Stephen's speech
The high priest asked, 'Is this true?' He replied, [ The discourse opens with a summary of the stories of Abraham and Joseph, vv. 2-16; it goes on to expound the history of Moses, vv. 17-43 (cf. the charge made against Stephen, 6:11). With Moses' divine mission of salvation Stephen contrasts the attitude of Israel: rejection, disobedience, faithlessness - traditional themes (cf. Deut.) but here elaborated with the Christian Event in mind. When Stephen speaks of Moses he is thinking of Christ whom Moses prefigured: the Jews react now as the Israelites did then.
From the subsequent history of Israel Stephen selects only the building of the Temple; his purpose is to point out that God does not dwell in man-made temples, vv. 44-50 (cf. the allegation in 6:13). The speech ends with a fierce diatribe, vv. 51-53, which uses one of the themes of the earliest Christian preaching, cf. 2:23+.] My brothers, my fathers, listen to what I have to say.
The God of glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia before settling in Haran, [ According to Gen. 11:31, the apparition took place at Haran. Stephen follows a non-scriptural/biblical tradition.] and said to him, "Leave your country and your family and go to the land I will show you". So he left Chaldaea and settled in Haran; and after his father died God made him leave Haran and come to this land where you are living today.
God did not give him a single square foot of this land to call his own, yet he promised to give it to him and after him to his descendants, childless though he was. The actual words God used when he spoke to him are that his descendants would be exiles in a foreign land, where they would be slaves and oppressed for four hundred years. "But I will pass judgement on the nation that enslaves them" God said "and after this they will leave, and worship me in this place." [ Mt. Horeb, but Stephen says 'this place' (that is, the Jerusalem Temple) instead.] Then he made the covenant of circumcision: so when his son Isaac was born he circumcised him on the eighth day. Isaac did the same to Jacob, and Jacob for the twelve patriarchs. - Acts 7:1-8 -
'The patriarchs were jealous of Joseph and sold him into slavery in Egypt. But God was with him, and rescue him from all his miseries by making him wise enough to attract the attention of Pharaoh king of Egypt, who made him governor of Egypt and put him in charge of the royal household. Then a famine came that caused much suffering throughout Egypt and Canaan, and our ancestors could find nothing to eat. When Jacob heard that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there on a first visit, but it was on the second that Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and told Pharaoh about his family.
Joseph then sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, a total of seventy-five people. Jacob went down into Egypt and after he and our ancestors had died there, their bodies were brought back to Shechem and buried in the tomb that Abraham had bought and paid for from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. [ 'father of Shechem'; this detail is taken from Gen. 33:19. Var. 'from the sons of Hemor, son of Shechem', 'from the sons of Emmor at Shechem', 'from the sons of Emmor (inhabitants) of Shechem '. V. 16 follows a non-scriptural/biblical tradition.]
'As the time drew near for God to fulfil the promise he had solemnly made to Abraham, our nation in Egypt grew larger and larger, until a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing of Joseph. He exploited our race, and ill-treated our ancestors, forcing them to expose their babies to prevent their surviving. It was at this period that Moses was born, a fine child and favoured by God. He was looked after for three months in his father's house, and after he had been exposed, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. So Moses was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a man with power both in his speech and his actions. - Acts 7:9-22 -
'At the age of forty [ According to Jewish traditions.] he decided to visit his countrymen, the sons of Israel. When he saw one of them being ill-treated he went to his defence and rescued the man by killing the Egyptian. He thought his brothers realised that through him God would liberate them, but they did not. The next day, when he came across some of them fighting, he tried to reconcile them. 'Friends,' he said 'you are brothers; why are you hurting each other?' But the man who was attacking his fellow countryman pushed him aside. 'And who appointed you' he said 'to be our leader and judge? [ By raising up Jesus from the dead God has appointed him 'leader', cf. 5:31, and judge', cf. 10:42; 17:31.] Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?' Moses fled when he heard this [ In Exodus 2:15 Moses runs away because he is afraid of Pharaoh: here it is because his compatriots reject him.] and he went to stay in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.
