To search this page for a specific word hold down the 'CTRL' key and press 'f'.
THE COPTIC ORTHODOX PATRIARCATE ST. GEORGE AND ST. RUEISS CHURCH SUNDAY SCHOOL PROGRAM
GRADE TWELVE
Revised Edition 2005
PREPARATION AND WRITING Father Rueiss Awad St. George and St. Rueiss Coptic Orthodox Church Toronto, Canada
To Order Write To St. George and St. Rueiss Coptic Orthodox Church 141 Bond Avenue Toronto, Ontario, CANADA M3B 1M1 (416) 444-1092 or (416) 447-0108
Copyright © 2005 by St. George and St. Rueiss Coptic Orthodox Church All rights reserved No portion of this book may be reproduced or copied in any form without a written permission from St. George and St. Rueiss Coptic Orthodox Church, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
To my blessed two sons: Hegomain Fr. Marcous Elias Abdel Massih and Hegomain Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty.
Peace and love be with you.
Dr. Mahfouz has visited me and brought with him the suggested Sunday school curriculum for the land of immigration. I have studied with him the basic topics of the curriculum without getting into details. Although that I have pointed out some concerns on the doctrine and dogma curriculum, it is clear that the amount of work spent on preparing the curriculum is huge and worth thanking. Nonetheless, the Bible study part of the curriculum needs to be increased. God willing, I will also send you additional details on this curriculum.
May the Lord bless all the effort that our son Mahfouz has done in preparing the Sunday school curriculum, in collecting the relevant topics, and in performing the translation of subjects. May the Lord also bless all those who have joined him in preparing this project and those who revised the topics.
Let our goal be performing our best to try and arrive at perfection given what we have from abilities. Lastly, I would also suggest the addition of different recognized pictures according to our doctrine, dogma and history to the Sunday school curriculum.
May the Lord be with you. Be in peace.
Signed
Pope Shenouda III 22 August 1986 The feast of St. Mary
TABLE OF CONTENTSINTRODUCTION TO THE SUNDAY SCHOOL PROGRAM THE HISTORY OF THE COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH OF ALEXANDRIA ( I ) - A BRIEF SYNOPSIS THE HISTORY OF THE COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH OF ALEXANDRIA (II) - A BRIEF SYNOPSIS WE MUST HAVE A CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW - I WE MUST HAVE A CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW - II AN INTRODUCTION TO PATROLOGY ( I ) AN INTRODUCTION TO PATROLOGY (II) EXCERPTS OF SAYING OF SOME OF THE FATHERS THE ANCHORITES (HERMITS) – I * THE ANCHORITES (HERMITS) (II) * PERSONAGES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT HOSEA THE PROPHET: MORAL RELATIVISM PERSONAGES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT PERSONAGES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT HOSEA THE PROPHET: THE NATURE OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD ENJOYING INTIMACY WITH GOD ( I ) ENJOYING INTIMACY WITH GOD (II) ENJOYING INTIMACY WITH GOD (III) ENJOYING INTIMACY WITH GOD (IV) ENJOYING INTIMACY WITH GOD ( V ) DEVELOPING AN INTIMACY WITH GOD YES… THERE IS HOPE FOR THE FUTURE – ( I ) YES…THERE IS HOPE FOR THE FUTURE – (II) EMMANUEL: WHICH MEANS "GOD IS WITH US" THE MAIN FEATURES OF THE COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH OF ALEXANDRIA ( I ) THE MAIN FEATURES OF THE COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH OF ALEXANDRIA – (II) PERSONAGES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT: PERSONAGES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT: JOCHEBED THE SECOND CANONICAL BOOKS IN THE HOLY BIBLE CHRIST IN THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS - (I) CHRIST IN THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS – (II) CHRIST IN THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS – (III) “CROSS, SALVATION AND EUCHARIST” SALVATION IN THE ORTHODOX CONCEPT – ( I ) NO SALVATION WITHOUT THE BLOOD OF CHRIST * SALVATION IN THE ORTHODOX CONCEPT - II THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD DEEDS - FOR SALVATION* SALVATION IN THE ORTHODOX CONCEPT - III STRIVING AND THE GRACE OF GOD * THE HOLY WEEK AND GOOD FRIDAY – CHRIST IS RISEN….. HE IS INDEED RISEN
MAIN BOOKS IN THE COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH PERSONAGES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT: OBADIAH THE PROPHET “GOD’S CALLING TO YOU” – ( I ) PERSONAGES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT: OBADIAH THE PROPHET “GOD’S CALLING TO YOU” - (II) THE EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL THE APOSTLE TO PHILEMON CHRIST-LIKE COMMUNICATION – ( I ) THE EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL THE APOSTLE TO PHILEMON HOW CAN I SHARE MY FAITH WITHOUT AN ARGUEMENT? - I HOW CAN I SHARE MY FAITH WITHOUT AN ARGUMENT? - II EVANGELISM AND CHURCH GROWTH - I EVANGELISM AND CHURCH GROWTH - II EVANGELISM AND CHURCH GROWTH “III” “REMEMBER NOW YOUR CREATOR IN THE DAYS OF YOUR YOUTH” - (I) “REMEMBER NOW YOUR CREATOR IN THE DAYS OF YOUR YOUTH” – (II) THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF THE PERVERSION OF THE HOLY BIBLE AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF REVELATIONS – I * AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF REVELATION – II *
INTRODUCTION TO THE SUNDAY SCHOOL PROGRAMPrincipal Goal of Christian Up-Bringing. The child had and still has, first as a person and second as a child, a special importance to our Lord Jesus Christ. He called the children and considered them models of perfection, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea" (Matthew 18:3-5). Therefore, children are beloved ones to Christ and are His friends with their simplicity and purity of heart. Christ called them, blessed them and asked His Disciples and Apostles after Him to take care of bringing up children and prepare the suitable environment for their spiritual growth. St. Paul advises parents saying, "Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged", (Colossians 3:21). From a Christian point of view, the general principal goal of religious up - bringing is the formation of the perfect man of God who is following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). Also, our Lord said, "For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you" (John 13:15). Hence, a Christian up-bringing is not merely an education to be given or a curriculum to be taught, but it is rather a life that is given through example and behavior through teaching and discipleship. The saintly Fathers of the church have emphasized this fact. St. John said about his practice of life with the Lord "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life-the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us - that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:1-3). The same fact was emphasized by St. Paul when he was talking to his disciple Timothy "But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, love, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium ... But as for you, continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:10-15). Also in the letter of St. Paul to the Philippians 3:17, "Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern". Therefore, the principal goal of the Christian up-bringing is to change the life of our children to the life of Christ in them, i.e. to a life based on the work of Christ in them as true Christians and not just religious persons who fear God but deny Him. The Starting Point in Achieving the Goal of Religious Upbringing. The teacher should not start with the student from power Zero. The student comes equipped with many social and religious experiences. His religious experience, although it is limited, it has a strong basis that is ready for spiritual growth. In the Sacrament of Baptism, the student has already obtained the spiritual birth i.e. he became spiritually re-born. After his baptism he was anointed with the Holy Myroun (Chrism) and the Holy Spirit dwelt in him. St. John said "But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you; and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him" (l John 2:27). Therefore, by obtaining these two Holy Sacraments and the Sacrament of Eucharist, the student becomes a member in the body of the Lord and a living part of the body of the Holy Church. This means that religious up-bringing is not something foreign with respect to the student. The student is a temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in him. This means that it is not the teacher who makes the student live a life for Christ, but it is the inside work of the Holy Spirit that makes the whole difference. The role of the teacher is to make the student aware of the effect and the work of the Spirit. In this sense the student becomes aware of the secret grace inside him and as a result the divine word inside him grows as the seed grows inside the earth. The Difference Between Religious Education and Religious Upbringing. We should not aim at providing lessons in the form of giving information, i.e. a mere religious education. In this case religious experience will never exceed the circle of the mind and will never affect the heart and practice of the student. If we consider religious education as an element in religious bringing-up, we are in this case following Christ's plan in the development and building of the Christian personality. Christ with His example and His perfection gave us a model which should be followed and achieved. As for His teachings, they are meant to clear the way for us in order to follow them as examples and models. The Need of our Church for a Coptic Orthodox Sunday School Program. There is one basic difference between Eastern and Western theology; the latter depends on study, analysis and using scientific means, whereas Eastern theology is based on experience and depth which is mainly lead to true Christian life. The Eastern Church respects the role of the mind but it works under the supervision of faith. The majority of recent Western Sunday School programs follow a pure analytical way of explaining the Bible. For example, miracles are explained through psychological and scientific factors. The man of God must accept miracles and believe them as they are. St. Athanasius said, "Our knowledge must not control (or have authority over) the word, but the word itself must have the control and authority over the mind". Another basic difference is that our traditional Church uses the rites in education as a key in the process of living what is being taught. Over and above what was mentioned before in relation to the basic differences in religious education between Eastern and Western churches, there are also basic differences in the various beliefs and the way Christianity is lived by in actual life. We, as parents, teachers and clergy, are responsible in front of God to bring up our children according to the same spiritual Orthodox principles that we received from our saintly Fathers who shed their blood to perpetuate the perfect Orthodox faith . Therefore, our children must learn from the same source from which we learned before them. The Sunday School program in your hands is a fruit of love granted by our Lord Jesus Christ to our children and a gift from Him to them. This program is purely Coptic Orthodox. All its references without exception are Coptic Orthodox (please review the reference list at the end of the book. In this manner all the information that is in this book (as well as all the books in this series) can be used with total confidence as it is devised according to our glorified church. The spirit of the lessons is indeed the same spirit of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
About the Books in Your Hands. These books in your hands are integrated series of books which were written for children from age 4 to 18. With the grace of the Holy Spirit, if the child at age 4 follows this series of lessons until age 18, he will obtain an all-rounded spiritual background. The books (covering the teachings from pre-schoolers to grade 12) cover a study of most of the major Biblical subjects of the Old and New Testaments, the celebrations of the church of our Master's feasts, the life of the Saints and their feasts, the divine liturgy with its rites and spirituality, the true Christian life and Christian behavior, church sacraments, fasting, prayers, the creed and its explanation, the Ecumenical Councils, the difference between the various major Christian sects, the Christian family, the history of our church, the major personalities in the Holy Bible, ... etc. The program is indeed comprehensive and it covers all the key areas of our Orthodox church. If these lessons were given in the spiritual way that was emphasized before, great results will be expected with the work of the Holy Spirit. General Rules and Principles to be Followed by the Sunday School Teachers. 1) The teacher must know the stage and the characteristics of growth of the children that he or she is teaching. A child who is 12 years old is different than a child who is 8 years old. The teacher must know the level of his/her students, their abilities to receive information that he/she is giving and the differences between the various abilities in the same class. 2) The positive participation of the students is very important during the lesson and the effectiveness of teaching. One of the key incentives for the student is to give importance to the lesson and have an effective communication with the teacher and, above all, to define clearly the purpose behind it and present the lesson in the form of problems that attract their attention. 3) The teacher must follow a psychological order of the facts he is presenting. Our Lord Jesus Christ used effectively the psychological method of teaching through His parables. The parables in their simplicity are drawn from the daily life of the people. We must emphasize here that the psychological method is not the only method of spiritual teaching. We should mention this method as one of the methods used. It is quite important to note that spiritual teaching must be imparted with certain goals in mind which are connected with the life of the children and related to the problems they face. We should provide guidance that is mostly needed for them. 4) The teacher must present the lesson and illustrate it with relevant information and present it as a coherent unity without ambiguity or contradiction. He may use illustrations to help him explain what he means. 5) Application of Christian principles to the actual social life must be emphasized in every lesson. The teacher should use stories (from the Old or New Testaments or from church history or church books) to attract the attention of the students and show the Christian principle in an applied manner. The teacher also may divide the subject into stages or small subjects. A good practice is to summarize the lesson or better still, ask the students themselves to summarize it. 6) The manner of expressing the lesson to the students is also very important. A teacher who is living by what he/she teaches will definitely be more effective in giving his/her message across. A teacher who is teaching under spiritual influence with compatible emotions to what he/she teaches will be definitely more effective than a teacher who is giving information.
ACKNOLEDGEMENTS On behalf of the Coptic Orthodox children and youth, who are going to benefit a great deal from this revised Sunday School Program, I would like to express a word of appreciation and gratitude to: His Holiness Pope Shenouda III This program leans quite heavily on the writings of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III. The majority of the contents of the lessons and their attachments are based on His Holiness' writings. This is a very bright and important aspect of this program. In 1986, during the time in which there was no Coptic Orthodox Sunday School program in the land of immigration, His Holiness reviewed the general contents of the program, commented and modified many key subjects, and then authorized the use of this program in all churches outside of Egypt, on a preliminary basis. I can safely say that, if it was not for His Holiness Pope Shenouda III's support, wisdom, and writings, this book would not exist. The whole generation is in debt to His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, not only because of his great teachings and writings, but also because of his love and leadership. His Grace Bishop Reweiss His Grace Bishop Reweiss has been behind us all the way with his love and guidance. He wrote the forward for our previous version of the program in 1986. His Grace Bishop Moussa His Grace Bishop Moussa has provided constant support and encouragement in the completion of the previous program. Of course, His Grace's writings for the youth have been utilized in all the subjects directed towards the youth, in this book. Fr. Tadros Malaty and Fr. Marcos Marcos These Beloved Fathers reviewed thoroughly all of the contents of the first six books of the previous version of the program. Their dedication, experience, and wisdom have been an important factor in the quality of all the material. They contributed greatly towards setting up the lessons, in that sense. Father Tadros Malaty's deep writings, without any doubt, have been a key reference in the majority of the lessons. His latest advice to revise and enhance the previous version of the program has been held in the highest regards. Dr. Fayek M. Ishak Dr. Fayek Ishak (head of the English Department at Lakehead University) reviewed the first six books of the previous version of the program. He contributed, immensely, towards the setup of the lessons. Fr. Gawargious Michael and Fr. Mikhael Armanios These two beloved priests chose the proper songs to match the subjects of the lessons. They also arranged the proof-reading of all the books with a chosen group of youth. Fr. Makary Silwanis This beloved priest made all of the arrangements for revising the previous Sunday School Program. He single-handedly arranged to have the new program available online. His computer skills were a key factor in all areas. Tassoni Ragaa The continuous support and encouragement of Tassoni Ragaa played an essential role in the write-up of the previous version of the program, as well as in this revision. One of the aspects that kept this program centered and on track was her continuous reminder that this program is for generations to come and every effort is worthwhile for the sake of the upbringing of the children and youth. The Youth of St. George and St. Rueiss Coptic Orthodox Church There was a key participation from Heba Khattas in this revised version. She in total love and joy contributed with great efforts in typing, checking, proof reading and commenting. All these things by her own initiative despite all the other responsibilities that she had to do towards her family, her work and her study. There was a key contribution from Marian Awad in this revised version. She proposed that the lessons for Grades 11 and 12 be totally redone in order to prepare the youth to face the challenges at the university level. This idea resulted in a huge change in the curriculum for these two grades, as well as in the writing of the "Contemporary Issues" book. Ninette Bishay sang over 100 songs in order to make sure that all the lessons were accompanied by beautiful songs in a great language and tone. Caroline Yassa typed many lessons for the author, mostly dictated over the phone, at times when his eyes were very sore from reading. Her efforts are greatly appreciated. Comments and proof-readings of many of the youth are greatly appreciated.
