The little “T” tradition depicting Christ as the New Adam
posted by: DonHudzinski
March 29, 2008
11:09 am
The little “T” tradition depicting Christ as the New Adam
by Donald F Hudzinski
Looking at the book of Genesis and the story of the garden, we could say that Christ was the New Adam. But I say, that He is more than a guard, that He is the director, and His Father the Proprietor. He is the One who fires the Old Adam, who failed to guard Him and the contents of the garden. He also assigned a new guard(see Gen 3:24).
As the Director of the garden, he also fix up the mess the old guard left behind. This is the role I see Christ in, the one, of the Director. This makes His part in the New Testament more plausible. The Incarnation is a story of restoration, of a new creation, and a new garden.
This restoration is not just about Israel, but about their families and the restoration of marriage. Pope John Paul the Great, labels Saint Joseph as the New Adam with his exhortation, “Guardian of the Redeemer”. In this exhortation Pope John Paul point out the successfulness of Saint Joseph's as the new guard. The title of the exhortation tells us of it's meaning, labeling Saint Joseph the guardian, tells us he is the New Adam.
We should think long and hard about what the Pope has given us here. He has banged together the story of the Incarnation and the story of Adam and Eve in the garden, so we can see there meaning and the meaning of marriage.
Here, Pope John Paul the Great, adds even today, we have motive to recommend every man to Saint Joseph, his patronage is ever necessary for the Church, not only as a defense against all dangers that threaten Her, but also, and indeed primarily, as an impetus for Her renewed commitment to the new evangelization in the world, and the re-evangelization in the lands and nations where religions and Christian life are put to a hard test.
posted by: mkochan
March 29, 2008
7:51 pm
Don there are many things you say about marriage that are very edifying but that Chirst is the new Adam is explicit in scripture and is therefore part of the Big T tradition — the apostolic deposit of faith — see 1 Corinthians 15:45.
posted by: DonHudzinski
March 30, 2008
7:38 am
Ah, the Last Adam, yes. This verbage means that Christ is true and definitive definition of man. I totally agree, there is no better definition of man than Christ the New Adam.
But we are all new creations in Christ, thus we are all a new Adam. All of us should strive to be true to ourselves, that is to be like Christ as best as we can.
The word last does elimanted the word new, as if man could never enter heaven. All who enter heaven are in Christ, a new Adam.
Therefore the big "T" tradition is that Christ defines man.
posted by: mkochan
March 30, 2008
9:07 am
First, it goes a bit beyond that, Don and second, you are creating a contradiction.
First Christ parallels Adam in a number of ways enumerated by the Fathers.
Second, since we are all "new Adams" in the context you are giving it — a new humanity — then picking out from that new humanity the person of Joseph and calling him distinctly the "new Adam" is contradictory.
You are certainly free to meditate upon the great role of St. Joseph and such meditation may be very fruitful. In an age when fatherhood is under such a frontal attack, we need St. Joseph — his example and his intercession — desperately. However, when you start using odd terminology that confuses what the Church has so long taught about Christ and Mary being the new Adam and Eve, I think some caution is in order.
For the parallels between Adam in the garden and Christ in the garden, the writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer offer a lot of thought. He was a Lutheran who was imprisoned and executed by the Nazis and wrote a rich meditation on how Christ in Gethsemane took humanity back into the garden, even to the point of falling under the sword (remember that God had placed flaming swords to guard the entrance to Eden) when he was arrested by those who came with swords. Then he even heals a sword wound (Malchus). He says to the Father, "Thy will be done" to undo Adam's rebellion. (There are likely similar thoughts in the Father's writings, but I learned of these when I was a Lutheran, so that is why I am making reference to them.)
posted by: DonHudzinski
March 30, 2008
11:40 am
Remember we are discusing an exhortation of Pope John Paul II and reflecting on his work.
I have long meditated on these wonderful mysteries in the garden and do believe they give definition to the Last Adam.
Then we should see Saint Joseph as the one who walks in the New Garden in the eve.
This could be.
posted by: noelfitz
March 30, 2008
1:37 pm
This is an interesting discussion.
However it is difficult to see how St Joseph might be considered the Second Adam
Don wrote:
Pope John Paul the Great, labels Saint Joseph as the New Adam with his exhortation, “Guardian of the Redeemer”.
In fact JP II wrote in Redemptoris Custos:
We see that at the beginning of the New Testament, as at the beginning of the Old, there is a married couple. But whereas Adam and Eve were the source of evil which was unleashed on the world, Joseph and Mary arc the summit from which holiness spreads all over the earth. The Savior began the work of salvation by this virginal and holy union, wherein is manifested his all-powerful will to purify and sanctify the family - that sanctuary of love and cradle of life."(17)
This is very differenct from saying Joseph was the Second Adam.
JP II also wrote:
In Christ's parents all the goods of marriage were realized-offspring, fidelity, the sacrament: the offspring being the Lord Jesus himself; fidelity, since there was no adultery: the sacrament, since there was no divorce."
I would query this, as before Christ was born were there sacraments?
God bless,
NoelFitz.
_________________________________________________
In necessariis, unitas; in dubiis, libertas; in omnibus, caritas.
_________________________________________________
posted by: DonHudzinski
March 30, 2008
4:46 pm
The exhortation is known as: Redeptoris Custos.
We also know that the First Adam was to guard(Gen 2:15).
posted by: noelfitz
March 30, 2008
9:00 pm
Don
You wrote:
The exhortation is known as: Redeptoris Custos.
I wrote:
In fact JP II wrote in Redemptoris Custos:
I was referring to:
APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION
REDEMPTORIS CUSTOS
OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF
JOHN PAUL II
ON THE PERSON AND MISSION OF
SAINT JOSEPH
IN THE LIFE OF CHRIST AND OF THE CHURCH (http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_15081989_redemptoris-custos_en.html).
God bless,
NoelFitz.
_________________________________________________
In necessariis, unitas; in dubiis, libertas; in omnibus, caritas.
_________________________________________________
posted by: DonHudzinski
March 31, 2008
7:30 am
This goes back to the authority of Jesus. See
Matthew
Chapter 23
1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples,
2 saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
3Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice.
4They tie up heavy burdens (hard to carry) and lay them on people's shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them.
5All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
6They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.'
7As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
8Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven.
9Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Messiah.
10The greatest among you must be your servant.
11Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
posted by: bhokuto
April 3, 2008
8:02 pm
The coming of the Savior originates from Adam's sin, and the punishments of Israel, foretold by the prophets, were brought about by the behavior of Israel (reap what you sow) so He Who urges their lips to speak things of the spirit can but be the Eternal Spirit Who sees everything in an eternal present. And the Eternal Spirit speaks through saints, because he cannot dwell in sinners(book of Wisdom). Adam was a saint, because justice was complete in him and every virtue was present in him, because God instilled the fullness of His gifts in His creature, even after he ate the fruit. Eating the fruit did not dimish the gifts, it altered it adding the Knowledge of Evil, A new
infusion. Adam was not the one who fell into Lucifers lies but Eve. Eve gave to Adam. So Adam was deceived by Eve who was lured by Lucifer.
Neither of them had concupiscence, but the desire to be more like God. Afterwards, they saw the fruit of their error after Cain killed Abel. Genesis makes this point clear.
Here's a few things to consider about being like God:
1) Intelligence; God is intelligent
2) They had plenty of knowledge because God had made them First Parents of a whole human race to pass on this knowledge to the generations. Replication. Reciprocation.
3) They were already like God more than they knew; God is Good he possesses knowledge of Evil but does not dip into this bucket. Because it does exactly what the mankind has evidenced for thousands of years. (Short explanation)
4) They realized God possessed infinity they wanted the same. A craving to be more like God in every way. To possess the knowledge, to possess the expanse, to possess His Divinity.
This latter one, have you ever said to yourself or others, I wish I was God? Of course!
Who hasn't? To be God Like God in everyway possible. Why? Because it's part of the infusion of knowledge carried down through the generations. One person says it and then like fire it spreads. Yet it is there. It may look like a devilish thought, but is spurs one to Go searching for God. Yet to this truth, if one looks at it with purity, and humility, it says
I want to be like God. Why? Because God is all Good, the Most Pure and Holy Good ever.
That is what we want to be Good!
Like gods, is the biggy! This is in Genesis of Lucifers (serpents pitch line and sinker).
We were created to Fill up Heaven as gods not God but as gods --lower. Many people have a hard time grasping this statement. The fact that in Genesis it says God created man and gave him "Dominion" says it all. To take care of the things God created for us; Big God to litte gods, because it pleased Him to do so. No creation can surpass God in any way. God is infinite in all ways conceivable and beyond. Isaiah 55:8
Servants of God, lower gods serve the Big Gods wishes. God speaks to gods. God Himself creates lower beings to have intimacy with. He cannot have intimacy with something that does not have His nature in it. The Soul is the key. Therefore Angels wait for us to fill up heaven. Thus all of Creation will be estatically joyful. Waiting for man to take his place in Heaven. Revelations 22 a beautiful vision. Partakers of His goodness to create and call us to be His Friends. Jesus no longer called the apostles servants but friends.
I'm using a few words here, like Dominion, Friends, gods. To point to God. God is Holy, He cannot have sin. Why do you think He saved us? We are mud on the outside, with His gift, the soul inside. He breathed into the First. He then, creates new souls at conception.
Our God is One God.
Genesis says that God infused, breathed into man, this put a Soul in Man(God not having any gender but male could not be Mother as we think it to be. So He created a Female to make distinction, that He God is Male and Female as an analogy, not being Female. The Father in Heaven. This sounds a bit confusing in terminology but many have already thought about this. Even the doctors of the Church. They already wrote about this.
God put differences to complete the man and woman to be one body for His creation of us. The man to be intellectualy oriented, while the woman to be sensitive to the man and be his helpmate. Combined they are intelligently sensitive. (short and simple answer to make the distinction) As well as strengths. Men have their strength in body, women have their strength in other things which I will not mention here because it is public. This is nothing new it is stated in the scriptures. St. Paul does a good job of it.
Peace