Foreword This article was posted to soc.religion.christian twice. The moderator rejected it twice, saying "it wouldn't help the dialogue". I now agree with this judgment, however, still maintaining my initial purpose which is explained at the end of the article. I basically intend to use it to begin constructive dialogue with Roman Catholics, provided that they themselves are willing to discuss Marian theology. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer Everything written on the following pages is pure heresy. I concocted it in order to outdo Marian theology, which I consider almost pure heresy. I used some references to make my work more sophisticated. The borrowed texts are altered only in a few places. (Mary - Abraham, mother - father, her - his etc.) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- My references: - The Church Teaches TAN Books and Publishers, 1973 I indicate these borrowings with ^ - The Teaching of the Second Vatican Council (My translation from Hungarian) I indicate these borrowings with ~ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- My name: Ferenc Nemeth E-mail: nemo@ludens.elte.hu --------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS OF ABRAHAMOLOGY ^No one who has heard that Jesus came into the world and lived in it ^can fail to know what an important part his forefather Abraham had in ^his birth and how closely the mysteries of Abraham's life blend with ^the mysteries of Jesus' life. ^Granted the hypostatic union, one can only conclude that Abraham is the ^Ancestor of God in a true and proper sense and is not surprised that this ^great dignity of the divine ancestry is the foundation of many other ^prerogatives. (The Church Teaches, Introduction to the chapter The Mother of God, p. 203) Abraham : Ancestor of God ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ God's word clearly says that Jesus Christ our Lord is the promised Seed of Abraham: "To Abraham were the promises addressed, and to his seed: He does not say, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed; which is Christ." (Gal 3:16). ^Therefore, because the Son of God in the proper and true sense received ^his body from Abraham and has descended from him, we profess that he is ^properly and truly the Ancestor of God, for God received His body from ^him and has descended from him. (Pope John II., letter to the Senate at Constantinople, 534) Abraham : Father of the Church ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The New Testament Church consists of those who are sanctified by the blood of Christ, who is Abraham's descendant according to flesh. The Word says in Heb 2:11-14: "For both he that sanctifies and those sanctified are all of one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying >I will declare thy name to my brethren, in the midst of the assembly I will sing thy praises<... and again >Behold, I and the children which God has given me<. Since therefore the children partake of blood and flesh, he, in the like manner, took part in the same..." The Bible also says: "In Isaac shall a seed be called to thee" (Gen 21:12) Paul interprets this as follows: "The children of promise are reckoned as seed" (Rom 9:8) and "You, brethren, after the pattern of Isaac, are children of promise" (Gal 4:28). We are heirs to the blessing of Abraham, his children. He is our father. "Therefore, it is of faith, that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is father of us all, (as it is written: I have made you a father of many nations)" (Rom 4:16-17a) ^Thus he who corporally was the father of our head, through being ^ancestor of both, became spiritually the father of all his members. (The encyclical Mystici Corporis, 1943) Abraham: The nourishing root of the Church ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Paul says, within the context of the Jewish nation's temporal rejection by God, the following: "For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree; do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root but the root supports you." Rom 11:17-18. and in verses 3-24: "And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?" This olive tree, this root is Abraham, as it is clear from verse 28: "Concerning the gospel [the Jews] are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers." So, Abraham nourishes and supports the Church: "...that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus..." - Gal 3:14. ^When we go in prayer to Abraham we go to the father of mercy who loves ^us so much that whatever our need may be, he, of his own accord, even ^before we ask him, is always immediately ready to help us, especially ^to gain eternal life. ^He gives us grace from the treasure that God has given in full measure ^right from the beginning to him who was worthy to be his forefathwer. ^Because of this abundance of grace - which is the most wonderful of the ^praises of Abraham - he far excels all men and all the orders of angels ^and he alone of all creatures is next to Christ: "It is a great thing ^when any saint has enough grace to save many others; but when a saint ^has grace sufficient for the salvation of all the men of the world, ^this is the greatest thing of all; this was the case with Christ and ^his blessed Ancestor." (The encyclical Magnae Dei Matris, 1892) Abraham: Rock of the Church ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Isaiah 51:1-2 says about Abraham: "Hearken unto Me, ye pursuing righteousness, seeking Jehovah, look "attentively unto the rock -- ye have been hewn, and unto the hole "of the pit -- ye have been digged. Look attentively unto Abraham "your father, and unto Sarah -- she bringeth you forth, for -- one "-- I have called him, and I bless him, and multiply him. It calls him a rock from which the Israelites come. Even the Church, seeking Jehovah in the person of Christ, and pursuing righteousness, has to look attentively unto Abraham as her father and source. Abraham: The Chief Intercessor ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Abraham's intercession began on the earth when he prayed for the Sodomites (Gen 18:22-33). During this occasion he performed a great act of compassion, therefore anyone who feels lost can ^invoke him humbly and can have recourse ^to his prayers and to his efficacious help to