Thursday, February 07, 2008
Beautiful and Frightening
Some of the best blog pieces I have read are at the same time beautiful in regards to style and frightening in regards to content. Such is the case with the following post from my good friend Omar Alrikabi over at First Born Son. He is currently doing college ministry at the Wesley Foundation in Fayetteville, Arkansas. I envy the kids who are privileged to sit under his teaching. Check out his post here. And say a prayer for peace on earth.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Sacramental Cinematography
In 2004 on the Tuesday night preceding Ash Wednesday and the start of the Lenten season, Mel Gibson released his much anticipated "The Passion of the Christ" that was both hailed and criticized. There are some theological difficulties with the movie. I have heard it said, for instance, that the Christ shed so much blood in this movie that he died three times over. While the amount of blood shed was meaningful to an understanding that it was by His blood that we are saved, the notion that no human being could have lived through that blood loss and made it to the cross gave the impression that Christ was some sort of super human. We might like to think this at times, but let us remember that the truth of the incarnation is just this fact - that Christ became a man like you and like me. There was nothing supernatural about the beating he received, save the faith he had to keep him on that cross. Physically speaking, he died as any other man in his condition would have died under the same set of circumstances. We have to remember this because his true humanity is crucial to our salvation.
Having said that, I think that Gibson's sacramental theology is "spot on," as the English are fond of saying. If you remember, during the crucifixion scene, the picture cut back and forth between the events on Golgotha and the scene the night before in the upper room when Jesus was breaking bread with his disciples. As Jesus' hands were nailed to the cross, the scene cut to Jesus taking the bread. As the cross was raised up, the scene cut to Jesus raising the bread. As the blood dripped from his hands, the scene cut to show the wine. "This is my body," Jesus said, "given for you."
This scene brilliantly showed the beautiful truth that the Fathers wrote about, namely that the actions of Jesus in the upper room cannot be understood apart from his actions on Golgotha. In other words, Jesus is doing the same thing on Friday that he did on Thursday night. And this understanding further undergirds the understanding that Christ is somehow truly and mystically present in our celebration of the Eucharist. Not that he is crucified again, somehow transported to each of our churches, but rather that we are transported back 2000 years to that rock in the shape of a skull. That seeing the bread raised and the cup of wine, we are seeing our savior, "the Lamb standing as though slain," as John puts it. And that by partaking of the bread and wine, we are made one with him, one with his death, and one with his life.
Having said that, I think that Gibson's sacramental theology is "spot on," as the English are fond of saying. If you remember, during the crucifixion scene, the picture cut back and forth between the events on Golgotha and the scene the night before in the upper room when Jesus was breaking bread with his disciples. As Jesus' hands were nailed to the cross, the scene cut to Jesus taking the bread. As the cross was raised up, the scene cut to Jesus raising the bread. As the blood dripped from his hands, the scene cut to show the wine. "This is my body," Jesus said, "given for you."
This scene brilliantly showed the beautiful truth that the Fathers wrote about, namely that the actions of Jesus in the upper room cannot be understood apart from his actions on Golgotha. In other words, Jesus is doing the same thing on Friday that he did on Thursday night. And this understanding further undergirds the understanding that Christ is somehow truly and mystically present in our celebration of the Eucharist. Not that he is crucified again, somehow transported to each of our churches, but rather that we are transported back 2000 years to that rock in the shape of a skull. That seeing the bread raised and the cup of wine, we are seeing our savior, "the Lamb standing as though slain," as John puts it. And that by partaking of the bread and wine, we are made one with him, one with his death, and one with his life.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Mystagogy
In the fourth century, in the years following the Edict of Milan - the pronouncement by Emperor Constantine that Christianity was now an officially recognized religion and could therefore no longer be legally persecuted - a new genre of Christian literature began to emerge called Mystagogy. These were a series of lectures which were given to catechumens to explain to them the significance of sacramental acts like baptism, eucharist, chrism, etc. These lectures, in other words, introduced the neophytes into the mysteries of the Church, heretofore unknown to them.
In the process of catechesis, a candidate for baptism would learn all about the story of Scripture, he or she would learn the meaning of the different beliefs, the expectations of the Church - that one would engage in works of charity, etc. - perhaps the history and story of some of the saints, and other meaningful and important information. However, the catechumens would never learn about the sacraments for these were mysteries and were saved for baptized persons only.
Thus, the beginning of the Eucharistic liturgy, 'The Liturgy of the Faithful' as it was formerly called, was marked when the president of the congregation would shout: "The doors! The doors!" All the unbaptized would be escorted outside the Church to the porch and the doors would quickly be shut before the blessed host was brought out. No one in the outside world knew what went on inside those doors. As a result, nasty rumors began to circulate that the Christians were cannabals, eating on the flesh of babies. The first person to reveal what went on was the second century apologist Justin Martyr, who revealed some of the secrets so that the rumors would be shown to be false. But many Christians, I am told, were non plussed with his actions. These mysteries were sacred. Pearls that were not to be thrown to swine.
Still not until the Mystagogies do we get a glimpse into the deep, significant meaning that the early Christians placed on these mysterious acts. For in these sacramental acts, their salvation - and salvation history and the salvation of the world - was enacted. To be baptized is to cross the Red Sea into the promised land and to enter into the courts of the heavenly king. To put on the new white robe after baptism is to put on the garments of the new man, the wedding garments that would make one fit to attend the wedding feast of heaven. To feast on the Eucharist is to take the body of Christ into yourself, to become one with God.