Fr. Rueiss Awad
TEACHER'S GUIDELINES: HOW TO USE THIS PROGRAM? 1. The teacher should realize that each lesson has been prepared to cover a specific point; starting from the title of the lesson to the end of it. 2. The teacher should read all the materials referred to in the lesson (i.e. the Holy Bible as well as any articles attached to the lesson), and then proceed by emphasizing all the points. 3. The teacher should enlarge the picture ahead of each lesson and use it as a visual aid as he or she is teaching the lesson. 4. The teacher should discuss the practical applications as he or she proceeds with the lesson. 5. The teacher should summarize the main points of the lesson with the students and give prizes.
FEATURES OF THIS SUNDAY SCHOOL PROGRAM
A COMPREHENSIVE SUNDAY SCHOOL PROGRAM 1. This Sunday School program was the very first program to be written in the lands of immigration. This work was initiated in 1974, and the first version was published in 1986. We thank our heavenly Father, Who has given us the opportunity to extensively revise and improve it, in 2005. 2. In this version of the program, any repetition that was in the previous program, has been removed, all lessons were upgraded in both coverage and depth. Moreover, a whole new book, on contemporary issues, has been added. 3. The contemporary issues book covers subjects that are important for children and youth in today's world. These lessons are optional. For churches with regular youth group meetings, these issues would best be discussed during those meetings. On the other hand, for churches that do not hold regular youth group meetings, those issues could be discussed as part of the Sunday School program. 4. This version of the program also includes lessons, which form a basis for a missionary service, a service that should in the ideal situation be practiced by every member of our congregation. The objective is that each child, every youth, and in the long run each Coptic individual can behave and act in a way, which is an embodiment of the teaching and tradition of the Coptic Orthodox Church. In other words, our congregation would become role models in their communities, who attract people to our Lord Jesus Christ through their good practices: sincerity, commitment, hard work and dedication, tolerance, forgiveness, and all the other good qualities that differentiate a good practising Christian from those who merely have a Christian education. 5. In this Sunday School Program, we depended heavily on the writings of H.H. Pope Shenouda III as a reference for most of the presented material. 6. The lessons in this version of the program have already been tried in Sunday School classes, reviewed, improved and tried again. This ensures that the lessons are relevant and suit the level of the students. 7. In this version of the program, efforts were put forth to ensure that every aspect of the Christian life in the Coptic Orthodox Church is covered. 8. This Sunday School Program is not merely about giving specific education on Christianity to our children and youth but it is rather an attempt to deeply affect their feelings and spirituality. It is believed that such an approach will facilitate the practical application of the various aspects involved so that Christianity becomes a way of life for the individual, with deeply rooted Christian values, that are manifested as behaviour and attitude. 9. All copyrights of other Sunday School programs, and other writers, have been fully respected. 10. In this version, each lesson comes complete with pictures and songs that are suitable for the lesson. 11. This Sunday School program comes in various formats, for convenience. In addition to being available on this website for widespread use, it is also available, upon request, in hard copy format or on CD. 12. It is our strong belief that this Sunday School program will play a vital role in the spiritual upbringing of our children. May the Lord bless this Sunday School program and all other programs, for the growth of His Kingdom in us.
THE PREPARATION OF SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS
A. What is a Sunday School Lesson? 1. It is not a record of events that we convey to the students with the hopes of appearing to satisfy the required preparation process in front of other people. Neither is it a lecture that we deliver to our audience or student regardless of their interest in the matter. 2. However, it is, on one hand, a fruit of the live reaction between the servant and the lesson and, on the other hand, between the servant and the students. The Holy Spirit maturates this fruit and directs this service towards the salvation of the students and towards the glory of God. For if the servant who teaches the people does not teach himself, the voice of the Lord rebukes him saying, " You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself ? " (Romans 2:21), and again in James 3: 1: "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment." Therefore, the servant should engage himself in the lesson through prayers, relevant spiritual readings, and practical application, so that when the servant speaks with his students from experience and true knowledge, he says, with St. John the Beloved, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life-" (1 John 1:1) If a servant is not aware of the spiritual level of his students, he may burden them with instructions and lessons which they cannot handle nor apply and this, in turn, may cause the students to go astray and lose their eternal life. Therefore, it is crucial for the servant to establish a healthy, trustworthy, and fruitful relationship with his students, as well as to share in their joys and cheers, and their sadness and fears, all towards Jesus Christ. This is what St. Paul refers to in his epistle to the Galatians when he says, "My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you..." (Galatians 4:19). This close relationship with the students allows the servant to choose the most appropriate lesson that applies to their needs.
Hence a Sunday School lesson is: A live mixture between the personal lives of the servants and the students through the lesson; the Holy Spirit creates this mixture and allows it to result in the bearing of fruit. B. The Requirements for Sunday School Lessons 1. Humility in prayer before God. God said, "...for without Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5) My beloved brethren, sit down in peace and tranquility with the Lord and talk to Him about your personal need for Him in your service. Ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit and pray saying, " Guide me dear God. What would you like my students and I to learn this week ? " Be obedient to His voice. It would be suitable to maintain a prayer time which equals that of the lesson. 2. Accurate knowledge of the meanings contained within the lesson. This is achieved through: a) Occupying yourself throughout the week with understanding the new lesson, beginning from the end of the previous lesson until the beginning of the new one. It is wise to use your free time, time before sleep, and time with fellow servants to increase and enhance your understanding of the lesson. b) Resorting to spiritual and religious references and literature to help you develop the right understanding and concepts behind the lines. c) Resorting to general educational references and literature to embody this understanding and these concepts, making them clear in the minds of your students. 3. Aids of presentation. It is important that you transform your understanding of the lesson into a simple and clear presentation. It has been stated and proved that 85% of knowledge acquired is acquired through the sense of sight and visual learning as opposed to the 10% that is acquired through the sense of hearing. The rest of the knowledge acquired is done so through the other three senses. In reality, the least effective way of transmitting knowledge to others is by merely talking; this has the weakest influence on the students. In contrast, the most effective way to teach is to use the "Learning by Doing" method, which requires enough time as well as sound experience. What differentiate between the effectiveness of the two means of presentation are the tools used in the presentation. These tools aid the students in effectively understanding and retaining the purpose of the lesson by engaging both senses of sight and sound. These tools may include audio-visual devices such as pictures and movies, spiritual trips and outings, role playing during class, intellectually stimulating games, etc. C. Recording the lesson. It is recommended that the servant records the following during the preparation of the lesson:
Purpose of the lesson: It is necessary for the servant to clearly understand the purpose of the lesson at the beginning of his preparation. It is also necessary that the purpose of the lesson should agree with the maturity level of the students. For example, it is more appropriate for children to learn about God's love; on the other hand, learning about the power of God in their lives and in the lives of the saints is more appropriate subject matter for youth. As for young adults, learning about Christian virtues and spiritual practices is most appropriate. Most importantly, the purpose of the lessons should agree with Coptic Orthodox Christian teachings, whether in specific occasions or in general. References: References could include: a. Stories, examples, verses, etc. from the Holy Bible. b. Spiritual books and literature. c. General educational books and literature. Recording the references is very useful for the servant because it helps the servant to refer back to them, if forgotten. Preface: The preface is the background of the lesson. It cultivates the thoughts of the students and directs their thoughts towards the lesson. This allows the lesson to be implanted in their minds and to, eventually, bear fruit. It is important that the preface remain simple, short, and concise. The introduction could be in the form of focused questions, but should not be in the form of stories. Several stories in one lesson may deteriorate its effectiveness. The Lesson: The lesson could be divided into the following sections: 1. Introduction - it should be quick and concise and related to the preface. It should introduce the lesson smoothly without interrupting the chain of thoughts. 2. Body of the lesson - it contains the principle subject of the lesson, and follows these guidelines: a. You must be accurate and careful when explaining theological concepts. b. You must be careful when relating events and examples to elucidate the subject of the lesson, in order to properly guide the students' imagination without restricting it. c. You must diligently expose the Coptic Orthodox doctrine in the lesson. d. You should not use more than one story during the lesson and the story used should be relevant to the subject matter. 3. Focal Point - the point during the lesson at which the purpose of the lesson is clearly defined. (Examples: The Lord responds to the prayers of a needy person, or the angels come to give the saints their heavenly crowns and take them to heaven after many trials and persecutions.) 4. Conclusion - it should be, like the introduction, short and concise. It can summarize the purpose of the lesson, without introducing any new concepts.
Inferences: Inference is a method used to determine how much the students have absorbed and retained from the lesson. It should be in the form of questions with the following guidelines: a. They should clearly show the purpose of the lesson. b. They should suit the maturity of the students. c. They should be simple and direct. d. They should link to each other. e. They should not be `Yes' or `No' questions. f. They should each have one correct answer. Bible Verse: The memorization of a Bible verse is an excellent way to help the students remember the purpose of the lesson. The chosen Bible verse should meet the following guidelines: a. It should show the purpose of the lesson clearly. b. It should be short which allows it to be easily memorized. c. Children can easily memorize, as well as understand it. Homework: The height of your diligence in preparing the lesson is in choosing the proper and effective homework or application. The homework should have the following characteristics: a. It should contain practical applications that apply to everyday life. b. It should suit the maturity level of the students. c. It should help in mastering the comprehension and retention of the lesson. d. It should not include more than one instruction, in order to simplify the application of the lesson.
INTRODUCTIONTeaching Grade 12
1) By definition adolescence is the period between childhood and adulthood. The potential intellectual ability reached during this period is equal to that of adults. Adolescents go very rapidly through a period of physical changes, which causes awkwardness, self-consciousness and increased emotional instability.
2) One of the main characteristics of this period is the young people’s sensitivity and dissatisfaction. They are dissatisfied with themselves, with their families, with their own appearance (wherein lies the cause of infatuation with any fashion of the day). Adolescents go through a period of painful dissatisfaction with their social life too. All these traits, though they often seem negative and painful, are part of a positive process. What adolescents are trying to do, is to discover themselves, and to discover their relationship to others - to adults, to their peers of their own sex as well as of the opposite one.
3) The rapid growth of technological civilization during the last decades has made our children much more knowledgeable about sex, about social problems, race, crime, violence, science and technology. They are not more mature than adolescents used to be, but they know more, even though they often lack the maturity to digest this knowledge.
4) What then is the task of the Church in dealing with our adolescents? Basically, the Church has to offer them meaningful values that young people can consciously accept out of their own free choice at this special level of maturity and insecurity. The Church has to give them an image, a taste of what life should be, of what is meant by holiness, what is truth, faith and loyalty. The Church is where they can find forgiveness, understanding and love when they have done wrong and are confused and mixed-up. Adolescents need security-in-freedom.
5) Our adolescents need urgently two aspects of religious education in order to help them gain maturity. They need the opportunity to make religion a part of their own experience of life, their own thinking, and their own motivation, through very informal free discussions, through participation in church work and through friendship. They also need to acquire information that will allow them to think intelligently, and will, at the same time, provide some material for evaluation and judgment.
6) All the teaching they need to acquire about the Bible and about the Church will be better assimilated if they feel a need for it. Thus teaching should be structured around questions and problems that are real to young people. The information must be presented as a means of finding answers. This kind of approach is very demanding on the leader, not only because he must be well informed, and must know where he can find information, but also because he must be flexible and sensitive to what takes place in the students’ minds. Basically adolescents need information in the same areas that shaped our program for younger grades - doctrine, liturgies, Bible study, church history, spirituality and ethics.
7) Most important of all is the kind of relationship that is established between the adult leader and the young people. The leader should earn their trust as a friend, with understanding and sympathy, yet with firmness in his own convictions and genuine interest in their adolescent problems.
SEPTEMBERFIRST SUNDAY
THE HISTORY OF THE COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH OF ALEXANDRIA ( I ) - A BRIEF SYNOPSIS
PURPOSE OF THE LESSON:
This is the first lesson in a series of two lessons about the history of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. In this lesson the focus is on the roots of the church and its main features.
PLEASE EMPHASIZE:
A. The Foundation of the Church in Egypt
The only place that Our Lord Jesus Christ visited, outside the area of Palestine, was the land of Egypt. That was not a coincidence because the flight of the Holy Family from King Herod could have been to any nearer place. It was not necessary to cross the vast distance from the land of the Jews to the land of Egypt. His entry into Egypt had a very important reason and that was He found the Christian Church there, so that it may flourish as a powerful center for Christianity in the whole world.
More than 700 years before the coming of Christ, Isaiah the prophet said, “The burden against Egypt. Behold, the Lord rides on a swift cloud, and will come into Egypt; the idols of Egypt will totter at His presence, and the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst.” Isaiah 19:1.
He goes on talking about the church in Egypt saying, “In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord at its border.” Isaiah 19:19.
He concluded by saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people”, Isaiah 19:25.
Therefore, when Our Lord Jesus Christ visited Egypt and spent His childhood in it, Egypt was privileged with a special blessing.
St. Mark was born to a Jewish family in the city of Cyrene in Libya. He emigrated with his family to Palestine shortly before the birth of Jesus Christ. The Lord chose him to be one of the 70 Apostles and his home was a resting place for the Lord and His Disciples. Many important events took place in that house, like the washing of the Disciples’ feet and the Last Supper. In the same house, the Holy Spirit descended upon the Disciples on Pentecost. St. Mark came to Alexandria between the years 48 to 55 A.D. He established the Christian Coptic (i.e. Egyptian) Orthodox (i.e. straight) Church on the faith he received from Our Lord Jesus Christ.
