March 15, 1994.
Revised August 31, 2005
Chapter 9
Temples and Churches
Part
3 One Father
The right of the Father, or as the
Romans called him, the Pater Famillias, was absolute and
beyond the government’s jurisdiction. The Greeks had brought in
different ideas, which were now filtering into Judea with the
introduction of a Hellenistic philosophy.
In Plutarch’s Life of
Lycurgus, it was preached
that the children were not the property of their parents, but rather
the property of the State.
It also called for the collection of all gold and silver so that iron
could be used as money, and also preached a common system of
welfare and food distribution, financed by compulsory taxes collected
into a common government-controlled treasury. Land was to belong to
the State
and everyone was required to pay a use, or property tax, on the land
or that property would be taken from them and given to another. Was
this the way of God’s righteousness which we were to seek?
Youngsters were removed from the
family at an early age and trained up to follow the directions and
teachings of the State. Pietas was the “Sense of Duty”
that each child owed his natural Father. When he was born, the child
was traditionally laid at the feet of his Father. If the Father
picked him up, it was an act of acknowledgment. Birth registration
was the official laying of a child at the feet or footstool of the
Patronus of the State, the Pater Patriae.
In the original government of Israel,
the authority to govern remained in the hands of the People through
the family unit, represented by the eldest member. The Elders or
Patriarchs held the power of government, called by the Romans, Patria
Potestas. Men like Cain, Nimrod, Pharaoh, and Caesar assumed the
office of Father.
It is from this jurisdiction that the State derives much of its power
and authority.
Persecution of Christians was more
often the result of provincial regulations, called
mandata, rather than Empirical decrees, decreta;
but it is clear that public policy and the structure of the Roman
system came into conflict with Christian practices and beliefs.
Persecution of Christians, under Emperors like Antoninus Pius, was
uncommon and ill-advised under Trajan and Hadrian.
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus had been a
priest at the sacrificial altars of Roman service and was an eager
patriot. He had a logical mind, but his stoic philosophy was
tempered with gentleness and benevolence by making it subordinate
to a love of mankind.
His ‘Meditations’
was still revered as a literary monument to a government of service
and duty, has been praised for its “exquisite accent and its
infinite tenderness” and “saintliness” being called
the “gospel of his life”, and they have been compared by
J. S. Mill, in his Utility of Religion,
to the Sermon on the Mount. Like many of the emperors of Rome, he was
loved by the people. Yet, with all his benevolence, administered
justice, and reforms, he often mistrusted the Christians to whom was
subjected to systematic persecution.
What was wrong with Christians?
Religious freedom was guaranteed in the Roman Constitution. No
Christian was persecuted for singing in Church, praising the Lord, or
believing in Jesus. It is what that belief changed in the Christian
outlook and activities that brought them under suspicion, if not
outright conflict, with Roman policy.
Their independence and success could
make Emperors nervous, if not ashamed or jealous. When Christians
appeared to question Marcus’ desire to be the benevolent Father
of the people, conflict was sure to follow. The record of persecution
of Christians under this loving, tender, and dutiful public servant
was greater than any other period of Roman history.
Christians were bound together in a
system of unity, strength, and efficiency that often frightened those
governing a central power bound by pride, pomp and pricey
beneficence. Focus in the Christian community was not upon the
benefits of the State. Independent responsibility, a duty to love
their neighbor, and a trust in God took all their service.
When Christians had needs, they went
to Christians and their living stone altars like Stephen, Philip, and
Prochorus and the men who contributed to them.
They did not pray at the altars of Rome or Herod. They knew the Lord
hated the Nicolatians
and would not apply to the Father of Rome and Jerusalem nor their
systems of Qurban and Corban.
And
call no [man] your father upon the earth: for one is your Father,
which is in heaven. Matthew 23:9
It has always been an option for the
people to apply to a State for an enfranchised citizenship. Fathers
registered their children in a threefold process of abdication and
manumission through Novation, Tutor, and Korban
,releasing their custodial rights, but gaining the State, first, as a
Patron, and, eventually, the Benefactor of the citizen, invested with
his Toga.
This had always been a voluntary process, but eventually some form of
membership in the Roman Family became required.
Marcus Aurelius required everyone to
register the birth of their children with the Secretary of Treasury
or Provincial Registrars within 30 days or suffer the penalty of
law. The Roman system was in debt and decline and it needed more
collateral and contributing investors to the corporation of the
State. Human resources were in demand.