Significantly, the catechumens were not instructed on the meaning of the sacramental acts until after they had gone through them. The ancients, unlike us, did not believe that one had to understand something cognitively before he or she could experience it. By the time they understood that baptism was the holy act of passing into the promised land, those catechumens were already sitting at the wedding feast and were becoming one with their God. For only such a one as this was worthy to know the mysteries.
In the process of catechesis, a candidate for baptism would learn all about the story of Scripture, he or she would learn the meaning of the different beliefs, the expectations of the Church - that one would engage in works of charity, etc. - perhaps the history and story of some of the saints, and other meaningful and important information. However, the catechumens would never learn about the sacraments for these were mysteries and were saved for baptized persons only.
Thus, the beginning of the Eucharistic liturgy, 'The Liturgy of the Faithful' as it was formerly called, was marked when the president of the congregation would shout: "The doors! The doors!" All the unbaptized would be escorted outside the Church to the porch and the doors would quickly be shut before the blessed host was brought out. No one in the outside world knew what went on inside those doors. As a result, nasty rumors began to circulate that the Christians were cannabals, eating on the flesh of babies. The first person to reveal what went on was the second century apologist Justin Martyr, who revealed some of the secrets so that the rumors would be shown to be false. But many Christians, I am told, were non plussed with his actions. These mysteries were sacred. Pearls that were not to be thrown to swine.
Still not until the Mystagogies do we get a glimpse into the deep, significant meaning that the early Christians placed on these mysterious acts. For in these sacramental acts, their salvation - and salvation history and the salvation of the world - was enacted. To be baptized is to cross the Red Sea into the promised land and to enter into the courts of the heavenly king. To put on the new white robe after baptism is to put on the garments of the new man, the wedding garments that would make one fit to attend the wedding feast of heaven. To feast on the Eucharist is to take the body of Christ into yourself, to become one with God.
Significantly, the catechumens were not instructed on the meaning of the sacramental acts until after they had gone through them. The ancients, unlike us, did not believe that one had to understand something cognitively before he or she could experience it. By the time they understood that baptism was the holy act of passing into the promised land, those catechumens were already sitting at the wedding feast and were becoming one with their God. For only such a one as this was worthy to know the mysteries.
Friday, February 01, 2008
Truism
"I should not like my writing to spare other people the trouble of thinking. But, if possible, to stimulate someone to thoughts of his own."
-Ludwig Wittgenstein
-Ludwig Wittgenstein
Friday, January 25, 2008
Irenaen Wisdom II
"It is better and more profitable that we should be uneducated and know little but draw near to the love of God, than that we should think ourselves deeply learned and experienced and so blaspheme against the Lord. That is why Paul proclaimed, 'Gnosis puffs up, but love builds up.'"
-St. Irenaeus of Lyons
-St. Irenaeus of Lyons
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
The Quest Continues
And so a new semester begins. For those of you keeping score, this is the fourth and (prayerfully) final semester of this arduous process. At the end of this semester, I will have completed 10 classes, 30 credits (added to the 30 credits I transferred in from my master's) of painstaking, difficult work. It is open to much debate on whether this completion was successful or not, but as I am often reminded, simply the completion itself should be cause for celebration. So do I receive my degree at the end of this semester? you may ask. A fair question, but unfortunately quite wide of the mark - which is, they say, the original definition of hamartia, the Greek word for sin (shame on you). Actually, after I complete this semester of classes, I then will have four or five months to prepare for a series of exams (some call them boards because they are in fact quite boring), which I will sit for at the end of October. Assuming that I pass this rather significant hurdle, again a lofty assumption, I will then, for the first time, have garnered the right to be called a PhD candidate. Right now, apparently, I am nothing but a peon, the derivation of which should be quite self explanatory. And let me assure you friends, the pee, as it were, is most definitely poised to fall this semester!
I am taking three classes this semester. The first is a history/philosophy class on the mysterious 6th century figure Dionysius the Areopagite. He wrote a corpus of writings dealing with the naming of God, the hierarchies of heaven, and the mystical union of God. He gave himself the name of Dionysius, after St. Paul's convert from his sermon on the Acropolis in Athens in Acts 17. It is a thorough going pseudonym, some might say fraud, as he references several apostolic events in his works, including a remembrance that he had of the world going dark when Jesus was crucified. He even addressed one of his letters to the Apostle John on Patmos. The pseudonym is why the letters received such universal acceptance and authority as it was accepted as truth by virtually everyone until the middle 19th century when it, along with much of what we used to hold dear, came into question. Though we know these works were not written by the real Dionysius - he now goes by Pseudo-Dionysius - he still is quite an important figure in the history of Christianity for the influence of his writings. As he is thought to have melded quite successfully the traditions of Christianity and Neoplatonism, he is of interest both for Christians and philosophers. The class is, thus, team taught by Father Alexander Golitzin - the resident Orthodox monk - and Dr. John Jones, philosopher extraordinaire. Should be quite engaging.
My second class is a class on hermeneutics, which is, simply put, the study of how one reads the Scriptures. It is taught by Dr. D. Stephen Long, a Methodist who recently joined the staff of Marquette. As my readers know, I too am a Methodist and for the first year of my studies felt like a man without a home in some respects as there was no one of my tradition with whom I interacted on a regular basis. It is good to be in Dr. Longs presence, under his tutelage as the old saying goes, and for such an important topic.
And my third class is a history class on Late Medieval Augustinianism. That is, I gather, how the Medievals, from Lombard to Aquinas to the dawn of the Reformation, used and interpreted Augustine. The great Father and Doctor of the Church had such a corpus and made several shifts in his thinking throughout his career that the problem of an Augustinian consensus was pressing in the middle ages. In short, everyone claimed him as an authority but no one agreed on what he was saying. This became particularly acute in the Reformation as both the Reformers and the Catholics were claiming to be the rightful inheritors of Augustine. This class is taught by Dr. Marcus Wriedt, a German scholar who teaches at Marquette periodically. I have heard amazing things about him so the excitement to take him mitigates against the fear of the fact that our primary text book is only in Latin.
