Pope Shenouda III series
4
The Epiphany
&
St. John The Baptist
BY HIS HOLINESS AMBA SHENOUDA III,
POPE AND PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA
AND OF THE APOSTOLIC SEE OF
ALL THE PREDICATION OF SAINT MARK
Second print, Cairo, September 1999
Name of the book: The Epiphany & St. John the Baptist
Author: His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
Editor: Orthodox Coptic Clerical College, Cairo
Edition: July 1999
Press: Amba Rueiss, (Offset), The Cathedral, Abbassia
Icon design: Tassony Sawsan
Deposition number at "The Library": 2504/97
I.S.B.N. 977 - 5345 - 37 - 5
All rights reserved to the author
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
Pope and Patriarch of the See of Alexandria and of all the Predication of the Evangelist St. Mark
MEDITATIONS UPON THE GLORIOUS
FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY
The month of January brings to us several feasts: the beginning of the new year, the Nativity, the Circumcision, the Epiphany.
We thank God who gave us the blessing and the efficiency of all these feasts, in our lives.
While we celebrate the glorious feast of the Ephiphany, we are glad to stop sometime for meditation:
The feast of Epiphany is the feast of Baptism ......
This feast is also called the feast of the divine manifestation (the Theophania).
Because the Holy Trinity appeared in it: The Son is baptised, The Father says from heaven: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased", and The Holy Spirit appears "like of a dove" (Matt. 3: 16-17). Hence the baptism of the Lord Christ shows the creed of the Holy Trinity.
Thus the baptism is always in the Name of the Holy Trinity,
according to the word of the Lord to His disciples before His Ascension: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19). He did not say in the names, because the three are one, as it was mentioned in (1 John 5:7): "For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one".
It is well that the Church has called this feast: "Eed El Ghetass", or the feast of the Immersion, (in Arabic: Eed means feast, and "El Ghetass" means immersion).
Because in it, the Church reminds the people that the Lord Christ was baptized by being immersed, as it was said that after being baptized, "When He has been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water" (Matt. 3:16). The Church also reminds the people that the faithful in the New Testament are being baptized by being immersed, (and not by being sprinkled with water, as it is done in some communities). The Ethiopian eunuch was baptized in this manner, at the beginning of the apostolic era, at the hands of Philip: "Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away" (Acts 8:39).
Also because Baptism is a tincture, (Baptisma in Latin), and tinting is accomplished through immersion; and because Baptism is a burial with Christ (Col. 2:12), and burial is accomplished through placing inside the tomb (immersion), and cannot be represented by sprinkling with water ......
Likewise in all the ancient vestiges, we see that baptism was accomplished inside a recipient that was called the baptistery.
That proves that baptizing was accomplished through immersion, and not by sprinkling water.
We remember, during this feast, many spiritual and doctrinal meanings, whether as regards the baptism of the Lord Christ at the hands of John the Baptist, or as regards the importance of Baptism in the Church.......
We remember also that the Lord came to the baptism of John, while He was not in need of it.
But that was in order "to fulfill all righteousness", so that He would be without blame before men, even while He is not in need. That also establishes before us the principle of obedience and the principle of loyalty, without asking what profit it is to us?
He entered the baptism of John also in order to be our representative, or to take our place, just as He fasted instead of us, and just as He was crucified instead of us.
Many of His actions were for the others and not for Himself. He took our place to present to God the Father an image of the perfect man, who satisfies the Father by His life, as well He satisfies Him by His redemption of the human kind.
In His baptism, we remember his humility .....
We remember His love and His fidelity, and His tenderness in His conversation with John, when He says: "Permit it to be so now".
The baptism of Christ also reminds us of our baptism , and of the care of the Church for Baptism.
Baptism is the first sacrament of the Church, and is the door through which we enter to the other sacraments.
We say vulgarily: "we have christianised so and so", that is: we have batptised him; because he has become a christian through baptism. ..... That is an expression which is sound in its doctrinal meaning, and which reminds us of the word of Christ: "He who believes and is baptized will be saved" (Mark 16:16).
Therefore the day of baptism is a feast as regards the child and his family.
In that day, the Church gives him three sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist also; and makes him ready to participate in the life of the Church. He becomes a member in it, and takes the first ecclesiastical certificate in his life.
The Church assigns a sponsor to the child, who will care for him spiritually, and very often it is the mother who is the sponsor to her child.
The mother is engaged before God and the Church to take care of her child in the fear of God, and to be his first teacher, who instructs him, and who gives him the practical training for all religious matters.
THE LORD'S HUMILITY
IN BAPTISM
The baptism of John was the baptism of repentance. The Lord Christ was not in need of repentance. Why then was He baptized?
He was baptized instead of the human kind in entering the baptism of repentance....
Likewise He fasted instead of us, while He was not in need of fasting, just as He was dead instead of us, while He was not deserving death......
All this was in order to offer to the Father a perfect image of the human kind, and to pay the price of our sins. Likewise He presented Himself to baptism, in order "to fulfill all righteousness" (Matt. 4:15), so that nobody convicts Him of sin .... in order to be submissive to the Law, before everybody, although He is above the Law.....
Thus He walked with the crowds, as one of them, presenting Himself to the baptism of repentance.
What is this humility, which the Lord offers to us?! When John apologised saying: "I need to be baptized by You", the Lord replied: "Permit it to be so now"....
In the same manner He permitted to His mother who is exemplar in her purity, who gave birth to Him from the Holy Spirit without stain, to present herself "when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed ...... to present Him to the Lord" (Luke 22:2), while she absolutely was not in need of days of purification.
The Lord Christ was not a sinner to present Himself to the baptism of repentance, but He was a bearer of sins. He has borne all the sins of the world.
"Now this is the testimony of John" who baptized Him" (John 1:19....).
Christ has borne the sins of the world, and descended with them to the baptism; likewise He has borne these sins upon the Cross, and erased them with His blood .... "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6).
The Lord Christ, although He was Righteous without sin, and defied the Jews later on saying to them: "Which of you convicts me of sin?" (John 8:46) ...... yet He accomplished the rite of the baptism of repentance. He did not omit this spiritual act to which the repented crowds presented themselves. We have found Him walking like the rest of the people who were sinners, and advancing toward the baptism of repentance.
All of them were baptized confessing their sins. But He was baptized bearing the sins of all the people.
He did this, lest a fault would be caught, or a defect would be counted, against Him. And also in order "to fulfill all righteousness".
Also in order "to fulfill all righteousness", His mother the Holy Virgin Mary acted with the same humility.
It was mentioned in the story of her entry with Him to the temple: [Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord: "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord"), and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord: "A pair of turledoves or two young pigeons"]. (Luke 2: 22-24) .......
It is astonishing that this expression is said about the Holy Virgin: "when the days of her purification.....were completed"....!! The Holy Spirit had sanctified her womb during the holy pregnancy; and she conceived without the stain of the original sin; and was absolutely not at all in need of purification ..... but, in order "to fulfill all righteousness", she submitted to the commandment of the law, while she was not in need of that.
Verily there are matters which the human being is not compelled to do, but he does them in order not to scandalise others and in order to fulfill all righteousness.....
Also because of the humility of the Lord, He obtained the baptism at the hands of John.
The greatest High Priest, who grants priesthood, obtained the baptism from one of his priests, from one of his sons.... from a person who had confessed saying to Him: "I need to be baptized by You" (Matt. 3:14); and likewise had confessed saying: "whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose".....
The priesthood of the Lord Christ is of Melchisedek, and the prieshood of John is of Aaron.
It is well known that the priesthood of Melchisedek is greater than the priesthood of Aaron, as our teacher the apostle saint Paul explained in (Hebrews 7). Likewise Melchisedek blessed our father Abraham in whose loins Aaron was (Hebrews 7). Nevertheless, with all humility, He who was "a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek" (Psalm 110:4), presented Himself to obtain the baptism at the hands of one of the sons of Aaron!
In this, there is also some veneration from His part to the priesthood in His time.
Likewise, when He healed the leper, He said to him: "go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them" (Matt. 8:4).
Verily the Baptism's story is full of numerous examples of humility.
Also because of the Lord's humility, after all the glorious matters that appeared during His baptism, and the coming of the Holy Spirit, and the testimony of John ....... after all this "He went up on a mountain", in order to be tempted by Satan, and permitted Satan to tempt Him, in all audacity, or more accurately speaking, in all pride ...... and the Lord replied to him in all quietness, and defeated Satan with His humility ......
Also because of the humility of the Lord, He submitted to the Law in age as well as in baptism.
He waited till He reached the age of thirty according to the Law; while it was so easy for Him to begin many years before that, He who at the age of twelve, amazed the old teachers, "and all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers" (Luke 2:47) ...... But He waited till the age of thirty, and waited till He was baptized, and till He passed a period of solitude upon the mountain ......and then He began working ......
Christ humbled Himself from the beginning of His mission, in order to reply to the sin of the first Adam.
The first Adam responded to the incitement to become like God (Gen 3:5). That was undoubtedly a kind of pride. Then the Lord Christ the Son of God came, "taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:7), walking in humility, in His birth in a manger representing poverty (Luke 2: 7), and also in His baptism at the hands of John who was in need to be baptized by Him .........
John the Baptist who baptized Him, was humble.......
although he was great, and the Lord Himself had attested of his greatness, and also the angel of the Lord, as we shall see.
THE BAPTIST'S GREATNESS
People certified of the greatness of many, but their testimony was
either fictitious and false, or ignorant, or complimentary ......
But God Himself and His angel attested of the greatness of John the Baptist.
The angel of the Lord announced his birth to Zacharias his father: "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord" (Luke 1:15).
This expression is very astonishing: to be "great in the sight of the Lord", before whom every human being stands, feeling his insignificance, as our father Abraham said: "Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord" (Gen. 18:27).
The expression "great in the sight of the Lord" does not mean His own feeling of his greatness, but it means that the Lord has given him greatness in order to stand before Him.
Thus greatness had been united with John before his birth, as the Lord testified.
Great works have been said about this great prophet: among them is that " he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He sill also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord", "and many will rejoice at his birth" (Luke 1: 16-17, 14) .......
In all this we ask the angel who announced his birth, about the secret of this wonderful greatness, and he replies saying that
"He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb" (Luke 1:15).
Verily, this is the secret of John's greatness. We have heard in the Holy Bible that the Holy Spirit came upon many people: the Spirit of the Lord came upon Samsun (Judges 13:15), upon Saul (1 Sam. 10: 10-11), upon David (1 Sam. 16:13), and upon many prophets. But we absolutely did not hear about anybody that "He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb". We note here the expression "filled with the Holy Spirit", and not only the coming of the Holy Spirit upon him. This matter is special to John the Baptist, and to nobody before him. But perhaps we ask:
When was John the Baptist filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb?
That was in the word of the Lord: "And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit" (Luke 1:41). Then Elizabeth "spoke with a loud voice and said" to the Holy Virgin Mary: "..... For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy" (Luke 1:44).
At this moment, the moment of the greeting of Mary the mother of God, John was filled with the Holy Spirit, while he was in the womb of his mother.
By the Spirit, the babe (in Elizabeth's womb) felt the divine babe in the Holy Virgin's womb, and rejoiced at Him and was as if he ran to meet Him!! It was said that he leaped for joy, as the Lord said to the Jews: "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad" (John 8:56). What is astonishing is that Elizabeth felt that her babe leaped for joy in her womb. It is possible for her to feel a movement (leaped).
But I remained perplexed for sometime before the expression "for joy".
I was perplexed before two things. The first is the joy of the babe. The feeling of a babe in his mother's womb! The second is the mother's feeling that the movement of her babe inside her, is a movement for joy!!
It is undoubtedly a gift from the Spirit, because it was said about Elizabeth in that moment that she "was filled with the Holy Spirit" (Luke 1:41). This revelation can be a gift of the Spirit..... And here my perplexity ends......
It was not only the angel of the Lord who testified of the greatness of John, but more than that, the Lord of glory Himself testified when He said: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written: "Behold, I send My messenger before your face, who will prepare Your way before You. Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist" (Matt. 11:7-11).
The Scriptures also said about him that he is an angel:
"Behold, I send My messenger before Your face" (Mark 1:2). The Lord Christ Himself certified this surname (Matt. 11:10).
This prophecy was mentioned about him in the book of the prophet Malachi: "Behold, I send My messenger" (Mal/ 3:1).
John also was a priest among the sons of Aaron, a son of the prophet Zacharias.......
The greatest matter in the life of John is that he baptized the Lord Christ, glory be to Him.
The Lord Christ came to him to be baptized by him like other people. John accomplished the baptism of Christ out of obedience, and deserved to see the Holy Spirit in the likeness of a dove, and to hear the voice of the Father saying: "This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:16-17). Thus he enjoyed the Holy Trinity both spiritually and sensationally.......
God rather guided John to Himself before the baptism:
Saint John the Baptist said about that: "I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me: "Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and testified that this is ths Son of God" (John 1: 33-34).
The greatness of John the Baptist appears in that he accomplished his great mission in a short time, perhaps six months or a little longer.
These six months are the difference between his age and the corporal age of the Lord Christ, according to what the archangel Gabriel said in his annunciation to the Holy Virgin of the Holy conception: "Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren" (Luke 1:36).
Each of both Christ and the Baptist began his life at the age of thirty. John served during these six months. And when Christ appeared, he began to hide. In this short period, that saint was able to lead many people to repentance, and to testify with a strong testimony to the Lord, and to prepare the way before Christ, and he presented to the whole world a practical example of the fact that:
the strength of service is not in its length, but in its deepness, and in the amount of its efficiency and the amount of its influence, and in its
fruit.
Is it not astonishing that the Lord does not let many of the useful servants, serve for a long time?! It is enough that they have presented an excellent sample of service and righteousness. They have presented an example to be followed. The Lord was satisfied with what they had presented, and He let them go in peace.
John presented an excellent example of serious service, and profound spiritualities, which were agreeable to God who let them go in peace.
The greatness of John is distinguished in that he lived in his perfection in spite of the darkness of his genereation.
It was a wicked age. Its spiritual leaders were the most wicked in that age, like the priests and the chiefs of the Jews. the scribes, the pharisees, and the saduccees. During that age, sometime before, there rose up some lying teachers like Theudas and Judas of Galilee about whom Gamaliel spoke, and they drew away many people after them (Acts 5: 36-37).
But saint John was not harmed by the corruption of his generation, but rather on the contrary he was a blessing for his generation, and a cause of repentance and good conduct for them.
John was great in that he was the son of mountains, who was brought up in the life of abnegation and ascetism.
He lived all his life in the deserts "till the day of his manifestation to Israel", growing and becoming "strong in spirit" (Luke 1:80). He lived as an ascet and did not "drink neither wine nor strong drink" (Luke 1:15); he was "clothed with camel'a hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey" (Mark 1:6).
In the desert, he learned prayer and meditation, he learned courage and lack of fear, and also firmness and faith; and he learned the strength which comes from abnegation.......
God prepared him in the desert, as He prepared the Holy Virgin in the temple.
He grew up courageous, not fearing any human being ...... fit for being the author of a mission.
He told the truth in all strength, and did not care about what would be the consequences......
King Herod sinned; and nobody had the courage to rebuke him or to confront him with truth, except John the Baptist. He was the only one who said to Herod: "It is not lawful for you to have her" (Matt. 14:4).
The king threw him into prison, but he did not care. An ascet like him who had relinquished everything, does not dread prison, even if his service is delayed. His thoughts during that, were:
"If God wills that he serves, then he will serve. And if God does not will, let His will be done. The important matter is to testify to the truth.
And it happened that John the Baptist was beheaded. But this voice which cries aloud in the desert, remained sounding in Herod's ear, disturbing his conscience, his thoughts, his sleep, his awakeness, and saying to him at every moment: "It is not lawful for you".
The voice of John did not die with the death of John.
Herod kept fearing John, even after his death. When he was informed about the strong predication and the miracles of Christ, he "said to his servants: "This is John the Baptist, he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him" (Matt. 14:2).
John treated Herod like the others: he testified of the truth to him, because Herod was in need of this testimony.
He resembled the prophet Elijah in his blame of the king.
Elijah rebuked king Achab for his worship of the idols (1 Kings 18: 17-18); and he was exposed because of that, to the anger of his wife Jezabel who threatened to kill him. John the Baptist rebuked king Herod, and he was exposed because of that, to the anger of Herodia whom Herod wanted to marry, and who then became the cause of the murder of John (Matt. 14: 6-11).
Thus John walked "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17).
He called the people and said to them: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" (Matt. 3:2). He was strong in his mission. He rebuked, criticised, and censured; and people accepted his criticism with an open heart.
The Scriptures say about that: "But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them: "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves: "We have Abraham as our father". For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" (Matt. 3: 7-10).
JOHN THE BAPTIST'S ICON
John the Baptist's icon is the icon of the baptism of Christ by him.
But there are some who design an icon to John the Baptist like an angel with two wings and carrying his head on a plate in his hand.
They do that in consideration of the word of the Scriptures about him that he is the angel who prepares the way before the Lord (Mal.3:1), (Mark 1:2). And he really is so. As for carrying his head on a plate in his hand, that is true, because the martyrs carry their sufferings.
But this is a meditative icon and not a ritual icon.
It is supposed that icons which are put inside the churches, must be ritual icons. Therefore I refused to consecrate an icon like this in some churches in the countries of emigration. Why then?
The greatness of John the Baptist is not because he was called an angel. For all the pastors of churches have been called angels, and likewise the Lord gave this surname to all the seven churches in Asia (Apoc. 1:20), (Apoc. 2:3).
The greatness of John the Baptist also is not because he is a martyr carrying his sufferings. For there are tens of thousands, and rather millions of martyrs in the Church.
But his real greatness, is that he baptized Christ, the matter by which he was distinguished among the rest of the saints, and therefore he was surnamed the Baptist.
Hence the saint Church does not call him neither the angel John, nor John the martyr, nor the prophet John, but the Church calls him John the Baptist.
The ritual icon which represents him inside the church, is his image baptizing Christ. Likewise, his baptism of Christ is a feast of the Lord, which the Church celebrates. The fathers priests raise incense before this icon of the baptism; and they say whenever they go out of the sanctuary with incense: "Hail to you, O John son of Zacharias, the priest and son of a priest".
There is no other saint like him, whom the Church salutes in every raising of incense at evening and morning, and in every mass.
HIS BAPTISM OF CHRIST
The greatest act of John the Baptist, is his baptism of the Lord Christ.
Here we see two great situations of humility. The first is the coming of Christ to be baptized by his servant John. The second is that great prophet saying to the Lord: "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?" (Matt. 3:14).
"I also am a sinner, in need of the baptism of repentance.
I am a teacher before these people, but before You, I am a disciple.
Before them, I am a prophet and an angel, but before You, I am dust and ashes.
I am a priest before them, but You are the source of my priesthood and every priesthood."
All the greatness that surrounded John, and all the tremendous popularity which he had, did not make him forget the insignificance of himself before Christ.......
He did like his mother Elizabeth when she said to the Holy Virgin: "But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (Luke 1:43).
John said to the Lord: "I need to be baptized by You". And the Lord did not say to him that he did not need, but He said: "Permit it to be so now" (Matt. 3:15), which is an astonishing expression from the mouth of the Lord, and is addressed to one of his servants.
He said to him, tenderly and gently: "I do not command you, but I ask for your permission, I ask for your agreement....... in order "to fulfill all righteousness.........."
NOT I
The Baptist was successful in his service.
"Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan confessing their sins" (Matt. 3:5).
Naturally the only One who did not confess sins when He presented Himself to baptism, was Christ, because He had absolutely no sins to confess.
When John saw the crouds increasing around him, he transferred their looks from him to Christ, meaning: "not I".
He made all his efforts in order to hide himself, and that Christ appears. This is the most distinguished virtue and the most profound work of this saint.
He said to the people: "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matt. 3:11).
As he attracted them to another baptism which is greater than his baptism, so also he attracted them the more, to the author of this baptism, saying that He is stronger and higher and more ancient than him.
He said: "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose" (Mark 1:7). "After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me" (John 1:30). "I am not the Christ, but, I have been sent before Him" (Matt. 3:28).
The Baptist did not say all that, as mere words of humility,
or that he degraded his level before the people......
The true humility, as the saints say, is that man knows himself. And John, in his humble words, knew exactly who was he, and who was Christ? and he spoke out of truthfulness and out of humility.....
He was the greatest "among those born of women". But he, and all those born of women, are all mere servants before Christ; even the angels, as the apostle says: [But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, he says: "Let all the angels of God worship Him"] (Hebr. 1:6).
This saint did not seek his own glory, but he sought the kingdom of Christ.
He understood that "He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light" (John 1:8), "that all through him might believe" (John 1:7). He knew that he was simply a predecessor before the convoy of the coming king; all his work consisted of preparing the way for the king.
John was able to keep his ritual, and not to trespass over his limits.
For him selfishness was dead; and Christ was all in all.
That is a lesson to the servants who build themselves at the account of service, or to them who consider service as a simple field where they can manifest themselves!!
The most marvelous word that exhibits John's service, is his word about Christ: "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). He also said about Him: "He who comes from above is above all ....... He who comes from heaven is above all" (John 3:31). Thereby he indicates the divinity of Christ, because He came from heaven, therefore He is above all, including also John......
Hence, when the predication of Christ had begun and started to sway the atmosphere of service, John rejoiced and was glad (John 3:29). He said: "Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice." As for me, I am merely the friend of the bridegroom, I look from afar and rejoice.
Thus he rendered the groom to the bridegroom.
He rendered to Him the church which he had prepared for Him through repentance, and he also rendered to Him his disciples, and he joyfully withdrew from the field, releasing the leadership to the Lord.
Nevertheless, while John humbled himself, he was raised up.
According to the word of the Lord Christ: "whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Matt. 23:12). When John humbled himself and said: "I must decrease", the Lord exalted him, and made him the greatest among those born of women.
Of course he meant the greatest among "men" or "prophets" born of women. Because the Holy Virgin Mary, who is among those born of women, is undoubtedly greater than him.
During the feast of the Epiphany, we also remember our own baptism.
OUR OWN BAPTISM
Our baptism is something other than the baptism of John.
It is not simply a baptism for repentance. We note that when the apostle saint Paul was predicating in Ephesus, he asked the disciples there, saying: ["Into what then were you baptized?" So they said: "Into John's baptism." Then Paul said: "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 19: 3-5).
Our baptism is a birth from water and the Spirit.
According to what the Lord said to Nicodemus: "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God" (John 3:5).
Our baptism is death and resurrection with Christ.
As the apostle says to the Colossians about Christ: "buried wit Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him" (Col. 2:12).
He told the same meaning to the Romans: "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death.......For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection" (Rom. 6: 3-5).
Death here means the death of our ancient man.
As the apostle says: "knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with" (Rom. 6:6).
We obtain salvation through our baptism.
As the Lord said: "He who believes and is baptized will be saved" (Mark 16:16).
And as the apostle saint Paul said about it: "but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5). And as also the apostle saint Peter said about the ark: "in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us, baptism" (1 Peter 3: 20-21).
Salvation through baptism means salvation from all sins before baptism. And this means justification and renovation:
Salvation from the original sin, and salvation from all the actual sins before baptism. Renovation means the renovation of our nature (Rom 6:4).
As the old man dies in baptism, so a new man is raised up in the likeness of Christ.
The apostle saint Paul said about that: "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Gal. 3:27). That is, you have put on the righteousness that is in Him ..... (Here is the action of justification which is in baptism).
May the blessing of saint John the Baptist be with us all.
Many happy returns for you all.
Sunday, 1 August 2010
saint Peter & saint Paul
Pope Shenouda III series
7
THE TWO SAINTS PETER & PAUL
(ON THE FEAST'S DAY OF THE APOSTLES
WHICH IS THEIR FEAST)
BY HIS HOLINESS AMBA SHENOUDA III,
POPE AND PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA
AND OF THE APOSTOLIC SEE OF
ALL THE PREDICATION OF SAINT MARK
First print: Cairo, July 1997
Name of the book: The two saints Peter & Paul
Author: His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
Editor: Orthodox Coptic Clerical College, Cairo
Edition: July 1997
Press: Amba Rueiss, (Offset), The Cathedral, Abbassia
Deposition number at "The Library": 8476/97
I.S.B.N. 977 - 5345 - 43 - X
All rights reserved to the author
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
Pope and Patriarch of the See of Alexandria and of all the Predication of the Evangelist St. Mark
The feast of the the apostles (5 Abib) is the feast of the martyrdom of S. Peter & S. Paul.
I shall talk to you about them, not as regards History, but as a spiritual life which can be a lesson.
What were the points of resemblance, and the points of difference in their lives? and how God had chosen these two kinds for the building up of His kingdom?
Both are two apostles, and martyrs. Each of them has his own style. But both the two styles were for the glory of God.
Pope Shenouda III
PREFACE
On the occasion of the feast of the apostles, I had wished to talk to you about the apostles in a general manner. But I have found that this is greater than to be contained in a summary pamphlet like this one.
So I preferred to write for you only about these two great apostles: S. Peter & S. Peter; especially that the feast of the apostles (5 Abib) is the feast of the martyrdom of S. Peter & S. Paul.
As for the talk about our fathers the apostles in a general manner, there will be a special pamphlet for that, later on, if the Lord permits and we live.
And believe me, a single pamphlet is not enough even for our limitation only to these two apostles, but we shall talk very briefly.
We do not write History in this pamphlet, because History would need volumes, and researches, and maps....
But I shall write to you here about the spiritual lessons and not about History.
That is what we can learn, as much as it is possible, from the lives of the apostles. If we turn to History, it will be in a secondary manner.
On the occasion of the feast of the apostles
Pope Shenouda III
The Church celebrates the memory of the martyrdom of these two saints on the 5th of Abib, which is the 12th of July.This feast is called in our Church by the name of "the feast of the apostles". Its date is unchanged in every year.
The Church venerates these two apostles very profoundly; and praises them and honors them exceedingly; especially in the prayer of "the partition" or "the division" which pertains to the fast of the apostles and to the feast of the apostles, which we pray during the holy mass.
Although there are not many churches which are called by their two names together, there is a church which is called by their two names in the region of Amba Roueiss in Cairo, and another church which is called by their two names in Los Angeles, California, USA.
These two saints represent two distinguished kinds as regards the personality, the mission, and the style. Each one of them has distinct characteristics.
THE POINTS OF DIFFERENCE
Peter was among the first whom the Lord had chosen to work with Him (Matt. 10).
And Paul was not among the twelve, and not even among the seventy apostles, but the Lord chose him lastly, after the resurrection and years after the choice of Matthias......
He did not follow Christ during His predication on earth. He rather said about that: "Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God" (1 Cor. 15: 8-9).
And although he was the last in his call, yet he "laboured more abundantly than they all" (1 Cor. 15:10). That shows that it is not a matter of precedence, but according to the amount of weariness from exertion for God.
A person may not be the most ancient among the workers in ministry, and nevertheless he may be the strongest of all the workers.
John the Baptist was not the first prophet in the Old Testament, but he was the last of them in their chronological order. Nevertheless it was said that "among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist" (Matt. 11:11).
St. Augustin said to the Lord: "I have been very much late to love You". And with his lateness, he was more profound than millions who had preceded him.
Peter was born in Bethsaide, and his family lived in Capernaum (Kafr Nahum).
Paul was born in Tarsus of Cilicia. He went to Jerusalem in the early years of his youth to complete his religious instruction, in order to study the Law at the hands of one of the great teachers" (Acts 22:3).
The apostle Peter was a married man. It was mentioned in the Gospel that Christ healed his step-mother from fever (Matt. 8: 14-15). In his journeys for the predication, he wandered accompanied by his wife as a sister (1 Cor. 9:5).
But the apostle Paul was a virgin. (1 Cor. 7:7).
He called for the preference of virginity. "But each one has his own gift from God", "as the Lord has called each one...... Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called" (1 Cor. 7: 7,17,20).
That proves that the Lord calls everybody to His service, whether they are married like Peter, or virgins like Paul.
Peter began his life with the Lord Christ with love, confidence, and faith. But on the contrary: Paul began by enemity, as a persecutor of the Church and of everyone who followed Christ, so that the Lord, when He met him on the road to Damascus, began his conversation with him by reprimanding him saying: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" (Acts 9:4).
Saint Peter was a simple man, a fisherman (Matt. 4:18). He was ignorant and was not instructed into culture or science. He is one of whom "God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise" (1 Cor. 27). It was said of him, of him and saint John, "that they were uneducated and untrained men" (Acts 4:13).
But saint Paul was one of the learned of his age, who was educated at the University of Tarsus, and brought up at the feet of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). He was well-known for his culture and for reading many books. (Acts 26:24).
That shows us that the Lord equally employs everybody for His kingdom, the learned and the simple. The important thing for them is to be useful ustensils for the work of His grace......
There was also a distinction in the mission of each of the two saints Peter and Paul.
The apostle Peter began his ministry while he was old-aged. Perhaps he was the oldest of all the apostles. Therefore they venerated his old age. As regards age, he said about saint Mark: "Mark my son " (1 Peter 5:13).
But saint Paul was smaller than saint Peter in age.
Also among the points of difference: the apostle Paul formed for himself disciples in a greater number than Peter did.
Among his disciples were Timothy and Titus to whom he sent epistles.
Also among his disciples, were Luke, Aristarchus, Tichycus, Carpus, the deaconess Phebe, Achilla and Priscilla......and others.
Mark followed both of them: first he followed Peter, then he remained with Paul to the end of his life (2 Tim. 4:11).
It was said about saint Peter that he was "the apostle of circumcision"
He was confided in "the gospel of circumcision", that is the predication to the Jews; while Paul was confided in "the Gospel of uncircoumsision", that is the predication to the Gentiles.
Such is what the apostle saint Paul said: "the gospel of the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter, for He who worked effectivey in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles" (Gal. 2: 7-8).
The Lord said to Paul: "Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles" (Acts 22:21). And He also said to him: "for as you testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome" (Rom.23:11).
Paul wrote an epistle to the Romans, and some epistles to the churches of the Gentiles.
Peter wrote to the Jews "the pilgrims of the Dispersion" (1 Peter 1:1).
Saint Paul wrote 14 epistles which consisted of 100 chapters.
Saint Peter wrote only two epistles which consisted of 8 chapters.
Saint Peter was simple in his writings.
As for saint Paul, saint Peter said about his epistles "in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction" (2 Peter 3:16).
Saint Paul talked about theological questions like the justification, the renovation, Law and grace, the baptism, the priesthood, choice and rejection, living as Jews ...... matters which saint Peter did not approach.
Saint Peter was impulsive.
That was probably because of his great zeal, or his jealousy. The Lord praised him when he testified of Him that He is the Son of the living God (Matt. 16: 15:19).
But many times the Lord reprimanded him for his impulsiveness.
Such as when He reprimanded him afterwards, when the Lord was talking about his future sufferings and His killing by the Jews. Then Peter said impetuously: "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to you! Then the Lord rebuked him saying: "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men"(Matt. 16: 21:23).
Peter also was implusive during the Lord's washing of His apostles' feet. He refused and "said to Him: You shall never wash my feet!" But when "Jesus answered him: "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me. Simon Peter said to Him: "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head"...... (John 13: 8-10).
