 13-02-2008 | #1 (mesaj-linki) | |
|  Christianity in TurkeyChristianity in Turkey Since up to 98 percent of the population are Muslims, Christians are obviously a minority religion in Turkey. Because it is a secular country, the only MuslimConstitution guarantees religious freedom, and tolerance is the rule. The population includes members of the Armenian Apostolic and Greek Orthodox churches, Roman and Eastern Catholics, and Jews. Today, approximately 120,000 Christians and 26,000 JewsTurkey, out of 73 million of the total population. Dispute continues, however, over what part Islam should have in Turkish life. It is one of the most controversial issues in Turkey today, and may at some point alter whether Turkish society is organized on a secular or religious basis. After the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, many of the early Christians, escaping from persecutions in Jerusalem, came to Asia Minor and settled in different cities like Ephesus, Hierapolis and Cappadocia. St. Paul preached in Perge, Derbe, Lystra, Psidian Antioch, Ephesus and Konya. St. John stayed for a while in Ephesus together with Virgin Mary and, after he returned from Patmos where he was exiled, died in Ephesus. St. Peter settled in Antioch and build the first Christian church carved in a cave. St. Philip settled in Hierapolis but was killed together his family by the Romans. Christianity was declared as the official religion in 380, during the reign of Theodosius I, and destruction of pagan temples was legalized. Even so, throughout the Byzantine era Christianity had great ups and downs in popularity. Many found the road to piety confusing and assorted schisms between the Roman Catholic church and the Orthodox Byzantine church certainly didn't simplify matters. Add this inter-faith bickering to the "Dhimmi" tax (50 percent of earnings for non-Muslims as opposed to the tithing for believers) for those living on MuslimOttoman-held lands, no wonder large numbers of peasants converted their faith to Islam. Islam was also a relatively simple path to follow - profess belief in One God and the mission of his Prophet Muhammed, and follow the Five Pillars of Faith. Gradually, Christianity in Turkey disintegrated, so that when the Islamic Ottomans finally conquered the Byzantine Empire, it was inevitable that what had been a predominantly Christian region would be no more. Another important fact for Christians is that first Ecumenical Councils were made at Nicea (Iznik today) in the Marmara Region of Turkey, between Bursa and Istanbul. | |
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| 21-02-2008 | #2 (mesaj-linki) | |
| Cvp: Christianity in Turkey- The Apostle Paul The Apostle Paul  Of all the apostles, Paul stands out as the one who was the traveler par excellence. His journeys through the length and breadth of the ancient world are nothing short of remarkable and given the difficulties of traveling in these times, let alone the animosity and danger he faced trying to convert populations to the new faith, it is a credit to the endurance and tenacity of the man that he accomplished as much as he did. Paul, originally Saul, was born in Tarsus in what is now southern Turkey and changed his name after converting Sergius Paulus. He is traditionally represented as a stocky little man, with a bald head and a grey, bushy beard. He studied Jewish law in Jerusalem under the famous rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). He and his parents were Roman citizens, having special rights and privileges. Roman citizens could not be imprisoned without a trial nor could they be scourged or crucified. His Roman citizenship saved Paul many times during his ministry. He made three great missionary journeys before being arrested in Jerusalem and taken to Rome where he was beheaded in AD 62. Saul witnessed the stoning and death of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, and guarded the clothes of his executioners (Acts 7:58). He then started persecuting the Christians and imprisoned many of them (Acts 8:3). The followers of Jesus Christ were regarded as heretics by the Pharisees. The persecution in Jerusalem caused the believers to disperse abroad and preach the Word everywhere they went (Acts 8:4). Saul planned to persecute Christians even abroad. He obtained letters to the synagogues in Damascus from the high priest in Jerusalem, and set out to bring Christians bound from there to Jerusalem. On the road to Damascus the most famous conversion in the history of Christianity took place, described in Acts, chapters 9,22 and 26. At midday, light shone down suddenly from heaven, encompassing Saul. He heard Jesus Christ's voice, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" This man who hated Christ and allChristians capitulated in the front of the living God. Then Jesus told him to go into Damascus, and there he would be told what to do. Paul became blind and did not eat or drink for three days. In Damascus, the Lord sent a disciple called Ananias to him, who restored his vision, filled him with the Holy Spirit and baptized him. (After his conversion, Saul is mentioned in the Bible by his Latin name, Paul.) He then began to preach about Jesus in the synagogues in Damascus. The Jews wanted to kill him, but he escaped with the help of some Christians who lowered him in a basket from the top of the city wall. Paul went away to Arabia for a period of time, then returned to Damascus (Gal. 1:17), and after three years journeyed to Jerusalem (Gal. 1:18). The disciples there did not trust him, knowing he had previously persecuted Christians, but Barnabas took him to the apostles who were staying in Jerusalem at that time (Gal. 1:18-19, Acts 9:26-27). Paul preached boldly in Jerusalem, but after 15 days had to flee again, this time to Tarsus (Acts 9:29-30). In Antioch, the capital of Syria then, Gentiles were turning to Jesus Christ, and the church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas there to instruct these new believers. Barnabas in turn took Paul from Tarsus to be his companion (Acts 11:19-25). The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:26). Christians in Antioch sent relief funds by Barnabas and Paul back to Christians in Judea (Acts 11:27-30). They returned with young John Mark, Barnabas' nephew from there (Acts 12:25). Paul's Letters The New Testament contains fourteen epistles written by Paul to Christian Romans, First Corinthians, Second Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, First Thessalonians, Second Thessalonians, First Timothy, Second Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews. 2008 Saint Paul Year Pope Benedict XVI has declared 2008 the "Year of St Paul" in honour of the saint, to mark 2000 years since St. Paul's birth. The anniversary year formally begins on 28 June and it's expected to gather millions of Christian pilgrims to his birth town Tarsus, in Turkey. PAUL'S MISSIONARY JOURNEYS  On all of his journeys he traveled along the coast of Asia Minor and there are many places along the coast where he stopped and taught, or changed boats, or sheltered from the weather. The book of Acts covers most of his exploits and journeys as well as his last voyage as a prisoner to Rome. At the instruction of the Holy Ghost, the leaders of the church in Antioch sent out Barnabas and Paul as missionaries ( Acts 13:1-3). Paul's missionary trips are described in the Book of Acts and are divided into three separate journeys plus a last journey to Rome. A) First journey with Barnabas and John Mark (Acts 13:4-14:28) Paul, Barnabas and John Mark departed to Seleucia, from where they sailed to Cyprus. On Cyprus they preached in Salamis and Paphos. In Paphos a sorcerer Jew, a false prophet named Barjesus turned against them before the Roman deputy of the island, but God blinded him. As a result, the deputy became a believer in Jesus Christ. From Cyprus the three men sailed back to the mainland of Asia Minor, to Perge in Pamphylia, where John left them and returned to Jerusalem. Paul and Barnabas journeyed to Antioch in Pisidia, where many Jews and Gentiles accepted the word of God and believed after hearing them preach. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them out of their coasts. The same thing happened in Iconium (Konya), where unbelieving Jews and Gentiles planned to stone them. They fled to Lystra, where Paul healed a crippled man and as a result the people thought they were gods and wanted to sacrifice to them, but Barnabas and Paul managed to stop them. The same crowd later stoned Paul and left him to die, when certain Jews arrived in the city from Antioch and Iconium and stirred up the people against the apostles. Paul survived and departed with Barnabas to Derbe the next day. Then they returned again to Lystra, Iconium, Antioch, Perge, to strengthen believers and ordain elders in every church. From Attalia (Antalya) they sailed back to Antioch, where they gathered the church together to tell them about their experiences and how God "opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles". The council in Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-32) Some Jewish Christians from Judea told Gentile Christians in Antioch, that they should circumcise themselves and keep the Law of Moses in order to be saved. To decide this fundamental question, Paul, Barnabas and some other Christians were sent from Antioch to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders. A conference was held in Jerusalem, where the church leaders, inspired by God, declared that Gentile Christians are equal to Jewish Christians and they did not have to be circumcised or keep the law to be saved, because faith in Jesus Christ is sufficient, but they should abstain from meats offered to idols, blood, strangled animals and from fornication. A letter was sent about these decisions to the Christians in Antioch by Paul and Barnabas, and two prophets, Judas Barsabas and Silas, to confirm its content. B) Second journey with Silas (Acts 15:36-18:22) Paul and Barnabas planned to visit the churches they planted on their first journey. Barnabas wanted John Mark to accompany them, but Paul disagreed, so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus, while Paul chose Silas and went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches everywhere. Paul and Silas then visited Derbe and Lystra (near Konya), where Paul chose a young Christian named Timothy to accompany them. They went through Phyrgia and Galatia and arrived in Troas, where the Lord told Paul in a vision to go to Macedonia to preach. Luke, the evangelist probably joined them in Troas, for from this point on he begins referring to the missionaries as "we". The four men sailed to Europe to Samothracia, Neapolis and to Philippi, where a godly woman named Lydia invited them into her house after she and her household was baptized. In Philippi Paul healed a demon-possessed slave girl, who made a profit for her masters by soothsaying. As she was not able to make profit after this, her masters brought Paul and Silas to the magistrates. They were beaten and cast into prison, but at midnight, as they prayed and sang praises to God, an earthquake shook the prison, all the doors opened and everyone's bands were loosened. Paul and Silas then preached the gospel to the frightened jailer and his household, and all believed and were baptized on the same night. Paul and Silas were publicly freed by the magistrates themselves the next day. The four men then passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia and went to Thessalonica, a main seaport and an important commercial center in Macedonia, where Paul spoke in the synagogue of the Jews on three Sabbath days. Some of the Jews and many Greeks believed, but the unbelieving Jews stirred some crowds against them, so Paul and Silas had to leave the city by night. They moved on to Berea, where the Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word and searched the Scriptures to see if those things were so. Many Jews and Greeks in Berea believed, but the Jews of Thessalonica came to Berea and stirred up the people again. Afterwards, Paul went to Athens, a city full of idolatry and pagan philosophers. He disputed in the synagogue and in the market daily, and preached on the Areopagus. A few Greeks believed him but the others mocked. Paul then journeyed to Corinth, one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire, where he convinced many Jews and Greeks, among them the chief ruler of the synagogue and all his household. In a night vision Lord Jesus encouraged Paul to continue to speak in Corinth, so he preached in the city for a year and a half. The Jews there stirred up persecution against Paul and tried to indict him in front of Gallio, the Roman deputy, but Gallio did not listen to them. Paul then sailed to Ephesus, the capital of the Roman province of Asia, where he stayed for a short time. He traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover, then back to Antioch. C) Third journey (Acts 18:23-21:16) After spending some time in Antioch, Paul revisited the churches in Galatia and Phyrgia to strengthen the disciples, then went to Ephesus. In Ephesus Paul found twelve followers of John the Baptist and baptized them in the name of Lord Jesus Christ. He laid his hands on them and the Holy Ghost came on them and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. Paul preached in the synagogue for three months, but when some hardened unbelievers spoke evil before the multitude, he separated the disciples from them and chose another place to teach daily. He continued this for two years, so that all Jews and Greeks in the Roman province of Asia (part of Asia Minor) heard the gospel of Christ. God did special miracles in Ephesus through Paul, as even the garments worn by him healed the sick and the demon-possessed. Many believed in Ephesus and many who practiced magic before brought their books together and burned them publicly. As many pagans turned to Christianity in Ephesus, formerly a center of pagan Diana worship, craftsmen and silversmiths, who manufactured idols and shrines, saw their profit diminishing. These craftsmen stirred up the pagans against Paul and his companions, but nobody was hurt in the end. One of the most well known incidents on Paul's travels is the riot of the silversmiths in Ephesus. Towards the end of his time there Paul preached that "...gods made by human hands are not gods at all", a direct jibe at the silversmiths who made silver statuettes of Artemis and the temple for sale to pilgrims and tourists. Sales soon began to decline and one, Demetrius, a leader of the silversmiths, led a group of artisans against Paul saying "...the sanctuary of the great goddess Diana will cease to command respect; and then it will not be very long before she who is worshipped by all Asia and the civilized world is brought down from her divine pre-eminence.'' His speech caused an uproar and the band of silversmiths, and likely a number of merchants worried about the decline in business, rushed into the theatre shouting "Great is Diana of the Ephesians". Paul was not forced to leave the city by the authorities after this riot, but he evidently decided it was prudent to do so and set off for Macedonia. Paul revisited the churches in Macedonia, then went to Greece, where he stayed for three months. As he was about to sail to Syria, some Jews laid wait for him, so he returned through Macedonia. In Troas he raised up a young man who died after he fell down from the third floor of a house where Christians were gathered. Paul departed to Assos, from where he sailed with other disciples to Miletus via Mitylene, Chios, Samos and Trogyllium. In Miletus he met with the elders of the church from Ephesus and in his moving speech he bid farewell to them, knowing he would never see them again. He charged them to feed the flock, and warned them that wolves would enter their congregation and men would speak perverse things to draw away disciples. From Miletus they sailed to Coos, Rhodes, Patara and Tyre, Syria, where disciples inspired by the Holy Spirit warned Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. Paul and his companions departed to Ptolemais, then to Caesarea, where a Judean prophet named Agabus prophesied thatPaul will be bound by the Jews in Jerusalem and will be delivered into the hands of the Gentiles. The disciples tried to persuade Paul not to go up to Jerusalem, but Paul answered that he is ready not only to be bound, but also to die for Jesus Christ, so they went up to Jerusalem. Paul in Jerusalem (Acts 21:17-23:30) In Jerusalem Christians received Paul and his companions gladly, but some Jews from Asia stirred up the people against him and accused him of bringing Gentiles into the temple. The people wanted to beat and then kill Paul. Roman guards saved Paul but at the same time took him into custody. On the stairs of the castle, before the multitude, Paul gave a speech in his defense and a testimony of his conversion in Hebrew, but when he said he was sent by Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, the Jews made such an uproar, that the captain wanted to interrogate him by scourging. Paul appealed to his Roman citizenship so they did not dare touch him. The next day the captain led Paul before the Sanhedrin, where Paul told he was a Pharisee and believed in the resurrection of the dead. This divided the Pharisees and Sadducees in the council, a great dissension arose and the Romans had to rescue Paul again. Hearing that more than 40 Jews made a vow and conspired to kill Paul, the chief captain sent him by night to Caesarea to Felix the governor. Paul In Caesarea (Acts 23:31-26:32) After five days, the elders and the chief priest arrived in Caesarea and accused Paul before the governor of profaning the temple but couldn't prove anything, so Felix deferred them but left Paul in custody. After two years Felix was replaced by Festus, who asked Paul's accusers to come to Caesarea again. They couldn't prove any of their many complaints against Paul. As a Roman, Paul then appealed to Caesar. While he was waiting to go to Rome, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea, and one day Festus brought PaulActs 26 records Paul's speech, where he tells his upbringing, his former madness against Christians, his conversion on the road to Damascus and his preaching of the gospel to both Jews and Gentiles. Here we find the most complete version of what Jesus said to him on the road to Damascus. King Agrippa said to Festus that Paul had done nothing wrong and he could have been set free, had he not appealed unto Caesar. Journey to Rome (Acts 27:1-28:31) Festus then sent Paul with other prisoners and soldiers on a ship to Rome. This journey is described in Acts 27 and 28: "And putting to sea from thence, we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. And when we had sailed across the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia. And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy; and he put us therein. And when we had sailed slowly many days, and were come with difficulty over against Cnidus, the wind not further suffering us, we sailed under the lee of Crete, over against Salamone; And with difficulty coasting along it we came unto a certain place called Fair Havens; nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea." After many dangers and a storm, during which God's angel informed Paul in a vision that everybody on the ship would survive, the ship was wrecked on the island of Melita (Malta) but everybody escaped safe to land. Many miracles happened during their three-month stay on the island. Paul healed many diseased people and he got bitten by a viper, but this did not harm him. After three months they boarded another ship and arrived in Rome. Christians in Rome received Paul warmly. In Rome Paul was placed under house arrest. He lived in a rented house for two years and could receive visitors, so he could continue teaching and preaching God's kingdom. He invited the chiefs of the Jews to hear the gospel, after which some of them believed and some not. Paul ended his speech with the following: "Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it." It was by now the beginning of winter and the voyage onwards was beset with strong and adverse winds. From Crete a gale blew them down to Malta where the ship was wrecked in what is now called St Pauls Bay. Eventually a ship brought them to Rome and there he was beheaded the same day Peter was crucified, around AD 67. It is apocryphally told that when Paul was beheaded milk and not blood flowed from his body. However dubious this may be, few could have predicted what the result of Paul's work was to be as Christianity went from strength to strength to become the dominant faith in the country where he met his end. The Cities Where Paul Preached Antioch: the capital of ancient Syria, the eastern capital of the Roman Empire, the modern Antakya in southern Turkey Lystra: a city of the ancient province of Lycaonia in Asia Minor, near Konya Antioch in Pisidia: near the border of ancient Pisidia, in Yalvac, a few miles south-west from modern Aksehir, Turkey Miletus: a coastal city of ancient Ionia, c 30 miles (50 kms) south of Ephesus, and c 70 miles (100 kms) south of modern Izmir, Turkey Athens: the greatest city of classical Greece, capital of modern Greece Paphos: a town in south-western Cyprus on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea Berea: a city of ancient Macedonia, modern Veria in Greece Perga: or Perge, the capital of ancient Pamphylia in Asia Minor during the Roman period, a few miles north of modern Antalya, Turkey Caesarea: a seaport of ancient Palestine, capital of the Roman province, modern Tel Aviv-Yafo in Israel. Not to be confused with Kayseri - Caeserea in Turkey Philippi: a city of ancient Macedonia, near modern Kavala, Greece Corinth: a city of ancient Greece, near modern Corinth, southern Greece Rome: the capital of the Roman Empire and Italy, located on the Tiber River Damascus: a city of ancient Syria, capital of modern Syria Salamis: a town located on the east end of Cyprus, 3 miles north-west of modern Famagusta Derbe: an ancient city in south-eastern Asia Minor, modern Turkey, near Konya Tarsus: a city of ancient Cilicia on the river Cnydus near the Mediterranean Sea, near Adana in southern Turkey Ephesus: a town on the western coast of Asia Minor, c 40 miles (70 kms) south of modern Izmir, Turkey Thessalonica: a coastal city of ancient Macedonia, modern Szaloniki in northeastern Greece Iconium: capital of the ancient province of Lycaonia in Asia Minor, modern Konya in Turkey Troas: on the coast of northern Asia Minor, modern Turkey, near Canakkale Jerusalem: it was the capital of the southern kingdom of Judah and the place of the temple of God, the capital of modern Israel Tyre: a city on the central coast of ancient Phoenicia, modern Sur in southern Lebanon | |
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| 21-02-2008 | #3 (mesaj-linki) | |
| Cvp: Christianity in Turkey - Paul´s Letter To Ephesians Letter to Ephesians Paul's Ministry at Ephesus is recorded in Acts 18:18-21; 19:1-41; 20:17-38. Aquila and Priscilla were probably the founders of the Christian church when they came to Ephesus with Paul (Acts 18:18-19). Paul had just finished eighteen months in Corinth, at the end of his second missionary journey. He sailed to Ephesus in company with Priscilla and Aquila. Paul went to the Jewish synagogue in Ephesus and preached (Acts 18:18-26). He then left and returned to give a report to his sending church. Paul returned to Ephesus on his third missionary journey (Acts 19:3-6). He found some followers of John the Baptist there (Acts 19:8-12). Paul had considerable results in Ephesus.
