Jesus but also God. so by always saying Lord they do not see the difference any-more about which lord is been spoken, either the Father or the son. In this instance also a special son, namely, the eldest of the New Covenant. Because after God had created the first Adam, that first son revolted against his Father, the Divine Creator, and God promised He would take care that an other son would come onto the earth to bring Salvation to all the descendants of the first Adam. The Divine Creator created an other human being to be the first of God His New Creation. That second and last Adam became as such the oldest son of the “Lord of the New Creation“. The second Adam as oldest son could as such be called “Lord” and was going to be called also “Lord of lords” by many, the master of many people who would be master of others or would be a ‘bishop’, a member of the House of Lords, a judge of the Court of Session and would be appointed by his Father in heaven as a mediator between God and man but also as the High Judge of this world, placed above all human judges this world would produce.

Title page of Parables (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This second Adam as such would not be a lordling (a little lord) but the lordship appointed by the Most High Lord of the Universe. With his lord-ship that second Adam, would receive a state or condition of being a lord receiving the territory of a lord by his heavenly Father, Jehovah God.

People would come to speak about the Lord’s Prayer and the Lord’s Supper, having for the first speaking about the prayer Jesus gave to his followers to talk to his Father, Who also should be “Our Father” (Matthew 6:9-13). When talking about the Lord’s table people would speak about the communion table, where holy communion took and takes place, remembering Jesus Christ who took the bread, broke it and gave it to his disciples saying tit was the sign of the New Covenant. It is used for the table where people gather around to remember the one lord who gave his flesh, blood and his whole soul (his whole being) only willing to do the wish of his heavenly Father and not his will. (Luke 22:42).

This second Adam told all those around him, he did not come into this world to do his will, but to do the will of his Father, who is must more mightier than him, and without Him he could do nothing. We should not look to do just the will of this lord Jesus, but should seek to do the Will of the Father of Jesus (John 5:30). Jesus recognised Who was the Only One Rightful Lord or Master of everything. Without this Master of the Universe Jesus could do nothing. He was only a creation of that Divine Creator who was given the possibility to handle in the name of the Most High Elohim, “Lord of Lords”. He might have been the only begotten son of God, but in case God did not gave him the power he was just nothing or like anybody else.

Joh 5:19-32 The Scriptures 1998+ (19) Therefore יהושע {Jeshua} responded and said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son is able to do none at all by Himself, but only that which He sees the Father doing, because whatever He does, the Son also likewise does. (20) “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all that He Himself does. And greater works than these He is going to show Him, in order that you marvel. (21) “For as the Father raises the dead and makes alive, even so the Son makes alive whom He wishes. (22) “For the Father judges no one, but has given all the judgment to the Son, (23) that all should value the Son even as they value the Father. He who does not value the Son does not value the Father who sent Him. (24) “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me possesses everlasting life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. (25) “Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of Elohim. And those having heard shall live. (26) “For as the Father possesses life in Himself, so He gave also to the Son to possess life in Himself, (27) and He has given Him authority also to do judgment, because He is the Son of Aḏam. (28) “Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the tombs shall hear His voice, (29) and shall come forth – those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have practised evil matters, to a resurrection of judgment. (30) “Of Myself I am unable to do any matter. As I hear, I judge, and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own desire, but the desire of the Father who sent Me. (31) “If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. (32) “There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.

Jesus could only become lord or judge by the allowance of his Father in heaven, to Whom he came to sit at His right hand to judge the living and the dead. Already early in time it was said Jehovah would raise up judges (Judges 2:16) but knowing that a man of flesh and blood would be the best person to know what is in the heart of an other person of flesh and blood, god has given the power to judge to His only begotten son, Jeshua (Jesus Christ). In that son people should be able to come to see Who God really was. Nobody would be able to bring an excuse because God had given His Word to the World in the Holy Writings brought into many different manuscripts by many men of the world who offered themselves to be men of God. The many promises made in hat Word became reality by the birth of that man Christ Jesus, and as such the Word became flesh (John 1:1-5)

Yah Chanan (John 1:1-3): In the beginning the Word having been and the Word having been unto God and God having been the Word he having been, in the beginning, unto God all through his hand became: and without him not even one being whatever became. (Aramaic New Covenant; ANCJ Released: 1996 Contents: New Testament Source Used: Exegeses Bibles (1996) Location: Tyndale House, Cambridge, United Kingdom)

It was the Most High Lord, Allah, the God or “Lord of heaven and earth“, Who took care that His Word could be brought to many, and that the world would come to understand the Word He provided. Jesus came to explain the Words of his Father, and made many things clear, which lots of people did not understand from the Hebrew Scriptures.

