St. Andrew, the Fisherman Who Foresaw Kiev, Defeated Satan, and Saved Scotland. by Julio Gonzalez, M.D., J.D. Proudly perched atop of Andriyivskyy Descent (Andrew's Descent) in the heart of ancient Kiev, is the majestic St. Andrew's Church dedicated to Ukraine's patron saint. The church was built on the very spot where tradition holds that the Blessed Apostle Andrew placed a cross in honor of our Lord, Jesus Christ. As legend has it, Andrew climbed to the top of the hill with his disciples, which looked over the Dnieper River. Taking in the view, he placed a cross at the peak of the hill and foretold the appearance of a great city. Since then, at least three churches have been built on that spot, the present one dating back to 1744.
Andrew, along with Peter, James, and John heard Jesus prophesize of the terrible events that were to descend not only upon Israel, but personally upon the apostles:
Virtually all these prophecies applied to Andrew. After Jesus's resurrection, Andrew went east to preach the gospel (literally, "the good news"). He went to the area around the Black Sea and the Dnieper River. For a Christian this was a highly dangerous place to be since it was a land where the aggressive pagan tribes like the Rus were attempting to spread into the Roman Empire. These would have been lands and languages totally foreign to a Jew, yet Andrew somehow made his way there and successfully taught the gospel. It was as a result of his efforts of preaching the gospel in Scythia by the Dnieper River that Andrew found himself atop a hill in the wilderness of what was eventually to become Kiev and planted his cross before his disciples. Andrew also made his way to Constantinople, before it was known as such, and established the See of Byzantium, installing Stachys as its second bishop. But it was in the coastal city of Patras, in the province of Achaia (present day Greece) where St. Andrew met his greatest trial. According to the apocryphal "Acts of Andrew," there, while treating the sick and converting pagans he came across the prominent Maximilla, the interest of the proconsul or governor, Ægeates. Andrew converted Maximilla, which infuriated Ægeates, causing him to threaten the apostle with death. But again, in obedience to the warnings from Jesus, Ægeates's threats caused Andrew no fear, as he responded only by trying even more zealously to convert the proconsul, infuriating him all the more. It has been said that Ægeates possessed all the qualities of the devil, and therefore, had no chance at repentance. In his treatment of Maximilla, we see him as the seducer. In his failure to do justice, we have arrogance, and in his anger, we encounter ill temper, and selfish, unbridled passion. Yet all the temptations and threats from the devil are no match against Andrew who not only resists them, but uses them in his ascent to heaven. Andrew earnestly welcomed Ægeates's threats when the proconsul ordered his crucifixion. Like his brother Peter in Rome, Andrew refused to be nailed to the cross, finding himself to be unworthy of dying in the same manner as the Lord. Instead, he demands he be bound to the in a cross tilted diagonally, like an "X" (crux decussata). This attitude of the cross became St. Andrew's hallmark and the symbol for Scotland's flag and Russia's ensign. On that cross Andrew preached for three days, stirring up the hearts of all who listened. Fearing a riot, Ægeates reneged on his punishment and ordered his men to take down Andrew, but the Holy Spirit interceded, literally preventing the soldier's hands from touching the apostle or the cross. Those accumulated witnessed the spectacle hastening their conversion. Finally, according to the "Acts of Andrew", "an exceeding splendor like lightning coming forth out of heaven shone down upon him and so encircled him, that in consequence of such brightness mortal eyes could not look upon him at all. And the dazzling light remained about the space of half an hour. And when he had thus spoken and glorified the Lord still more the light withdrew itself, and he gave up the ghost, and along with the brightness itself, he departed to the Lord in giving Him thanks." Maximilla witnessed the death of Andrew and helped bury him in her own tomb. Afterward, she was "united to the love of Christ, [and] spent her life blessedly with the brethren." Ægeates continued to try to seduce her with promises of wealth, but was unsuccessful. He committed suicide by "[falling] off a great height." Andrew's body remained in Patras until moved by Constantius II to the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople in around 357. Legend has it, that prior to his relocation, Saint