Be sim Ab we Weld we Menfes Quudus ahado Amlak. Amen.
This is a compilation of lessons about Holy Tradition from our brother Dn. Teklebrhan from the St. Mary Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo church of Columbus, OH. Psalms 66:1 "We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what deeds You did in their days, in days of old."
" Tradition is the handing down orally of customs, beliefs, stories, etc...from generation to generation" (Webster's New World Dictionary) Holy Tradition is the spiritual teaching we have inherited from the holy apostles and church fathers. Tradition is divine, apostolic or patriarchal. the word "tradition" comes from the latin word "traditio", which is a translation of a Greek word used frequently in the Scriptures, Paradosis. Translated literally, this word means something that is handed on from one person to another, in the same way that a baton is handed over in a relay race.
Something that is "traditioned" is passed from one person or group of people to another. Tradition means an experience, an entire life-not simply a series of teachings, but the living out of those teachings that have come from God who has revealed Himself to us. Tradition is the thing out of the revelation of God by His people. In other words, Holy tradition is the ongoing life of God's people.
Holy Tradition can be seen in three different stages.
1. Pre-written scripture
2. In the Old Testament (Post written Scripture)
3. In the New Testament
Psalms 66:1 "We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what deeds You did in their days, in days of old."
1. Holy Tradition existed even before the written scripture. Almost two thousand years had passed since the creation of Adam and eve untill the written law was given to Moses the prophet. During this long period of time, Tradition was the only source of knowledge about God and His commandments. This Holy Tradition was being transmitted faithfully from one generation to
the other. During this period, holy men and women (Abel, Enoch, Methusulah, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Melchizedek, Lot, Isaac, Rebeccah, Jacob, Rachel, etc...) pleased God with their righteous lives and have been considered as examples for us to learn from and follow. (Hebrews 11:1-29; 1 peter 3:1-6).
Even after Holy Scriptures came into existance, God emphasized the role of Holy Tradition as He commanded the fathers to hand over verbally the teachings and stories they knew to their children (Exodus 13:14-16; Deuteronomy 4:9). This is also evident from the words of King David , Psalms 66:1 "We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what deeds You did in their days, in days of old."
Examples
Genesis 4:4
It is mentioned that Abel offered to God a sacrifice from his best sheep and St. Paul said, (Hebrew 11:6) "By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain". Now Abel lived 1400 years (14 centuries) before the written commandments. Then where did he get that faith? How did he learn about offering animal sacrifices? Surely from his father Adam who recieved it from God Himself. (Genesis 3:21).
Notice that cain who violated the Holy Tradition of offering sacrifices was refused. (Genesis 4:5)
In the same manner, our fathers Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and also Job knew the offering of animal sacrifices and building altars through the Holy Tradition before the written Law. Moreover, they even distinguished the clean animals from the unclean ones (Genesis 8:20 and 9:3-6)
Humans were created vegetarians (Genesis 1:29) then God's permission to eat meat was verbally spread. Also, the punishment of killers by death penalty was spread by Holy Tradition before the written Law.
(Genesis 14:18-20) These verses call Melchizedek the priest of God and Abraham gives him a tithe. How did they know the priesthood and the commandment of giving the tithe? In the same manner, Jacob said to God, (Gen 28:22) "and all You give me I will surely give a tenth to You". Remeber that there was no written commandment to give ten percent at the time, the only explanation is Holy Tradition.
(Exodus: 16:27-28) The commandment of keeping the Sabbath was known and transmitted through Holy Tradition because it was not written into law by Moses untill two weeks after the above incident.
(Matthew 9:35, Mark 1:21 and 6:2, Luke 4:15 and 13:22 and 19:47), Question to ponder: many times we read in the Holy Gospels about our Lord Jesus Christ teaching the people in the synagogues but the Holy Bible did not document any of these blessed teachings. Did all these Divine teachings just vanish? It has been said that all that is written in the Holy Gospels cumulatively, would only cover 18 days in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. His ministry was approximately 3 years (3 x 365=1095 days). what about the missing 1077 days? Where are the writings of over 99% of His ministry?