Another time when the Lord Christ was arrested, Peter "having a sword", impulsively "drew it and struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. So, Jesus said to Peter: "Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?" (John 18: 10-11). And He also said to him: "for all who take the sword will perish by the sword" (Matt. 26: 51,52).
Thus we see that the Lord has chosen him in spite of his impulsiveness, then He has transformed this impulsiveness into good since the day of the Pentecost.
Then we see Peter beginning to speak in that day, and he explained what was happening to the people (Acts 2), and he called them to faith. He also began to speak on the day of the healing of the lame, and rebuked the Jews because they had preferred a murderer to the Lord Christ, before Pilate (Acts 3:12-26).
He came forward in many occasions, as when he said: "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Act 5:29).
Thus the Lord employed the impulsiveness ot Peter for the good.
As for saint Paul, he was also enthusiastic, but without impulsiveness.....
Because of the difference in their style of work, saint Paul once reprimanded saint Peter himself:
He explained this in the second chapter of his epistle to the Galatians saying: "Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; for before cetain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all: "If you being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?" (Gal. 2: 11-14).
Nevertheless the two saints participated together and resembled each other in substantial matters like zeal and martyrdom.
POINTS OF RESEMBLANCE
Both were Jews.
The apostle Paul mentioned that he was a Jew, from the tribe of Benjamin (Philippians 3:5).
The Bible did not mention from which tribe was the apostle Peter.
Both were called by the Lord.
Peter was "casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them: [Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. They immediately left their nets and followed Him" (Matt. 4: 18-20).
The Lord called Paul as "he journeyed to Damascus, and suddently a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground" (Acts 9: 1--4), and the Lord called him, sending him first to Ananias of Damascus.
And as the Lord Jesus-Christ called him, also the Holy Spirit called him, and said: "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them" (Acts 13:2).
Likewise also God the Father called him. The apostle saint Paul
said about that: "But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me" (Gal. 1: 15-17).
Thus we see that the apostle saint Paul was called by the three Persons, each separately.
Although both the saint apostles Peter and Paul were likewise called by God, yet the manner of the call was different; and also the number of the calls.
The Lord changed the name of each of them:
Peter was called Simeon, son of Jonah (John 21:15). The Lord called him by the name of Peter. (Matt. 16: 17-18).
The name of Saul was changed into Paul. At the beginning of his call, the Lord called him by the name of Saul (Acts 9:4). During his predication, He called him by the name of Paul (Acts 23:11).
The Holy Spirit came upon each of them; and each of them spoke with tongues.
It is evident that the apostle Peter spoke languages on the day of Pentecost, for the Spirit of the Lord had come upon him. The apostle Paul said in his epistle to the Corinthians: "I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all" (1 Cor. 14:18). And it was said in the story of Elymas the sorcerer: "Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said......" (Acts 13:9).
Each of them had the power to give the Holy Spirit.
It was said about Peter and John, that the apostles who were in Jerusalem, sent them to Samaria when it believed: "Then they laid hands on them, and the received the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:17).
It was likewise said about the apostle Paul that after the baptism of the Ephesians "when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prohesied" (Acts 19: 5-6).
Each of them made wonders and miracles.
It was said about the apostle Paul: "Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, wo that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them" (Acts 19:11).
Each of them raised up a dead.
The apostle Peter resuscitated from death "a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas". He "prayed. And turning to the body he said: Tabitha, arise". And she opened her eyes ..... Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up ........ and ...... presented her alive" (Acts 9: 36-41).
The apostle Paul resuscitated from death "a certain young man named Euthychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead." But Paul ressuscitated him. "And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted" (Acts 20: 7-12).
Each of them was a flame of energy, holy zeal, and work of predication.
Each of them preached and taught, and made efforts in the ministry.
Since the day of the Pentecost, Peter taught and preached, and testified to the resurrection of the Lord Christ, in the temple and outside the temple. He preached in Jerusalem, in Lydda, and in Joppa (Acts 9: 22,31). He moved from Joppa to Cesarea where he admonished and baptised Cornelius and those who were with him (Acts 10). He also preached the Jews of the Dispersion, and sent to them an epistle "To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia" (1 Peter 1:1).
The apostle saint Paul "laboured more abundantly than they (the apostles) all" (1 Cor. 15:10). Therefore we shall select a special chapter for him.
Each of them was bold and courageous in his predication.
It is enough as regards the apostle Peter that he insisted upon his predication, and did not care about the threatening by the Jews, but said his famous expression: "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).
He rather rebuked the Jews saying: "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life" (Acts 3: 13-15).
The apostle saint Paul was very courageous before the governors.
It is that the governor Felix was terrified before him, who was a captive, "as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgement to come" (Acts 24:25). And when he stood before the king Agrippa during his trial, he said to him: "King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe". Then Agrippa said to Paul: "You almost persuade me to become a Christian". And Paul said: "I would to God that not only youm but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains" (Acts 26: 27-29).
Because of the courage of saint Paul, [as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by: "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned? When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying: "Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman"] And when the commander heard this, he was "afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him". "Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him" (Acts 22: 25-29).
Because of the courage of saint Paul, when the governor Festus wanted to deliver him to the Jews to kill him, he said: "I stand at Caesar's judgement seat, where I ought to be judged ....... For if I am an offender, or have committed anything deserving of death, I do not object to dying; but if there is nothing in these things of which these men accuse me, no one can deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar. Then Festus ...... answered: "You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go!" (Acts 25: 10-12).
Each of the two saints Peter and Paul was firm in his punishment of the sinners.
We touch this in the punishment by saint Peter of Ananias and Sapphira when they "kept back part of the proceeds" of their sold possession and lied to the Holy Spirit; then Peter said to Ananias: "You have not lied to men but to God" (Acts 5:4). Then Ananias "fell down and breathed his last". And when his wife Sapphira repeated the same lie, saint Peter said to her: ["How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out". Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last] (Acts 5:9).
This firmness was necessary, in order for the Church not to begin with negligence and indifference. Therefore it was said afterwards: "So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things" (Acts 5:11).
This punishment confirms the amount of power which God granted to that saint apostle.
Another example is the position of saint Peter as regards Simeon the sorcerer.
This one was astonished that "through the laying of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money" to obtain the same gift!
"But Peter said to him (with firmness and authority): "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! ........ Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity" (Acts 8: 18-22).
The apostle Paul also acted with every firmness with the sinner of Corinth.
That one who had fallen into the sin of adultery with his father's wife. When the apostle Paul heard about this, he sent to them saying: "I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit,have already judged .... deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus". And he reprimanded the people and said to them: "put away from yourselves the evil person" (1 Cor. 5: 3-5, 13). This firmness had its effect for the repentance of that sinner and for the holy zeal of the people.
Another example of the firmness of saint Paul, is his position as regards Elymas the sorcerer.
("For so his name is translated")
The apostle "Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him", rebuked him and said: "now indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time. And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand" (Acts 13: 6-11).
This event indicates also the authority which God granted to that saint apostle. And it happened as he said.
In spite of all this, the two saint apostles were humble.
At the beginning of the Lord's call of Peter, in the miracle of the catching of fish, we read that after the miracle that "he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying: "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" (Luke 5:8).
The tradition informs us that during his martyrdom and crucifixion, he asked to be crucified head down because of his feeling of his sins, and not to be crucified as the Lord ........
The apostle Paul, in spite of all his fights in preaching, in spite of his numerous miracles, we see him write to this disciple Timotheus saying: "although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man, but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief" (1 Tim. 1:13). And he says in his first epistle to the Corinthians about the appearances of the Lord: "Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God" (1 Cor. 15: 8-9).
The examples and proofs of the humility of these two great apostles are very numerous, and it is not the appropriate time for them, in this summary pamphlet......
Each of them was exposed to many persecutions.
Saint Peter was persecuted together with the rest of the apostles at the beginning of Christianity. "the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them" (Acts 4:1). They arrested them, then they let them go. They conferred among themselves to kill them; were it not for the intervention of the Law teacher Gamaliel ..... (Acts 5: 32-40).
They scourged them and "commanded them that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name" (Acts 5:41).
Saint Peter suffered scourging for Christ, and likewise also he was confined to jail.
Herod arrested him to please the Jews, and "he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover" (Acts 12: 3-4).
But the angel of the Lord delivered Peter that night, and brought him out of prison.....
As for Paul, how numerous are the persecutions which happened to him and to his participants in the ministry!?
He said about this: "But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in sleeplessness, in fastings ........ (2 Cor. 6: 4-5).
"We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal body. For we who live are always delivered to death" (2Cor. 4: 8-11).
He has explained in (2 Cor. 11) a summary of his sufferings. He said:
"in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in peril of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness".
Each of the saints Peter and Paul obtained the crown of martyrdom.
Each of them ended his life as a martyr in the year 67 AD at the hands of the ceasar Neron.
The apostle saint Peter was crucified head down.
The apostle saint Paul was beheaded with the sword.
The apostle saint Peter
He has three names: Simon the son of Jonah, Cephas, and Peter.
He and his brother Andrew were fishermen. His brother knew Christ before him.
Simon began his acquaintance with Christ by way of his brother Andrew.
It was mentioned in the gospel of John about Andrew:
"He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him: "We have found the Messiah (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said: "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas [which is translated, (Peter,) A Stone] (John 1: 40-42). We note that the three names came in a single verse.
Simon Peter became the first name among the twelve (Matt. 10:2).
Rather he became one of three who were very near to the Lord Christ.
They are Peter, James, and John, whom He took to the mount of the Transfiguration, and "His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light" (Matt. 17: 1,2); and they saw with Him Moses and Elijah talking to Him......
The Lord took these three with Him in the resurrection of the daughter of Jairus from death. The gospel of Mark says about that: "And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James" (Mark 5:37).
These three are also those whom He took with Him to the garden of Gethsemany, in His agony before the crucifixion. The gospel of Matthew says about that: "And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee...." (Matt. 26:37).
Hence, Peter, James and John had a certain familiarity by Christ.
Therefore the apostle Paul considers Peter to be one of the three pillars of the church in the days of the apostles.........
He says: "and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcision" (Gal. 2:9).
The apostle saint Peter loved the Lord Christ very much.
He loved His words and His instruction. Accordingly when some disciples returned back; and the Lord [said to the twelve: "Do you also want to go away?" But Simon Peter answered Him: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6: 66-68).
His love for Him was manifested in his words on Maundy-Thursday night.
When the Lord said to His disciples: "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night", Peter with his well-known implusiveness answered and said to Him: "Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble ....... Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You" (Matt. 26: 31-35). "I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death" (Luke 22:33).
Verily, he denied Him three times, but out of weakness, and not out of lack of love.
A proof of this is that when the rooster crew, "he went out and wept bitterly" (Matt. 26:75). Another proof is that he answered the Lord after the resurrection: "You know that I love you" (John 21: 17). The Lord accepted his repentance, and established him in his apostleship and said to him: "Feed My lambs", "Tend My sheep" (John 21: 15,16).
The apostle Peter manifested great courage and boldness after the coming of the Holy Spirit.
The first chapters of the book of the Acts of the Apostles are nearly centered about the two apostles Peter and John; and narrate to us what they did in the building of the first Church, before the appearance of the apostle Paul.
We do not forget the strength of the apostle Peter in exhortation:
The effect of his sermon on the day of the Pentecost, which drew to faith nearly three thousand men who "were cut to the heart" (Acts 2:37), and were baptised; and likewise his sermon after the healing of the lame (Acts 3); and his courageous standing before all the chiefs and the priests of the Jews; and his unrestricted manifestation of his faith.
It is evident that he could recall from memory the psalms and the verses of the Bible.
He mentioned them in his profound interpretations. For example: what he said about Judas (Acts 1: 16-20); what he said on the day of the Pentecost; his quotation of what came in the book of the prophet Joel (Acts 2: 16-21); other quotations from the book of the Psalms (Acts :24-30) ..... all this in consequent verses. Add to this what he said on the day of the healing of the lame, and his quotation of the sayings of the prophets (Acts 3: 21-25).
The apostle Peter is astonishing in his recalling from memory of the verses of the Bible, and their use.
Examples of this are numerous. That is not the time to count them.
We find the same situation in his two epistles which he wrote. It is the style of a man who filled with the spirit of the Bible, and with the soundness of the explanation of the words. He said: "knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:20-21).
It was he who said: "I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder, that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets...." (2 Peter 3: 1-2).
The apostle saint Paul
He is one of the giant capacities of ministry
As soon as he entered into faith, the Lord employed him for the building of the kingdom, and he worked by him action.
The book of the Acts of the Apostles begins by mentioning the work of the twelve, and specially Peter and John.
After mentioning Paul, nearly the rest of the book is occupied bith this great apostle, specially after the council of Jerusalem.
He "laboured more abundantly than they all" (1 Cor. 15:10), he enjoyed gifs and revelations, and ascended to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12: 2-7).
He suffered from every body for the predication (2 Cor. 11).
He preached in all the great apostolic churches.
He served much in Jerusalem and in Antioch. He founded the churches of Greece, as well as the church of Rome, where he stayed for two years preaching "the kingdom of God ......... with all confidence, no one forbidding him" (Acts 28: 30-31).
He was tired on the land and at sea, preaching in three voyages, in Asia, Europe, till he arrived west to Spain where he founded its church.
He served in many islands: in Cyprus, Crete, Malta, Sicilia, and he founded their churches.
In Asia, he preached in Jerusalem, Tyr, Cesarea, Antioch, Ephesus, Meletis, and some cities in Minor Asia....
In Europe, he preached in Cyprus, Greece, Macedonia, Philippi, Thessalonique, Berea, Athens, Corinth, Troas, Rome and many cities in Italy.
He spoke in the Temple and the synagogues, and in the houses, and in the Areopagus, and the temples and possibly in every place.
He was exposed to many false accusations from the Jews; he stood before governors, and kings, as Felix, Festus, Agrippa, Ceasar, and the council of the Sanhedrim.
He was imprisonned and captive many times: in Philippi, Cesarea, and twice in Rome ......
He wrote much.
He wrote fourteen epistles. Two of the evangelists are his disciples, they are Mark and Luke. Also among his disciples there are Aristarchus, Timotheus, Titus, and others.
He was surnamed the apostle of the Gentiles:
The Lord said to him: "I will send you far from here to the Gentiles" (Acts 22:21), "as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome" (Acts 23:11).
He obtained the crown of martyrdom by being beheaded at the hands of Neron in the year 67 AD. And he obtained the crown of virginity, and the crown of apostleship, and the crown of righteousness (2 Tim. 4:8).
May the blessing of his prayers be with us all.
THE APOSTLE PAUL'S DISCIPLES
1. Saint Timotheus:
to whom the apostle Paul wrote two epistles.
The apostle Paul ordinated him bishop of Ephesus. He reminded him with the laying of his hands upon him. He was the assistant of saint Paul in many of his voyages. He went to Philippi (Philippi 2: 19-20); to Corinth (2 Cor. 1:1), to Macedonia (Acts 19:22), and likewise he went to Rome (Heb. 13:23).
He was very active in ministry in spite of the sickness of his stomach and his "frequent infirmities" (1Tim. 5:23).
He began his service from his youth, so that saint Paul said to him: "Let no one despise your youth" (1 Tim. 4:12). He was helped by his knowledge since his childhood of holy books, his origin in a saint family and specially his mother and his grandmother (Lois and Eunice).
2. Titus:
He is one of the disciples of the apostle Paul to whom he wrote an epistle. He ordinated him bishop of Crete .... He called him his son (Titus 1:4), as he called also Timotheus his son (1 Tim.1:18). He accompanied the apostle in some of his journeys, and went with him to Nicopolis and Delmatia. The saint sent him to Corinth, and left him to arrange the matter of pastorship, and to ordinate priests, in Crete.
3. Tychicus:
One of the disciples of the apostle Paul. He sent him to Ephesus (Eph. 6:21), and to Colosse (Co;. 4:7). He was among the most united sons to him. He mentioned in some of his epistles. (Titus 3:12), (2 Tim. 4:12).