So there we have it - the finish line of the class portion of this process is in sight (though in reality it is probably not even the halfway point). Still it is something, and I am grateful to God that I have made it this far, only with His help. I pray that for all my learning I do not miss him. One of the quotes I have sitting on my desk is from the great medieval scholar Hugh of Saint Victor: "Knowledge that is stained by a shameless life is not worthy of praise, and for this reason the person who seeks after knowledge must be very much on his guard not to neglect discipline."
Such is the path that I am on. Thank you for those of you who have journeyed on it with me. Through your prayers I continue.
I am taking three classes this semester. The first is a history/philosophy class on the mysterious 6th century figure Dionysius the Areopagite. He wrote a corpus of writings dealing with the naming of God, the hierarchies of heaven, and the mystical union of God. He gave himself the name of Dionysius, after St. Paul's convert from his sermon on the Acropolis in Athens in Acts 17. It is a thorough going pseudonym, some might say fraud, as he references several apostolic events in his works, including a remembrance that he had of the world going dark when Jesus was crucified. He even addressed one of his letters to the Apostle John on Patmos. The pseudonym is why the letters received such universal acceptance and authority as it was accepted as truth by virtually everyone until the middle 19th century when it, along with much of what we used to hold dear, came into question. Though we know these works were not written by the real Dionysius - he now goes by Pseudo-Dionysius - he still is quite an important figure in the history of Christianity for the influence of his writings. As he is thought to have melded quite successfully the traditions of Christianity and Neoplatonism, he is of interest both for Christians and philosophers. The class is, thus, team taught by Father Alexander Golitzin - the resident Orthodox monk - and Dr. John Jones, philosopher extraordinaire. Should be quite engaging.
My second class is a class on hermeneutics, which is, simply put, the study of how one reads the Scriptures. It is taught by Dr. D. Stephen Long, a Methodist who recently joined the staff of Marquette. As my readers know, I too am a Methodist and for the first year of my studies felt like a man without a home in some respects as there was no one of my tradition with whom I interacted on a regular basis. It is good to be in Dr. Longs presence, under his tutelage as the old saying goes, and for such an important topic.
And my third class is a history class on Late Medieval Augustinianism. That is, I gather, how the Medievals, from Lombard to Aquinas to the dawn of the Reformation, used and interpreted Augustine. The great Father and Doctor of the Church had such a corpus and made several shifts in his thinking throughout his career that the problem of an Augustinian consensus was pressing in the middle ages. In short, everyone claimed him as an authority but no one agreed on what he was saying. This became particularly acute in the Reformation as both the Reformers and the Catholics were claiming to be the rightful inheritors of Augustine. This class is taught by Dr. Marcus Wriedt, a German scholar who teaches at Marquette periodically. I have heard amazing things about him so the excitement to take him mitigates against the fear of the fact that our primary text book is only in Latin.
So there we have it - the finish line of the class portion of this process is in sight (though in reality it is probably not even the halfway point). Still it is something, and I am grateful to God that I have made it this far, only with His help. I pray that for all my learning I do not miss him. One of the quotes I have sitting on my desk is from the great medieval scholar Hugh of Saint Victor: "Knowledge that is stained by a shameless life is not worthy of praise, and for this reason the person who seeks after knowledge must be very much on his guard not to neglect discipline."
Such is the path that I am on. Thank you for those of you who have journeyed on it with me. Through your prayers I continue.
Monday, January 21, 2008
"Where Have You Gone, O Apostles' Creed?"
Paul Simon's classic line might not work lyrically in this instance, but the sentiment remains. There has been much about the United Methodist Church (as a whole) that has been disappointing to me lately, but I must say that I was still quite shocked yesterday morning when after handing out the Apostles' Creed to our senior high Sunday School class, all of them replied that they had never seen this. Now I know that this is not true because we say the Creed in our baptismal liturgy. However, I would not expect a high schooler to remember it had he or she only recited it a few times in their lives. Yet, I was shocked because these were all students who had been confirmed in the United Methodist Church. And I have to ask, if they are not teaching the Apostles' Creed, then what are they teaching?
My shock continued as they showed no interest in its history, its origin, its purpose, or anything else that a mildly educated Christian might express. Rather, they said that they saw no way that it could relate to them and the struggles of their everyday lives. This is a sad situation and a judgment - not necessarily on the kids themselves - but the education to which they have been exposed.
So in the next few weeks of our Sunday School class, Julie and I will be teaching on the Apostles' Creed. Each session will focus on one of the articles. (For example, next week's study will focus on "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.") For each class, we will examine where the doctrine was found in Scripture, what dangers are present were one not to believe the article (the traditional name for this is heresy), and finally, how this belief does indeed (or can indeed) affect their everyday lives. We will be using as a guide the wonderful book by Luke Timothy Johnson, The Creed: What Christians Believe and Why It Matters. If you've never read it and are looking for some excellent reading material that will be both educational and edifying to your spiritual experience, I highly recommend it.
We need prayers for this project as we are fighting an uphill battle against disinterest and apathy. We will update on this blog as the course progress.
My shock continued as they showed no interest in its history, its origin, its purpose, or anything else that a mildly educated Christian might express. Rather, they said that they saw no way that it could relate to them and the struggles of their everyday lives. This is a sad situation and a judgment - not necessarily on the kids themselves - but the education to which they have been exposed.
