All Saints Day!

It is a day to celebrate, and a reminder to seek the intercession of all the holy men and women who have gone before!  Here is one of my favorite Litany of the Saints (although I really like all of them):

 

Psalm 131

This Sunday's readings contain one of my favorite Psalms:   Psalm 131,  it is short and it is humble.

Psalm 131: 1,2, 3:
Lord my heart is not proud, nor are my eyes haughty.  I do not busy myself with great matters, with things too sublime for me.  Rather I have stilled my soul, like a weaned child to it's mother, weaned is my soul.  Israel hope in the Lord, now and forever.

The response that we are to say is:  In you Lord, we have found peace.  Is that where you find your peace?  Why is peace so elusive?  Do you go to the Lord daily in prayer and give to Him all the things you busy yourself with through the day?  Do you fill your mind with the word of God, which is living and active? Could it be that we think that exterior peace leads to interior peace?

I know that there are times that my heart and soul get so wound up with activities great or small, debates about issues, great or small, that I am far from peaceful.  And when I am agitated and restless, I want to change everything around me, to do something that I hope will transform my turmoil into tranquility (or at least distract me from it). If I get everything in place around me, or if I can control my surroundings, I think that I should be able to attain peace in my soul.  I attempt to quiet my restless heart with what I do, what I have or who I love and am loved by in this world, so that I will be satisfied.

 But it is not so.  And it takes humility to realize it.  To humbly be weaned of the temptation to create false peace and to try so hard to control how others see you, treat you or honor you. We need to be content and humble in the presence of the Lord, or else we can fall into the trap of the Pharisees, who "preach but do not practice",  or the priests of Malichi 2, who" do not listen" and "do not lay it to heart".  They have achieved the places of honor, but have not submitted their hearts and minds to the Lord with humility and love.

 Thus, the Psalm is about prayer, and even great kings, who do have to busy themselves in the world with great and sublime things, must humble themselves and sit at the feet of the Lord where we all should submit our worries and joys, our successes and our failures to our true King.    And, if I do not understand that all true peace and lasting joy come from the Lord, and are gifts that are nurtured in prayer and quiet listening, even if I say I believe and trust in the Lord, I will fall prey so easily to false notions of peace, and false notions of faith. This Psalm calls us to a deep reliance and a stronger trust in the Lord, who at times seems to let the world spin out of control.

 The mother of a child who is being weaned knows that there are greater things for her child, and her child is ready to move on.  The child only knows that mother is withdrawing a comforting form of her nurturing love from him or her, and a very anxious child may be desperate to maintain this comfort with their mother. Here is where this child can grow in trust; the weaning process is not just the removal of a consolation and leaving the little one to comfort himself; what mother does not console her anxious child as they grow and mature leaving behind childish comforts?  But upon weaning they are beginning to understand that mother is still near, and still delighting in her child, and they can quietly rest in her lap without being upset at having moved on from earlier stages of nurturing.  She has not weaned them to burden them, but to free them.  Peace and humility are found in the trust and firm hope that even in middle of chaos and anxiety, when the Lord feels far away, He is still there, and nothing will separate you from His care.

Grace and Peace,
Heidi

Here is some wisdom from Deacon Paul Rooney about the readings for the Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time.

MY BROTHER'S KEEPER

April 1, 2008

Mary Anne Cronican

Encyclical

“Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gn 3: 9). This question has been asked since the beginning of recorded history and is still being asked today. It encompasses many aspects of human relationships and associations throughout our lives.  To begin, the question must be asked, “Who is my brother?”  As Christians, we believe that all creatures are related to each other since we have one Creator and were created in love.  Love, the foundation which makes us brothers and sisters in the person of Christ Jesus.  If love is to exist, then concern for each other must follow.  Love demands that we not only care for ourselves, but also are concerned with the welfare of others. 

Concern begins first with our families.  A family unit, in the light of Christian principles, is a unit of love and care, of giving and concern, of upholding and forgiving.  We are told in Sacred Scripture to correct albeit with love, those who are walking in error or are living a life contrary to the Christian way.  Too often, readiness to criticize and accuse is more prevalent than the approach of love and real concern.   If we cannot help those we love by gentle correction and encouragement, we must pray for them and ourselves to remain in the love and care of our God.