The rest of Paul's disciples:
Those who loved saint Paul, and whom he mentioned in his epistles, are many, as for example it was mentioned in (Rom. 16).....
Among his well-known disciples: Aristarchus whose name he once mentioned before the evangelist Luke (Philemon 23), and he described him as his fellow labourer.
Among the disciples of Paul also, Epaphras (Philemon 22), and also the apostle Mark, the evangelist Luke, and others......
7
THE TWO SAINTS PETER & PAUL
(ON THE FEAST'S DAY OF THE APOSTLES
WHICH IS THEIR FEAST)
BY HIS HOLINESS AMBA SHENOUDA III,
POPE AND PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA
AND OF THE APOSTOLIC SEE OF
ALL THE PREDICATION OF SAINT MARK
First print: Cairo, July 1997
Name of the book: The two saints Peter & Paul
Author: His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
Editor: Orthodox Coptic Clerical College, Cairo
Edition: July 1997
Press: Amba Rueiss, (Offset), The Cathedral, Abbassia
Deposition number at "The Library": 8476/97
I.S.B.N. 977 - 5345 - 43 - X
All rights reserved to the author
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
Pope and Patriarch of the See of Alexandria and of all the Predication of the Evangelist St. Mark
The feast of the the apostles (5 Abib) is the feast of the martyrdom of S. Peter & S. Paul.
I shall talk to you about them, not as regards History, but as a spiritual life which can be a lesson.
What were the points of resemblance, and the points of difference in their lives? and how God had chosen these two kinds for the building up of His kingdom?
Both are two apostles, and martyrs. Each of them has his own style. But both the two styles were for the glory of God.
Pope Shenouda III
PREFACE
On the occasion of the feast of the apostles, I had wished to talk to you about the apostles in a general manner. But I have found that this is greater than to be contained in a summary pamphlet like this one.
So I preferred to write for you only about these two great apostles: S. Peter & S. Peter; especially that the feast of the apostles (5 Abib) is the feast of the martyrdom of S. Peter & S. Paul.
As for the talk about our fathers the apostles in a general manner, there will be a special pamphlet for that, later on, if the Lord permits and we live.
And believe me, a single pamphlet is not enough even for our limitation only to these two apostles, but we shall talk very briefly.
We do not write History in this pamphlet, because History would need volumes, and researches, and maps....
But I shall write to you here about the spiritual lessons and not about History.
That is what we can learn, as much as it is possible, from the lives of the apostles. If we turn to History, it will be in a secondary manner.
On the occasion of the feast of the apostles
Pope Shenouda III
The Church celebrates the memory of the martyrdom of these two saints on the 5th of Abib, which is the 12th of July.This feast is called in our Church by the name of "the feast of the apostles". Its date is unchanged in every year.
The Church venerates these two apostles very profoundly; and praises them and honors them exceedingly; especially in the prayer of "the partition" or "the division" which pertains to the fast of the apostles and to the feast of the apostles, which we pray during the holy mass.
Although there are not many churches which are called by their two names together, there is a church which is called by their two names in the region of Amba Roueiss in Cairo, and another church which is called by their two names in Los Angeles, California, USA.
These two saints represent two distinguished kinds as regards the personality, the mission, and the style. Each one of them has distinct characteristics.
THE POINTS OF DIFFERENCE
Peter was among the first whom the Lord had chosen to work with Him (Matt. 10).
And Paul was not among the twelve, and not even among the seventy apostles, but the Lord chose him lastly, after the resurrection and years after the choice of Matthias......
He did not follow Christ during His predication on earth. He rather said about that: "Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God" (1 Cor. 15: 8-9).
And although he was the last in his call, yet he "laboured more abundantly than they all" (1 Cor. 15:10). That shows that it is not a matter of precedence, but according to the amount of weariness from exertion for God.
A person may not be the most ancient among the workers in ministry, and nevertheless he may be the strongest of all the workers.
John the Baptist was not the first prophet in the Old Testament, but he was the last of them in their chronological order. Nevertheless it was said that "among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist" (Matt. 11:11).
St. Augustin said to the Lord: "I have been very much late to love You". And with his lateness, he was more profound than millions who had preceded him.
Peter was born in Bethsaide, and his family lived in Capernaum (Kafr Nahum).
Paul was born in Tarsus of Cilicia. He went to Jerusalem in the early years of his youth to complete his religious instruction, in order to study the Law at the hands of one of the great teachers" (Acts 22:3).
The apostle Peter was a married man. It was mentioned in the Gospel that Christ healed his step-mother from fever (Matt. 8: 14-15). In his journeys for the predication, he wandered accompanied by his wife as a sister (1 Cor. 9:5).
But the apostle Paul was a virgin. (1 Cor. 7:7).
He called for the preference of virginity. "But each one has his own gift from God", "as the Lord has called each one...... Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called" (1 Cor. 7: 7,17,20).
That proves that the Lord calls everybody to His service, whether they are married like Peter, or virgins like Paul.
Peter began his life with the Lord Christ with love, confidence, and faith. But on the contrary: Paul began by enemity, as a persecutor of the Church and of everyone who followed Christ, so that the Lord, when He met him on the road to Damascus, began his conversation with him by reprimanding him saying: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" (Acts 9:4).
Saint Peter was a simple man, a fisherman (Matt. 4:18). He was ignorant and was not instructed into culture or science. He is one of whom "God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise" (1 Cor. 27). It was said of him, of him and saint John, "that they were uneducated and untrained men" (Acts 4:13).
But saint Paul was one of the learned of his age, who was educated at the University of Tarsus, and brought up at the feet of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). He was well-known for his culture and for reading many books. (Acts 26:24).
That shows us that the Lord equally employs everybody for His kingdom, the learned and the simple. The important thing for them is to be useful ustensils for the work of His grace......
There was also a distinction in the mission of each of the two saints Peter and Paul.
The apostle Peter began his ministry while he was old-aged. Perhaps he was the oldest of all the apostles. Therefore they venerated his old age. As regards age, he said about saint Mark: "Mark my son " (1 Peter 5:13).
But saint Paul was smaller than saint Peter in age.
Also among the points of difference: the apostle Paul formed for himself disciples in a greater number than Peter did.
Among his disciples were Timothy and Titus to whom he sent epistles.
Also among his disciples, were Luke, Aristarchus, Tichycus, Carpus, the deaconess Phebe, Achilla and Priscilla......and others.
Mark followed both of them: first he followed Peter, then he remained with Paul to the end of his life (2 Tim. 4:11).
It was said about saint Peter that he was "the apostle of circumcision"
He was confided in "the gospel of circumcision", that is the predication to the Jews; while Paul was confided in "the Gospel of uncircoumsision", that is the predication to the Gentiles.
Such is what the apostle saint Paul said: "the gospel of the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter, for He who worked effectivey in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles" (Gal. 2: 7-8).
The Lord said to Paul: "Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles" (Acts 22:21). And He also said to him: "for as you testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome" (Rom.23:11).
Paul wrote an epistle to the Romans, and some epistles to the churches of the Gentiles.
Peter wrote to the Jews "the pilgrims of the Dispersion" (1 Peter 1:1).
Saint Paul wrote 14 epistles which consisted of 100 chapters.
Saint Peter wrote only two epistles which consisted of 8 chapters.
Saint Peter was simple in his writings.
As for saint Paul, saint Peter said about his epistles "in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction" (2 Peter 3:16).
Saint Paul talked about theological questions like the justification, the renovation, Law and grace, the baptism, the priesthood, choice and rejection, living as Jews ...... matters which saint Peter did not approach.
Saint Peter was impulsive.
That was probably because of his great zeal, or his jealousy. The Lord praised him when he testified of Him that He is the Son of the living God (Matt. 16: 15:19).
But many times the Lord reprimanded him for his impulsiveness.
Such as when He reprimanded him afterwards, when the Lord was talking about his future sufferings and His killing by the Jews. Then Peter said impetuously: "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to you! Then the Lord rebuked him saying: "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men"(Matt. 16: 21:23).
Peter also was implusive during the Lord's washing of His apostles' feet. He refused and "said to Him: You shall never wash my feet!" But when "Jesus answered him: "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me. Simon Peter said to Him: "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head"...... (John 13: 8-10).
Another time when the Lord Christ was arrested, Peter "having a sword", impulsively "drew it and struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. So, Jesus said to Peter: "Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?" (John 18: 10-11). And He also said to him: "for all who take the sword will perish by the sword" (Matt. 26: 51,52).
Thus we see that the Lord has chosen him in spite of his impulsiveness, then He has transformed this impulsiveness into good since the day of the Pentecost.
Then we see Peter beginning to speak in that day, and he explained what was happening to the people (Acts 2), and he called them to faith. He also began to speak on the day of the healing of the lame, and rebuked the Jews because they had preferred a murderer to the Lord Christ, before Pilate (Acts 3:12-26).
He came forward in many occasions, as when he said: "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Act 5:29).
Thus the Lord employed the impulsiveness ot Peter for the good.
As for saint Paul, he was also enthusiastic, but without impulsiveness.....
Because of the difference in their style of work, saint Paul once reprimanded saint Peter himself:
He explained this in the second chapter of his epistle to the Galatians saying: "Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; for before cetain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all: "If you being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?" (Gal. 2: 11-14).
Nevertheless the two saints participated together and resembled each other in substantial matters like zeal and martyrdom.
POINTS OF RESEMBLANCE
Both were Jews.
The apostle Paul mentioned that he was a Jew, from the tribe of Benjamin (Philippians 3:5).
The Bible did not mention from which tribe was the apostle Peter.
Both were called by the Lord.
Peter was "casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them: [Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. They immediately left their nets and followed Him" (Matt. 4: 18-20).
The Lord called Paul as "he journeyed to Damascus, and suddently a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground" (Acts 9: 1--4), and the Lord called him, sending him first to Ananias of Damascus.
And as the Lord Jesus-Christ called him, also the Holy Spirit called him, and said: "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them" (Acts 13:2).
Likewise also God the Father called him. The apostle saint Paul
said about that: "But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me" (Gal. 1: 15-17).
Thus we see that the apostle saint Paul was called by the three Persons, each separately.
Although both the saint apostles Peter and Paul were likewise called by God, yet the manner of the call was different; and also the number of the calls.
The Lord changed the name of each of them:
Peter was called Simeon, son of Jonah (John 21:15). The Lord called him by the name of Peter. (Matt. 16: 17-18).
The name of Saul was changed into Paul. At the beginning of his call, the Lord called him by the name of Saul (Acts 9:4). During his predication, He called him by the name of Paul (Acts 23:11).
The Holy Spirit came upon each of them; and each of them spoke with tongues.
It is evident that the apostle Peter spoke languages on the day of Pentecost, for the Spirit of the Lord had come upon him. The apostle Paul said in his epistle to the Corinthians: "I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all" (1 Cor. 14:18). And it was said in the story of Elymas the sorcerer: "Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said......" (Acts 13:9).
Each of them had the power to give the Holy Spirit.
It was said about Peter and John, that the apostles who were in Jerusalem, sent them to Samaria when it believed: "Then they laid hands on them, and the received the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:17).
It was likewise said about the apostle Paul that after the baptism of the Ephesians "when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prohesied" (Acts 19: 5-6).
Each of them made wonders and miracles.
It was said about the apostle Paul: "Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, wo that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them" (Acts 19:11).
Each of them raised up a dead.
The apostle Peter resuscitated from death "a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas". He "prayed. And turning to the body he said: Tabitha, arise". And she opened her eyes ..... Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up ........ and ...... presented her alive" (Acts 9: 36-41).
The apostle Paul resuscitated from death "a certain young man named Euthychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead." But Paul ressuscitated him. "And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted" (Acts 20: 7-12).
Each of them was a flame of energy, holy zeal, and work of predication.
Each of them preached and taught, and made efforts in the ministry.
Since the day of the Pentecost, Peter taught and preached, and testified to the resurrection of the Lord Christ, in the temple and outside the temple. He preached in Jerusalem, in Lydda, and in Joppa (Acts 9: 22,31). He moved from Joppa to Cesarea where he admonished and baptised Cornelius and those who were with him (Acts 10). He also preached the Jews of the Dispersion, and sent to them an epistle "To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia" (1 Peter 1:1).
The apostle saint Paul "laboured more abundantly than they (the apostles) all" (1 Cor. 15:10). Therefore we shall select a special chapter for him.
Each of them was bold and courageous in his predication.
It is enough as regards the apostle Peter that he insisted upon his predication, and did not care about the threatening by the Jews, but said his famous expression: "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).
He rather rebuked the Jews saying: "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life" (Acts 3: 13-15).
The apostle saint Paul was very courageous before the governors.
It is that the governor Felix was terrified before him, who was a captive, "as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgement to come" (Acts 24:25). And when he stood before the king Agrippa during his trial, he said to him: "King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe". Then Agrippa said to Paul: "You almost persuade me to become a Christian". And Paul said: "I would to God that not only youm but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains" (Acts 26: 27-29).
Because of the courage of saint Paul, [as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by: "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned? When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying: "Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman"] And when the commander heard this, he was "afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him". "Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him" (Acts 22: 25-29).
Because of the courage of saint Paul, when the governor Festus wanted to deliver him to the Jews to kill him, he said: "I stand at Caesar's judgement seat, where I ought to be judged ....... For if I am an offender, or have committed anything deserving of death, I do not object to dying; but if there is nothing in these things of which these men accuse me, no one can deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar. Then Festus ...... answered: "You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go!" (Acts 25: 10-12).
Each of the two saints Peter and Paul was firm in his punishment of the sinners.
We touch this in the punishment by saint Peter of Ananias and Sapphira when they "kept back part of the proceeds" of their sold possession and lied to the Holy Spirit; then Peter said to Ananias: "You have not lied to men but to God" (Acts 5:4). Then Ananias "fell down and breathed his last". And when his wife Sapphira repeated the same lie, saint Peter said to her: ["How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out". Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last] (Acts 5:9).
This firmness was necessary, in order for the Church not to begin with negligence and indifference. Therefore it was said afterwards: "So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things" (Acts 5:11).
This punishment confirms the amount of power which God granted to that saint apostle.
Another example is the position of saint Peter as regards Simeon the sorcerer.
This one was astonished that "through the laying of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money" to obtain the same gift!
"But Peter said to him (with firmness and authority): "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! ........ Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity" (Acts 8: 18-22).
The apostle Paul also acted with every firmness with the sinner of Corinth.
That one who had fallen into the sin of adultery with his father's wife. When the apostle Paul heard about this, he sent to them saying: "I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit,have already judged .... deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus". And he reprimanded the people and said to them: "put away from yourselves the evil person" (1 Cor. 5: 3-5, 13). This firmness had its effect for the repentance of that sinner and for the holy zeal of the people.
Another example of the firmness of saint Paul, is his position as regards Elymas the sorcerer.
("For so his name is translated")
The apostle "Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him", rebuked him and said: "now indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time. And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand" (Acts 13: 6-11).
This event indicates also the authority which God granted to that saint apostle. And it happened as he said.
In spite of all this, the two saint apostles were humble.
At the beginning of the Lord's call of Peter, in the miracle of the catching of fish, we read that after the miracle that "he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying: "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" (Luke 5:8).
The tradition informs us that during his martyrdom and crucifixion, he asked to be crucified head down because of his feeling of his sins, and not to be crucified as the Lord ........
The apostle Paul, in spite of all his fights in preaching, in spite of his numerous miracles, we see him write to this disciple Timotheus saying: "although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man, but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief" (1 Tim. 1:13). And he says in his first epistle to the Corinthians about the appearances of the Lord: "Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God" (1 Cor. 15: 8-9).
The examples and proofs of the humility of these two great apostles are very numerous, and it is not the appropriate time for them, in this summary pamphlet......
