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A Cloud of Witnesses
November, 2004
Today is the foreshadowing of the good pleasure of God and the herald of the salvation of men.
He Virgin is revealed in the Temple of God, and beforehand she announces Christ to all. Let us
therefore cry to her with mighty voice: Hail! Thou fulfillment of the Creator’s Dispensation.
All Saints Orthodox Church
Salina, Kansas
All Saints Orthodox Church
2818 Scanlan Avenue, Salina, KS 67401
Church: 823-3735 Home: 309-0858
E-mail: [email protected]
Right Rev’d. Fr. Daniel S. Griffith, pastor
(E-mail: [email protected])
Very Rev’d. Fr. Thomas Neustrom, (823-2410)
++++++++++++
The Entry into the Temple of our all-holy Lady the Theotokos & Ever-Virgin Mary (Nov. 21): According to an ancient Church tradition, the holy Theotokos was presented by her righteous parents, Sts. Joachim
& Anne, in the Holy Temple of God in Jerusalem at the age of three. Entrusted to the care of the High Priest,
she was raised within the sanctuary, fed with holy manna brought to her by the archangel Gabriel, until she
reached marriageable age, 12-14. At that time, by common agreement of the priests, her holy parents having
fallen asleep in the Lord three years earlier, she was betrothed to the righteous, aged widower Joseph. These
events, preserved from the apostolic age in oral tradition, are first recorded in written form in the Proto-Evangelium (Fore-Gospel) of St. James, a mid-2nd century Christian writing which, though never accepted within the canon of the New Testament Books, has had tremendous influence on the feasts & iconography of the Eastern
Church.
The Lord appeared to Solomon by night & said to him, I have
heard thy prayer & I have chosen this place to Myself for a house
of sacrifice…I have chosen & sanctified this House, that My Name
should be there for ever; & My eyes & My heart shall be there always." (II Chronicles 7:12-16)
The Tabernacle in the Wilderness
We speak often of the Temple. It figures prominently in this month’s feast as well as in the Feast of the Meeting
of the Lord in the Temple (Feb. 2nd). It is often referred to throughout the Gospels & the Acts of the Apostles. It
therefore behooves us to have a better understanding of this sanctuary & of its significance both to those under
the Old Covenant & to us who are under the New Covenant.
While Moses was leading the children of Israel through the wilderness, God commanded that a Tabernacle or
Tent of Meeting, a portable Temple, be build,
And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show thee, after the pattern
of the [heavenly] tabernacle & the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it…And I will dwell
among the children of Israel & will be their God. & they shall know that I am the Lord their God, Who brought them
forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.” (Exodus 25:8-9; 29:45-46).
This Tabernacle was the place where the Glory of God dwelt in the midst of the camp of the people. This divine
Glory was the visible sign of God election of His people & a reminder of their pledge to obey His commandments.
Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, & the Glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. & Moses was not
able to enter into the tent of the congregation because the cloud abode thereon, & the Glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. & when the cloud was taken up from over the Tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys; but if the cloud was not taken up, then they journeyed not until the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the
Lord was upon the Tabernacle by day & fire was on it by might, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout their
journeys.” (Exodus 40:34-38)
Building of the Temple
When, with God’s blessing, Israel had entered the Promised land, the focus of their devotion was the Ark of the
Covenant, a guilt box containing the 2 tables of the Law given by God to Moses on Sinai, the rod of Aaron & a
vessel containing manna. The ark was understood to serve as a portable footpace for the throne of God. In the
centuries between Israel’s entry into the Promised Land & their full possession of that Land, this sacred relic
was moved among several temporary shrines. Finally, King David, having established safe & secure borders,
wished to build a permanent house for the Lord in the midst of the people of Israel.
And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, & the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies,
that the king said unto Nathan the prophet, “See not. I dwell in a house of cedar, but the Ark of God dwelleth within
curtains”. & Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is thine heart, for the Lord is with thee.” (II Samuel 7:1-3)
However, because of David’s constant involvement in war, God deemed him unsuited to build His Temple,
choosing rather to bestow that honor upon David’s son & successor:
But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Thou hast shed blood abundantly & hast made great wars. Thou shalt
not build a house unto My Name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in My sight. Behold, a son shall
be born of thee, who shall be a man of rest. And I will give him rest from all his enemies round about; for his name
shall be Solomon [that is, Peaceable], & I will give peace & quietness unto Israel in his days. He shall build a house
for My Name, & he shall be my son, & I will be his father; & I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for
ever.” (II Chronicles 22:8-10)
The site which David had designated & where Solomon build the House for the Name of the Lord ca. 950BC,
had been consecrated for this sacred purpose nearly 1,000 years before when the aged patriarch Abraham, at
God's command prepared to offer his first-born son, Isaac, in sacrifice (thus prefiguring the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross) but was directed by an angel to offer a ram caught in a bush in his place.
It was on the 9th of Av, 587BC, that 1st Temple was destroyed by
Nebuchadnezar, king of Babylon, & its sacred vessels taken to
Babylon where they were desecrated. In 541BC, the rebuilding of
the Temple begins despite fierce opposition & delays. It was finally completed after 15-year delay in 515BC. A major remodeling
& enlargement of the site was first undertaken by King Herod the
Great in 40BC. This project was only concluded in 63AD. Because of it was heavily fortified, it became a major rallying point
& stronghold for the Jewish rebellion against Rome which began
in 66AD, when the priests stopped sacrificing daily for the Emperor & the Roman state. During the siege in 70AD a torch was
thrown into the Temple precincts by a one of the besieging Roman soldiers. It ignited a fire which destroyed the
Temple completely. The site was completely cleared by order of the Roman emperor Hadrian in 135AD, at the
end of the 2nd Jewish War.
What was the Temple Like?
The Temple was a magnificent complex, a central shrine-building, fronted by courtyards where sacrifices were
offered & where the people could gather for worship. The inner shrine-building, into which only priests could
enter, contained 2 rooms, the outer & larger room, called the Holy Place, contained 3 cult objects: a large, 7branch lamp stand which burned continually, a stationary altar for the burning of incense & the table of Shew-
Bread, upon which lay 12 loaves of bread (renewed weekly), representing the 12 tribes of Israel. These were
tended by priests chosen by lot. The inner room, in which the Ark of the Covenant overshadowed by carved
cherubim had originally stood, was called the Holy of Holies. At some point after its installation in the Holy of
Holies of the 1st Temple, the Ark disappeared & its location is not known. It was within Holy of Holies that the
Glory of God would be manifest to the High Priest, who alone was permitted access. The outer walls of the
Temple gleamed with the whitest marble & its towers & parapet were adorned with the purest gold. A cloud of
incense-drenched smoke rose up perpetually to heaven &, as all contemporary witnesses attest, an unearthly silence pervaded the entire complex, broken only by the music of the levitical choir & instrumentalists.
Meaning of the Temple for Old Israel
The children of Israel recognized God’s absolute transcendence, but they also knew that God was uniquely present in Temple on Jerusalem. The prayers of all Jewry were & still are directed toward that holy site. Its destruction in 70AD represented one of the greatest tragedies ever visited upon the people of Israel & required radical
accommodations of their ancestral faith. Ti this day they pray daily for its restoration, the building of a 3rd
Temple.
Jesus & the Temple
The Temple played a prominent role in Christ’s earthly ministry, beginning with his presentation therein on the
40th-day after His birth according to the flesh. It was the site where His voice was often heard & it was for the
sake of the Temple that the Redeemer of all was brought to trial:
And there arose certain ones who bore false witness against Him, saying: “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy the
Temple that is made with hands, & within three days I will build another made without hands’.” But neither did their
witnesses agree together. (Mark 14:57-59)
The Temple, a “Type” of Christ
The Temple, while it stood was a symbol & token of God’s living presence in
the midst of His people. It, its cult & its furnishings were a type, a prophetic
sign of the far a greater reality of God's presence: "a shadow of the good things
to come instead of the true form (Hebrews 10:1)". The “True Form” of God’s living presence was revealed in the person of “Emmanuel, (God with us), the Son &
Word of God the Father in the flesh which He had made His own in the womb
of the pure & ever-Virgin Mary, His Mother according to the flesh. His accusers
report that He spoke of the destruction of the Temple & its being raised again in
3 days was fulfilled in His death on the Cross & third-day Resurrection. It is no
accident that at His death upon the Cross, the veil separating the Holy Place
from the Holy of Holiest was torn asunder:
And it was about the sixth hour, & there was a darkness over all
the earth until the ninth hour. & the sun was darkened, & the veil
of the Temple was rent in the midst. & when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said,
“Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit.” & having said this, He gave up the Ghost (Luke
23:44-46).
As Christ was the fulfillment of the Temple itself, so was its cult fulfilled in His sacrifice
upon the Cross. For the nearly the 1,000 years of its existence, the very heart-beat of the
Temple cult had been in sacrifice. These sacrifices were offered to honor God but above all
to atone for the sins of the people. These sacrifices were symbols of atonement; Christ’s
sacrifice upon the Cross destroyed once & for all the power of sin & of death over all who
were incorporated into His person. The numerous ritual cleansings required before the offering of a sacrifice were fulfilled in Holy Baptism. The prophet Malachi had foretold:
“I have no pleasure in you,” saith the Lord of hosts, “neither will I accept an offering from your
hand. For from the rising of the sun even into the going down of the same, My Name shall be
great among the Gentiles [non-Jews]. & in every place incense shall be offered unto My Name
& a pure offering; for My Name shall be great among the heathen”, said the Lord of hosts.
(Malachi 1:10-11)
Daily do we Christians fulfill this prophecy when we celebrate the Divine & Holy Liturgy & partake, not of the
flesh of bulls & sheep, but of the very Lamb of God Himself.
Temple Furnishings
& the Holy Virgin Mary
The Temple furnishings, especially those of the Holy Place & the missing Ark of the Covenant from the Holy of
Holies, however, are understood by the Church to be types & shadows of the all-holy, Ever Virgin Mary. Like
the ever-burning flame of the lampstand, so she stands ever in rapt wonder & adoration before the throne of the
all-holy Trinity. As smoke arises from the altar of incense, so she sends up perpetual intercession for the holy
people of God, the Church. Whereas the Ark held the tables of the law; she held within her pure womb God
Himself. A vessel contained manna; but she gave flesh to Him Whose very flesh & blood we eat & drink. The
dried staff of Aaron was seen to bud; she budded forth from her virgin womb a Flower Whose sweet fragrance
perfumes the faithful.
Eschatological Significance of the Temple
God gave to His chosen people Israel the Temple as a token of the far greater Gift of God incarnate, but they refused it, preferring instead to continue in types & shadows which had outlived their usefulness. They screamed
out “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” In the name of the Law, they slew Him Who is the Author of the Law & of
the Temple. Despite this profound offense & blasphemy, God gave to His people one generation (ca. 40 years)
in which to repent. They did not. The witness to their obstinacy was the destruction of their Temple. It will be
built again; but the price of that rebuilding will be total war for all mankind. They will greet their messiah & install him therein, but he “the abomination of desolation” will demand to be worshipped by all mankind & initiate the last & great persecution of the Church. Yet even so, God in His infinite mercy will give to His people Israel one last chance to repent; for He will send to them 2 witnesses (the holy patriarch Enoch & the Prophet Elias/Elijah), to reveal to Jacob’s descendant the true identity of this false-messiah. Certain will hear & find salvation in the true “Glory of Thy people Israel”.
The false-messiah will do his worst & will greatly increase the choir of the holy martyrs; but at last he will be
defeated. Christ the true Messiah will come in glory. There will be a new heaven & a new earth. From the heavens the New Jerusalem will descend upon earth. As the holy apostle & evangelist John the Theologian foretold:
And I saw no temple therein, for the Lord God Almighty & the Lamb are the temple of it. & the city had no need of
the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it; for the glory of God gave it light, &
the Lamb is the light thereof. & the nations of them that are saved shall walk in
the light of it, & the kings of the earth bring their glory & honor into it. And
the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day, for there shall be no night there, &
they shall bring the glory & honor of the nations into it. & there shall in no
wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie, but only they that are written in the Lamb's Book of
Life. (Revelation 21:22-27)
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News of the Mission of St. Mary Magdalene, Manhattan
October has seen a number of new undertakings at the Mission. Early in the month, the plan to have Fr. Daniel
come one Friday a month to offer Vespers & hear confessions finally got underway. We have also begun our
fall bookstudy. We are reading Like a Pelican in the Wilderness & discussing it Wednesday evenings at 7:00
PM. Fall gardening & work on the narthex renovation continue.
Finally, we have commissioned the construction of a proper Holy Table for the Mission. Duane Kliewer, whose
handiwork graces the temple of Holy Transfiguration, Hillsboro, will be constructing a walnut Holy Table to Fr.
Daniel's specifications. A special collection is being taken to defray the estimated $1000 cost. Donations payable to St. Mary Magdalene Orthodox Mission, & marked "Holy Table" may be sent to The Mission at 913 Ri-
ley Lane, Manhattan, KS 66503. In the event that donations received exceed the actual cost of the table, additional moneys will be used to purchase material the covers or other permanent liturgical supplies or books.
News from the Sunday School
The All Saints Sunday school is off & running. The children in the older class are studying “The Young
Church”. They are reading from the book of Acts in the New Testament & studying Christ’s Ascension, the
descent of the Holy Spirit, the beginning of the Church & the life of the young church. They will conclude with
the travels of St. Paul.
The younger children are studying “Jesus the Promise of God”. They are learning about God’s promise of
Christ, the life of Christ & His teachings. They recently had a lesson on how to look up verses in the Bible.
Please encourage our young people by asking them questions about what they are learning.
We thank you for your support & your prayers for this important time in the lives of our children.
Janeane Houchin & Adrienne Gapter
Sunday school teachers
News of the Parish
Nov. 4th-7th: 2004 Parish Council Symposium (Antiochian Village)
Sat., Nov. 13th: Annual Pre-Advent Thanksgiving Dinner, serving at noon.
Sun., Nov. 14th: Wedding of Chelsea Pantle & Michael Penning, 5:00pm
Mon., Nov. 15th: Feast of the Holy Martyrs Gurias, Simonas & Habib (Patron Saints of Christian Marriage): First Day of the
40-day “Philip Fast” (often called Advent) in preparation for the Feast of Christ’s Nativity according to the Flesh.
Thurs., Nov. 25th: Feast of the Holy Great-Martyrs Catherine of Alexandria & Mercurios (Thanksgiving Day), Divine Liturgy (Thanksgiving Doxology), 9:00am
Wed., Dec. 1st: Visit of Fr. Chad & the seminarian whom we, together with St. Mary Magdalene, Manhattan, Ss. Peter &
Paul, Topeka, & St. Mary, Wichita, support. There will be a dinner sponsored by Fr. Thomas & Lukie Neustrom, following Vespers, 6:00pm.
Sun., Dec. 12th: Annual General Parish Meeting with elections to the Parish Council.
Fri., Dec. 24th, Christmas Eve: Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, 3:00pm Orthros, 10:00pm Festal Divine Liturgy, 11:00pm
Sun., Jan. 2nd: Annual visit by His Grace Basil, Bishop of Wichita & Mid-America
Prayer Requests
Please keep in your prayers the name Sarah, the sister of Sid Hays & Kh. Thekla Hatfield. She is scheduled for a very
important surgery. Prayer is her surest hope.