While St. Mark was walking on the streets of Alexandria preaching his shoes were torn. He went to a shoemaker called Aniannus to repair them. The needle pierced his hand and it started bleeding. The man cried out “IS THOSAS” meaning “The One God”. St. Mark healed him with the power of the Lord Jesus, who used to support the preachers. He taught him all about salvation through Christ and baptized him and his household. When St. Mark was crowned with martyrdom in the year 68 A.D. in Alexandria, Aniannus was the Pope of all the churches of Egypt. The church had a solid foundation on the true faith which was passed from the Lord Jesus Himself to the saints.
St. Mark established the first Catechistic school in the world. It had different departments. As the years went by, this school became an international center for faith written interpretations, and true Christian life. Some great theologians graduated from the school of Alexandria, such as St. Clement, Origen, St. Cyril, St. Athanasius and others.
The route of Christianity in Egypt was very rough. The Copts suffered persecution throughout the ages. The church of Alexandria sacrificed a lot of martyrs in order to preserve the faith. The persecution was at its worst at the time of Diocletian. The Copts considered the year 284 to be the new era and called it the year of martyrs. What does this martyrdom mean through the ages? It is a sign of strong faith. It is a sign of the connection of the heart with heaven. It is a sign of not fearing those who can kill the body. It is a sign of holding on to the faith. It is a sign of a longing for the heavenly crowns more than anything else. Those martyrs like, St. Mina, St. Demiana and many others watered the land of Egypt with their blood and kept the faith. Martyrdom was the Lord’s means to spread Christianity. Every time a person received martyrdom thousands of people flocked to the church.
B. The Main Features of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria
We would like to briefly mention the following:
1. The foundation of the Coptic Orthodox Church is built upon the teachings of the Holy Bible, Both Testaments and upon the traditions that were received from the Apostles and their Disciples. These were copied, unchanged, from generation to generation till the present time.
2. The church believes that God is One without any partner. He has 3 hypostases, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. These 3 hypostases are in the One God.
3. The church believes that our Lord Jesus Christ as a person has one nature based on the unity of the divinity and humanity without mingling or mixing or changing and not separating for a moment or a blink of an eye.
4. The Holy Spirit is emanating from the Father only as the Lord Christ said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all the things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” John 14:26.
5. The Holy Virgin Mary is the mother of God (Theotokos) the logos. She was born of Anna and Joachim naturally. She is a great saint above all the heavenly hosts because she gave birth to the Eternal Logos. She is the Mother of the Saviour. After her death, her body was taken to heaven and the Disciples saw it.
6. The church believes in the work of the Holy Spirit through the seven sacraments that the Lord Jesus had founded Himself. It is a way for the faithful to receive the exuberance of the Holy blessings: Baptism, Anointment with Holy Chrism, Holy Communion, Repentance and Confession, Priesthood, Marriage, and Anointment of the sick.
7. The church believes that a person receives salvation through his faith and his deeds, meaning his faith in our Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour.
8. The system of worship in church is based upon the elevation of the heart towards heaven without missing actual human and daily life. It is a contemporary Apostolic church. It supplies the person with the Apostolic life without any misinterpretation. So he will find a life in it and the depth, tenderness and spirituality built upon unceasing prayers and lots of fasting.
9. This Holy Universal Apostolic Church lived throughout the ages and will continue to the end of time. Though it endured heresies and persecutions yet, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me, says the Lord.” Isaiah 54:11-17.
Therefore, it is the true Mother Church, but many have deviated and went out and were distanced from the true faith. Of those St. John says, “They went out from us, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us.” I John 2:19.
Let us now concentrate on the historical aspect of all these deviations that occurred in the churches of the world when they were far from the Orthodox way, the faith of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.
C. The Coptic orthodox church of Alexandria in history
1. THE FIRST CENTURY A.D.
It was one church and one faith. Four main centers were established for the church; in Jerusalem, Antioch, Rome and Alexandria. In this century St. Peter the Apostle was martyred as well as St. Paul, St. Mark, St. James, and most of the Disciples. The church suffered persecution in every place from the Roman Empire and the Jewish nation.
2. THE SECOND CENTURY A.D.
After the martyrdom of the Apostles in the first century, their Disciples, who were called “the Apostolic Fathers”, preserved the same faith. During this century the School of Alexandria flourished and led the whole world.
3. THE THIRD CENTURY A.D.
The Romans enforced the persecutions in all the countries they occupied, especially Alexandria because it was the strongest in the Christian faith. We have already mentioned the era of Diocletian and the Coptic reformation and the year of the Martyrs 284.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
(1) Our Lord Jesus visited Egypt and spent His childhood in it. This was the solid foundation on which our church was founded.
(2) St. Mark established the first catechistic school in the world.
(3) The church sacrificed the largest number of martyrs in the world to maintain the faith.
(4) With its faith, our church lived through ages of persecution and will continue, thus defeating all forces against it.
• St. Mark, inspired by the Holy Spirit, established Catechism as the only way to give the new Religion a firm foundation in this city of multiple cultures, multiple philosophies, and many powerful schools. Thus Christianity penetrated the School of Alexandria turning it to Catechistical School.
• It became the oldest center for sacred sciences in the history of Christianity. In it, the first system of Christian Theology was formed and the Allegorical (symbolic) method of Biblical exegesis was devised.
• "The most renowned intellectual institution in the early Christian world was undoubtedly the Catechistic School (Didascaleion) of Alexandria. Its primary concern was the study of the Bible, giving its name to an influential tradition of spiritual interpretation. The preoccupation of this school of exegesis was to discover everywhere the spiritual sense underlying the written word of the Scripture." Dom. D. Rees
• Its program was not limited to theology, but was encyclopedic.
• Produced numerous spiritual and well known Church leaders along the years. Many of them were fit for the throne of St. Mark.
1. Athenaghoras - Apologist
• He read the Holy Scriptures to criticize Christianity, but he was so powerfully seized by the Holy Spirit that he became a defender of the faith.
• He was converted to Christianity in 176 A.D. and wrote a plea (called "Presvia" or intercession) on behalf of Christians in 177 A.D.
• He defended Christians against the false accusation of atheism, cannibalism and Oedipedean incest. He drew the attention to their faith in God and to their peaceful and blameless life.
• He also wrote a treatise on the resurrection of the dead. It is the first attempt made to prove this dogma using philosophical arguments. He states that the resurrection of the dead is proved by God's omnipotence and is based on: man as a rational being is destined for eternal survival; necessity of retribution; eternal bliss cannot be found on earth.
2. Pantaenus - Philosopher
• He embraced Christianity at the hands of Athenaghoras and succeeded him as dean of the Theological School in 181 A.D.
• He introduced philosophy and sciences into the School to gain the heretics and educated pagans.
• He introduced the Coptic Alphabet by using the Greek Alphabet and adding 7 letters from the ancient Demotic language. The Holy Bible was translated to Coptic under his guidance.
• In 190 A.D., Pope Demetrius sent him on a mission to preach in India. He also preached in Ethiopia, Arabia and Yemen. According to the traditions, he brought back the Hebrew original of St. Matthew's Gospel.
• He interpreted the whole Bible, but nothing remained from his writings except for the few excerpts mentioned in Saint Clement's books.
3. Clement of Alexandria - Gnosis (Knowledge)
• He was born in 150 A.D. and traveled extensively to seek instructions from the most famous Christian teachers.
• Attracted by the lectures of Pantaenus, he settled in Alexandria and was ordained a priest, then a dean of the School in 190 A.D.
• He had to leave Egypt in 202 A.D. due to the persecution by Septimius Severus, and died in 215 A.D. (probably in Palestine or Syria).
• He was the first Christian writer to confront the ideas of his time with Christian doctrine. He believed that there was no enmity between Christianity and philosophy. The ancient philosophy, in his view, was unable to achieve more than glimpses of the truth, while Christianity offers the perfect knowledge and truth in Christ.
• Throughout the first two centuries, a heresy appeared under the title "Gnostics" in various forms. The word "gnosis" in Greek means "knowledge". A fundamental Gnostic claim was that the soul can reach the Supreme God through knowledge rather than faith.
• St. Clement showed the supremacy of Christian gnosis: contemplation; carrying out the commandments; instructions by righteous men.
• His main work was the Trilogy: - Protrepticus - Exhortation to the Greeks (attack on paganism and invitation to salvation) - Paedagogus - The Tutor / Instructor (practical instructions for the Christian conduct).
- Stromata - Miscellaneous Studies (Christian faith vs. Greek philosophy).
• This Trilogy outlines his theological system that the Word of God, the Logos, invites mankind to abandon paganism through faith, then He reforms their lives by the commandments, and finally, He elevates them to the perfect knowledge of divine things. In short, the Logos converts, disciplines and instructs.
• This concept of the Divine plan for our salvation influenced the program in the School of Alexandria. It focused first on conversion to Christianity, then on commandment practicing, and finally on instructing Christians to attain perfect knowledge of doctrine.
• He had several other writings; e.g. a treatise on the salvation of the rich person and commentaries on passages of the Old and New Testaments.
4. Origen
• His friends and admirers described him as:
- The Prince of the Bible Interpreters. - The Prince of Christian Philosophy. - The Teacher of Bishops. - There is no human mind that can absorb all what he wrote.
• He lived from 185 to 254 AD; i.e. 69 years: Pope Demetrius (12), 191 AD; Pope Heraculas (13), 224 AD; Pope Dionysius (14), 241 AD.
• He was born to a righteous Christian family. His father, Leonides, was a righteous, scholar and saintly man who was martyred for his Christian faith during the persecution of Septimius Severus, 202 AD. While his father was in jail, Origen wrote encouraging him to face martyrdom.
• He used to rent libraries overnight to read their books. St. Jerome praised his love of reading and said that Origen read while eating, walking, resting, etc. Thus his knowledge extended beyond measures and his intellectual superiority was undisputed. He worked in teaching.
• When Pope Demetrius (12) heard of his fame, he appointed him dean of the School of Alexandria. He increased its fame and thinking and became a teacher of many bishops and priests, as well as many men, women, young and old. First, he rented halls to hold the school, but when he was chased from one place to another, he held his lectures outdoors (in the open or beside the river). • He was famous in allegorical interpretation. Example, his interpretation of the Song of Songs. (Differentiate from St. Basil's school of literal interpretation.)
• He was imprisoned and tortured for his Christian faith. He was courageous, ascetic and a man of fasting and prayer. He exaggerated in his asceticism by castrating himself (defended his action by saying that he was protecting his chastity).
His Writings
• St. Epiphanius (315-403) stated that Origen had 6,000 manuscripts. He wrote in Greek (Petrologia Grika). Some of his writings were translated to Latin during his life and some were translated after his death; e.g. Rufinus' translation which contained many flaws.
• Mainly intellectual: textual criticism, exegetic, apologetic, dogmatic, practical.
• "Hexapla": 28-year study of the Bible manuscripts and translations; 6 columns:
1. The Hebrew text of the Bible. 2. The Greek pronunciation of the Hebrew text. 3. The Septuagint (c. 250 AD). 4. Simakhos' translation (end of 2nd century). 5. Aquilla's translation (c. 128 AD). 6. Theodore's translation (c. 180 AD).
• Interpretations of the Five Books of Moses, the Song of Songs, Job, the Major and Minor Prophets, Joshua and Psalms.
• Against Celsus the heretic: "Contra Celsus"
• "The Principles" contained the majority of the flaws attributed to him.
• Exhortation to encourage martyrdom.
• On prayer: part on the prayer in general; part on the Lord's Prayer (Ancient Christian Writers).
• On the Resurrection (Easter).
Dispute with the Church
• Pope Demetrius held a council that excommunicated Origen due to his theological mistakes and because he accepted ordination in Palestine by other than his bishop.
- Some accused St. Demetrius of jealousy due to Origen's fame. This can be refuted based on the facts that: - Pope Demetrius is generally accepted as a Church saint. - Pope Demetrius was the one that appointed him a dean based on his fame. - Judgment was done through a council (not alone) and later confirmed by others. - There are clear theologians mistakes in Origen's writings.
• He spent the rest of his live in Palestine where he established a famous & significant theological school. He led a Gnostic man named Improsius to the correct faith.
Theological Mistakes (Origenism).
• He was affected by the Greek philosophy; e.g. Plato in some of his mistakes.
• Exaggerating the allegorical interpretation; e.g. Adam's sin.
• The salvation of Satan. The salvation of evil doers after their death.
• Spirits created before the bodies then sent down to unite with the bodies (Plato).
• Christ's soul united with His Divinity before uniting with the body in St. Mary's womb.
• Redemption was made to satisfy the devil.
• Resurrection: in new spiritual bodies, not the original earthly body.
• The righteous people will turn to stars.
• God created other worlds before and after our own.
Defense by His Proponents
• Mistakes were due to dictation / transcription.
• He had other writings contrary to the sited flaws.
His Opponents
• Pope Demetrius (12th Pope of Alexandria)
• Pope Theophilus (23rd Pope) - Dispute with John Chrysostom; "The Tall Brothers"
• St. Epiphanius (Bishop of Cyprus) - End of 4th and beginning of 5th century: managed to convince Jerome but could not convince Cyril of Jerusalem.
• St. Jerome - Dispute with Cyril (book against Cyril) and Rufinus
• Mephopius (Bishop of Olympa, Cilicia) - beginning of the 4th century' book against Origen
• St. Augustine in the 5th century
His Proponents
• Gregory the Wonder Maker
• St. John Chrysostom - "The Tall Brothers"
• Gregory of Nyssa, 4th century (brother of Basil the Great)
• Pamphilus, priest and martyr (309 A.D.)
• Rufinus - Translated some of Origen's works
• Dionysius (14th Pope of Alexandria) - It was said that he defended Origen and requested him to return to Church of Alexandria.
5. Heraclas
• He was a student of Origen and succeeded him as the dean of the School of Alexandria.
• He loved philosophy and studied the Greek books as much as he could.
• When Abba Demetrius discovered his spiritual abilities and knowledge, he ordained him as priest and used him for preaching. He attracted many unbelievers to the faith.