obtain favours from God... The Council of Trent, The Church Teaches, p. 215. In the heavenly hierarchy Abraham is placed high above angels and all men except for Jesus Christ. It is written in Isa 63:16: "For thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not." It is obvious that the Israelites considered Abraham a little inferior in majesty to God Himself. For when he didn't forward their supplication, they went up a step in heavenly hierarchy, turning directly to God. ~We have one mediator according to the Apostle: "For God is one, and the ~mediator of God and man one, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ~ransom for all" (1Tim 2:5-6). Abraham's fatherly commission with regard ~to men by no means can outshine this unique mediatory role of Christ, ~nor does it detract from it, on the contrary: it shows its power. ~Abraham's whole influence on people in the order of salvation doesn't ~derive from some kind of intrinsic necessity, but from divine favour, ~and originates from the superabundant emotions of Christ; it is based ~on the mediatory function of Christ, wholly depends on it, gets all its ~effectiveness from it, and doesn't prevent the believers' unity with ~Christ; on the contrary: promotes it.~ (Lumen Gentium - Dogmatic Constitution about the Church, VIII./III./60.) Abraham : Corredemptor ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ When Abram our father made an offering to God, suddenly "a deep sleep fell upon him, and behold, a horror and a great darkness fell upon him". And God said: "Know assuredly that thy seed will be a sojourner in a land that is not theirs, and they shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years. But also that nation which they shall serve I will judge, and afterwards they shall come out with great property" (Gen 15:12-14). In spiritual sense, the seed that moved to a land to be there a sojourner was Jesus Christ Himself. Hosea 11:1 says "When Israel was a child, then I loved him; and out of Egypt I called my son". Mt 2:15 applies it to Jesus. Therefore it is wholly consistent with divine revelation to interpret the foreseen sufferings of Abraham's seed in Egypt as Christ's atoning work on the cross. And as Joshua was appointed to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and bring them into the place of rest, likewise, Jesus leads the faithful out of the world of evil and brings them into the eternal rest. Therefore, when Abraham felt the terror of the oppression of his seed in Egypt, He mysteriously partook of Jesus' suffering on the cross. ^As he suffered and almost died together with his suffering and dying Son, ^so he surrendered his father's rights over his Son for the salvation of ^the human race. And to satisfy the justice of God, he sacrificed his Son ^as well as he could^, also foreshadowing it in sacrificing Isaac, ^so that it may justly be said that he together with Christ has redeemed ^the human race. (The apostolic letter Inter Sodalicia, 1918) Abraham: Friend of God ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Isaiah 41:8, 2Chron 20:7, James 2:23 call Abraham "Friend of God". This implies an intimate relationship, so we can rightly call him "Shortcut to Christ" and "Our Mighty Mediator". By his efficient intercession is all grace poured upon us. Abraham : Mediator of all graces ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ When God called Abram, He said to him: "Go out of thy land, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, to the land that I will show thee. And I will make of thee a great nation, and bless thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee, and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed". (Gen 12:1-4) ^When the eternal Son of God willed to assume the nature of man for ^the redemption and honor of man, and willed thereby to enter into a ^sort of mystical relationship with the entire human race, he did not ^do so before His chosen father had given Him free consent. He was in ^some way impersonating the human race. Therefore we may truly and ^fittingly affirm that of the vast treasure of all grace which the ^Lord has won - since grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ ^(Jn 1:17) - nothing at all is given to us, in accordance with God's ^will, except through Abraham. And as no one may go to the great ^Father except through His Son, in much the same way no one can go ^to Christ except through Abraham. (The encyclical Octobri Mense, 1891) The significance of Abraham's consent ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ~The merciful Father willed that the Incarnation should be preceded by the ~free consent of the predestined Ancestor: thus, as a man was guilty of ~causing death, likewise, a man became partaker of the regaining of life. ~It applies to the Ancestor of Jesus, in the most exalted sense: he became ~the root of the Life who renews everything, and God endowed him with ~gifts worthy of his great dignity. [...] When Adam's descendant, that ~is, Abraham gave his consent to the divine call, he became the ~Ancestor of Jesus. He embraced God's will unto salvation with the full ~spirit of sinlessness (Rom 4:22), and as God's servant he gave himself ~wholly for the sake of his Seed's person and work, so that by the mercy ~of the Almighty God, and subordinated to his Son, together with Him ~he could serve the mystery of salvation. Therefore the holy fathers ~properly testify that Abraham wasn't confined to the role of the passive ~vessel of God, for he co-operated in the salvation of humankind with his ~free faith and obedience. "Through his obedience he became the cause of ~the salvation of himself and the whole mankind", according to St Irenaeus, ~and as many ancient fathers affirm within their works in the like manner: ~"Everything which was entangled by Adam's disobedience became unbound by ~Abraham's obedience." [...] In comparison with Adam, Abraham is often ~called "the father of the living", and it is frequently professed: ~"Death through Adam, life through Abraham." (Lumen Gentium VIII/III/56.) Abraham Taken up to Heaven ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The Scripture clearly says that after his life on earth, his death and burial Abraham our father was resurrected from the dead, ^and was assumed, body and