by philo 11 Replies latest jw friends
Anybody know about hospitality customs in Jesus day?
If the custom was to invite everyone who called inside your home for milk and cookies, and if it was rude to refuse this hospitality - the door-door ministry must have been sooo sloooow.
Whatdja fink?
philo
Yeah, I can just see taking a year to cover territory the size of an average city block this way!
Life is a roller coaster. Get in, sit down, shut up and hang on!
Maybe slow... but how much more appealing! And can you imagine how large you would end up if you were a pioneer!
Dearest Philo... may you have peace!
Dear one... there was no 'door-to-door' preaching... NOR 'house-to-house'. Permit me to explain:
When my Lord sent his disciples out, they were initially told not to take anything to sustain them with. Why? Because it was a LAW among the Israelites to receive people into their homes hospitably. Remember Abraham's reaction when my Father and His angels visited them? Broke out THE banquet. Part of that 'hospitality' was the washing of the guest's feet, as a 'refreshment'.
Those that were sent out by my Lord did not go door-to-door, for they were sent to SPECIFIC people. Always have been; always will be. Just as Peter said to Cornelius that his prayers had been heard, my Lord sent his disciples to those whose cry my Father, and by default (holy spirit) my Lord... heard. Those were the ones 'deserving', because their 'sighing and groaning' is what resulted in them being 'marked'.
Now, this started first with the nation of Israel, which included the Jews... and the Samaritans. For some of these, however, the Pharisees, scribes and priests had instilled such a FEAR, that when the disciples arrived, in answer to their prayers, they were NOT 'received hospitably'... and in some cases, not at all. As a result, eventually, the disciples were told to take provisions. Ultimately, when the 'dragnet' going through Judea was pretty much completed, my Lord looked upon Jerusalem and said: "How much I wanted to 'gather' you, as a hen does her chicks... but you... did not 'want' it. Look! Your house is abandoned... to YOU!"
After THAT point, the 'call' went out to ANY among the nations who would heed it. This is where PAUL came in. The 12... were Apostles to Israel... Paul, however, was an Apostle... to the nations. Thus, he journeyed all over telling people about my Lord and promised holy spirit. He did this in people's HOUSES. Thus, he(?) said, "I did not hold back from teaching you... publicly... AND 'from house to house', which meant "I held nothing back from you, whether I spoke it to a group in the market place, Areopagus or a synagogue (all public places and many non-Jews were in attendance at the temple and synagogues - thus, the Courtyard "of the nations")... or came into your own home."
There was no structured field service and return call record system. There were no 'householders'. They spoke to ALL... and received ANY who 'heard'. Just as I and others may do here. By virtue of your computer screen, those of us here from the Household of God, Israel, have come into your home (which is why I always try to wish PEACE upon the recipient), office, etc., to herald a message of GOOD news... one of LIFE... and not the 'bad' news of judging, condemnation... and death.
Many have been misled to completely misunderstand this 'work'... and its format... by 'religion' and 'religious scholars' in general, and by the WTBTS in particular. But you don't have to continuing being so.
I bid you peace,
A slave of Christ and a TRUE servant to the Household of God, Israel,
SJ
Aguest, Thanks for your post. You really are a love.
When my Lord sent his disciples out, they were initially told not to take anything to sustain them with. Why? Because it was a LAW among the Israelites to receive people into their homes hospitably
Where can I find out more about this law?
IW and Gsark, The 'pioneer plod' would become pretty redundant!
philo
ps Oh Simon, have you remembered to wash Shelby's feet? Mine too, I'm a guest as well
Got to love the way FDS translates the singular Greek
word of Houses (your Houses) as house-to house at Acts
20:20. Its capitalized to show that it was their own Houses
and actually more likely a "meeting" house. hehe
They seem to forget earlier in Acts when Paul admonishes
them NOT to go "house to house" there the Greek shows the
word twice with the word "to" inbetween and therefore
translated as house to house. Why the inconsistency?