• He was chosen to succeed Abba Demetrius as Bishop of Alexandria in 224. His people loved him so much and called "Papa" in Coptic, or Pope, which means "Father".
6. St. Dionysius
• St. Athanasius called him "Teacher of the Universal Church" • He was born in Alexandria in about 190 from pagan parents. He was not Christian until an old Christian woman sold him some scripts of St. Paul's letters. After reading them, he came back for more and she led him to the Church where he learned about and converted to Christianity. • He succeeded Heraclas as the dean of the School of Alexandria (231-246) • He was chosen as the Pope of Alexandria in 247 • He faced the challenge of preserving his Church in the midst of persecutions: Decian 250 and Valrian in 257. He showed leniency to heretics or apostates who repented. • Issue of those who were baptized by heretics - Cyprian of Corthage vs. Stephen of Rome. • Issue of earthly kingdom (millennium) - Nepos, Bishop of Arsinoe (in Fayoum).
• His writings
- On Nature: refutes the Epicurean
materialism view of the universe. - Letters: quoted frequently by Eusebius.
7. Theognostus
• Little is known about him except through quotations in the writings of Photius, Athanasius and Gregory of Nyssa.
• His dogmatic work "Hypotyposes" in seven books followed the doctrine of Origen. Athanasius appealed to his writings in the struggle against Arianism.
8. Pierius
• Jerome called him "Origen Junior"
• He suffered during the persecution of Diocletian.
• His work is mentioned by others:
- On the Prophet Hosea
- Logio (concerning the Logos)
- On the Gospel of St. Luke
- On the Mother of God
- The Life of St. Pamphilus, martyred 309.
9. St. Peter, the Seal of Martyrs
• His father (Theodosius), a priest in Alexandria, and mother (Sofia) a pious Christian.
• His mother had a vision of St. Peter and St. Paul, on their feast day, promising her a son. On the same day the following year, she had the baby and named him Peter.
• He grew very close to the Church and was ordained priest at age 16; then was selected to become the dean of the School of Alexandria.
• Pope Theonas instructed the people to choose Peter as his own successor. Thus he became the 17th Pope of Alexandria.
• He faced persecution as well as heresies and divisions within the Church.
• He had a dispute with Meletius, Bishop of Asyut, who took a hard-line with repenting Christians who denied the faith, as well as ordained priests outside his jurisdiction.
• He ordained Arius, who was of Libyan origin, deacon then priest in Alexandria. When he noticed his unorthodox teaching about the Divinity of Christ, he held a council to examine his teachings and finally disposed of him.
• St. Peter was jailed under Diocletian either due to his writings against paganism, or because of a complaint from the father of two children whom he baptized upon their mother's request.
• While in jail, Arius sent to ask his forgiveness, but he refused based on a vision he saw of the Lord Jesus with torn clothes and warning that Arius was tearing the Church apart.
• Finally, he offered himself to martyrdom in secret to spare his people who gathered at the jail to save him. After a prayer requesting the persecution to end, he was beheaded.
• His writings: mainly Paschal and other letters as well as some quotations preserved in the proceeding of the Council of Ephesus and in other manuscripts.
10. St. Athanasius, the Apostolic
• He was born in Upper (Southern) Egypt in about 297.
• According to Rufinus, Pope Alexandros was impressed by the child Athanasius when he was acting the baptismal rites with other children. Pope Alexandros ordained him a reader in 312, then a priest in 318 and appointed him as his personal secretary.
• He lived through the period of
severe persecution (303 - 311) and knew many of the martyrs and confessors
in Alexandria. He learned from them
the true meaning of
• He lived in the desert practicing an ascetic life under the guidance of St. Anthony.
• He accompanied Pope Alexandros to the Council of Nicea in 325. His courage, zeal and logic earned him the admiration of the 318 bishops in attendance and the envy of the heretics.
• He was chosen to succeed Pope Alexandors in 328 becoming the 20th Pope.
• He ordained Frumentius as the first bishop of Ethiopia, under the name of "Abbot Salama I" in 330.
• He presided over the Church for 46 years, of which over 17 years were passed in exile because of his opposition to Arianism which had the support of some emperors:
- Under Constantine (335 - 337) to Treve (Treveri).
- Under Constantius (339 - 346) visited Rome; and (356 - 362) in the Egyptian desert.
- Under Julian (362 - 363) in the Egyptian desert; and Valens (365 - 366) in the Egyptian desert.
• His writings:
- Apologetic: Against Arians; Apology to Constantius; Defense of the Nicene Council and of His Flight.
- Dogmatic: On the Incarnation; Doctrinal Letters.
- Letters: Festal or Easter Letters; Personal Letters; Episcopal Letters.
- Ascetic: Life of Anthony; Life of Synctetica;; Treatises on Virginity.
- Exegetical: Commentary on Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Genesis and Luke.
11. St. Didymius
• He was born about 313 A. D. and lost his sight at age 4.
• Through his eagerness for education he invented the engraved writing.
• St. Athanasius appointed him dean of the School of Alexandria (346-398 A.D.)
• Among his students / friends were Gregory Nazainzen, Jerome, Rufinus, Palladius.
• He attracted people not only by his teachings but also by his asceticism.
• He was visited by St. Anthony several times and by Palladius four times.
• His writings
- Exegetical work: he interpreted many books of the Bible; a large number of quotations from his work still existing. He followed Origen in the allegorical method of interpretation and textual criticism.
- On the Trinity: 3 books written between 381 and 392 A.D.; still existing.
- On the Holy Spirit: the Greek original lost; the Latin translation still existing.
- Contra Manie: still existing in 18 short articles.
- Other works: quoted in his and other's writings.
-
NOTES _________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
SEPTEMBER SECOND SUNDAY
THE HISTORY OF THE COPTIC ORTHODOXCHURCH OF ALEXANDRIA (II) - A BRIEF SYNOPSIS
PURPOSE OF THE LESSON:
This is the second lesson in a series of two lessons about the history of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. In this lesson the focus is on the history of the church from the fourth century on.
PLEASE EMPHASIZE
Start by reviewing the previous lesson and then continue as follows:
4. THE FOURTH CENTURY A. D. After Diocletian, who caused a lot of sufferings to the church, came King Constantine. He saw the sign of the cross in the sky and heard a voice saying, “with this you will win”. He remained Christian and his mother was St. Helena. In 313 A.D. King Constantine declared the victory of Christianity over heathenism and the end of the epoch of martyrdom. The heathen temples were converted into Christian churches. In 381 A.D. Christianity became the official religion of the Roman government itself. What is this great diversion? The gates of Hell will not have power over the church.
As the era of martyrdom ended, Monasticism started. All the Monastic system in the world started in Egypt. The programme of the Coptic Church became known internationally as the way of prayer, worship, devoutness and solitude for the sake of God.
In 325 A.D. the Ecumenical Council was held in the city of Nicea in Asia Minor to deal with the Arian heresy, which stated that Christ was created not born and that God the Father was greater than God the Son. Emperor Constantine invited to this council 318 Bishops from all over the world. Pope Alexandros attended on behalf of the Church of Alexandria, and presided over the council together with 20 bishops and the deacon Athanasius. Athanasius was the hero of that council who dumbfounded Arius and his followers. The results of this council was the excommunication of Arius and his followers and the issuing of the first part of the Creed “We believe in one God, God the Father, the Pantocrator, Who created heaven and earth and all things, seen and unseen. We believe in One Lord, Jesus Christ, the Only-Begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages. Light of Light, True God of True God; begotten, not created; of One essence with the Father; by whom all things were made; who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and of the Virgin Mary, and became man. And He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried; and on the third day He rose from the dead, according to the Scriptures; ascended unto the heaven; He sits at the right hand of His Father; and He is coming again in His glory to judge the living and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end. Yes, we believe in the Holy Spirit.” After the death of Pope Alexandros, Pope Athanasius succeeded him as the 20th Pope. He kept the faith safe and if it was not for him, it could have been effaced. That was why the church named him “The Apostolic”.
In 381 A.D. the second Ecumenical Council was held in the city of Constantinople. The Emperor Theodosius the Great invited about 150 bishops from all over the world. This Council was held to deal with the Macedonian heresy by which the divinity of the Holy Spirit was denied. Pope Timothaous of Alexandria was presiding over this council. The result of this council was the excommunication of Macedonius and his followers and the publishing of the second part of the Creed. “Yes we believe in the Holy Spirit; the Lord, the Giver of Life; who comes forth from the Father, Who, with the Father and the Son, is worshipped and glorified.”
5. FIFTH CENTURY A.D. In 431 the third Ecumenical council was held in Ephesus with the invitation of King Theodosius the Junior. 200 Bishops attended. St. Cyril the Great, who was called the Pillar of Religion, presided over this council. It was held because of the heresy of Nestorious, who divided Christ into two separated personalities, the Son of God and the Son of Man. He also said that the Virgin Mary is the Mother of the physical part of Christ so she should not be called the Mother of God. He was excommunicated by the Council and the introduction of the Creed was written. “We exalt you, the Mother of the True Light. We glorify you, O Saint and Mother of God …”
N.B. We notice that the church of Alexandria had the leadership of the world in the three universal councils, in spite of the weak political position of Egypt because it was under the Roman rule.
In 451 A.D. the Chalcedonic Assembly met. Before this meeting the church was one and the presidency of the church in the universal assemblies was for the Pope of Alexandria. Pope Leo the first wanted to take the leadership of the Christian world from the Pope Dioscorus of Alexandria. To achieve that, he accused Pope Dioscorus of harshness in his letters and insulted him, the latter did not say any bad words to him. Apparently, the Chalcedonic Assembly was partial to Pope Leo. Initially, the Chalcedonic Assembly was held to deal with Eutyches, who said that Christ had One nature which is the divine one and that it swallowed His humanity. But in fact, this assembly was held without the presence of Pope Dioscorus and its aim was to destroy the leadership of the Church of Alexandria. The result of this Council was the rejection of the heresy of Eutyches. The council stated that Christ had two natures united; they called themselves the “Diophysites”.
6. THE SEVENTH CENTURY A.D. The Arabs invaded the land of Egypt in 640 A.D. and took it by force. The Coptic people continued their belief in our Lord Jesus Christ and maintained their traditions and true faith. What was the positive side of the Arabic rule in Egypt? It was the isolation of Egypt from the rest of the Christian world which made the people conserve their faith exactly as it was received from the Apostles without any change; while the other Christians throughout the world started to divide, as we will see further on, and to be distant from the basic faith.
7. FROM THE FIFTH CENTURY TO THE TENTH CENTURY A.D. The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria continued on with the true faith and the churches of Rome and Constantinople were together since they deviated from the true faith in the Chalcedonic Council in 451 A.D.
8. THE ELEVENTH CENTURY A.D. The Church of Rome accepted the principle of the Holy Spirit coming forth from the Father and the Son and not only from the Father. It added this to the Creeds of the councils of both Nicea and Constantinople. This led to another division in 1054 A.D. between the church of Rome, known as the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Constantinople, known as the Greek Orthodox Church together with the rest of the Orthodox churches of the Chalcedonic Council.
9. THE ELEVENTH TO THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY A.D. There were 3 groups: the group of the Coptic Orthodox Church continuing on with the true faith, the group of the Greek Orthodox churches with the Russian and Yugoslavian Churches and the Roman Catholic Church and its followers.
10. THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY A.D. In 1517 there was a division in the Church of Rome because of Martin Luther. He started by rejecting Priesthood and many beliefs of the Roman Church. The Pope of Rome was the Pope of the world, the deeds of forgiveness, and many others. The Protestant sect was formed. It was too deviated from the original faith and continued dividing into many other sects, each with its own beliefs.
In 1529 the Church of England separated from the Roman Catholic Church and it was then known as the Anglican Church. The reason was because the latter asked to be the head of the world and also because of certain reasons regarding the belief.
11. THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY A.D. UP TO NOW There are around 2600 Christian groups but the churches could be divided as follows: The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and with it four churches, Syria, Armenia, Ethiopia and India. These are called the Eastern Church group, the Non-Chalcedonian. Those of the one nature.
- The Greek Orthodox Church with the churches of Russia and Yugoslavia, known as the Orthodox Chalcedonic churches, those of the two natures.
- The Roman Catholic Church with the Pope of Rome as a Head, followed by many Catholics of the world.
- The Protestant group and this was followed by hundreds of derivative groups.
- The Anglican Church and its leadership in England and many Anglicans of the world follow it.
WHAT DO WE BENEFIT FROM THIS BRIEF HISTORIC VIEW OF THE COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH?
(1) We are members of a precious church whose faith is 100% right. The church was able to maintain and preserve this faith through the centuries in spite of the many pressures from society, the governments and the other sects.
(2) We should stick to our church and our beliefs despite all the pressures of the world. We should know that we have a role to glorify the name of our Lord in the society we live in. Our church is not struggling against the world, but her duty is to set a good example to the world so that she can elevate her heart towards heaven and the true faith.
Our aim is to attract others towards our Lord Jesus Christ through invisible services, not for the increase of the Orthodox group, but for the salvation of souls through love and faith.
For the success
of this Sunday HOLY BIBLE
in his/her preparation
SEPTEMBER THIRD SUNDAY
WE MUST HAVE A CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW - I
PURPOSE OF THIS LESSON:
This is lesson one in a series of two lessons about the need for us to have a Christian worldview. In this lesson we learn about: (a) the natural person and (b) who is Christian by name only.
PLEASE EMPHASIZE:
Is your spiritual life weak?
Maybe one might ask… · I am Christian but I have lost my peace… · My spiritual life goes up a little then goes down… · I find difficulty understanding the Bible. · My prayers are weak … · I fall in sin, repent, then fall again… · How long shall I live in this weakness? · How can I lead a pure life? · How can I conquer sin and live enjoying the peace of Christ which He promised me?
The answer is to live for Christ, or in other words, to have Christ live in me through the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, who allows me to have Christ living in me. I will continue to live in my weakness as long as I depend on my weak self to control my life.
The Christian life that God desires for us is to have a personal relationship with Him. This relationship cannot exist except through the great sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ in Person. “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Therefore, the aim of the Christian person is to have a close relationship, eve a total unity with the Lord Jesus personally. Then He will have the features and mind of Christ. This is outlined in the following verses:
+ “Abide in Me, and I in you…I am the vine you are the branches…If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you…As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love…These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15). + “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20). + “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3).
