what does it look like to be markarios in aramaic

Brian P. Stoffregen Exegetical Notes at

All Saints Day - Year ABC

  • Introductory Remarks almost "Saints"

  • All Saints Mean solar day text notes: Matthew 5.one-12


THE HISTORY OF THE WORD "MAKARIOS" ("Blessed")

A Jewish Story

The old Rabbi said, "In olden days there were men who saw the face up of God."
"Why don't they any more than?" a immature student asked.
"Because, present no one stoops so low," he replied.

Who wants to be a lowly person? Who wants to exist stooped down? Most of us spend a good part of our lives trying to pull ourselves up. We want to walk tall in social club. But, according to this rabbi, it is the lowly � those stooped low � who see the face of God. According to Jesus in the Beatitudes, it is the lowly � those stooped low � who are blessed by God. This runs counter to the normal uses of that word for blessed, makarios.

What does information technology hateful to be blessed? The Greek word for "blessed" used in the Beatitudes is makarios (plural: makaroioi). The following is a report of how this word has been used (by and large taken from the Theological Dictionary of the New Attestation).

In ancient Greek times, makarios referred to the gods. The blessed ones were the gods. They had achieved a country of happiness and contentment in life that was beyond all cares, labors, and even death. The blessed ones were beings who lived in another world away from the cares and bug and worries of ordinary people. To be blest, you had to be a god.

Makarios took on a second significant. It referred to the "expressionless". The blessed ones were humans, who, through decease, had reached the other world of the gods. They were now across the cares and bug and worries of earthly life. To be blessed, yous had to exist expressionless. That is the origin of the unlike saints days -- they are remembered on the dates of their deaths. All Saints Day was for all the people who had died in the faith whose names we didn't know.

Finally, in Greek usage, makarios came to refer to the elite, the upper crust of society, the wealthy people. It referred to people whose riches and power put them above the normal cares and problems and worries of the lesser folk -- the peons, who constantly struggle and worry and labor in life. To be blessed, you lot had to be very rich and powerful.

When this word, makarios was used in the Greek translation of the Quondam Testament, it took on another meaning. It referred to the results of correct living or righteousness. If you lived right, you were blest. Being blessed meant you received earthly, textile things: a expert married woman, many children, abundant crops, riches, award, wisdom, beauty, adept health, etc. A blessed person had more than things and better things than an ordinary person. To be blessed, you had to have big and beautiful things.

In all of these meanings, the "blessed" ones lived in a college plane than the rest of us. They were gods. They were humans who had gone to the world of the gods. They were the wealthy, upper chaff. They were those with many possessions. The blessed were those people and beings who lived above the normal cares, bug, and worries of normal people.

Matthew (reflecting Jesus' thoughts) uses this word in a totally dissimilar mode. It is not the elite who are blessed. It is not the rich and powerful who are blest. It is not the loftier and mighty who are blest. It is not the people living in huge mansions or expensive penthouses who are blessed. Rather, Jesus pronounces God's blessings on the lowly: the poor, the hungry, the thirsty, the meek, the mourning. Throughout the history of this give-and-take, information technology had always been the other people who were considered blessed: the rich, the filled up, the powerful. Jesus turns it all upside-down. The aristocracy in God'south kingdom, the blessed ones in God's kingdom, are those who are at the bottom of the heap of humanity.

COMMENTS FROM OTHERS ABOUT MAKARIOS

Boring (Matthew, New Interpreter'southward Bible) has some significant comments almost beatitudes:

Neither Jesus nor Matthew invented the beatitude form, which occurs in the Old Testament and in both Jewish and infidel literature. Jesus and early on Christianity, including Matthew, reflect the use of beatitudes in the Jewish tradition, where they are constitute primarily in two settings: wisdom and prophecy. The setting gives the form a distinctive role and meaning: In the wisdom tradition, makarisms declare the blessing of those in fortunate circumstances, based on observation and feel (e.g., Sir 25:7-ix), and declare their present reward and happiness. In the Prophets [and I would also include Apocalypses, BS] makarisms declare the present/hereafter blessedness of those who are presently in dire circumstances, just who will exist vindicated at the eschatological coming of God's kingdom (Isa 30:18; 32:20; Dan 12:12). In the New Attestation exterior the synoptics, almost beatitudes are institute in the prophetic book of Revelation (1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:half dozen; 22:seven, 14). [Notation: I would non call Revelation a "prophetic book," but apocalyptic literature -- there are meaning differences in genres.]

... Matthew'southward beatitudes are non practical advice for successful living, but prophetic declarations made on the conviction of the coming-and-already-nowadays kingdom of God. this perspective calls for the following hermeneutical corollaries:

(1) The beatitudes declare an objective reality equally the event of a divine act, not subjective feelings, and thus should be translated with the objective "blessed" instead of the subjective "happy." The contrary of "blest" is non "unhappy," only "cursed" (cf. Matt 25:31-46; Luke 6:24-26).

(2) The indicative mood should be taken seriously, and not transformed into an imperative of exhortation. ...

(3) There is, however, an ethical dimension to the beatitudes. The community that hears itself pronounced blest by its Lord does not remain passive, but acts in accord with the coming kingdom. ...

(4) The beatitudes are written in unconditional performative linguistic communication. They do not just describe something that already is, but bring into beingness the reality they declare. ... Equally eschatological blessings, the beatitudes are not "entrance requirements" for outsiders, but a declaration nigh insiders. ...

(5) Understood as a prophetic pronouncement, the truth merits of the beatitude is non independently true, only dependent on the speaker. ... The beatitudes, therefore, are not observations well-nigh reality that others of lesser insight had simply overlooked, such as the truths of mathematics or logic. They are true on the footing of the authorisation of the one who speaks. ... In the start words of the Sermon on the Mountain, nosotros do not meet general statements, the truth of which we can investigate on our own terms, with our own criteria, but a veiled, implicit christological claim that calls for taking a stand with regard to the speaker, non merely the content of his speech.

(6) The beatitudes are not historical only eschatological. ...

(7) The nine pronouncements are thus not statements about general human virtues -- nigh appear exactly the opposite to mutual wisdom. Rather, they pronounce approval on authentic disciples in the Christian customs All the beatitudes utilise to ane group of people, the real Christians of Matthew's community. They exercise not depict ix different kinds of good people who get to go to heaven, but are nine declarations about the blessedness, contrary to all appearances, of the eschatological community living in anticipation of God's reign. Like all else in Matthew, they are oriented to life together in the community of discipleship, not to individualistic ideals. ... [pp. 176-178]

A sermon title that I have used in the past is "Just Considering I Said So," that phrase all parents said that they would never use, but find themselves saying it. Why are these people blessed? Just because God said so. God'due south discussion has the ability to create what is said.


Brian Stoffregen
Faith Lutheran Church building, grand D St., Marysville, CA 95901
electronic mail: brian.stoffregen@gmail.com

fairbanksmandiess.blogspot.com

Source: http://www.crossmarks.com/brian/allsaintb.htm

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