NEBAB #22: The Feast of the Ark of the Covenant: Hedar Tsion
NEBAB #22
The Orthodox Tewahedo Magazine
THE FEAST OF THE ARK OF THE COVENANT: HEDAR TSION
The Spiritual Education Unit
Ethiopian Orthodox Church
Archdiocese of the Caribbean and Latin America
The Feast of the Ark of the Covenant
In this issue:
1. The Feast of the Ark of the Covenant
2. The Meaning of Zion in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
3. Faith and works
4. “Ask Abba/Kes”
5. A Miracle of the Holy Virgin Maryam
6. Children’s corner
7.ይበል ግዕዝ
8. Orthodox Q&A
The Feast of the Ark of the Covenant
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, One God Amen.
The ancient, historical and Apostolic Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church has not only maintained but have kept alive the traditions that have been handed down from our fore fathers. The oral traditions of our church also referred to as “tewafit”, does not contradict the meaning of the scriptures nor their interpretation but embraces all aspects of what has been handed down from ancient times including church rites, culture and history. The Feast of the Ark Of the Covenant is one of the Orders of Holy Feasts where we commemorate the transportation of the Ark of the Covenant from Jerusalem to Ethiopia, the commemoration of the first Church dedicated to St Mary in Axum and the annual Holy Feast Day of The Archangel St. Michael. He was a grace to all the saints of the Old Testament, aided and saved them as well as he was called “Megabi Beluy”/ “The Steward of the Old [Testament]”. He has also led and nourished Israel for 40 years in the desert and Holy Scripture articulates much about him. (Gen.48:16, Josh. 5:13, Judg. 13:17, Dan.10:21/12:1, Ps.33 (34):7, Rev.12:7). Saint Michael was also the Holy Angel who guided the transportation of the Ark to Ethiopia as we read in the Kebre Negast. Thus this day is a great celebration of historical events and more importantly the salvic work of God through His Saints, His Angels and Saint Mary. Because our Judeo Christian faith does not abandon the Ark nor the Old Testament teaching, the feast is a celebration of our Church’s acceptance of both the Old and New Testament in our form of worship identified mostly with the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. We bow and pray in front of the Ark because the name of God and the Ten Commandments are written on it and God shows His mercy through the Ark (Ex 25:20-25). The Feast of the Ark of the Covenant reminds us that the Holy Ark was not abandoned after the Old Testament, but Since it was brought to Ethiopia,long before Christianity, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church accepts and preserves the Old Testament and the rites contained there in. We learn about how the Ark of the Covenant was transported from Jerusalem to Ethiopia first in 1 Kings 10:1-3, and further in the retelling of tradition written in the “Kebre Negast” or “Glory of the Kings”. Other Ethiopic texts include Zena Seyon (News of Zion), Täʾammǝrä Ṣǝyon (‘Miracles of Zion’), and Mälkǝʾa Ṣǝyon (‘Effigy of Zion’) where literary pieces that focus on the Ark can be investigated (Amsalu Tefera 2017). The Lord said in the Gospel “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law and the Prophets: I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
Today many Christian pilgrims and visitors gather in the Holy City of Axum to commemorate a Holy celebrations of color, joy and deep spirituality. In fact, every church dedicated to St Mary is colorfully celebrated on this day, every year Hidar 21 (November 30).
May we obtain a blessing on this day!
The Meaning of Tsion in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
Saint Mary is the Mother of God who bore for us “the cluster of life” Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Within the old testament there are many prophecies including symbols of Saint Mary and the role that she played in the salvation of mankind through the birth of her Son Our Lord Jesus Christ. For instance we see evidence of Saint Mary in the following Psalm “And of Zion it shall be said, this and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her”. Psalm 87:5. Zion here, as we are taught, is a simultude of Saint Mary. Here in the psalm, Saint David prophesizes about the birth of the Son of God Jesus Christ from Saint Mary. “The Most High founded the city and addresses that city as a Mother.” Zion is not only the biblical mountain, the city of Jerusalem or the nation of Israel itself but symbolizes Saint Mary. In Hebrews 12:22 we read, “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly”.
Zion also refers to the Ark of the Covenant which was transported from Jerusalem to Aksum as we read in the Kebra Negast “The Glory of the Kings”. “An angel of the Lord appeared to Azariah and instructed him how to take the Ark: “Stand up, be strong, and raise your brother Elmyas, and Abisa and Makari; and take pieces of wood, and I will open for you the doors to the Sanctuary and I will be your guide when you shall carry it away”. The Ark of the Covenant that was transported from Aksum, reached Ethiopia with great joy and gladness by the will of the Ark and of the Archangel Michael.
Zion is also used to refer to Aksum, as “the new Zion” and also to its Cathedral, Saint Mary of Zion to whom the Cathedral is dedicated.
Faith and Works:
Taking holiness home
As Menelik took the Ark of the Covenant home and reaped the benefits of its blessing for himself and his country, there are ways we can bring holiness into our home:
Icons: Do not think it a small thing to look at the icon of Christ, or of the Theotokos, or the other saints- God has not ceased to work miracles and wonders through the holy icons. Your home has windows to the physical world, it should have windows to heaven.
Holy Water: Talk to your priest about how you should use tsebel, or holy water, in your daily life, and make a practice of taking some home from church as often as you can.
Hospitality: But what greater holiness is there than to entertain a guest? Whether you invite a priest to share a meal or spend time with one of the faithful, or open your home to a complete stranger, “you may entertain angels unawares”.
Ask Abba/Kes
"Do all religions worship the same God?"
Advocates of pluralism say that many roads lead up the single mountain of religion, to God at the top. They claim that it is narrow minded and intolerant to deny the validity of other roads than yours. The problem with this analogy is that the roads go up, not down. This implies that man makes the roads, not God, and that religion is man’s search for God, not God’s search for man. Christianity is not a system of man’s search for God, but the story of God’s search for man. There is no human way up the mountain, only a divine way down. If we (humans) made the roads, it would indeed be arrogant and intolerant to claim that any one road is the only valid one, because all human-made things are equal, in being finite and mixtures of good and bad. If we made the roads, assuming we had the power to build a path to God, it would be as foolish to render any of them as the absolute truth. But if God is the Road- Maker, we must find out whether He made many or one. If He made only one, then we must humbly accept His one road. John 14:6
BIBLE QUIZ!
Find a video of a tabot procession in Ethiopia and identify the various aspects of the ceremony in the Bible (check Leviticus)
A Miracle of the Holy Virgin Maryam
Listen again to the miracles that Our Mother, the heavenly Zion, performed after she destroyed Bel and overthrew Dagon. Now she brought calamity on the idol worshipers; she burned their city with fire, and she crushed their young and old with many diseases. So, the people of Gath sent her to Ascalon. Then, when the Ark of the Law of the Lord, Our Lady Mary, the Holy Twofold Virgin, whose name in Hebrew is Miriam, entered the city, the people of Ascalon cried out and said, “Why have you turned the Ark of the God of Israel toward us to destroy us and bring us and our families to ruin?”
And to the rulers of the Philistines they said, “Send away Zion, that it may remain in its own place and not destroy us and our families.” For there was great affliction and severe calamities throughout the city when the Ark of the God of Israel entered therein. The bodies of both the living and the dead were afflicted and turned the color of mice, and their cry went up to heaven. So Our Mother, the heavenly Zion, remained in the wilderness for seven months, and she sent mice into their land. Then the Philistines, their diviners, soothsayers, and sorcerers gathered with their rulers, and they said to them, “Tell us now, what shall we do with the Ark of the Lord?” They said to them, “Why do you harden your hearts as Egypt hardened their hearts against Israel? Did not the Lord cast them into the sea when he had them in derision? If you will not send it back to its own land, you will have no life in you. But do not send it away empty; instead, make gold objects in the likeness of mice as its offering. Now then, make carts and take two heifers that have calved for the first time apart from their calves. Take the calves away behind them, set the Ark on the carts, and give it the gold objects as an offering.”
Then the Philistines did so; they came together and set it on the carts, saying, “Come, let us see whether they will turn back to their calves.” But they did not turn back; rather, they went straight, turning neither to the left nor to the right, and the rulers of the Philistines followed it to Beth-Shemesh. Now the people of Beth-Shemesh were reaping wheat in the fields. When they lifted their eyes and saw Our Lady Mary, the Holy Twofold Virgin, whose name in Hebrew is Mariam, they rejoiced and welcomed her, and they set a large stone beside her. Then, along with the Levites, they took her, the chest, and the gold objects with her, and they set them on the large stone. And on that day the people of Beth-Shemesh brought sacrifices and offerings to House of the Lord. When the rulers of the Philistines saw this, they returned to their cities. Now, when the descendants of Jeconiah did not welcome her with the people of Beth-Shemesh, Our Lady Mary, the Holy Twofold Virgin, whose name in Hebrew is Mariam, slew fifty thousand and seventy from among them. So they took her to the house of Abinadab, and she remained there for twenty years, until David, the king of Israel, reigned. May her prayers and blessings be with our King, Sarsa Dengel, and our Metropolitan Abbuna Gabra Krestos forever. Amen.
O Holy Virgin Maryam, pray for us!
LIJOCH! The Children's Corner
Memory verse: “His foundation is in the Holy mountains.The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.”
Psalm. 87:1
Write a story or essay on what u have learnt from the fast of TSIGE TSOME (The season of flower.)
ይበል:ግዕዝ (yibel Ge’ez)
Let's reclaim our forefathers’ language
Today, a vocabulary lesson from a beloved song about the Ark of the Covenant.
ጽላት ዘሙሴ: ዕፀ ጳጦስ ዘሲና
ṣilat zemuse, iṣe PaTos zesina
ṣilat- tablets. Singular ጽላ ṣila- a tablet of metal or stone, or a tablet of law
muse- Moses sina- (mount) Sinai
ዕፅ iṣ- a tree, shrub or brush
PaTos- a thorny bush/bramble bush
(In the phrase Iṣe PaTos, the word PaTos is denoting the kind of tree, like specifying a species)
Translation: (You are) the tablets of Moses, the burning bush of Sinai
ORTHODOX Q&A
What is the meaning of Icons in the Church?
Icons are written not painted. Icons actually participate in, and bear witness to the reality of God’s presence with us in the mystery of faith, which they express (Dr. Isaac Fanous). They are written images of Christ, of His Angels, of His Saints, and of events such as the birth of Christ, His Transfiguration, His death on the Cross and His Resurrection.
Iconography then is the religious art or sacred art. Icons depict heavenly scenes (Dr. Stephane Rene). They are the witnesses of the presence of the Kingdom of God to us, and so of our presence to the Kingdom of God in the Church. It is in the Orthodox faith that icons are not only permissible, but are also spiritually necessary because “the WORD became flesh and dwelt among us” John 1:14, Christ is truly man and, as man, truly the “icon of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15; 1 Corinthians 11:7, 2 Corinthians 4:4).
Send us your questions at: seu.eotccarla@gmail.com
References
Short message on behalf the Spiritual Education Unit:
His Grace Abune Thaddaeus, Head Administrator Archimandrite Abba Gebreyesus, and all clergy and faithful- thank you for the opportunity to share this labour of love with you. Thanks also to the team of the Spiritual Education Unit for their hard work.
-Liqe Teghuan Tekle Mariam Greene
The Feast of the Ark of the Covenant:
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Faith, Order of Worship and Ecumenical Relations
The Ethiopian Homily on the Ark of the Covenant by Amsalu Tefera
The Meaning Of Zion In The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church:
Cycles of Zion in Ethiopic texts by Amsalu Tefera
Ask Kes:
The Orthodox Church: 455 Questions and Answers by Stanley S. Harakas
Orthodox QNA:
What Coptic Orthodox Christians Believe by Fr. Markos R. Hanna
Miracle of the Holy Virgin Maryam: pemm.princeton.edu/en-us/stories/461-A
CONTACT US:
Archdiocese headquarters: Medhane Alem (Saviour of the World), Old Golden Grove Rd. Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago.
Tel. 868-642-4230.
e-mail: eotc.arch.carla@gmail.com
Comments
Post a Comment