Therefore, Christian life is not a set of laws that should be followed, neither is it a set of traditions, systems and obligations in our daily life that God ordained as conditions for our salvation. In a Christian life we become the children of God, Who loved us and said: “I will not call you servants, you are beloved …” He did not want to stay away from us but was incarnated and became the eldest among many brothers … He became one of us … He took our likings in everything except sin … He blessed our nature … He chose us and set us up to bring forth fruit … He came so that we could have life and so that we could become better … to obtain extreme joy above all conception … to have complete peace within us … to be ultimately self-sufficient.
Three Types of People:
The First Type: The Natural Person…Non-Christian
The Bible says about this type, “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; not can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” 1 Corinthians 2:14.
If you search this individual’s life, you could draw a simplified diagram of it:
A Life led by SELF
+ = Christ outside the Circle of life
o = Personal concerns centered by selfishness
The person who leads such a life:
+ Lives in sin fueled by the love of self - like Cain who killed his brother Abel; + Lives away from the life of blessings and fullness - like Esau who sold his birthright for a plate of lentils.
The Second Type: The Christian Person By Name Only - Carnal man
A life led by the flesh and its desires.
F = Flesh and its desires sitting on the life control chair
+ = Is present as one of the other things but not on the life control life
o = Concerns that occupy man’s/woman’s time are directed by flesh
This type of person is a Christian only by name. He/she goes on with his life depending on his/her poor human resources to fulfill accomplishing bodily desires. He would not mind Christ being in his life, goes to church, reads the Bible, and prays but what applies to him is what the verse says, “People honour Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.” This person is not convinced of spiritual matters or even absorbs them; Christ is just another thing he/she is concerned with.
“And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it and even now you are still not able for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, you are not carnal and behaving like mere men?” (1 Corinthians 3:1-3).
The good news is that this non-Christian has the ability to become a spiritual person if he gives the Holy Spirit a chance to work in his heart and transform him into a pure individual bearing the characteristic of a true Christian.
This type of person, however, depends on himself to achieve his desires and this is because:
+ He forgets God’s love and forgiveness: “But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Roman 5:8). + He forgets the power of God despite St. Luke’s statement: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” (Acts 1:8).
As a result, the non-Christian does not benefit from the power of God in his life and is weak in spirit, unable to understand himself; wanting to do the right thing but mostly fails. “For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do” (Romans 7:15).
+ If you search in the insides of these people you will find:
+ Disbelief … disobedience to the word of God … no love towards God and people … weak prayers … no desire to read the word of God.
+ Impure thoughts … envy … guilt … despair … feeling edgy towards all matters … boredom, loss of goal…
+ They lead a difficult, unhappy life … A weak life where the person thinks he is a Christian but in fact he does not have the power of Christianity: “He who says he is in the light [meaning a true Christian life], and hates his brother, [meaning false Christian life] is in darkness until now” (1 John 2:9).
Examples: The prodigal son left his father’s house and chose a life that fulfilled his physical desires; he was hungry and in need because he was far from the source of power and blessings.
Also, like anyone whose father opens for him a large account in the bank but instead does not use it but depends on his weak resources and lives poorly.
Like Peter when he said, depending on himself, “If they all deny You, I would not deny You.”
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
(1) Christianity must be manifested in our daily lives in the world, in our thinking, in our choices … etc. This is because “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” Gal. 2:20.
(2) The natural man is very weak, miserable and leads a sinful life.
(3) Christians by name only are also inconsistent in their lives. They do not enjoy Christianity as it is supposed to be.
NOTES
_________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
SEPTEMBER FOURTH SUNDAY
WE MUST HAVE A CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW - II
PURPOSE OF THE LESSON:
This is the second lesson in a two lesson series about the need for us to have a Christian worldview. In this lesson, we learn what a true Christian would look like in this life.
PLEASE EMPHASIZE:
Start by reviewing the previous lesson and discuss with the students the various aspects of (a) The non-Christian person and (b) The Christian by name, then proceed.
The Third Type: The True Christian - the Spiritual Person.
This person lives under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Although every Christian has the Holy Spirit of God within them since receiving Him in baptism, yet not all Christians enjoy the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The true Christian, with the blessings and power of the Holy Spirit within him, is able to live a pure life away from sin in a type of life similar to that of Christ Himself. No one can say that Christ is God except with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit Himself teaches us and reminds us of everything that Christ told us. The Holy Spirit takes from what is Christ’s and tells us about it.
Accordingly, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and its power, (i.e. with the power of God and its work in man) the self can be diminished and the bodily desires have no control over man. The person changes and grows gradually with the blessing of the Holy Spirit to eventually reach the fullness of Christ. He possesses the mind, the way of life of Christ and his internal life becomes this shape:
+ = Christ takes control of my life in place of Self and the Flesh. This is done by the power of the Holy Spirit and its work in me.
S, F = Myself, my flesh, and my desires are under the control of Christ.
o = All my concerns are according to what pleases Christ and His plan for me.
As to the personality of this spiritual person,
+ His center of power extends from the Holy Spirit in strong prayers, love of the word of God, trust in God, complete obedience to God.
+ The fruit of the Spirit is clear in his internal life … “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control” (Galatians 5:22).
The obvious example of this type of people is the Disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ after receiving the Holy Spirit on the 50th day. They were filled with every wisdom, understanding and knowledge; they became new personalities led by the Holy Spirit. They had the features and characteristics of Christ when God reigned over their hearts. They preached to the whole world saying “We do not preach out of our own accord, but with the help of Jesus Christ.” They stood before rulers in power and confidence. Their hearts were filled with unspeakable joy even when they were in prison. “So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.” (Acts 5:41).
They had no physical needs, but: “They ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favour with all the people” (Acts 2:46-47).
Therefore, have no fear my beloved to surrender your life to Christ and say - I will willingly be hungry, thirsty suffer, be sad, lose my intellect and education. On the contrary, trust Christ and give up your life to Him in order to enjoy the true fullness, peace and joy that is above all understanding, even in the midst of pain and tribulations.
Sin and bodily desires could not overcome a young man like St. George. Even poison could not keep him from his love to Christ. Anba Paula lived on very little worldly possessions and simple food for more than 80 years. His life was full of peace. Health and internal peace are not obtained by food and drink. St. Demiana was able to save her father from destruction and idol-worshipping with the power of her words which came from the Holy Spirit within her.
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us” (Hebrews 12:1). It is possible my beloved to enjoy the everlasting victory like these saints “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2).
The question now is - How can I give the Holy Spirit the chance to work in me so that Christ reigns in my life and I become strong and victorious? In other words, what should I do to enable the Holy Spirit of God to work strongly in me changing my heart and transforming my life from a weak one to a strong one that bears the features of Christ in person?
What is my role to enable the Holy Spirit of God to guide my life?
1. First of all, I must believe that the Holy Spirit of God lives in me since I received the new birth with water and spirit and the blessing of the Myroon. “Because he who believed and was baptized is saved”.
2. I pray daily asking, as in the prayers of the third hour of the Agbeya, “O good Lord, do not take your Holy Spirit away from us, this which you sent upon your holy Disciples and honourable apostles at the third hour. Create a pure heart in me, O God, and put a new and loyal spirit within me, do not banish me from Your Presence and do not take your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51).
3. I must repent and confess my sins in front of God then in front of my Father of Confession “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us form all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
4. I receive the Holy Body and Blood of Christ so that I receive forgiveness for my sins in the Blood of Christ “because without bloodshed there is no forgiveness.” I should attempt to be united with Christ through the Eucharist, “Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My Flesh is food indeed and My Blood is drink indeed. He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I in him” (John 6:54-56).
5. I must listen to the Word of God in the Holy Bible, when I read it at home or in the Church. Reading, through the work of the Holy Spirit, will transform into spiritual nourishment and spiritual growth. “The words I say to you is spirit and life ... You are pure because of the words I say to you.” The Bible is not a history book or a book about knowledge; when I read the Bible, I should say, “Speak, O God, your servant listens”. God will provide me through the power of the Holy Spirit within me the ability to hear and flourish in the word of God.
6. I must trust the Lord in handling my life. “Casting all your care upon Him for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). “Therefore, girdle up the loins of your mind, be sober and vest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13).
7. I have to go up to the quiet upper room as the Disciples went up to receive the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. I have to lift myself above the noise of the world and quieting all motion that distracts me in order to give the Spirit of God a chance to work in me and be fruitful because He does not work except in quietness. Remember Elijah when he went out to the mountain to stand before God. God was not in the great winds and was not in the earthquake and was not in the fire but God appeared in: “A still small voice” (1 King 19:11-13).
How Will My Life be if it is Changed into a Strong Life?
- I will live a victorious life over sin and death “For the law of the Spirit of life is Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2) It is a victorious life over bodily desires, “I say then; walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).
- My prayers … from my heart are strong “Praying always with all prayers and supplication in the spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the Saints” (Ephesians 6:18).
- My service … guided by the Holy Spirit as the Disciples of Christ whose prayers during service used to shake the place. “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31).
- My heart … Christ has settled in it, so I enjoy all that is Christ’s - the Cross and the Resurrection of Christ in my life. “That He would grant you according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” (Ephesians 3:16-17).
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
(1) Let us live under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our life away from sin.
(2) Let us ensure that we are Christians every day of the week - in our thinking, attitude and behaviour.
(3) Christianity is a religion of joy. So let us enjoy it.
For the success
of this Sunday HOLY BIBLE
in his/her preparation
OCTOBERFIRST SUNDAY
AN INTRODUCTION TO PATROLOGY ( I )
Please read the attached article entitled “How many are our teachers?”, and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below.
PURPOSE OF THE LESSON
In this lesson we would like to know the value of Patrology in our church. We want to appreciate the depth of faith and love of the fathers of the church.
MEMORY VERSE
“So shall My Word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void…..” Isaiah 55:11.
PLEASE EMPHASIZE
(A) what is Patrology? The word “Patrology” is taken from the Latin word “pater” which means “father”. Therefore the subject of Patrology is the study of the life of the fathers, their writings, their sayings and most importantly their thinking and explanations of the doctrines of the church. + The subject of Patrology, in other words, does not only dealing with the fathers and their writings, but also the understanding of their deep life, faith and intimacy with the Lord Christ.
(B) Basis of Orthodox faith: There are three basic sources for the Orthodox teaching: 1. The Holy Bible 2. The Holy Tradition 3. The Ecumenical Council and the sayings of the fathers (patrology).
(C) Who are those fathers? In the subject of patrology we don’t limit the word “Father” to the Bishops or priests or deacons. But we include all those who were defending the Christian faith in the first few centuries. We include those monks who fled away from the priesthood but they were teachers to many of the fathers. For example, St. Anthony the great was teacher of St. Athanasius.
(D) Importance of patrology in our church: Since the establishment of the church in Egypt, the Copts connected themselves with the original fathers’ thinking in the church. They translated many of the sayings of the fathers to the language of the people. + The subject of patrology helps Christians to study the interpretation of the fathers for the Holy Bible and also their explanations of the doctrines of the church. +One has to realize a basic difference here between the Holy Scriptures and the sayings of the fathers (patrology). The scriptures are inspired by the Holy Spirit and they are infallible. Fathers were enlightened and passed on their enlightenment to us, which is occasionally gives rise to different opinions.
(E) Languages of patrology: Languages of the texts of the fathers were: Greek (all the Eastern fathers), Latin (all the Western fathers) and other languages. + The fathers of the church of Alexandria wrote their texts in Greek not in Coptic. For example, St. Athanasius.
(F) Classification of Patrology: The writings of the fathers can be classified, especially in the first five centuries, on a time basis. Some people think that the first Ecumenical Council (325 A.D.) is considered the line separating two groups of fathers from the point of view of their writings: 1. Anti-Nicene fathers (their writings are popular because of their great simplicity). 2. Post-Nicene fathers + We can also classify the writings of the fathers according to the language in which they wrote their texts: 1. Greek fathers (Eastern) 2. Latin fathers (Western) + We can also classify also the writings of the fathers geographically: 1. Fathers from Alexandria, Egypt 2. Fathers from Antioch 3. Fathers from Cabudiuc 4. Latin fathers + Sometimes the classification of the writings of the fathers is done according to the subject: 1. Writings to defend the Faith 2. Explanations of the Holy Bible 3. Sermons 4. Letters 5. Church Liturgy 6. Praises 7. Dialogue 8. Asceticism 9. Church Laws 10. Historical writings
(G) Church fathers from the School of Alexandria: Please see the attached table about the Fathers from the Church of Alexandria who have a very significant contribution to the subject of patrology and affected the theology and faith of all the churches in the world.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON? (1) In our spiritual lives, there are various sources from which to learn as well as in our daily lives. We can learn a lot from the Fathers of the church, their lives, their writings and their opinions on various issues.
(2) We are proud to belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, which offered the whole world a wealth of theologians, whose writings until now are everywhere in theological libraries to the present day.
HOW MANY ARE OUR TEACHERS? By H.H. Pope Shenouda III
The one who has the spirit of discipleship and likes learning and gaining a word of benefit would in no way be able to count the number of his teachers, or in other words the sources of his knowledge.
We do not mean by that, those within the family circle as parents and relatives. Or teachers at schools and universities which are many. We don't even mean those in the Church circle such as a confession father, spiritual father, clergy, church servants and all preachers or teachers of the theological college, if one had the chance to deal with them. For each person there is a countless number of people that we learn from, about all aspects of life. It could be intentional or unintentional, whether we realize it or not.
Would anyone deny that many have affected him by their lifestyle, ideals, principles and behaviour, without intentionally trying to teach him. They left a permanent mark on himself and provided him with models of life that became printed on his mind? Would you be able to count those whose lives were a beneficial lesson to you? It could be either their style of speech, their way of treating others or how they solve problems.
Would anyone deny learning from others' mistakes as well as others' ideals? Their mistakes and their outcome became loud bells, cautioning, warning and frightening him, giving him an unforgettable lesson! As one learns from others' mistakes, no doubt he also learns from his own mistakes and from what he receives in his life of punishments, words of rebuke or words of reproach.
One even learns from words of sarcasm, criticism or insult. That is, if he wants to learn. Social relationships, with all their results are also lessons. How many times did you learn a lesson from your dealings in life? How many advices or comments have you received from a friend or a passer by? How many lessons have you learned from those who deceived, exploited or fought you? How many lessons have you learned from those who helped you without making you aware of their help, or those who put up with you without complaining? How many benefits have you gained, by passing by a discussion between two?
