وجبـــــــة روحيـــــ(†)ــــــــــة يوميـــــــــة

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III

T

Pope Shenouda III

The Holy Bible clearly defines the meaning of the word firstborn. Prior to the establishment of Aaronic priesthood, the Divine Inspiration had said: “Sanctify to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of animal; it is Mine” (Ex.13: 2). Every firstborn was consecrated to God; dedicated to Him, whether or not a brother was born to him later. The parents did not wait until they begot him a brother, nor did the owner of the livestock wait until another offspring was born before offering and consecrating the firstborn to the Lord! But from his birth the firstborn was consecrated because he was the first offspring of the womb. Therefore there was a great possibility that any firstborn was an only son.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III






Thus the Lord Jesus Christ was the firstborn and the only Son. St. Jerome was right when he said: “Every only son is a firstborn but not every firstborn is an only son.” The expression ‘firstborn’ does not mean that another is born after him but it means that no sibling was born before him. That is why the firstborn of the unclean animals could be redeemed when they were one month old (Num. 18: 16,17), and the first offspring of the clean animals were to be offered as sacrifices to God without waiting until the birth of another offspring. He is the firstborn, whether or not one is born after him, because he is the first offspring of the womb.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III






In the same way, the Lord Jesus Christ is the firstborn of the Virgin. For when the Virgin and Joseph offered a sacrifice forty days after His birth, the Holy Bible tells us: “Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, 'Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord') and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, ‘A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons’ ” (Lk.2: 22-24).

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III



It is clear that the law of the firstborn was applied to the Lord Jesus Christ forty days after His birth,
. Of course, there is no relation at all between the firstborn and the birth of siblings.
Here St. Jerome asks: “When God struck down the firstborn of the Egyptians, did He strike only those who had siblings or every male who opened the womb whether he had siblings or not?”

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III

The phrase “your wife”
The word ‘wife’ or ‘woman’ was the title given to a betrothed maiden immediately after her betrothal. In interpreting the words of the angel to Joseph: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy, Spirit” (Matt.1: 20),

St. John Chrysostom says: “Here the angel calls the betrothed ‘wife’ because the Holy Bible always calls the betrothed couple
‘man and wife’ before their marriage. “He also says: “What is the meaning of ‘take her to you’? It means: ‘Keep her in your house, as she has been entrusted to you by God and not by her parents; because you are entrusted to take her, not to consummate the marriage but to be he guardian. ‘In the same way, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself entrusted the Virgin Mary to His disciple John" (Homilies on the Gospel of St. Matthew).
St. Jerome says that the title 'woman' or ‘wife’ was also given to the betrothed maiden. The Biblical text proofs are: "If a young woman who is a virgin is betrothed to a husband, and a man finds her in the city and lies with her, then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry out in the city, and the man because he humbled his neighbour’s wife” (Deut.22: 23,24) and “...what man is there who is betrothed to a woman and has not yet married her?" (Deut.20: 7)
Thus the Holy Bible uses the words ‘woman’ and ‘wife’ to mean a pledged virgin. They are used to signify femininity and not the state of being wedded.


In fact, Eve was first called ‘woman’ because she was taken out of man (Gen.3: 20). So the word ‘woman’ signifies her creation and femininity and the word ‘Eve’ signifies her motherhood.
The proof that the word ‘wife’ attributed to the Virgin Mary meant pledged and not married, are the words of St. Luke the Evangelist: "And Joseph also went up from Galilee... to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child" (Lk.2: 4,5). Therefore the phrase 'your wife' means 'your betrothed one.
Therefore the Virgin Mary was called 'wife' not because she lost her virginity, God forbid, for the Holy Bible testifies that Joseph did not know her. But she was so called because the common Jewish expression for the pledged to be married was 'wife' and the expression for the unmarried girl was ‘woman’. A clear proof of this is that immediately after her creation, Eve was called ‘woman’ ; before the sin, the dismissal out of Paradise and the begetting of children.
We notice that the angel did not use the word ‘wife’ after the Virgin had given birth to the Lord Jesus, but said to Joseph: “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt” (Matt.2: 13),

And on Joseph's return from Egypt, the angel said to him: “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel” (Matt.2: 20). Joseph did as he was told on going to and returning from Egypt: “When he rose, he took the young Child and His mother” (Matt.2: 14,21). Here the Holy Bible does not use the phrase 'his wife'.
The phrase ‘his wife’ was used before and after the conception so that the Jews would not stone the Virgin Mary because she conceived a Child while she was not a man's wife. But after giving birth to Christ, the Divine Inspiration did not use that expression; not in the angel's words to Joseph, nor in describing what Joseph did, nor in talking about the Magi, of whom the Holy Bible says: “And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother” (Matt.2: 11), nor in talking about the shepherds who “found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger” (Lk.2: 16).

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III





The word ‘wife’ or ‘woman’ was the title given to a betrothed maiden immediately after her betrothal. In interpreting the words of the angel to Joseph: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy, Spirit” (Matt.1: 20),

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III





St. John Chrysostom says: “Here the angel calls the betrothed ‘wife’ because the Holy Bible always calls the betrothed couple
‘man and wife’ before their marriage. “He also says: “What is the meaning of ‘take her to you’? It means: ‘Keep her in your house, as she has been entrusted to you by God and not by her parents; because you are entrusted to take her, not to consummate the marriage but to be he guardian. ‘In the same way, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself entrusted the Virgin Mary to His disciple John" (Homilies on the Gospel of St. Matthew).

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III




St. Jerome says that the title 'woman' or ‘wife’ was also given to the betrothed maiden. The Biblical text proofs are: "If a young woman who is a virgin is betrothed to a husband, and a man finds her in the city and lies with her, then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry out in the city, and the man because he humbled his neighbour’s wife” (Deut.22: 23,24) and “...what man is there who is betrothed to a woman and has not yet married her?" (Deut.20: 7)
Thus the Holy Bible uses the words ‘woman’ and ‘wife’ to mean a pledged virgin. They are used to signify femininity and not the state of being wedded.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III





Thus the Holy Bible uses the words ‘woman’ and ‘wife’ to mean a pledged virgin. They are used to signify femininity and not the state of being wedded.

In fact, Eve was first called ‘woman’ because she was taken out of man (Gen.3: 20). So the word ‘woman’ signifies her creation and femininity and the word ‘Eve’ signifies her motherhood.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III





The proof that the word ‘wife’ attributed to the Virgin Mary meant pledged and not married, are the words of St. Luke the Evangelist: "And Joseph also went up from Galilee... to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child" (Lk.2: 4,5). Therefore the phrase 'your wife' means 'your betrothed one.