'Forty years later, in the wilderness near Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to him in the flames of a bush that was on fire. Moses was amazed by what he saw. As he went nearer to look at it the voice of the Lord was heard, "I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob". Moses trembled and did not dare to look any more. The Lord said to him, "Take off your shoes; the place where you are standing is holy ground. I have seen the way my people are ill-treated in here and let me send you into Egypt." - Acts 7:23-34 -
'It was the same Moses that they had disowned [ The Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible does not apply this verb to Moses but in Acts 3:13-14 it is applied to Jesus. Nor does the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible give the name 'redeemer' to Moses. The image of Christ shades into that of Moses who prefigured him.] when they said, "Who appointed you to be our leader and judge?" who was now sent to be both leader and redeemer through the angel who had appeared to him in the bush. It was Moses who, after performing miracles and signs in Egypt, led them out across the Red Sea and through the wilderness for forty years. It was Moses who told the sons of Israel, "God will raise up a prophet like myself for you from among your own brothers." [ A messianic text already cited, 3:22. One other than Moses - the Messiah - is to play a similar part, Matt. 16:14+; John 1:21+.]
When they held the assembly [ Lit. 'at the time of the assembly'. The word also means 'church'. cf. 5:11+. Duet. uses 'day of assembly' to mean the final occasion when the Law was promulgated. Exodus 19:10-25. From the earliest days Christians have seen the Church as the successor to this solemn 'assembly' of the chosen people in the desert.] in the wilderness it was only through Moses that our ancestors could communicate with the angel who had spoken to him on Mount Sinai; [ it was he who was entrusted with words of life [ To obey the Law is to live, Deut. 4:1; 8:1,3; 30:15-16, 19-20; 32:46-47; Lev. 18:5, quoted in Gal. 3:12; Romans 10:5; the Law therefore is referred to as 'the statutes of life', Ezk. 33:15; Baruch 3:9. For the Christian, the gospel preaching is 'the word of life', Phil. 2:16; cf. Acts 5:20, that is, 'the word of salvation', Acts 13:26. Since life springs from God's word, this word is itself 'living': cf. Heb. 4:12; 1 Peter 1:23. And Jesus is himself 'the Word of life'; 1 John 1:1.] to hand on to us.
This is the man that our ancestors refused to listen to: they pushed him aside, turned back to Egypt in their thoughts, [ Cf. Numbers 14:3 and Ex. 16:3. Cf. Ezk. 20:8-14.] and said to Aaron, "Make some gods to be our leaders; we do not understand what has come over this Moses who led us out of Egypt". It was then that they made a bull calf and offered sacrifice to the idol. They were perfectly happy with something they had made for themselves. God turned away from them and abandoned them to the worship of the army of heaven, [ Scriptural/Biblical phrase for the stars, often worshipped as gods.] as sacred scripture says in the book of the prophets:
Did you bring me victims and sacrifices in the wilderness
for all those forty years, you House of Israel?
No, you carried the tent of Moloch on your shoulders
and the star of god Rephan,
those idols that you had made to adore.
So now I will exile you even further than Babylon. - Acts 7:35-43 -
While they were in the desert our ancestors possessed the Tent of Testimony that had been constructed according to the instructions God gave Moses, telling him to make an exact copy of the pattern he had been shown. It was handed down from one ancestor of ours to another until Joshua brought it unto the country we had conquered from the nations which were driven out by God as we advanced. Here it stayed until the time of David. He won God's favour and asked permission to have a temple built for the House [ Var. 'for the God'.] of Jacob, though it was Solomon who actually built God's house for him. Even so that Most High does not live in a house that human hands have built; as the prophet says:
With heaven my throne
and earth my footstool,
what house could you build me,
what place could you make for my rest?
Was not all this made by my hand?
'You stubborn people, with your pagan hearts and pagan ears. You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, [ Who spoke through Moses and the prophets.] just as your ancestors used to do. Can you name a single prophet your ancestors never persecuted? In the past they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, and now you have become his betrayers, his murderers. You who had the Law brought to you by angels are the very ones who have not kept it.'
They were infuriated when they heard this, and ground their teeth at him. - Acts 7:44-54 -
The stoning of Stephen. Saul/Paul as persecutor
WELCOME TO SACRED SCRIPTURE/HOLY BIBLE READER'S COMMUNITY. - Wishing you, 'Happy Reading', and may God, the Father, the Son of the living God, Jesus Christ, fills your heart, mind, thoughts, and grants you: The Holy Spirit, that is, Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Counsel, Piety, Fortitude, and the fear of the Lord, and also His fruits of the Holy Spirit, that is, Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Trustfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. Amen! God blessing be upon you!
THEOLOGY? ISN'T THAT THE STUDY OF RELIGION? SO, WHAT DOES IT HAVE TO DO WITH ME? ISN'T IT CONCERN PRIESTS, THEOLOGIANS AND THE VATICAN?
THEOLOGY HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH ME, HASN'T IT?
Most of us think that theology is the concern of specialists, an academic subject that has little to do with lay person. Yet, the Christian theology that we accept today has its roots in the faith experiences of the Hebrews' search for God, their reflection on those experiences and their response to Him.
As Rev. Fr. Michael Amaladoss SJ, the Assistant to Father General Peter-Hans Kolvenbach SJ, responsible for Dialogue and Ecumenism (May 1992-...) puts it, "Faith looks, not only backward to God's saving and powerful presence in history, but also to the future that God invites us to create in the power of the Word and of the Spirit. Theology is therefore not an abstract philosophical elaboration of eternal verities reserved to a few expert professionals. It is a discerning search for God in the here and now of history that is the concern of everyone".
In this sense, theology must be the concern of every Christian and more so of every Christian in Malaysia.
It is the recognition of the Malaysian situation, specifically that of Saint Francis Xavier's Church (Petaling Jaya, Selangor.), that has prompted the central argument in Theology of Shoes-off, an initial effort on the part of Rev. Fr. Joseph (Jojo) Fung SJ to identify the elements that could form our very own Malaysian Theology.
Rev. Fr. Amaladoss SJ has this to say about Theology of Shoes-off. The flowering of local theology is a sign of the rootedness and maturity of a particular Church. So I am glad to welcome and introduce this pioneering effort by Rev. Fr. Joseph (Jojo) Fung SJ to develop a Malaysian theology of "Shoes-off".
BY REV. FR. JOSEPH MATTHEW FUNG JEE VUI ( JOJO ) SJ, was the Parish Priest of SFX Church (Petaling Jaya, Selangor.) from 1988 to 1992.
The Lord Jesus Christ, promised to us that our mission on this earth is really and utmost important for our own salvation.
The high priest asked, 'Is this true?' He replied, [ The discourse opens with a summary of the stories of Abraham and Joseph, vv. 2-16; it goes on to expound the history of Moses, vv. 17-43 (cf. the charge made against Stephen, 6:11). With Moses' divine mission of salvation Stephen contrasts the attitude of Israel: rejection, disobedience, faithlessness - traditional themes (cf. Deut.) but here elaborated with the Christian Event in mind. When Stephen speaks of Moses he is thinking of Christ whom Moses prefigured: the Jews react now as the Israelites did then.
From the subsequent history of Israel Stephen selects only the building of the Temple; his purpose is to point out that God does not dwell in man-made temples, vv. 44-50 (cf. the allegation in 6:13). The speech ends with a fierce diatribe, vv. 51-53, which uses one of the themes of the earliest Christian preaching, cf. 2:23+.] My brothers, my fathers, listen to what I have to say.
The God of glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia before settling in Haran, [ According to Gen. 11:31, the apparition took place at Haran. Stephen follows a non-scriptural/biblical tradition.] and said to him, "Leave your country and your family and go to the land I will show you". So he left Chaldaea and settled in Haran; and after his father died God made him leave Haran and come to this land where you are living today.
God did not give him a single square foot of this land to call his own, yet he promised to give it to him and after him to his descendants, childless though he was. The actual words God used when he spoke to him are that his descendants would be exiles in a foreign land, where they would be slaves and oppressed for four hundred years. "But I will pass judgement on the nation that enslaves them" God said "and after this they will leave, and worship me in this place." [ Mt. Horeb, but Stephen says 'this place' (that is, the Jerusalem Temple) instead.] Then he made the covenant of circumcision: so when his son Isaac was born he circumcised him on the eighth day. Isaac did the same to Jacob, and Jacob for the twelve patriarchs. - Acts 7:1-8 -
'The patriarchs were jealous of Joseph and sold him into slavery in Egypt. But God was with him, and rescue him from all his miseries by making him wise enough to attract the attention of Pharaoh king of Egypt, who made him governor of Egypt and put him in charge of the royal household. Then a famine came that caused much suffering throughout Egypt and Canaan, and our ancestors could find nothing to eat. When Jacob heard that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there on a first visit, but it was on the second that Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and told Pharaoh about his family.