Then how many would be our teachers from the friends and enemies, alive or dead, righteous or evil, right or wrong? There are other lessons one learns from his readings and they are many. That could be either from books, newspaper, magazines or other types of media. There are lessons from stories, plays and even jokes and comedies. Many of these have a lesson deep within. Events are also teachers as we learn lessons from them. How many are the lessons that people learned from death, wars, catastrophes, fraction and their outcome or from all events that God allows?
The news that we hear or read everyday has a lesson if dealing with life. We even learn lessons from animals, birds and insects. We learn from the ant how to be active, from the bee how to be organized, from the dog loyalty, bravery from the lion, intelligence from the serpent, patience from the fox and fasting from the camel. Sources of knowledge are everywhere. But who is the one who wants to learn? The world and life are large schools full of lessons.
OCTOBER SECOND SUNDAY
AN INTRODUCTION TO PATROLOGY (II)EXCERPTS OF SAYING OF SOME OF THE FATHERS
PURPOSE OF THE LESSON:
In this lesson we would like to have glance over some of the excerpts of the sayings of the Fathers and benefit from their deep faith and wisdom.
MEMORY VERSE:
“Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow considering the outcome of their conduct” Heb 13:7
PLEASE EMPHASIZE:
(A) Introduction:
+ There are Fathers in the church, who after a deep faith and practical experience, have written to us with the permission of God, so that we may benefit. + When you look for success, you look for people who have succeeded and follow their footsteps. When you need depth in your spiritual life you look at the experience of the Saints and the Fathers of the church and learn from them.
(B) Excerpts of sayings of Saint Anthony in the subject: “How to live in Christ?”
+ The way to repentance and spiritual struggle: “I consider that the grace of the Holy Spirit is ready and willing to fill those who intend, from the beginning, to be steadfast in their combat against the forces of evil, without ever yielding, until they prevail.”
+ The three carnal inclinations: It is known that there are three forms of carnal inclinations.
The first includes the natural genetic instincts. They are powerless to incite us, without the yielding of spirit, to anything evil that can burden our conscience. It is enough to know that they are innate in the body.
The second results from indulgence in food and drink. The energy generated by rich foods causes the body to revolt against the spirit giving into menial and base cravings. To this effect, St. Paul says, “and do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation.” (Eph. 6:15)
The third is aroused by the satanic forces, that try, through envy, to tempt us, to weaken those who live spiritual purity, and to mislead those who try to perform ascetic practices.
+ How to achieve spiritual purity and attain heavenly peace: When a person arms himself with patience and with the Christian Orthodox faith and belief in God’s commandments, then the Holy Spirit teaches him how to rid his body and his spirit of such cravings.
+ How to emerge victorious from satanic wars: Through humility, Christian understanding and fervent prayer. + In his long struggle against the forces of satan, St. Anthony was always extremely humble. He addressed the devils saying, “You who are Powerful! What do you want from me the Weak? I am too weak to fight the least one of you.” In his prayer he used to say, “Save me O Lord from those who believe that I am something while I am nothing but dust and ashes!”
+ In his struggle against the forces of evil, he was always guided by reason. “I am wondering”, he said, “why do you gather against me in such multitudes. If you were really powerful, only one of you would be enough.” He used to tell his attackers, “If God had given you Power over me, then who am I to resist Him? But if He didn’t, then none of you would be able to do me harm.”
+ In his war against the devil, he kept on praying, He used to recite psalm twenty seven: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident.”
+ He spoke of the satanic wars, “At one time I observed Satan’s snares spread all over the land so I said, “O Lord, who could avert these?” And a voice answered, “The humble could.”
+ Concerning love for God and people: Concerning his love for God and his worship, which is based on that love, he said, “I don’t fear God…because I love him. Perfect love casts out fear.” (I John 4:18).
Concerning his love for people he said, “My love for you is not a bodily love, but a spiritual love. For the association with the body is unstable and transient, as it moves with the strange winds. Whoever fears God and keeps His commandment is a slave to God, and this bondage is not slavery, but it is a righteousness that leads to the worship.”
+ The importance of prayer and reading the Bible: Some philosophers used to come to converse with him. They were greatly surprised at his knowledge and intelligence. Once they said to him, “You do not own or read books, so whence did you acquire that knowledge and that amazing understanding?” He answered their query by posing a strange question, “Which came to existence first: the mind or knowledge?”
And when they answered that it was the mind, he repled, “then knowledge can be begotten from the mind without the help of books.” He used to say, “When I want to know something, I pray to God, who reveals it to me and I meditate on the verses of the Bible to acquire the knowledge I require. So, I have no need of books.”
Emperor Constantine the Great sent to St. Anthony a message seeking his blessings and prayers. When St. Anthony didn’t read the message at once, his Disciples were astonished. He said to them, “Don’t be amazed at this; you should be more amazed that God sends us messages every day in His Holy Book and we do not hasten to read them.”
+ On the need for silence: One day, some monks visited him. He asked them what they thought the meaning of a certain verse was. Each one expressed his point of view. Anba Youssef was one of them and he kept silent. So St. Anthony asked him about his opinion. Anba Youssef replied, “Believe me Father, I don’t know.” To this, St. Anthony replied, “Blessed are you, Anba Youssef, because you have known the way to the phrase “I don’t know.”
+ On death to the world and to its lusts: Upon the death of his father, he looked at his corpse and said, “Where is your might, greatness and authority? You have involuntarily gone out of this world, but I am going to leave it of my own free will before I am forced out of it.”
+ Learning to benefit from life’s experiences: He was in retreat by a river when a shameless woman came and began, in his presence to take off her clothes in order to bathe. He reproached her saying, “O woman, aren’t you ashamed of getting naked in front of a monk?” She replied saying, “If you were really a monk, you would have stayed in the mountains in the inner wilderness.” She said that and laughed sarcastically. As for him, he took her sarcasm seriously saying, “Truly, this is God’s commandment voiced by this woman.”
(C) Excerpts of sayings of St. Augustine
1. “Do what you can, and then pray that God will give you the power to do what you cannot.”
2. “I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all, but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.”
3. “What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten the poor and needy. It has the eyes to see the misery. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrow of men.”
4. “In Thy birth O Christ, Thou made the cave Thy palace and the manger Thy throne.”
5. “There is a difference between a person who does not know and a person who rejects to know. The one who rejects to know is judged on his or her rejection.”
6. “People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars and they pass by themselves without wondering.”
(D) Excerpts of sayings of St. John Chrysosteom:
1. “If John (the Baptist), who was equal to or greater than all the world, considers himself as unworthy to minister to Christ, what shall we say who are full of ten thousands of sins?”
2. “Never refer to any enemy using scandalous names, but use respectful ones, on hearing this, your soul will learn from your tongue, become accustomed and undergo a change of heart towards him.”
(E) Excerpts of sayings of St. Gregory the wonder-worker:
1. “When the Lord was baptized, the order of things was reversed:
+ The redeemer humbled himself amongst the captives. + The judge placed Himself with those who are under judgment. + The Good Shepherd joined Himself with the lost sheep.”
(F) Excerpts of sayings of St. Cyprian of Cathrage: “Put Christ first because He puts us first.”
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
(1) In trying to explain some of the verses that may be difficult for you, one may try to get the explanation of the Fathers of the church or ask the confession Father of confession.
(2) Search for the excerpts of sayings of the fathers of the church and will benefit a lot from their depth of faith.
OCTOBER THIRD SUNDAYTHE ANCHORITES (HERMITS) – I *
Please read the attached articles entitled, “The Strong Heart”, “Calmness”, and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below.
PURPOSE OF THE LESSON This is lesson one in a series of two lessons about the life of Anchorites (hermits). They are the ones who preferred God to the whole world and enjoyed their intimacy with God.
MEMORY STATEMENT
“I am not a monk, but I saw monks” St. Makarious the great said this statement after he saw two hermits.
PLEASE EMPHASIZE
(A) INTRODUCTION
The hermit is an individual who totally died from the world to live alone with God and God with him. He or she left all the pleasures of the world to have true enjoyment with God.
? No one can write accurately about the life of a hermit or even write about one day of a hermit’s life. But we can only write about the life of the hermit from an outsider’s viewpoint. How did he or she start his journey as a hermit? Who saw him or her? How deep was his or her spiritual life and intimacy with God?
(B) Who are the hermits?
? Some people think the hermits are spirits that fly from one location to another, and they say they enter the church while it is closed to pray in it without anybody seeing them.
V Who are the hermits? 1. They are people like us. They eat and drink. They may get sick and suffer from pain. 2. They are leading a very ascetic life in their fasting. 3. They live deep in the wilderness very far, in places nobody knows about. Many of them have spent tens of years without seeing the face of an individual. 4. Many of them were in the wilderness and they don’t know themselves where they are located. 5. Close to the end of the life of a hermit God sends to each one of them someone to talk to and to tell about his or her life (i.e. the life of the hermit), write it and deliver it to the church. Usually, this meeting between the hermit and his or her visitor comes close to the end of his or her life on earth. The visitor would then bury the hermit if he or she passed away. ? So they are people like us who eat, drink and may get sick.
? We hear about St. Paul, the first hermit who was eating half a loaf every day, delivered to him by a raven. And we hear about St. Abou Nofre the hermit who had a tree giving him dates to eat. So, it is wrong to say that the hermits are spirits.
(C) The most famous hermits:
? There are many hermits. We will mention some of them who are mentioned in the Synaxarium of the Coptic Orthodox Church: 1. St. Paul the first hermit.. The church commemorates him Amshire 2nd. 2. St. Abou Nofre the hermit… the church commemorates him in Baouna 16th. 3. St. Karas the hermit.. The church commemorates him in Abib 8th. 4. St. Pigimi the hermit…the church commemorates him in Kiahk 11th. 5. St. Miseal the hermit the church commemorates him in Kiahk 13th. 6. St. Mariam the hermit…the church commemorates her in Baramouda 6th. And there are many other hermits. (D) The journey to see them:
? We will choose one of these journeys to see a hermit, to find the following elements of the journey:
1. The very long distance that the Saints had to walk to reach a hermit. This is evidence that hermits lived in the inner wilderness. 2. The help of God is clearly manifested in arranging the meeting between the hermit and the visiting Saint. 3. The revelation from God, which He gives to the hermit to know about the name of the Saint whom the Lord sent to see the hermit.
V Examples: The visit of Saint Babnouda to Saint Abou Nofre the hermit:
St. Babnouda said I want to go to the inner wilderness to look for the hermits, the worshippers of Christ, glory is to Him. I walked four days and four nights, I did not eat or drink anything and I could not see anyone. I took with me some bread and some water enough for me for a few days. I walked an additional four days and I did not find anyone. I finished all the bread and water, which I took with me. I started to be very tired and I thought I was going to die. But I encouraged myself and I walked for a few more days in which I did not eat or drink anything. I lost all my strength and I lay down on the ground without moving. Afterwards I found a person coming towards me and touched my lips so I gained strength again. I stood up and I was able to walk again towards the inner wilderness for four more days. I became very tired again and raised my hands in prayers. I saw the same person who came towards me before and he touched my lips and body and strengthened me so that I stood up and walked for seven more days.
I saw at a distance a person who looked very scary, and was naked with no clothes on. His hair almost covered all his body and he had some leaves around his body. When he came close to me, I was very scared and I climbed over a mountain to get away from him. He came after me at the bottom of the mountain, raised his head and said to me, “Come down my brother St. Babnouda, don’t be afraid, I am a person like you living in this wilderness with God.” I was astonished that he knew my name and I realized that he was filled with the Holy Spirit. So I came down and I knelt down before him. He said to me, “Rise up my friend because I am a human like you”. So I got up and sat with him. I asked him about his name and his condition. He said to me, “My name is Nofre. I have been here in the wilderness for sixty years during which I didn’t see anyone but I have been enjoying my presence with God.”
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
(1) Living with God is a joy. For this reason the hermits left all the pleasures of the world to live with God.
(2) We also enjoy our presence with God when our prayers are not routine any more. We must take time out of the world in order to dedicate this time to God.
(3) God takes care of everyone who relies on Him. It is very scary to live deep in the wilderness where there are wild animals, no food or drink. But God takes care of everyone who relies on Him.
* Note: This lesson is totally based on the writings of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
THE STRONG HEART By H.H. Pope Shenouda III
v The strong heart is the durable heart that can stand up for all external factors and not get shook up by a reason from the outside v The strong heart is the one that any word would not change no matter how harsh; one that is not disturbed by any treatment even the odd ones; one that doesn’t get lured in by any temptation. A heart that is durable with nothing controlling it but the ethics and morals inside of it. v The strong heart is the one that doesn’t become arrogant because of money, status, prestige or promotion whether financially or spiritually; a heart that doesn’t fall for any of these v The strong heart is the one that neither anxiety nor hopelessness nor weary nor fear can defeat it, but one that listens to the saying of the apostle: “Stay stable not shaky” (1 Corinthianes 15:58)
v And to have a strong heart many reasons, some natural and others from our God’s blessing
v There is a person who has a strong heart naturally with no fear. That person could be spiritual, but he might not be. He could be strong in some situations, yet shows weakness in front of his parents. He could also show weakness in front of a certain desire that he can not resist
v And another person that has a strong heart because of his spirituality
v The satisfied person is always strong, as he doesn’t care about anything and doesn’t desire anything, and there is no weak points the devil can use against him; As St. Augustine said: “I was at the top of the world, when I desired and feared nothing” v Another reason for strength is the passion of the person to his eternity, passions that would let death poses no fear on the heart. It could also be that the heart loves the truth, and the truth is always strong no matter what faces it
v And another reason for the strong heart is faith
v Faith of God and his strength, one that protects, one that gives the Holy Spirit, as our Lord Jesus Christ said : “and you shall receive power when you receive the Holy Spirit” and as St. Paul said: “I can do everything in Christ that strengthens me”
CALMNESS By H.H. Pope Shenouda III
Calmness is one of the beautiful qualities of the spiritual person; it includes calmness of the heart, nerves, thought, senses, behaviour and body. A quiet person's heart never gets troubled for any reason. He does not lose his calm no matter how the problems are caused. As the Prophet David says "Though an army should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though men should rise against me, in this 1 will be confident" (Ps. 27:3). It is the type of calm that comes from faith.
