Monday
33rd Week of Ordinary Time
(I) 1st Reading: 1 Maccabees 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63
Alexander the Great and His Successors (Continuation)
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[10] From them (the descendants of Alexander the Great's officers) came forth
a sinful root, Antiochus Epiphanes, son of Antiochus the king; he had been a
hostage in Rome. He began to reign in the one hundred and thirty-seventh year
of the kingdom of the Greeks.
Many Jews are Led Astray
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[11] In those days lawless men came forth from Israel, and misled many, saying,
"Let us go and make a covenant with the Gentiles round about us, for since we
separated from them many evils have come upon us." [12] This proposal pleased
them, [13] and some of the people eagerly went to the king. He authorized them
to observe the ordinances of the Gentiles. [14] So they built a gymnasium in Je-
rusalem, according to Gentile custom, [15] and removed the marks of circumci-
sion, and abandoned the holy covenant. They joined with the Gentiles and sold
themselves to do evil.
Observance of the Law is Proscribed
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[41] Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people,
[42] and that each should give up his customs. [43] All the Gentiles accepted
the command of the king. Many even from Israel gladly adopted his religion;
they sacrificed to idols and profaned the sabbath.
The Temple Profaned, the Books of the Law Set on Fire. Religious Persecution
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[54] Now on the fifteenth day of Chislev, in the one hundred and forty-fifth year,
they erected a desolating sacrilege upon the altar of burnt offering. They also
built altars in the surrounding cities of Judah, [55] and burned incense at the
doors of the houses and in the streets. [56] The books of the law which they
found they tore to pieces and burned with fire. [57] Where the book of the co-
venant was found in the possession of any one, or if any one adhered to the
law, the decree of the king condemned him to death.
[62] But many in Israel stood firm and were resolved in their hearts not to eat
unclean food. [63] They chose to die rather than to be defiled by food or to pro-
fane the holy covenant; and they did die.
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Commentary:
1:1-64. Greek domination was a terrible trial for the Jewish people. During the
Greek period they stayed loyal to the Covenant that God made with the patri-
archs, defending it against the Greek religion and culture which were imposed
on the East as a result of Alexander the Great's conquests. Pagan customs
were introduced into Jerusalem and Judah, firstly, through the infidelity of many
Jews who were attracted by the novelty and splendor of Hellenistic culture, and,
secondly, because Antiochus Epiphanes tried to weld his territories together
politically by imposing Greek civilization and religion. To do this in Judea he at-
tacked the three pillars of the Jewish religion--the temple of Jerusalem; religious
customs, particularly circumcision and the sabbath observance; and the books
of the Law of Moses. It seemed inevitable that Judaism would disappear or else
be merged with the Greek world, as happened in other Eastern nations influ-
enced by Hellenism.
1,1-64.
그리스인들의 지배는 유다 사람들에게 참혹한 고통이었다.
그리스 시대 동안
그들은,
알렉산더 대왕의 정복들의 결과로서 동방(the East)에
강요되었던 그리스 종교와
문화에 대항하여, 하느님께서 (자신들의) 선조들과 맺었던
계약을 지키면서, 이 계약에
충실하게 머물러 있었다. 이교도 풍습들이 예루살렘과 유다
지역에 소개되었는데,
이는 첫 번째로, 헬레니즘 문화의 신기함과 훌륭함에 의하여
매료된 많은 유다인들의
불충성을 통하여, 그리고 두 번째로, 안티오코스 에피파네스(Antiochus
Epiphanes)가
그리스 문화와 종교를 강요함으로써 자신의 지역들을
정치적으로 하나로 용접하고자
시도하였기 때문이었다. 유다 지역에 이를 행하기 위하여
그는 다음과 같은 유다교의
세 기둥들을 공격하였다 -- 예루살렘의 성전;종교적 관습들,
특히 할례와 안식일 준수;
그리고 모세의 율법서. 헬레니즘의 영향을 받게 되었던 다른
동방의 나라들에서
발생하였듯이, 유다주의가 사라지거나 아니면 그리스
세계와 합병되는 것이 불가피한
것으로 보였다.
But, in fact, Israel kept its religious identity thanks to a special providence of God;
this enabled it to continue to be the chosen people from whom would be born the
Messiah, Jesus Christ. That is the message of the books of the Maccabees, a
message perceived by Church tradition when it acknowledged them as being part
of Holy Scripture. When speaking about these books, St Augustine was well
aware that the Jews did not regard them as being on the same level as the Law,
the Prophets and the Psalms, "but they [these books] will not have been received
by the Church in vain if they are read or listened to calmly, and especially those
parts that deal with the Maccabees themselves who, for the sake of God's Law,
were true martyrs and suffered terrible and humiliating things" (St Augustine
"Contra Gaudentium", 1, 31, 38).
그러나 사실, 이스라엘은
하느님의 특별한 섭리 덕분으로 자신의 종교적
정체성을
유지하였는데, 이것이 이스라엘로 하여금, 이들로부터
메시아이신 예수 그리스도께서
태어나게 될, 선택된 백성으로 지속적으로 머물러 있는 것을
허락하였다. 바로
이 점이 마카베오서들의 메시지인데, 이 메시지는 이들을 성경의
일부분으로서
받아들인 후부터 교회의 전통으로 이해되고 있다. 이 책들에 대하여 말할
때에,
(히포의) 성 아우구스티노(St. Augustine)는 유다인들이 이들을 율법서, 예언서들 및
시편들과 같은 수준에 놓여 있다고 간주하지 않았으나, "그러나 만약에
그들이,
특히
하느님의 율법을 위한, 참된 순교자들이며 그리고 참혹하고 치욕스러운 일들을
겪었던
마카베오 집안 사람들 자신들을 다루고 있는 부분들이, 조용히 읽혀지거나 혹은
듣게 되다면, 그들(이 책들)이 교회에 의하여 불경스럽게 (in vain) 받아들여지지 않았을
것" [성
아우구스티노, "Contra Gaudentium", 1, 31, 38] 임을
잘 알고 있었다.
1:1-10. "The land of Kittim" (in Greek, "khettim"), originally referred to the island
of Cyprus, but it also applied to Greece and Macedonia. Alexander the Great
died in Babylonia in the year 323 BC. His successors, called the Diadochi,
fought among themselves over the division of the empire. Ptolemy I gained con-
trol of Egypt, and founded the dynasty of the Lagids. Seleucus, the first of the
Seleucid kings, took Babylon. To begin with, Palestine was part of the Ptolemy
domains, but in the year 197 BC, after the battle of Baniyas in which Egypt was
defeated, it came under the control of the Seleucids. Antiochus IV Epiphanes,
son of Antiochus III and brother of Seleucus IV (cf. 2 Mac 4:7), had been sent
to Rome by his father as a hostage (in accordance with the treaty of Apamea,
188 BC). The one hundred and thirty-seventh year, counting from 312 BC when
the Seleucid dynasty was founded, was 175 BC.
1,1-10.
"키팀 땅"(그리스어로, "khettim")은, 원래
키프로스 섬(island of Cyprus)을
말하였으나, 그러나 이 명칭은 또한 그리스와
마케도니아에도 적용된다.
알렉산드로스
(알렉산더 대왕)는 기원전 323년에
바빌로니아(Babylonia)에서
죽었다.
디아도키
(Diadochi, 주: 라틴어Diadochus의 복수)로 불리는 그의
후계자들은 그리스 제국의
분할을 놓고 그들 사이에서 다투었다.
프톨레미 1세(Ptolemy I)는
이집트를 획득하여,
라기드 왕조(dynasty of the Lagids)를 설립하였다. 셀레우키드
왕들의 첫 번째인
셀레우쿠스(Seleucus)는 바빌론 지역을 차지하였다. 처음에는,
팔레스티나 지역이
플레토미의 영토들의 한 부분이었으나, 그러나 기원전 197년에,
이집트가 패배하였던
바니야스 전투(battle of Baniyas)
이후로, 이 지역은 셀레우키드
왕들의 지배 하에
들어갔다.
안티오코스 3세(Antiochus III)의 아들이며
셀레우쿠스 4세(Seleucus IV)의
형제인
안티오코스 4세 에피파네스(Antiochus IV Apiphanes)는
자신의 아버지에
의하여 [기원전 188년의
아파메아 조약(treaty of Apamea)에 따라]
볼모로서 로마에
보내어졌다(1마카베오 1,10 및 2마카베오 4,7을 보라).
셀레우키드 왕조가 설립된
기원전 312년부터 세어서, 137년은 기원전 175년이었다.
번역자 주:
다음의 지도를 참고하라:
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/map/Diadochi.htm
1:11-15. Conforming to Greek ways was equivalent in that situation to turning
one's back on the Lord and on the Covenant. Gymnasia were presided over by
Greek gods, and "becoming like the Gentiles" involved disguising the signs of
circumcision when taking part undressed in gymnasium sports. Belonging to
the people of God entailed a moral lifestyle different from that of the Gentiles,
just as being a member of the Church, the new people of God, requires a per-
son to avoid practices and attitudes contrary to the natural law and Christian
ethics.
1,11-15. 그리스 방식들을
따르는 것은 그러한 상황에 있어 주님에 대하여 그리고
주님과의 계약에 대하여 자신의 등을 돌리는 것과
동일하였다. 경기장들은 그리스
잡신들에 의하여 주재되었으며, 그리고 "이방인들처럼
되는 것"은, 경기장 시합들에
옷을 걸치지 않은 채로 참여하였을 때에, 할례의 흔적들을
숨기는 것을 의미하였다.
하느님 백성에 속함은 이방인들의 윤리적 삶의 방식과는
다름을 의미하였는데,
마찬가지로 교회의 구성원들로서, 하느님의 새 백성임은 각
개인으로 하여금 자연법과
그리스도교 윤리에 위배되는 습관들과 태도들을 피할 것을
요구한다.