In this man Jesus people got to see an important person and as such called him also ‘sir’ or ‘lord’, which we would do when we encounter a man by which we do have no relation or whom we want to give esteem. As such we should consider the title ‘lord’ given to Jeshua a title of respect or courtesy. Some wrongly consider it a title giving proof of the godhead or divinity of Jesus. But would they consider the lords of this world also than to be the God, though several of them may be called gods as well. Already in Scripture we do find such lords also receiving a title of being a ‘god’ but that did not make them The God. Many love to bring John 1:1 to say Jesus was God because they would love to see it that way. But the phrase gives us to understand that the writer wanted to have his book written like the Genesis of the Hebrew Scriptures, but now the Genesis of the New Covenant or the “New Testament” (hence the name of the assembly of the Greek books).

“In a beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the God, and a god was the Word.” (Emphatic Diaglott – interlineary side)

Many want to take the Word like Wisdom, which where personified in the writings to be really a person, but it was a description by which word was masculine and wisdom feminine, but not having like so many think a man god and a woman god, and therefore speaking of Elohim or the “Mighty Ones”, in the plural so more than one person. They forget that for higher persons always the Pluralis Majestatis was used. A singular person speaking with the term “we” but only appointing to himself as the higher placed one.

There where also may people in the world who tried to get people away from God and they did everything to obscure the Name of God and to confuse people. In the previous century, from the 1960ies onward they tried to erase the name of God from the Bible itself. Several new translations replaced the Name of God with the word Lord. At first they still used LORD and Lord, so that people still could see the difference between The God and the lord Jesus. Though for the trinitarians it was more useful to have not such distinction and to have people just to read ‘lord’ so that they could not see any more the difference between the Lord God and the Lord Jesus.

Those looking for God and wanting to get to know God better, their quest was made more difficult. But if they still tried to listen what was rally written in the Books they still could find the Only One God. It would have not been so easy when they could have found the Name of the One God, wherever it was originally written. Bbut God protected His Word and everywhere in the world could have been found proper translations where the Name of God was till placed there where the Tetragammaton (according to the syllables) or the Name of God was really originally written.

We may be pleased to see a tendency of change, coming back into the world, more people finding it important again to use Bibles with the Name of God where it was in the original writings. Several Restored Names, Holy Name Bible or Sacred Names Bible and Hebrew Roots Bible translations could see the light around the turn of the previous century.

To our shame lovers of God have to agree that in lots of the modern Bible translations including the later King James Bible versions, that our Heavenly Father’s personal name Jehovah/Yahweh has been taken out and replaced with titles and even names of pagan deities more than 10,000 times.
Literal translations were not much liked and lots of people were encouraged by their churches to read paraphrased Bile translations. Not many where eager to take a Bible translation close to the original language that was written thousands of years ago – the Bible as it was! The Old Testament from the original Hebrew manuscripts and the New Testament from the original Aramaic and Greek texts.

We should take it at heart that the Divine Creator wanted us to know Him and come into close realtionship with Him, having all the world for the many generations knowing His Name.

Exo 3:13-15 The Scriptures 1998+ (13) And Mosheh said to Elohim, “See, when I come to the children of Yisra’ĕl and say to them, ‘The Elohim of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His Name?’ what shall I say to them?” (14) And Elohim said to Mosheh, “I am that which I am.”1 And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Yisra’ĕll, ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ” Footnote: 1The Heḇrew text reads: ’eyeh ’asher ’eyeh, the word ’eyeh being derived from hayah which means to be, to exist, but the Aramaic text here in v. 14 reads: ayah ashar ayah. This is not His Name, but it is an explanation that leads up to the revelation of His Name in v. 15, namely: יהוה {Jehovah}. (15) And Elohim said further to Mosheh, “Thus you are to say to the children of Yisra’ĕl, ‘יהוה {Jehovvah} Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Aḇraham, the Elohim of Yitsḥaq, and the Elohim of Yaʽaqob, has sent me to you. This is My Name forever, and this is My remembrance to all generations.’

Looking at Exodus 20:7 concerning the use of the Divine Creator His Name, we should be warned not to make His Name worthless: “Lo tisah et Shem YHVH Eloheicha l’shav.”

Exo 20:7 The Scriptures 1998+ (7) “You do not bring1 the Name of יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim to naught, for יהוה {Jehovah} does not leave the one unpunished who brings His Name to naught. {Footnote: 1Or lift up, or take}.

By withholding the proclamation of His Name, we may well be guilty of “making His Name worthless.” Those who just use ‘Lord” do they not use lightly the name of the Adonai? Will Allah, the God of heaven and earth not leave those unpunished who uses His name lightly. Therefore it is important that we also show the outside world our relationship we do want to have with the Creator of heaven and earth.

In older American movies you might find children calling their father “sir”, but would you when you really love your father call him “sir” or “lord? Would you not speak to him by using the words “Father” and using His name when he himself asked you to call him by his name? God explained Who He was and is, and Who He wants to be know by the Whole world, and How important He does find it to have His name be hallowed. When we do know that our Father wants His Name to be praised and to be considered holy or set apart, would we than not place His Name apart and make it special?

By calling God “Lord” we are not making Him very special and do not use His Name but only a title, which also can be used by other people. The Name of God can not be used by other people in the same way. It is so special, so sacred, we also should give it an extra place and have others to know it.

The Torah and Tanach or Tanakh (‘Old’ Testament) clearly records how Hebraic Patriarchs and Prophets actually proclaimed and pronounced the Sacred Name as a Testimony to non-Jews and non-believers and how His followers will come to know His Name and call upon Him, using this Name!

When you keep using the title “LORD” or “Lord” you keep refraining from using the Sacred Name of God. by not using the name of the God of Adam, the God of Abraham, the God of Jacob, who was also the God of Jesus and the God of the apostles, you do not show the love for the Father of Christ, nor the love for the son of the Father who taught his followers the importance of the Name of God and learned them to pray that the Name of God shall be placed separate or be made holy.

As followers of Christ it is our task to do what Jesus demanded and to have the Name of his Father resound all over the world. We should go out into the world and get that Name sound everywhere where we can. We should not be afraid to use that Name, though it frightens a lot of people and lots of people shall let us know they do not like to hear that Name “Jehovah”. But we should not fear those human people but should more fear that “Jehovah” Himself, Who is the Most Mighty Lord over all lords.

Let us therefore be careful looking sincerely about whom is spoken and using the right person spoken of.

For example let us see in Acts 2 whose name we should call on.

Acts 2: 21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD,( Jehovah Joel 2:31,32 ) shall be saved.

Acts 2: 39 or the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD,( Jehovah Joel 2:32 ) our God shall call.

“And thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”(Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luk 10:27 )

Let us declare the love of God by using His Name not in vain but with respect and holiness.

The substitution of the Names of יהוה (YHWH = Jehovah) and יהושע (Yehushua = Jeshua) by the names of the pagan deities of the nations has brought immeasurable harm. Such names as Lord, God, Jesus (hail Zeus), and Christ in no way represent the meaning of the Name revealed by the Most High to Moses and the ancient Hebrew leaders. By employing these names the people unknowingly turn the worship of יהוה (YHWH = Jehovah) into that of idols and actually ascribe the benevolent characteristics of the Mighty One of Israel to the pagan deities (Hosea 2:8).

When we are looking for God, seeking Him with an honest heart, we shall be able to find Him easier by using a Bible translation which uses His Name there where God has given His Name in His Word.

We should at all times use the proper titles and proper name of the God of gods, the “El-Shaddai”, “Eternal” or “Everliving One”, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah.

Preceding articles:

Corruption in our translations !

Finding God amid all the religious externals

Seeing or not seeing and willingness to find God

People Seeking for God 1 Looking for answers

People Seeking for God 2 Human interpretations

People Seeking for God 3 Laws and directions

People Seeking for God 4 Biblical terms

People Seeking for God 5 Bread of life

People Seeking for God 6 Strategy

Note:

For those who swear that only the King James Bible is the right translation they should consider very well wich version they are using and which version they think is the good translation. Most of those who claim we should only use the King James version do themselves not use the original King James version where Jehovah is used and a ‘v’ is presented by a ‘u’, plus using very old language. They very often use a later more ‘contemporary’ version where God His name is taken away and replaced with ‘Lord’

Please do find The Divine Name Jehovah Restored 6972 Times in the divine Name King James Bible.

The Divine Name King James Bible is

the unrevised 1769 edition of the Authorized King James Version
with the wonderful restoration of God’s personal and unique name Jehovah in over 6970 rightful places.

We also would like to remind people that there is no singular organisation which has the sole right to use the Name of God.

It is a misconception that JWs have a monopoly on the name Jehovah. The Sacred Name Bible Movement is not affiliated with Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Please also do find to read:

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Who is God? (richlewis3.wordpress.com)
El Shaddai means God Almighty, God of the mountains.
Sabbath Lord… (beardedhac.wordpress.com)
Open our eyes to see You more clearly, open our minds to know You more deeply and open our spirits to worship You more sincerely.
When Fear comes Knocking (tricklesoftruth.wordpress.com)
Where Rabshakeh and the king of Assyria failed was in counting the Lord God as like unto the gods of wood and stone.
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There are times when we are faced with similar circumstances in our lives. We face giants and situations that are far greater than we are in the natural. They blaspheme or mock our God and expect that we should bow to them. Our very lives or livelihood may be at stake. What will we do? Will we bow in fear to the enemies’ demands or will we throw ourselves before the Lord and plead our case before Him as Hezekiah did?
“The God of Of Salvation, The Lord Of Death” (settledinheaven.wordpress.com)
The God that we can call our own, is “the God of salvation” or, in other words, He is “the Mighty One that controls the deliverance of His people.” Here, once again we can see a physical and spiritual aspect to this text…
Carissimi; Today’s Mass: Monday Lent I (frjeromeosjv.wordpress.com)
O almighty and eternal God, who hast dominion over both the living and the dead, and hast mercy on all whom Thou forekowest shall be Thine by faith and good works : we humbly beseech Thee that all for whom we have resolved to make supplication whether the present world still holds them in the flesh or the world to come has already received them out of the body, may, through the intercession of all Thy saints, obtain of Thy goodness and clemency pardon for all their sins. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God For ever and ever.
In the article Holding Fast the Name of Jesus (jlue.wordpress.com) we can clearly see how easily the persons are mixed with each other when a person uses a bible translation with omitting the name of God, having it replaced with ‘Lord’.
It is also not because salvation comes by a man that it means that that man is the Most High God. the text of the New testament speaks about calling on the Name of God and not on the name of Jesus:
Rom 10:13 ToY+ Whoever calls on YHVH’s name will Live!
SIH’s Think On These Things: Ephesians 3:17a (settledinheaven.wordpress.com)
Many times, the alignment of the believer’s desires to the will of God is an ongoing process. As the believer grows in faith and knowledge of the Word, they find their heart (desires) gradually becoming more aligned with God’s will (1 Peter 2:1-3, Colossians 1:9-10)
A laborer for the LORD. (eunasp.wordpress.com)
We are each blessed with a gift we could share with others, like singing, praying for others, preaching, evangelizing, acting, leadership….the gifts are many. There are people we could approach and strike up a conversation with and tell them about God and others are not so open to listening. Silently praying comes in handy in such a situation.
Lord (bloomlotus.wordpress.com)
We are in awe of your blessings and your magic threads you tug and tie among us. We are striving, God, to make you proud and to grow into the best versions of ourselves for you.
Praise The Lord (phillipbrande.wordpress.com)
When I was lost He found me, Before I needed Him, before I was enslaved, before I took my first breath, He provided a way of salvation, a way of freedom through His Son Jesus.
Devotional 05.02.2014 (thelifeofastrangercalledme.wordpress.com)
Jehovah, God of Heaven and Earth, Creator of the entire world, He alone is God! His powers are so great “very great, exceeding great; so great that it cannot be said, nor even conceived how great they are, what a display of wisdom, power, and goodness is in them; they are wonderful beyond expression and conception;

	God en Zijn gezonden… on Wettisch tegenover wet
	God en Zijn gezonden… on Fundamenten van het Geloof 13…
	Vreugdeliederen opda… on Fundamenten van het Geloof 13…
	A biblical answer to… on Entrance of a king to question…
	A biblical answer to… on The wrong hero
	Today’s Though… on Get Your Wonderful Disease-pro…
	Law and justice very… on Faith Alone Does Not Save . .…
	Law and justice very… on God’s wrath and san…
	God’s promise… on What Is Sanctification?
	Freedom a particular… on Christian fundamentalists feed…
	Lots to be said abou… on Christian fundamentalists feed…
	Lots to be said abou… on Added commentary to the postin…
	Lots to be said abou… on A Progressive Call to Arm…
	Discrediting Jesus h… on Marriage of Jesus 10 Old and N…
	Discrediting Jesus h… on Marriage of Jesus 8 Wife of…

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Kerstgebruiken — Zijn ze christelijk?

Geboortedag en een geboortefeest op een andere dag

Seizoenen, stormen, donkerte, donder en licht

Posada feesten

De posadas, „de drie koningen” en de nacimiento

De kerststaltradities nader bekeken

Geboorte van een kindgod

Viering van Jezus geboorte en de drie koningen

De geboorte van Jezus volgens de bijbel

De astrologen

Wat kunnen we van het verslag leren?

Aanvullende lectuur

Verder interessante aanverwante lectuur

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Days shortening and darkness coming over us

Seasons, storms, thunder, darkness and light

Roman influences

Aztec influences

Traditional Nativity scenes

Three wise men, Santa and birthday celebrations

Birth of Jesus According to the Bible

The Astrologers

What Can We Learn From the Account?

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Conclusion

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