Regulus, acting under the directions received in a dream, moved some of the remains. He was later told by an angel to take them to the ends of the earth and deposit the bones wherever he would shipwreck so as to protect them from what was to come. That place happened to be Fife, Scotland. Tragically, on June 14, 1559, John Knox, the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, removed the relics of St. Andrews as part of the Protestant Reformation he was leading, and they were lost. In the thirteenth century, following the sack of Constantinople by the Turks, some of St. Andrew's relics were moved to Amalfi. Today, part of St. Andrew's small finger and skull remain in Patras along with some fragments of the cross upon which he was martyred. There are also two relics in Scotland, which were gifts from the Archbishop of Amalfi and Pope Paul VI respectively. One more connection with Scotland must be acknowledged, which is intriguing in its similarity to the experience Constantine had with Jesus in preparation for the taking of Rome. In 832, the Pictish King Óengus II (Angus) found himself preparing to do battle with an invading army of Angles led by King Aethelstan of East Anglia. Legend has it that St. Andrew appeared to Óengus II, ensuring him of his victory. In the morning of the battle, two linear clouds appeared in the shape of the crux decussata in the clear blue sky. The symbol was apparently witnessed by both sides, and inspired the Picts and Scots to victory. The symbol of a white saltire in a deep blue background was subsequently adopted as Scotland's flag. Next week we will continue our trek with Matthias, whose life, according to legend, was saved by Andrew. Help support the publication of more articles like these. Donate to The Federalist Pages, or Join The Founding Fathers Club. Read more from our Christianity Series by visiting thefederalistpages/news. Dr. Julio Gonzalez is an orthopaedic surgeon and lawyer living in Venice, Florida. He served in the Florida House of Representatives. He is the author of numerous books including The Federalist Pages, The Case for Free Market Healthcare, and Coronalessons. He is available for appearances and book signings, and can be reached through www.thefederalistpages.com.
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Can you explain this?
I'm no conspiracy theorist, but can you explain why President Joe Biden's hand in this video posted on C-span.org appears to go through the microphone? Has this video been fabricated through green screen? Is it possible that Biden never really appeared before the press and the whole thing was electronically enhanced? Please send us any reasonable explanation you may have.
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Click here to join The Founding Fathers Club or Donate to The Federalist Pages. Dr. Julio Gonzalez is an orthopaedic surgeon and lawyer living in Venice, Florida. He served in the Florida House of Representatives. He is the author of numerous books including The Federalist Pages, The Case for Free Market Healthcare, and Coronalessons. He is available for appearances and book signings, and can be reached through www.thefederalistpages.com. Breaking News: Rachel Levine Is a He!
My dear friends, we have been duped. We have been told that Rachel Levine, a biological male, is a she. No kidding. Absurd as that may sound, the Left, and now even Newsmax, is trying to convince us that Levine is female. Now, most of us recognize that the guy, like a wolf in sheep's clothing, is male. But regardless, the Left continues to assure us that indeed, Dr. Levine is a woman. At the very most they may concede that he is a transgender woman. And so it is that every time we hear people talk about Levine, they refer to him as she. Today, they even got Newsmax into the act when, during a ten minute televised conversation, the five people involved consistently referred to Levine as "she" or "her." Not one of them acknowledged the overarching reality that Levine is actually–get this–male! When those of us with a functioning pair of eyes (and ears) attempt to correct them, the Leftists assure us that we are wrong. It matters not that we show them pictures of Levine growing up, or in college, or even as a young professional in the healthcare field where he is unmistakeably male. None of that is relevant to the Left. Of course, providing definitive proof about Levine's masculinity leads to the inevitable conversation about the complexity of trangenderism, whether one's gender is "assigned" at birth or inherited at conception, and whether there is a theoretical possibility of there being as many genders as there are people (over 7.9 billion). And once it appears that those espousing the existence of only two genders begin to win the debate, as they inevitably will since theirs is the scientifically, experientially, ontologically, and theologically correct position, the transgenderist will ultimately and improperly reach for the First Amendment argument. The First Amendment argument holds that Levine is a human being and is entitled to identify himself and his sexuality as he sees fit. As such, we are all obliged to honor his gender preference and refer to him in a manner consistent with the gender he demands we use. But here is where the Left is wrong and where we have allowed ourselves to get duped. It is true that Levine may identify himself in whatever manner he wants. In his mind, he has the right to view himself as a woman, black, white, svelte, and even attractive. What goes unmentioned is my equally valid right to identify him as I see fit. Although Levine has the right to view himself as a lizard if he desires ("Hello, Dr. Lizard Levine. How are you today?"), he does not have the right to impose his view upon me. Similarly, if Levine desires, he can call himself a girl, a woman, or she all he wants. What he does not possess, despite the Left's insistence, is the authority to dictate to me how I see him, or for that matter, to dictate how the government should treat him. Having finally come to that realization, after all these months of useless debates and rulemaking, we can now back to espousing the undeniable truth. Breaking news: Levine is a he! And the rest of us should stop playing his stupid game of pretending that he is not. Please support our ability to cover the events most important to you. Click here to join The Founding Fathers Club or donate to The Federalist Pages. Dr. Julio Gonzalez is an orthopaedic surgeon and lawyer living in Venice, Florida. He served in the Florida House of Representatives. He is the author of numerous books including The Federalist Pages, The Case for Free Market Healthcare, and Coronalessons. He is available for appearances and book signings, and can be reached through www.thefederalistpages.com.
He was the only apostle at the foot of the cross during Christ's crucifixion and was the one to whom the care of the Virgin Mary was entrusted by Jesus Christ himself. John's life following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was quite long, with most estimating he died in 100 A.D. at the age of 93. As such he made many contributions to the establishment of Christianity in Asia and about the Mediterranean. So critical was he to the early work of the Church that Paul called him, along with James the Just, the pillars of the Church. Initially, because of his assignment to care for Jesus's mother, it is thought that John stayed with Mary. After her assumption, he went to Ephesus where he wrote at least two Epistles, eventually making his way to Asia where Irenaeus in Against Heresies placed him "until the time of Trajan" (between 96-117 A.D.). John also spent some time in Greece, apparently with one of the great Christian fathers, Polycarp, whom he taught. Polycarp tells a story that took place when he was in a bathhouse with John in Ephesus. Apparently, the two had a close encounter with a Greek heretic named Cerinthus. Cerinthus apparently wrote the now lost "Gospel of Cerinthus" where he argued that that the kingdom of Christ was to be established on earth and that the flesh "would again be subject to desires and pleasures." Eusebius, Church History, Bk III, Ch. 28, ¶ 2. He also claimed that Jesus was not born of a virgin and that he was merely a man. The heresies were findamentally offensive to the early Christians because they attempted to rob Christ of his divinity and suggested that God was not the creator of the physical world. According to Polycarp when John learned that Cerinthus was at the bathhouse where they were, he immediately fled "for he could not bear being in the same roof with him." Church History, Bk III, Ch. 28, ¶ 6. There are reports that Emperor Domitian, who reigned over the Roman Empire between 81 A.D. and 96 A.D., persecuted Christians and Jews alike. Of course, John was both. Eusebius tells that Domitian at one point called for John to be burned in oil, an attempted execution that was indeed carried out. It had the opposite effect, however, when John survived, and everyone in the coliseum who witnessed the failed murder converted to Christianity. Frustrated in his attempt to execute John, Domitian exiled him to the Island of Patmos in the Aegean where John received the Revelation that became the last book of the New Testament.
The accusations were threatening to Domitian, who thought this sect was going to threaten his reign and thus ordered for the Christians to be rounded up and executed. Some of Domitian's centurions made their way to Ephesus where they heard of John and captured him at his home. He was brought to Rome where John explained Christianity to the emperor, but Domitian remained unmoved, claiming that he needed proof. John suggested that Domitian give him poison to drink so Domitian could see that it could not hurt him. Agreeing to the test, Domitian had his men bring the poison to John who drank it after praying for the Lord's protection. John survived, leading Domitian to claim that the whole thing had been faked. In reply, John suggested that they try the poison on a condemned prisoner to prove its efficacy. This, the emperor did, and upon drinking the poison, the prisoner promptly died. When the king remained unmoved and ordered the prisoner's body disposed, John became indignant and resuscitated the prisoner, instructing him to give thanks to God who had delivered him from prison and death. Domitian, seeing that he could not kill John, ordered him banished to Patmos. After Domitian's assassination in 96 A.D., he was succeeded by Nerva, who welcomed all banished Christians. John thus returned to Ephesus where he continued his work of evangelization. Church History, Bk III Ch. 20. ¶ 10-11. One interesting event that took place in a city near Ephesus relates to the commitment of a youngster by John to the care of the local bishop. Trained in the faith, the young man nevertheless became corrupted by some other youngsters to the point where he engaged in repeated acts of robbery. He eventually became so immersed in the ways of sin and immorality that he left the faith and, according to Clement of Alexandria, entered a gang where he committed "greater crime[s]". Some time later, John returned to that city on an unrelated matter and asked the bishop about the youngster. "He is dead," the bishop said, to which John asked, "How and what kind of death?" "He is dead to God for he turned wicked and abandoned, and became at least a robber. And now, instead of the Church, he haunts the mountain with a band like himself." Upon hearing the news, the Son of Thunder, who by this time was in his 80s, demanded a horse and rode to the mountain where the members of the youngster’s gang took him captive. Insisting that he be taken to their captain, John found the young man who, upon seeing the elder John approach, turned to flee. John immediately ran after him, "forgetting his age," and yelled, "Why, my son, do you flee from me, your own father, unarmed, aged? Pity me, my son; fear not; you have still hope for life. I will give account to Christ for you. If need be I will willingly endure your death as the Lord suffered death for us. For you will I give up my life. Stand, believe Christ has sent me." The remainder of the story as related by Clement through Eusebius is particularly gripping and emblematic of the devotion of John:
John is buried in Ephesus. His tomb is in the Basilica of St. John at Selçuk.
Help support the publication of more articles like these. Donate to The Federalist Pages, or Join The Founding Fathers Club. Read more from our Christianity Series by visiting thefederalistpages/news. Dr. Julio Gonzalez is an orthopaedic surgeon and lawyer living in Venice, Florida. He served in the Florida House of Representatives. He is the author of numerous books including The Federalist Pages, The Case for Free Market Healthcare, and Coronalessons. He is available for appearances and book signings, and can be reached through www.thefederalistpages.com. My Response to Dennis Prager's Better Understanding of the Good German A few days ago, I came across Dennis Prager's column, "I Now Better Understand the 'Good German'" where he shared his recently acquired insight about that large swathe of presumably decent German citizens who Mr. Prager says, "did nothing to hurt Jews but also did nothing to help them and did nothing to undermine the Nazi regime." He notes that the same questions that plagued him regarding this group could also be raised about the average Frenchman during the Vichy era, the average Russian under Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Leoned Brezhnev, and their successors. In each of these cases, Prager notes, we encounter a presumed majority of a population under an oppressive regime that does nothing to stop it. Prager compares the dynamics that played out in each of these groups to the events he is witnessing in America today, with the acceptance by tens of millions of Americans of "irrational, unconstitutional and unprecedented police state-type restrictions on their freedoms, including even the freedom to make a living." Observing these developments, says Prager, has taught him "to not so quickly judge the quiet German, Russian, etc." Appropriately calling the trait demonstrated by these non-actors "apathy," Prager tells us that because of his observations of the American public, he can no longer conclude that the German and Russian apathy is specific to those cultures, as we Americans apparently share it with them. Thus, Prager concludes, he will no longer judge the average German or Russian as he used to. Mr. Prager misses the point. I have the greatest deal of admiration for Dennis Prager. His sage analysis of the human condition stands unparalleled to any other. Yes, our beloved Rush Limbaugh grew to be a much bigger, Herculean figure, but even Rush could not compete with the depth of reflection and human understanding that Prager displays on a daily basis. This is why I am surprised that Prager so recently came to understand the dynamics behind the "good German." Perhaps it is because I was taught about the good Cuban as a child. My childhood was immersed in a culture laced with the raw emotions and pain of a people who lost their country. An employee of the American embassy in Cuba, my father fled in haste the moment the embassy was closed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. My mother, who ironically had not yet met my father but was standing outside of the closed embassy gate while my father was evacuating from the inside, fled from Cuba a few months later when my family’s patriarch, who had already fled to the United States, claimed her. From them and from all my friend's and relatives, I heard of the oppressive presence of Castro's Comités del Barrio, or Neighborhood Committees, whose responsibility it was to alert government officials of any unapproved activities. To hear them say it, in Castro's Cuba you could not trust anyone, not even your closest relatives because one fine day, when you least expected it, they would denounce you to the Comité. In a blink of an eye, you would be abducted by paranoid government officials eager to please the state. If you were lucky, you would be executed by firing squad in front of a nearby wall. If not, you would be taken to Cuba's prisons, sometimes El Morro, possibly never to be heard of again.
