Modalist/Oneness Initial Debate Affirmation

Proposition to be affirmed:

Resolved, the Scriptures teach that God eternally exists as one self aware Spirit-being called the Father; that Jesus of Nazareth is the Father incarnate.

Introduction

❡1. REVEREND AND DEAR SIR,: I greet you in Jesus’ name; that name which is above every name in Heaven or in Earth. Likewise I wish to greet those readers that will follow this debate in real time and those who will read these words in the future; it is my prayer that in these pages you will discover Truth. 

❡2.  I give you honor as an equal partner in this discussion, and respect the fact that you are willing to engage in this polemic endeavor; few, today, are willing to do so. I trust that throughout these exchanges we can look to the Scriptures with an open heart and mind; knowing, as we both do, that our personal opinions amount to very little when compared to God’s Word. I engage here, not to win a victory over an opponent, but to enter into a form of Bible study that will bring freedom to the spirit. 

Definition of Proposition: 

❡3.   Permit me to open this debate with a definition of my proposition: 

“Resolved, the Scriptures teach that God eternally exists as one self aware Spirit-being called the Father; that Jesus of Nazareth is the Father incarnate.”

“Resolved”: Firmly determined to prove.

“the Scriptures….”: By Scriptures, I mean the entire Bible, consisting of both Old and New Testaments – all 66 books. 

“Teach…”: By “teach”, I mean: to instruct by precept, example, or inference. 

“God”: The creator and ruler of the universe and source of all moral authority; the supreme being.

“eternally exists”: Has existence from before time in a way that continues or lasts forever; permanently.
“one”: The lowest cardinal number; single; just one as opposed to any more or to none at all. 

“self aware”: Having conscious knowledge of one's own character and feelings.

“Spirit-being”: Nonphysical self-conscious entity.

“the Father”: The progenitor and sustainer of all things living and nonliving, seen and unseen.

“Jesus of Nazareth”: The central figure of the Christian Faith; Mary’s baby; who was born in Bethlehem, crucified by Pontus Pilate at the behest of the Jews, arose from the dead and ascended into Heaven and is coming again to judge the quick and the dead. 

“incarnate”: Tabernacled in flesh; enfleshed.

❡4.  My Questions:    To be answered in the Negative’s first paper per debate rules:

1. In Revelation 4:2 how many persons did John see on the throne in Heaven?

2. According to 1 Corinthians 8:6 who is the only God?

3. According to John 14:10 what “person” of the Godhead dwells in Jesus Christ?

My Intentions: 

❡5.  Here, I will declare my intention: I will prove my proposition by Three Infallible Proofs: 

1. That God is but one self-aware being; 
2. That the only God is the Father; 
3. That Jesus is God; thereby, showing Jesus to be the Father incarnate; 

Infallible Proof #1: 

God is but one self-aware being. 

❡6.  The Gatekeeper of the true Faith is the Shema: Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”

To prove this one LORD to be a solitary being, I offer here three passages that I will call: God in the First Person, God in the Second Person and God in the Third Person. Of course I have grammar in view.

❡7.  God in the First Person: Deuteronomy 32:39, “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no God with me, I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal; neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.” 

❡8.  Here the spokesman is Yahweh (Deuteronomy 32:19), Who alone is the Most Hight (Psalm 83:18). Who speaks of Himself (demonstrating His self-awareness) in the first person as a single Being. 

1. “I”—(Hebrew: aniy) first person singular personal pronoun. THE SPEAKER ADDRESSES HIMSELF AS A SINGLE PERSON.
2. “He” — (Hebrew: huw) third person masculine singular personal pronoun. THE SPEAKER ADDRESSES HIMSELF AS ONE PERSON.
3. “With me” — (Heb immade) it is the preposition ‘immad’ suffixed with the first person singular personal pronoun. The personal pronouns in an abbreviated form are affixed to nouns, prepositions, etc, to express the genitive and objective cases. THEREFORE, THE OBJECT OF THE PREPOSITION IS A SINGLE PERSON. 
4. “My hand” — (Hebrew: meyade) it is the noun “yad” suffixed with the first person singular possessive pronoun. THE HAND WAS THE POSSESSION OF ONE PERSON. 

❡9.  All the verbs of this verse are in the first person singular form. In Hebrew the verb must agree with its subject in number and gender.  THUS, THE DIVINE PERSON, IN THIS VERSE, SPOKE OF HIMSELF AS A SINGLE PERSON AND STATED THAT NO OTHER PERSON OF DEITY EXISTED.

❡10.  God in the Second Person: Isaiah 37:16, “O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.” 

❡11.  Here, the speaker is Hezekiah (Isaiah 37:15) who addresses Yahweh in the second person. Yahweh is being addressed as though He is one person, and the prophet speaks of Yahweh’s singleness. 

1. “Dwellest” — (Hebrew: yashad) masculine singular active participle “The dwelling one;” ONE PERSON IS IN VIEW. 
2. “Thou art the God”  —  (Hebrew: attah huw ha-elohim) attah: second person masculine singular personal pronoun; huw: third person masculine singular pronoun (himself). “YOU ARE GOD HIMSELF” ONE PERSON. 
3. “Thou alone” —  (Hebrew: labadaha) from the root “bab” which means: separately, alone, solitary. Hezekiah was speaking to one person and said that one person was the solitary God separate from all others. 
4. “Thou hast made” — (Hebrew: attah awseta) attah: second person masculine singular personal pronoun; awseta: perfect second person masculine singular form of “asah.” The Hebrew actually reads: “You (second person masculine singular) have made. ”ONE PERSON DID THE MAKING. 

Hezekiah extols God as one person Who is God, without anyone else sharing in the deity. 

❡12.  God in the Third Person: 1 Timothy 1:17, “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, ...” 

❡13.  In this text God is spoken about to others. The speaker is the Apostle Paul, who speaks of God in terms of strict singleness. 

1. “God” — (Greek: theo). Dative masculine singular form of the noun meaning a deity. The singular noun indicates ONE PERSON. 
2. “Immortal” — (Greek: apharto). Dative masculine singular form of the adjective “aphthartos;” which means “incorruptible”, “immortal”, “undying”, etc.... 
3. “Invisible” —(greek: aorato). Dative masculine singular form of the adjective “aoratos” which means: literally unseen. 
4. “Only” — (Greek: mono). Dative masculine singular form of “monos;” which means: without accompaniment, alone, single existent, sole, only, lone, solitary. This adjective is singular because it modifies ONE PERSON. The adjective agrees with the noun it modifies in gender, number, and case. THE SINGULAR NUMBER OF THE ADJECTIVE AND OF THE NOUN IT MODIFIES EMPHASIZES THAT THIS GOD IS ONE PERSON. 
5. “King” — (Greek: Basilei). Dative masculine singular form of the noun “basileus;” singular number indicates ONE PERSON. 

Paul speaks of God as though He was one person and the ONLY PERSON OF DEITY. 

❡14.  At this point I will consider my Infallible Proof #1 established. 

Infallible Proof #2. 

That the only God is the Father.

❡15.  Paul taught that New Testament Christianity rests on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone (Ephesians 2:20). With that in view we will look to accomplish my second Infallible Proof with the testimony of the prophets, apostles, and Jesus Himself. 

• ❡16.  The witness of the Prophets: Isaiah 63:16 “Thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer;”  Malachi 2:10 “Have we not all one father? Hath not one God created us?” According to the prophets, Yahweh alone is our Father. And He alone is the One God. 
• ❡17.  The witness of the apostles: 1 Corinthians 8:6 “But unto us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him:” Ephesians 4:6 “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”  According to the Apostles, the Father is the one only God.
• ❡18.  The witness of Jesus Himself: John 17:1, 3 “These words spake Jesus, and lift up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father ... this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God,...”  According to the testimony of Jesus Himself, the Father is the one only true God.

❡19.  We now consider our Infallible Proof #2 as established from the prophets, apostles and Jesus Christ. 

❡20.  So, God, then, is One Self-Aware Being (Infallible Proof #1); that One Being is the Father (Infallible Proof #2). 

Infallible Proof #3. 

That Jesus is God; thereby, showing Jesus to be the Father incarnate.

❡21.  Here, we move to the crux of the debate: namely, showing Jesus to be God. In my first two “Infallible Proofs” it has been established by Holy Scripture that God is one self-aware being, Who is the Father. Now, if it is established by the same Holy Scripture that Jesus is God, it must follow that He is the Father incarnate. So, the question is asked: Does the Bible teach that Jesus of Nazareth is God? I submit to you that the answer is in the affirmative; and what follows will demonstrate that truth.

(❡22.  It must be stated here, somewhat parenthetically, that it is not our purpose to prove the humanity of Jesus, although we surely believe he was just as much human as though he were not God. The Dual Nature of Jesus is not at issue in our proposition. That is another debate.)  

❡23.  Again, a biblical way to proceed is to establish our teaching on the sure foundation of the prophets, apostles, and Jesus Christ the chief cornerstone. 

• ❡24.  The witness of the prophets: Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” ~ The One who would come as the Messiah (the Christ) would be “the mighty God” and “The everlasting Father.” Now, we know that there is but one God who is the Father (Infallible Proofs #’s 1 and 2); the Prophet Isaiah foretold that the Messiah would be Him. / Zechariah 12:4, 10 “In that day, saith the LORD (Yahweh)... they shall look upon me whom they have pierced,…” ~ According to Zechariah the one pierced would be Yahweh the Father.  /  Micah 5:2 “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” ~ According to the prophet Micah, the Messiah (Who would be born in Bethlehem) would be God. For Who else would have existence from eternity past? There can be but one Eternal! 
• ❡25.  The witness of the apostles:  Paul writes: Romans 9:5 “Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.” (NIV); Titus 2:13 “while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,” (NIV);  1 Timothy 3:16 “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached to the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory”;  Colossians 2:2-3, 9 “attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge ... For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (NASB).  ~ According to the Great Apostle Paul, Jesus is: “God over all”, “our great God and Savior”, “God … manifested in the flesh”, “God’s mystery” and “the fulness of Deity … in bodily form”.  /  John writes: 1 John 5:20 “We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” (NIV).  ~ The Apostle John tells us that Jesus “is the true God and eternal life”.  /  Jude writes: Jude 25 “To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.” ~ According to the Apostle Jude, Jesus is “the only wise God our Savior”.   /   The Apostle Thomas addresses Jesus as: “My Lord and my God.” ⏤John 20:28
• ❡26.  The witness of Jesus, the Chief Cornerstone: Here we see what Jesus said about Himself.  John 8:58 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am” — (cf Exodus 3:14). / John 10:30 “I and the Father are one.”  /  John 14:9 “Jesus said unto him, Have I been so long a time with you, and yet have you not known me, Philip? he that has seen me has seen the Father; and how say you then, Show us the Father?  (AKJV) /  Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty” (NIV). 

❡26a.   Now, here, we have read the testimony of Jesus concerning Himself. Jesus said that He was the Alpha and the Omega; meaning, He is all. Nothing before or after. If that was not enough He goes on to declare Himself the “Almighty.” The Greek word John uses for Jesus’ verbiage is “pantokrator” (Strong’s #G3841), the all-ruling, as absolute universal sovereign, Almighty, Omnipotent. The word is superlative – there can be only One. (I have the English dictionary open before me as I write; beside the word Almighty is only one definition and that definition has but one word: “God.”)

❡26b.   When Philip wanted to see the Father (John 14:8),  Jesus rebuked Philip for not knowing that He was the Father (v9). Then Jesus announces to the Jews that He and the Father were one (John 10:30). They did not misunderstand Him, even if most do today. They, the Jews, took up stones to stone Jesus because He made Himself God. They got it! 

The evidence is overwhelming: Jesus was self-conscious of being Father God. 

❡27.  The New Testament opens and closes with a declaration of the deity of Jesus: 

From Matthew 1:23 He is called Emmanuel, “God with us.” 

From Revelation 22:6, 16, 20 Jesus is declared to be the “Lord God Almighty of the holy prophets.” 

The Father Incarnate:

❡28.  In the Godhead debate the crux of the entire matter has been: Which person of deity was actually incarnate in Mary’s firstborn? Those who embrace the concept of the Trinity, and believe in three god-persons, argue for the Incarnation of the second person of their Godhead, namely, God the Son. However, the Hebrew prophets, the apostles, and even Christ Himself declare the Incarnate One to be none other than the person of Father God - Who is the only person of Deity. This evidence is all conclusive, in that the holy Scripture states the church’s foundation to be the selfsame three witnesses: apostles, prophets and Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:20). 

❡29.  From the textual evidence examined in this First Affirmative, the following truths are evident: 

1. ❡29a.  From Colossians 2:2-3, 9 we are told that Jesus Christ Himself is the revealed Mystery of the Father, and that in Him (the physical body of Jesus) the fullness of all that God is (most especially the Father) dwells. 
2. ❡29b.  From 1 Timothy 3:16 we discover that God (“God” is an appellation throughout the New Testament for the Father - approx. 1369 times) was manifest in the flesh of Christ. The same apostle, who wrote this to Timothy, wrote to the Corinthians: “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19). Of course, this sheds light on just how Matthew could say that Jesus was “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). 
3. ❡29c.  From the prophet Isaiah, we learned that Jesus was not only the Mighty God, but, also, “The Everlasting Father” (Isaiah 9:6). Unless some become confused, and say Jesus is a father because sons and daughters were born to Him, and, therefore, He should not be confused with Father God, the first  person of the Trinity, we point out the error of such reasoning. First, if true, there was a time when He was not the Father. This would be at odds with the text which shows that the Messiah was the Father of eternity (Hebrew). Secondly, the prophet Malachi writes that there is but one Father (Malachi 2:10). Therefore, if it is true that Jesus is another Father, apart from Father God, that would make one more Father then the holy Scripture allows. The thought is an impossible one to contemplate. 

❡30.  We learned from my Infallible Proofs #1 and #2 that the Father is the one only God. Further, we have learned from this Infallible Proof #3 that Jesus is God: therefore, we must acknowledge Him (in His Deity) to be the Father. 

Conclusion

❡31.  So, then, by these Three Infallible Proofs  our proposition is proven:

1. That God is but one self-aware being; 
2. That only the Father is God; 
3. That Jesus is God; thereby, showing Jesus to be the Father incarnate. 

Resolved, the Scriptures teach that God eternally exists as one self aware Spirit-being called the Father; that Jesus of Nazareth is the Father incarnate.

❡32.  Jesus of Nazareth (as to His Deity) is Father God, again, in another way.

AMEN

The above essay is the first affirmative article of the Hayes vs Mulbah Debate. This debate discusses the difference between the Modalist and Trinitarian views as are set forth in the Athanasian Creed.
You may own this debate in book form by ordering your personal copy at the link provided here:
https://www.amazon.com/Hayes-Mulbah-Debate-Oneness-Trinity/dp/1727358953/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Bishop+Jerry+Hayes%2C+mulbah&qid=1577554092&s=books&sr=1-1

The Visitation of Mary

Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? for indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”   —Luke 1:39-45

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes.

Into The Hill Country

As to the timing of Mary’s journey to the home of her cousin Elizabeth, our Bible reads, “and in those days;” however, the Ethiopian Scripture says “on that day”: meaning the very day of the Angel’s visitation. We take this to have been the case. It is noted that the journey was undertaken “in haste.” One may surmise different reasons for such a hurried departure. Perhaps Mary was anxious to confirm the Angel’s announcement of Elisabeth’s pregnancy. More likely, though, Mary sought the safety and acceptance of the one person on earth that would believe what had just happen to her. There is no doubt that Mary is thinking: “Elizabeth has conceived as a result of a miracle: she will understand, if anyone would, or could. I must get to Elizabeth!”

The journey from Nazareth, of Galilee, to the “hill country” of Judah is more than seventy mile distance. A trek of three days if one is traveling by horse and wagon, and as much as six or seven days if by foot. Mary’s trip took place in winter (the last week of December). We know this because the date of Elizabeth’s conception was six months earlier(1): Zacharias, being of the eighth course of priests (course of Abijah), served in the temple during 21st - 28th Sivan, (16th - 23rd June) 4 B.C.E.(2). John would have been conceived just after the angel’s visit to Zacharias, which would have been the last week of June. Now, six months later Mary has conceived and is hastening to Elizabeth — it is the very end of December. So, such a distance in winter for a young peasant girl in her mid-teens was not a small enterprise. The road was dangerous with bands of robbers hiding in the dens along the way. It was a journey that Mary surely did not undertake alone. We are not told who her traveling companions were; perhaps fellow Nazarenes on their way to the City of David on some secular or religious business. Actually it is not beyond the possibility that Mary traveled with her family as they went up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Dedication(3). En Karem, the home of Elizabeth and Zacharias, is a northwestern suburb to Jerusalem, so that would make sense. We will learn that Mary was a guest in her cousin’s home for three months. This would have brought Mary’s visit up to the time of Passover. Passover was one of the three times of the year when every Jewish male was require, by the Torah, to make the trip to Jerusalem(4). So, Mary’s father would have most assuredly been in the capital at this time. Therefore, it is totally within reason that Mary would have made both the arrival and return trip in the company of her own family.

Mary’s Greeting

Upon entering the house, Mary greeted Elizabeth (v40). When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, John leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit (v41). Luke’s account implies that the leaping of John and the infilling of Elizabeth with the Holy Spirit were results of Mary’s greeting. The Glory of Heaven that filled Mary’s womb manifested in her voice. That the baby in Elizabeth’s womb recognized Heaven’s unction in Mary’s voice gives witness to John’s identity with Elijah(5); also, it provides evidence that John was filled with the Holy Spirit(6), as well. Further, we are told in John 1:6 that “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.” John’s response to Mary’s salutation indicates that the Sent recognized the presence of his Sender.

Elizabeth Filled With The Holy Spirit

As Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit “she spoke out with a loud voice” (v42). The Greek: anephōnêse (and she cried out) appears only here in the New Testament. The verb anephōnêse, with the following words, phōnê megalê (with a loud voice), indicates an unrestrained utterance under the influence of irrepressible feeling: it was the outburst of one being filled with the Spirit(7). Elizabeth is speaking by prophetic inspiration. 

(Upon receiving the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth cried out [the Greek says: “phonê megalê”; the idea is, in modern terms: like a megaphone]: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” [v42]. Here is the very first Beatitude of the life of Christ. It is similar to the last Beatitude of the life of Christ found in John 20:29, Jesus said to Thomas, “because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’” Both, the first and last Beatitude of the life of Jesus have to do with believing on the unseen Christ.)

Two things were revealed by the Holy Spirit in Elizabeth’s anointed utterance: First, that Mary would be the Mother of the Messiah; second, that the Messiah (Christ) would be her (Elizabeth’s) Lord, i.e. God.

Elizabeth, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared Mary to be the MOTHER of Jesus when she said: “blessed is the fruit of your womb!” Some, would doubt the maternal relationship of Mary with Jesus by claiming that her womb only incubated the Christ child. These persons would deny the conception (and thus, the humanity of Christ) by saying that the Son of God was implanted into Mary’s womb. Elizabeth puts that debate to rest by calling the child the “fruit” of Mary’s womb.

Theotokos

Moreover, when Elizabeth says, “But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” she is declaring Mary to be the Mother of her (Elizabeth’s) God: the Theotokos(8). 

Now, before this is discounted, please give me a hearing.

The contextual way in which Elizebeth uses the word “Lord” in v43 (Heb, “ADONI”) is in the sense of the Tetragrammaton(9). This is shown by the manner in which her husband Zacharias employs the word “Lord” in the same narrative (v76). He uses it in the place of the Tetragrammaton as an echo of two great prophecies, combining the “going before Yahweh” of Malachi 3:1, with the “preparing the way” of Yahweh, of Isaiah 40:3. (Zacharias prophesied of his son, John: “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,”) So, then, Elizebeth, speaking under the influence of the Holy Spirit (vv41-42), and in harmony with her husband, called Mary the Mother of God — with a loud voice.

Now, one might attempt to say that when Elizebeth used “Lord” (in v43) she did not (as did her husband (in v76) in the same narrative) mean God, but lord in the sense of a human lord. That will be a hard sell, to say the least; because, it is breaking the flow of context. A text, without its context is a pretext. So it should be clear to any reader, with the least amount of discernment, that the wife is using the word “Lord” in the same sense as the husband is using the word, in the same narrative.

When it is affirmed that Mary is Theotokos (the Mother of God, or God-bearer), it is in no way implied that Mary originated deity. Not at all. When it is said that Mary is the mother of God, it is not intended to mean that she in any way originated the deity of her child. Yet she did conceive Jesus. She is the Mother of Jesus, because she bore Him in her womb for 9 months, then she birthed Him in Bethlehem. Does that not make Mary the Mother of Jesus? It is agree by every Christian that Jesus was God, as well as man, from the time of His conception; it is further agreed that Mary carried God in her womb for 9 months, then, gave birth to God in Bethlehem. Does that not make Mary the Mother of God? Or, at least, the bearer of God into our world? If we are rational people, we will answer this question in the affirmative. Who, then, can deny the maiden from Nazareth the title of: The Theotokos?

Apostolically Speaking

☩☩ Jerry L Hayes

End Notes

1. Luke 1:36, And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

2. The Creation Calendar confirms that Course 8 - Abijah, was on duty from Day 21 / Month 3 to Day 28 /Month 3 in 4 B.C.E. [21 Sivan = Sabbath, June 16, 4 B.C.E. (1720129) = Day 21 / Month 3] - [28 Sivan = Sabbath, June 23, 4 B.C.E. (1720136) = Day 28 / Month 3] 

3. John 10:22, And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.

4. Exodus 23:13-17, Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. 15 Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread:… in the time appointed of the month Abib; … 16 And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits … and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, … 17 Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord God.

5. See Mal 4:5; Matthew 11:13-14; 17:12-13; Mark 9:11-13; Luke 1:17.

6.  Luke 1:15,  For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 

7. An anointed utterance always follows being “filled with the Holy Spirit”: 1). Elizabeth here;  2). Zacharias, Luke 1:67-79; 3). Disciples at Pentecost, Acts 2:4;  4). Believers of Samaria, Acts8:14-21;  5). The household of Cornelius, Acts 10:44-46; 6). The Ephesians, Acts 19:1-7.

8. Theotokos is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations, Dei Genetrix or Deipara, are "Mother of God" or "God-bearer".

9. Tetragrammaton: means “4 letters”; The four letters for Yahweh are YHWH. These 4 letters appear over 5500 times in the Hebrew OT for the name Yahweh. Because the Hebrews refused to say or write the name of Yahweh (YHWH), they substituted the Hebrew word “Adoni” (LORD), but wrote it in all uppercase letters. The King James translators followed that custom when translating the OT into English. So, then, every place where the Hebrew has the tetragrammaton (YHWH) the KJV OT has LORD in all upper case letters. However, when the OT passages are quoted in the NT the custom of writing LORD in upper case letters is not followed.

Be sure to listen and subscribe to the Bishop's Podcast: Apostolic Bishop, at:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-apostolicbishops-podcast/id1472262392?fbclid=IwAR2FlRYnNsw5Vu_Bz4PjyEdiAxFMawhtD2BFr_S7WysrpFcYjuQYSHGAlZ

CHRISTMAS

Estimated reading time: 15 minutes.
I have not been too vocal on defending Christmas in the face of all the false accusations of it being pagan. But I do believe many people, some honest (but some not so honest), are attacking the season of the Savior’s advent for reasons that are dubious, at best. So, then, each year we see all kinds of attacks on the celebration, and those keeping it. As the Overseer of the Apostolic Orthodox Church International it is incumbent on me to speak out on the issue. 

I agree with the position that the date of Christ's birth was on or around the Feast of Tabernacles. And I also agree that much of the Christmas traditions in our time come from the pagan world that celebrated the winter solstice before that world became Christianized. But please permit me to give everyone some food for thought: If you go forward 9 months from the Winter Solstice you come to the time of year Christ was most likely born: end of September or beginning of October (the time of the Feast of Tabernacles). If/since all concerned accept that the birth of Christ was at or about the time of the Feast of Tabernacles then we must accept that Mary's conception took place in the latter part of December. 

So, then, should not His conception be celebrated by His people? Would this not be especially true, since the Hebrews counted a person's age from his conception instead of his actual birth date: a child was considered one year old at birth.

Would not the winter solstice (Christmas time) be the proper time to celebrate the Light of the World coming into His world? and could not that have been the message the winter solstice was presaging from the time of creation, regardless of what the pagans understood and did? 

I, too, teach and believe in the appointed times (the seven feasts of Israel, Leviticus 23) as being instructive. However, to have Jesus born on or around Tabernacles (when the Deity became tabernacled among us—thus, fulfilling what the Feast of Tabernacles presaged), He had to have been conceived at the time of the winter solstice (the season of the Christian Christmas). Since Genesis 1:14 states “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, …" and since Christ, the Light of the World, was conceived at, or about, the winter solstice .... . One plus One still makes Two. 

Since the end of the December date is the time of the winter solstice, we have the sun representing the coming of the Messiah. This is proper since the Bible tells us that the sun, moon and stars were placed in the heavens for signs and times (Genesis 1:14). This is also why Jesus Christ is likened to the “sun” in the book of Malachi (Malachi 4:2) and why the “sun” figures prominently in the biblical symbols for Christ. Just like the “dove” is a biblical symbol of the Holy Spirit. 

So, then, on December 25th Christians all over the world celebrate the coming of the Christ child. John would write of Him and say, “In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” —John 1:4-9

This truth, of the biblical connection between the winter solstice and the Light of the World, removes the stick from the hand of those who would beat up other Christians, calming that Christmas is “sun worship.” Of course the winter solstice, which is the time the sun begins its return from the Southern hemisphere, has everything to do with the coming of Christ: Who is “the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” The biblical prophet Malachi referenced the “Son” as the “Sun.” (Malachi 4:2)

The ancients knew that without the sun they would die, so they watched it leaving each year and feared until they saw it returning. They welcomed the returning sun with rejoicing. Even in the darkened state of their heart, they knew the event was important as an astronomical sign with earthly implications. We know that this was a sign placed in the heavens to herald the coming Light of the World that would Light the way of all men.

This writer will ask: What is wrong with associating Christ with the sun, or the sun with Christ? Does not the Bible already do that very thing? Of course it does. The prophet Malachi references Jesus as the “Sun of Righteousness”: e.g. “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.” —Malachi 4:2

So, then, the Christian church has biblical authority (Malachi 4:2) to employ the sun as a symbol of the Son of God. Surely, since the Lord chose the “day of the sun” for the day of His resurrection there is no harm, and everything right, in associating the two. Justin, and the rest of Christianity, saw as, at least, one reason for Sunday worship being: “light” was created on the first day of the creation week. The Apostle John made this connection when he proclaimed Jesus as “The True Light”. The dove is seen to represent the Holy Spirit, because of its presence at the baptism of Jesus; fire is a symbol of the Hoy Spirit, because of its presence in the Upper Room; the Sun is a symbol of the Son of God, because Malachi said so. The title of Jesus as “The Light of the World” is a direct reference to the Sun which is the light of the physical world. For this reason Jesus’ birth is associated with the winter solstice: either the birth or the conception — most likely the latter; and His resurrection with the “day of the sun.” So, Christian, you may participate in Easter Sunrise Service and not concern yourself with worshipping the sun god, but assured you are worshipping the God for Whom the sun is but a symbol.

Are we to abandon the heavenly sign just because the ancients were in darkness as to its meaning. NEVER! 

The scholarly Joseph Seiss wrote in his 1882 book “The Gospel In The Stars” concerning the birth of Christ and the winter solstice: “How, then, did these Magi come to know so much about Christ as an adorable King and Saviour? How came they to such full conviction that His birth had occurred in Judea? The true answer is: By the signs and constellations of the primeval astronomy, and the legends connected with them, … It is an astronomic fact, independent of all hypotheses, that at the precise hour of midnight, at the winter solstice, or the last week of December, in the period in which Christ was born, the sign of Virgo, everywhere and always regarded as the sign of the virgin mother from whom the divine-human Redeemer-King was to be born, was just rising on the eastern horizon. …”

Christmas Tree

Up to this point we have only considered the date of Christmas and its biblical foundations. While we cannot examine all the traditions associated with the Birth of Christ, we will briefly speak of the Christmas tree.

The Christmas tree is by far and away the most popular and visible symbol of Christmas after the Christ Child, in the western world. 

The custom of the tree at Christmas time has nothing to do with Jeremiah 10:3-6. The prophet Jeremiah is speaking against the making of idols in the form of totem poles; such as North Americans see among the Northwest aboriginals. This is clearly seen in the context of the passage. Here is the text and its context:

For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. 5 They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. 6 Forasmuch as there  is none like unto thee, O Lord; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. —Jeremiah 10:3-6

It is clear from the context that Jeremiah has in mind an idol carved from the trunk of a tree. And inlaid with silver and gold.  The prophet points out that these idols can neither speak nor move about on their own power. The idea is they are without life, unlike the God of Israel,  Who is living and “great in might.”  Jeremiah is simply reiterating the second commandment: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God.” —Exodus 20:4-5

Jeremiah 10:4 is a favorite text for bashing the Christmas tree. However, when considered in its context, the misunderstanding is cleared up. We must remember that: “A text without its context is a pretext.” Quoting Scripture out of context is a popular devise used by the enemies of Truth who are pushing agendas that the Bible does not support. 

The custom of the Christmas tree was brought to North America from Germany by Christian German immigrants in the 1800’s. The story of the tree has its origins in the evangelization of the German people by a Christian missionary from England named Winfrid—known in History as Boniface (AD 680-754).

Boniface spent his life evangelizing the areas of modern Germany and parts of the Netherlands. He also became a friend of the Frankish court and helped reform and reorganized the Church in that area. From his missionary travels, Boniface knew that in winter the inhabitants of the village of Geismar gathered around a huge old oak tree (known as the “Thunder Oak”) dedicated to the god Thor. This annual event of worship centered on sacrificing a human, usually a small child, to the pagan god. Boniface desired to convert the village by destroying the Thunder Oak, which the pagans had previously boasted the God of Boniface could not destroy, so he gathered a few companions and journeyed to Geismar. 

His fellow missionaries were scared and fearful that the Germans might kill them, so they balked when they reached the outskirts of the village on Christmas Eve. Boniface steadied the nerves of his friends and as they approached the pagan gathering he said, “Here is the Thunder Oak; and here the cross of Christ shall break the hammer of the false god Thor.” Boniface and his friends arrived at the time of the sacrifice, which was interrupted by their presence. In a show of great trust in God and born from a desire to enkindle the fire of Christ in the German pagans, Boniface grabbed an axe and chopped down  the Thunder Oak of mighty Thor.

The Germans were astounded. The bishop preached the Gospel to the people and used a little fir tree (as a tool of evangelization) that was standing between two sections of the oak that had split in two upon falling. Pointing to it he said, 

“This little tree, a young child of the forest, shall be your holy tree tonight. It is the wood of peace… It is the sign of an endless life, for its leaves are ever green. See how it points upward to heaven. Let this be called the tree of the Christ-child; gather about it, not in the wild wood, but in your own homes; there it will shelter no deeds of blood, but loving gifts and rites of kindness.”

The author pastored a church in Huntsville, Alabama, USA where he was blessed to have as a parishioner from the country of South Korea a woman named Chung Cha. Chung Cha was raised as a Buddhist. She often testified of watching the Christians of her country putting up Christmas trees at Christmas time and how that spoke to her of great hope and love emitting from a God that was strange to her culture but called to her from this simple symbol.

Christmas, Meaning of the Term

Those who oppose the sacred days of Christians often attack the term “Christmas” just as they do “Easter.” The charge against the name of “Christmas” normally is that the word means “Christ’s Death.” Or, “Death of Christ.” In this attack, the suffix “mass” is said to mean ‘death.” Since “mass” comes into English from Latin and hence from the Roman Catholic usages (although Eastern Orthodoxy often use the word “mass” as well) we must understand what that segment of Christians mean by the word. This may get a little technical but we will be as clear as possible.

“Christmas” is a shortened form of “Christ’s Mass”. The word is recorded as Crīstesmæsse in AD 1038 and Cristes-messe in AD 1131. Crīst  (genitive:  Crīstes) is from Greek  Khrīstos  (Χριστός), a translation of Hebrew: Māšîaḥ (מָשִׁיחַ), "Messiah", meaning “anointed"; and mæsse is from Latin missa, the celebration of the Eucharist. The form Christenmas was also historically used, but is now considered archaic and dialectal; it derives from Middle English  Cristenmasse, literally “Christian mass.”

The English word “Mass” comes from the Latin word missa, which means to be “sent.” “Mass” does not mean ‘death.” This Latin word has been used since the 6th or 7th century to describe the celebration of the Eucharist, our main liturgical service, not only for the Advent of Christ. The word is used during the conclusion of the celebration when the officiate says in Latin, Ite, missa est.

The literal translation of that phrase is, “Go. It has been sent.” Thomas Aquinas wrote a commentary on these words and explained in his Summa Theologiae,  “And from this the Mass derives its name … the deacon on festival days ‘dismisses’ the people at the end of the Mass, by saying: ‘Ite, missa est,’ that is, the victim [Jesus] has been sent to God through the angel, so that it may be accepted by God.”

Pope Benedict XVI also expanded on these words in his encyclical Sacramentum Caritatis, but focused on a different spiritual meaning behind the phrase. He wrote, “In antiquity, missa simply meant ‘dismissal.’ However in Christian usage it gradually took on a deeper meaning. The word ‘dismissal’ has come to imply a ‘mission.’ These few words succinctly express the missionary nature of the Church. The People of God might be helped to understand more clearly this essential dimension of the Church’s life, taking the dismissal” (Mass) “as a starting- point.”

Instead of seeing the words of the officiate as a conclusion to the celebration, we may see them as a beginning. The words for the dismissal at Mass are “Ite ad Evangelium Domini annuntiandum (Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord)” and “Ite in pace, glorificando vita vestra Dominum (Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life).” Both of these dismissals focus on the missionary character of the Mass and how those in the pew are meant to go out in the world, sustained by the Eucharist they just received.

Viewed in this framework, the “Mass” is not just a single celebration on a Sunday or weekday or feast day (such as Christmas), but a starting-point for a lifelong journey of Christian witness. The Eucharistic minister, in the place of Christ, sends forth his parishioners into the world so that they may be beacons of light, set on a hill for all to see.

The conclusion of the matter is: The uninformed are afraid of what they do not understand as children are of masks.

Conclusion

I really think the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water," is apropos concerning this most holy time of the year when the attention of the whole world is turned toward Christ. 

Those who do not recognize the Christmas Season are missing an important opportunity to witness for Christ in a world that would like to shut Him out of the public arena altogether. Do not be an agent of Christ eradication. 

Think on these things when you are tempted to get on the wagon with the Christmas haters.

Apostolically Speaking,

☩☩ Jerry L Hayes


Read more essays from the Bishop on Christian Sacred Days at the links provide here:

Christians and the 7th Day Sabbath
http://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2019/11/christianitys-association-with-seventh.html

First Day of the Week (Sunday) Worship
http://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2019/11/first-day-of-week-worship.html

Apologia is a polemical work in the defense of Christian sacred days. Our focus is Sunday worship, Easter and Christmas. Since the rise of the Anabaptist movement of the 16th century a 7th day sabbath element has existed in the Christian faith. There has been little written in the line of a strong apologia for the observance to the traditional times. Bishop Hayes offers his work "Apologia, A Defense of Christian Sacred Days" to meet that need. This book establishes why Christians have observed Sunday as their primary day of worship right out of the gate. Also, within the pages of "Apologia" the reader will discover the true meaning of the terms 'Easter" and "Christmas". Bishop Jerry L Hayes comes to the defense of historical Christianity in this work that is destined to become a classic. 

Order your personal copy of "Apologia" today at the link provided here:
https://www.amazon.com/Apologia-Defense-Christian-Sacred-Days/dp/1099666589/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Bishop+Jerry+Hayes%2C+Apologia&qid=1572982116&s=books&sr=1-1

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT BY PURCHASING MY BOOKS FOR YOUR LIBRARY -JLH

Be sure to listen and subscribe to the Bishop's Podcast: Apostolic Bishop, at:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-apostolicbishops-podcast/id1472262392?fbclid=IwAR2FlRYnNsw5Vu_Bz4PjyEdiAxFMawhtD2BFr_S7WysrpFcYjuQYSHGAlZ