God Grant You Many, Many Blessed Years!
Names' Days
Kyle Lindgren, Brittany Gapter, Michael Klapp, Benjamin Lindgren & Ernst Hintz (Holy Archangels
Michael, Gabriel & Raphael & All the Bodiless Hosts of Heaven, Nev. 8th), Kent Berquist (Father among the
Saints Nektarios of Pentapolis, Nov. 8th), Sean Hatfield (Father among the Saints John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, Npv. 13th), Stan Ehler & Boaz Nandwa (Father among the Saints Gregory Palamas,
Archbishop of Thessalonica, Nov. 14th), Matthew Pantle (Holy Apostle Matthew, Nov. 16th) Maren Danneberg, Katherine Stavropoulos, Katya Hintz & Adrienne Gapter (Holy Virgin-Martyr Catherine of Alexandria, Nov. 25th) & Jeff Walker (Holy apostle Andrew the First-Called, Nov. 30th).
Birthdays
David Innes (Nov. 2nd), Maren Danneberg (Nov. 4th), Theo Stavropoulos (Nov. 7th), Jan Isham (Nov. 8th),
Melanie Stavropoulos (Nov. 13th) Deidre Hays (Nov. 16th) Kyle Lindgren (Nov. 20th) Donna Sabo (Nov.
21st) Jack Lambert & Kent Berquist (Nov. 25th) Helen Yetter (Nov. 30th).
Wedding Anniversaries
Ernst & Jerri Hintz (Nov. 8tht) & Dick & Rikki Hale (Nov. 27th).
The Synaxis of the Holy Archangels Michael. Gabriel & Raphael & of All the Bodiless Powers of Heaven (Nov. 8): The angels of God have been commemorated by men from the earliest
times, but this commemoration often degenerates into the divinization of angels (II Kings 23:5). Heretics always wove fantasies round the angels. Some of them saw the angels as gods & others, if they did not so regard them, took them to be the
creators of the whole visible world. The local Council in Laodicea, that was held in the 4 th century, rejected in its 35th
Canon the worship of angels as gods & established the proper veneration of them. In the time of Pope Sylvester of Rome
& the Alexandrian Patriarch Alexander, in the 4th century, this Feast of the Archangel Michael &
the other heavenly powers was instituted, to be celebrated in Nov. Why in Nov.? Because Nov/ is
the 9th month after March, & it is thought that the world was created in the month of March. The 9th
month after March was chosen because of the 9 orders of angels that were the 1st created beings. St
Dionysius the Areopagite, a disciple of St. Paul (that Apostle who was caught up to the 3rd heaven),
writes of these 9 orders in his book: Celestial Hierarchies. These orders are as follows: 6-winged
Seraphim, many-eyed Cherubim, godly Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels & Angels. The leader of the whole angelic army is the Archangel Michael. When Satan, Lucifer, fell away from God, & carried half the angels with him to destruction, then Michael arose &
cried to the unfallen angels: 'Let us give heed! Let us stand aright; let us stand with fear!', & the
whole angelic army sang aloud: 'Holy, holy, holy Lord God Sabaoth; heaven & earth are full of
Thy glory!' (See on the Archangel Michael: Joshua 5:13-15 & Jude v.9). Among the angels there
rules a perfect unity of mind, of soul & of love; of total obedience of the lesser powers to the greater & of all to the holy will of God. Each nation has its guardian angel, as does each individual
Christian. We must keep in mind that, whatever we do, openly or in secret, we do in the presence
of our guardian angel & that, on the Day of Judgment, a great multitude of the holy angels of heaven will be gathered around the throne of Christ, & the thoughts, words & deeds of every man will be laid bare before
them. May God have mercy on us & save us at the prayers of the holy Archangel Michael & all the bodiless powers of
heaven. Amen.