Often, in the workplace, we encounter peers who are laden with problems and difficulties.  Are we to ignore these opportunities to help thinking, “It’s none of my business”, or should we reach out with concern and love in an attempt to relieve the suffering which is being expressed.

 Opportunities exist regularly in daily life to be of service to one another.  As Christians, we are called to be servants to one another if we are to enter the Kingdom of God.  Some are able to leave home for missionary and relief work in far lands, yet within our own world, in our own lives, we are given the opportunity by God to be a servant to our fellow man.  Building homes for those who are struggling, helping to feed the poor by working in soup kitchens, clothing those who are in desperate need, counseling those who enter our lives and present a need for understanding and guidance, visiting the sick, helping our elderly brothers and sisters when loneliness sets in and limitations prohibit them from performing normal daily activities and even visiting those in prison—virtual prisons or the prisons of loneliness and depression. Those who are walking in the ignorance of our God are to be shown love and concern and presented with an invitation to learn and know what has been done for them and

for all humanity by the loving action of Jesus Christ. Fear or reluctance must not prohibit us from proclaiming the Gospel to our brothers and sisters.

Above all, we must care for our fellow creatures by praying for them.  In Christian charity we are called to pray for the building up of the Body of Christ, for conversion and in reparation for sins—including for those living and for the dead.

The corporal and spiritual works of mercy require us to truly be “our brother’s keeper” and to show Christian charity to them.  In doing so, we, ourselves, become more Christ like and are transformed into selfless individuals.  In order for a society to be transformed, each individual must be transformed.  Being concerned with only ourselves will not bring about this transformation.  The fabric of society, the soul of society cannot be changed unless we, the body of Christ live as people of the beatitudes and the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.  God’s great mercy is expressed on this earth in the prayers and actions of human beings who strive to live according to the teachings of Jesus. If we are concerned with the condition of the world, we must change the condition of ourselves.  In focusing on the needs and concerns of others in a most loving way, we understand that we are truly “our brother’s keepers”.

Sunday Reading October 22nd & 23rd

Sunday Reading October 22nd & 23rd
The Greatest Commandments

The readings for this Sunday remind us of the love God has for us and the love we are to have for Him and for our “neighbors.” God loved us first and that enables us to love Him.

The gospel for today is taken from Matthew 22:34-40.
“When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law tested him by asking, ‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.’"

The Jews of Jesus’ time had over 600 laws they were to obey. Jesus often commented about obeying the letter of the law versus the meaning behind the law. When I think about all these laws, I marvel at the complexity that must have existed. No wonder the Jews needed their elders to constantly interpret and monitor these laws.

Then Jesus spoke. He was God’s son, but was known as a simple man. A man of few words, carefully chosen and spoken often in parables. This time, Jesus spoke very clearly and distinctly. No hidden meanings, no metaphors. He condensed those 600+ laws into two basic commandments.

· We must love God with all of our being.
· We must love our neighbors as if they were us.

We move from complexity to simplicity. In all that we do and say we must consider the depth of our love for our God and the depth of our love for our neighbors. Everything else must be a subset of these two commandments.

We live in a complex world; often surrounded by sophisticated rules and challenges. And yet, if we look closely at our own lives and our world, it all boils down to our love of God and our love of humanity. Everything else becomes smoke and mirrors.

We hear in our first reading of today the words from Exodus 22:20-26 which remind us of our obligation to love humanity.

Thus says the LORD:"You shall not molest or oppress an alien,for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt. You shall not wrong any widow or orphan. If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me,I will surely hear their cry. My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword;then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans.”

"If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people,you shall not act like an extortioner toward himby demanding interest from him. If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge,you shall return it to him before sunset;for this cloak of his is the only covering he has for his body. What else has he to sleep in?If he cries out to me, I will hear him; for I am compassionate.”