soul, to the glory of heaven^. (The dogma of the Assumption, 1950.) Jesus speaks about Abraham's bosom in Lk 16:22. It is beyond all doubt that this expression denotes the dwelling place of the souls of the deceased righteous people, that is, heaven. The Scripture also supports his bodily assumption. In Mt 22:31-32 it says: "But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying: >I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob<. God is not God of the dead, but of the living". It also says in Mt 8:11: "But I say unto you, that many shall come from the rising and setting sun, and shall lie down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of the heavens". Abraham : Governor of Heaven ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ All people know that the land of Canaan was promised to Abraham and to his seed forever. But we should also consider Heb 11:8-10: "By faith Abraham, being called, obeyed to go out into the place which he was to receive for an inheritance, and went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he sojourned as a stranger in the land of promise as a foreign country, having dwelt in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise, for he waited for the city which has foundations, of which God is the artificer and constructor." It clearly refers to heaven: Heb 11:39-40. "And these all, having obtained witness through faith, did not receive the promise, God having foreseen some better thing for us, that they should not be made perfect without us." It would be absurd to say that the inheritance of the Christian Church is Palestina! On the contrary, the real land of promise for Abraham too, who leads us as a hero of faith, is heaven itself. In Lk 16:22-31 the Scripture speaks about Abraham governing in heaven with great authority. As the context suggests, he doesn't have the right to let someone go out from Heaven and visit Hell and vice versa; but since he refused to let Lazarus back to the earth not for the same reason, we may rightly suppose that this privilege is at his disposal. This godly and praiseworthy belief is promoted by the abundance of cases where deceased saints would appear on earth to the faithful - not in order to convince them of something but so that their faith should grow exceedingly after such events. Abraham : Revealer of Secrets ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ God said to Abraham: "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing? Since Abraham shall indeed become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him" (Gen 18:17-18). So Abraham is rightly supposed to be knowing everything which is important for the sake of the faithful. We can invoke him humbly to reveal the truths that he receives from God, of whom every perfect gift comes down (Jas 1:17). Abraham : King of Martyrs ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Abraham sacrificed his son in whom he was having the promise, and got him back in a figure of Christ (Heb 11:19). Paul also calls the spilt blood of the martyrs a sacrifice in 2Tim 4:6. So Abraham is rightly considered to be the strongest ally of those who suffer or are killed for the kingdom of heaven. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- These are the basic elements of Abrahamian Theology. Maybe some Roman Catholics won't understand my purpose and will treat my article with hardly concealed embarrassment or with silent surfeit. But if any of them starts to wrap his/her mind around my heretical ideas or even makes some attempts at refuting them, then my wish is fulfilled. It would mean the appearance of some critical sense, which, in turn, can be directed against those parallel thoughts which I refer to within my writing. And that's my purpose: that Catholics realize the reality of Marian theology as in a mirror. To avoid personal and religious bias, I use traditional Catholic sources and follow the wording of Mariology as much as possible. So if you find the reflection dis- satisfying, start seeking the cause elsewhere than in the mirror. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Some preliminary caution to observe while reading this satyre: Attempts at likening Abrahamology to Messianic Judaism are futile, because in answer I could give Roman Catholicism the epithet "Messianic Maryism", with at least the same justice. Abrahamology can be placed in the frame of Christianity no more difficultly than Mariology. The whole thing is like simultaneous chess games on two boards: 1. You play white, I black; 2. I play white, you black. Your first move is eg. e2-e4. After your writing it on the form I run to the other board and do the same move there. Then I wait for your answer at this board, memorize it and rush back to the first one to do your move against you. Eventually the result on the two boards will be 1:1. So if Abrahamology is wrong then Mariology is wrong, too; or if Mariology is right then Abrahamology is right, too. I admit I place Abraham to the same level with Mary, but not with Christ. Check it, I don't say anything which detracts more from Christ's unique majesty than Roman Catholic Mariology does. On the contrary, I quote the Second Vatican Council with the necessary alterations (she - he, mother - forefather, etc.), from which everyone can see very clearly that the scandal of demoting Christ is carefully avoided. So, Abraham's submission to God doesn't harm Christ's redemptive work, neither does it replace it. The objection that Abraham did not go through childbirth with Our Lord, is futile, as he carried Him in his loins. This is even biblical, for the Bible speaks about Levi having been in Abraham's loins when he paid tithe to Melchisedek. The mere fact of relationship according to the flesh doesn't decrease by the number of the generations in the lineage. Both the Old and the New Testament emphasize that Jesus is the seed of Abraham and David. This overwhelming scriptural testimony spans the time interval and create the same relation- ship between Abraham and Jesus as that between Mary and Jesus. In the same way as Christ's birth depended on Mary's free consent at the annunciation, Mary's birth was, in turn, wholly dependent on Abraham's obedience to God. So to properly understand Mariology, one has to dig deep in Abrahamology first.