But I am more surprised that Prager missed the bigger point than mere comprehension. Of course, it is important all of us understand the tribulations mortifying the vast majority of people dealing with such subhuman circumstances, but the insight only begins with understanding. The actual lesson lies in action.
Evil feeds off human frailty. It takes the path of least resistance. If left unchecked, it will grow and grow until it consumes the souls of both, the individual and the society in which he is living. Thus, the key to facing it is to snuff it out the moment it wreaks its ugly head. Thus, in the case of Hitler, the time to stop him was when he was serving time at the Landsberg Prison for high treason instead of after being released having served a protracted sentence of only a year. In the case of France it was the moment they recognized the evil of the German regime, or perhaps at the very dawn of the godless French Revolution. In Russia, the defining moment was when the people listened to the perverse teachings of Friederich Engels and Karl Marx, and tolerated the overthrow of the monarchy; and for Cuba, it was when Fulgencio Batista shamefully fled Cuba, leaving his people to flail under the deathgrip of a power hungry egomaniac. Our America is foolishly heading in the same direction as the Germans, the French, the Russians, and my family's Cubans. In each case, there is an abandonment of faith and an embrace of a purely secular view to man's existence. There is an abuse that follows due to man's inherent inability to restrain himself against immorality, greed, and power. And our great error, just like in the cases that have preceded us, is to tolerate the unending encroachment of this evil. Thus, we do not act when an unelected Supreme Court takes away our abilities to pray in school. We fail to retort when the professors tell us that man can come up with solutions using only reason. We don't call out the absurdity in claiming that men can be women, that one is inherently racist because he or she finds Dr. Seuss books a positive influence on children, or that a white restaurant owner has no business producing and selling Mexican food because it represents something called ethnic appropriation. All the signs of the impending terrorism are there, but we choose to ignore them, electing instead to maintain the peace and tranquility of our undisturbed lives rather than recognizing the evil for what it is and zealously toiling to stomp it out before it spreads–like it did in Germany, Russian, France, and Cuba, to name a few. Thus the great lesson to take from human experience is not one that centers around understanding, although, of course, such is the springboard from which progress is made. The great insight lies in the realization that these oppressive, coercive, and Godless power grabs must be resoundingly defeated as soon as they are recognized and before it's too late. Please support our ability to cover the events most important to you. Click here to join The Founding Fathers Club or donate to The Federalist Pages. Dr. Julio Gonzalez is an orthopaedic surgeon and lawyer living in Venice, Florida. He served in the Florida House of Representatives. He is the author of numerous books including The Federalist Pages, The Case for Free Market Healthcare, and Coronalessons. He is available for appearances and book signings, and can be reached through www.thefederalistpages.com. To Many, the CDC's Guidance for Fully Vaccinated People A Dud.
