Is God Neglectful? Or Did Christ Go To Other Nations Too?

[justinmartyrjr]

Early anti-Christians charged that Christ was a wanderer, but then that he was neglectful of other lands & nations. (A. S. Garretson, Primitive Christianity And Early Criticism, (Boston: Sherman, French & Company, 1912); R. Joseph Hoffmann, Celsus On The True Doctrine, (A Discourse Against the early Christians), (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987);

Early Christian Apologists say that Christ wasn’t, for not only did Christ descend into hades, “but he went to all the earth, so that people could be save where ever they were.” (Clement of Alexandria, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, 2:490-2).

Origen, A.D. 185-230-254, responding to ancient critic Celsus: The “Christ of God thus shows His superiority to all rulers by entering into their several provinces, & summoning men out of them to be subject to Himself” (The Ante-Nicene Fathers, 4:641, Origen Against Celsus, 8:4).

In Catholic church history & lore, Christ travels the world in different guises according to St. Benedict Rule, Mathew 25, art works & other stories. For example, the Christ child appears to St. Christopher, who carried Christ over a river. St. Martin gives his coat to Christ in the guise of a leper. St. Dorothy & others are visited by Christ too, who comes to test & teach them. Fra Angelico, (Giovanni Guido, A.D. 1387-1455), depicts Christ the Pilgrim in a 1440 fresco at the Monastery of San Marco, Florence, Italy. Free art print of Christ as Pilgrim Received by Two Dominicans by Fra Angelico. C. 1441. Fresco, 108 x 145. Museo di San Marco, Florence, Italy. | FreeArt | fan19720656

Catholic historian, P. Dee Roo tells of an old legend, how Christ, “during the forty days between his resurrection and his ascension, walked with unequal giant strides over the earth, and that wherever he set down his foot a church must be built in the sequel of time. Should this pious story be truthful, it would be evident that Christ strode over our hemisphere in many directions.” (History of America Before Columbus, 1:205).

There are art works of Christ visiting peasants in Russia, Mikhail Nesterov, The Way to Christ, dated 1908—11, another version of his 1896 work, dated 1901—5, is entitled: Holy Russia.



01varvara.wordpress.com/2008/05/08/mikhail-nesterov-holy-rus-1905/

Questions:

If Christ did go to other nations before his birth, or during his post resurrection wanderings, so as to not be found neglectful?

If he did go, what did he do & say?

Legends around the world suggest that a wounded wandering God visited & promised to return. If Christ did go, would there be writings of what he said & did?

 

[jprioli]

I am not prepared to say with certitude that Christ did not visit other places in his flesh. However…

It is perfectly consonant with Christian doctrine and spirituality to say that Christ did and does visit all nations, because His Church does exactly this, and Christ identifies himself with his Church.

To see this, consider when Saul was knocked to the ground, and heard the Lord’s voice. Christ said, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

Saul was persecuting the Church, but Jesus understood that to be persecuting him, personally. The Church is, of course, the mystical body of Christ, the vine and the branches, and so forth.

In his earthly lifetime, Jesus did travel from Galilee to Judea, including visits to Samaria. But there is no evidence to show that he visited China, or the Philippines or Australia. Should we then accuse him of neglecting those places?

Not at all… it’s a blind alley. Best not to go down it.

Regards,
Joe

 

[John_Hiner]

Laudatur Iesus Christus.

Here is an interesting discussion of global population which might be relevant to the allegation of “neglect:” An Absentee God? by Dinesh D’Souza.*

Spiritus Sapientiae nobiscum.

John Hiner

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*The comments in the cited article about evolution seem less persuaive and less relevant, but the first half of the discussion may be of help.

 

[Cadellin]

The Mormons believe Jesus went to America.

Jesus wasn’t neglectful; he sent his apostles (as ambassadors) to go and preach to all nations.

 

[peary1]

As far as we know, Christ did not visit other nations other than Israel personally, as he was born, raised, and died there. After the Ascension, He commissioned His Church to continue His Work of salvation in the world through His disciples. Since we are the Body of Christ on earth, wherever the Church went, Christ went. As today, wherever the Church is in the world, so is the Savior.

 

[hthalljr]

I just stumbled on this thread and noticed the comment by Cadellin on Aug 5, 2008, 2:56 pm, that Mormons believe that Jesus visited America.

Mormons believe that after his resurrection, Jesus indeed visited the “four corners” of the world, and that someday we will have the sacred accounts of all of these visits.

So far we have received only one of these accounts, to the Nephites somewhere in America, in the Book of Mormon, chapters 9-28 of 3 Nephi ( bit.ly/oAWm3o ). In 3 Nephi 15:11-24 ( bit.ly/ohLb9y ) Christ explains that the Nephites are among the “other sheep” to whom he referred in John 10:16 ( bit.ly/mVAx67 ). He then declares that he will visit the “other sheep,” that are not in “any parts of that land round about whither I have been to minister.” ( 3 Nephi 16:1-5 bit.ly/ou0UFl ).

The Book of Mormon prophet Jacob quotes an extended parable by the ancient Israelite prophet Zenos (whose writings they were in the scriptures that they had taken with them to America from Jerusalem, ca 600 BCE, but which are not found in today’s Bible). Zenos mentioned four locations around the world into which “young and tender” (righteous) branches of ancient Israel would be grafted prior to the mortal advent of Christ, and he prophesied that Christ would visit each of these. (Jacob 5 bit.ly/rfMpCv )

Nephi, the first author on the plates, wrote that the “other tribes” and indeed “all nations of the earth,” would keep sacred records, and he prophesied that someday all these record would come forth to be united with the record of the Jews (the Bible) and the Nephites (the Book of Mormon). ( 2 Nephi 29:11-14 bit.ly/nmQYX0 )

Tracy Hall Jr
hthalljr’gmail’com