God wants us to return of the complete love that He has already given us. We are capable of such love only because He loved us first. Our compassion for our fellow man comes from our remembrance that we too were once aliens and then God loved us and claimed us for His own.

The peace of Christ be upon you,
Judy

The Fulfillment of Our Deepest Desire

Here are the readings from the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time,  reading which alert us to perceiving and attending to the needs of those who God has placed before us. But,  the Gospel lets us know that first things are first.  " you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart , with all your soul, and with all your mind."

 All to often I feel that those who stress the social justice of the church use (misuse) Scripture to avoid dealing with some of the most miserable moral failings of our time.  In this case the first commandment (you shall love the Lord....) is ignored in favor of the second:  to love your neighbor as yourself.  Love of neighbor is quite important, but love of neighbor must be rooted in love of God,with all your heart, soul and mind.  You must be conformed to the Truth Himself first, or you will not be able to lead your neighbor to the living water that he or she so desperately needs.

  I have just recently witnessed a Facebook debate about "homosexual marriage" that has really driven home this in my heart. Those who claimed they are just being fair and merciful to those who have a same sex attraction made fervent appeals to the justice of Jesus, yet they can only barely scrape the surface of what His justice means, and often the larger, more transcendent realities goes by the wayside.  And the eternal God, who is the fountain of life, the living water, the source of all love, justice and peace takes second place to making sure that no one has to confront their own bondage, or that of their neighbors, so they can be truly free.

 John, Chapter 4 verses 4-7, 9-28:

He had to pass through Samaria.  So he came the the town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.  Jacob's well was there, Jesus, tired of his journey, sat down at that well, it was about noon.  A woman of Samaria came to draw water.  Jesus said to her, "give me a drink."

I have to stop right here, because I think that anyone who reads the Gospels with eyes to see and ears to hear ought to now discern what is happening in their own heart, because my heart always skips a beat when Jesus speaks, it skips a beat because my mind hears Him talking to me, the Beloved is talking to me!  Listen! Listen to him speaking to you!

The Samaritan woman said to him, "How can you , a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman for a drink? "  (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.)  Jesus answered and said to her, " If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, 'give me a drink,' you would have asked him to give you living water."  The woman said to him, "Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where than can you get this living water?  Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?"  Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;  but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."  The woman said to him, "Sir give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water."  Jesus said to her, "Go call your husband and come back."  The woman answered and said to him, "I do not have a husband."  Jesus answered her, saying, " You are right in saying, 'I do not have a husband.'  For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true."

I bring this passage up because in the Facebook debate this Scripture was brought up to make a point that though human love is good, the love of God, the living water, is of highest importance, and no sacrifice is too great for it.  But one of the opponents (the pro homosexual "marriage" side) could only see that Jesus did not specifically mention homosexuality in this debate, so she could not see that it had any bearing on the discussion at all.  And it is so sad, because there is Jesus, sitting at the well, calling each of us out of our sinfulness, away from the distractions that we think will assuage the deep yearning for the Beloved.  He is the fulfillment of all our desires, but when God is not put first in all things, all that can be seen here is that Jesus was kind to a woman that others ignored.  He was more than kind, He was passionately showing her that all that she desired in her whole life was fulfilled in Him.  He was betrothing Himself to her.

We cannot always stop our loved ones from pursuing sinful lifestyles, but we can point to the one who will not just forgive, but forgive and heal us, with tenderness and love.  We can point to Him because we have experienced His love and forgiveness. Jesus can be living water through you and your steadfast devotion to Him.  We must order our love to God, with all of our heart, mind and strength, as the Holy Spirit to help, or we will so easily settle for the stagnant water from the earthly cistern, and that is all we will be able to offer those we love when they some in search of a drink!

 Moreover, to not put God first, blinds us to immutable truths:   Jesus did not hesitate to bring light and truth to the woman's situation in life. and she in return left her jar at the well to bring this truth to others.  But, really, either you struggle to live and proclaim the truth, or you will give it up totally.  You will be satisfied with stagnant well water. And this is tragic, when there is Living Water that is available to them.  You must at least point the way to the Living Water, the way to the Bridegroom who fulfills all our desires.

