It is National Poetry Month, so I thought I would explore what a follower of Jesus might feel on that day before the first Easter. It is done in the style of a villanelle.
Now begins the dreaded long wait
Wobbly my body starts to sway
Staring in angst at the locked gate
I try to be strong in this state
My trembling does my fear betray
Now begins the dreaded long wait
The guilt holds, it does not abate
My failures, against me, inveigh
Staring in angst at the locked gate
As we continue our Easter related posts, we are going to look at John of Damascus’ reflections on the cross in his work Orthodox Faith. An eighth century theologian, John is best known for defending the veneration of icons and imagery when this issue was causing major divisions (link). Though intermixed with a defense of venerating the symbol of the cross (mostly removed from this post), John’s writing shows how central the cross is to orthodox Christianity.
The rest of this post contains excerpts from Book 4 chapter 11 (CCEL).
Every action, therefore, and performance of miracles by Christ are most great and divine and marvellous: but the most marvellous of all is His precious Cross. Continue reading
Around 150 years before Athanasius wrote On the Incarnation, Justin Martyr wrote Dialogue with Trypho. As a Christian philosopher, Justin explored the case for Christ through a conversation with a Jewish seeker named Trypho. As the conversation unfolds the need for the cross is affirmed.
The rest of this post contains excerpts from chapters 89-95 from CCEL.
Then Trypho remarked, “Be assured that all our nation waits for Christ; and we admit that all the Scriptures which you have quoted refer to Him. … But whether Christ should be so shamefully crucified, this we are in doubt about. For whosoever is crucified is said in the law to be accursed, so that I am exceedingly incredulous on this point. It is quite clear, indeed, that the Scriptures announce that Christ had to suffer; but we wish to learn if you can prove it to us whether it was by the suffering cursed in the law.”
Justin the Philosopher by Theophanes the Cretan [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
But if these are to be characteristic of Him and mark Him out to all, how is it possible for us to do anything else than believe in Him most confidently? And will not as many as have understood the writings of the prophets, whenever they hear merely that He was crucified, say that this is He and no other?” Continue reading
Dead Heroes Don't Save 