This can readily be seen in their own Kingdom Interlinear
and more clearily in the Emphatic Diaglott (1865) of which they
own the plates and copyright since 1902. In the ED Acts 20:20
is translated as simply "Houses". They have twice reprinted the
ED and highly praise the quality of its scholarship, just decided
to ignore a rather simple and direct translation without foot-
notes to explain this mystery.
Both KIT and ED are still available at the local book counter,
just don't tell anyone you are actually studing them if you
don't want their suspicions raised. hehe
battman
of the "ignorance is bliss class"
Hi, Philo... and may you have peace!
First, you must understand that not all of the law was 'written', for indeed only ten commandments were contained on the stone tablets, yes? There was indeed the 'oral' law... which all of God's people KNEW, BEFORE the Law Covenant, DURING the Law Covenant and after it, under the NEW Covenant:
Genesis 18:4-7
1 Samuel 25:18, 41
Matthew 25:35 (this is my Lord indicating a person who did not simply SPEAK the law, but LIVED it)
John 13:2-5, 12-17 (in this, my Lord DEMONSTRATED the law...)
Luke 7:37-45 (here, my Lord pointed out how some did NOT follow the law of hospitality, except one very sinful woman)
1 Timothy 5:10 (following this law was a requirement for widows seeking to be 'put on the list')
The principle is based on the written 'law' of Deuteronomy 15:7-11, as reiterated at Isaiah 58:6, 7, which basically stated that we ARE our brother's 'keeper'. We are responsible for one another, to the extent we have... and they don't. If they were rich, you would receive them into your home with refreshments and service. Such 'hospitality' was due the poor as well. Thus, ALL were to be received hospitably, for there wasn't supposed to be any differentiating between the rich and the poor.
Some think of this as a 'custom' more so than a law. However, had it been only a 'custom', my Lord would not have pointed it out to those who did not do it for him, nor would he have done it for his disciples. He did it, in FURTHER fulfillment of the LAW. He did it... and told THEM to do it. This... fulfilled the TRUE spirit of the Law... love.
I hope this helps, Philo. And I bid you peace, everlastingly.
YOUR servant and a slave of Christ,
SJ
It seems they took their meals in the same manner in which they did their teaching. The following is from the NWT Reference Bible:
*** Rbi8 Acts 2:46 ***46 And day after day they were in constant attendance at the temple with one accord, and they took their meals in private homes and partook of food with great rejoicing and sincerity of heart,
*** Acts 2:46 (ftn) ***Or, “from house to house.” Gr., kat´ oi'kon. See 5:42 ftn, “House.”
*** Rbi8 Acts 5:42 ***42 And every day in the temple and from house to house they continued without letup teaching and declaring the good news about the Christ, Jesus.
*** Acts 5:42 (ftn) ***Lit., “according to house.” Gr., kat´ oi'kon. Here ka·ta' is used with the accusative sing. in the distributive sense. R. C. H. Lenski, in his work The Interpretation of The Acts of the Apostles, Minneapolis (1961), made the following comment on Ac 5:42: “Never for a moment did the apostles cease their blessed work. ‘Every day’ they continued, and this openly ‘in the Temple’ where the Sanhedrin and the Temple police could see and hear them, and, of course, also kat' oÎkon, which is distributive, ‘from house to house,’ and not merely adverbial, ‘at home.’ ”
*** Rbi8 Acts 20:20 ***20 while I did not hold back from telling YOU any of the things that were profitable nor from teaching YOU publicly and from house to house.
*** Acts 20:20 (ftn) ***Or, “and in private houses.” Lit., “and according to houses.” Gr., kai kat´ oi'kous. Here ka·ta' is used with the accusative pl. in the distributive sense. Compare 5:42 ftn, “House.”
Yikes,
no wonder the Ethopian enuch could not
understand what he was reading. thanks
for the new light.
Did they have cookies in the 1st century?