So in the next few weeks of our Sunday School class, Julie and I will be teaching on the Apostles' Creed. Each session will focus on one of the articles. (For example, next week's study will focus on "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.") For each class, we will examine where the doctrine was found in Scripture, what dangers are present were one not to believe the article (the traditional name for this is heresy), and finally, how this belief does indeed (or can indeed) affect their everyday lives. We will be using as a guide the wonderful book by Luke Timothy Johnson, The Creed: What Christians Believe and Why It Matters. If you've never read it and are looking for some excellent reading material that will be both educational and edifying to your spiritual experience, I highly recommend it.
We need prayers for this project as we are fighting an uphill battle against disinterest and apathy. We will update on this blog as the course progress.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Top Ten First Lines of Theological Works
Even a cursory reader of this blog will have been able to seize upon two separate loves of mine, namely, theology and literature. Of the second I have elsewhere written of my particular fancy of a well crafted first line of a story. Therefore, I thought it might be appropriate and interesting - if to no one but myself - to offer for you, in my humble opinion, the ten greatest first lines (or in some cases several) of works of theology. As always, if anyone is still out there, please feel free to critique, criticize, or offer a few of your own.
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10. "Sometime between 1960 and 1980, an old, inadequately conceived world ended, and a fresh, new world began. We do not mean to be overly dramatic. Although there are many who have not yet heard the news, it is nevertheless true: A tired old world has ended, an exciting new one is waiting recognition." -Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon, Resident Aliens (I had to get some Wesleyans in here, since Wesley's own openings are usually rather bland.)
9. "It's teaching about Jesus Christ lies at the heart of every Christian theology." -Wolfhart Pannenberg, Jesus-God and Man (Those Germans, as we shall see, know how to write a first line!)
8. "Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness,' says the Lord. These are Christ's own words by which he exhorts us to imitate his life and his ways, if we truly desire to be enlightened and free of all blindness of heart. Let it then be our main concern to meditate on the life of Jesus Christ." -Thomas a Kempis, The Imitation of Christ
7. "Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church. We are fighting to-day for costly grace." -Dietrich Boenhoffer, The Cost of Discipleship
6. "The joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the people of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted, are the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well." -Gaudium et Spes, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Vatican II (I would be remiss to not have at least one conciliar document in this list.)
1. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God." -John the Theologian
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10. "Sometime between 1960 and 1980, an old, inadequately conceived world ended, and a fresh, new world began. We do not mean to be overly dramatic. Although there are many who have not yet heard the news, it is nevertheless true: A tired old world has ended, an exciting new one is waiting recognition." -Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon, Resident Aliens (I had to get some Wesleyans in here, since Wesley's own openings are usually rather bland.)
9. "It's teaching about Jesus Christ lies at the heart of every Christian theology." -Wolfhart Pannenberg, Jesus-God and Man (Those Germans, as we shall see, know how to write a first line!)
8. "Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness,' says the Lord. These are Christ's own words by which he exhorts us to imitate his life and his ways, if we truly desire to be enlightened and free of all blindness of heart. Let it then be our main concern to meditate on the life of Jesus Christ." -Thomas a Kempis, The Imitation of Christ
7. "Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church. We are fighting to-day for costly grace." -Dietrich Boenhoffer, The Cost of Discipleship
6. "The joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the people of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted, are the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well." -Gaudium et Spes, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Vatican II (I would be remiss to not have at least one conciliar document in this list.)
5. "The only possible excuse for this book is that it is an answer to a challenge." -G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy
4. "Dogmatics is a theological discipline. But theology is a function of the church." -Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics (With this one sentence, Barth ushered in a new way of doing theology, one which retrieved its home, not as the academy, but as the Church.)
3. "So faith procures this for us, as the elders, the disciples of the apostles have handed down to us: firstly, it exhorts us to remember that we have received baptism for the remission of sins, in the name of God the Father, and in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was incarnate, and died, and was raised, and in the Holy Spirit of God." -Irenaeus, On the Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching (Of course, the Fathers could not conceive of theology done outside of an ecclesial context, as this fine quotation shows. Plus, would one of my lists be complete without Uncle Irenaeus?)
2. "Beauty is the word that shall be our first." -Hans Urs von Balthasar, The Glory of the Lord, A Theological Aesthetics vol. 1 (I cheated on this one as von Balthasar, like any good German theologian, explains his first word with three hearty paragraphs)1. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God." -John the Theologian
Thursday, January 17, 2008
And who is my neighbor?
"And, again, who does not see that no exception is made of any one as a person to whom the offices of mercy may be denied when our Lord extends the rule even to our enemies? 'Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you.'"
-Augustine, de Doctrina Christiana
How easy this is to forget in times of war. How quick we are to define the other as enemy when we first define ourselves, not as followers of Christ, but as Americans.
-Augustine, de Doctrina Christiana
How easy this is to forget in times of war. How quick we are to define the other as enemy when we first define ourselves, not as followers of Christ, but as Americans.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Authorial Intent?
A crucial quote from that great Armenian C.S. Lewis that is, I think, helpful in many ongoing hermeneutical debates in the theological world today.
"An author doesn't necessarily understand the meaning of his own story better than anyone else." -C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces
Along similar lines is a quote by one of my favorite writers of fiction from his best work:
"A narrator should not supply interpretations of his work; otherwise he would not have written a novel, which is a machine for generating interpretations." -Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose
Of course the Old Testament writers are the prime examples of these truths. I think that it would be safe to say that none of them had Jesus Christ in mind when they were writing their words of truth. Yet, as the Apostles and the Fathers and the Medieval exegetes and countless saints throughout the life of the Church realize, the Old Testament is about Christ. It does not matter that the original author may not have intended his work to speak of Christ, it does. Or to argue like the greatest of medieval exegetes Aquinas, the literal meaning of Scripture is indeed what the author intended. But the author was God.
If only modern biblical scholars would awaken to this point.
"An author doesn't necessarily understand the meaning of his own story better than anyone else." -C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces
Along similar lines is a quote by one of my favorite writers of fiction from his best work:
"A narrator should not supply interpretations of his work; otherwise he would not have written a novel, which is a machine for generating interpretations." -Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose
Of course the Old Testament writers are the prime examples of these truths. I think that it would be safe to say that none of them had Jesus Christ in mind when they were writing their words of truth. Yet, as the Apostles and the Fathers and the Medieval exegetes and countless saints throughout the life of the Church realize, the Old Testament is about Christ. It does not matter that the original author may not have intended his work to speak of Christ, it does. Or to argue like the greatest of medieval exegetes Aquinas, the literal meaning of Scripture is indeed what the author intended. But the author was God.
If only modern biblical scholars would awaken to this point.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
An Old Look at a New Beginning
My apologies to all three of my readers for this extended holiday I have been on. What can I say? Things get in the way - like Christmas travels, football playoffs, the first season of LOST on DVD. What the heck is that island? No spoilers please. So as I relish the last few days of my vacation before the monster strikes again, I thought I'd provide for your reading enjoyment an old piece I wrote for the Iowa State Daily on New Beginnings. A bit cheesy I admit but appropriate for the start of 2008. You can read it here.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Silent Night, Peaceful Night
Though I do not remember in which war the following occurrence took place, the story is often told of the two opposing armies dug into trenches at opposite sides of a great field of battle anticipating the next day's struggle. It was Christmas Eve. Suddenly a lone voice from one of the sides softly sang "Silent Night." Before long, both sides joined together in the hymn. Though the languages were different, the sentiment was the same and both sides were united in recounting through song the story of the birth of the Savior who came to earth that humanity might be united and that there would be peace. Sadly, the battle came and those men who had joined voices proceeded to kill one another. It is perhaps the most tragically ironic story I have ever heard.
As the angels announced to the shepherds in the Gospel of Luke, Christ the savior was born to bring peace on earth and goodwill to humanity. Our salvation is not simply that Christ comes into our hearts and saves us from our sins. Integral to the salvation that Christ wrought is the coming together of humankind. And the fruit of that unity is peace. As we celebrate this Christmas may we remember that peace has not yet been realized. May we realize that we each have a part to play in its coming. And may our solemn prayer be that the Prince of Peace would yet bring peace.
"Silent night, Holy night.
All is calm, all is bright.
'Round yon Virgin Mother and Child.
Holy Infant so tender and mild.
Sleep in Heavenly peace,
Sleep in Heavenly peace.
"Silent night, Holy night.
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream from Heaven afar.
Heavenly hosts sing Hallelujah.
Christ, the Savior is born,
Christ, the Savior is born.
"Silent night, Holy night.
Son of God, love’s pure light.
Radiant beams from thy Holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth."
-Joseph Mohr
As the angels announced to the shepherds in the Gospel of Luke, Christ the savior was born to bring peace on earth and goodwill to humanity. Our salvation is not simply that Christ comes into our hearts and saves us from our sins. Integral to the salvation that Christ wrought is the coming together of humankind. And the fruit of that unity is peace. As we celebrate this Christmas may we remember that peace has not yet been realized. May we realize that we each have a part to play in its coming. And may our solemn prayer be that the Prince of Peace would yet bring peace.
"Silent night, Holy night.
All is calm, all is bright.
'Round yon Virgin Mother and Child.
Holy Infant so tender and mild.
Sleep in Heavenly peace,
Sleep in Heavenly peace.
"Silent night, Holy night.
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream from Heaven afar.
Heavenly hosts sing Hallelujah.
Christ, the Savior is born,
Christ, the Savior is born.
"Silent night, Holy night.
Son of God, love’s pure light.
Radiant beams from thy Holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth."
-Joseph Mohr
Friday, December 21, 2007
Isaiah 40 and a Message of Hope
This Advent hymn was written in Johann G. Olearius in 1671 and translated into English by Catherine Winkworth in 1863. The words are based on Isaiah 40, which is the classic chapter of expectant waiting in the prophet and in the entire Old Testament. These opening verses of Isaiah were picked up by three of the four Gospel writers as the opening to their Gospels. It speaks of a people longing for salvation and peace. It speaks of a people longing for comfort. The Gospel writers appropriated the verses because they knew that the peace had come in Christ.
"Comfort, comfort ye my people,
speak ye peace, thus saith our God;
comfort those who sit in darkness,
mourning 'neath their sorrow's load;
speak ye to Jerusalem
of the peace that waits for them;
tell her that her sins I cover,
and her warfare now is over.
"For the herald's voice is crying
in the desert far and near,
bidding all men to repentance,
since the kingdom now is here.
O that warning cry obey!
Now prepare for God a way!
Let the valleys rise to meet him,
and the hills bow down to greet him.
"Make ye straight what long was crooked,
make the rougher places plain:
let your hearts be true and humble,
as befits his holy reign,
For the glory of the Lord
now o'er the earth is shed abroad,
and all flesh shall see the token
that his word is never broken."
"Comfort, comfort ye my people,
speak ye peace, thus saith our God;
comfort those who sit in darkness,
mourning 'neath their sorrow's load;
speak ye to Jerusalem
of the peace that waits for them;
tell her that her sins I cover,
and her warfare now is over.
