The Bethlen Home Messenger, 1998 (1-2. szám)

1998-12-01 / 2. szám

(Eljaplatn's (EoxtltX By Rev. Nicholas Novak

ON THE THRESHOLD OF B.C. AND A.D.

"WHEN THE APPOINTED, FAVORABLE TIME CAME, God sent His Son...to redeem the subjects of the Law. For God's plan, God's purpose was that when the times had run their course to the end, at the fullness of time, He would bring everything in the Heavens and everything on Earth together under Christ, as Head."

(Based on Galatians 4:4 and Ephesians 1:10 - Jerusalem Bible)

WE DO NOTHING ARBITRARY in quoting the conflated statement from the Apostle Paul, as this translation reflects the consensus, the wisdom of both Catholic and Protestant biblical scholars at their best. Likewise, in the somewhat enigmatic title we do not refer to some electronic devices, but rather to the Birth of Jesus: the one event universally accepted as the common mile-stone in the dating of all other events in history.

And rightly so. For we do not share the pessimistic view of some historians in whose consideration there is no room for God; for whom anything and everything that has happened and is happening is nothing but an incoherent, chaotic heap of episodes without any meaningful reason or purpose; and who are interpreting life - including human life - as an accidental result of blind chance, crediting some fortuitous causes and effects of "Mother Nature" - whatever they mean by that pedestrian poetry.

What we do know and profess is that God not only created the world, but is also governing it by His sovereign will as the Supreme Lord and Ruler of History. Whether we, with our limited human faculties understand it or not, like it or not, accept it or refuse to recognize it - is of no consequence whatsoever. "If these will be silent" - said Jesus of His disciples on Palm Sunday - "the very Stones will cry out!" - the immovable, undisputable Facts of History.

If it was important, - as it was indeed - that the little town of Bethlehem be the birth-place of the Messiah, it is equally significant just when, at what time, in which period of history should this Plan of God manifest itself.

The time was 2000 years ago, - give or take a few years on account of the inaccurate calendar of the ancient world. Why then? Why not, say, 300 years

before or 500 years later? What was so special about that period of History?

Just about everything.

"The fullness of time" - says the commentator of the Jerusalem Bible - "is the phrase indicating how, when the Messianic Age comes, it will fill a need felt for centuries." Not only the Hebrew prophets, but Greek historians and Roman poets alike, and the literature of early Judaism attest to this world-wide expectation.

The time was "favorable" for other reasons as well. The then know world - from Britain to Persia, from Gibraltar to Alexandria was One, unified empire under Roman rule. Roman citizens (the Apostle Paul was one!) - could travel freely anywhere they wanted. No passport, no visa were necessary, and the silver coins of Rome were accepted at face everywhere. No questions were asked.

The time was favorable because the "lingua franca" - Hellenistic Greek - was the common language, spoken by slaves, soldiers, merchants and emperors alike. For the emerging Christian communities the documentary evidence: the Old Testament was on hand in the plain Greek version of the Septuagint. All the books and letters that eventually comprised the New Testament were written in Greek. For centuries educated people were fluently bilingual in Greek and their own tribal languages. This remarkable feature of ancient civilization was not there before and, alas! - ceased to continue in the cultural darkness of medieval times.

The religious - spiritual scene was rife with an innumerable variety of shallow paganism, - none of them officially endorsed or promoted by law or social convention. Roman magistrates were instructed to remain neutral in religious disputes. Jews were exempt from military service on account of their observance of the Sabbath. Until the emperor - cult of Nero and his equally corrupt successors, missionaries of the Gospel enjoyed more freedom than they would in some of the same countries today! - Not all the Jewish synagogues were obstinate pockets of rejection to the Gospel of Jesus. The Apostle Paul could stay in Corinth for nearly two years and write his great letter to the congregation in Rome. The new megalopolis of Alexandria in Egypt became the first center of Christian theology.