by Julio Gonzalez, M.D., J.D. The CDC released its post-vaccination recommendations on Monday, and it seems that the only significant differences compared to prior guidelines is that it is now making it acceptable for post-vaccinated, asymptomatic individuals to meet in small gatherings without a mask and asymptomatic, fully vaccinated people coming into contact with a person who has COVID-19 no longer has to quarantine. Additionally, in the world of healthcare, the CDC is now allowing for indoor visitation of unvaccinated residents in post-acute care facilities except when the overall county positivity rate is less >10% and <70% of the residents in the facility are fully vaccinated. Under such circumstances, the CDC is recommending that indoor visitations be limited to compassionate care situations only. According to the guidelines, a person is considered vaccinated two weeks after he or she has received the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine or two weeks after having received the single dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. The CDC reports it developed the guidelines after considering "the benefits of reducing social isolation and relaxing some measures such as quarantine requirements." Additionally, in a classic case of enticement, the CDC said, "taking steps towards relaxing certain measures for vaccinated persons may help improve COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and uptake." But some inconsistencies in the CDC recommendations still exist. For example, in public places the CDC's current guidelines state, "fully vaccinated people should continue to follow guidance to protect themselves and others, including a well-fitted mask, physical distancing (at least 6 feet), avoiding crowds, avoiding poorly ventilated spaces, covering coughs and sneezes, washing hands often, and following any applicable workplace or school guidance." Yet those same scenarios in small gatherings, even protracted ones where the risk of exposure may be just as great if not greater, do not merit similar precautions. Another area where the CDC is receiving criticism is in its reluctance to change the guidelines for traveling. Despite the 95.7 million administered doses at an average of 2.17 million doses per day, the CDC did not make any adjustments to its travel recommendations, nor do the present recommendations take into account the traveler's vaccination status. Sadly, the CDC's position on travel is still an excessively restrictive one with its call for individuals to avoid it altogether and a recommendation that travelers undergo COVID-19 testing prior to and following their journeys. On the other hand, at least for now, the famed "vaccination passport" has not been recommended by the CDC. Dr. Julio Gonzalez is an orthopaedic surgeon and lawyer living in Venice, Florida. He served in the Florida House of Representatives. He is the author of numerous books including The Federalist Pages, The Case for Free Market Healthcare, and Coronalessons. He is available for appearances and book signings, and can be reached through www.thefederalistpages.com. The Left Cancels Dr. Seuss
In a sign of how quickly the Left is regressing, it is now moving to cancel Dr. Seuss. Recently its derangement spread to the point where Hasbro thought it prudent to re-label its iconic toys, Mr. Potato Head and Mrs. Potato Head, simply Potato Head. Now, Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the entity responsible for preserving the author's legacy, decided to discontinue the sales of six of the infamous children's author's books. They are:
Although thefedralistpages.com has not been able to identify the reasoning behind the decision as it relates to each of the works directly from the Enterprise, according to CNN, it appear that "The Cat's Quizzer" was removed because a Japanese character is referred to as "a Japanese," and features drawings of a bright yellow face. . . standing on what appears to be Mt. Fuji." In "If I Ran the Zoo, the Asian characters who are not wearing conical hats are carrying a white man on their heads who is holding a gun. Again according to CNN's report, the composition "illustrates dominance." The decision and its enthusiastic acceptance flies in the face of what Former President Barrack Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris were saying about the author just a few years ago. In 2015, Obama lavished praise on Dr. Seuss by telling a group of White House interns, "Pretty much all the stuff you need to know is in Dr. Seuss." Similarly, on March 2, 2017, Harris praised the author in a birthday tweet. "Happy Birthday, #DrSeuss! 'The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.'" Please support our ability to cover the events most important to you. Click here to join The Founding Fathers Club or to donate to The Federalist Pages. Dr. Julio Gonzalez is an orthopaedic surgeon and lawyer living in Venice, Florida. He served in the Florida House of Representatives. He is the author of numerous books including The Federalist Pages, The Case for Free Market Healthcare, and Coronalessons. He is available for appearances and book signings, and can be reached through www.thefederalistpages.com. Pope Francis Visits Iraq
In a move rivaling any put forth by the Blessed Pope John Paul II, Pope Francis visited Iraq this week. His visit has included tours of areas decimated by Isis. Directly interacting with Christians in Mosul and the Nineveh Plains, the Pope elevated the hopes of thousands of Christians whose numbers have been ravaged by the murderous tirades from ISIS. In truly Christian fashion, the Pope urged forgiveness on the part of Christians for the travesties that have been undertaken against them and prayed for a harmonious coexistence between them and Muslims. "How cruel it is," the Pope observed, "that this country, the cradle of civilization, should have been afflicted by so barbarous a blow, with ancient places of worship destroyed and many thousands of people - Muslims, Christians, Yazidis and others - forcibly displaced or killed." Unbeknownst to many who view Christianity as a mostly western religion, Christianity once blossomed in the area, brought to the region by the Apostles Philip and Andrew themselves. Until the time of the Turkish invasion of the region, the areas known today as Iraq and Iran were prominent Christian strongholds. A highlight of the trip, the first for Pope Francis in over a year and the first visit by a sitting Pope in modern Church history, was His Holiness's meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, which produced as statement from Sistani affirming that Christians deserve to "live like all Iraqis in security and peace and with full constitutional constraints." "Today, however, "the Pope said, "we reaffirm our conviction that fraternity is more durable than fratricide, that hope is more powerful than hatred, that peace more powerful than war." Please support our ability to cover the events most important to you. Click here to join The Founding Fathers Club or to donate to The Federalist Pages. Dr. Julio Gonzalez is an orthopaedic surgeon and lawyer living in Venice, Florida. He served in the Florida House of Representatives. He is the author of numerous books including The Federalist Pages, The Case for Free Market Healthcare, and Coronalessons. He is available for appearances and book signings, and can be reached through www.thefederalistpages.com. A Man Named John who Came to Testify About the Light and Whom We Call Evangelist by Julio Gonzalez, M.D., J.D.
These are the words with which John the Evangelist opens his Gospel. They are amongst the most consequential and enlightening words of the New Testament, and they were transcribed by the author for a very specific purpose.
John the Apostle was the youngest of the Apostles. He was the younger brother of James the Greater with whom he was called Son of Thunder by Jesus himself. He also lived to be the oldest apostle and the last to die. As such, his direct influence upon the early church fathers was monumental. Indeed, some of the questions today's doubters of the authenticity of the Gospels have are answered by John's experiences. The first one being why did it take so long to write the Gospels if they were actually written by those who lived with Our Lord? In point of fact, the claim that the narratives were chronologically separated from the actual times of Jesus's life and resurrection is misleading. At least three of the Gospels were written by people who lived with Christ, who spoke to him directly, and who walked with him. The Gospel of Matthew was written by an actual apostle as early as 70 A.D., as was Mark's. The Gospel of Luke was authored a little later by a Greek doctor and disciple of Paul in about 80 A.D., and that of John is thought to have been started in 70 A.D. and took its final form around 90 A.D. Since the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ took place on or about 33 A.D., then the separation between the Gospels and the events they describe is thirty to fifty years. By today's standards, the chronological separation appears significant, but it dissolves when one considers the time in which they were written. For starters, the new Christian community was convinced that the return of Christ was imminent. The belief stemmed in part from their all-too-literal interpretation of Christ's comments about defeating death. If those who accepted Our Lord were not to die, then didn't that mean that he would be returning to them while they were still living? And if the Christ were imminently to return, what need would there be to document his time on earth? As time went on, and in particular, as the Apostolic Fathers began to die, it became apparent that there may be future generations needing to know of Christ's acts while here on earth, and the need to document his actions and teachings grew. A much more significant cause for the delay was the Jewish-Roman War that began on 66 A.D. and which resulted in Jerusalem's destruction in 73 A.D. During those times, a devastating famine decimated the Jews. There was so much hunger and such little food that Jewish citizens ate their own leather shoes in a desperate attempt to remain alive. There is one particularly poignant account of a Jewish mother who cooked her own child shortly after delivering it. She was discovered by Roman soldiers who followed the scent of the food in the hopes of robbing her of whatever scraps they could, but instead were repulsed to discover of the horrific events that had just taken place. Under such circumstances, there was no inclination for writing, meditation, or historical documentation. Ironically, the Christian