If one loses ones inner peace, everything will look disturbed in ones eyes, and what is simple will seem complicated. This complication is not from the outside but from the inside. When the heart is calm the nerves will also be calm. In this case one would not lose temper but, instead, quietly solve the problem.
If the mind fails to solve a problem, the nerves interfere to help. The agitated nerves might announce the lack of a solution, and the more the nerves get troubled, the more they get agitated..
A person with a calm heart and nerves would be able to obtain quietness in thought and action. His thoughts will be balanced, void of any disturbances. Therefore, he will act in a quiet and sound way, far from anger or anxiety.
What helps a person to gain inner peace is outer peace, a peaceful environment that has no agitating effects. For this reason, monks live in the peace of the wilderness, far from noise, people's clamour, and any agitating news or incidents. They would have usually got used to this calmness..
The life of loneliness and isolation generally brings calmness, because all the senses are calm. As our saints say, the senses are the access to thoughts. What you see, hear and touch gives you thoughts. If your senses are at rest from gathering news, you will be relieved from thoughts.
A quiet place helps the senses to be calm, and consequently leads-to the calmness of the thoughts, heart and nerves. That is why many people avoid noisy places, seeking peace of mind.
Those who love calm search fof it with all their strength, but others, alas, love clamour and could not live without it. Calmness makes them bored!
OCTOBER FOURTH SUNDAY
THE ANCHORITES (HERMITS) (II) *
Please read the attached article entitled, “They were a blessing”, and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below.
PURPOSE OF THE LESSON
This is lesson two in a series of two lessons about the life of the Anchorites (hermits). They are the ones who preferred God to the whole world and enjoyed their intimacy with God. Can we enjoy being so close to God?
MEMORY VERSE
“….and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing” (Gen. 12:2).
PLEASE EMPHASIZE
V Start by reviewing the previous lesson with the students and then proceed as follows:
(A) How did the hermits start their journey? + There is a different start for each one of them. Some of them were monks and then they became hermits. Others did not go through any monastic life but they became hermits.
V How did St. Paul the hermit start his journey to become a hermit? He was the first hermit. At his time there were no monasteries or monks. It was said that his brother or one of his relatives was unfair to him regarding a large sum of money that he inherited from his parents. As they were going to the judge, they found the richest man in the city being carried dead to be buried. St. Paul the hermit was very affected by what he saw, left everything and walked away towards the West side of the city. He prayed for three days asking God to guide him to whereabouts he should go. God sent an angel who guided him to the place that had good water and where a raven used to deliver to him half a loaf of bread daily.
(B) Were the hermits immune from falling in sin or were they liable to fall in sin?
No one is immune from falling in sin while he or she is living in the flesh on earth. God only is without sin. The life of the hermits tells us some information about the fall of some of them and their repentance. An example of those hermits who fell in sin and repented was St. Moses the hermit. He lived for thirty years as a hermit and the wild animals dwelled around him without hurting him. But the devil was able to deceive him and make him fall several times. But St. Moses repented. God sent St. Samuel the confessor to him so that St. Moses can confess to him, and took Holy Communion and then he departed immediately afterwards from this world.
(C) Did the hermits wear clothes?
We read that in the life of St. Makarious the Great he saw two hermits in the inner wilderness, and they were naked. But this was an abnormal case. St. Paul the first hermit made for a tunic for himself out of the palm leaves. St. Abou Nofre the hermit had very long hair, which covered his nakedness. St. Pigimi the hermit thought of living naked as a sign of leading an ascetic life. But he answered himself wisely and said, “How can I sit naked? How can I pray to God while I am naked?” and he remembered that God made leather jackets for Adam and Eve to cover their nakedness (Gen. 3:20). So we can see that the hermits either God keeps their clothes from wearing away or their hair becomes long enough to cover their body, or they make clothes out of leaves. We hear that St. Miriam the hermit hid behind a rock when St. Soziema went to the inner wilderness to get her blessings. She asked him to throw her the cover of his tunic and she wore it before seeing him.
(D) Are there hermits now?
From among the monks, there are no hermits now because all the monks in the monasteries are known to us by their name, location and what each one of them does. But if God allowed in our present day to have some hermits, it is not from among the monks. Maybe an individual went to the inner wilderness and lived an ascetic life without going through the monastery and without starting as a monk.
(E) Did any of the hermits serve the church?
The life of a hermit in its essence is living away from humanity without seeing any person’s face until the day of the departure of the hermit from this world. This is what happened in the case of St. Paul the first hermit, St. Abou Nofre the hermit and others. But very few of the hermits came down to serve for a short while. For example, St. Hedra the hermit, he went to a monastery in his old age and closed his cell on himself. God gave him the talent of healing the sick and casting out demons. When the Bishop of Aswan, Egypt departed the people opened the cell of St. Hedra, and carried him to Alexandria where they ordained him a Bishop by Pope Theophelous (the 23rd Pope of Alexandria) close to the beginning of the fifth century.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
1) We must move forward in our relationship with God. Take a step forward to become closer to God. Maybe focus more on prayer or make a commitment to stop leading a sinful life. Try to improve everyday more than the day before.
2) If you thought you reached a good spiritual level and you are not liable to fall into sin, just be careful because you may fall into sin.
3) Fasting will never adversely affect your health. The hermits were leading an ascetic life filled with fasting yet they lived for a long time and they were quite healthy. So do not be afraid of fasting thinking that fasting is bad for you. It is not.
* Note: This lesson is totally based on the writings of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
THEY WERE A BLESSING By H.H. Pope Shenouda III
There are individuals who lived on earth, and were a blessing.
One example is our father Abraham, father of all fathers, to whom the Lord said: “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing.” Genesis 12:2
And before Abraham was our father Noah, because of whom the Lord preserved life on earth after the great deluge (Genesis 6). Humanity would have ceased to exist if God did not favor Noah, thus becoming the father of humanity after Adam.
We read of many individuals who were a blessing wherever they stayed. One of them was Joseph the Righteous. He became a blessing to the house of Potifar. The Holy Bible tells us: “And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.” Genesis 39:3, 4 Joseph became a blessing in the land of Egypt and because of him the Lord saved this land and the surrounding lands from the famine.
Another example was Elijah the Prophet, who was a blessing to the widow. Because of Elijah, the Lord blessed her oil and her flour: “The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which he spoke by Elijah.” 1Kings 17:16
Another example was Elisha who was a blessing in the house of the Shunammite woman. The Lord granted her a son and later raised him from the dead, all because of the prayers of Elisha.
The visit of St. Mary to Egypt was a great blessing to this land. Because of her visit, many of the idols in Egypt were destroyed, and faith in God entered the heart of many. Over time churches have been established in the places of her visits. To this day, the blessings of St. Mary and the Lord Jesus Christ fill the land of Egypt.
Remember also the blessings of the saints, the fathers, the archimandrites, and the anchorites. They have blessed many places and many people with their prayers. Their places of residence have become sources of blessings that people continually seek. This reminds us of the blessings of the “ten” of whom the Lord spoke with regards to the destruction of Sodom, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” Genesis 18:32
We also remember the blessings of the tithes, the blessings of the Holy Day of God, …
NOTES
_________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
OCTOBER FIFTH SUNDAY
PERSONAGES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENTHOSEA THE PROPHET: MORAL RELATIVISM
Please read Hosea chapter one to three and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below:
Purpose of the lesson:
This is the first lesson in a series of three lessons about Hosea the prophet. The focus in this lesson is on moral relativism as we face it in society.
Please emphasize:
ÇIntroduction
Hosea the Prophet is one of the minor prophets (that is – among the prophets who have written short prophecies) and belongs to the eighth century B.C. “Hosea” is a Hebrew word which means “Jehovah delivers” and from which the word Joshua or Jesus was derived. His father’s name was Beeri. Hosea prophesied in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah (the Southern Kingdom) and also in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel (the Northern Kingdom). As it is written, “The word of the Lord that came to Hosea the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.” (Hos. 1:1).
We notice here that although Hosea is rather a prophet of Israel, viz, the Northern Kingdom, he associates the date of his prophecy with kings of Judah first while mentioning only one of the kings of Israel. Some scholars see that the Prophet Hosea’s conception of the separation of the Northern kingdom (with its ten tribes) from the Southern kingdom (the kingdom of David) is that it is like the separation from God and from the temple in Jerusalem. Some other scholars, however, see that Hosea mentioned only one of the kings of Israel because the kings of Israel were evil and, as such, were not worth-mentioning. Those scholars maintain that Hosea mentioned only this king- even though he was evil as well – because he was honored to carry the title of the “the savior of people”. As it is written, “And the Lord did not say that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven; but He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash” (2 Kings 14:27). Jeroboam’s reign was followed by a series of disturbances, assassinations and anarchy and ended up in captivity.
Hosea was contemporary to both Isaiah, the Prophet, and Micah, the Prophet, in Judah. He was also contemporary to Amos, the Prophet, in Israel. Hosea is considered a prophet of Israel before captivity – which he witnessed himself – albeit his prophecies sometimes included Judah. It was said that in his last days he went to Judah where he prophesied.
V The family of Hosea the Prophet:
Hosea the Prophet was married to a woman called Gomer, as it is written “When the Lord began to speak to Hosea, the Lord said to him: Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry, for the land has committed great harlotry by departing from the Lord.” (Hos. 1:2)
One might just wonder at God’s command to His prophet to get attached to a harlot woman as his wife – whereas Moses’ canon law stipulates that “The adulteress shall surely be put to death.” (Lev. 20:10)
? Some see that the phrase of “a wife of harlotry” may not mean merely an adulterous woman, flesh-wise. Rather it means a human being dedicating her life to Baal, thereby, considered adulterous – especially that idol worshipping used to be associated with committing adultery. For, at that time, most Israeli women – if not all were associated with idol worshipping so that it might have been impossible for a prophet to find himself a woman who was not an idol worshipper, but one who was not necessarily practicing adultery of the flesh.
? It was Prophet Hosea’s marriage to Gomer – as a woman worshipping a false god (which is what adultery means)- that enabled him to experience in his prophecy a glimpse of the feelings of God-Who is supposed to be the bridegroom of the soul-toward His people. That people – being far and away from Him – indulged in sinful pleasures. Therefore, the Prophet Hosea’s prophecy brings forth the practical experience to unveil God’s feelings of sadness for His people living in sin.
? So, Hosea got married to Gomer – even though he was aware of her past. He accepted to this because of the divine order – thereby implementing in his life a symbolic image of what used to happen between God and His people.
We do not know Hosea’s sentiments toward his wife Gomer, though we only know that he took her as a wife just to obey God. She bore unto him three children. These are: Jezreel (boy), Lo-Ruhamah (girl) and Lo-Ammi (boy).
In chapter three, however, the Lord says to Hosea: “Then the Lord said to me [Go again to love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans]. So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and one and one-half homers of barley.” (Hos. 3: 1-2). Some scholars see that Gomer (Hosea’s wife), daughter of Diblaim, might have fled marital house and sold herself to corruption, thereby becoming a serf, but was later purchased by the Prophet to be his woman. Other scholars hold that what is reported in chapter one is exactly what is reported in chapter three. They believe that what is reported in chapter one is the marriage whereas here, the Prophet is narrating what happened as a practical reality-presenting us with the experience he went through himself.
Thus, God wanted Hosea to get into His loving communion with His people even though that people turned to other gods.
Still, there are others who think that the incident recorded in chapter three is totally different from the one recorded in chapter one on account of the saying “The Lord said go again”.
Accordingly, the second marriage took place many years after the first one.
Remarks:
1- In the marriage mentioned in chapter one of Hosea, we see the strong tie between God and the children of Israel as well as the extent of the sin of those people. However, the marriage reported in chapter three refers to, and is a symbol of, discipline and also the captivity days in which the sons of Israel underwent and which resulted in their penitence and repentance of their evil.
2- Not only did the Lord ask Hosea to marry a wife of harlotry, but also to beget from her children of harlotry whose names would be dictated by God as Jezreel, Lo-Ruhamah and Lo-Ammi. This does not mean that they are fruit of adultery. Rather, their mere birth of an adulterous woman associated with idol worship or paganism reckoned them children of harlotry-even though they were the prophet’s sons – until they had accepted their father’s mission and rejected their mother’s old spirit.
Jezreel means “God sows”. It also indicates that the chastisements that God raises upon us are the fruits of our deeds. Lo-Ruhamah means “I do not make mercy.” For, when man does not make mercy with himself, he falls under the yoke of idol worship and does not expect mercy from God. Despising God’s patience and mercy “Treasures up wrath in the day of wrath” (Rom. 2:5). Lo-Ammi means “Not my people.” So, if sin gives birth to no mercy, the bitterness of no mercy is depriving man of his affiliation with God. Then, God mixes chastisement with hope. For, He declares here that His discipline is not absolute nor is their refusal indefinite, but temporary- as He is waiting for them to return to Him so that He may restore them in more glamour and glory and regain them a strong and great kingdom delighting in sonship. “Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them [you are not my people,] there it shall be said to them, [you are the sons of the living God]. Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and appoint for themselves one head; and they shall come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel” (Hos. 1: 10-11).
? Says St. Isaac the Syrian “God sometimes allows His children to do something that may sound unbecoming but He is not disciplining them. Rather, this brings about glory to Him – as was the case with Hosea the prophet” (Hos. 1:2), and Elijah the prophet (1 Kings 18:40). “And Elijah said to them [Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!] So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.” God allowed Elijah to do that i.e. killing God’s prophets, to punish them for their corrupt worship and also to strongly ask the others to repent from bad worship.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
(1) The human soul is supposed to be a bride of Christ i.e. in full of love with Christ. When the human soul is in love with the world instead of God, it is then considered adultery i.e. it is sinful and leads to death.
(2) The love of God is never shaken up despite the sins of His people. God is still looking to save His people
(3) God’s feelings are hurt and He becomes very sad when He sees that His people’s morals are following the wrong path and living by their own free will.
For the success
of this Sunday HOLY BIBLE
in his/her preparation
NOVEMBERFIRST SUNDAY
PERSONAGES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENTHOSEA THE PROPHET: OTHER GODS
Please read Hosea chapter four to fourteen and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below:
PURPOSE OF THE LESSON:
This is the second lesson in a three lesson series about Hosea the prophet. In this lesson the focus is on worshipping other gods as we face it in the society that we live in today.