Each of them was exposed to many persecutions.
Saint Peter was persecuted together with the rest of the apostles at the beginning of Christianity. "the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them" (Acts 4:1). They arrested them, then they let them go. They conferred among themselves to kill them; were it not for the intervention of the Law teacher Gamaliel ..... (Acts 5: 32-40).
They scourged them and "commanded them that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name" (Acts 5:41).
Saint Peter suffered scourging for Christ, and likewise also he was confined to jail.
Herod arrested him to please the Jews, and "he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover" (Acts 12: 3-4).
But the angel of the Lord delivered Peter that night, and brought him out of prison.....
As for Paul, how numerous are the persecutions which happened to him and to his participants in the ministry!?
He said about this: "But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in sleeplessness, in fastings ........ (2 Cor. 6: 4-5).
"We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal body. For we who live are always delivered to death" (2Cor. 4: 8-11).
He has explained in (2 Cor. 11) a summary of his sufferings. He said:
"in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in peril of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness".
Each of the saints Peter and Paul obtained the crown of martyrdom.
Each of them ended his life as a martyr in the year 67 AD at the hands of the ceasar Neron.
The apostle saint Peter was crucified head down.
The apostle saint Paul was beheaded with the sword.
The apostle saint Peter
He has three names: Simon the son of Jonah, Cephas, and Peter.
He and his brother Andrew were fishermen. His brother knew Christ before him.
Simon began his acquaintance with Christ by way of his brother Andrew.
It was mentioned in the gospel of John about Andrew:
"He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him: "We have found the Messiah (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said: "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas [which is translated, (Peter,) A Stone] (John 1: 40-42). We note that the three names came in a single verse.
Simon Peter became the first name among the twelve (Matt. 10:2).
Rather he became one of three who were very near to the Lord Christ.
They are Peter, James, and John, whom He took to the mount of the Transfiguration, and "His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light" (Matt. 17: 1,2); and they saw with Him Moses and Elijah talking to Him......
The Lord took these three with Him in the resurrection of the daughter of Jairus from death. The gospel of Mark says about that: "And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James" (Mark 5:37).
These three are also those whom He took with Him to the garden of Gethsemany, in His agony before the crucifixion. The gospel of Matthew says about that: "And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee...." (Matt. 26:37).
Hence, Peter, James and John had a certain familiarity by Christ.
Therefore the apostle Paul considers Peter to be one of the three pillars of the church in the days of the apostles.........
He says: "and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcision" (Gal. 2:9).
The apostle saint Peter loved the Lord Christ very much.
He loved His words and His instruction. Accordingly when some disciples returned back; and the Lord [said to the twelve: "Do you also want to go away?" But Simon Peter answered Him: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6: 66-68).
His love for Him was manifested in his words on Maundy-Thursday night.
When the Lord said to His disciples: "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night", Peter with his well-known implusiveness answered and said to Him: "Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble ....... Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You" (Matt. 26: 31-35). "I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death" (Luke 22:33).
Verily, he denied Him three times, but out of weakness, and not out of lack of love.
A proof of this is that when the rooster crew, "he went out and wept bitterly" (Matt. 26:75). Another proof is that he answered the Lord after the resurrection: "You know that I love you" (John 21: 17). The Lord accepted his repentance, and established him in his apostleship and said to him: "Feed My lambs", "Tend My sheep" (John 21: 15,16).
The apostle Peter manifested great courage and boldness after the coming of the Holy Spirit.
The first chapters of the book of the Acts of the Apostles are nearly centered about the two apostles Peter and John; and narrate to us what they did in the building of the first Church, before the appearance of the apostle Paul.
We do not forget the strength of the apostle Peter in exhortation:
The effect of his sermon on the day of the Pentecost, which drew to faith nearly three thousand men who "were cut to the heart" (Acts 2:37), and were baptised; and likewise his sermon after the healing of the lame (Acts 3); and his courageous standing before all the chiefs and the priests of the Jews; and his unrestricted manifestation of his faith.
It is evident that he could recall from memory the psalms and the verses of the Bible.
He mentioned them in his profound interpretations. For example: what he said about Judas (Acts 1: 16-20); what he said on the day of the Pentecost; his quotation of what came in the book of the prophet Joel (Acts 2: 16-21); other quotations from the book of the Psalms (Acts :24-30) ..... all this in consequent verses. Add to this what he said on the day of the healing of the lame, and his quotation of the sayings of the prophets (Acts 3: 21-25).
The apostle Peter is astonishing in his recalling from memory of the verses of the Bible, and their use.
Examples of this are numerous. That is not the time to count them.
We find the same situation in his two epistles which he wrote. It is the style of a man who filled with the spirit of the Bible, and with the soundness of the explanation of the words. He said: "knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:20-21).
It was he who said: "I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder, that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets...." (2 Peter 3: 1-2).
The apostle saint Paul
He is one of the giant capacities of ministry
As soon as he entered into faith, the Lord employed him for the building of the kingdom, and he worked by him action.
The book of the Acts of the Apostles begins by mentioning the work of the twelve, and specially Peter and John.
After mentioning Paul, nearly the rest of the book is occupied bith this great apostle, specially after the council of Jerusalem.
He "laboured more abundantly than they all" (1 Cor. 15:10), he enjoyed gifs and revelations, and ascended to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12: 2-7).
He suffered from every body for the predication (2 Cor. 11).
He preached in all the great apostolic churches.
He served much in Jerusalem and in Antioch. He founded the churches of Greece, as well as the church of Rome, where he stayed for two years preaching "the kingdom of God ......... with all confidence, no one forbidding him" (Acts 28: 30-31).
He was tired on the land and at sea, preaching in three voyages, in Asia, Europe, till he arrived west to Spain where he founded its church.
He served in many islands: in Cyprus, Crete, Malta, Sicilia, and he founded their churches.
In Asia, he preached in Jerusalem, Tyr, Cesarea, Antioch, Ephesus, Meletis, and some cities in Minor Asia....
In Europe, he preached in Cyprus, Greece, Macedonia, Philippi, Thessalonique, Berea, Athens, Corinth, Troas, Rome and many cities in Italy.
He spoke in the Temple and the synagogues, and in the houses, and in the Areopagus, and the temples and possibly in every place.
He was exposed to many false accusations from the Jews; he stood before governors, and kings, as Felix, Festus, Agrippa, Ceasar, and the council of the Sanhedrim.
He was imprisonned and captive many times: in Philippi, Cesarea, and twice in Rome ......
He wrote much.
He wrote fourteen epistles. Two of the evangelists are his disciples, they are Mark and Luke. Also among his disciples there are Aristarchus, Timotheus, Titus, and others.
He was surnamed the apostle of the Gentiles:
The Lord said to him: "I will send you far from here to the Gentiles" (Acts 22:21), "as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome" (Acts 23:11).
He obtained the crown of martyrdom by being beheaded at the hands of Neron in the year 67 AD. And he obtained the crown of virginity, and the crown of apostleship, and the crown of righteousness (2 Tim. 4:8).
May the blessing of his prayers be with us all.
THE APOSTLE PAUL'S DISCIPLES
1. Saint Timotheus:
to whom the apostle Paul wrote two epistles.
The apostle Paul ordinated him bishop of Ephesus. He reminded him with the laying of his hands upon him. He was the assistant of saint Paul in many of his voyages. He went to Philippi (Philippi 2: 19-20); to Corinth (2 Cor. 1:1), to Macedonia (Acts 19:22), and likewise he went to Rome (Heb. 13:23).
He was very active in ministry in spite of the sickness of his stomach and his "frequent infirmities" (1Tim. 5:23).
He began his service from his youth, so that saint Paul said to him: "Let no one despise your youth" (1 Tim. 4:12). He was helped by his knowledge since his childhood of holy books, his origin in a saint family and specially his mother and his grandmother (Lois and Eunice).
2. Titus:
He is one of the disciples of the apostle Paul to whom he wrote an epistle. He ordinated him bishop of Crete .... He called him his son (Titus 1:4), as he called also Timotheus his son (1 Tim.1:18). He accompanied the apostle in some of his journeys, and went with him to Nicopolis and Delmatia. The saint sent him to Corinth, and left him to arrange the matter of pastorship, and to ordinate priests, in Crete.
3. Tychicus:
One of the disciples of the apostle Paul. He sent him to Ephesus (Eph. 6:21), and to Colosse (Co;. 4:7). He was among the most united sons to him. He mentioned in some of his epistles. (Titus 3:12), (2 Tim. 4:12).
The rest of Paul's disciples:
Those who loved saint Paul, and whom he mentioned in his epistles, are many, as for example it was mentioned in (Rom. 16).....
Among his well-known disciples: Aristarchus whose name he once mentioned before the evangelist Luke (Philemon 23), and he described him as his fellow labourer.
Among the disciples of Paul also, Epaphras (Philemon 22), and also the apostle Mark, the evangelist Luke, and others......
Questions about the Nativity
Pope Shenouda III series
of booklets
9
Questions about
The Nativity
Third print, Cairo 1999
Name of the book: Questions about The Nativity
Author: His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
Editor: Orthodox Coptic Clerical College, Cairo
Edition: Third, 1999
Press: Amba Rueiss, (Offset), The Cathedral, Abbassia
Deposition number at "The Library": 15081/1997
All rights reserved to the author
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
Pope and Patriarch of the See of Alexandria and of all the Predication of the Evangelist St. Mark
(COVER PAGE)
In the Name of
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
the One God,
Amen.
In this booklet we present to you some answers which are related to certain questions about the Nativity, of which there are:
The sequence of the genealogy, and the mention of some sinful women in it; and the difference between the two gospels of Matthew and Luke as regards the names, and as regards the ascending order and the descending order in that sequence.
The number of genealogies, is it 41 or 42?
Elizabeth your relative.
The son of David the son of Abraham.
The difference in the celebration of the day of the Nativity.
The wise men (the Magi) and the nature of the star of the wise men.
The difference between the (Magi) wise men and the shepherds.
Pope Shenouda III
PREFACE
Some people ask many questions about the subject of The Nativity of Christ, and they need answers. I undertook to answer from the sayings of the Saint Fathers, which I had translated, or which I had taken from some manuscripts.
I relied in that, on many books, the most important of which are:
1. Saint John Chrysostom's interpretation of Matthews' gospel (manuscript, and translation).
2. The Homelies of saint Severus of Antioch, which were published in "Patrologia Orientalis: Homilae Cathedrales"
3. The sermons of saint John Chrysostom.
There are other questions about the virginal nativity and the virginity of the Holy Virgin, to which I answered in our book "The Comparative Theology", to which it can be referred.
But now, I congratulate you for the Nativity of the Lord Christ.
Many happy returns.
1
The sinful women in the genealogy sequence
QUESTION
Why did the evangelist neglect the names of some saint women like Sara, Rebecca, and others, in the sequence of genealogies, while he mentioned adulterous women like Tamar, Rahab, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, and Ruth who is a woman of a foreign race?
ANSWER
He wanted to annihilate the haughtiness of the Jews who boast about their grandfathers. He showed to them how their grandfathers had sinned. Judah committed adultery with Tamar, his son's widow, and engendered Perez and Zerah from her. David fell into adultery with the wife of Uriah the Hittite. Boaz, the great grandfather of David, was engendered by Salmon from the adulteress Rahab.
Even if their grandfathers were virtuous men, the virtue of their granfathers would not have been profitable to them; because the deeds of a person, not the deeds of his sons, are those which determine his destiny at the last day.
Saint John Chrysostom said about that: "
"The Lord Christ did not come to run away form our disgraceful actions, but to obliterate them. He is not ashamed of any of our defects. And just as those grandfathers had taken adulterous women, in the same way our Lord and God has bethrothed for Himself our nature that had committed adultery.
The Church is like Tamar:
She was at once delivered from her wicked actions, and then she followed Him.
The condition of Ruth resembles our conditions:
Her tribe was a foreigner to Israel; and it went down to exceeding poverty. Nevertheless, when Boaz saw her, he did not despise her poverty, neither did he reject the vileness of her race. In the same way, the Lord Christ dit not reject His Church that was an alien, and poor as regards good deeds. And just as Ruth, if she had not left her people and her house, she would not have tasted that glory, in the same way, the Church about which the prophet said: "Forget your own people also, and your father's house; so the King will greatly desire your beauty" (Psalm 45: 10-11)......
Our Lord mortified them with these matters, and made them realize how not to be haughty.
When the evangelist registered the genealogy of Christ, he mentioned those sinful women; because it is impossible for any of us to be virtuous by the virtue of his grandfathers, or to be wicked by the vice of his grandfathers. I rather say that the person whose grandfathers were not virtuous and became virtuous himself, then the honor of that person's virtue would have been great.
Let no one boast about his grandfathers, and be puffed because of them, when he thinks about the grandfathers of our Lord; and let him look at his own deeds, and even let him not boast about his virtues; because it is through such boasting that the Pharissee became less the the Publican. (Luke 18).
Do not then falsify your pains by vain talk. Do not loose all your effort after having covered a long distance; because your Lord knows the virtues which you have attained, better than you, because if you give a glass of cold water, God will not neglect that, and will not forget it. (Matt. 10:43).
2
Ascent & descent
in
the genealogical sequence
QUESTION
There are three differences in the sequence of genealogy, between what the evangelist Matthew registered, and what the evangelist Luke registered. They are:
1. There is a difference between the names in the two gospels.
2. Saint Matthew begins the biography of the Lord Christ with the genealogical sequence. As for saint Luke, he does not speak of it before telling the story of the baptism.
3. Saint Matthew mentions the genealogy descending from the first fathers to the sons, while saint Luke mentions the genealogy ascending from the Lord Christ to Adam to God.
Is there an interpretation for all these differences?
ANSWER
I. The difference in names.
As a matter of fact, saint Matthew mentions the natural genealogy of the Lord Christ, while saint Luke mentions the legal or official genealogy. To explain this, we say:
The law of Moses specifies that if a man dies without posterity, the brother of the dead man must take the widow of his brother, and marry her, and engender a posterity for his brother from her. (Deut. 25: 5-6), or that the son whom he engenders becomes from the legal point of view, an official son to his brother, although he is considered a natural son to that brother who has engendered him.
Hence such a son would have two fathers: a natural father who has engendered him, and a legal father who is his uncle who died without posterity.
If this dead man without posterity has no brother, the nearest relative to him will take his wife and engender a posterity to him;
because the son who is born is counted a son to this dead man, according to the law. If the nearest relative does not want to take the wife of the dead man according to what he has been charged of, the next relative must necessarily accept this marriage, because the law is eager to raise a posterity to that dead man who has not engendered a son.
That kind of marriage is called "redemption". A clear example of this is mentioned in the story of Ruth with Boaz.
In his interpretation of this, saint Severus of Antioch said:
In this manner, Joseph the betrothed to the Holy Virgin is related, as a matter of fact, to two fathers :
Because since Heli took a wife and died without posterity, Jacob, who was the nearest relative to him, married his wife in order to engender a posterity to him from her according to the commandment of the law. When he engendered Joseph, that Joseph became a legal son to the dead Heli, and at the same time a natural son to Jacob. Therefore saint Matthew, from his part, said that Joseph is the son of Jacob, and saint Luke, from the other part, said that he is the son of Heli. One mentioned the natural genealogy, and the other mentioned the legal genealogy.
From his part, saint Matthew mentioned the natural fathers of Joseph, while saint Luke, from the other part, mentioned the legal fathers.
Saint Luke went on with the genealogical legal sequence until Nathan son of David. Saint Matthew went on until Solomon son of David. The two met in David...... Then the course was sometimes similar, and some other times, it was variously divided, then it was united again, and then separated.
Hence the genealogy of Christ is confirmed, from the natural and from the legal point of view,.........that He is the son of David, the son of Abraham, the son of Adam.