It is written that our Lord Jesus Christ remained with His disciples 40 days after His resurrection "speaking of things pertaining to the Kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3). But the Holy Book of Acts doesn't reveal what our LOrd said. Does this mean that we have no access to these pertaining to the Kingdom of God? St. Jacob wrote only one short Holy Epistle that probably took one hour of his time, St. Jude left us a very short Holy Epistle that might have taken half an hour to write, and St. Peter left is two short Holy Epistles. Where are the rest of their blessed teachings? Where are the teachings of the rest of the Apostles?
2. Holy Tradion in the New Testament
Our Lord Jesus Christ did not write a book, He did not document His blessed teachings on paper, but He chose His disciples who accompanied Him day and night. They absorbed His teachings and learned directly from Him. He sent them to teach the whole world and to make disciples of all nations.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations." (Matthew 28:19). Making disciples is based primarily on direct contact with the person and verbal teaching:
-St. Paul said to his disciple Timothy, "Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me." )1 Timothy 1:13.
-St. Paul said to the Philippians, "Brethern, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us as a pattern" Philippians 3:17 and "The things which you learned and recieved and heard and saw in me, these do Philippians 4:9
-and to the Corinthians, St. Paul said, "For in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Therefore I urge you, imitate me" 1 Corinthians 4:15-16
- St. Paul also said to his disciple Timothy, "the things which you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" 2 Timothy 2:2
Christianity is therefore a religion that is Holy Tradition -bound and is strongly committed to discipleship. No wonder, then, that the Apostles preferred verbal teaching to the written on:
Genesis 17:9-14
God gave our father Abraham the commandment of circumcision and it spread by Holy Tradition from one generation to the next.
Genesis 28:17-18
Our father Jacob called the place where he saw his dream "the house of God". He also took a stone, set it up as a pillar and poured oil on it. How was he familiar with the term "house of God" and how did he know about the consecration of the houses of God by pouring oil? Again, only the existance of Holy Tradition explains this.
Genesis 39:7-10
Joseph the righteous knew that adultry was 'a great wickedness' through Holy Tradition long before Moses the Prophet wrote the seventh commandment.
Exodus 16:27-28
The commandment of keeping the sabbath was known and transmitted through holy tradition.
-St Paulsaid to the Corinthians, "You are manifestly an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but in tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart" (1 corinthians 3:3)
- St. John said, 'having many things to write to you, I did not wish to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, that our joy may be full (2 John 12), Also "I had many things to write, but I do not wish to write to you with pen and ink; but I hope to see you shortly, and we shall speak face to face" (3 john 13)
- st Paul said to the Corinthians, "The rest I will set in order when I come." (1 Corinthians 11:34)
-St Paul said to his disciple Titus, "For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking." (Titus 1:5)
-The apostles wrote to the gentiles saying, "we have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will report the same things by word of mouth" (Acts 15:27). So even though they wrote a letter they sent two men in order to convey the same message verbally.
-St John said "And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written" (John 21:25)
-St Peter said "I have written to you briefly" (1 Peter 5:12)
Examples
Matthew 2:23
St Matthew quoted a prophecy about our Lord Jesus Christ that was not written in any of the Old Testament Holy Books but was transmitted from one generation to the other through Holy Tradition.
Acts 20:35
St Paul quoted the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, "it is more blessed to give than to recieve" which are not written in any of the four Holy Gospels but were known by Holy Tradition. Also (1 Corinthians 7:10 and 9:14).
2 Timothy 3:8
St Paul mentioned the names of the two Egyptian magicians who resisted Moses the Prophet. These names are not mentioned in the Old Testament but were known by Holy Tradition. (Hebrew 12:21) St Paul described how the people recieved the Law and how the mountain was blazing with fire. Then he wrote "Moses said, I am exceedingly afraid and trembling". These words ascribed to Moses the Prophet are not mentioned in the Old Testament.