Apropos of this, St Paul taught the first Christians: "We beseech and exhort
you in the Lord Jesus, that as you learned from us how you ought to live and to
please God, just as you are doing, you do so more and more. For you know what
instructions we gave you through theLord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your
sanctification: that you abstain from immorality; that each of you know how to
control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like heathen
who do not know God" (1 Thess 4:1-5). "Reject the deception of those who
appease themselves with the pathetic cry of 'Freedom! Freedom!' Their cry often
masks a tragic enslavement because choices that prefer error do not liberate.
Christ alone sets us free, for he alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life" (St. J.
Escriva, "Friends of God", 26).
이에 관하여, 성
바오로는 첫
그리스도인들에게 다음과 같이 가르쳤다: "그러므로
형제 여러분, 끝으로 우리는 주 예수님의 이름으로 여러분에게 당부하고 권고합니다.
여러분은 어떻게 살아가야 하는지, 어떻게 해야 하느님 마음에 들 수 있는지 우리에게
배웠고, 또 그렇게 살아가고 있습니다. 더욱더 그렇게 살아가십시오. 우리가 주 예수님의
권위로 여러분에게 지시해 준 것들을 여러분은 잘 알고 있습니다. 하느님의 뜻은 바로
여러분이 거룩한 사람이 되는 것입니다. 곧 여러분이 불륜을 멀리하고, 저마다 자기
아내를 거룩하게 또 존중하는 마음으로 대할 줄 아는 것입니다. 하느님을 모르는
이교인들처럼 색욕으로 아내를 대해서는 안 됩니다."(1테살로니카
4,1-5).
"'자유! 자유!'라는 연민을 자아내는 외침으로 스스로를
달래는 자들의 사기 행위를
거부하십시오. 이들의 외침은 자주 비극적인 노예의
상태를 감추는데 이는 오류를
선호하는 선택들은 자유롭게 하지 못하기 때문입니다.
그리스도 한 분만이 우리를
자유롭게 하시는데, 이는 오로지 당신만이 길이고, 진리이며
생명이기 때문입니다."
(St. J. Escriva, "Friends of
God", 26).
1:41-53. Up to this point the Jews have been governed by their own laws, which
were both religious and civil. In order to unify his empire politically, Antiochus
wants to impose a single form of religious practice. Those Jews who had a liking
for things Greek had no difficulty in accepting the king's laws: they were already
conforming to them, and now they became formal apostates of Judaism. Other
Jews, maybe majority, conformed out of fear. But there were others still, whom
the sacred writer sees as the true Israel (v. 53), who were forced to go
underground to stay loyal to their religion.
1,41-53. 이 시점에 이르기까지
유다인들은, 종교적이고 민법적인, 자신들 고유의
법들에 의하여 통치되었다. 자신의 제국을 정치적으로
단일화하기 위하여,
안티오쿠스는 한 가지 형태의 종교적 행위를 강요하는 것을
원하고 있다. 그리스적인
것들을 좋아하였던 유다인들이 이 왕의 법들을
받아들이는 데에는 아무런 어려움이
없었는데, 이는 그들이 이미 그러한 것들을
따르고 있었기 때문이었으며, 그리고 이제
그들은 유다주의에 대한
공식적인 배교자들이 되었다. 아마도 대다수의 다른 유다인들은,
두려움 때문에 따랐다.
그러나 여전히, 성스러운 저자가 참 이스라엘로 보고 있는(제53절),
다른 사람들이
있었는데, 이들은 자신들의 신앙에 충실하게 머물러 있기 위하여
지하로 강제로
숨어들게 되었다.
1:54-64. The author recalls with great sadness the exact day when an altar, or
perhaps a statue, dedicated to Zeus Olympus was erected in the temple of Je-
rusalem--8 December 167 BC. The revulsion God-fearing Jews felt towards that
object can be seen from the name used to describe it--"a desolating sacrifice"
("abominatio desolationis", the abomination of desolation: cf. Dan 9:27; 11:31;
12:11). ln Hebrew the words used sound like the name of the "Baal of the hea-
vens", the Canaanite idol which Israelites in ancient times found so attractive
and against which the prophets strove (cf. 1 Kings 18:20-40). But the phrase
also, literally, means something abominable which leads to total perdition. It
is, in the last analysis, a symbol of idolatrous worship which seeks to impose
itself by force on worship of the true God. Our Lord Jesus Christ will use the
very same expression, "desolating sacrifice", "abomination of desolation", to
announce the tribulation which will overwhelm Jerusalem (as it indeed did when
the Romans destroyed it in 70 AD) and which will be a sign of the tribulations
that will happen at the end of time (cf. Mt 24:15-25 and par.).
1,54-64. 저자는 커다란 슬픔과
함께 제대, 즉 아마도 제우스 올림푸스(Zeus
Olympus)에게 헌정된 신상이 예루살렘 성전에 세워졌던 정확한
날인 기원전
167년 12월 8일을 상기한다. 하느님을 두려워하는 유다인들이
이 물체를 향하여
느꼈던 혐오감은 이 사건을 설명하기 위하여 사용된
이름으로부터 이해될 수 있다
-- "황폐하게 하는 희생 제물"
("abominatio desolationis", 황폐를 부르는 혐오스러운
것: 다니엘 9,27; 11,31; 12,11을 보라).
히브리어에
있어 사용된 이 단어들은, 아주
오래 전에 이스라엘의 자손들이 매우
매력적임을 알게 되었던 그리고 이에 반대하여
예언자들이 분투하였던(1열왕 18,20-40),
가나안 부족들의 신상(神像, idol)이었던,(*)
"하늘들의 바알(Baal of the heavens)"의
이름처럼 들린다. 그러나 이 구절은 또한,
글자 그대로, 완전한 파멸로 이르게 하는
혐오스러운 그 무엇을 뜻한다. 이것은,
결국에, 참 하느님의 예배에 무력으로 우상
숭배 자체를 강제하고자 하는 신상(神像)
숭배 예배(idolatrous worship)에 대한 하나의 상징이다. 우리의
주님이신 예수
그리스도께서는, (로마 군대가 기원후 70년에 예루살렘을 파괴하였을 때에
실제로
그러하였듯이) 예루살렘을 압도할 그리고 시간의 종말에 있어 발생할
환란들에
대한 표징일, 환란을 선포하시기 위하여 바로 이와 꼭 같은 표현인
"황폐하게
하는
희생 제물", "황폐를 부르는 혐오스러운 것"을 사용하실 것이다(마태오
복음서
24,15-25 및 동등한 구절들을 보라).
-----
(*)
번역자 주: (A) 다음의 주소들에 접속하면,
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/신상(1583)_vs_우상(1814)_3133.htm <-----
필청(必聽) 권고
[제목: 신상(神像, idol)[출처: 1583년 조전천주십계]과 우상[偶像, 1814)의 차이점;
게시일자: 2023-04-12]
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/신상(1583년_천주교_예수회)_vs_우상(1814년_개신교회)_2834.htm <-----
필청(必聽) 권고
[제목: ‘신상’(神像, idol)과 ‘우상’(偶像, 허수아비 상)의
커다란 차이점에 대하여 게시일자: 2022-12-07]
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/idol_2655.htm
<----- 필청(必聽) 권고
[제목: ‘신상(神像, idol)과 우상(偶像,
허수아비 상)의 커다란 차이점’에 대하여; 게시일자:
2022-09-07]
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/idol_2487.htm <-----
필청(必聽) 권고
[제목: 신상(idol)과 우상(허수아비 상)의 차이점;
게시일자: 2022-05-26]
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/신상(1583)_vs_우상(1814)_2419.htm <-----
필청(必聽) 권고
[제목: 신상(神像, idol)[출처: 1583년 조전천주십계]과 우상[偶像,
1814)의 차이점; 게시일자: 2022-04-20]
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/2118.htm
<----- 필청(必聽) 권고
[제목: 신상神像(idol)과 우상偶像(허수아비 상)의
차이점, 가해 연중 제30주일 전례성경공부/영어성경공부
묵상 자료; 게시일자: 2020-10-23]
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/2115.htm <-----
필청(必聽) 권고
[제목: 역사를 주재(主宰)하시는 하느님, 가해 연중 제29주일
전례성경공부/영어성경공부 묵상 자료; 게시일자:
2020-10-16]
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/1767.htm
<--- 반드시 필독(必讀) 권고
[제목: 만천유고 의 십계명가 는 천주성교실록 에
수록된 조전천주십계 를 노래한 것이다; 게시일자:
2017-01-31]
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/1766.htm
<--- 반드시 필독(必讀) 권고
[제목: 신상(神像), 우상(偶像) 등의 번역 용어들의
출처와 기원; 게시일자: 2017-01-29]
(i) '신상'(神像, idol)과
'우상'(偶像, 허수아비 상)의 커다란 차이점, 그리고 (ii)
1583년과
그 이후에 중국 볻토에 선교사로 파견된 예수회 소속의
신부님들에 의하여 영어로 'idol'로
번역되는 성경 용어의 번역용어로서 도입된 '신상'(神像,
idol)이, 1807년과 그 이후에
중국 본토에 선교사로 파견된 개신교회 측 선교사 로버트
모리슨에 의하여, 의도적으로,
'우상'(偶像)으로 교체된 역사적 사실 등에 대하여 학습할 수
있다.
(B) 따라서, 그 자구적
의미(literal senses)들에 있어, '신상'(神像, idol)은,
아이들이 가지고 노는
인형, 즉, "우인(偶人)" 등이 포함되는, '우상'(偶像,
허수아비 상)[의 한 종류]이나, 그러나
그 역은 일반적으로 성립하지 않음을
항상 기억하도록 하라. 이에 대하여서는 다음의 주소에
있는 졸고를 꼭 필독하도록 하라:
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/1766.htm
<--- 반드시 필독(必讀) 권고
[제목: 신상(神像), 우상(偶像) 등의 번역 용어들의
출처와 기원; 게시일자: 2017-01-29]
(C) 그리고 1807년과
그 이후에 중국 본토에 선교사로 파견된 개신교회 측 선교사
로버트
모리슨이 기존의 정확한 번역 용어 '신상'(神像,
idol)을, 의도적으로,
'우상'(偶像,
허수아비 상)으로 교체한 주된 이유는, 상(像)
그 자체는 공경의 대상이 결코 아닌, 천주교회의
예수상, 성모상, 성인상 등의 상(像)들이,
그 자구적 의미에 있어, '신상'(神像, idol)의
범주에 포함되는 것이 아니고,
'우상'(偶像, 허수아비 상)의 범주에 포함되기 때문일
것이다.
-----
The events narrated briefly here and the violence done to the Jews, as also ex-
emplary acts of fideIity, are reported in more detail in 2 Maccabees 6:1-11, 18,
31; 7:1-42. It was a very testing time for Israel, a time of purging and purification.
When God allows persecution to happen, he does so to elicit fidelity: this is
true for Israel and later for the Church.
여기에 간략하게 이야기된
사건들과, 또한 모범적인 충성 행위들로서, 유다인들에게
가해졌던 폭력은, 더욱 더 자세하게 2마카베오
6,1-11.18.31; 7,1-42에 기록되어
있다. 이 시기는 유다인들에게 있어 가혹한 시련의 시기인,
정화와 순화의 시기였다.
하느님께서 박해가 발생하는 것을 허락하실 때에,
당신께서는 충성을 도출하기
위하여 그렇게 하시는 것이며, 이것은 이스라엘 및 이후의
교회에 있어 사실이다.
(II) 1st Reading: Revelation: 1:1-4; 2:1-5
Prologue
-------------
[1] The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants
what must soon take place; and he made it known by sending his angel to his
servant John, [2] who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of
Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. [3] Blessed is he who reads aloud the
words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what
is written therein; for the time is near.
Address and Greeting
--------------------------------
[4] John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from
him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who
are before his throne.
Letter to the Church of Ephesus
----------------------------------------------
[1] "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 'The words of him who holds
the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lamp-
stands.
[2] "'I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you can-
not bear evil men but have tested those who call themselves apostles but are
not, and found them to be false; [3] I know you are enduring patiently and bea-
ring up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. [4] But I have this
against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. [5] Remember
then from what you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first. If not,
I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
1-20. After a brief prologue (vv. 1-3) and a letter-style greeting (vv. 4-8), St John
describes a vision which acts as an introduction to the entire book; in it the risen
Christ is depicted with features identifying his divinity and his position as Lord
and Savior of the churches.
In the course of the book Jesus Christ will also appear as God's envoy, sent to
teach Christians of the time, and subsequent generations (chaps. 2-3), and to
console them in the midst of persecution by proclaiming God's design for the
future of the world and of the Church (chaps. 4-22).
1-3. Despite its brevity this prologue conveys the scope of the book, its authority
and the effect it hopes to have on its readers.
The "content" of the letter is a revelation made by Jesus Christ about contem-
porary and future events (cf. 1:19; 4:1). Its author, John, gives it its "authority":
Christ's revelation has been communicated to him in a supernatural manner,
and he bears faithful witness to everything revealed to him. The book's "purpose"
is to have the reader prepare for his or her definitive encounter with Christ by
obeying what is written in the book: blessed are those who read it and take it
to heart and do what it says.
God made known his salvific purpose through everything Jesus did and said.
However, after his resurrection Christ continues to speak to his Church by
means of revelations such as that contained in this book and those made to
St Paul (cf. Gal 1:15-16; etc.). These bring the Christian revelation to comple-
tion and apply the saving action of Jesus to concrete situations in the life of
the Church. When revelations reach us through an inspired writer they have
universal validity, that is,they are "public" revelation and are part and parcel of
the message of salvation entrusted by Christ to his Apostles to proclaim to all
nations (cf. Mt 28:18-20 and par.; Jn 17:18; 20:21). Public divine Revelation
ceased with the death of the last Apostle (cf. Vatican II, "Dei Verbum", 4).
1. "The revelation of Jesus Christ": The word in Greek is "apocalypses", hence
the name often given to this book of Sacred Scripture. Revelation always implies
the unveiling of something previously hidden--in this case, future events. The fu-
ture is known to God the Father (the Greek text uses the definite article, "the
God", which is how the New Testament usually refers to God the Father); and
Jesus Christ, being the Son, shares in this knowledge which is being communi-
cated to the author of the book. It speaks of "the revelation of Jesus Christ" not
only because it has come to John from Christ but also because our Lord is the
main subject, the beginning and end, of this revelation: he occupies the central
position in all these great visions in which the veils concealing the future are
torn to allow Light (Jesus Christ himself: cf. Rev 21:23; 22:5) to dispel the dark-
ness.
"Soon": as regards how imminent or not all those events are, one needs to
remember that the notion of time in Sacred Scripture, particularly in the Apoca-
lypse, is not quite the same as ours: it is more qualitative than quantitative. Here
indeed "with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as
one day" (2 Pet 3:8). So, when Scripture says that something is about to happen
it is not necessarily referring to a date in the near future: it is simply saying that
it will happen and even in some sense is happening already. Finally, one needs
to bear in mind that if events are proclaimed as being imminent, this would have
a desired effect of fortifying those who are experiencing persecution and would
give them hope and consolation.
3. The Book of Revelation is a pressing call to commitment in fidelity to every-
thing our Lord has chosen to reveal to us in the New Testament, in this instance
from the pen of St John.
The book seems to be designed for liturgical assemblies, where someone reads
it aloud and the others listen. This is the preferential place for Sacred Scripture,
as Vatican II indicates: "The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures
as she venerated the Body of the Lord, in so far as she never ceases, particularly
in the sacred liturgy, to partake of the bread of life and to offer it to the faithful
from the one table of the Word of God and the Body of Christ" ("Dei Verbum",
21).
"Sacred Scripture is of the greatest importance in the celebration of the liturgy.
For it is from it that lessons are read and explained in the homily, and psalms
are sung. It is from the scriptures that the prayers, collects, and hymns draw
their inspiration and their force, and that actions and signs derive their meaning"
(Vatican II, "Sacrosanctum Concilium", 24).
The situation when St John was writing called for just the sort of exhor- tations
and warnings this text contains. Its words call for a prompt, committed response
which leaves no room for any kind of doubt or hesitation. They are also a dire
warning to those who try to hinder the progress of the Kingdom of God, a King-
dom which must inexorably come about and which in some way is already with
us.
4-8. Following the prologue (vv. 1-3), a short reflection (vv. 4-8) introduces the
series of seven letters which form the first part of the book (1:4 - 3:22). This in-
troduction begins with a salutation to the seven churches of Asia Minor, located
in the west of the region known at the time as 'proconsular Asia', the capital of
which was Ephesus.
The salutation is in the usual New Testament style: it sends good wishes of
grace and peace on behalf of God and Jesus Christ (vv. 4-5, cf. 1 Thess 1:1; 2
Thess 1:2; etc.); it depicts our Lord and his work of salvation (vv. 5-8) and pro-
jects that work onto the panorama of world history.
4. Even though there were other churches in Asia Minor, John addresses only
seven, a number which stands for "totality", as an early ecclesiastical writer,
Primasius, explains. "He writes to the seven churches, that is, to the one and
only Church symbolized by these seven" ("Commentariorum Super Apoc.", 1,
1).
Grace and peace are the outstanding gifts of the messianic era (cf. Rom 1:7).
This form of salutation embodies the normal forms of greeting used by Greeks
("jaire", grace) and Jews ("shalom", peace); but here the words mean the grace,
forgiveness and peace extended to men by the redemptive action of Jesus
Christ. Thus, St John is wishing these gifts on behalf of God, the seven spirits
and Jesus Christ.
The description of God as he "who is and who was and who is to come" is an
elaboration of the name of "Yahweh" ("I AM WHO I AM") which was revealed to
Moses (cf. Ex 3:14), and underlines the fact that God is the Lord of history, of
the past, the present and the future, and that he is at all times acting to effect
salvation.
The "seven spirits" stand for God's power and omniscience and intervention in
the events of history. In Zechariah 4:10 divine power is symbolized by the seven
"eyes of the Lord, which range the whole earth". Further on in the Apocalypse
(5:6), St John tells us that the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth are
the seven eyes of the Lamb, that is, Christ. This symbolism (also found in the
Old Testament: cf. Is 11:2ff) is used to show that God the Father acts through
his Spirit and that this Spirit has been communicated to Christ and by him to
mankind. So, when St John wishes grace and peace from the seven spirits of
God it is the same as saying "from the Holy Spirit", who is sent to the Church
after the death and resurrection of Christ. Patristic tradition was in fact interpre-
ted the seven spirits as meaning the septiform Spirit with his seven gifts as de-
scribed in Isaiah 11:1-2 in St Jerome's translation, the Vulgate.
2:1-3:22. These chapters, which form the first part of the book, contain seven
letters to the churches already mentioned (cf. 1:11), each represented by an
angel to whom the letter is addressed. In these letters Christ (who is referred
to in various ways) and the Holy Spirit speak: hence the warning at the end of
each, "he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
The first part of that formula is reminiscent of things our Lord said in the Gos-
pels (cf., e.g., Mt 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mk 9:23), while the second part underlines
the influence of the Holy Spirit on the churches: one needs to belong to the
Church, to "feel with" the Church, if one is to understand what the Spirit says
and what is being committed to writing in this book. The book, therefore, must
be taken as the true word of God. All Sacred Scripture needs to be approached
in this way: "Since all that the inspired authors, or sacred writers, affirm should
be regarded as affirmed by the Holy Spirit, we must acknowledge that the books
of Scripture, firmly, faithfully and without error, teach that truth which God, for
the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the sacred Scriptures. Thus
'all scripture is inspired by God, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correc-
tion and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete,
equipped for every good work' (2 Tim 3:16-17)" (Vatican II, "Dei Verbum", 11).
2,1-3,22. 이 책의 첫 번째
부분을 이루는 이들 장들은, 각각이 이미 언급된, 이
편지가
수신되는 한 명의 천사에 의하여 나타내어지는, 지역
교회(the churches)들에 보내진
(1,11 참조), 일곱 개의 편지들을 포함하고
있습니다. 이들 편지들에서 (다양한 방식들로
언급되고 있는) 그리스도와 성령께서 말씀하시며, 따라서 각
편지의 끝 부분에 "귀
있는 사람은 성령께서 여러 [지역] 교회에 하시는 말씀을
들어라" 라는 경고가 있습니다.
바로 이러한 정식(formula)의 첫 번째 부분은 우리의 주님께서
복음(the Gospels)들에서
말씀하셨던 것들에 대하여 상기시키며 (예를 들어,
마태오 복음서 11,15; 13,9.43;
마르코 복음서 9,23 참조), 이와는 달리 두
번째 부분은 이 지역 교회(the churches)들에
대한 성령의 영향력을 강조하며, 따라서, 만약에 이 거룩한
영께서 말씀하시는 바 그리고
바로 이 책에 쓰기 위하여 위탁되고 있는 바를 우리가
이해하고자 한다면, 우리는 [보편]
교회(the Church)에 속할 필요가 있고, [보편]
교회(the Church)와 "함께 느낄" 필요가
있습니다. 그러므로 이 책은 하느님의 참된 말씀으로서
받아들여져야 합니다. 성경
본문들 모두는 다음과 같은 방식으로 접근되어야 할 필요가
있습니다: "영감을 받은
저자들, 혹은 성스러운 저술가들이 확언하는(affirm) 바는
성령에 의하여 확언된 것으로
간주되어야만 하기에, 우리는 성서의 책들이, 하느님께서,
우리의 구원(salvation)을
위하여, 성경 본문들에 맡겨지는 것을 보기를 바라셨던 바로
그 진리를, 확고하게,
충실하게 그리고 아무런 오류 없이, 가르치고 있음을
인정하여야 합니다. 따라서
'성경은 전부 하느님의 영감으로 쓰인 것으로, 가르치고
꾸짖고 바로잡고 의롭게
살도록 교육하는 데에 유익합니다.' (2티모테오 3,16-17)" [제2차
바티칸 공의회
(Vatican II), 하느님의 계시에 관한 교의 헌장, "하느님의
말씀(Dei Verbum)", 제11항].
Although the letters are different from one another, they all have the same basic
structure: there is reference to the past, which is contrasted with the present;
various warnings are given and promises made; then there is an exhortation to
repentance and conversion, a reminder that the end, and Christ's definitive vic-
tory, will soon come.
비록 이 편지들이 서로
다름에도 불구하고, 그들 모두는 다음과 같은 동일한
기본적
구조를 가지고 있습니다: 현재와 대조되는 과거에 대한
언급이 있으며, 그리고 다양한
경고(warnings)들이 주어지고 있고 그리고 약속(promises)들이
되고 있으며, 그런
다음에, 종말(the end)이, 그리고 그리스도의 최종적(definitive)
승리가, 곧 올 것이라는
한 개의 암시(a reminder)인, 회개(repentance)와 회심(conversion)를
향하는 한 개의
간곡한 권고(an exhortation)가 있습니다.
1. Ephesus, with its great harbor and commercial importance, was the leading
city of Asia Minor at the time. It was also the center of the cult of the goddess
Artemis or Diana (cf. Acts 19:23ff).
St Paul spent three years preaching in Ephesus and had considerable success
there: St Luke tells us that "the word of the Lord grew (there) and prevailed migh-
tily" (Acts 19:20). In ancient times it was the most important Christian city in the
whole region, especially after the fall of Jerusalem in the year 70. St John spent
the last years of his life in Ephesus, where his burial place is still venerated.
In these letters in the Book of Revelation, Christ is depicted with attributes con-
nected in some way with the circumstances of each church at the time. In the
case of Ephesus the symbols described in the vision in 1:12, 16 appear again.
The seven stars in his right hand signify his dominion over the whole Church, for
he is the one who has power to instruct the angels who rule the various commu-
nities. His walking among the lampstands shows his loving care and vigilance
for the churches (the lampstand symbolizing their prayer and liturgical life). Be-
cause the Church in Ephesus was the foremost of the seven, Christ is depicted
to it as Lord of all the churches.
2-3. In these verses the church of Ephesus is praised for its endurance and for
the resistance it has shown to false apostles. These two attributes -- endurance
or constancy, and holy intransigence -- are basic virtues every Christian should
have. Endurance means doggedly pursuing good and holding one's ground
against evil influences; this virtue makes Christians "perfect and complete, lac-
king in nothing" (Jas 1:4). Indeed, St Paul asserts, "we rejoice in our sufferings,
knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character,
and character produces hope" (Rom 5:3-4). In the Epistle to the Hebrews we
read, "For you have need of endurance, so that you may do the will of God and
receive what is promised" (10:36). Endurance, patience, is also the first mark of
charity identified by St Paul (cf. 1 Cor 13:4) and one of the features of the true
apostle (cf. 2 Cor 6:4; 12:12). Our Lord has told us that by endurance we will
gain our lives, will save our souls (cf. Lk 21:19). As St Cyprian puts it, patience
"is what gives our faith its firmest basis; it enables our hope to grow to the grea-
test heights; it guides our actions so as to enable us to stay on Christ's path
and make progress with his help; it makes us persevere as children of God"
("De Bono Patientiae", 20).
Another virtue of the church of Ephesus (mentioned again in v. 6) is firm rejection
of false apostles. We know from other New Testament writings especially those
of St Paul (cf. 2 Cor 3:1; Gal 1:7; Col 2:8; etc.) and St John (cf. 1 Jn 2:19; etc.)
that some people were falsifying the Christian message by distorting its meaning
and yet seeming to be very devout and concerned about the poor. Reference is
made here to the Nicolaitans, a heretical sect difficult to identify. However, the
main thing to notice is the resolute way the Christians of Ephesus rejected that
error. If one fails to act in this energetic way, one falls into a false kind of tole-
rance, "a sure sign of not possessing the truth. When a man gives way in mat-
ters of ideals, of honor or of faith, that man is a man without ideals, without
honor and without faith" (St. J. Escriva, "The Way", 394).
4. "He does not say that he was without charity, but only that it was not such
as in the beginning; that is, that it was not now prompt, fervent, growing in love,
or fruitful: as we are wont to say of him who from being bright, cheerful and blithe,
becomes sad, heavy and sullen, that he is not now the same man he was" (St
Francis de Sales, "Treatise on the Love of God", 4, 2). This is why our Lord com-
plains that their early love has grown cold.
To avoid this danger, to which all of us are prone, we need to be watchful and
correct ourselves every day and return again and again to God our Father. Love
of God, charity, should never be allowed to die down; it should always be kept
ardent; it should always be growing.
5. This is a call to repentance, to a change of heart which involves three stages.
The first is recognizing that one is at fault--having the humility to admit one is a
poor sinner: "To acknowledge one's sin, indeed--penetrating still more deeply into
the consideration of one's own personhood--to recognize oneself as being a sin-
ner, capable of sin and inclined to commit sin, is the essential first step in retur-
ning to God" (John Paul II, "Reconciliatio Et Paenitentia", 13). Then comes "love
-sorrow" or contrition, which leads us to mend our ways. This is followed by acts
of penance which enable us to draw closer to God and live in intimacy with him.
Evangelization is always calling us to repent. "To evoke conversion and penance
in man's heart and to offer him the gift of reconciliation is the specific mission of
the Church as she continues the redemptive work of her divine Founder" ("ibid.",
23). The church of Ephesus is given a warning that if it does not change its
course it will lose its leading position and possibly disappear altogether.
Gospel Reading: Luke 18:35-43
The Cure of the Blind Man of Jericho
-----------------------------------------------------
[35] As He (Jesus) drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside
begging; [36] and hearing a multitude going by, he inquired what this meant. [37]
They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." [38] And he cried, "Jesus, Son
of David, have mercy on me!" [39] And those who were in front rebuked him, tel-
ling him to be silent; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on
me!" [40] And Jesus stopped, and commanded him to be brought to Him; and
when he came near, He asked him, [41] "What do you want Me to do for you?"
He said, "Lord, let me receive my sight." [42] And Jesus said to him, "Receive
your sight; your faith has made you well." [43] And immediately he received his
sight and followed Him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it,
gave praise to God.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
35-43. The blind man of Jericho is quick to use the opportunity presented by
Christ's presence. We should not neglect the Lord's graces, for we do not know
whether He will offer us them again. St. Augustine described very succinctly the
urgency with which we should respond to God's gift, to His passing us on the
road: "'Timeo Jesum praetereuntem et non redeuntem': I fear Jesus may pass
by and not come back." For, at least on some occasion, in some way, Jesus
passes close to everyone.
The blind man of Jericho acclaims Jesus as the Messiah--he gives Him the
messianic title of Son of David--and asks Him to meet his need, to make him
see. His is an active faith; he shouts out, he persists, despite the people get-
ting in his way. And he manages to get Jesus to hear him and call him. God
wanted this episode to be recorded in the Gospel, to teach us how we should
believe and how we should pray -- with conviction, with urgency, with constancy,
in spite of the obstacles, with simplicity, until we manage to get Jesus to listen
to us.
"Lord, let me receive my sight": this simple ejaculatory prayer should be often
on our lips, flowing from the depths of our heart. It is a very good prayer to use
in moments of doubt and vacillation, when we cannot understand the reason be-
hind God's plans, when the horizon of our commitment becomes clouded. It is
even a good prayer for people who are sincerely trying to find God but who do
not yet have the great gift of faith.
*********************************************************************************************
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
[참고: 이 파일은 저서명 "가톨릭 교회의 말씀 전례에 따른 성경공부 해설서"(엮은이: 소순태,
출판사: 가톨릭출판사)의 각주의 연장으로 마련되었습니다. 그리고 우리말 번역에 대한
저작권은 엮은이에게 있으며, 본문 중의 우리말 번역문들을 복사하여 가져가는 것을
허락하지 않습니다.]