tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736427810720155529.post1010804867984759949..comments2023-08-09T07:48:53.962-04:00Comments on Bear Witness to the Light: Many Who Are First Will Be Last, And The Last Will Be First.Fr. John L. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167510362871783781noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736427810720155529.post-9761203095843666502010-08-17T10:49:25.458-04:002010-08-17T10:49:25.458-04:00In the Old Testament, the expression “son of man” ...In the Old Testament, the expression “son of man” is a translation of one of two Hebrew phrases: ben ‘adam or ben ‘enosh. Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, the expression means “human being”, as in Numbers 23:19: “God is not a human being [‘iysh] that he should lie, nor a son of man [ben-adam] that he should change his mind. <br /> <br />The Book of Ezekiel is unique in the Hebrew Scriptures, as the phrase “son of man” is used nearly a hundred times, always introduced by the phrase: “The word of the LORD came to me…” Here, “son of man” is a title referring to the humanity of the writer; it is not title of honor, but a humbling phrase, a usage which is consistent throughout the Book of Ezechiel. <br /><br />In the New Testament, the phase “son of man” [in Koine Greek “o uios tou anthropou”] occurs 82 times in the Gospels, and is found only in the sayings of Jesus himself, and reminds us of the truth that the second person of the Trinity is at the same time, Son of God, sharing divine nature with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and Son of Mary, sharing human nature with all of us who are children of earth, which is why one of his titles is “the second Adam”.Fr. John L. Sullivanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16167510362871783781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736427810720155529.post-5915215679796985502010-08-17T08:10:16.203-04:002010-08-17T08:10:16.203-04:00When Ezekiel speaks, he begins with the phrase &qu...When Ezekiel speaks, he begins with the phrase "Son of man". In the NT, Jesus is called "Son of Man". <br /><br />Would you explain a bit about this term?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736427810720155529.post-44129916197102786792010-08-17T05:40:43.457-04:002010-08-17T05:40:43.457-04:00'They shall draw their swords
against your bea...'They shall draw their swords<br />against your beauteous wisdom,<br />they shall run them through your splendid apparel.'<br /><br />Wisdom is like splendid apparel: lovely to wear but not much protection against the cold hatred and envy of enemies.<br /><br />I suppose the Phoenicians had the fastest boats and so could get goods to market first. Maybe they had canny venture capitalists and a dynamic financial services market to fund these voyages. Perhaps they also had the advantage of Damascus steel in their swords to protect their cargoes. The people of Gaza were celebrated weavers - gauze comes from Gaza. Skills in weaving and metallurgy and the will to trade helped bring about the industrial revolution in Europe many years later, and it is still reverberating around the world.<br /><br />Perhaps the people of Tyre were a little like people today. We trust scientists to solve our problems and sustain us and sometimes this trust looks like a kind of religion: scientism. Many of us have to thank doctors for our survival, but who or what was it that motivated these people to give up their youth to study for the benefit of others? I think that, fundamentally, all the great things people have achieved are gifts of the Holy Spirit.Sarah in the tenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13680566205364331756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736427810720155529.post-44537404117229303812010-08-17T00:11:14.761-04:002010-08-17T00:11:14.761-04:00I have always liked this parable. It comforts me. ...I have always liked this parable. It comforts me. As a convert from five decades of atheism, I am one of those late comers who has 'stolen' into the church at the last hour. While I have been accepted with open arms and loving hearts by my fellow parishioners, I always feel a little guilty about getting the same love from God in spite of the late arrival -- until I realize that those who come early actually have gotten more: they had all those decades of knowing God's love, and that is a significant blessing.Elizabeth Mahlouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00334700057953625321noreply@blogger.com