On his third missionary journey Paul stayed in the city for about three years. At this time the Gospel spread throughout Asia Minor with Ephesus as the base of operations (Acts 19:10). Timothy was pastor of the church in Ephesus for some time (I Tim. 1:3), and was there when Paul wrote him (I and II Timothy). In later years the Apostle John made the city his headquarters. Ephesians is one of the seven churches of Asia Minor addressed in Rev. 2:1-7. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus: 1:2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ; 1:4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without blemish before him in love; 1:5 having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire, 1:6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely bestowed favor on us in the Beloved, 1:7 in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 1:8 which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 1:9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him 1:10 to an administration of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth, in him; 1:11 in whom also we were assigned an inheritance, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his will; 1:12 to the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ: 1:13 in whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation,in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 1:14 who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God´s own possession, to the praise of his glory. 1:15 For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and the love which you have toward all the saints, 1:16 don´t cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, 1:17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; 1:18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 1:19 and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might 1:20 which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, 1:21 far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. 1:22 He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the assembly, 1:23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. 2:1 You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sins, 2:2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience; 2:3 among whom we also all once lived in the lust of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, 2:5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 2:6 and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 2:7 that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus; 2:8 for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 2:9 not of works, that no one would boast. 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them. 2:11 Therefore remember that once you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that which is called circumcision, (in the flesh, made by hands); 2:12 that you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near in the blood of Christ. 2:14 For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition, 2:15 having abolished in the flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace; 2:16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the hostility thereby. 2:17 He came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near. 2:18 For through him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, 2:20 being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone; 2:21 in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 2:22 in whom you also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit. 3:1 For this cause I, Paul, ** the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles, 3:2 if it is so that you have heard of the administration of that grace of God which was given me toward you; 3:3 how that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before in few words, 3:4 by which, when you read, you can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ; 3:5 which in other generations was not made known to the children of men, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; 3:6 that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of his promise in Christ Jesus through the Good News, 3:7 of which I was made a servant, according to the gift of that grace of God which was given me according to the working of his power. 3:8 To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 3:9 and to make all men see what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ; 3:10 to the intent that now through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places, 3:11 according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord; 3:12 in whom we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in him. 3:13 Therefore I ask that you may not lose heart at my troubles for you, which are your glory. 3:14 For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 3:15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 3:16 that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man; 3:17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 3:18 may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 3:19 and to know Christs love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 3:20 Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 3:21 to him be the glory in the assembly and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called, 4:2 with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love; 4:3 being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling; 4:5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 4:6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in us all. 4:7 But to each one of us was the grace given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 4:8 Therefore he says, When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.* 4:9 Now this, He ascended, what is it but that he also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 4:10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. 4:11 He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers; 4:12 for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ; 4:13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 4:14 that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error; 4:15 but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, Christ; 4:16 from whom all the body, being fitted and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in measure of each individual part, makes the body increase to the building up of itself in love. 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 4:18 being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their hearts; 4:19 who having become callous gave themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 4:20 But you did not learn Christ that way; 4:21 if indeed you heard him, and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus: 4:22 that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man, that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit; 4:23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 4:24 and put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth. 4:25 Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor. For we are members of one another. 4:26 Be angry, and don´t sin. Don´t let the sun go down on your wrath, 4:27 neither give place to the devil. 4:28 Let him who stole steal no more; but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have something to give to him who has need. 4:29 Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for building up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear. 4:30 Don´t grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 4:31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander, be put away from you, with all malice. 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you. 5:1 Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children. 5:2 Walk in love, even as Christ also loved you, and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance. 5:3 But sexual immorality, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not even be mentioned among you, as becomes saints; 5:4 nor filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not appropriate; but rather giving of thanks. 5:5 Know this for sure, that no sexually immoral person, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God. 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words. For because of these things, the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience. 5:7 Therefore don´t be partakers with them. 5:8 For you were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, 5:9 for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth, 5:10 proving what is well pleasing to the Lord. 5:11 Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather even reprove them. 5:12 For the things which are done by them in secret, it is a shame even to speak of. 5:13 But all things, when they are reproved, are revealed by the light, for everything that reveals is light. 5:14 Therefore he says, Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. 5:15 Therefore watch carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise; 5:16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 5:17 Therefore don´t be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 5:18 Don´t be drunken with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 5:19 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; singing, and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 5:20 giving thanks always concerning all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God, even the Father; 5:21 subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ. 5:22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, and Christ also is the head of the assembly, being himself the savior of the body. 5:24 But as the assembly is subject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their own husbands in everything. 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it; 5:26 that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word, 5:27 that he might present the assembly to himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 5:28 Even so husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself. 5:29 For no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord also does the assembly; 5:30 because we are members of his body, of his flesh and bones. 5:31 For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will be joined to his wife. The two will become one flesh. 5:32 This mystery is great, but I speak concerning Christ and of the assembly. 5:33 Nevertheless each of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband. 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 6:2 Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise: 6:3 that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.* 6:4 You fathers, don´t provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. 6:5 Servants, be obedient to those who according to the flesh are your masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as to Christ; 6:6 not in the way of service only when eyes are on you, as men pleasers; but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 6:7 with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men; 6:8 knowing that whatever good thing each one does, he will receive the same again from the Lord, whether he is bound or free. 6:9 You masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him. 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 6:12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world´s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 6:13 Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. 6:14 Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 6:15 and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace; 6:16 above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 6:18 with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints: 6:19 on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the Good News, 6:20 for which I ** an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. 6:21 But that you also may know my affairs, how I ** doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will make known to you all things; 6:22 whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our state, and that he may comfort your hearts. 6:23 Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 6:24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love. Amen. | |
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| 22-02-2008 | #4 (mesaj-linki) | |