"For the herald's voice is crying
in the desert far and near,
bidding all men to repentance,
since the kingdom now is here.
O that warning cry obey!
Now prepare for God a way!
Let the valleys rise to meet him,
and the hills bow down to greet him.
"Make ye straight what long was crooked,
make the rougher places plain:
let your hearts be true and humble,
as befits his holy reign,
For the glory of the Lord
now o'er the earth is shed abroad,
and all flesh shall see the token
that his word is never broken."
Monday, December 17, 2007
Advent's Deep Meaning
The hymn "Lo, He comes with clouds descending", though originally written by John Cenick in 1752, was appropriated and altered by Charles Wesley in 1758 for the Methodists as an Advent hymn. Over the years, it became an Advent standard, not just of the Methodists, but of many other Protestant traditions as well. This hymn is regularly sung, in many churches, on the first Sunday of Advent. Reading the words, however, one might wonder what it has to do with Advent. After all, there is not much here about Bethlehem or babies in mangers and the like. Rather, it focuses more on the second coming of Christ.
As it so often does, then, the liturgy reminds the Church of a truth oft forgotten today. Advent was not established by the Church as merely a time to look back on the incarnation. Rather, in preparing our hearts to celebrate Christmas and the coming of the Christ child, the season of Advent reminds us that we are once again waiting expectantly for our Lord. Jesus has promised us that He will come back and the work that He started on earth so many years ago will be brought to fruition in the complete realization of His Kingdom, of which the Church is a foretaste. We again await our coming King, and no season reminds us of this truth better than Advent. For we, like our Fathers of Israel so long ago, long for our Messiah. The only difference is that we know His name and we know that He has already conquered death.
"Lo! He comes with clouds descending,
Once for favored sinners slain;
Thousand thousand saints attending,
Swell the triumph of His train:
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
God appears on earth to reign.
"Every eye shall now behold Him
Robed in dreadful majesty;
Those who set at naught and sold Him,
Pierced and nailed Him to the tree,
Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing,
Shall the true Messiah see.
"Every island, sea, and mountain,
Heav’n and earth, shall flee away;
All who hate Him must, confounded,
Hear the trump proclaim the day:
Come to judgment! Come to judgment! Come to judgment!
Come to judgment! Come away!
"Now redemption, long expected,
See in solemn pomp appear;
All His saints, by man rejected,
Now shall meet Him in the air:
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
See the day of God appear!
Answer Thine own bride and Spirit,
Hasten, Lord, the general doom!
The new Heav’n and earth t’inherit,
Take Thy pining exiles home:
All creation, all creation, all creation,
Travails! groans! and bids Thee come!
The dear tokens of His passion
Still His dazzling body bears;
Cause of endless exultation
To His ransomed worshippers;
With what rapture, with what rapture, with what rapture
Gaze we on those glorious scars!
Yea, Amen! let all adore Thee,
High on Thine eternal throne;
Savior, take the power and glory,
Claim the kingdom for Thine own;
O come quickly! O come quickly! O come quickly!
Everlasting God, come down!"
As it so often does, then, the liturgy reminds the Church of a truth oft forgotten today. Advent was not established by the Church as merely a time to look back on the incarnation. Rather, in preparing our hearts to celebrate Christmas and the coming of the Christ child, the season of Advent reminds us that we are once again waiting expectantly for our Lord. Jesus has promised us that He will come back and the work that He started on earth so many years ago will be brought to fruition in the complete realization of His Kingdom, of which the Church is a foretaste. We again await our coming King, and no season reminds us of this truth better than Advent. For we, like our Fathers of Israel so long ago, long for our Messiah. The only difference is that we know His name and we know that He has already conquered death.
"Lo! He comes with clouds descending,
Once for favored sinners slain;
Thousand thousand saints attending,
Swell the triumph of His train:
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
God appears on earth to reign.
"Every eye shall now behold Him
Robed in dreadful majesty;
Those who set at naught and sold Him,
Pierced and nailed Him to the tree,
Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing,
Shall the true Messiah see.
"Every island, sea, and mountain,
Heav’n and earth, shall flee away;
All who hate Him must, confounded,
Hear the trump proclaim the day:
Come to judgment! Come to judgment! Come to judgment!
Come to judgment! Come away!
"Now redemption, long expected,
See in solemn pomp appear;
All His saints, by man rejected,
Now shall meet Him in the air:
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
See the day of God appear!
Answer Thine own bride and Spirit,
Hasten, Lord, the general doom!
The new Heav’n and earth t’inherit,
Take Thy pining exiles home:
All creation, all creation, all creation,
Travails! groans! and bids Thee come!
The dear tokens of His passion
Still His dazzling body bears;
Cause of endless exultation
To His ransomed worshippers;
With what rapture, with what rapture, with what rapture
Gaze we on those glorious scars!
Yea, Amen! let all adore Thee,
High on Thine eternal throne;
Savior, take the power and glory,
Claim the kingdom for Thine own;
O come quickly! O come quickly! O come quickly!
Everlasting God, come down!"
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
Here is another classic Advent hymn from the pen of Charles Wesley. Written in 1745, this hymn highlights what is often lost these days, that Jesus was the fulfillment first of Israel's hopes for a redeemer. And as the hope of Israel, Jesus was truly the hope of the world.
"Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.
"Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne."
"Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.
"Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne."
Monday, December 10, 2007
Veni, Veni Emmanuel
This great Advent hymn comes from the translating talents of John Mason Neale, based on the text of the O Antiphons of the Catholic Breviary for the week preceding Christmas. The phrase "Veni, veni Emmanuel" could be as old as the twelfth century. The name comes from Isaiah's prophecy. As the prophet records, it means "God with us!"
"Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel.
And ransom captive Israel.
That mourns in lowly exile here,
Until the Son of God appears.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee o Israel.
"Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high,
Who ordered all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
"Oh, come, oh, come, our Lord of might,
Who to your tribes on Sinai's height
In ancient times gave holy law,
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
"Oh, come O Rod of Jesse's stem,
From ev'ry foe deliver them
That trust your mighty pow'r to save;
Bring them in vict'ry through the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
"Oh, come, O Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav'nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
"Oh, come, our Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by your drawing nigh,
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
"Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
"Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel.
And ransom captive Israel.
That mourns in lowly exile here,
Until the Son of God appears.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee o Israel.
"Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high,
Who ordered all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
"Oh, come, oh, come, our Lord of might,
Who to your tribes on Sinai's height
In ancient times gave holy law,
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
"Oh, come O Rod of Jesse's stem,
From ev'ry foe deliver them
That trust your mighty pow'r to save;
Bring them in vict'ry through the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
"Oh, come, O Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav'nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
"Oh, come, our Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by your drawing nigh,
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
"Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Thursday, December 06, 2007
A Wesleyan Take on Advent
I am a Wesleyan, and one of the things that I love most about my tradition is the importance that we have always placed on hymnody. John Wesley never wrote a systematic theology, as many of the other great Protestant leaders (Luther, Calvin) did. But he and his brother Charles wrote a number of hymns for the people called Methodists to use in worship. Wesleyan theology comes through beautifully in the words of those magnificent hymns:
"And can it be that I should gain, an interest in the Savior's blood. Died he for me who caused his pain, for me? who him to death pursued?"
"Made like him, like him we rise. Ours the cross, the grave, the skies."
To express one's theology in hymns, as the Wesleys did, symbolically expresses the truth that all true theology is never divorced from worship. And that the church is the context for theology.
With this in mind, I have decided, as part of the preparation of my own heart to "prepare him room" for the coming of the Savior this Advent, to reflect anew on the wonderful words of the beautiful, but now oft forgotten, Christmas carols. I would like to share them with my readers. So as you check in here throughout these next few weeks, do not just read the words and move on. Use these wonderful words as a means of preparing your own hearts.
Because this is a Wesleyan take on Advent, I thought it would be appropriate to start with one of Wesley's best:
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
"Hark! The herald angels sing
'Glory to the newborn king!'
Peace on earth and mercy mild.
God and sinners reconciled.
"Joyful all ye nations rise.
Join the triumph of the skies.
With angelic host proclaim:
'Christ is born in Bethlehem!'
"Christ by highest heaven adored.
Christ the everlasting Lord.
Late in time behold him come,
Offspring of the virgin's womb.
"Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate deity.
Pleased as man with men to dwell.
Jesus our Immanuel.
"Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace.
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Risen with healings in His wings.
"Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth.
Born to give them second birth.
"Hark! The herald angels sing.
'Glory to the newborn king!'"
"And can it be that I should gain, an interest in the Savior's blood. Died he for me who caused his pain, for me? who him to death pursued?"
"Made like him, like him we rise. Ours the cross, the grave, the skies."
To express one's theology in hymns, as the Wesleys did, symbolically expresses the truth that all true theology is never divorced from worship. And that the church is the context for theology.
With this in mind, I have decided, as part of the preparation of my own heart to "prepare him room" for the coming of the Savior this Advent, to reflect anew on the wonderful words of the beautiful, but now oft forgotten, Christmas carols. I would like to share them with my readers. So as you check in here throughout these next few weeks, do not just read the words and move on. Use these wonderful words as a means of preparing your own hearts.
Because this is a Wesleyan take on Advent, I thought it would be appropriate to start with one of Wesley's best:
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
"Hark! The herald angels sing
'Glory to the newborn king!'
Peace on earth and mercy mild.
God and sinners reconciled.
"Joyful all ye nations rise.
Join the triumph of the skies.
With angelic host proclaim:
'Christ is born in Bethlehem!'
"Christ by highest heaven adored.
Christ the everlasting Lord.
Late in time behold him come,
Offspring of the virgin's womb.
"Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate deity.
Pleased as man with men to dwell.
Jesus our Immanuel.
"Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace.
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Risen with healings in His wings.
"Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth.
Born to give them second birth.
"Hark! The herald angels sing.
'Glory to the newborn king!'"
Monday, December 03, 2007
ADVENTUS
"Tears are falling, hearts are breaking.
How we need to hear from God.
You've been promised, we've been waiting.
Welcome Holy Child.
"Hope that you don't mind our manger.
How I wish we would have known.
But long awaited Holy Stranger,
Make yourself at home.
Bring your peace into our violence.
Bid our hungry souls be filled.
Word now breaking heaven's silence.
Welcome to our world.
"Fragile fingers sent to heal us.
Tender brow prepared for thorn.
Tiny heart, whose blood will save us
unto us is born.
"So wrap our injured flesh around you.
Breath our air and walk our sod.
Rob our sin and make us holy.
Perfect son of God.
Welcome to our world."
-Chris Rice
How we need to hear from God.
You've been promised, we've been waiting.
Welcome Holy Child.
"Hope that you don't mind our manger.
How I wish we would have known.
But long awaited Holy Stranger,
Make yourself at home.
Bring your peace into our violence.
Bid our hungry souls be filled.
Word now breaking heaven's silence.
Welcome to our world.
"Fragile fingers sent to heal us.
Tender brow prepared for thorn.
Tiny heart, whose blood will save us
unto us is born.
"So wrap our injured flesh around you.
Breath our air and walk our sod.
Rob our sin and make us holy.