Before I go, since I veered from this Sunday's Gospel a wee bit let me link you to Deacon Paul Rooney's web site, where one can always get sound teaching on the Scripture, click  Didja Know for wisdom on this Sunday's Scripture in relation to immigration!

Grace and Peace,
Heidi

"You are the salt of the earth" (Mt. 5:13)

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus said to His disciples, “You are the salt of the earth.” (Mt. 5:13) Each of us may spend many hours reading, studying and praying over God’s words in the hope of breaking open the Bible and drawing closer to God. When we do this, we too are becoming the salt of the earth.

When I was thinking about what is meant by the salt of the earth, I did some research. Did you know that salt is mentioned nearly 50 times in the Old and New Testaments? Salt was used as a condiment to flavor foods and as a preservative to keep foods from spoiling. Newborn babies were rubbed with salt to promote good health. In contrast, salt was used in the mummifying process in Egypt.

Salt was rare and very costly for most of the ancient world. Countries without salt had to import it, and a salt tax was prevalent. Josephus, the first-century Jewish historian, acknowledged that there was such a tax in his day. Romans used salt as an important item of trade; salt was even used as money. Many Roman soldiers may have received salt as part of their pay. Salt was indeed precious. Did you know that more wars have been fought over salt than over gold?

Salt served many other purposes as well. In Judges, we learn that when a city was destroyed and its inhabitants killed, the final act was to sow the city with salt. This rendered the ground barren and useless. (Jdg 9:45). In contrast, Elisha used salt as an antidote to the harmful water at Jericho. (2Kgs 2:19-22).

Salt was used to indicate the inviolability of the Covenant with God. Grain offerings and burnt offering to God were to be salted as a reminder of that Covenant. (Lev 2:13). In Leviticus we also learn that a covenant sealed with salt was indeed everlasting. God gave the kingdom of Israel to David and his sons forever, in a covenant made in salt.

In Biblical times, men carried pouches of salt and when a promise or contract was made, each man intermingled his salt with the salt of the others. Their salt was no longer separate and just as they could not pick out their salt from the rest, they could not go back on their word. Salt was emblematic of permanence or loyalty.

In Exodus, the Lord tells Moses how the incense of the temple should be prepared. It was to be blended from various aromatic substances and then salted to be kept pure and sacred. Again we see salt as a mechanism for keeping things pure and worthy of God (Ex 30:35).

Salt had another very important purpose but you may not be aware of this function. It was used as a catalyst in building a fire, in order to cook in the clay ovens of the time. The fuel in the ovens was not wood but animal dung mixed with salt. Among the household chores of a young girl was the collecting of dung and preparing it to be used as fuel by molding it into patties, salting it and letting it dry out in the sun. A block of salt was also placed at the base of the oven as a catalyst for the fuel. Salt is an aid in making fires burn and in keeping them burning.

Often in the New Testament, the references to salt are most likely referring to its catalytic abilities. The catalyst keeps the fire burning; the catalyst sees the fire through to completion. A catalyst is the conduit, the means for making something happen.

Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth.” (Mt. 5:13). If we are indeed the salt of the earth and the followers of Jesus, then we need to be the catalysts, the keepers of the fire of faith. As we walk the path of the believers, we need to keep the covenant with God alive in our hearts. By our words and deeds we are to influence the world.

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul exhorts the new Christians to speak graciously and always “season their speech with salt” (Col 4:6). In other words, we are to speak with intelligence and as catalysts.

Finally, in the gospel of Mark, Jesus said: “For everyone will be salted for the fire. Salt is good, but if it loses its catalytic ability, how will you restore that? Keep salt in yourself and you will have peace with one another.” (Mark 9:49-50).

Each of us travel on our pilgrimage for closeness with God. As we enter the next phase, the catalytic phase, our goal should be to become that conduit for faith and deeper understanding. We, along with Jesus’ disciples, are called to preserve the society and the world around us from moral decay. We need to keep salt in ourselves. Jesus encouraged His disciples to usefulness, to fidelity and to their role in purifying the world. Remember “YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH.”

The Effects of Hellenism on Jewish Culture and Religion.

By Mary Anne Cronican

Hellenism is the term used to describe the assimilation of Greek culture into other nations and peoples.  The Greek influence in other nations and cultures is referred to as Hellenistic, especially after the time of the conquests of Alexander the Great in the 4^th century B.C.  Alexander, son of Philip II of Macedon, from 333-323 B.C., marched his troops across Asia Minor, Palestine, Egypt, the Near East, Mesopotamia and all the way to the boarders of India, conquering the greatest empires the world has ever known.  He conquered the Persian Empire around 331 B.C.    It has been said that, when he got to India, he wept because there were no more kingdoms to conquer, not knowing of the existence of China.  His purpose was not only political control of these territories, but, also, to introduce the Greek culture to unite his empire.  These conquests resulted in the synthesis called Hellenism.  As a result of the conquests of Alexander, the history, culture, languages and civilizations of the peoples of the eastern Mediterranean and Asia were forever altered.

Alexander established Greek colonies or city-states and military garrisons throughout Asia Minor, Syria-Palestine, Egypt and Mesopotamia.  These city-states were populated with soldiers and civilians from the Greek world.   Wherever he and his troops went in the world, such as Antioch in Syria, Philippi and Alexandria in Egypt, cultural changes were introduced that would promote Hellenism.  The word “Hellenism” means “becoming like Greeks” and is derived from the Greek Hellas Isles (Helles meaning Greek in the Greek language.)  This period was first designated “Hellenistic” by J. G. Droysen who believed that this era was particularly characterized by both Greek and Oriental cultures and paved the way for the spread of Christianity.  The Hellenistic age lasted from the death of Alexander (323 B.C.) until Rome’s defeat of Egypt (31 B.C.)  The influence of Hellenism continued to the age of the emperor Constantine (d. A.D. 337.)

As previously stated, all aspects of life were affected by Hellenism and this applied to the Diaspora Jews in Egypt and Palestine.  Within 100 years, Hellenism was dominant throughout the Eastern Mediterranean territory including Palestine/Syria, although it should be noted that Judea and the rest of Palestine experienced Greek influence before the time of Alexander.  Pottery from Athens reached Judea as early as the 7the century B.C.  Greek money was in common use after the 5^th century B. C. and, in the post exilic period, Greek furniture was popular. 

 After the death of Alexander, two Empires emerged in the Middle-East—the Ptolemies in Egypt and the Seleucids in Syria.  Initially, the Jews were under the control of the Ptolemies.  However, after the battle of Panias in 198 B.C., Israel came under the rule of the Seleucids and their king Antiochus IV. 

In the conquered nations, the influence of Hellenism was manifested in language, government, literature, art and architecture, economics, athletics, theater.  Greek names were given to children in the Diaspora and in Palestine (e.g. Andrew, Philip, Alexander) and often Jewish names were altered to Greek names (e.g.  Joshua to Jason).   Food, clothing (some men adopted Greek dress) and furniture were Greek in style and in name.  Greek philosophy was taught in schools—philosophies of Aristotle, Plato, Epicureanism and Stoicism.   The Greek language became the Koine because of the assimilation into Greek from the areas into which it was diffused and borrowing a number of foreign words.  Hellenism also assimilated features of Oriental religion and cult.

After the conquests of Alexander and under the government of Ptolemy (who ruled from Alexandria in Egypt), certain government practices were introduced, turning the Jewish way of life toward a more Hellenistic culture.  Many Jews felt their ways to be old-fashioned and were embarrassed by their religious practices in contrast to the sophisticated culture of the Greeks.  Consequently, they enthusiastically embraced the Greek ways.  For others, their Jewish identity and way of life were thought to be threatened by the Hellenistic culture and cultural assimilation was a great concern in 1 and 2 Maccabees.

Hellenism penetrated most deeply into the larger cities.  The Jewish communities of the Diaspora retained only the law and the worship of the synagogue.  The surrounding rural areas were largely spared much of the influence of Hellenism.  Greek architecture had a major impact on the synagogues and in the governance of the communities.  Titles and the organization of Greek government were adopted.  Hellenism had a strong impact on Palestinian Judaism and reached its peak in the first half of the second century B.C. when Hellenism was adopted and fostered by the Priestly aristocracy.  However, the greatest impact and adoption of Hellenism for Judaism was in Egypt where the community became more Greek than Jewish.

As Hellenism spread throughout the Jewish Diaspora, a problem arose for Greek-speaking Jews.  They could not speak Hebrew and therefore, could not read the Scriptures.  Clearly, a Greek translation was needed.  In 285 B.C., a group of 70 to 72 rabbis were commissioned by Ptolemy Philadelphus, to undertake the task of translating the Hebrew Scriptures (the Torah) into Greek.  The work was begun in Alexandria, Egypt where Gentile Greeks were being brought into the Jewish faith. This translation is known as the Septuagint (the Latin word for “seventy”.) 

Hellenism became a tool for unifying a vast and disparate empire by introducing the Greek language and institutions throughout the land by means of founding hundreds of the city-states.  Greeks considered their language and way of life superior to others whom they considered “barbarians.”   Reaction to this was twofold:  the wealthy and educated accepted the ways of Greek culture enthusiastically (the “impious” Jews in 2 Maccabees) and others (those in rural areas) who considered it a threat to their traditional way of life and values. 

One area where this prevailed and was brought out so well in James Michener’s “The Source,” was the gymnasium.  Jews were encouraged to take part in sports and activities in the gymnasium.  In order to do so, they had to undergo a reversal of their circumcism.  They risked health and sacrificed sexual pleasure to “become one flesh” with the Greek culture.   Also, when taking part in the gymnasium sports and activities, they were required to exercise and perform nude—a great violation to Jewish law and practice.   Others fought against their brother Jews and the Hellenization of their people (1 Maccabees).

Jews in Palestine were forced by Syrian Greek King Antiochus IV Epiphanes to publically violate Jewish law in 168 BC.  Many were adopting Greek way of life the Jewish community as well as the priests.  Jason, through bribery, convinced Antiochus IV Epiphanes to appoint him high priest in Jerusalem (a pseudo-high-priest.)   He received permission to build a gymnasium and an educational institution in Jerusalem—a youth club-- and to enroll “the people of Jerusalem as citizens of Antioch” (2 Macc. 4:9).   The youth club was an educational institution in which young men were trained in both Greek intellectual culture and in physical fitness (2 Macc 4:9 footnote.)  It was because of this that the author of 2 Maccabees blamed Jason for the excessive Hellenization of Jerusalem (2 Macc 4:11-17). 

When Antiochus was away on an extended military campaign, conflict arose in the Jewish community and Jason lost the priesthood to Menelaus.  Jason tried to drive Menelaus out of power.  Antiochus, upon his return, rescued Menelaus.  Antiochus, however, viewed the situation as rebellion and determined to impose strict Greek practices on the Jews, in particular, Greek worship (Dionysian? Zeus? Baal Shamin?)  He severely persecuted the Jews, ordering an end to the practice of their religion and decreed that they accept the pagan worship including eating unclean food.  The final blow was the sacking of the temple and the erection of a pagan altar over the altar of holocausts (the “horrible abomination” (1 Macc 1:54) where pagan sacrifice was offered.  It was at that time that the Jews rose up under the leadership of Mattathias and later his son Judas Maccabeus, against their Greek oppressors and eventually set up a Hasmonean State (the name derives from their ancestor Hasmoneus) which lasted until 63 BC.  Through many bloody wars, the Jews finally prevailed.  However, the influence of Hellenism was felt not only in the 4^th century in both Egypt and Palestine, but also to the time of Jesus (in literature, theater, architecture and in pagan worship).  Both the priestly Sadducees and the Pharisees emerged during the time of the Maccabees.  At the time of Jesus, Hellenization had been in place for three hundred years.  Most in Palestine knew several languages including Hebrew, Aramaic (the language of Jesus), Greek and Latin.  Paul was a highly educated Hellenized Jew.

In Apostolic times, Greek was spoken by both Jew and Gentile.  Antioch in Syria was a large, cosmopolitan commercial city.  It was a major trading center and was made up of a diverse population of many different peoples and religions.  The population is believed to have been between 500,000 and 600,000.  Jews of the Diaspora had lived in Antioch since its founding in 300 B.C.  After the stoning of Stephen, many Jewish Christians fled to Antioch.  Even more entered Antioch after the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70.   Despite the mixed communities and Greek culture, the Antiochian community showed charity towards the Jewish-Christians from Jerusalem.  It was in Antioch that Paul and Barnabus began their ministry of preaching the Word to the Gentiles.  It became the cradle of Christianity.

Matthew wrote his gospel in Antioch.  The large cosmopolitan and diverse population of Greek-speaking Gentiles and Jews presented a particular challenge to Matthew.   The Church of Matthew, originally strongly Jewish Christian, had become one in which Gentile Christians were predominant.  The people were sophisticated.  They were products of the Hellenistic culture.  They enjoyed an easy lifestyle and put a high priority on leisure—the “Greek way.”  They were surrounded by different philosophical and religious beliefs.  Gnostism (simply put, salvation by knowledge), undoubtedly influenced by the syncretism promoted by Hellenism, was just one of the problems Matthew had to deal with in his ministry but a major one.  Because of Hellenism, there were a variety of religious alternatives, and many different religions were being practiced in Antioch.  According to Eerdmanns Dictionary of the Bible, some of the religions that existed at the time were the mystery religions and cults, Mithraism (the official cult of the Roman Empire), the Egyptian cult of Isis and Osiris, the worship of Dionysus (the Greek god of wine) and, as previously mentioned, Gnosticism.  All of these mystery religions, philosophies and worldviews influenced Christianity which followed in their wake.

Although Hellenization posed problems in preaching the Gospel, it opened the door to an acceptance of the Gospel by Gentiles.   As the Church began to emerge, it was made up of primarily Hellenized Gentiles.   For the Jews, little of its effects remain.  

BIBLIOGRAPHY

New American Bible.  Gospel of Matthew.  1 & 2 Maccabees.

Wijngaards, John. “Matthew’s Gospel”.   (Online)

http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters  Scripture from Scratch.

Wilson, Sara E. Wilson.  “Antioch, the Lost City.”  (Online)

http://www.neh.gov/news/humanities/2007/antioch

The Word in the Hellenistic World. Denver Catholic Biblical School. New York:  Paulist Press, 1997.

Spiro, Rabbi Ken.  “Alexander, the Jews and Hellenism.”  (Online)

http://sullivan-county.com

Perowne, Stewart.  The Life and Times of Herod the Great.   New York.  Abengdon Press, 1959 (Online)

http://www/notablebiographies.com/He-Ho/Herod-the-Great.

Arendzen, J. (1909.)  “Gnosticism.”  New York.  The Catholic Encyclopedia.  Robert Appleby Company.  Retrieved May 9, 2010 from http://www.newadvent.org

”How the Greeks Promoted the Blending of Religions.”  The Cultural Background of Early Christianity.   (Online) http://www.jesushistory.info/cultural_background_of_christianity.htm

Eerdmann, David Noel. Eerdmanns Dictionary of the Bible. Michigan: Eerdmann Publishing Company,    2000.

McKenzie, John L., S.J.  Dictionary of the Bible.   New York.  MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc and Collier MacMillan, Publishers, (London), 1965.

Perkins, Pheme.  Reading the New Testament.   “Gnosticism” (pp.286, 305-6,  326).  New York.  MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc.   1979.

Senior, Donald and John J. Collins, editors.  The Catholic Study Bible  (second edition).  NAB.  New York.  Oxford University Press, Inc.  2006.

Copyright 2011, Mary Anne Cronican