Joseph then sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, a total of seventy-five people. Jacob went down into Egypt and after he and our ancestors had died there, their bodies were brought back to Shechem and buried in the tomb that Abraham had bought and paid for from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. [ 'father of Shechem'; this detail is taken from Gen. 33:19. Var. 'from the sons of Hemor, son of Shechem', 'from the sons of Emmor at Shechem', 'from the sons of Emmor (inhabitants) of Shechem '. V. 16 follows a non-scriptural/biblical tradition.]
'As the time drew near for God to fulfil the promise he had solemnly made to Abraham, our nation in Egypt grew larger and larger, until a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing of Joseph. He exploited our race, and ill-treated our ancestors, forcing them to expose their babies to prevent their surviving. It was at this period that Moses was born, a fine child and favoured by God. He was looked after for three months in his father's house, and after he had been exposed, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. So Moses was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a man with power both in his speech and his actions. - Acts 7:9-22 -
'At the age of forty [ According to Jewish traditions.] he decided to visit his countrymen, the sons of Israel. When he saw one of them being ill-treated he went to his defence and rescued the man by killing the Egyptian. He thought his brothers realised that through him God would liberate them, but they did not. The next day, when he came across some of them fighting, he tried to reconcile them. 'Friends,' he said 'you are brothers; why are you hurting each other?' But the man who was attacking his fellow countryman pushed him aside. 'And who appointed you' he said 'to be our leader and judge? [ By raising up Jesus from the dead God has appointed him 'leader', cf. 5:31, and judge', cf. 10:42; 17:31.] Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?' Moses fled when he heard this [ In Exodus 2:15 Moses runs away because he is afraid of Pharaoh: here it is because his compatriots reject him.] and he went to stay in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.
'Forty years later, in the wilderness near Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to him in the flames of a bush that was on fire. Moses was amazed by what he saw. As he went nearer to look at it the voice of the Lord was heard, "I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob". Moses trembled and did not dare to look any more. The Lord said to him, "Take off your shoes; the place where you are standing is holy ground. I have seen the way my people are ill-treated in here and let me send you into Egypt." - Acts 7:23-34 -
'It was the same Moses that they had disowned [ The Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible does not apply this verb to Moses but in Acts 3:13-14 it is applied to Jesus. Nor does the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible give the name 'redeemer' to Moses. The image of Christ shades into that of Moses who prefigured him.] when they said, "Who appointed you to be our leader and judge?" who was now sent to be both leader and redeemer through the angel who had appeared to him in the bush. It was Moses who, after performing miracles and signs in Egypt, led them out across the Red Sea and through the wilderness for forty years. It was Moses who told the sons of Israel, "God will raise up a prophet like myself for you from among your own brothers." [ A messianic text already cited, 3:22. One other than Moses - the Messiah - is to play a similar part, Matt. 16:14+; John 1:21+.]
When they held the assembly [ Lit. 'at the time of the assembly'. The word also means 'church'. cf. 5:11+. Duet. uses 'day of assembly' to mean the final occasion when the Law was promulgated. Exodus 19:10-25. From the earliest days Christians have seen the Church as the successor to this solemn 'assembly' of the chosen people in the desert.] in the wilderness it was only through Moses that our ancestors could communicate with the angel who had spoken to him on Mount Sinai; [ it was he who was entrusted with words of life [ To obey the Law is to live, Deut. 4:1; 8:1,3; 30:15-16, 19-20; 32:46-47; Lev. 18:5, quoted in Gal. 3:12; Romans 10:5; the Law therefore is referred to as 'the statutes of life', Ezk. 33:15; Baruch 3:9. For the Christian, the gospel preaching is 'the word of life', Phil. 2:16; cf. Acts 5:20, that is, 'the word of salvation', Acts 13:26. Since life springs from God's word, this word is itself 'living': cf. Heb. 4:12; 1 Peter 1:23. And Jesus is himself 'the Word of life'; 1 John 1:1.] to hand on to us.
This is the man that our ancestors refused to listen to: they pushed him aside, turned back to Egypt in their thoughts, [ Cf. Numbers 14:3 and Ex. 16:3. Cf. Ezk. 20:8-14.] and said to Aaron, "Make some gods to be our leaders; we do not understand what has come over this Moses who led us out of Egypt". It was then that they made a bull calf and offered sacrifice to the idol. They were perfectly happy with something they had made for themselves. God turned away from them and abandoned them to the worship of the army of heaven, [ Scriptural/Biblical phrase for the stars, often worshipped as gods.] as sacred scripture says in the book of the prophets:
Did you bring me victims and sacrifices in the wilderness
for all those forty years, you House of Israel?