2. The difference in ascending and in descending,
and the relation between this and the baptism.
Saint Matthew began his gospel by saying: "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the son of Abraham......" Then he explained the genealogy saying: "Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob". And after having mentioned those who were engendered through faulty relations, he came at last to the census of the generations. Then he said directly: "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows......"
Thus after having explained the corruption and the death through which all these generations had passed, he arrived at the pure birth of the Lord Christ from the Holy Spirit and from the Virgin saint Mary.
As for saint Luke, he narrated the Annunciation, the birth of the Baptist, the Nativity of Christ, and gradually reached the baptism of Christ at the age of thirty; and then he mentioned the legal genealogy.
Saint Severus of Antioch explains this matter saying:
"Luke explained the legal genealogy, that reminds us of Him who died without posterity, then his name was raised after his death, by a son who is attributed to him, in a way that has some similarity to the adoption and to the resurrection.
He mentioned this genealogy after having narrated the story of the Nativity; because baptism gives the true heavenly adoption, in manifesting us as sons of God. Therefore he mentioned the legal genealogy which gives the adoption; in order to show that this representation has been truly confirmed, and that the sickly condition of the people has been returned to health by means of grace.
It is for this reason that he ascended with the genealogy from down upwards, till it arrived to God, in order to show that grace which comes from baptism raises us up and elevates us to the divine relationship, making us sons to God.
Exactly just as the union of marriage which happened after the disobedience of the commandment by Adam and Eve, and the engendering of sons, which resulted from that, made us descend downwards. And to complete this image he descended with the natural genealogy downwards ..........
Saint Augustine says:
Matthew goes down with the genealogy, pointing to our Lord Jesus Christ who descended to bear our sins. Because in the posterity of Abraham "all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Gen. 12:3). Thus he did not begin with Adam.
3
The number of generations
QUESTION
Saint Matthew says: "So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations" (Matt. 1:17). But when we count them, we find them to be 41 only. What then is the secret?
ANSWER
The reason is that Jeconiah was counted twice, because he is like the angle stone, an intermediate between two generations, and so he was counted with each of the two.
From David who had sinned, they went down to the captivity to the age of Jeconiah,
And from Jecohiah, they went up to the generation of Christ who has emancipated them.
Jeconiah was in that matter, a symbol of Christ, who was described as "the stone which was rejected by the builders, which has become the chief cornerstone".
4
The son of David, the son of Abraham
QUESTION
Why did the apostle Matthew say in the genealogy sequence: "Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham" (Matt. 1:1); and mentioned David firstly, although Abraham precedes David as regards time?
ANSWER
Saint John Chrysostom said about that:
"He mentioned David firstly, because he was prominent in the mouths of all the people at that time, in view of his dignity, and his majesty, and also because he was more recent in time.
Thus they said: "Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?" (John 7:42).
Nobody called Him the son of Abraham, but they called Him the son of David...... because of his kingdom, and because they honoured the kings who reigned after him.
And God said to Solomon: "Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son" (1 Kings 11:12)."
We note also what the angel said in his annunciation to the Holy Virgin of the birth of Christ:
"He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end" (Luke 1: 32:33).
5
Elizabeth your relative
QUESTION
The angel of the Annunciation said to the Holy Virgin : "Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived in her old age" (Luke 1:36). How can this be, since the Holy Virgin St. Mary is from the tribe of Judah from the posterity of David, while Elizabeth is from the daughters of Aaron from the tribe of Levi; and the mixing among tribes was forbidden, in order to safeguard the inheritance, lest it would be transferred form one tribe to another?!
ANSWER
It is true that it was said in the book of Numbers:
"So the inheritance of the children of Israel shall not change hands from tribe to tribe, for every one of the children of Israel shall keep the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. And every daughter who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel shall be the wife of one of the family of her father's tribe, so that the children of Israel each may possess the inheritance of his fathers. Thus no inheritance shall change hands from one tribe to another, but every tribe of the children of Israel shall keep its own inheritance" (Num. 36: 7-9).
Nevertheless there are some who interpret the word "your relative" in a general meaning, or that she is like one from the daughters of Israel, according to the word of the apostle saint Paul:
"For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants....." (Rom. 9: 3-4).
But saint Severus, Patriarch of Antioch, presents another interpretation. He says:
[As a matter of fact, the book of the Exode was written before the commandment that forbids taking a wife from another tribe. Aaron, the first chief priest according to the law, took a wife from the daughters of Judah, "Aaron took to himself Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon, as wife" (Ex. 6:23), and Amminadab is from the posterity of the tribe of Judah.....
Consider the very wise management of the Holy Spirit, who ordained that the wife of Zacharias, the mother of the Baptist and the relative of St. Mary the mother of God, was called Elizabeth. We recollect the past until Elizabeth whom Aaron married, and the union of the two tribes which happened through her medium. The Holy Spirit obviously declares to us that it is through the medium of Elizabeth, that the relationship with the Holy Virgin was established.]
6
Why the registration by genealogy from Joseph?
QUESTION
This question was asked by saint John Chrysostom, and he answered it:
"How is it declared that Christ is from the posterity of David? since he was not born of a man but from a woman only; and the posterity of the Virgin was not counted?...... and what is the objective in that the evangelist mentioned Joseph who was not a cause for the Nativity of Christ?
ANSWER
It was mentioned in the gospel that "the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary" (Luke 1: 26-27). According to the law, it was not permitted that one could marry from a tribe which is not his own tribe (Num. 36: 7-9).
Since Joseph is from the house of David and from his relatives, it was not possible for him to take Mary as a wife from another tribe than his tribe, and from another ethnic group than his.
If you say: "What is it if he had disobeyed the law in that matter? I reply to you that the gospel testified to him that he was "a just man" (Matt. 1:19).
If you say: Why is it according to the genealogy from Joseph and not from the Virgin?
We say: "It was not a custom among the Jews, to count the genealogy from women. Therefore he was silent about the mention of her grandfathers, and he counted the genealogy of Joseph. If he had counted the genealogy from a virgin, he would have invented an innovation. And if he had been silent about the genealogy of Joseph, we would not have known the grandfathers of the Holy Virgin........
Also it was because he did not want to manifest before the time, to the Jews, that Christ was born of a Virgin.........since in that, there is a deliverance of the Virgin from a malignant accusation...... lest the Jews would have lapidated the Virgin with stones.
Since after numerous miracles, they called Him the son of Joseph (Matt. 13:55), how would they have believed before His miracles, that He is the son of a virgin?!
7
THE "WISE MEN" (THE MAGI)
QUESTION
Who are the wise men? Why did the star appear to them? How did they overcome the Jews? Was the star a natural star? Or was it a heavenly power in the form of a star? What are the symbols which the story of the wise men bear, and what are their relationships with the Gentiles and the Jews?
ANSWER
The wise men came from the East, probably from the countries of Persia. They were from the rank of princes, or scientists, or priests. They worshipped the ancient eastern gods, probably the fire; and they may have been among the followers of Zaradesht. They were experts in astronomy and in the stars. Perhaps they had heard from the Jews in the dispersion about a Saviour who will come to deliver them and to become the king of the Jews.
Saint John Chrysostom says:
"[My brothers, we urgently need long watching and many prayers in order to be able to answer these questions, and to know who are those wise men? and where did they come from?
Because Satan suggested to the enemies of the truth to say: "When Christ was born, His star appeared: Is this not a sign which proves that astrology is a true industry? If He was born in this manner, why did He eradicate astrology, fortune-telling, and magic, and did he render the devils to silence?!
Let us then examine what was that star: was it one of the numerous stars? Or was it an alien to them, from another nature than their nature? Or was it that only the person who looked at it, that thought it was a star? If we know the answer to these questions, we shall know the other matters with greater facility.
That star was not one of the numerous stars; and it is more convenient to say, according to what I think, that it was not a star. But it was one of the invisible powers, and was transformed to that aspect.
The evidence is clear:
Firstly: from the way of its movement: Because there is no star which can possibly move in that manner. If you consider the other stars, you will find that their movement is from West to East. But this star went in its course from the North to the South, because that is the direction from the countries of Persia to Palestine.
Secondly: as regards the time of its appearance: because it did not
appear by night, but rather in the daytime when the sun has risen. And this appearance is neither due to the strength of a star, nor to the strength of the moon, nor was it due to all these astral bodies which hide and set down when the sun rays appear. But this star had overcome the sun rays by the abundance of its brilliancy, and was more visible and more glittering than all of them.
Thirdly: this truth becomes obvious from that the star appeared for some time and then disappeared for some other time.
Because it appeared in order to show them the way to Palestine. When they came to Jerusalem, it hided itself. And when they left Herod after he had questioned them, and intended to walk to Bethlehem, the star reappeared to them again. This appearance and disappearance does not happen in the movement of an ordinary star, but it is due to a power which is, above measure, different from others. Because it did not march in a special way. But when it was necessary that they would march, it marched. And when they needed to stop, it stopped, thus controlling all the conditions of their march according to what was convenient for them. It was like the column of clouds in its conduct of the Jewish people.
When they entered Jerusalem, the star was hidden from them, so that having lost their guide, they were compelled to ask the Jews, in order that the matter would become notorious and well-known to everybody....... Thus the appearance and the disappearance brought a determined providence that had a special wisdom.
Fourthly: by its descending downwards:
The meditator must in an obvious manner, necessarily find out another characteristic from the guidance of the wise men by the star. Because it was not possible to show them the way while it was high over them, but it achieved that action by coming downwards. Because while it was high over them, it could not determine precisely a narrow place like a hut where a small baby is lying down. We can know this from the example of the moon, which appears greater than many stars, and how it appears to all the inhabitants of the world in all its vastness, and everyone thinks that the moon is near to him.
Tell me how would the star have shown them a small place like a hut and a manger, if it had not left this high place, and gone downwards till it stopped over the head of the child.
That is what the evangelist indicated saying: "and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was." (Matt. 2:9).
When the star recognized the Child, it stopped, and its stopping there, while it was descending downwards, is a great testimony.
It had a great influence upon the wise men and guided them to the worship of the Child. They did not worship Him as an ordinary human being. That is obvious from the gifts which they presented to Him, and which are not convenient for a small child in its swaddling clothes.....
Did you see with what arguments, it has been shown that this star was not one of the ordinary stars?......]
Why did the star appear?
If you ask why did the star appear?
I shall answer you saying that its appearance symbolizes the end of the choice of the Jews; destroying all their arguments of self-sufficiency, and calling all the world to His worship.
Thus He opened the door to the Gentiles from the principle of the coming of the Lord, willing to educate His people through the foreigners. Because if He had sent to them many prophets who explained to them His coming, and nevertheless they did not listen to them, therefore He let the foreigners (the Persians) come from a distant land asking for the vision of the way. Let the Jews learn from the words of the inhabitants of Persia, what they refused to learn from their prophets. If they persist and discuss after that also, they will loose every excuse and every argument.
What have they to say, they who have refused to accept the Christ in spite of His having sent to them the prophets, while the wise men accepted the Lord and worshipped Him, merely because they had seen a single star?
Just as He convicted them with His acceptance by the wise men, He also convicted them with the faith of the pagan inhabitants of Nineveh. Therefore He said to them that "The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgement with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here" (Matt. 12:41). Likewise He convicted them with the Samaritan woman, and the woman of Canaan, and the queen of the South; because all these have at least believed; but the others, not even at most, did not believe.
Why did He attract the wise men in this manner?
Perhaps someone would ask: "Why did He attract the wise men by means of a star? We answer that it was not possible for such people to listen to a prophet if He had sent to them one of the prophets. And it was not convenient for them that He would have talked to them from above or by sending an angel. Therefore He called them by the means to which they were used, condescending to their great weekness; and He showed them a great and strange star, in order to amaze them by its beautiful aspect, and to lead them by its way of marching.
The apostle saint Paul followed this method, when he mentioned a testimony from the poets (Acts 17:28). He argued with everyone with the style to which he was used (1 Cor. 9: 19-22). With the Jews, God firstly utilized the statutes of sacrifices and purification and the rest of the ordinances and prescriptions by which He began, in view of the dullness of their minds. Then He replaced them, attracting them little by little, until reaching the high philosophy.
He did this with the wise men. He permitted to call them with a star which they saw, in order to render them more discerning and more perceptive than they were. When He led them to the manger, and when they saw the new-born, and became in their spiritualities, better than they were, then He did not let them go back to their countries by means of a star, but He "divinely warned" them "in a dream" (Matt. 2:12).
Why did He manifest Himself to those wise men, and not to others?
Perhaps someone would ask: "How did they reach such a great zeal? Who had incited them to such a long journey from their country?" According to my opinion, what they did was not merely to be guided by a star, but it was God who had awakened their souls; just as He had done with the king Cyrus, when He incited him to build the house of God. (Ezra 1:2).
Perhaps it would be said: "Why did He not unveil this manifestation to all the wise men?"
We answer: Because He was not expecting that all of them would believe Him. But He unveiled the matter to those who were more ready to accept Him. Many nations had perished, but the prophet Jonah was not sent but to the people of Nineveh alone. There were two thiefs hanging on crosses, but only one of them was saved.
It is astonishing that these wise men come from distant countries to see the Christ! What good things did they expect?.....Did they come to a king?
Nevertheless they did not see a king, but a child in swaddling clothes. Did they treat Him as a king, considering what would be happening? No, because afterwards He did not surround Himself with any kingly appearance, He did not possess neither horses nor slaves, and He was accompanied only by twelve unknown poor men.
They did not expect him to be a king over them, but a king over an opposing country, which was very distant from their country. Undoubtedly they realized the dangers which surrounded them in meeting Him.
They had seen how king Herod trembled, and how the whole congregation was troubled, when they heard the words of the wise men. So they were heading for a king over a country over which there reigned another king ...... What kinds of deaths were then awaiting for them?! And what did they expect from that king to whom they were directed?
What good thing did they hope to take, when they saw before them a hut, and a manger, and a child in his swaddling clothes, and a poor mother. What then was their aim in worshipping Him and in giving Him presents?
Did they expect good things from Him, when he would become a king in the future? And how could they know that this child would, when he would be grown up, remember what they did, so long as he was in His swaddling clothes?!
How marvelous is the virtue of those who had thrown themselves into many dangers, leaving their country and their people, without any apparent aim but that they obeyed what the Lord had placed in their hearts; then they believed, came, worshipped, and gave presents.
We see the virtue of these wise men, not only in their mere coming, but also in their publicly saying: "we have seen His star in the East, and have come to worship Him" (Matt. 2:2). They did not fear neither the anger nor the exasperation of the king.
Hence, I believe that these wise men became the teachers of their coutrymen in their lands.......especially that they had known from the Jews, that this one whose star they had seen, is the one whom the prophets had announced long ages ago.
The shepherds and the wise men are symbols of the Jews and the Gentiles:
Saint Augustin explains this point saying:
The wise men from the Gentiles, were the first to believe in the Lord Christ. It is evident that the first fruit of the belief in Christ, was the belief of the shepherds. The shepherds came to Him from a near place, and they saw Him on the same day, because the news had come to them by means of angels. But the wise men came to Him from a distant place, and by means of a star. Nevertheless both of them met at the corner stone, "who has made both one" ........... those "who were afar off and ...those who were near" (Eph. 2: 14-17). It was said to the shepherds: "Glory to God in the highest" (Luke 2:14), and the expression: "The heavens declare the glory of God" (Ps. 19:1), was realized with the wise men.
The shepherds came from a near place to see, and the wise men came from a distant place to worship.
Grace reached the shepherds before the wise men, but these last were more humble. This is the humility that rendered the wild olive tree deserving to be grafted into a cultivated olive tree (Rom. 11:17). The Holy Bible glorifies this humility more in the Gentiles, than in the Jews. Examples of this are what has been said about the centurion (Matt. 8: 5-10), and about the woman of Canaan (Matt. 15:28).