| Cvp: Christianity in Turkey - St. Nicolas Of Myra St. Nicholas of Myra St. Nicholas, called "of Bari", Bishop of Myra (Fourth Century), is the Patron of bakers, pawnbrokers, sailors, children, Greeks and Russians and his Feast day is December 6th.  The great veneration with which this saint has been honored for many ages and the number of altars and churches which have been everywhere dedicated in his memory are testimonials to his holiness and of the glory which he enjoys with God. He is said to have been born at Patara in Lycia, a province of Asia Minor. Myra, the capital, not far from the sea, was an Episcopal see, and this church falling vacant, the holy Nicholas was chosen bishop, and in that station became famous by his extraordinary piety and zeal and many astonishing miracles. The Greek histories of his life agree that he suffered imprisonment of the faith and made a glorious confession in the latter part of the persecution raised by Diocletian, and that he was present at the Council of Nicea and there condemned Aryanism. The silence of other authors makes many justly suspect these circumstances. He died at Myra, and was buried in his cathedral there. This summary account by Alban Butler tells us all that is known about the life of the famous St. Nicholas, and even a little more; for his episcopate at Myra during the fourth century is really all that seems indubitable authentic. This is not for lack of material, beginning with the life attributed to the monk who died in 847 as St. Methodius, Patriarch of Constantinople (Istanbul). But he warns us that "Up to the present the life of this distinguished Sheppard has been unknown to the majority of the faithful", and sets about enlightening their ignorance nearly five hundred years after the saint's death. This is the least unreliable of the "biographical" sources available, and a vast amount of literature, critical and expository, have grown up around them. Nevertheless, the universal popularity of the saint for so many centuries requires that some account of these legends should be given here. We are assured that from his earliest days Nicholas would take nourishment only once on Wednesdays and Fridays, and that in the evening according to the canons. "He was exceedingly well brought up by his parents and trod piously in their footsteps. The child, watched over by the church enlightened his mind and encouraged his thirst for sincere and true religion". His parents died when he was a young man, leaving him well off and he determined to devote his inheritance to works of charity. An opportunity soon arose. A citizen of Patara had lost all his money, and had moreover to support three daughters who could not find husbands because of their poverty; so the wretched man was going to give them over to prostitution. This came to the ears of Nicholas, who thereupon took a bag of gold and, under cover of darkness threw it in at the open window of the man's house. Here was a dowry for the eldest girl and she was soon duly married. At intervals Nicholas did the same for the second and third; at the last time the father was on the watch, recognized his benefactor and overwhelmed him with his gratitude. It would appear that the three purses represented in pictures, came to be mistaken for the heads of three children and so they gave rise to the absurd story of the children, resuscitated by the saint, who had been killed by an innkeeper and pickled in a brine-tub.  Coming to the city of Myra when the clergy and people of the province were in session to elect a new bishop, St. Nicholas was indicated by God as the man they should choose. This was at the time of the persecutions at the beginning of the fourth century and "As he was the chief priest of the Christians of this town and preached the truths of faith with a holy liberty, the divine Nicholas was seized by the magistrates, tortured, then chained and thrown into prison with many other Christians. But when the great and religious Constantine, chosen by God assumed the imperial diadem of the Romans, the prisoners were released from their bonds and with them the illustrious Nicholas, who when he was set at liberty returned to Myra." St. Methodius asserts that "thanks to the teaching of St. Nicholas the metropolis of Myra alone was untouched by the filth of the Arian heresy, which it firmly rejected as death-dealing poison", but says nothing of his presence at the Council of Nicaea in 325. According to other traditions he was not only there but so far forgot himself as to give the heresiarch Arius a slap in the face. Whereupon the consular fathers deprived him of his Episcopal insignia and committed him to prison; but our Lord and His Mother appeared there and restored to him both his liberty and his office. As against Aryanism so against paganism, St. Nicholas was tireless and took strong measures: among other temples he destroyed was that of Artemis, the principal in the district, and the evil spirits fled howling before him. He was the guardian of his people as well in temporal affairs. The governor Eustathius had taken a bribe to condemn to death three innocent men. At the time fixed for their execution Nicholas came to the place, stayed the hands of the executioner, and released the prisoners. Then he turned to Eustathiujs and did not cease to reproach him until he admitted his crime and expressed his penitence. There were present on this occasion three imperial officers who were on their way to duty in Phrygia. Later, when they were back again in Constantinople (Istanbul), the jealousy of the prefect Ablavius caused them to be imprisoned on false charges and an order for their death was procured from the Emperor Constantine. When the officers heard this they remembered the example they had witnessed of the powerful love of justice of the Bishop of Myra and they prayed to God that through his merits and by his instrumentality then might yet be saved. That night St. Nicholas appeared in a dream to Constantine, and told him with threats to release the three innocent men, and Ablavius experienced the same thing. In the morning the Emperor and the prefect compared notes, and the condemned men were sent for and questioned. When he heard that they had called on the name of the Nicholas of Myra who had appeared to him, Constantine set them free and sent them to the bishop with a letter asking him not to threaten him any more but to pray for the peace of the world. For long this was the most famous miracle of St. Nicholas, and at the time of St. Methodius was the only thing generally known about him. The accounts are unanimous that St. Nicholas died and was buried in his Episcopal city of Myra, and by the time of Justinian there was a basilica built in his honor at Constantinople (Istanbul). An anonymous Greek wrote in the tenth century that, "the West as well as the East acclaims and glorifies him. Wherever there are people, in the country and the town, in the villages, in the isles, in the furthest parts of the earth, his name is revered and churches are built in his honor. Images of him are set up, panegyrics preached and festivals celebrated. All Christians, young and old, men and women, boys and girls, reverence his memory and call upon his protection. And his favors, which know no limit of time and continue from age to age, are poured out over all the earth; the Scythians know them, as do the Indians and the barbarians, the Africans as well as the Italians." When Myra and its great shrine finally passed into the hands of the Saracens, several Italian cities saw this as an opportunity to acquire the relics of St. Nicholas for themselves. There was great competition for them between Venice and Bari. The last-named won, the relics were carried off under the noses of the lawful Greek custodians and their Mohammedan masters, and on May 9, 1087 were safety landed at Bari, a not inappropriate home seeing that Apulia in those days still had large Greek colonies. A new church was built to shelter them and the pope, Bd. Urban II, was present at their enshrining. Devotion to St. Nicholas was known in the West long before his relics were brought to Italy, but this happening naturally greatly increased his veneration among the people, and miracles were as freely attributed to his intercession in Europe as they had been in Asia. At Myra "the venerable body of the bishop, embalmed as it was in the good ointments of virtue exuded a sweet smelling myrrh, which kept it from corruption and proved a health giving remedy against sickness to the glory o f him who had glorified Jesus Christ, our true God." The translation of the relics did not interrupt this phenomenon, and the "manna of St. Nicholas" is said to flow to this day. It was one of the great attractions which drew pilgrims to his tomb from all parts of Europe. It is the image of St. Nicholas more often than that of any other that is found on Byzantine seals; in the later middle ages nearly four hundred churches were dedicated in his honor in England alone; and he is said to have been represented by Christian artists more frequently than any saint except our Lady. St. Nicholas is venerated as the patron saint of several classes of people, especially, in the East, of sailors and in the West of children. The first of these patronage is probably due to the legend that during his life time, he appeared to storm tossed mariners who invoked his aid off the coast of Lycia and brought them safely to port. Sailors in the Aegean and Ionian seas, following a common Eastern custom, had their "star of St. Nicholas" and wished one another a good voyage in the phrase "May St. Nicholas hold the tiller". The legend of the "three children" gave rise to his patronage of children and various observances, ecclesiastical and secular, connected there with; such were the boy bishop and especially in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands, the giving of presents in his name at Christmas time. This custom in England is not a survival from Catholic times. It was popularized in America by the Dutch Protestants of New Amsterdam who had converted the popish saint into a Nordic magician (Santa Claus = Sint Klaes = Saint Nicholas) and was apparently introduced into this country by Bret Harte. It is not the only "good old English custom" which, however good, is not "old English", at any rate in its present form. The deliverance of the three imperial officers naturally caused St. Nicholas to be invoked by and on behalf of prisoners and captives, and many miracles of his intervention are recorded in the middle ages. Curiously enough the greatest popularity of St. Nicholas is found neither in the eastern Mediterranean nor north-western Europe, great as that was, but in Russia. With St. Andred the Apostle he is patron of the nation, and the Russian Orthodox Church even observes the feast of his translation; so many Russian pilgrims came to Bari before the revolution that their government supported a church, hospital and hospice there. He is a patron saint also of Greece, Apulia, Sicily and Loraine, and of many cities and dioceses (including Galway) and churches innumerable. At Rome the basilica of St. Nicholas in the Jail of Tully (in Carcere) was founded between the end of the sixth and the beginning of the seventh centuries. He is named in the preparation of the Byzantine Mass. | |
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| 25-02-2008 | #5 (mesaj-linki) | |
