Word Became Flesh

[luciasclay]

A question for the Catholics here, I know the protestants will never see it this way.

I have been reading into the history of the Jewish liturgy for a while. One thing that I have become fascinated with is how they, at least according to Ismar Elbogen, viewed the scroll of the Torah, which was housed at the front of the synagogue in the cabinet called the ark, as the presence of God. God was present in the tabernacle because his Word was present among them.

It is my understanding that in the Church the position of the ark in the synagogue was replaced by the altar and the host.

Now when I read John 1 I see it from a different view, its like I can see John standing right there in the synagogue saying this, to those who understood the Jewish liturgy and would take his views in a certain way.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God; 3 all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

…

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.

Certainly I see that to the Jews hearing John teach the idea that the Word became flesh being heard in a synagogue and with the eucharist likewise being celebrated in the synagogue would be getting a much fuller meaning to John 1 than I ever did.

In further pondering this it occurred to me, based on my handy dandy protestant study notes in my oxford RSV that the phrase dwelt among us is literally “tabernacled” among us. What I ponder here then is the idea that in the liturgy of the Church, as I understand it, stores the host, the unconsumed host, in something literally called the tabernacle.

Is it possible that there was a container of host there, called the tabernacle, when John would speak in this manner as he did in his written gospel ? Is it possible that this really is the most amazing and awe inspiring demonstration of continuity and fulfillment between the synagogue and church liturgies ?

So I guess my questions are :

1. How far back in time does the tradition of use of the term tabernacle to describe the container holding the unconsumed host go, and is it possible that this term is of apostolic origin?
2. Am I seeing things that don’t really exist as far as parallels between the Jewish liturgies and the Christian liturgies or is this a parallel that does exist and who has written about it historically that I can read ? I would be particularly interested in early sources of this idea but will take any sources.

Thanks to all !

 

[dnomyaR]

Interesting point, I’m not qualified to comment on it. But I find it very interesting still.

 

[NHInsider]

Taking your questions in reverse order:

1. Am I seeing things that don’t really exist as far as parallels between the Jewish liturgies and the Christian liturgies or is this a parallel that does exist and who has written about it historically that I can read ? I would be particularly interested in early sources of this idea but will take any sources.

Thanks to all !

No, you are quite correct in correlating the two, you may only be missing an even more powerful parallel which is that the “mercy seat” which was the cover of the tabernacle was the place where God’s presence dwelt among His people during the time of Moses and up until the Exile into Babylon. Good summary of this here (this is an Orthodox site, not a Catholic one, but it’s still a good summary):
orthodoxwiki.org/Tabernacle_(liturgical)

1. How far back in time does the tradition of use of the term tabernacle to describe the container holding the unconsumed host go, and is it possible that this term is of apostolic origin?

Probably not. Christians in the earliest days of the Church met in homes for the Eucharistic celebration on “the first day of the week” (the day of the Resurrection), and attended the synagogue for their accustomed Sabbath worship. After Christians were excluded from the synagogues the Liturgy of the Word (essentially the synagogue service, with its hymns, readings, and explication of the text) was appended to the Liturgy of the Eucharist–but Christians for the most part did not have church buildings,and so there would have been no place to keep a Tabernacle. The faithful were allowed to take the consecrated bread home with them to 1) have the Presence with them in their homes - they also took it on journeys 2) receive on the Lord’s Day if they were not able to attend the communal worship because of illness or persecution and 3) offer Communion to the sick and infirm.

The practice of reserving the Eucharist in Tabernacles probably dates from the fourth century when, after Constantine’s decree making the practice of Christianity legal throughout the Empire, Christian churches began to be built (and pagan temples began to be consecrated as Christian churches).

Nice piece on this history here:
catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=679&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=325266"]catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=679&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=325266

 

[Eucharisted]

The Transfiguration shows that Jesus is the Torah, that Jesus is the Word of God.

I encourage you to meditate on the Transfiguration, and buy the Pope’s book “Jesus of Nazareth”.

 

[Vaeavilla]

Talofa Luciaclay, Greeting from Oceania, Man, thanks for helping me see the sacred lineage that joins the two Testaments. No wonder, Pope John Paul II always greets the Jewish people as “OLDER BROTHER”. He was emphazing the continuity of the Jewish Traditions also in our Christian liturgy, and spirituality.To them, God has revealed Himself as the WORD but in the New Testament, He has revealed himself in the FLESH. The Catholic Faith in the Islands have only 170 years old. The Tabernacle was introduced and has been the focal point of worship from then on down under, so I hope one of the Europeans would help you along as they are much older then us in the journey of Faith.

 

[Crumpy]

As far as the parallels go, there are many.

The Mass is very Jewish in origin. You have the reading and celebration of the Word.

the offeratory uses wording that is almost directly taken from the OT “blessed are you Lord God of all creation, through your goodness we have this bread to offer…”

The consecration uses the words of Jesus, This is my Body, This is my blood. I think the official position of the Church is that what we call the Last Supper, was a Passover celebration, as the synoptic gospels say.

In Leviticus, there are all kinds of burnt offerings, sin offerings, todah (thanksgiving) offerings, etc. Most of these sacrifices involved eating the animal or grain that was offered. First, some might be burned on the altar of sacrifice, but then some of the sacrificed animals were eaten by the priests, and some were eaten by the priests and donors within the overall tabernacle.

The sacrifices ranged from burnt offerings, which were just that, all burned up, i.e. sacrificed totally to God, but the majority were eaten in these meals. Then, at the other end of the range, there was the passover sacrifice, which was killed at home, and the animal eaten by a family or two if it stretched that far. The uneaten part was burned the next morning.

In Exodus, the first time that Moses gets the ten commandments, if you read through that section, you see that there was a meal celebrated there, as a type of celebration of the covenant. I never noticed this before my most recent reading of Exodus.

Historically, all kinds of covenants (pacts) were observed this way, with a meal.

Notice too even our modern custom of a wedding ceremony involves a meal (recall the wedding feast of Cana) which is a meal that observes the covenant of the marriage.

So, Jesus’s blessing of the bread and wine brings back all these images of a sacrifice and a meal, a covenant and a meal, etc. all those OT images are wrapped up. Now, what distinguishes the Catholic Mass, is that, like the OT sacrificial means, we actually consume the Victim of the sacrifice, just like the Passover lamb was actually eaten, not just a symbol eaten. Protestants generall believe it is all symbolic.

But, by the grace of God, we know better.

About the tabernacle in the Catholic churches, I don’t know the history, but I think you might check out www.newadvent.org and look up “tabernacle.” Certainly, there is always a sanctuary lamp (candle) burning when the Eucharist is reserved, and that is a direct echo of the menorah (lampstand) in the sanctuary, before the Holy of Holies.

the commentaries say that the wilderness tabernacle and later the Temple were given and visual aids to the practice of religion and worship of God.