No, you carried the tent of Moloch on your shoulders
and the star of god Rephan,
those idols that you had made to adore.
So now I will exile you even further than Babylon. - Acts 7:35-43 -
While they were in the desert our ancestors possessed the Tent of Testimony that had been constructed according to the instructions God gave Moses, telling him to make an exact copy of the pattern he had been shown. It was handed down from one ancestor of ours to another until Joshua brought it unto the country we had conquered from the nations which were driven out by God as we advanced. Here it stayed until the time of David. He won God's favour and asked permission to have a temple built for the House [ Var. 'for the God'.] of Jacob, though it was Solomon who actually built God's house for him. Even so that Most High does not live in a house that human hands have built; as the prophet says:
With heaven my throne
and earth my footstool,
what house could you build me,
what place could you make for my rest?
Was not all this made by my hand?
'You stubborn people, with your pagan hearts and pagan ears. You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, [ Who spoke through Moses and the prophets.] just as your ancestors used to do. Can you name a single prophet your ancestors never persecuted? In the past they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, and now you have become his betrayers, his murderers. You who had the Law brought to you by angels are the very ones who have not kept it.'
They were infuriated when they heard this, and ground their teeth at him. - Acts 7:44-54 -
The stoning of Stephen. Saul/Paul as persecutor
WELCOME TO SACRED SCRIPTURE/HOLY BIBLE READER'S COMMUNITY. - Wishing you, 'Happy Reading', and may God, the Father, the Son of the living God, Jesus Christ, fills your heart, mind, thoughts, and grants you: The Holy Spirit, that is, Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Counsel, Piety, Fortitude, and the fear of the Lord, and also His fruits of the Holy Spirit, that is, Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Trustfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. Amen! God blessing be upon you!
THEOLOGY? ISN'T THAT THE STUDY OF RELIGION? SO, WHAT DOES IT HAVE TO DO WITH ME? ISN'T IT CONCERN PRIESTS, THEOLOGIANS AND THE VATICAN?
THEOLOGY HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH ME, HASN'T IT?
Most of us think that theology is the concern of specialists, an academic subject that has little to do with lay person. Yet, the Christian theology that we accept today has its roots in the faith experiences of the Hebrews' search for God, their reflection on those experiences and their response to Him.
As Rev. Fr. Michael Amaladoss SJ, the Assistant to Father General Peter-Hans Kolvenbach SJ, responsible for Dialogue and Ecumenism (May 1992-...) puts it, "Faith looks, not only backward to God's saving and powerful presence in history, but also to the future that God invites us to create in the power of the Word and of the Spirit. Theology is therefore not an abstract philosophical elaboration of eternal verities reserved to a few expert professionals. It is a discerning search for God in the here and now of history that is the concern of everyone".
In this sense, theology must be the concern of every Christian and more so of every Christian in Malaysia.
It is the recognition of the Malaysian situation, specifically that of Saint Francis Xavier's Church (Petaling Jaya, Selangor.), that has prompted the central argument in Theology of Shoes-off, an initial effort on the part of Rev. Fr. Joseph (Jojo) Fung SJ to identify the elements that could form our very own Malaysian Theology.
Rev. Fr. Amaladoss SJ has this to say about Theology of Shoes-off. The flowering of local theology is a sign of the rootedness and maturity of a particular Church. So I am glad to welcome and introduce this pioneering effort by Rev. Fr. Joseph (Jojo) Fung SJ to develop a Malaysian theology of "Shoes-off".
BY REV. FR. JOSEPH MATTHEW FUNG JEE VUI ( JOJO ) SJ, was the Parish Priest of SFX Church (Petaling Jaya, Selangor.) from 1988 to 1992.
The Lord Jesus Christ, promised to us that our mission on this earth is really and utmost important for our own salvation.
"I tell you solemnly, there is no one who has left house, wife, brothers, parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God who will not be given repayment many times over in this present time, in the world to come, Eternal Life." - Luke 18:28-30 -
'Why do you call Me, "Lord, Lord" and not do what I say?'
"Everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words and acts on them - I will show you what he/she is like. He is like a man who when he built his house dug, and dug deep, and laid the foundations on rock; when the river was in flood it bore down on that house but could not shake it, it was so well built.
But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man who built his house on soil, with no foundations: as soon as the river bore down on it, it collapsed; and what a ruin that house became!" - Luke 6:46-49 -
Page 42
Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. Thank You. God bless.
By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!
I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.
HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -
