Staggering privileges and feeding the world

Saturday June 28

Yesterday, at the Christian Science Reading Room, I read the full six chapters of Ephesians from J.B. Phillips' The New Testament in Modern English. In his introduction J.B. Phillips writes on the theme of the book. I think it is worth including here:

     THEME. Paul is concerned first to establish in his readers' minds as great and wide and deep a conception of Christ as he can. He points out that he is not only the Saviour of the world, but also the divinely appointed focal point of all activity and all knowledge, whether it is physical, mental or spiritual. Race distinctions cannot matter therefore for those who are “in Christ”.

     He follows this by stressing the resultant responsibility of the Christian, and his own proper authority as the messenger commissioned to deliver such news.

     Then, as usual, Paul points out the practical outcome of being “members of Christ's body”, “new men”, “children of God”, etc., and begs his readers to see that their lives are lived on a level worthy of the staggering privileges that God has given them.

“Staggering privileges”! How awesome is that! One is reminded that we are falling so short of taking up even a fraction of those privileges.

As I read the short chapters, it seemed to me that at times I was reading of Mrs. Eddy's experience in discovering and giving to the world the truth of Christian Science. Paul and Mrs. Eddy both received the Christ through revelation. Paul writes in this regard, “For you must have heard how God gave me grace to become your minister, and how he allowed me to understand his secret by giving me a direct revelation” (Eph. 3:2, 3 J.B. Phillips version). Mrs. Eddy writes a lot about revelation in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, and in particular we are very familiar with the phrase, “I won my way to absolute conclusions through divine revelation, reason, and demonstration” (SH p. 109:19-21). And, on the following page: “In following these leadings of scientific revelation, the Bible was my only textbook. The Scriptures were illumined: reason and revelation were reconciled, and afterwards the truth of Christian Science was demonstrated” (ibid p. 110:13-17). These quotes are from the chapter 'Science, Theology, and Medicine' in Science and Health.

And so it must be for Mrs. Eddy's followers – we have the privilege of our own revelation, reasoning, and demonstration.

Chapters five and six (Ephesians) give instruction regarding husbands and wives (five), children and parents, servants and masters. How we must use those “staggering privileges” in living our daily lives.

Oh yes! I wonder if I may share an inspiration (revelation?) I had this week about the leaven hidden in three measures of meal. I had made a side note in my Bible “330 loaves.” There could have been 300 loaves made from that amount of meal! I looked the verse up on the Internet and in The Bread Monk I found this:

   The amount of flour is the most surprising element of the parable, which is not entirely evident in most English translations.  “Three measures” is the usual translation for the original Greek “tria sata” which is a little over a bushel of flour (1.125 bushels, to be precise).  That’s a ridiculously large amount of flour---you’d need a 100-quart Hobart mixer with a dough hook as big as your leg to knead it!  Translating into kitchen measures, 1.125 bushels is 144 cups of flour.  Presuming we used a common recipe for basic white bread that uses 5 ½ cups of flour, 144 cups is enough to make 26 batches of bread of two loaves each, giving us a total of 52 loaves, each weighing about a pound and a half.  If we’re frugal but not stingy, we can get 16 slices out of a loaf, yielding 832 slices, enough for 416 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (we’d need 33 jars of jelly, and 64 of peanut butter).

     What’s the message of the story?  It’s simple: The kingdom of heaven is like a woman who wants to do more than feed her family.  The kingdom announced by Jesus is like a woman who wants to feed the village.  The kingdom of God is like a woman who wants to feed the world.  The kingdom is for everybody.

(The Bread Monk's web-page is interesting – all about bread.)

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a woman who wants to feed the world.” Ah! I said to myself, that was exactly Mrs. Eddy's purpose. To leaven the whole of science, theology, and medicine – the “three modes of mortal thought,” as page 118:19-20 (Science and Health) has it.

Conclusion: In Ephesians Paul was teaching Christian Science.

Joyce Voysey

A precious message

The beautiful Christian Science Sentinel Watch podcast for the week June 23-30 - titled 'How can I progress spiritually in a world full of distractions' with the joyful Michael Pabst - refers to a loved passage from our June book: Ephesians 2: 4, 5 - But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved). Click on the link above to tune in!

I was also interested to find the following passages from Ephesians referenced in Mrs. Eddy's book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures:

Eph 2:12 'having no hope, and without God in the world'
This passage appears in the chapter 'Recapitulation' as part of the answer to the question: 'Is materiality the concomitant of spirituality, and is material sense a necessary preliminary to the understanding and expression of Spirit?' (SH 484:28). The particular paragraph at SH 486:23, which contains the quote, above offers wonderful hope as 'mortals...seek and...find a higher sense of happiness and existence.'

Eph 3: 7 'the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of His power'
This passage appears in the chapter 'Science, Theology, Medicine', p. 108:3, and relates to Mrs. Eddy's own experience.

Eph 4:13 'we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ'
Eddy has incorporated this passage in the explanation of Genesis 2:1 'Thus the heaven and the earth were finished, and all the host of them' and is part of a paragraph with the heading 'Infinity measureless'.

Eph 6:12 'spiritual wickedness in high places'
Here, in the chapter 'The Apocalypse', Science & Health offers a scientific explanation of Rev 12:4  about the dragon and the 'woman which was ready to be delivered'. Check out page 563: 27 and its reference to 'subtlety'.

At the beginning of this month I wondered how the letter reached its destination at Ephesus. The writer tells us! It was hand-delivered by Tychicus, (pronounced TIK-uh-kuhs), referred to in the Bible as a dear brother and faithful servant. We find him in Acts 20:4, Colossians 4:7, II Timothy 4:12, Titus 3:12 and Ephesians 6:21. He was carrying a precious message!

Julie Swannell

Apollos

In my reading of the books of the New Testament in the order they were written, I am on First Corinthians. Chapter 3 mentions Apollos. He is coupled with Paul himself and Peter (Cephas), as being influential in the teaching of Christian concepts at Corinth. (“I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase" – verse 6.) I found I knew nothing about Apollos so I looked him up in my Bible Dictionary. We find his history in Acts 18, beginning at verse 24. It seem that, to me, his story is familiar, but his name has never stood out as a real person, so to speak.

This is so interesting to me. I have quoted those verses previously in this blog, but the name Apollos hadn't gained my attention then. I see now that he was an important personage on those early days of Christianity. As far as I am concerned he hasn't had a good press all these years!

And he has a connection with Ephesus.

The Bible Dictionary (HarperCollins) says of Apollos: "He possessed great skills in Greek rhetoric and had already learned much about Jesus when he arrived in Ephesus and began speaking in the synagogue.” Priscilla and Aquila were active in Ephesus and they gave him further instruction in the Christian faith, for he knew "only the baptism of John” (Acts 18: 25). But, for all that, he was said by the writer of Acts to be "an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures" (Acts 18: 24) when he came to Ephesus. In Achaia, “he mightly convinced the Jews, and that publicly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ” (Acts 18: 28).

Joyce Voysey

A MESSAGE FOR THE FAITHFUL

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus. Eph. 1:1.

The very first verse of Ephesians brought a question. Are the saints and the faithful two separate groups?

My reasoning goes something like this: Paul is writing to his faithful congregation at Ephesus (the saints he knew so well, as their guide and teacher), but

A vibrant church

This month (June 2019) we are reading Ephesians. I came to it rather ignorant of everything about Ephesus, so I looked to the Internet for some information.

The first thing I found was a YouTube video which walked us through the site of the unearthed Ephesus (Greek: Efes, as the Greek guide and narrator, Vic Stefanu, explains): Exploring the historic city of Ephesus (Efes) – a complete tour(Turkey) The tour begins at the mighty theatre which held up to 25,000. Here, Paul preached Christianity and was violently spoken against for that preaching.

Mr Stefanu explains that the buildings are mostly white marble. (I haven't been able to find a nearby source for the marble, but it must have been huge.) Marble pillars and blocks are littered around the site; the street, the Arcadian Way, was paved with marble. It is quite amazing that the city had disappeared under silt. Excavation work began in 1895 and continues today by the Austrian Archaeological Institute. Only 10% of the city has been uncovered so far.

Our guide points out the many Greek inscriptions on the marble blocks, but also tells us that the Turks do not recognise the Greek part of the city's history. The Turkish guides never say the word Greek.

The temple of Artemis, which was prominent in the city-scape, was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. All that remains are some columns and foundation ruins. We may be more familiar with this temple by the name temple of Diana (same goddess, different language – Greek Artemis, Roman Diana.)

Mary Baker Eddy mentions the temple of Diana on page 12 of her Message for 1900, where she speaks at length about Ephesus: interesting indeed.

The apostle John established the first Christian community at this "illustrious city" (ibid, line 8). It is said that John wrote his gospel there, died there and was buried there. It is also said that he brought Mary, Jesus' mother, there. Luke apparently developed the Christianity established by John, and he was the head of the churches in Asia Minor. The establishment of Christianity in Ephesus was bad news for the silversmiths and others selling statues of the goddess Artemis. The silversmith Demetrius led a riot about it.

"St. Paul's life", Mrs Eddy notes, "furnished items concerning this city" (ibid), lines 10-11). Paul lived at Ephesus for some 2 to 3 years. He wrote some of his epistles here. I went on a search of Bible citations regarding Paul and Ephesus. Here is what I found:

1.  Acts 18:18, 29. And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow. And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews.
2. Acts 18:21. And he sailed from Ephesus.
3. Acts 18:24-28. And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquilla and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace: For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.
4. Acts 19:1. And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost... (Here we find many of John the Baptist's disciples. They were baptised by Paul in the name of Jesus Christ. Then followed the to-do (riot) about the temple of Diana and the silversmiths who made a living from selling images of Diana. It is an exciting read in chapter 19.)
5. Acts 19:26. Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands.
6. Acts 19:34, 35. But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. And when the townclerk had appeased the people, he said, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth not how that worshipper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter? (Hurrah for the townclerk!)
7. Acts 20:16, 17. For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia: for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost. And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church. (He goes on to tell the Ephesians that he will not be coming to them again, and tells them it is up to them to keep the church alive.)
8. I Cor. 15:32. If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dear rise not: let us eat and drink; for to-morrow we die.
9. I Cor 16:8. But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost.
10. I Tim. 1:3. As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine...
11. II Tim. 1:18. The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto to me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.
12. II Tim. 4:2. And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus.
13. Rev. 1:11. Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Loadicea.
14. Rev. 2:1-7. Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. 

When John was exiled on Patmos, he wrote to the seven churches in Asia Minor. The first letter was directed to the church at Ephesus. It is a no-nonsense letter, giving praise up to the point where he tells them they have lost their "first love". The church repented and survived for several hundred years. It is of interest that Asia Minor is now Turkish and we are told that it is 99% Muslim and is devoid of Bible-based Christianity to-day.

We are inclined to wonder about John's reference to the Ephesians' lack of “first love.” What does it mean? [We may ask ourselves: are we suffering from the same state of thought to-day?] Well, Mary Trammell, a Christian Scientist with impressive Biblical scholarship, wrote an article about it, called "First-Love Christianity", published in the April 2009 issue of The Christian Science Journal.  

The article begins: "IT HAD ONCE BEEN SO VIBRANT, that church the Apostle Paul started at Ephesus. He'd lit the fire in their hearts..."

I have the background, now to get to the actual book.

Joyce Voysey

Dear Christian Friends...

In the Living Bible, a paraphrase by Kenneth Taylor, the book of Ephesians begins:

"Dear Christian Friends at Ephesus, ever loyal to the Lord: This is Paul writing to you, chosen by God to be Jesus Christ's messenger, May his blessings and peace be yours, sent to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord." 

What a boon it must have been to receive such a letter. I wonder how the letter arrived and how long it took to be delivered. I wonder if it came by ship. I wonder what it looked like. I wonder how many hands it passed through before arriving at its destination? And I wonder how many people could actually read it? And did everyone get together to listen to it being read? How many Christians were there at Ephesus? So many questions!

We do know that the letter would have been written on papyrus. Britannica gives us some clues about papyrus (the precursor to paper):

Papyrus, writing material of ancient times and also the plant from which it was derived, Cyperus papyrus (family Cyperaceae), also called paper plant. The papyrus plant was long cultivated in the Nile delta region in Egypt and was collected for its stalk or stem, whose central pith was cut into thin strips, pressed together, and dried to form a smooth thin writing surface.

Location of Ephesus (in modern day Turkey)

(map may be subject to copyright)

Today's scholars believe that Paul was not the actual author of this letter. Britannica again:

Letter of Paul to the Ephesians, New Testament writing once thought to have been composed by Paul in prison but more likely the work of one of Paul's disciples, who probably wrote the text sometime before ad 90 while consulting Paul's letter to the Colossians.

No matter who wrote the letter, we can join in the thrill of reading it today. Its promises of 'wonderful kindness...and favour...poured out upon us' (1:6) and the 'richness of his grace' (1:8) are so stirring.

And what about this? '...ever since I heard of your strong faith...and of the love you have for Christians everywhere, I have never stopped thanking God for you....I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light...' (1:16, 18). What an image! Ah, but hear what Christian Science founder Mary Baker Eddy has said about flooding and light:

'Christian Science stills all distress over doubtful interpretations of the Bible; it lights the fires of the Holy Ghost, and floods the world with the baptism of Jesus. It is this ethereal flame, this almost unconceived light of divine Love, that heaven husbands in the First Commandment.'
(Message for 1902 5:6)

So, may our hearts be flooded with the vast 'light of divine Love'.

Julie Swannell