| Cvp: Christianity in Turkey St. John the Evangelist and St. John the Baptist  Saint John the Divine as the son of Zebedee, and his mother's name was Salome [Matthew 4:21, 27:56; Mark 15:40, 16:1]. They lived on the shores of the sea of Galilee. The brother of Saint John, probably considerably older, was Saint James. The mention of the "hired men" [Mark 1:20], and of Saint John's "home" [John 19:27], implies that the condition of Salome and her children was not one of great poverty. SS. John and James followed the Baptist when he preached repentance in the wilderness of Jordan. There can be little doubt that the two disciples, whom Saint John does not name (John 1:35), who looked on Jesus "as he walked," when the Baptist exclaimed with prophetic perception, "Behold the Lamb of God!" were Andrew and John. They followed and asked the Lord where he dwelt. He bade them come and see, and they stayed with him all day. Of the subject of conversation that took place in this interview no record has come to us, but it was probably the starting-point of the entire devotion of heart and soul which lasted through the life of the Beloved Apostle. John apparently followed his new Master to Galilee, and was with him at the marriage feast of Cana, journeyed with him to Capernaum, and thenceforth never left him, save when sent on the missionary expedition with another, invested with the power of healing. He, James, and Peter, came within the innermost circle of their Lord's friends, and these three were suffered to remain with Christ when all the rest of the apostles were kept at a distance [Mark 5:37, Matthew 17:1, 26:37]. Peter, James, and John were with Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. The mother of James and John, knowing our Lord's love for the brethren, made special request for them, that they might sit, one on his right hand, the other on his left, in his kingdom [Matthew 20:21]. There must have been much impetuosity in the character of the brothers, for they obtained the nickname of Boanerges, Sons of Thunder [Mark 3:17, see also Luke 9:54]. It is not necessary to dwell on the familiar history of the Last Supper and the Passion. To John was committed by our Lord the highest of privileges, the care of his mother [John 19:27]. John [the "disciple whom Jesus loved"] and PeterPeter was restrained by awe, John impetuously "reached the tomb first." were the first to receive the news from the Magdalene of the Resurrection [John 20:2], and they hastened at once to the sepulchre, and there when In the interval between the Resurrection and the Ascension, John and Peter were together on the Sea of Galilee [John 21:1], having returned to their old calling, and old familiar haunts. When Christ appeared on the shore in the dusk of morning, John was the first to recognize him. The last words of the Gospel reveal the attachment which existed between the two apostles. It was not enough for Peter to know his own fate, he must learn also something of the future that awaited his friend. The Acts show us them still united, entering together as worshippers into the Temple [Acts 3:1], and protesting together against the threats of the Sanhedrin [Acts 4:13]. They were fellow-workers together in the first step of Church expansion. The apostle whose wrath had been kindled at the unbelief of the Samaritans, was the first to receive these Samaritans as brethren [Luke 9:54, Acts 8:14]. He probably remained at Jerusalem until the death of the Virgin, though tradition of no great antiquity or weight asserts that he took her to Ephesus. When he went to Ephesus is uncertain. He was at Jerusalem fifteen years after Saint Paul's first visit there [Acts 15:6]. There is no trace of his presence there when Saint Paul was at Jerusalem for the last time. Tradition, more or less trustworthy, completes the history. Irenaeus says that Saint John did not settle at Ephesus until after the death SS. Peter and Paul, and this is probable. He certainly as not there when Saint Timothy was appointed bishop of that place. Saint Jerome says that he supervised and governed all the Churches of Asia. He probably took up his abode finally in Ephesus in 97. In the persecution of Domitian he was taken to Rome, and was placed in a cauldron of boiling oil, outside the Latin gate, without the boiling fluid doing him any injury. [Eusebius makes no mention of this. The legend of the boiling oil occurs in Tertullian and in Saint Jerome]. He was sent to labor at the mines in Patmos. At the accession of Nerva he was set free, and returned to Ephesus, and there it is thought that he wrote his gospel. Of his zeal and love combined we have examples in Eusebius, who tells, on the authority of Irenaeus, that Saint John once fled out of a bath on hearing that Cerinthus was in it, lest, as he asserted, the roof should fall in, and crush the heretic. On the other hand, he showed the love that was in him. He commended a young man in whom he was interested to a bishop, and bade him keep his trust well. Some years after he learned that the young man had become a robber. Saint John, though very old, pursued him among the mountain fastnesses, and by his tenderness recovered him. In his old age, when unable to do more, he was carried into the assembly of the Church at Ephesus, and his sole exhortation was, "Little children, love one another". He also brought Virgin Mary up on Panaghia Kapulu (Bülbül Dag, Nightingale Mountain) to protect her from the persecutions. The date of his death cannot be fixed with anything like precision, but it is certain that he lived to a very advanced age. He is represented holding a chalice from which issues a dragon, as he is supposed to have been given poison, which was, however, innocuous. Also his symbol is an eagle. After his death he was buried nearby Ephesus. In the 4th century Byzantines build a small church over his tomb and finally in the 6th century Justinian I build a cathedral which was destroyed by the Arab raids between 7th and 8th centuries. Today his grave is recognized as a shrine by Vatican and it stands in Selcuk, nearby Izmir, in the Aegean region of Turkey. It is one of the many religious sites in Anatolia. St. John the Baptist  John the Baptist was the son of Zachary, a priest of the Temple in Jerusalem, and Elizabeth, a kinswoman of Mary who visited her. He was probably born at Ain-Karim southwest of Jerusalem after the Angel Gabriel had told Zachary that his wife would bear a child even though she was an old woman. He lived as a hermit in the desert of Judea until about A.D. 27. When he was thirty, he began to preach on the banks of the Jordan against the evils of the times and called men to penance and baptism "for the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand". He attracted large crowds, and when Christ came to him, John recognized Him as the Messiah and baptized Him, saying, "It is I who need baptism from You". When Christ left to preach in Galilee, John continued preaching in the Jordan valley. Fearful of his great power with the people, Herod Antipas, Tetrarch of Perea and Galilee, had him arrested and imprisoned at Machaerus Fortress on the Dead Sea when John denounced his adultrous and incestuous marriage with Herodias, wife of his half brother Philip. John was beheaded at the request of Salome, daughter of Herodias, who asked for his head at the instigation of her mother. John inspired many of his followers to follow Christ when he designated Him "the Lamb of God," among them Andrew and John, who came to know Christ through John's preaching. John is presented in the New Testament as the last of the Old Testament prophets and the precursor of the Messiah. His feast day is June 24th and the feast for his beheading is August 29th. | |
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| 02-03-2008 | #6 (mesaj-linki) | |
| Cvp: Christianity in Turkey - Important Christians Important Christians Anthony of Padua Born Ferdinand, St. Anthony, who was the son of a Portuguese knight, became at 16 an Augustinian friar at São Vincente. In the course of studies at Coimbra, he developed a passion for missionary work and joined in 1220 the Franciscans. He was so ill on the trip to Morocco that he had to return to Europe and was unable to preach among the Muslims as he wished. He was a participant in the General Chapter of Assisi the following year, after which he was sent to the hermitage of São Paolo near Forlì. At his ordination, he preached so eloquently that he was sent to teach theology at Bologna. He also began to preach against heretics in northern Italy. Some say that Francis himself ordered Anthony to teach and preach. Anthony, who also taught at Montpelier, preached so well against the Albigenses in France that he earned the nickname, "the hammer of heretics." In 1227, Anthony was chosen Provincial of northern Italy; he was also chosen to travel to Rome with the delegation that presented Francis' rule and testament to the pope. Anthony, whose knowledge of the the Bible was considerable, worked to help debtors and has been called an apostle to the poor. Slight in stature, strong and fearless, Anthony died of dropsy in 1231. Gregory IX canonized him the following year. The Church of St. Anthony in Beyoglu neighborhood of Istanbul is one of best in town. Barnabas All we know of Barnabas is to be found in the New Testament. A Jew, born in Cyprus and named Joseph, he sold his property, gave the proceeds to the Apostles, who gave him the name Barnabas, and lived in common with the earliest converts to Christianity in Jerusalem. Originally a Levite, he is thought to have been a Hellenized Jew and to have been one of the Apostles of the 70(72). He persuaded the community there to accept Paul as a disciple, was sent to Antioch to look into the community there, and brought Paul there from Tarsus. With Paul he brought Antioch's donation to the Jerusalem community during a famine, and returned to Antioch with John Mark, his cousin. He is said to have been among the founders of the church in Antioch in Pisidia. He introduced Paul to the apostles after his conversion. The three went on a missionary journey to Cyprus, Perge (when John Mark went to Jerusalem), and Antioch in Pisidia, where they were so violently opposed by the Jews that they decided to preach to the pagans. Then they went on to Iconium (Konya) and Lystra in Lycaonia, where they were first acclaimed gods and then stoned out of the city, and then returned to Antioch. When a dispute arose regarding the observance of the Jewish rites, Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem, where, at a council, it was decided that pagans did not have to be circumcised to be baptized. On their return to Antioch, Barnabas wanted to take John Mark on another visitation to the cities where they had preached, but Paul objected because of John Mark's desertion of them in Perge. Paul and Barnabas parted, and Barnabas returned to Cyprus with Mark; nothing further is heard of him, though it is believed his rift with Paul was ultimately healed. Tradition has Barnabas preaching in Alexandria and Rome, the founder of the Cypriote Church, the Bishop of Milan (which he was not), and has him stoned to death at Salamis about the year 61. The apocryphal Epistle of Barnabas was long attributed to him, but modern scholarship now attributes it to a Christian in Alexandria between the years 70 and 100; the Gospel of Barnabas is probably by an Italian Christian who became a Mohammedan; and the Acts of Barnabas once attributed to John Mark are now known to have been written in the fifth century. His feast day is June 11. He is traditionally considered the founder of the Cypriot church and to have been martyred at Salamis c. 61. Some say he founded the see of Milan. Tertullian says that Barnabas, not Paul, wrote the epistle to the Hebrews, and The Epistle of Barnabas is of unknown authorship. Basil the Great Basil the Great (c 330-379 CE) was a bishop of Caesarea (Kayseri), Doctor of the Church, and one of the three Cappadocian Fathers. He was born into the distinguished family of Basil the Elder and Emmelia in Pontus. He received the best education available, studying at Caesarea (Kayseri), Constantinople (Istanbul), and Athens. While at Athens, he met Gregory of Nazianzus, who would become for him a lifelong friend and another of the three Cappadocian Fathers, the third beingGregory of Nyssa. Basil traveled throughout Alexandria, Palestine, Syria, and Mesopotamia observing hermits and formulating his own monastic rule, which was based on community life, liturgical prayer and manual labor. He later returned to Pontus, where he set up a monastery on the banks of the Iris River, thereby becoming the "Father of Greek Monasticism". Basil was ordained a presbyter in 364 and elected bishop of Caesarea (Kayseri) in 370. His most prominent dogmatic writings include a treatise on the Holy Spirit and Against Eunomius. Basil fought to uphold the Nicene Creed against Aryanism. He died on January 1, 379, just after he learned of the death of Valens, the Arian Emperor. Gregory of Nyssa St. Gregory of Nyssa (c. 330-c. 395) was a younger sibling in a family that gave the church many years of service and at least five saints. Before entering the monastery of his brother, Basil the Great, Gregory was a rhetorician. He may have been married, although some scholars believe that his treatise On Virginity argues against that. He became bishop of Nyssa in Cappadocia c 371 or 372. Arians accused him of mismanagement and deposed him in 376. On the death of the Arian, Valens, two years later, he was restored to his see. He attended the first Council of Constantinople in 381, after which he traveled in Transjordan (Arabia) to settle disputes in the churches. During a trip to Jerusalem, he was forced to defend his Christology, although he was then and is now well-known for his Trinitarian theology. In 394, he attended a synod in Constantinople (Istanbul) and is thought to have died shortly after that when mention of him in church records ceases. His best-known works are the Catechetical Oration, The Life of Moses, and the Life of St. Macrina (his sister). Peter Peter was a simple, illiterate (Acts 4:13) Galilean fisherman, who worked together with his brother, Andrew. We can infer he was a married man, since it is recorded in Mark 1:29-31 that his mother-in-law's fever was miraculously healed by Jesus. He was also known as Simon or Cephas and his brother Saint Andrew the Apostle led him to Christ. Renamed "Peter" (rock) by Jesus to indicate that Peter would be the rock on which the Church would be built. Peter was the most enthusiastic and brave among the apostles. Jesus designated him as the leader of the apostles. Peter was a bishop and first Pope. With the order of Nero around AD 68 he was crucified head downward in Rome because he claimed he was not worthy to die in the same manner as Christ. He carved a rock church in Antioch for the first time. Peter has the Patronage against frenzy, bakers, butchers, clock makers, cobblers, Exeter College Oxford, feet problems, fever, fishermen, foot problems, harvesters, locksmiths, longevity, papacy, people named Peter Popes, Poznan Poland, Rome, shoemakers, Universal Church and watch makers. His Feast days are; 29 June (feast of Peter and Paul), 22 February (feast of the Chair of Peter, emblematic of the world unity of the Church), 18 November (feast of the dedication of the Basilicas of Peter and Paul). Philip Philip was born in Bethsaida, Galilee. He may have been a disciple of John the Baptist and is mentioned as one of the Apostles in the lists of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and in Acts. Aside from the lists, he is mentioned only in John in the New Testament. He was called by Jesus Himself and brought Nathanael to Christ. Philip was present at the miracle of the loaves and fishes, when he engaged in a brief dialogue with the Lord, and was the Apostle approached by the Hellenistic Jews from Bethsaida to introduce them to Jesus. Just before the Passion, Jesus answered Philip's query to show them the Father, but no further mention of Philip is made in the New Testament beyond his listing among the Apostles awaiting the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room. According to tradition he preached in Greece and was crucified upside down at Hierapolis under Emperor Domitian (c.85 AD). His feast day is May 3. Polycarp of Smyrna Polycarp is said to have been among those converted by the Apostles, and to have been a disciple of St. John; on the other hand, his martyrdom took place c 155 AD. He thus represents the generation linking the age of the New Testament to that of the Apologists. Polycarp's life is known mainly from the writings of his disciple Irenaeus of Lyons, made familiar to a wide audience by the extensive quotations in Eusebius. Irenaeus is depicted as the heir to the Johannine tradition; his uncompromising opposition to the heretic Marcion is equated with the evangelist's to Cerinthus. Polycarp was also a defender of the Johannine Easter date, and late in life made a visit to Rome for inconclusive talks on the subject with Pope Anicetus. Besides John, Polycarp was connected with another outstanding figure of the apostolic church: Ignatius of Antioch addressed an epistle to him. Polycarp was the bishop of Smyrna (modern Izmir) in western Asia Minor. Members of his flock wrote an extremely detailed account of their aged hierarchs martyrdom, one of the most famous documents to be passed down from the age of persecution. There is a beautiful Church of Polycarp in Alsancak - Izmir. | |
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| 16-03-2008 | #7 (mesaj-linki) | |
| Cvp: Christianity in Turkey - Religious Sites In Turkey Religious sites in Turkey The Anatolian peninsula, spanning on two continents, forms a natural land bridge between Europe and Asia. Due to its unique position, Anatolia has been the destination for numerous immigrants, many of them leaving the indelible mark of their cultural heritage during their settlement in this area, now known as Türkiye (Turkey). Anatolia has been the cradle of numerous civilizations for thousands of years and the birthplace of the three major religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam. This fact alone, lends Turkey its unique and invaluable cultural and archaeological heritage. Because of its secular position in the world, the Turkish attitude toward religion has been on of tolerance. Judaism, which was the first monotheistic religion, was widespread in Anatolia. Recent archaeological excavations conducted in the Aegean region indicate Judaism's existence since the early 4th century B.C. Sardis (Sart, near Salihli) contains the remains of one of the oldest synagogues dating back to 220 B.C. which provides a fine structural and archaeological example of this place of worship. Remains of another ancient settlement belonging to the Jewish people was unearthed during excavations conducted along the Aegean and Black Sea Coasts. The Ottoman Empire had always been tolerant of non-Moslems and never forbid or restricted their worship in accordance with their religion. In 1324, when Orhan Gazi conquered Bursa, he permitted the Jewish people to construct Etz-Hayim Synagogue. In 1934, the Jewish people departed from France on the orders of Charles VI and look refuge in Edirne. Then in 1492, Spain's King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castilla expelled the Jews (Inquisition). The Ottoman Empire of that time, ruled by the sultan Beyazid II, had embraced those Jews who were left homeless as a result of their deportation from Spain due to their conventions and beliefs and settled them in Anatolia. Sephardic Jews had lived for centuries among the Turks in peace and comfort and followed their beliefs under the auspices of Turkish tolerance (secularism). Anatolia is also as significant area for Christians and is considered holy and sacred for many reasons which include:
It must be emphasized here that these well preserved holy places show the best and most concrete example of how the Islamic religion treats other religions in tolerance and respect. Today, you can find hundreds of religious examples in each and every town and city of Turkey, especially in Istanbul. The Turkish people, the majority of them Moslem, who continue to carry on their traditions and conventions in a contemporary manner and in harmony with their Islamic beliefs, have constructed mosques, tombs and similar religious areas which reflect both the features of Anatolia where the Turks have been living for centuries and their artistic values as well as their religious importance. An important sector of polytheistic religions had flourished in Anatolia as the monotheistic religions were established in the Middle East and as the religious areas were discovered. These places have been considered holy and sacred since the Middle Ages and were located in Anatolia a region that has and still does act as a cultural bridge due to Turkey's geopolitical situation. Since Turkey has traditionally been a secular corridor throughout history, its role in international arenas has expanded and is currently one of most strategic regions in the world, if not in the Middle East at his point in time. During their entire history, the Islamic Turks, as a result of humanitarian attitude toward the beliefs of the followers of other monotheistic religions that they were exposed to, in a vast tolerance in obedience with the rules and beliefs of the Islamic religion, had lived together with numerous ethnic groups in Anatolian areas in peace and content. The non-Moslem population had the right of living and setting wherever they wanted during both the Ottoman period and the republican era. Without any discrimination Islamic or non-Islamic Turkish citizens have had the right of jurisdiction, religious belief and concept and conducted their religious services, prayers and ceremonies freely in their holy places such as mosques, churches and As a result of this tolerant recognition all the divine places belonging to Judaism and synagogues.Christianity have been carefully preserved and protected. In the following list, the green spots represent Islam, the red spots represent Christianity, and the blue spots represent Judaism. SITE LOCATION  Seljuk Kumbet and Tomstones Ahlat Mount Ararat Agri  Tyatira / One of the Seven Churches of Apocalypse Akhisar (Manisa) Alahan Monastry Alahan Philadelphia / One of the Seven Churces of Apocalypse Alasehir Sultan Beyazid Complex Amasya Haci Bayram Veli Complex Ankara Galatia Ankara Habib-ün Nencar Complex Antakya St.Peter's Grotto Antakya Mosaic Museum Antakya Yivli Minaret Antalya Pergamum / One of the Seven Churches of Apocalypse Bergama Gerus Synagogue Bursa Muradiye Complex Bursa Ulu (Grand) Mosque Bursa Yesil (Green) Turbe Bursa Monastries Çamiçi (Bafa) Lake St.Paul's First Missionary Journey Çevlik Demre ( Saint Nicholas ChurchMyra) Ulu (Grand) Mosque Divrigi Ulu Mosque Diyarbakir Church of the Virgin Mary Diyarbakir Selimiye Complex Edirne Beyazid Mosque Edirne Old Mosque Edirne Virgin Mary's House Ephesus Virgin Mary Basilica Ecumenical Basilica and One of the Seven Churches of Apocalypse Ephesus St.John's Basilica Ephesus Cifte (Twin) Minaret Medrese Erzurum Abdurrahman Gazi Tomb Erzurum Village of Yunus Emre Yunus Emre Monument Eskisehir Seyid Battal Gazi Complex Eskisehir (Seyitgazi) Early Christian Settlement Goreme Milli Parki (Cappadocia) Haci Bektas Veli Complex Hacibektas Harran (According to the Old Testament, Abraham lived here) Harran (Sanliurfa) Eyub Sultan Istanbul (Eyüp) Holy Relics Istanbul (Topkapi Palace) Suleymaniye Complex Istanbul Sultanahmet Complex Istanbul Ayasofya (St.Sophia) Church Istanbul Kariye Museum Istanbul Neve Shalom and Ahrida Synagogues Istanbul Smyrna / One of the Seven Churches of Apocalypse Izmir Yesil Cami (Green Mosque) Iznik Ayasofya (St.Sophia) Museum Iznik Hipoje-Christian Tomb Iznik Havariler Museum Kars Cave of Seven Sleepers Kahramanmaras (Afsin) Huand Hatun Complex Kayseri Gevher Nesibe Complex Kayseri Doner Kumbet Kayseri Mevlana Complex Konya Alaeddin Mosque Konya Ince (Thin) Minaret Konya Tombs of Seljuk Sultans Konya Karatay Medrese Konya Derbe Konya Karadag Konya Lystra Konya Sumela Monastery Macka (Trabzon) Sultan Mosque Manisa Deyrul Zaferan Monastery Mardin Alexandria Troas Believed that St.Paul met St.Luke here Odun Iskelesi(Canakkale) St.Philip's Martyrium - Octagon Pamukkale (Hierapolis) Laodicea / One of the Seven Churches of Apocalypse Pamukkale (Hierapolis) Colossae Pamukkale (Hierapolis) St.Nicholas' birthplace Patara (Antalya) Episcopal centers Perge, Silion and Side Sardis Synagogue Sart (Manisa) Sardis / One of the Seven Churches of Apocalypse Sart Tombs of Ibrahim Hakki Efendi and Hazreti Fakirullah Siirt (Aydinlar) Veysel Karani Complex Siirt (Baykan) Basilica of the First Female Saint, Aya Tekla Silifke Seyit Battal Tomb Sinop Gokmedrese Sivas Çifte (Twin) Minaret Medrese Sivas Sifaiye Medrese Sivas Halil Rahman MosqueSanliurfa The Prophet Eyub's Tomb Sanliurfa ( St.Paul's Well TarsusMersin) Gülbahar Hatun Tomb and Mosque Trabzon Ayasofya (St.Sophia) Museum Trabzon Akdamar Church Van St.Paul's Basilica Yalvac (Psidian Antioch) | |
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| 16-03-2008 | #8 (mesaj-linki) | |
| Cvp: Christianity in Turkey - Jesus Jesus From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jesus (born between 7 and 4 BC in Bethlehem, died in 30, 31, or 33 AD in Jerusalem) is the man whose life and teachings started the Christian religion. He was a Jew and came from a town called Nazareth in Galilee, in the country that is today called Israel. The name Jesus comes from the Aramaic name "Yeshua", from Hebrew Yehovah-shua, meaning "God saves" which was a popular name of the time. Jesus is often called "Jesus Christ" or "Christ". The word Christ comes from the Greek word christos and means "the one marked on the head with oil" or "the anointed one". In Jesus' country, anointing was done to show that a person was chosen to be a king or a leader. Jesus is also called "Messiah", which comes from the Hebrew term Moshiach, and also means "the anointed one." Stories about the life of Jesus has been recorded by different writers. The best known are four books called the Gospels. They form the New Testament, a part of the Bible. Gospel means "Good News." The Gospels were written by people who followed Jesus and believed in him. They tell a little about his birth, and mostly about his adult life: his teachings, ministry and death. There are four Gospels, called the Gospel of Mark, the Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of Luke, and the Gospel of John.[2] Several Jewish and Roman historians such as Flavius Josephus, Tacitus, Pliny the Younger and Suetonius also mention Jesus in their writings. They usually only mention his execution or problems between the Roman Government and his followers; they do not talk about his life. Christians remember the day that Jesus was born as the holiday of Christmas. Although the Gospels do not say what day Jesus was born, Early Christians living in Rome chose 25th December because there was already a Roman holiday on that day. They also celebrate the time that the Gospels say he died and was raised from the dead as the holiday of Easter.
This section about the birth, ministry and death of Jesus is taken from the four books of the Bible, called the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They were written in the 1st century AD. Nearly all other writing about Jesus is based on these four books. Jesus' birth The Gospels tell about the birth of Jesus in this way:- The Gospels of Matthew and Luke say that before the birth of Jesus, both Mary his mother, and the man that she was promised to, Joseph, knew that Jesus was going to be the Messiah or King that had been promised to the Jewish people, in the ancient Jewish books. Luke's Gospel tells most of the story. At the time that Jesus was born, the Roman Empire ruled most of Europe, England, the Middle East and North Africa. The Government wanted every single family to have their name taken down to be taxed, so everyone had to go back to the place where they came from. Joseph came from the small town of Bethlehem, near Jerusalem, so even though Mary was close to giving birth to her baby, they had to travel, with thousands of other people. When they got to Bethlehem, every room was full. There was nowhere for them to stay except in a stable, an animal shed. The baby Jesus was born in the stable, was wrapped up, and put to sleep on the straw in the feed bin (the manger). Luke tells us that the shepherds who were minding the sheep on the hillside came in to see the baby, and went away singing thanks to God for the newborn king. In the Gospel of Matthew it says that wise men from another country saw a new star in the sky and came to find the young Jesus because they knew that the Messiah was going to be born under a star, and that the star was a sign that Jesus was born to be a king. Jesus' ministry The Gospels tell about the ministry of Jesus in this way:- When Jesus was aged about 30, he travelled around the country, teaching by telling stories. He taught that God alone was the true king, and that people should love God and love each other as the Hebrew Bible told them to do. Jesus performed miracles that were signs of God's power, such as giving hungry people food and wine, healing sick people, and making dead people alive again. He also set people free from evil spirits. Jesus gathered together twelve men, know as the Twelve Disciples, whom he chose and trained to spread his message. He had many other disciples, including many women, but because of Jewish customs, the women disciples could not travel to distant places on their own as teachers. The Bible says Jesus became famous. When he went to the city of Jerusalem, many In people were visiting the city for a Holy Day. When they heard that he was coming, they greeted him as if he was a king. They thought perhaps he would free them from the Roman rule, but Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, as a sign that he came in peace. Jesus did a lot of things that upset the Jewish religious leaders. He often showed disrespect for customs that the Jews had kept for many centuries. For example, Jews did no work at all on the 7th day of the week, the Sabbath, because it was a holy day, but Jesus often showed disrespect for this custom. In John's Gospel, chapter 5, there is the story of Jesus healing a crippled man. Jesus saw a man lying on a mattress. He healed the man, and told him to pick up the mattress and go home. Carrying the mattress on the Sabbath was against religious custom, so the religious leaders argued with Jesus about it. They then watched everything he did, and remembered all the things that were against the religious customs. In Mark's Gospel, chapter 11, it says that when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, he went to the Jewish Temple. He became angry at what he saw. There were people selling things there, and money lenders who were cheating poor people. Jesus chased away all the people who were selling things. He said the chief priests and scribes had turned the temple into a den of thieves because they were making money from the poor and taking away homes from poor women who had no other way to pay for the temple worship. Jesus' death The Gospels tell about the death of Jesus in this way:- The temple leaders were angry and wanted to kill him. They told the Roman Government that Jesus wanted to become the king of the country and take it over. The Roman Governor thought that Jesus should be set free. The Jewish leaders said, "If you do that, then you are not the friend of Caesar!" (Caesar was the Roman ruler.) So the Governor sentenced him to death. The Roman soldiers killed Jesus by crucifixion; they nailed him to a cross by his arms. This was a common way for the Romans to kill rebels and criminals. Jesus' body was buried in a tomb which belonged to one of his followers. He was buried in a hurry, because the Sabbath day, when noone could work, started when the sun went down. On the day after the Sabbath, early in the morning, women came to wash the body and treat it with spice and perfumed oil. But the Gospels say that the body of Jesus was gone, and an angel sat by the tomb and said "He is risen from the dead!" (This is called the Resurrection.) Some people, like the disciple Thomas, said "I'm not going to believe this, until I have seen it with my own eyes!" But the Bible says that more than 500 people, including Thomas, saw Jesus alive again. There are many stories in the Gospelsresurrected. Finally, Luke's Gospel says that Jesus took his disciples to a hill, where he blessed them and told them to spread his teaching through all the world, and that then clouds came down, and he was lifted up to Heaven. Christian beliefs about Jesus and his teaching The Christian Church is founded on Jesus. The things that Christians believe about Jesus are based on the four Gospels of the Bible, and on letters or "Epistles" that were written in the 1st century, explaining Jesus' teachings to his followers. Jesus did not write these letters. They were mainly written by a Jewish man called Paul, who worked for the Roman government. At first he tried to stop Christianity from spreading. Then he became a Christian himself and was an important leader. As Christian churches started in different towns and countries, Paul wrote letters to them. A lot of the ideas that Christians believe are written in Paul's letters. There is also lots of advice for running churches and families. There are many Christians who believe what Paul taught about Jesus but who do not agree with some of Paul's advice. There are other letters in the New Testament by other writers including Peter, James, and John. These letters all help to build the beliefs that modern Christians have. People of other faiths do not use the letters, and do not agree with the Christian teachings. Jesus as God Whether or not Jesus is God has been argued about for a long time. All Christians, including Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christians, believe Jesus was both God and man. Jesus is described in different parts of the New Testament as being "the Word of God", "the Son of God", "the Son of Man", and even God himself. These teachings, which are believed by most Christians, are not believed by many other people. The Islamic teaching is that Jesus was a prophet, but he was not part of God or the "Son of God". In Jesus' own time, many Jews became very angry at Jesus for saying that he was the "Son of God" and also because his followers said he was the "Messiah". Most Jews do not believe this. These Bible verses tell the Christian teaching that Jesus is God: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God." John 1:1-3, ESV "The Word became a human being. He made his home with us. We have seen his glory. It is the glory of the one and only Son. He came from the Father. And he was full of grace and truth." John 1:14, NIRV "Jesus said...'I and the Father are one.'" John 10:30, ESV "Christ is God over all, blessed forever." Romans 9:5, ESV "[We are] waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.""In [Jesus] the fullness of the deity dwells bodily." Colossians 2:9, ESV Jesus is also referred to as "the Son of God". "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14, ESV "In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power." Hebrews 1:2-3, ESV "And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life." 1 John 5:20, ESV. This letter is thought to be by the same John that wrote John's Gospel. Most Christians believe that these verses say Jesus is God. Most Christians believe that Jesus's death on the cross allows all people to be forgiven by God for their sins (bad things they have done). Most Christians believe that if a person asks God to forgive them He will do so, and they will get to live forever with him in Heaven. God in human form Christians believe that, by the teaching of the Bible, Jesus was not only truly God but also truly human and that this was part of God's plan to bring humans closer to understanding him. People who do not have Christian beliefs, believe that Jesus was an ordinary person, and not God made human. Verses from the Bible:- "...and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." John, 1:14 In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus is often called "the Son of Man". Matthew has borrowed these words from the Old Testament where they are often used to show that humankind is very far from God. In the Bible, God is often praised and thanked for helping ordinary humans, who are called "the sons of man". In Psalm 8, the writer, King David, asks God "What is man and the son of man, that you should care so much and give him such wonderful power over the Earth and all its creatures?" In Matthew's Gospel, 24:30 Jesus says "..They shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory." Like King David, in Psalm 8, Jesus is making a difference between his ordinary human life and his great power as the Son of God. "The Good Shepherd" One of the best-loved parts of the Old Testament is a song called Psalm 23. It starts: "The Lord is my shepherd; then I will not want anything more. He leads me by still water and in green fields." In the Gospels, Jesus often spoke about himself as being like a shepherd, caring for sheep. He called himself the "Good Shepherd" who would even give his own life, to protect his sheep. He told the Jewish people, referring to non-Jewish or Gentile believers, that he had "other sheep" that do not belong to this flock. (John, 21:16). In one of his last conversations with his disciple Peter, he told him, "Feed my sheep!", in other words "Take care of my people.". "The Holy Saviour" In Jewish religion, from ancient times, there was a belief that humankind was "sinful" (did things that were bad) and that that people needed to be forgiven by God. They believed that there were two ways to get God's forgiveness, by prayer and by sacrifice. Prayer could be done anywhere, but sacrifices were done at the temple. A person would bring an animal, often a lamb, or if they were poor, a dove. They would put their hands on the animal to lay their sins on it. Then the animal would be killed, as a punishment for the sin. This type of sacrifice continued until the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 71 AD. Paying money to the temple was also a sort of sacrifice. When Jesus drove the traders out of the temple, they were the people who sold lambs and doves, and the people who exchanged Roman money into special temple money. Part of Christian belief is that Jesus Christ did not just come as a human person so that he could teach a better way of life. Christians also believe that Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice for the sin of humankind, that Jesus is the "Saviour": the one who is here to save. Christians believe that, unlike ordinary people, Jesus was completely pure and free from sin, but that when he died on the cross, he took on himself all the sins of every person in the whole world, like the lamb sacrificed in the temple. Based on John's Gospel, Christian teaching is that the death and resurrection of Jesus are the sign of his power to forgive the sins of any person who turns to him and truly asks for forgiveness. The Bible says that sinners who are forgiven should try to live a new life and not go back to their sinful behaviour. Christians believe that knowing about God's love helps people to live a new and better life. These are three verses from the Bible that are important in this Christian belief:- "God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that, whoever believes might not die but have eternal life." John's Gospel, 3:16. Jesus said: "I ** the way, the truth and the life. If anyone comes to the Father, they must come by me!" John's Gospel, 14:6. "If we say we have no sins, we are fooling ourselves and not telling the truth. But if we tell our sins humbly to God, then He has promised to listen and to forgive our sins and make us clean from all our badness." from the First Letter of John. Other views about Jesus Jesus as a teacher Some people who are not Christians believe that Jesus lived at the time that the Gospels say, but do not believe that Jesus was the "Son of God" or "Saviour". They believe that Jesus was an ordinary, but very good person, a teacher and perhaps a prophet. Some people accept Jesus as a moral example without any connection to a God. Mohandas Gandhi said, "I ** a Muslim, and a Hindu, and a Christian, and a Jew," even though he was born a Jain. Gandhi worked hard in his life to make the followers of all these religions respect each other. This is how many people see Jesus, too - a teacher who said that all people were neighbours and that Jews, Romans, Greeks, Samaritans and other people should all live in peace with each other. Muslim beliefs about Jesus Some people believe Jesus was a Prophet of God. Among these people are Muslims who follow the teaching of a book called the Qur'an. Muslims consider Jesus (under the name Isa) to be the second-to-last Prophet (messenger of God), and Muhammad to have been the very last Prophet. They believe that Jesus and Muhammad were both ordinary men. Muslims do not believe that Jesus was God or "the Son of God". They believe that Jesus cannot be part of God, because there is only one God. Muhammad taught that Jesus did not die on the cross, but that he went up to Heaven without dying. (The death of Jesus is essential to Christian belief about salvation.) Muslims always say "peace be upon him" after saying Jesus's name as a sign of respect. Jewish beliefs about Jesus Even though Jesus was a Jew and his teaching came out of the Jewish religion, most Jewish people do not believe that Jesus was the Messiah that is promised in the Jewish Scriptures. In the Gospels, it tells that Jesus made the Jewish teachers very angry with his teachings. It says that part of their anger was because he told them they were "hypocrites" which means that they were pretending to live good lives but were really using the laws of their own religion to cheat people. In the Gospels, the other reason that they became angry was that Jesus acted as if he was the Messiah, and said he was the "Son of God". This meant that he was either a terrible liar, that he was mad and just imagined it, or that it was true. But Jesus did not seem to be mad. So that left only two choices. If Jesus was lying, then he was doing something badly against the Jewish religion. It was because of the claims that Jesus was the "Son of God" that some of the Jewish leaders wanted him killed and they handed him to the Roman rulers. The Romans didn't care if Jesus said something that was against the Jewish beliefs. But they knew that people had also said that Jesus was "King of the Jews". This was against the government. Although, today and through history, most Jews do not believe what Christians say about Jesus, there are some Jews who do believe that Jesus was the Messiah promised in the Jewish Scriptures. Jews who believe this are called "Messianic Jews". Jesus as part of a false story Some ideas have been put forward that the whole of the Gospel writing about Jesus is just a good story or myth and that Jesus perhaps never existed. Other people believe that parts of the Gospel writings have been changed by the Christian church, who are hiding the truth. One author, Dan Brown, has written a famous book, "The da Vinci Code", based on the idea that Jesus was really married to one of his female disciples, and that the church has been hiding this information. Many people believe what Dan Brown wrote, even though his book is fiction. Some archaeologists have found a tomb in Jerusalem where there are graves with the names of a family called Joseph, Mary, Jesus, Jacob and Mary. They say that it must be the grave of Jesus' family, even though the Bible mentions 8 different Josephs, 5 Marys, 3 Joshua/Jesus and 4 Jacobs. Jesus as part of an old tradition Other writers have shown that parts of the story of Jesus are similar to other religions such as the stories of Gilgamesh and Mithras. They also show that Christianity holds its main Holy Days at a time when there was already a Roman or Jewish festival such as Easter at the time of the Passover. How the Gospels were written In the early 20th century there was a fashion for saying that Jesus probably never existed. In the later part of the 20th century and in the 21st century nearly all scholars, both Christian and non-Christian agree that Jesus was a real historic person. Both Christian and non-Christian scholars base their studies of him on the Gospels. They are believed to have been written between 60-90 AD. One of the main reasons that most scholars believe in the real existence of Jesus is that someone in the 1st century AD must have lived and taught the things which Jesus taught. Some real person must have started the Christian Church. Whether or not that person was called Jesus, their ideas were so powerful that they changed the world. By tradition, the Gospels were written by four men, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John who gave their names to these books. This is the order in which they are arranged in the New Testament of the Bible, but scholars think that it is not the order in which they were written, the Gospel of Mark being earlier than the Gospel of Matthew. The four Gospels all tell the story of the Life of Jesus, but they do it from four different points of view, because they were written by different people and each writer had reasons to tell it in a different way. Mark Mark's Gospel, which is thought by biblical scholars to be the earliest, has the name of a young disciple of the apostle Paul who is mentioned several times in the "Acts of the Apostles" and Paul's Letters. The Gospel was probably written in Rome and is thought be scholars to be from the memories of Jesus' follower or disciple, Peter. It doesn't tell about Jesus' birth; it starts when he was 30 year old, at the time when the disciples got to know him. It shows Jesus as a man of action: going around the country, teaching and healing people. About Matthew Matthew's Gospel was written next.[2] Matthew was one of Jesus' disciples. He was a Jewish man that was hated by other Jews because he worked for the Roman rulers as a tax collector. Matthew tells that one day Jesus saw him sitting at his desk in the market place and said "Follow me!".[16][2] Biblical scholars believe that Matthew had read Mark's Gospel and decided to fill in some things that Mark left out, because, while Mark wrote his Gospel for the Church of Rome, Matthew wanted to write for Jewish Christians all over the Roman Empire.[16] Matthew was a well-educated Jew, so he knew the Jewish Scriptures, (which Christians also use and call the Old Testament of the Bible). Matthew knew the scripture teachings that the Messiah, or God's anointed one would come. In his Gospel, he often mentions these teachings. He also starts off by giving a list of Jesus' ancestors because this was important to Jewish readers. About Luke The apostle Luke was Greek and a friend of the apostle Paul. He was a doctor and often writes about medical things. Luke came to know about Jesus from the disciples. Luke writes about the birth and the childhood of Jesus and he says "Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them." Luke was not a Jew and he writes in a way that is easy for other people who are not Jews to understand. He explains Jewish customs and laws. He wrote a second book called the Acts of the Apostles which tells what the disciples did after Jesus had left them. About John It is believed by scholars of the Bible that John was a disciple of Jesus and was probably the youngest of the twelve men who were Jesus' main followers. He lived to be an old man and, because of his teaching about Jesus, he was sent to a small island, Patmos. In his old age he wrote two important books, of which one is John's Gospel. John writes with one particular idea in mind. He wants to prove to the reader that Jesus is God's way of saving humans from the terrible problem of sin or evil. John starts by telling the reader that Jesus was (and is) part of God. John says that Jesus is God's Living Communication (or Living Word). Every part of John's Gospel is written to show that Jesus came from God, taught the Message of GodGod's Love. Jesus' teachings and stories The Gospels tell many of the stories that Jesus told when he was teaching people about the way that God loved them and the way they should live. Two of the most famous stories are the story of "the Prodigal Son" and the story of "the Good Samaritan". In the first story it is shown how much God loves his people and in the second story is shown how people should love each other. The Prodigal Son In this story from Luke's Gospel, Jesus tells how a rich man had two sons. They would both get a share of his money, when he died. The younger son said, "Father, give me my money now, so I can go and enjoy myself, while I'm young." He took the money to the city, and spent it all on parties with his friends. Soon he had none left to feed himself. He was ashamed. He got a job caring for pigs, but he was almost starving. He said to himself, "I'll go home to my father and I will say 'Father, I have sinned! Please let me be a servant in your house!'. As he went home, he did not know that his father looked out for him, every day. When his father saw him coming, he ran along the road to put his arms around his son. The son said "Father, I have sinned! Please let me be a servant in your house!" The father said "Bring the finest clothes! Kill the fattest calf to make a feast!" When the elder brother heard all this, he was angry and said "I'm a good son to you, but you never even gave me one little goat to have a party with my friends!" The father said "My son who is lost is now found! My son who seemed to be dead is alive! Be happy wih me!" Jesus said that this is the way God loves and forgives his people, when they ask for forgiveness. The Good Samaritan In this story from Luke's Gospel, Jesus shows what it means to be a good neighbour. Near the Jews lived the Samaritans. They followed the Hebrew Scriptures, but they worshiped differently to the Jews, so the Jews were prejudiced against them. One day, a Jewish man was on a journey when a band of robbers beat him up, robbed him and left him naked and almost dead, by the road. A Jewish priest came along and saw him. He thought, "If I touch that naked bleeding man, I will be unclean and I won't be able to go to the Temple!" So he pretended that he hadn't seen him. Another Jew, a Holy Man, came along and acted in the same way. At last a Samaritan came along with a donkey. When he saw the wounded man he stopped. He washed his wounds with wine and olive oil. Then he put him on his donkey and took him to the nearest inn. He paid the innkeeper and said "Keep him until he is well, and whatever is owing, I will pay when I come back this way." Jesus said to the people who were listening "Which one of these people acted like a good neighbour?" They said "He that stopped and helped." Jesus said "You go and act the same way." | |
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