PLEASE EMPHASIZE:
Start by reviewing the previous lesson and discussing the various aspects of it with the students.
V The Message Declared in the Service of Hosea The Prophet
The message of Hosea the Prophet to the children of Israel declared a number of things:
1- Severe rebuke and warning because of their idol worship-which is considered adultery- instead of loving and worshipping the real God. 2- Announcement of God’s chastisements … and mercy 3- Announcement and prophecy of the end of animal sacrifices of the Old Testament with the advent of Christ- the real sacrifice – with the generous gifts of the New Testament.
Hosea reminded them of the dirtiness and drunkenness involved in worshipping Baal
“Harlotry, wine and new wine enslave the heart” (Hos. 4: 11). Their life was filled with sex and desires, which they mixed with worshipping. “They offer sacrifices on the mountaintops, and burn incense on the hills, under oaks, poplars and terebinths, because their shade is good. Therefore your daughters commit harlotry, and your brides commit adultery. I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry, nor your brides when they commit adultery; for the men themselves go apart with harlots, and offer sacrifices with a ritual harlot. Therefore people who do not understand will be trampled” (Hos. 4: 13-14) together with false prophecies and sacrifices for idols “Because Ephraim has made many altars for sin, they have become for him altars for sinning” (Hos. 8:11).
Then Hosea the Prophet explains to the children of Israel what happens to them as a result of this dirty worship.
In their filthy worship, they think that they are increasing fruit and material production. So, he says about them “They sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind. Their stalk has no bud; it shall never produce meal. If it should produce, aliens would swallow it up. Israel is swallowed up; now they are among the Gentiles like a vessel in which there is no pleasure” (Hos. 8: 7-8). Likewise, in every age, he who turns to world riches-thinking that happiness lies in them- is not satisfied with these fruits, nor does he find happiness therein. Then, in their filthy worship, they suppose that material welfare is everything. Therefore, God replies saying “Do not rejoice, O Israel, with joy like other peoples, for you have played the harlot against your God. You have loved for reward on every threshing floor. The threshing floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail in her. They shall not dwell in the Lord’s land, but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and shall eat unclean things in Assyria. They shall not offer wine offerings to the Lord, nor shall their sacrifices be pleasing to Him. It shall be like bread of mourners to them; all who eat it shall be defiled. For their bread shall be for their life; it shall not come into the house of the Lord” (Hos. 9:1-4).
And how about potency? The Lord has said to them “Give them, O Lord-what will You give?
Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts (Hos. 9:14). Then He says “My God will cast them away because they did not obey Him; and they shall be wanderers among the nations” (Hos. 9:17). Then how about the abundance of their sacrifices to Baal? In response, the Lord says “Israel empties his vine; He brings forth fruit for himself. According to the multitude of his fruit he has increased the altars; … … He will break down their altars; He will ruin their sacred pillars … … ..Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.” (Hos. 10:1-6) and how about their military capability as a result of their god worship? “O Israel you have sinned from the days of Gibeah … … … Peoples shall be gathered against them when I bind them for their two transgressions … … ….in the morning the king of Israel shall be cut off utterly” (Hos. 10: 9-15).
Hosea describes the people’s sin and their breaching of the covenant with God “Hear the word of the Lord, you children of Israel, for the Lord brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: there is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land, killing and stealing and committing adultery, they break all restraint, with bloodshed after bloodshed” (Hos. 4:1-2).
Then He tells them “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children” (Hos. 4:6).
Spiritual leaders and the clergy went corrupt at that time and Hosea the Prophet addressed the message of God to them “They eat up the sin of My people; they set their heart on their iniquity.” (Hos. 4:8) on the grounds that they refused knowledge themselves and misled the people failing to turn them away from their wrong path. “And it shall be: like people, like priest. So I will punish them for their ways, and reward them for their deeds.” (Hos. 4:9) Then he says “hear this, O priests! Take heed, O house of Israel! Give ear, O house of the king! For yours is the judgment, because you have been a snare to Mizpah and a net spread on Tabor.” (Hos. 5:1) and also says “ … The prophet is a fowler’s snare in all his ways, and enmity in the house of his God” (Hos. 9:8).
Similarly, the most probable person to bring trouble to the church is the one who is in charge of the spiritual leadership yet behaves in corruption himself, because he misleads many with him and assumes a status that is not his. There are always examples in every age.
Despite all this, Hosea the Prophet reminds the people of God’s love and mercy toward them. “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son …I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love, and I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them.” (Hos. 11:1-4)
And He also says: “I will heal their backsliding …….. I will be like the dew to Israel… … His beauty shall be like an olive tree … … For the ways of the Lord are right, the righteous walk in them … ” (Hos. 14:5, 6, 9).
Remark: Do we find nowadays people worshipping gods other than the real God. Do we find these days heresies in the world and corruption in some spiritual leaders? The result of all these things is known and so is God’s mercy.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
(1) Worshiping other gods(such as money, lusts, people …etc) instead of the true God would lead to drunkenness, sexual immorality, lustful desires and death.
(2) Worshiping other gods (such as following cults and heresies) instead of the One True God would make the person very miserable.
(3) There is judgment from God on people who are worshipping other gods.
(4) When someone takes a leadership role in the church while he or she is worshipping other gods it becomes dangerous.
NOVEMBER SECOND SUNDAY
PERSONAGES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENTHOSEA THE PROPHET: THE NATURE OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
Please read Hosea chapter four to fourteen and give the lesson with emphasis on the points below:
PURPOSE OF THE LESSON:
This is the third lesson in a series of three lessons on Hosea the prophet. The focus in this lesson is on our relationship with God as established by the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ.
U Please emphasize:
Start by reviewing the previous lesson and discuss the various practical aspects of it.
ÇHosea’s Prophecies about Jesus Christ and the church
1- Incarnation:
“Yet I will have mercy on the house of Judah, will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword or battle, by horses or horsemen.” (Hos. 1:7) It is clear that Hosea is prophesizing about the sacrament of the incarnation of the Word of God and the salvation he offered to humanity without war or weapons. We may observe the advent of Christ in this way i.e. meek and humble in heart – contrary to the Jews’ expectation that He would come with worldly power-an expectation that contradicts the prophecies about the image of the coming Christ-like this prophecy of Hosea.
The prophet Hosea then says that when Christ comes, He would be the head of the church, attaching it to heaven and detaching it from worldly ties. “Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together and appoint for themselves one head; and they shall come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel!” (Hos. 1:11) Here, God’s unsurpassable love is declared in the messianic age through our joint union in Jesus Christ the one head “and appoint for themselves one head” by accepting the belief and faith in Jesus Christ and delighting in sonship via baptism. We also observe that Hosea is not saying, “They meet together under one king”. Rather, he highlights perfection in love by the Savior being the head of the church- thus the body can not separate from him. Then Hosea says, “they shall come out from the land” prophesizing about the new heavenly nature cherished by members of the church of Christ “Our citizenship in heaven.” (Phil 3:20) Commenting on” for great will be the day of Jezreel”, A. Jerome says that Jezreel means “God sows” for His hand sows us a new and holy planting. He sows us as members of the body of His only Son where we are irrigated by the water of the Holy Spirit so that we may sustain the righteousness of Christ inside us. 2- The trip to Egypt:
“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son” (Hos. 11:1). This is strictly identical to what Isaiah the prophet says, “The burden against Egypt. Behold, the Lord rides on a swift cloud and will come into Egypt; the idols of Egypt will totter at His presence and the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst” (Isa. 19:1).
In the Gospel according to St. Matthew we read “And was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, [Out of Egypt I called My Son]” (Mt. 2: 15).
3- The Savior’s pains:
Hosea the Prophet says “Woe to them, for they have fled from Me! Destruction to them, because they have transgressed against Me! Though I redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against Me.” (Hos. 7: 13) That was what happened before the seat of Pontius Pilate as narrated by St. Luke the Evangelist “Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people … … . And they all cried out at once, saying [Away with this Man, and release to us Barabas] …. … But they shouted, saying [Crucify Him, crucify Him!] so Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested” (Lk. 23: 13-24).
4- Descending to Hades and resurrection:
“Come, and let us return to the Lord; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight” (Hos. 6: 1-2).
This is a prophecy about our Lord Jesus Christ’s fulfilled resurrection on the third day. It was through Christ’s resurrection on the third day that the entire humanity rose in victory over the power of death as per Hosea’s prophecy “I will ransom them from the power of the grave! I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction! Pity is hidden from My eyes” (Hos. 13:14). As well, St. Paul mentions in 1Cor. 15- which is a complete chapter about resurrection “O Death, where is your sting? O Death, where is your victory?” (1Cor. 15:55). St. Paul also says, “For, as in Adam all die even so, in Christ all shall be made alive” (1Cor. 15:22). And this is our faith and belief that Christ has given us life that overcomes death in all its shapes e.g. the death embedded in sin and death of the flesh. Therefore, we say in the prayers of the deceased “it is not death for your servants rather a transfer.”
5- The Church and its establishment
? St. John Chrysostom comments on the Lord’s command to Hosea to “Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry” (Hos. 1:2) saying that God chose for Himself to be a physician –not a judge- in His choice of the new covenant church. For when God ordered Hosea to take himself a wife of harlotry and get attached to her as a wife, He did not scorn our weak nature. Rather, He blessed it and sanctified it for Him so that our souls may become brides for Christ.
St. Paul the Apostle comments in his epistle to the Romans Chapter 9:25-26 “As he says also in Hosea: [I will call them My people, who were not My People and her beloved, who was not beloved]. And it shall come to pass in the place that it was said to them, [You are not My People, there they will be called sons of the living God].
This is identical to what was said about those who no longer have the mercy of God on them and about those who are not the people of God. Then Hosea says about them, “yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which can not be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, [You are not My people] there it shall be said to them [You are the sons of the living God]” (Hos. 1:10)
The Prophet Hosea also says about the establishment of the new covenant church (Hos. 2:14-23) “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, will bring her into the wilderness and speak comfort to her … … …
Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth, and I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; then I will say to those who were not My people [You are My people!] and they shall say, [You are my God!]” (Luke 15). This reminds us of the father’s flattery of each of his elder and younger sons.
Where in the world does a bridegroom flatter his bride after she betrays him? Likewise, God longs for man: - He flatters and dandles him so that he might come back to Him and accept union with Him. And while God sanctifies man’s freedom, he does not compel him or her to come back to Him. Rather, God flatters man in order to draw him to Him. And how does God dandle man? “I will give her, her vineyard from there.” (Hos. 2:15)) These vineyards which the Lord offers are nothing but Himself- that is why He says, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser” (John 15:1).
“I will give her … the Valley of Achor as a door of hope on that day” (Hos. 2:15) The word “Achor” means disturbance or distress. Therefore, the church accepts distress with vineyards because where Christ is, there is always anti Christ resisting Him.
Thus, “Achor” i.e. – the distress- is “God’s gift” and in this context St. Paul says “For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Phil. 1:29). The pains that the apostles and martyrs have undergone throughout ages are indeed worthy of remembrance.
Astonishingly, God grants us “Achor as a door of hope”. For, amidst pain, the door of hope opens in front of us as we appreciate the power and joy of resurrection through crucifixion with Christ. Thereby, we go back to our heavenly life “Shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. [And it shall be, in that day] Says the Lord [That you will call Me My Husband and no longer call Me My Master] (Hos. 2:16). That is to say, the human spirit would accept union with God without using the pagan expression of “My Master”.
Then, three times Hosea does say “I will betroth you to Me”. Once he says “I will betroth you to Me forever” and another time he says “Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in loving kindness and mercy” and thirdly “I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord” (Hos. 2: 19-20).
And by the same token our Lord Jesus Christ says “For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (Mt. 9:13). Such is the mercy of God Who also says “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (Jn. 1:17).
We may observe here that the expression of “mercy and not sacrifice” (Mt. 12:7) is identical to Hosea’s words in Hos. 6:6. It was the expression that the Lord Jesus used to defend His Disciples against the Jews’ adherence to the letter.
God seeks internal deeds and change of the heart, something man can not do of himself because it is the work of God inside man. It is God Who acts in us in order to grant us mercy fixed in us. The mission of Jesus Christ came to emphasize the change of our cruel nature so that it may be similar to His nature: - full of love and kindness – thereby we sustain His characteristics inside us.
We should not be like Adam about whom it is written “But like mean they transgressed the covenant” (Hos. 6:7). Let our reformation be divine so that it might not be said about us that we transgressed the covenant.
6- God’s refusal of the dissident Jews:
“My God will cast them away, because they did not obey Him; and they shall be wanderers among the nations” (Hos. 9:17).
For, Christ the living Son of God came and showed them all God’s love and performed so many miracles amidst them. However, they refused Him and crucified Him because of their hypocrisy. Indeed, this prophecy has come true these days as we see the Jews straying all over the world.
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children” (Hos. 4:6).
We observe here that God did not say “Because you are ignorant” – instead – He says, “Because you have rejected knowledge.” As if He is saying that you have no excuse: - you have available knowledge and the light is on. However, you are rejecting knowledge and are not welcoming light. The reason they rejected knowledge lies in their abandonment of God’s word or commandment. “The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life.” (Jn. 6:63) In the Holy Bible, we see God face to face and we see ourselves the way we are. To what extent is our keenness to study the Bible?
7- The advent of anti Christ:
“Though he is fruitful among his brethren, an East wind shall come; the wind of the Lord shall come up from the wilderness. Then his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be fried up. He shall plunder the treasury of every desirable prize.
Samaria is held guilty, for she has rebelled against her God. They shall fall by the sword, their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child ripped open” (Hos. 13: 15-16).
If Jesus Christ grants man life through His crucifixion and resurrection, Satan rants the opposite of this –in other words- grief and death. For, with divine permission, the anti Christ comes and blows like an East wind which drains the spring of the Holy Spirit and dries up His internal fountain inside man by depriving Him of all His fruit. This has always been the work of the devil: depriving man of all fruit in his life. This prophecy came true, literally, through the blowing of the Assyrian captivity from the East. It was such captivity that destroyed Israel and its capital Samaria entirely. This prophecy will come true again at the end of time when anti Christ’s wind blows from the East and it is named “The wind of the Lord” because it comes through permission from Him.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS LESSON?
1) Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ came and completed the |