The Jews manifested to the Gentiles the Christ whom they did not themselves want to worship.
We note as regards the wise men, that in not returning through the same way, they symbolize the change in life; since those who arrive at Christ, do not return again to their first way.
Saint John Chrysostom says again:
"Let the Jews be ashamed, because they had seen wise men and ignorant people preceding them, while they did not come to Him, not even after these. That which had happened at that time was a token of what happened later: that the Gentiles preceded the Jews ....... Thus those who were from the land of Persia preceded those who were from Jerusalem. The apostle saint Paul mentioned this meaning when he said to them: "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles" (Acts 13:46).
The Jews should have worshipped with the wise men, and should have glorified their God, but they trembled and were troubled.
"Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared", desiring to kill the new-born.
Between Herod and the wise men:
Herod did not care for all that had happened. He was not persuaded, neither by the prophecies of the prophets which he had heard, nor by the story of the extraordinary star, nor by the coming of the wise men from distant countries to worship the new-born.
It is clear that he was in a strange position. Whether he had believed the prophecy which had been said, it is evident that he acted contrarily. And whether he had denied it and had not expected that what was said in it would be realized, why then was he afraid and terrified?
Among the matters which demonstrate his lack of understanding, is his delusion that the wise men would prefer him to the new-born whose star they had seen, and for whom they suffered the pains of that long journey!
The astonishing thing is that "he had secretly called the wise men", and said to them: "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also" (Matt. 2:8).
And we ask him: "If you truthfully say that, why then do you ask the people secretly? And if you want to kill Him, do you think that the wise men had no doubts about you, because or your trouble and your calling them secretly? ....... But when the malignity of a person traps him, he becomes less intelligent than everybody......
Beware of becoming like Herod who said: "that I may come and worship Him also", while his heart was not sincere to Him, but he wanted to kill Him. Because those who worthlessly take part in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist , resemble Herod.
The wise men, before their sight of the Child, were hammered by tribulations and fears from every part. But after their worship, He filled them with peace, and they became His priests through their worship, because they presented gifts and offerings to Him.....
But perhaps you would ask: "Why did the wise men run away from Herod's face? And why did the Child Jesus run away too?
We answer that it was not convenient to show His miracles in that early age, lest people would not have felt that He was a human being......
There is another meaning, which is that we must expect difficulties and pains since the beginning of the way.
Here is Jesus who, while He was still in His swaddling clothes, was chased by Herod, and ran away. And His mother who had not committed any evil, who had not gone away from her house for a long distance at any time, she was alienated and suffered the pains of a long journey.....and Joseph likewise, and also those Persians who secretly departed running away.
That happened so that, when you hear these events, and you become prepared to serve a spiritual service, and then you meet calamities and hardships, you do not tremble a little and do not say: "I should have been crowned because I have accomplished the service of my Lord."
When the wise men had been divinely warned not to return to Herod, they "departed for their own country another way" They did not doubt, but they promptly obeyed, and they did not think in themselves: "If this Child is greatly powerful, and possesses such wonders, what need have we to run away and to depart secretly!"
LIkewise the just Joseph did not argue with the angel, while doubting......
And he did not say to him: "You said before, that He will save His people, and behold, He did not save Himself, but we are in need of journeying and running away. What happened to us is the contrary of what He had promised us......."
He did not pronounce any of these expressions, because he was believing. And he did not ask about the time of his return from there, although the angel did not specify it, not even by saying "until I bring you word".......
THE DIFFERENCE IN THE
FEAST OF THE NATIVITY
QUESTION
Why do we celebrate the feast of the Nativity on the 7th of January, while some other churches celebrate it on the 25th of December. What is the reason for this difference?
ANSWER
It is not a doctrinal or a theological difference, but it is a scientific difference.
It is known that the year is 365 days and a quarter of a day. Therefore a day is added once every four years; and the year is called a leap year.
But in the gregorian western calendar, it has been said that the year is 365 days and a quarter of a day and approximately 11 minutes. This calendar was established about fifteen centuries AD.
If this difference of eleven minutes every year, is multiplied during those centuries since the birth of Christ until now, it will result into a difference of approximately thirteen days which is the difference between the 25th of December and the 7th of January.
We have confidence in our Coptic calendar, because of the great excellence of the Pharaohs in the science of astronomy, and we celebrate the Nativity on the 29th of Kiahk which corresponds to the 7th of January. There are some other churches who share with us this date.
But the question in not a question of faith and doctrine, nevertheless it can be exploited to impress the simple, when the date is changed.
of booklets
9
Questions about
The Nativity
Third print, Cairo 1999
Name of the book: Questions about The Nativity
Author: His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
Editor: Orthodox Coptic Clerical College, Cairo
Edition: Third, 1999
Press: Amba Rueiss, (Offset), The Cathedral, Abbassia
Deposition number at "The Library": 15081/1997
All rights reserved to the author
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
Pope and Patriarch of the See of Alexandria and of all the Predication of the Evangelist St. Mark
(COVER PAGE)
In the Name of
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
the One God,
Amen.
In this booklet we present to you some answers which are related to certain questions about the Nativity, of which there are:
The sequence of the genealogy, and the mention of some sinful women in it; and the difference between the two gospels of Matthew and Luke as regards the names, and as regards the ascending order and the descending order in that sequence.
The number of genealogies, is it 41 or 42?
Elizabeth your relative.
The son of David the son of Abraham.
The difference in the celebration of the day of the Nativity.
The wise men (the Magi) and the nature of the star of the wise men.
The difference between the (Magi) wise men and the shepherds.
Pope Shenouda III
PREFACE
Some people ask many questions about the subject of The Nativity of Christ, and they need answers. I undertook to answer from the sayings of the Saint Fathers, which I had translated, or which I had taken from some manuscripts.
I relied in that, on many books, the most important of which are:
1. Saint John Chrysostom's interpretation of Matthews' gospel (manuscript, and translation).
2. The Homelies of saint Severus of Antioch, which were published in "Patrologia Orientalis: Homilae Cathedrales"
3. The sermons of saint John Chrysostom.
There are other questions about the virginal nativity and the virginity of the Holy Virgin, to which I answered in our book "The Comparative Theology", to which it can be referred.
But now, I congratulate you for the Nativity of the Lord Christ.
Many happy returns.
1
The sinful women in the genealogy sequence
QUESTION
Why did the evangelist neglect the names of some saint women like Sara, Rebecca, and others, in the sequence of genealogies, while he mentioned adulterous women like Tamar, Rahab, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, and Ruth who is a woman of a foreign race?
ANSWER
He wanted to annihilate the haughtiness of the Jews who boast about their grandfathers. He showed to them how their grandfathers had sinned. Judah committed adultery with Tamar, his son's widow, and engendered Perez and Zerah from her. David fell into adultery with the wife of Uriah the Hittite. Boaz, the great grandfather of David, was engendered by Salmon from the adulteress Rahab.
Even if their grandfathers were virtuous men, the virtue of their granfathers would not have been profitable to them; because the deeds of a person, not the deeds of his sons, are those which determine his destiny at the last day.
Saint John Chrysostom said about that: "
"The Lord Christ did not come to run away form our disgraceful actions, but to obliterate them. He is not ashamed of any of our defects. And just as those grandfathers had taken adulterous women, in the same way our Lord and God has bethrothed for Himself our nature that had committed adultery.
The Church is like Tamar:
She was at once delivered from her wicked actions, and then she followed Him.
The condition of Ruth resembles our conditions:
Her tribe was a foreigner to Israel; and it went down to exceeding poverty. Nevertheless, when Boaz saw her, he did not despise her poverty, neither did he reject the vileness of her race. In the same way, the Lord Christ dit not reject His Church that was an alien, and poor as regards good deeds. And just as Ruth, if she had not left her people and her house, she would not have tasted that glory, in the same way, the Church about which the prophet said: "Forget your own people also, and your father's house; so the King will greatly desire your beauty" (Psalm 45: 10-11)......
Our Lord mortified them with these matters, and made them realize how not to be haughty.
When the evangelist registered the genealogy of Christ, he mentioned those sinful women; because it is impossible for any of us to be virtuous by the virtue of his grandfathers, or to be wicked by the vice of his grandfathers. I rather say that the person whose grandfathers were not virtuous and became virtuous himself, then the honor of that person's virtue would have been great.
Let no one boast about his grandfathers, and be puffed because of them, when he thinks about the grandfathers of our Lord; and let him look at his own deeds, and even let him not boast about his virtues; because it is through such boasting that the Pharissee became less the the Publican. (Luke 18).
Do not then falsify your pains by vain talk. Do not loose all your effort after having covered a long distance; because your Lord knows the virtues which you have attained, better than you, because if you give a glass of cold water, God will not neglect that, and will not forget it. (Matt. 10:43).
2
Ascent & descent
in
the genealogical sequence
QUESTION
There are three differences in the sequence of genealogy, between what the evangelist Matthew registered, and what the evangelist Luke registered. They are:
1. There is a difference between the names in the two gospels.
2. Saint Matthew begins the biography of the Lord Christ with the genealogical sequence. As for saint Luke, he does not speak of it before telling the story of the baptism.
3. Saint Matthew mentions the genealogy descending from the first fathers to the sons, while saint Luke mentions the genealogy ascending from the Lord Christ to Adam to God.
Is there an interpretation for all these differences?
ANSWER
I. The difference in names.
As a matter of fact, saint Matthew mentions the natural genealogy of the Lord Christ, while saint Luke mentions the legal or official genealogy. To explain this, we say:
The law of Moses specifies that if a man dies without posterity, the brother of the dead man must take the widow of his brother, and marry her, and engender a posterity for his brother from her. (Deut. 25: 5-6), or that the son whom he engenders becomes from the legal point of view, an official son to his brother, although he is considered a natural son to that brother who has engendered him.
Hence such a son would have two fathers: a natural father who has engendered him, and a legal father who is his uncle who died without posterity.
If this dead man without posterity has no brother, the nearest relative to him will take his wife and engender a posterity to him;
because the son who is born is counted a son to this dead man, according to the law. If the nearest relative does not want to take the wife of the dead man according to what he has been charged of, the next relative must necessarily accept this marriage, because the law is eager to raise a posterity to that dead man who has not engendered a son.
That kind of marriage is called "redemption". A clear example of this is mentioned in the story of Ruth with Boaz.
In his interpretation of this, saint Severus of Antioch said:
In this manner, Joseph the betrothed to the Holy Virgin is related, as a matter of fact, to two fathers :
Because since Heli took a wife and died without posterity, Jacob, who was the nearest relative to him, married his wife in order to engender a posterity to him from her according to the commandment of the law. When he engendered Joseph, that Joseph became a legal son to the dead Heli, and at the same time a natural son to Jacob. Therefore saint Matthew, from his part, said that Joseph is the son of Jacob, and saint Luke, from the other part, said that he is the son of Heli. One mentioned the natural genealogy, and the other mentioned the legal genealogy.
From his part, saint Matthew mentioned the natural fathers of Joseph, while saint Luke, from the other part, mentioned the legal fathers.
Saint Luke went on with the genealogical legal sequence until Nathan son of David. Saint Matthew went on until Solomon son of David. The two met in David...... Then the course was sometimes similar, and some other times, it was variously divided, then it was united again, and then separated.
Hence the genealogy of Christ is confirmed, from the natural and from the legal point of view,.........that He is the son of David, the son of Abraham, the son of Adam.
2. The difference in ascending and in descending,
and the relation between this and the baptism.
Saint Matthew began his gospel by saying: "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the son of Abraham......" Then he explained the genealogy saying: "Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob". And after having mentioned those who were engendered through faulty relations, he came at last to the census of the generations. Then he said directly: "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows......"
Thus after having explained the corruption and the death through which all these generations had passed, he arrived at the pure birth of the Lord Christ from the Holy Spirit and from the Virgin saint Mary.
As for saint Luke, he narrated the Annunciation, the birth of the Baptist, the Nativity of Christ, and gradually reached the baptism of Christ at the age of thirty; and then he mentioned the legal genealogy.
Saint Severus of Antioch explains this matter saying:
"Luke explained the legal genealogy, that reminds us of Him who died without posterity, then his name was raised after his death, by a son who is attributed to him, in a way that has some similarity to the adoption and to the resurrection.
He mentioned this genealogy after having narrated the story of the Nativity; because baptism gives the true heavenly adoption, in manifesting us as sons of God. Therefore he mentioned the legal genealogy which gives the adoption; in order to show that this representation has been truly confirmed, and that the sickly condition of the people has been returned to health by means of grace.
It is for this reason that he ascended with the genealogy from down upwards, till it arrived to God, in order to show that grace which comes from baptism raises us up and elevates us to the divine relationship, making us sons to God.
Exactly just as the union of marriage which happened after the disobedience of the commandment by Adam and Eve, and the engendering of sons, which resulted from that, made us descend downwards. And to complete this image he descended with the natural genealogy downwards ..........
Saint Augustine says:
Matthew goes down with the genealogy, pointing to our Lord Jesus Christ who descended to bear our sins. Because in the posterity of Abraham "all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Gen. 12:3). Thus he did not begin with Adam.
3
The number of generations
QUESTION
Saint Matthew says: "So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations" (Matt. 1:17). But when we count them, we find them to be 41 only. What then is the secret?
ANSWER
The reason is that Jeconiah was counted twice, because he is like the angle stone, an intermediate between two generations, and so he was counted with each of the two.
From David who had sinned, they went down to the captivity to the age of Jeconiah,
And from Jecohiah, they went up to the generation of Christ who has emancipated them.
Jeconiah was in that matter, a symbol of Christ, who was described as "the stone which was rejected by the builders, which has become the chief cornerstone".
4
The son of David, the son of Abraham
QUESTION
Why did the apostle Matthew say in the genealogy sequence: "Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham" (Matt. 1:1); and mentioned David firstly, although Abraham precedes David as regards time?
ANSWER
Saint John Chrysostom said about that:
"He mentioned David firstly, because he was prominent in the mouths of all the people at that time, in view of his dignity, and his majesty, and also because he was more recent in time.
Thus they said: "Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?" (John 7:42).
Nobody called Him the son of Abraham, but they called Him the son of David...... because of his kingdom, and because they honoured the kings who reigned after him.
And God said to Solomon: "Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son" (1 Kings 11:12)."
We note also what the angel said in his annunciation to the Holy Virgin of the birth of Christ:
"He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end" (Luke 1: 32:33).
5
Elizabeth your relative
QUESTION
The angel of the Annunciation said to the Holy Virgin : "Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived in her old age" (Luke 1:36). How can this be, since the Holy Virgin St. Mary is from the tribe of Judah from the posterity of David, while Elizabeth is from the daughters of Aaron from the tribe of Levi; and the mixing among tribes was forbidden, in order to safeguard the inheritance, lest it would be transferred form one tribe to another?!
ANSWER
It is true that it was said in the book of Numbers:
"So the inheritance of the children of Israel shall not change hands from tribe to tribe, for every one of the children of Israel shall keep the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. And every daughter who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel shall be the wife of one of the family of her father's tribe, so that the children of Israel each may possess the inheritance of his fathers. Thus no inheritance shall change hands from one tribe to another, but every tribe of the children of Israel shall keep its own inheritance" (Num. 36: 7-9).
Nevertheless there are some who interpret the word "your relative" in a general meaning, or that she is like one from the daughters of Israel, according to the word of the apostle saint Paul:
"For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants....." (Rom. 9: 3-4).
But saint Severus, Patriarch of Antioch, presents another interpretation. He says:
[As a matter of fact, the book of the Exode was written before the commandment that forbids taking a wife from another tribe. Aaron, the first chief priest according to the law, took a wife from the daughters of Judah, "Aaron took to himself Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon, as wife" (Ex. 6:23), and Amminadab is from the posterity of the tribe of Judah.....
