"We are travellers…not yet in our native land" – St. Augustine
Prepare the way, then get out of the way. Open the cage door and let the Truth speak for itself. It will roar like a lion who, once encountered, needs no help being taken seriously
– Matthew Warner, Messy & Foolish
When you hear people speaking about the Bible, and especially the Old Testament, you will often hear the terms “Israelite”, “Hebrew” and “Jew” used interchangeably. However, strictly speaking, these terms are not identical.
An Israelite is simply anyone who is a descendant of the Patriarch Jacob. In Genesis 32:28, after wrestling a mysterious man, Jacob is given a new name, “Israel”, which literally means “He who strives with God”.
If you recall, Jacob/Israel had twelve sons. These would later form the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel. Well, eleven of these sons took great umbrage at their brother Joseph, so they sold him into slavery (those of you with siblings will understand this). Years later, Joseph rose to power in Egypt and, after being reconciled with his family, brought them all to Egypt.
The family of Israel flourished in Egypt for some time until a new Pharaoh rose to power who forced them all into slavery. It is at this time that Moses is called by God to rescue his people and lead them out of Egypt. It is during the period of the Exodus that the term Hebrew is used to refer to the population.
Once the people return to Israel, they enjoy a period of prosperity. However, eventually there is a split in the Kingdom between the northern and southern Kingdom. The Southern Kingdom was known as “Judah” and the inhabitants of that area known as Jews. Both the northern and southern kingdoms are conquered and people exiled. After the exile, the term “Jew” is used to refer to any of the Israelites who were left.
I hope that this explanation of terms and recap of Salvation History is helpful!
Today’s song is another from Elevation which I heard at a recent concert in San Diego, “As it is in Heaven”:
The atmosphere is changing now
For the spirit of the Lord is here
The evidence is all around
That the spirit of the Lord is here
Overflow in this place
Fill our hearts with your love
Your love surrounds us
You’re the reason we came
To encounter your love
Your love surrounds us
Spirit of God fall fresh on us
We need your presence
Your kingdom come
Your will be done
Here as in heaven
A miracle can happen now
For the spirit of the Lord is here
The evidence is all around
That the spirit of the Lord is here
Below is a follow-up to the article from Art Of Manliness which I shared yesterday. This articles attempts to identify the source of what it regards as the “feminization” of Christianity:
Below is a link to an article recently published on Art Of Manliness which I think is worth serious consideration. It addresses the question: why does Christianity appear to attract and retain more females than males?
The other day, I came across this video:
In trying to find out more information as to its background, I found this webpage which has a pretty good analysis as to the issues surrounding authenticity (as well a rather amusing joke).
Recently my friend Joseph Heschmeyer from Shameless Popery was on the radio programme at Catholic Answers. He had previously been on the show once before, talking about Where we got the Bible.
This time he was on the show speaking about The Eucharist in the Early Church. The episode came to the attention of my favourite (and I do mean that!) anti-Catholic apologist, Dr. James White. Bravo Joe 😀