population was largely spared the famine and destruction that besieged Jerusalem because of Our Lord's very words. Jesus predicted a time of colossal suffering for the Jews. It is recorded in detail in Chapter 13 of The Gospel of Mark. Additionally, Jesus's comments to women bystanders as he made his was to his crucifixion was prophetic. He said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children, for indeed, the days are coming when people will say, 'Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed.' At that time people will say to the mountains, 'Fall upon us!' and to the hills, 'Cover us!' for if these things are done when the wood is green what will happen when it is dry?" (Luke 23:28-32) Because of Christ's prophecies, many Jewish Christians left Jerusalem prior to the Roman siege. They were part of the diaspora, but theirs was not The Jewish Faith. Theirs was a sect, and like so many other Jews, they were being absorbed by the cultures of the regions in which they found themselves. For this reason, and because the Jewish religion was not adopting the Christ as the Messiah, the new Faith, their Faith, needed to be memorialized. There was also the evangelical work of Paul, who was converting gentiles to Christianity. His travels took him to present day Greece, Rome, and maybe even Spain. Initially, he took his proselytization to the Jewish temples throughout the Mediterranean, but as the Jews rejected his message, he took it to the gentiles. These were pagans who not only did not know Jesus, they did not know the concept of the One God. For them, this Jew from Antioch must have sounded like he was from Mars. Not only did they need to learn about Jesus, they needed to learn about Judaism. For them and in support of the effort at converting them, the documentation of the life and works of Jesus the Christ was instrumental. The push for the stories of our Lord while on earth thus materialized. Mark's Gospel was targeted to the Jews. It was the result of a request from the early followers that he write everything that Peter said. Thus, Mark's was a more descriptive text, reporting on what Peter told of the actions and words of Christ. John's Gospel, according to Eusebius, was "being urged by his friends and inspired by the Spirit." It is a more "spiritual" Gospel. John himself tells us about why he wrote his Gospel in the opening words of his text: "A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify in the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world." (Jn 1:6-9) John's Gospel was shaped by the heresies that had started to creep in, even at that early age, and to which he needed to respond. How could Jesus be God and man at the same time? If he was born of the Virgin, then how could he have existed prior to his birth? This need to explain Christianity's theological premises is part of the reason for the philosophical undertone of the opening of John's Gospel: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be." It also motivates the explanatory language that follows shortly thereafter: "And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth." Thus John was amongst the most influential members of the earliest Christians, and arguably the truest to our Lord. John was the one who unquestioningly followed Christ when John the Baptist pointed him out to be the Lamb of God. He recruited his brother, James the Greater, and was the only one who never abandoned Jesus to the point of being the only apostle who mourned at the foot of the Cross during the Lord's crucifixion along side of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, and likely, Salome. So trusted was John to Jesus, in fact, the he entrusted his mother to John's care, saying to Mary, "Mother, behold, your son," and to John, "Behold, your mother." John lived a long life, with most estimating he died at 93 years of age. He remained active throughout those days, spreading the word of God to the end. His influence beyond the Gospel was monumental, and we shall cover it in our next installation of our Christianity Series. Read more from our Christianity Series by visiting thefederalistpages/news. Dr. Julio Gonzalez is an orthopaedic surgeon and lawyer living in Venice, Florida. He served in the Florida House of Representatives. He is the author of numerous books including The Federalist Pages, The Case for Free Market Healthcare, and Coronalessons. He is available for appearances and book signings, and can be reached through www.thefederalistpages.com. Pelosi Adviser Wants Permanent Military Presence in Washington, D.C.
A panel led by Lt. Gen. Russel Honore is recommending that a permanent military presence be created in Washington, D.C. The report, which was obtained by Fox News, describes a Quick Reaction force for the District of Columbia and is motivated by the continued threats government officials claim to be detecting regarding violence in the capital following the January 6 events in Washington, D.C. On a related front, government officials were fearful of a QAnon assault on the Capitol on march 4, as this was the original date for the peaceful transfer of power in the Constitution. Regardless, there was no materialization of this threat. In the meantime, these same officials are now claiming renewed threats for March 20. |
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