Consider the very wise management of the Holy Spirit, who ordained that the wife of Zacharias, the mother of the Baptist and the relative of St. Mary the mother of God, was called Elizabeth. We recollect the past until Elizabeth whom Aaron married, and the union of the two tribes which happened through her medium. The Holy Spirit obviously declares to us that it is through the medium of Elizabeth, that the relationship with the Holy Virgin was established.]
6
Why the registration by genealogy from Joseph?
QUESTION
This question was asked by saint John Chrysostom, and he answered it:
"How is it declared that Christ is from the posterity of David? since he was not born of a man but from a woman only; and the posterity of the Virgin was not counted?...... and what is the objective in that the evangelist mentioned Joseph who was not a cause for the Nativity of Christ?
ANSWER
It was mentioned in the gospel that "the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary" (Luke 1: 26-27). According to the law, it was not permitted that one could marry from a tribe which is not his own tribe (Num. 36: 7-9).
Since Joseph is from the house of David and from his relatives, it was not possible for him to take Mary as a wife from another tribe than his tribe, and from another ethnic group than his.
If you say: "What is it if he had disobeyed the law in that matter? I reply to you that the gospel testified to him that he was "a just man" (Matt. 1:19).
If you say: Why is it according to the genealogy from Joseph and not from the Virgin?
We say: "It was not a custom among the Jews, to count the genealogy from women. Therefore he was silent about the mention of her grandfathers, and he counted the genealogy of Joseph. If he had counted the genealogy from a virgin, he would have invented an innovation. And if he had been silent about the genealogy of Joseph, we would not have known the grandfathers of the Holy Virgin........
Also it was because he did not want to manifest before the time, to the Jews, that Christ was born of a Virgin.........since in that, there is a deliverance of the Virgin from a malignant accusation...... lest the Jews would have lapidated the Virgin with stones.
Since after numerous miracles, they called Him the son of Joseph (Matt. 13:55), how would they have believed before His miracles, that He is the son of a virgin?!
7
THE "WISE MEN" (THE MAGI)
QUESTION
Who are the wise men? Why did the star appear to them? How did they overcome the Jews? Was the star a natural star? Or was it a heavenly power in the form of a star? What are the symbols which the story of the wise men bear, and what are their relationships with the Gentiles and the Jews?
ANSWER
The wise men came from the East, probably from the countries of Persia. They were from the rank of princes, or scientists, or priests. They worshipped the ancient eastern gods, probably the fire; and they may have been among the followers of Zaradesht. They were experts in astronomy and in the stars. Perhaps they had heard from the Jews in the dispersion about a Saviour who will come to deliver them and to become the king of the Jews.
Saint John Chrysostom says:
"[My brothers, we urgently need long watching and many prayers in order to be able to answer these questions, and to know who are those wise men? and where did they come from?
Because Satan suggested to the enemies of the truth to say: "When Christ was born, His star appeared: Is this not a sign which proves that astrology is a true industry? If He was born in this manner, why did He eradicate astrology, fortune-telling, and magic, and did he render the devils to silence?!
Let us then examine what was that star: was it one of the numerous stars? Or was it an alien to them, from another nature than their nature? Or was it that only the person who looked at it, that thought it was a star? If we know the answer to these questions, we shall know the other matters with greater facility.
That star was not one of the numerous stars; and it is more convenient to say, according to what I think, that it was not a star. But it was one of the invisible powers, and was transformed to that aspect.
The evidence is clear:
Firstly: from the way of its movement: Because there is no star which can possibly move in that manner. If you consider the other stars, you will find that their movement is from West to East. But this star went in its course from the North to the South, because that is the direction from the countries of Persia to Palestine.
Secondly: as regards the time of its appearance: because it did not
appear by night, but rather in the daytime when the sun has risen. And this appearance is neither due to the strength of a star, nor to the strength of the moon, nor was it due to all these astral bodies which hide and set down when the sun rays appear. But this star had overcome the sun rays by the abundance of its brilliancy, and was more visible and more glittering than all of them.
Thirdly: this truth becomes obvious from that the star appeared for some time and then disappeared for some other time.
Because it appeared in order to show them the way to Palestine. When they came to Jerusalem, it hided itself. And when they left Herod after he had questioned them, and intended to walk to Bethlehem, the star reappeared to them again. This appearance and disappearance does not happen in the movement of an ordinary star, but it is due to a power which is, above measure, different from others. Because it did not march in a special way. But when it was necessary that they would march, it marched. And when they needed to stop, it stopped, thus controlling all the conditions of their march according to what was convenient for them. It was like the column of clouds in its conduct of the Jewish people.
When they entered Jerusalem, the star was hidden from them, so that having lost their guide, they were compelled to ask the Jews, in order that the matter would become notorious and well-known to everybody....... Thus the appearance and the disappearance brought a determined providence that had a special wisdom.
Fourthly: by its descending downwards:
The meditator must in an obvious manner, necessarily find out another characteristic from the guidance of the wise men by the star. Because it was not possible to show them the way while it was high over them, but it achieved that action by coming downwards. Because while it was high over them, it could not determine precisely a narrow place like a hut where a small baby is lying down. We can know this from the example of the moon, which appears greater than many stars, and how it appears to all the inhabitants of the world in all its vastness, and everyone thinks that the moon is near to him.
Tell me how would the star have shown them a small place like a hut and a manger, if it had not left this high place, and gone downwards till it stopped over the head of the child.
That is what the evangelist indicated saying: "and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was." (Matt. 2:9).
When the star recognized the Child, it stopped, and its stopping there, while it was descending downwards, is a great testimony.
It had a great influence upon the wise men and guided them to the worship of the Child. They did not worship Him as an ordinary human being. That is obvious from the gifts which they presented to Him, and which are not convenient for a small child in its swaddling clothes.....
Did you see with what arguments, it has been shown that this star was not one of the ordinary stars?......]
Why did the star appear?
If you ask why did the star appear?
I shall answer you saying that its appearance symbolizes the end of the choice of the Jews; destroying all their arguments of self-sufficiency, and calling all the world to His worship.
Thus He opened the door to the Gentiles from the principle of the coming of the Lord, willing to educate His people through the foreigners. Because if He had sent to them many prophets who explained to them His coming, and nevertheless they did not listen to them, therefore He let the foreigners (the Persians) come from a distant land asking for the vision of the way. Let the Jews learn from the words of the inhabitants of Persia, what they refused to learn from their prophets. If they persist and discuss after that also, they will loose every excuse and every argument.
What have they to say, they who have refused to accept the Christ in spite of His having sent to them the prophets, while the wise men accepted the Lord and worshipped Him, merely because they had seen a single star?
Just as He convicted them with His acceptance by the wise men, He also convicted them with the faith of the pagan inhabitants of Nineveh. Therefore He said to them that "The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgement with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here" (Matt. 12:41). Likewise He convicted them with the Samaritan woman, and the woman of Canaan, and the queen of the South; because all these have at least believed; but the others, not even at most, did not believe.
Why did He attract the wise men in this manner?
Perhaps someone would ask: "Why did He attract the wise men by means of a star? We answer that it was not possible for such people to listen to a prophet if He had sent to them one of the prophets. And it was not convenient for them that He would have talked to them from above or by sending an angel. Therefore He called them by the means to which they were used, condescending to their great weekness; and He showed them a great and strange star, in order to amaze them by its beautiful aspect, and to lead them by its way of marching.
The apostle saint Paul followed this method, when he mentioned a testimony from the poets (Acts 17:28). He argued with everyone with the style to which he was used (1 Cor. 9: 19-22). With the Jews, God firstly utilized the statutes of sacrifices and purification and the rest of the ordinances and prescriptions by which He began, in view of the dullness of their minds. Then He replaced them, attracting them little by little, until reaching the high philosophy.
He did this with the wise men. He permitted to call them with a star which they saw, in order to render them more discerning and more perceptive than they were. When He led them to the manger, and when they saw the new-born, and became in their spiritualities, better than they were, then He did not let them go back to their countries by means of a star, but He "divinely warned" them "in a dream" (Matt. 2:12).
Why did He manifest Himself to those wise men, and not to others?
Perhaps someone would ask: "How did they reach such a great zeal? Who had incited them to such a long journey from their country?" According to my opinion, what they did was not merely to be guided by a star, but it was God who had awakened their souls; just as He had done with the king Cyrus, when He incited him to build the house of God. (Ezra 1:2).
Perhaps it would be said: "Why did He not unveil this manifestation to all the wise men?"
We answer: Because He was not expecting that all of them would believe Him. But He unveiled the matter to those who were more ready to accept Him. Many nations had perished, but the prophet Jonah was not sent but to the people of Nineveh alone. There were two thiefs hanging on crosses, but only one of them was saved.
It is astonishing that these wise men come from distant countries to see the Christ! What good things did they expect?.....Did they come to a king?
Nevertheless they did not see a king, but a child in swaddling clothes. Did they treat Him as a king, considering what would be happening? No, because afterwards He did not surround Himself with any kingly appearance, He did not possess neither horses nor slaves, and He was accompanied only by twelve unknown poor men.
They did not expect him to be a king over them, but a king over an opposing country, which was very distant from their country. Undoubtedly they realized the dangers which surrounded them in meeting Him.
They had seen how king Herod trembled, and how the whole congregation was troubled, when they heard the words of the wise men. So they were heading for a king over a country over which there reigned another king ...... What kinds of deaths were then awaiting for them?! And what did they expect from that king to whom they were directed?
What good thing did they hope to take, when they saw before them a hut, and a manger, and a child in his swaddling clothes, and a poor mother. What then was their aim in worshipping Him and in giving Him presents?
Did they expect good things from Him, when he would become a king in the future? And how could they know that this child would, when he would be grown up, remember what they did, so long as he was in His swaddling clothes?!
How marvelous is the virtue of those who had thrown themselves into many dangers, leaving their country and their people, without any apparent aim but that they obeyed what the Lord had placed in their hearts; then they believed, came, worshipped, and gave presents.
We see the virtue of these wise men, not only in their mere coming, but also in their publicly saying: "we have seen His star in the East, and have come to worship Him" (Matt. 2:2). They did not fear neither the anger nor the exasperation of the king.
Hence, I believe that these wise men became the teachers of their coutrymen in their lands.......especially that they had known from the Jews, that this one whose star they had seen, is the one whom the prophets had announced long ages ago.
The shepherds and the wise men are symbols of the Jews and the Gentiles:
Saint Augustin explains this point saying:
The wise men from the Gentiles, were the first to believe in the Lord Christ. It is evident that the first fruit of the belief in Christ, was the belief of the shepherds. The shepherds came to Him from a near place, and they saw Him on the same day, because the news had come to them by means of angels. But the wise men came to Him from a distant place, and by means of a star. Nevertheless both of them met at the corner stone, "who has made both one" ........... those "who were afar off and ...those who were near" (Eph. 2: 14-17). It was said to the shepherds: "Glory to God in the highest" (Luke 2:14), and the expression: "The heavens declare the glory of God" (Ps. 19:1), was realized with the wise men.
The shepherds came from a near place to see, and the wise men came from a distant place to worship.
Grace reached the shepherds before the wise men, but these last were more humble. This is the humility that rendered the wild olive tree deserving to be grafted into a cultivated olive tree (Rom. 11:17). The Holy Bible glorifies this humility more in the Gentiles, than in the Jews. Examples of this are what has been said about the centurion (Matt. 8: 5-10), and about the woman of Canaan (Matt. 15:28).
The Jews manifested to the Gentiles the Christ whom they did not themselves want to worship.
We note as regards the wise men, that in not returning through the same way, they symbolize the change in life; since those who arrive at Christ, do not return again to their first way.
Saint John Chrysostom says again:
"Let the Jews be ashamed, because they had seen wise men and ignorant people preceding them, while they did not come to Him, not even after these. That which had happened at that time was a token of what happened later: that the Gentiles preceded the Jews ....... Thus those who were from the land of Persia preceded those who were from Jerusalem. The apostle saint Paul mentioned this meaning when he said to them: "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles" (Acts 13:46).
The Jews should have worshipped with the wise men, and should have glorified their God, but they trembled and were troubled.
"Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared", desiring to kill the new-born.
Between Herod and the wise men:
Herod did not care for all that had happened. He was not persuaded, neither by the prophecies of the prophets which he had heard, nor by the story of the extraordinary star, nor by the coming of the wise men from distant countries to worship the new-born.
It is clear that he was in a strange position. Whether he had believed the prophecy which had been said, it is evident that he acted contrarily. And whether he had denied it and had not expected that what was said in it would be realized, why then was he afraid and terrified?
Among the matters which demonstrate his lack of understanding, is his delusion that the wise men would prefer him to the new-born whose star they had seen, and for whom they suffered the pains of that long journey!
The astonishing thing is that "he had secretly called the wise men", and said to them: "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also" (Matt. 2:8).
And we ask him: "If you truthfully say that, why then do you ask the people secretly? And if you want to kill Him, do you think that the wise men had no doubts about you, because or your trouble and your calling them secretly? ....... But when the malignity of a person traps him, he becomes less intelligent than everybody......
Beware of becoming like Herod who said: "that I may come and worship Him also", while his heart was not sincere to Him, but he wanted to kill Him. Because those who worthlessly take part in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist , resemble Herod.
The wise men, before their sight of the Child, were hammered by tribulations and fears from every part. But after their worship, He filled them with peace, and they became His priests through their worship, because they presented gifts and offerings to Him.....
But perhaps you would ask: "Why did the wise men run away from Herod's face? And why did the Child Jesus run away too?
We answer that it was not convenient to show His miracles in that early age, lest people would not have felt that He was a human being......
There is another meaning, which is that we must expect difficulties and pains since the beginning of the way.
Here is Jesus who, while He was still in His swaddling clothes, was chased by Herod, and ran away. And His mother who had not committed any evil, who had not gone away from her house for a long distance at any time, she was alienated and suffered the pains of a long journey.....and Joseph likewise, and also those Persians who secretly departed running away.
That happened so that, when you hear these events, and you become prepared to serve a spiritual service, and then you meet calamities and hardships, you do not tremble a little and do not say: "I should have been crowned because I have accomplished the service of my Lord."
When the wise men had been divinely warned not to return to Herod, they "departed for their own country another way" They did not doubt, but they promptly obeyed, and they did not think in themselves: "If this Child is greatly powerful, and possesses such wonders, what need have we to run away and to depart secretly!"
LIkewise the just Joseph did not argue with the angel, while doubting......
And he did not say to him: "You said before, that He will save His people, and behold, He did not save Himself, but we are in need of journeying and running away. What happened to us is the contrary of what He had promised us......."
He did not pronounce any of these expressions, because he was believing. And he did not ask about the time of his return from there, although the angel did not specify it, not even by saying "until I bring you word".......
THE DIFFERENCE IN THE
FEAST OF THE NATIVITY
QUESTION
Why do we celebrate the feast of the Nativity on the 7th of January, while some other churches celebrate it on the 25th of December. What is the reason for this difference?
ANSWER
It is not a doctrinal or a theological difference, but it is a scientific difference.
It is known that the year is 365 days and a quarter of a day. Therefore a day is added once every four years; and the year is called a leap year.
But in the gregorian western calendar, it has been said that the year is 365 days and a quarter of a day and approximately 11 minutes. This calendar was established about fifteen centuries AD.
If this difference of eleven minutes every year, is multiplied during those centuries since the birth of Christ until now, it will result into a difference of approximately thirteen days which is the difference between the 25th of December and the 7th of January.
We have confidence in our Coptic calendar, because of the great excellence of the Pharaohs in the science of astronomy, and we celebrate the Nativity on the 29th of Kiahk which corresponds to the 7th of January. There are some other churches who share with us this date.
But the question in not a question of faith and doctrine, nevertheless it can be exploited to impress the simple, when the date is changed.
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