Perfect son of God.
Welcome to our world."
-Chris Rice
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Theological Poetry
"God gives all He has to give -
His son to speak that one word, Live."
-Joseph Bottom
His son to speak that one word, Live."
-Joseph Bottom
Thursday, November 15, 2007
The Rich Symbolism of Baptism
One of the most contentious issues in the church today is baptism. "Should we sprinkle?" "Should we immerse?" "Do you have to be baptized to be saved?" "Should we baptize infants?" "Should we re-baptize?" And around and around we go. Unfortunately, our hangups on these issues cause us to miss the deep theological beauty that is signified in baptism.
In three Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) we have the account of Jesus submitting to the baptism by John. This is strong evidence that one of the earliest memories of Christ was his being baptized. Perhaps it was the first public act that anyone witnessed Jesus do. Baptism in Judaism was the way that Gentile converts (Godfearers) could enter the fold of Judaism. It symbolized a passing through water, much like the Hebrew slaves passed through the Red Sea in their Exodus from Egypt and passed through the Jordan in their march into the Promised Land. Significantly, Jesus is baptized in the Jordan, thus sanctifying the act as a Christian sacrament. Matthew records that Jesus' last command to his disciples was: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Mt 28:19). So, then, one of our earliest liturgical, Trinitarian creeds, comes in the context of baptism.
The early Christians developed the theology around this earliest of Christian rites. The writer of 1 Peter, for example, sees in baptism an antitype of the Ark: ". . . God's patience waited in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (1 Pt 3:20-21).
Paul, though capable of the Jewish connection of baptism to the crossing of the Red Sea (1 Cor 10:1-2), he rather prefers baptism as the symbol of our dying with Christ and so rising with him in new life: "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his" (Rom 6:3-5). Such imagery does likely not originate with Paul, but is taken from the rite of baptism itself that developed early in the history of the church: on Easter Sunday, all of the catechumens were taken to a river, stripped naked, and descended into the water (symbolizing death). When they came out of the water, they were given white robes (symbolizing new life). As Paul says later in the same letter: "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ . . ." (Rom 13:14).
As theology and Christian thought developed, the dominate connection to baptism became circumcision. That is the mark that God commanded Abraham and all male Jews after him to receive as a sign that they were in the covenant and, thus, a sign of their salvation. Corresponding to this, baptism became the mark that one was in the new covenantal people of God, the Church, and, thus, was also a sign of their salvation.
I think that there is truth in all of these metaphors, each displaying a different facet of the wonderful sacrament that has been given the Church in baptism. What I think interesting about the circumcision comparison, and I will conclude with this, is that Christians, as they always did and do, appropriated the metaphor through the lens of Christ. In other words, circumcision, as is obvious, only involved the male. Therefore, a female's part in the covenant came through her participation in the lineage as a mother or daughter. (Incidentally, this is why widows and orphans are such a problem in the Old Covenant.) Yet, as strong as the correlation between baptism and circumcision became in the Church, this distinction of sexes (to the detriment of women) was never held. Baptism, as such, is the same rite for both men and women. Both descend into the water, and so die, and both ascend out of the water into newness of life with Jesus Christ.
In three Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) we have the account of Jesus submitting to the baptism by John. This is strong evidence that one of the earliest memories of Christ was his being baptized. Perhaps it was the first public act that anyone witnessed Jesus do. Baptism in Judaism was the way that Gentile converts (Godfearers) could enter the fold of Judaism. It symbolized a passing through water, much like the Hebrew slaves passed through the Red Sea in their Exodus from Egypt and passed through the Jordan in their march into the Promised Land. Significantly, Jesus is baptized in the Jordan, thus sanctifying the act as a Christian sacrament. Matthew records that Jesus' last command to his disciples was: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Mt 28:19). So, then, one of our earliest liturgical, Trinitarian creeds, comes in the context of baptism.
The early Christians developed the theology around this earliest of Christian rites. The writer of 1 Peter, for example, sees in baptism an antitype of the Ark: ". . . God's patience waited in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (1 Pt 3:20-21).
Paul, though capable of the Jewish connection of baptism to the crossing of the Red Sea (1 Cor 10:1-2), he rather prefers baptism as the symbol of our dying with Christ and so rising with him in new life: "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his" (Rom 6:3-5). Such imagery does likely not originate with Paul, but is taken from the rite of baptism itself that developed early in the history of the church: on Easter Sunday, all of the catechumens were taken to a river, stripped naked, and descended into the water (symbolizing death). When they came out of the water, they were given white robes (symbolizing new life). As Paul says later in the same letter: "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ . . ." (Rom 13:14).
As theology and Christian thought developed, the dominate connection to baptism became circumcision. That is the mark that God commanded Abraham and all male Jews after him to receive as a sign that they were in the covenant and, thus, a sign of their salvation. Corresponding to this, baptism became the mark that one was in the new covenantal people of God, the Church, and, thus, was also a sign of their salvation.
I think that there is truth in all of these metaphors, each displaying a different facet of the wonderful sacrament that has been given the Church in baptism. What I think interesting about the circumcision comparison, and I will conclude with this, is that Christians, as they always did and do, appropriated the metaphor through the lens of Christ. In other words, circumcision, as is obvious, only involved the male. Therefore, a female's part in the covenant came through her participation in the lineage as a mother or daughter. (Incidentally, this is why widows and orphans are such a problem in the Old Covenant.) Yet, as strong as the correlation between baptism and circumcision became in the Church, this distinction of sexes (to the detriment of women) was never held. Baptism, as such, is the same rite for both men and women. Both descend into the water, and so die, and both ascend out of the water into newness of life with Jesus Christ.
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