Jude 9
St Jude mentioned the dispute between the Archangel Michael and Satan regarding the body of Moses the Prophet. None of this was mentioned in the Old Testament but again was known through Holy Tradition.
Jude 14-15
St Jude mentioned a prophecy by Enoch not written in the Old Testament but was known through Holy Tradition
Revelations 2:14
Our Lord Jesus Christ quoted from Holy Tradition when He explained the details of Balaam's perversion, which are not stated in Numbers 23-24. It was only mentioned that the children of Israel committed sexual immorality, but it was not mentioned that it was due to Balaam's advice to Balak. Also 2 Peter 2:15 and Jude 11 quoted the same from Holy Tradition.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Who are the Apostles?
And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve, whom He also named apostles." (Lk 6: 13)
The 12 Apostles were a group of men hand chosen by the Lord Jesus Christ to bear witness to the Word of God and to preach the Word to the multitudes of the world. In the Holy Gospel of St. Mark, he states that the Lord Jesus Christ "appointed 12, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons" (3:14-15). Based on the word of Jesus Christ they are the light of the world.
The twelve apostles formed the inner core of the Lord Jesus Christ's earthly ministry. They had the power of working miracles, and were inspired to teach and to do extraordinary mission work. On the Feast of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came down on them and they became great, giving witness with the power of the life and death and the resurrection of Jesus as He declared they should.
The apostles served the Lord Jesus and later provided leadership to the first generation Christian believers. They were of such importance that the word "apostle" occurs approximately seventy-nine times in the New Testament. Acts of the Apostles portrays the apostles as leaders of the first church in Jerusalem during the Church's first decade. The apostles truly established the church and with their fast we contemplate the glory of God, their faith, and hardships in which they overcame. Apostles and Disciples of Jesus Christ took the persecution and death for His Name's sake and they gladly suffered it until their death.
Peter
Simon became a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ the day that the Lord Jesus made him a "fisher of men." The Lord Jesus Christ changed Simon's name to Peter, which means rock" (John 1:41-42). This man known as a "rock" later became one of the most influential of the Apostles, as he converted three thousand souls to Christianity after his first sermon (Acts 2). He was eventually martyred in Rome by being crucified upside down, for he did not feel that he was worthy to die in the same manner the Lord Jesus Christ died in.
St. James and St. John (Brothers)
St. James, who also became a "fisher of men," was the first of the 12 Apostles to be martyred. He was beheaded in 44 A.D. Jerusalem under the rule of Herod (Act 12:2). However, while St. James was the first to become a martyr, his brother St. John was the last to die. St. John is believed to have died a peaceful death at an old age in Ephesus, after he completed the Holy Book of Revelations. St. John was the only one to stay with the Lord Jesus Christ through all His trials and tribulations, and was made the caretaker of St Mary by the Lord Jesus while He was on the Holy Cross (John 19:25-27).
St. John wrote 1 Gospel, 3 Epistle and one Revelation.
St. Andrew
St. Andrew was also a fisherman and the brother of St. Peter. St. Andrew was known to bring many people to the Lord Jesus Christ, as he also brought St. Peter to the Lord Jesus Christ after hearing St. John the Baptist call the Lord Jesus "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). St. Andrew preached in what is known today as Russia and moved on to Istanbul, Turkey, and then to Greece. While in Patros, Greece, Andrew became a martyr on December 4 of 60 A.D. He was crucified in a cross that has a form of "X".
St Philip
St Philip, from Bethsaida, was present on that day in which St Peter and St Andrew met with the Lord Jesus Christ. As the word spread about the Lord Jesus being the Messiah, St. Philip became a follower as the Lord Jesus Christ said to him, "Follow Me" (John 1:43). St. Philip preached in Asia Minor and was martyred at the age of 87 in Hieropolis.
St. Thomas
St. Thomas is known to be the one who doubted the Lord Jesus Christ and needed physical proof of His Resurrection (John 20:27). St. Thomas preached in Babylon, Persia, and made his way to India, where he also became a martyr.
