11/11/2023 0 Comments Faith and fire elijah![]() ![]() The contemporary historian Stephen Shoemaker writes of an “anti-Catholic prejudice” and “bias” in his field, a “prejudice of early Christian studies against attributing much significance to the veneration of Mary.”īut Shoemaker’s work has stirred a reconsideration among scholars. There are other texts related to the end of her days, but Protestant historians for centuries were unwilling to recognize their antiquity. One of the most widely circulated books at the beginning of the second century was the so-called “Gospel of Mary,” which tells the story of her childhood. The earliest Christians celebrated Mary’s life. ![]() That quality would be even more applicable in the case of Mary, who conceived her child virginally and remained ever-virgin. Ephrem of Syria sang that Moses and Elijah were able to rise to heaven because of the chastity with which they lived their earthly lives. In the writings of the early Fathers, Moses and Elijah are often associated with the Virgin Mary, probably for this reason: All were assumed into heaven. In the Gospel accounts, both men are alive they are embodied and they can be seen and heard. Moses and Elijah both appeared with Jesus at his transfiguration. The Book of Sirach elaborates slightly on the story (44:16 see also 49:14), as does the Letter to the Hebrews (11:5). The story appears in an apocryphal book called “The Assumption of Moses” (composed slightly before the time of Christ) and is cited in the New Testament Epistle of Jude (verse 9).Ī third figure to be assumed into heaven, perhaps, is Enoch, who “walked with God: and he was no more for God took him” (Genesis 5:24). Long before Elijah, Moses was, according to tradition, taken up in a similar way. “The Transfiguration of the Lord” in the Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady in Valencia, Spain, by Jacomart, 1410–1461, Spanish. The prophet Elijah, in a chariot of fire, “went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2 Kings 2:11). The Jews honored the memory of at least three other figures who - according to tradition - had been taken bodily to live in heaven. Jesus is the only candidate to fit the description of the male child and the mother of Jesus is Mary, whom John sees in heaven, fully alive, body and soul.īut Mary was not the first to receive this gift from God. she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron" (Revelation 12:1, 5). ![]() John beholds “in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. We see the original event in the vision that is the centerpiece of the last book of the Bible. Christians in the West emphasized the beginning of her heavenly life: her Assumption. The East remembered the close of Mary’s earthly life, her “falling asleep” or Dormition. Indeed, Christians have, since the early days of the Church, believed that Mary, at the end of her earthly life, was taken into heaven, body and soul.Ĭhristians in the East and West tended to mark the event in different but complementary ways. And long before the Church marked the feast, it celebrated the fact of the Assumption. The Church is on track to celebrate the feast in a few days, as it has since the fourth century. the assumption.”Įight years have passed, however, and his wish has not come true. ” Among the items on his list was “giving up inventions like. Those who patiently wait on God in the darkness emerge with their holy loyalty cemented, their courage emblazoned, and their confident belief in Him set afire.In 2015 the Reformed theologian Peter Leithart issued a “wish list” of “ What I Want from Catholics. Strength of faith, character, and boldness can only be shaped in the hidden fires of silence, sameness, solitude, and adversity. Yet few are willing to go through the process required to get them there. Old Testament heroes are best known for their most celebrated moments: Moses dividing the Red Sea David slaying Goliath Gideon routing an insurmountable army Joshua marching around the defiant walls of Jericho.Īnd Elijah-calling down fire on Mount Carmel.īlinded by the remarkable narratives of our biblical heroes, we can forget they each had a backstory-months and years of development, even difficulty, which fortified their spiritual muscle and prepared them for the tasks that made their lives unforgettable.Įvery serious believer longs to summon up the kind of boldness and faith that can stand firm on Mount Carmel and pray down heaven into impossible situations. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |