Local Creeds

Many modern readers assume that the Nicene creed was intended at its promulgation to stand as a binding and universal formula of Christian faith with a carefully chosen terminology defining the fundamental Christian account of the relationship between Father and Son. The idea that the creed would serve as a universal and precise marker of Christian faith was unlikely to have occurred to anyone at Nicaea simply because the idea that any creed might so serve was as yet unheard of. All the bishops at Nicaea would have understood their local ‘baptismal’ creed to be a sufficient definition of Christian belief and summary of the faith Scripture taught. Baptismal creeds were central both to the process of catechesis and to the rite of Christian initiation. In those areas for which we have evidence baptismal creeds formed the focus of the catechetical teaching given to candidates in the weeks or days before baptism. During the fourth century the baptismal rite itself developed and in an increasingly important and formal section of the ritual candidates would recite, in response to questions, the creed they had learnt.

~ Lewis Ayres, Nicaea and Its Legacy pg. 85

Life-Sustaining Speech

Vital speech has as its raison d’etre the conquest, the perpetual conquest, of these four trends. (anarchy, decadence, revolution, war).

To the four diseases, four different styles of speech bring relief. Men reason, men pass laws, men tell stories, men sing. The external world is reasoned out, the future is ruled, the past it told, the unanimity of the inner circle is expressed in song. People speak together in articulated language because they fear decay, anarchy, war, and revolution. The energies of social life are compressed into words. The circulation of articulated speech is the lifeblood of society. Through speech, society sustains its time and space axes. These time and space axes give direction and orientation to all members of society. Without articulated speech, man has neither direction nor orientation in time or space. Without the signposts of speech, the social beehive would disintegrate immediately.

~ Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy Speech and Reality pg. 16

Decadence and Liberalism

Decadence not only means that people do not have children, it also means that they do not prove to have the stamina of converting the next generation to their own aims and ends. Decadence is the disease of liberalism today. We must not think of it as a biological failure, merely; it is a weakness of the whole man. It is the disease of the “Last Man” of Nietzsche who twinkles: “What is love? What is a star? What is happiness?” and blasts the future because he only could enter the future by inspiring the next generation, and this precisely he declines to do. “Decadence” means to be unable to reach the future, in body or mind or soul. The decadence of an older generation condemns the younger generation to barbarism. Decadence of parents leaves children without heritage. The only energy that can gift that can fight this evil is faith. Faith, properly speaking, never is a belief in things of the past, but in the future. Lack of faith is a synonym for decadence.

~ Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy Speech and Reality pg. 12-13

Speaking of Hegel

Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy writes:

If this is to some extent reminiscent of Hegel, it is because Hegel in turn developed his philosophy out of a study of Christian history. As an idealist, however, Hegel completely reversed the Christian meaning of concreteness; God is not found inside our minds or ideas; He speaks to us through the other fellow we try to help. The creative energies of Faith, Hope, and Love are not properties of minds but bonds between men.

~The Christian Future pg. 129

Sex and War

Genesis 3:15 sets up the great holy war in terms of battling seeds.

2 Lines

Seed of Serpent                                         Seed of Woman

 

Cain                                                             Seth

Enoch                                                          Enosh

Irad                                                             Kenan

Mehujael                                                    Mahalalel

Methushael                                                Jared

Lamech – Arch-bad guy                          Enoch

Jabal                                                           Methuselah

Jubal                                                           Lamech

Tubal-Cain                                                 Noah

 

 

 

The two lines mirror each other, even with identical names. Lamech is the most evil man in the lines, and Enoch is the most righteous.

 

 

 

We see both the attack on the Woman and the seduction of God’s people by the false women. Sometimes we even see the women securing their lines through deceptive warfare. This is fitting because the first attack was through a lie. The Woman repays the Serpent eye for eye and tooth for tooth.

 

 

 

Women Wars in Genesis:

 

Satan vs. Eve (Chapter 3 )

Sons of God vs. daughters of men (Chapter 6:1-4 )

Abram and Sarai vs. Pharaoh (Chapter 12:14- 20 )

Hagar vs. Sarai (Chapter 16:1-16 )

Lot vs. his daughters (Chapter 19:30-38 )

Abraham and Sarah vs. Abimelech (Chapter 20:1-17 )

Isaac and Rebekah vs. Abimelech (Chapter 26: 1-11 )

Rebekah vs. Isaac (Chapter 27: 5; 13 )

Leah vs. Rachel (Chapter 29:31-30:24 )

Dinah vs. Hamor (Chapter 34:1-31 )

Tamar vs. Judah (Chapter 38: 1- 30 )

Joseph vs. Potiphar’s wife (Chapter 39: 7-20 )

 

 

 

We also see that the Bride of Yahweh is a warbride. The women all defeat dead wombs.

 

Closed wombs and Virgins:

 

Sarah (Gen. 11:30 )

Rebekah (Gen. 25:21 )

Rachel (Gen. 29:31 )

Samson’s mother (Judges 13:2 )

Hannah (1 Sam. 1:5 )

Elizabeth (Luke 1:7 )

Mary (Luke 1:34 )

 

Genesis 2 and Genesis 4

Day 1- Man / Cain

     Day 2- Garden (firmament) / Abel

         Day 3- Tree of Life and of Knowledge / Flocks and Fruit

             Day 4-Serve and Guard (priest work) / Draw near to God for offerings

         Day 5- Threat / Threat

    Day 6- Eating of the Tree (death) / Murder of Abel

Day 7- Judgment / Judgment (Sabbath)

 

 

 

1. Like Adam, Cain is the first son. He works the fruit of the ground. 4:1

2. Abel (spelled hebel, same as Ecclesiastes) is the flock-tender. He is able to provide some mediation through animal death. He is the second “vapor” man. 4:2a

3. Abel is the priest figure and Cain is the king figure. Abel provides sacerdotal life, while Cain gives death. 4:2b

4. Cain and Abel draw near at the harvest time (“cutting off of days” 4:3) for their own harvesting. This is evaluation judgment. 4:3-5

5. Cain is warned not to allow sin to rule over him. 4:6-7

6. Cain murders his brother, issuing false kingship. 4:8

7. God comes in judgment and exiles the sinner. 4:9-16

A High Priestly Dialectic

I sat outside reading Breakfast of Champions on the RTS picnic table.
Three gunshots sounded close by.
They were deeper and closer together
than usual.
So far the book is highly inappropriate.
I keep reading it though
because I’ve always fancied myself inappropriate,
though I’m not.
Well, at least not like this.

 

The author of the book is known for writing science fiction stories about himself.
He isn’t very happy with God.
Not Jesus, of course.
No, he likes Jesus ok.
Like most people,
it’s God that bothers this guy. 

 

And this is because God is a white male capitalist.
God is a Republican.
And this guy doesn’t like Republicans.
Thankfully he doesn’t like Democrats either.
He’s not that silly. 

 

He likes revolution alright.
Sex and sarcasm and France,
it’s all there.
But I don’t know if it worked out
for him.

 

I wonder if that matters sometimes.
 

Well
I suppose I wonder if what we typically mean by that matters
sometimes. 

 

You can read most anything these days.
And if you’re good,
you can repeat most anything.
If you’re big you can get other people to repeat it too.
So long as someone else who is big
hasn’t
gotten there first.

The Sweat of Your Brow

Gen. 3: 17-19

Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’:
“ Cursed is the ground for your sake;
In toil you shall eat of it
All the days of your life.   Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,
And you shall eat the herb of the field.

  In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
Till you return to the ground,
For out of it you were taken;
For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return.”

Luke 22:44

44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

And then he returned to the ground.
To recreate it.

Why Were You Baptized As An Infant?

Q. 17 What do you call the Sacraments?

A. They are visible signs and seals ordained of God for the confirmation of my faith.

Q. 18 How do they confirm your faith?

A. By receiving them as pledges that Christ crucified (represented and offered in them) is given to me in particular to be my Savior.

Q. 19 How many Sacraments are there?

A. Two: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Q. 20 Why were you baptized as an infant?

A. That thereby I might be ingrafted into Christ, and entered in His Church, which is His mystical Body.

Q. 21 What profit do you have by Baptism now?

A. It seals up the remission of my sins in Christ’s blood’ and advances the renovation of my heart in His Spirit: which are my spiritual washing.

The A, B, C or A Catechism For Young Children: Scotland 1641

How Do You Know?

I believe that I am and always will be a member of this church or people of God (John 10:28,29), since I believe in Christ, have been baptized into His name, and trust the promise, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” [Mark 16:16]. I believe and am baptized; therefore I shall be saved. That is the only way, for Christ promised it.

~ Caspar Olevianus A Firm Foundation: An Aid to Interpreting the Heidelberg Catechism pg. 96 Lord’s Day 21 Q132