St. Bartholomew
Most people confused him with St. Nathanael. St. Bartholomew preached with St. Peter in Asia Minor. At last when the rulers saw people are giving more attention to St. Bartholomew, they put him in sack full of sand and throw him in ocean. He died on September 1.
St. Matthew
St. Matthew also called Levi; use to be a tax-collector in Capernaum before he became a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. "As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And he said to him, `Follow Me.' So he arose and followed Him" (Matthew 9:9). After receiving his commission, he remained in the Holy Land. He has also came and peach in Agazit (Eritrea and Ethiopia) land and went back to philistine where he was beheaded and receive his martyrdom. Some people blieve he was killed in Agazit land, but this is totally wrong.
St. James, Wrote one epistle containing five chapters
St. James the son of Alphaeus, was St. Matthew's brother and known to be the younger St. James. He wrote the Holy Epistle of James and was possibly the first Bishop of the Syrian Church. He was eventually martyred by stoning in Jerusalem.
St. Thaddaeus
St. Thaddaeus also known as Jude, is the brother of James. St. Thaddaeus preached to Armenia, Syria and northern Persia, and was later martyred in Kara Kalisa.
St. Simon
St. Simon the Cananite, also known as Nathanael, is the last of the original Apostles commissioned to preach He was told the news of the Lord Jesus Christ being the Messiah by St. Philip. He also believed and followed the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:45-51. He w as killed by the Egyptian kind.
St. Matthias
St. Matthias is the 12th Apostle, who was not directly chosen by the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostles chose him to be the replacement for Judas Iscariot, who betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ. He preached in Armenia.
The 12 Apostles were a group of men hand chosen by the Lord Jesus Christ to bear witness to the Word of God and to preach the Word to the multitudes of the world. In the Holy Gospel of St. Mark, he states that the Lord Jesus Christ "appointed 12, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons" (3:14-15). Based on the word of Jesus Christ they are the light of the world.
The twelve apostles formed the inner core of the Lord Jesus Christ's earthly ministry. They had the power of working miracles, and were inspired to teach and to do extraordinary mission work. On the Feast of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came down on them and they became great, giving witness with the power of the life and death and the resurrection of Jesus as He declared they should.
The apostles served the Lord Jesus and later provided leadership to the first generation Christian believers. They were of such importance that the word "apostle" occurs approximately seventy-nine times in the New Testament. Acts of the Apostles portrays the apostles as leaders of the first church in Jerusalem during the Church's first decade. The apostles truly established the church and with their fast we contemplate the glory of God, their faith, and hardships in which they overcame. Apostles and Disciples of Jesus Christ took the persecution and death for His Name's sake and they gladly suffered it until their death.
Peter
Simon became a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ the day that the Lord Jesus made him a "fisher of men." The Lord Jesus Christ changed Simon's name to Peter, which means rock" (John 1:41-42). This man known as a "rock" later became one of the most influential of the Apostles, as he converted three thousand souls to Christianity after his first sermon (Acts 2). He was eventually martyred in Rome by being crucified upside down, for he did not feel that he was worthy to die in the same manner the Lord Jesus Christ died in.
St. James and St. John (Brothers)
St. James, who also became a "fisher of men," was the first of the 12 Apostles to be martyred. He was beheaded in 44 A.D. Jerusalem under the rule of Herod (Act 12:2). However, while St. James was the first to become a martyr, his brother St. John was the last to die. St. John is believed to have died a peaceful death at an old age in Ephesus, after he completed the Holy Book of Revelations. St. John was the only one to stay with the Lord Jesus Christ through all His trials and tribulations, and was made the caretaker of St Mary by the Lord Jesus while He was on the Holy Cross (John 19:25-27).
St. John wrote 1 Gospel, 3 Epistle and one Revelation.
St. Andrew
St. Andrew was also a fisherman and the brother of St. Peter. St. Andrew was known to bring many people to the Lord Jesus Christ, as he also brought St. Peter to the Lord Jesus Christ after hearing St. John the Baptist call the Lord Jesus "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). St. Andrew preached in what is known today as Russia and moved on to Istanbul, Turkey, and then to Greece. While in Patros, Greece, Andrew became a martyr on December 4 of 60 A.D. He was crucified in a cross that has a form of "X".
St Philip
St Philip, from Bethsaida, was present on that day in which St Peter and St Andrew met with the Lord Jesus Christ. As the word spread about the Lord Jesus being the Messiah, St. Philip became a follower as the Lord Jesus Christ said to him, "Follow Me" (John 1:43). St. Philip preached in Asia Minor and was martyred at the age of 87 in Hieropolis.
St. Thomas
St. Thomas is known to be the one who doubted the Lord Jesus Christ and needed physical proof of His Resurrection (John 20:27). St. Thomas preached in Babylon, Persia, and made his way to India, where he also became a martyr.
St. Bartholomew
Most people confused him with St. Nathanael. St. Bartholomew preached with St. Peter in Asia Minor. At last when the rulers saw people are giving more attention to St. Bartholomew, they put him in sack full of sand and throw him in ocean. He died on September 1.
St. Matthew
St. Matthew also called Levi; use to be a tax-collector in Capernaum before he became a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. "As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And he said to him, `Follow Me.' So he arose and followed Him" (Matthew 9:9). After receiving his commission, he remained in the Holy Land. He has also came and peach in Agazit (Eritrea and Ethiopia) land and went back to philistine where he was beheaded and receive his martyrdom. Some people blieve he was killed in Agazit land, but this is totally wrong.
St. James, Wrote one epistle containing five chapters
St. James the son of Alphaeus, was St. Matthew's brother and known to be the younger St. James. He wrote the Holy Epistle of James and was possibly the first Bishop of the Syrian Church. He was eventually martyred by stoning in Jerusalem.
St. Thaddaeus
St. Thaddaeus also known as Jude, is the brother of James. St. Thaddaeus preached to Armenia, Syria and northern Persia, and was later martyred in Kara Kalisa.
St. Simon
St. Simon the Cananite, also known as Nathanael, is the last of the original Apostles commissioned to preach He was told the news of the Lord Jesus Christ being the Messiah by St. Philip. He also believed and followed the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:45-51. He w as killed by the Egyptian kind.
St. Matthias
St. Matthias is the 12th Apostle, who was not directly chosen by the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostles chose him to be the replacement for Judas Iscariot, who betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ. He preached in Armenia.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
On the Second Temple...
I will try to summarize what was said last Friday. The topic of discussion was "what is TEMPLE OF GOD". The group has come with four types which could be called as temple of God. Atemple is A place where God is totally praised and worshiped [Isaiah 56:4, Matt 13:1.]
1. The temple of God in the sky [in Ariam, one of the seven skies where God is praised and worshiped by seraphim and cherubim].
Isaiah 6:1-4 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!" The prophet was talking about the temple in Ariam.
Revelation 11:19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.
In this verse we understand that there is a temple in the heaven and it has also His covenant "Tabot" in it. this is one of the main reasons why we still have a Tabot in our church. If the Heavenly church has one, why on earth shouldn't we keep it?! however, In the discussion the presence of Tabot after the New testament was a big issue. Based on the view of other "Christians" groups, there were arguments against keeping the Tabot after New testament. The answer has already answered in the above verse. 1. If God didn't want us to have Tabot, why does Evangelist John wrote saying he saw one in the Heavenly church (Revelation 11:19). 2. There is no word in the bible that says we don't need the Covenant of God any more. Instead, God in His words says:-
Ephesians 2:20. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone.
Tabot was first given to our Father Mussie, and God made this covenant as a foundation of His church when he came to earth.
Matthew 5:17. "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
In the above two verses we understand that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ came to fulfill the prophet that were told by our forefathers not to wipe out what He laid as a basic foundation of the Holy church during Old Testament.. Therefore, we can say that having a Tabot in a church is His word and His will, and we can easily say a a building with out the Tabot, His Covenant, is not a temple of God. To call a building a church, it must have TABOT.
2. The second temple of God is a building that has His covenant, Tabot in it [Earthly Holy Church, like our Holy Church].
King Solomon was the first who built the first building as a temple of God. Every body has to know that it is the Tabot that make the building a church. The first one who thought to build a house for the ark of the God was Kind David.
Psalm 132:2 How he swore to the Lord, And vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: "Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house, Or go up to the comfort of my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes Or slumber to my eyelids, Until I find a place for the Lord, A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob."
2 Samuel 7. The king (David) said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains." Then Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you. However, King David couldn’t build it for he had committed a Sin. However, God promised him. "When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
From above two verses one can understand that King David was thinking to build a house to the Ark of God Covenant, not just a building for worshiping. Then his son, King Solomon built the house of God.
1 King 8:20 So the Lord has fulfilled His word which He spoke; and I have filled the position of my father David, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised; and I have built a temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel. And there I have made a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord which He made with our fathers, when He brought them out of the land of Egypt."
As his father wished Kind Solomon built the temple dividing it into three parts where he put the Ark of Covenant in the holiest of holy.
Referring temple of God on earth in the New Testament:-
John 2:14-16 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"
Act 3:1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
3. Holy people also can be called as a temple of God.
1 Corinthians 3: 16. Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
We can call a person as a temple of God only when God’s Sprit are dwelling in them, like Saints. A person who defies and break God’s law can not be a temple. In order to be called a Temple of God one has to have fruit of the Holy Sprit which are "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.."( Galatians 5:22-23).
4. Holiest of Holy virgin Mary ( her womb) is also a temple of God.
In order to understand this, one should remember what make a building a temple. It is the Tabot, His Ark of covenant. Tabot is a Word of God written on a two plate given to our Father Moses. By the same talk, A Word of God came and become Human and God in St Marry womb (John 1:1, 1:7 , ). King David explains this as "God has chosen Her to be His resting place forever; He has desired Her Womb for His dwelling place (Psalm 132 13 -15 ). In short, since a word of God, Jesus Christ came and rest in Her womb, the Womb is like a Tabot which has God’s word too. Therefore, if a building which has Tabot can be called a Temple of God, by the same talk we can say St Mary who has bear the Word of God in Her womb is a Temple of God too. [not alone She, who bears our Lord Jesus Christ in Her womb, we sinner are being called as a temple of God].
5. The gathering ( Congregation) of Christians and Angles is also called as a Temple of God.
Ephesians 2: 19-22. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, In whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
The gathering of Christians on the earth and Angles in Heaven to praise and worship God is also considered as a temple of God, because God’s Sprit dwell on those who gather to worship and adoration his name.
Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.
God Bless all of us
Hawkum Dn medhanie
1. The temple of God in the sky [in Ariam, one of the seven skies where God is praised and worshiped by seraphim and cherubim].
Isaiah 6:1-4 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!" The prophet was talking about the temple in Ariam.
Revelation 11:19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.
In this verse we understand that there is a temple in the heaven and it has also His covenant "Tabot" in it. this is one of the main reasons why we still have a Tabot in our church. If the Heavenly church has one, why on earth shouldn't we keep it?! however, In the discussion the presence of Tabot after the New testament was a big issue. Based on the view of other "Christians" groups, there were arguments against keeping the Tabot after New testament. The answer has already answered in the above verse. 1. If God didn't want us to have Tabot, why does Evangelist John wrote saying he saw one in the Heavenly church (Revelation 11:19). 2. There is no word in the bible that says we don't need the Covenant of God any more. Instead, God in His words says:-
Ephesians 2:20. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone.
Tabot was first given to our Father Mussie, and God made this covenant as a foundation of His church when he came to earth.
Matthew 5:17. "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
In the above two verses we understand that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ came to fulfill the prophet that were told by our forefathers not to wipe out what He laid as a basic foundation of the Holy church during Old Testament.. Therefore, we can say that having a Tabot in a church is His word and His will, and we can easily say a a building with out the Tabot, His Covenant, is not a temple of God. To call a building a church, it must have TABOT.
2. The second temple of God is a building that has His covenant, Tabot in it [Earthly Holy Church, like our Holy Church].
King Solomon was the first who built the first building as a temple of God. Every body has to know that it is the Tabot that make the building a church. The first one who thought to build a house for the ark of the God was Kind David.
Psalm 132:2 How he swore to the Lord, And vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: "Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house, Or go up to the comfort of my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes Or slumber to my eyelids, Until I find a place for the Lord, A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob."
2 Samuel 7. The king (David) said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains." Then Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you. However, King David couldn’t build it for he had committed a Sin. However, God promised him. "When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
From above two verses one can understand that King David was thinking to build a house to the Ark of God Covenant, not just a building for worshiping. Then his son, King Solomon built the house of God.
1 King 8:20 So the Lord has fulfilled His word which He spoke; and I have filled the position of my father David, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised; and I have built a temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel. And there I have made a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord which He made with our fathers, when He brought them out of the land of Egypt."
As his father wished Kind Solomon built the temple dividing it into three parts where he put the Ark of Covenant in the holiest of holy.
Referring temple of God on earth in the New Testament:-
John 2:14-16 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"
Act 3:1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
3. Holy people also can be called as a temple of God.
1 Corinthians 3: 16. Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
We can call a person as a temple of God only when God’s Sprit are dwelling in them, like Saints. A person who defies and break God’s law can not be a temple. In order to be called a Temple of God one has to have fruit of the Holy Sprit which are "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.."( Galatians 5:22-23).
4. Holiest of Holy virgin Mary ( her womb) is also a temple of God.
In order to understand this, one should remember what make a building a temple. It is the Tabot, His Ark of covenant. Tabot is a Word of God written on a two plate given to our Father Moses. By the same talk, A Word of God came and become Human and God in St Marry womb (John 1:1, 1:7 , ). King David explains this as "God has chosen Her to be His resting place forever; He has desired Her Womb for His dwelling place (Psalm 132 13 -15 ). In short, since a word of God, Jesus Christ came and rest in Her womb, the Womb is like a Tabot which has God’s word too. Therefore, if a building which has Tabot can be called a Temple of God, by the same talk we can say St Mary who has bear the Word of God in Her womb is a Temple of God too. [not alone She, who bears our Lord Jesus Christ in Her womb, we sinner are being called as a temple of God].
5. The gathering ( Congregation) of Christians and Angles is also called as a Temple of God.
Ephesians 2: 19-22. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, In whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
The gathering of Christians on the earth and Angles in Heaven to praise and worship God is also considered as a temple of God, because God’s Sprit dwell on those who gather to worship and adoration his name.
Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.
God Bless all of us
Hawkum Dn medhanie
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Miracles of Arc Angel Michael from the Bible...
<-- ARC ANGEL MICAEL And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Revelation 12
Joshua, the son of Nun, saw him in great glory and was frightened by him and fell on his face to the earth and said to him, "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?" So he said, "No; but as Commander of the army of the Lord (Michel)... I have given Jericho into your hand, and its king." (Joshua 5:13-15, 6:2)
And the Angel of God (Michel), who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night. Exodus 14
Then the Angel of the Lord(Michael) answered and said, "O Lord of hosts, how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which You were angry these seventy years?" And the Lord answered the angel who talked to me, with good and comforting words. Zechariah 1
But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me…………….No one upholds me against these, except Michael your prince Daniel 10
At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; Daniel 12
Therefore we Tewahdoian, waiting and believing His and other Angles protection, request their prayers, blessing, and set feasts in their names, especially the Arc Angle Michael, Gabriel, Urael, and Raphael, the four Living creatures, the twenty-four incorporeal priests etc.
Arc angle Michel's intercession be for us and Glory be to our God, forever. Amen.
Hawkum Dn medhanie
Source: Coptic website and Miracles of Michel.
Monday, July 14, 2008
The Meaning of the Cross in the Eritrean Tewahdo Church...
In The Name of the Father, The Son, And The Holy Spirit, One God. Amen!
The most important sacrament of our Church, and one of the most frequently used, is the sign of the cross. Whenever we use it, we are reminded of the sufferings and death of our Blessed Saviour. It is the symbol of our deliverance and the emblem of the mercy of God giving redemption to sinful man. It is made from above downward and from left to right with fingers in the form of a cross. No ceremony in liturgy is performed without the sign of the cross. A priest confers blessings by the cross. In administration of all the sacraments, this sign is employed many times. The sign of the cross is made over water at its blessing. In the Holy Liturgy or Mass, the celebrant makes the sign of the cross very frequently over the people, the Sacred Host, and the Precious Blood. The Church teaches that the cross is a summary of the faith and salvation. It reminds us that we are the brethren of Jesus Christ and it is our strong weapon in our fight against evil. The Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church teaches the faithful to venerate the cross. It is one of the insignia of the ordained clergy. A priest or a bishop always holds it in his right hand and offers it to the faithful who kiss it with deep recollective piety.
The faithful use the cross as a pious decoration and understand its devotional value. They proclaim their love for it in various ways. Primarily, a cross is attached to a cord or fine chain, and is worn around the neck by all Christians from childhood until death. The faithful also adorn their clothes and ornaments with marks of the cross. They bear cross-shaped tattoos on their foreheads, their chests, around their necks and their arms.
After death, a cross made out from wood, metal or stone is placed over graves to show that the cross is not only a symbol of death and suffering, but also a sign of resurrection and life.
Those who use the cross with out piety and only for its decorative value have lost its true meaning. Crosses used in this manner are as worthless as the crosses used to crucify the two convicted robbers on either side of Jesus. They had no healing powers.
The true, genuine and holy veneration, the grandeur, magnificence and solemnity with which Eritrean Christians treat the cross will never be realized by any one unless he/she witnesses the ancient and ageless holiday of MESQUEL(Cross).
ርሑስ በዓል መስቀል።
May the love of the Cross be with all of us!!!!
The most important sacrament of our Church, and one of the most frequently used, is the sign of the cross. Whenever we use it, we are reminded of the sufferings and death of our Blessed Saviour. It is the symbol of our deliverance and the emblem of the mercy of God giving redemption to sinful man. It is made from above downward and from left to right with fingers in the form of a cross. No ceremony in liturgy is performed without the sign of the cross. A priest confers blessings by the cross. In administration of all the sacraments, this sign is employed many times. The sign of the cross is made over water at its blessing. In the Holy Liturgy or Mass, the celebrant makes the sign of the cross very frequently over the people, the Sacred Host, and the Precious Blood. The Church teaches that the cross is a summary of the faith and salvation. It reminds us that we are the brethren of Jesus Christ and it is our strong weapon in our fight against evil. The Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church teaches the faithful to venerate the cross. It is one of the insignia of the ordained clergy. A priest or a bishop always holds it in his right hand and offers it to the faithful who kiss it with deep recollective piety.
The faithful use the cross as a pious decoration and understand its devotional value. They proclaim their love for it in various ways. Primarily, a cross is attached to a cord or fine chain, and is worn around the neck by all Christians from childhood until death. The faithful also adorn their clothes and ornaments with marks of the cross. They bear cross-shaped tattoos on their foreheads, their chests, around their necks and their arms.
After death, a cross made out from wood, metal or stone is placed over graves to show that the cross is not only a symbol of death and suffering, but also a sign of resurrection and life.
Those who use the cross with out piety and only for its decorative value have lost its true meaning. Crosses used in this manner are as worthless as the crosses used to crucify the two convicted robbers on either side of Jesus. They had no healing powers.
The true, genuine and holy veneration, the grandeur, magnificence and solemnity with which Eritrean Christians treat the cross will never be realized by any one unless he/she witnesses the ancient and ageless holiday of MESQUEL(Cross).
ርሑስ በዓል መስቀል።
May the love of the Cross be with all of us!!!!
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