Christians could not apply to the
Father of the Roman state without denying Christ’s command. The
gratuities and benefits of that gentile government were the result of
the people's sacrifice to the god of the Roman State, the Apo
Theos. You had to accept Caesar as your Father to pray for and
receive his beneficence.
In Gibbon’s Decline and Fall
of the Roman Empire, he praised “the union and discipline
of the Christian republic.” He also pointed out that “it
gradually formed an independent and increasing state in the heart of
the Roman Empire.”
The early Christian community was a republic that was recognized by
Rome through the proclamation nailed to the cross by order of the
Proconsul of Rome, Pontius Pilate.
Fear, duty, and respect for the State
became more important than love of family. The ‘ruling elite’
worked their influence unknown to the distracted general public. This
philosophy required entertainment, distraction, and a system of
education, social welfare, and old-age pensions, which was ministered
by the corporate temples of the state.
Augustus Caesar had incorporated many
such temples as a part of government services and Judea was no
different establishing its own system of Corban. All this was
diametrically opposed to what Moses had taught and Jesus did not fail
to point it out.
“Tyranny
is not a matter of minor theft and violence, but of wholesale
plunder, sacred and profane, private or public. If you are caught
committing such crimes in detail you are punished and disgraced;
sacrilege, kidnapping, burglary, fraud, theft are the names we give
to such petty forms of wrongdoing. But when a man succeeds in robbing
the whole body of citizens and reducing them to slavery, they forget
these ugly names and call him happy and fortunate, as do all others
who hear of his unmitigated wrongdoing.”
Footnotes:
Table of Contents
of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
Peace be to this house,
The Prologue of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCa1-0Prologue.php
1. The Kingdom of God of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
Is Righteousness of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCa1-1IsRighteousness.php
A Man as King of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCa1-2AManasKing.php
2. Abraham Uncivilized of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
The City State of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCb2-1TheCityState.php
Two kingdoms/ The Merchants of Men of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCb2-2MerchantsofMen.php
The Hindu Connection of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCb2-3HinduConnection.php
Abraham and the Legend, The Prodigal Son
Our king and our god? of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCb2-4Legend.php
The Code of Abraham of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCb2-5code.php
Abraham and the Family of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCb2-6Family.php
3. The Altar of Abraham of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
Moses and the Altars of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCc3-1AltarsofClay.php
The Altar of Sin of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCc3-2Sin.php
Sacrifice of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCc3-3Sophistry.php
4. Moses, Moses of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
The Civil State of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCd4-1CivilState.php
Gods Many of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCd4-2godsmany.php
No Kings of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCd4-3NoKings.php
Servant Priests of a Nation of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCd4-4Servants.php
5. Joshua’s Altar of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
White Altars of Joshua
King over us of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCe5-1WhiteAltars.php
Adultery of a Nation of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCe5-2Adultery.php
Fear, Faith and Foolishness of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCe5-3RearFaith.php
6. The World of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
Of Rome and Judea of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCf6-1Rome.php
The Remarkable History of Israel of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCf6-2Israel.php
Rome the Believer of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
The Commander in chiefs
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCf6-3RomeBeliever.php
A Father’s offer of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCf6-4TheOffer.php
The Hasmonean Appeal of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
Socialization of Rome
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCf6-5SocialAppeal.php
The Love of kings of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCf6-6LovingKings.php
7. Factions at the Altar of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
The Pharisees and The Sadducees of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCg7-1Factions.php
The Essenes of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
The Healers of a Nation
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCg7-2Essene.php
8. A King is Born of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
A King is Born of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCh8-1KingBorn.php
What is redemption? of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCh8-2Redemption.php
Kingdom in Turmoil of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCh8-3Turmoil.php
The New Deal of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCh8-4NewDeal.php
9. Temples and Churches of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
The Church
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCi9-1TemplesandChurches.php
Investing in Diana of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCi9-2InvestinDiana.php
One Father of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCi9-3OurFather.php
Arts of the Temples of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCi9-4TempleArts.php
The Temple of Satan of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCi9-5SatansTemple.php
The Royal Treasury of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCi9-6RoyalTreasury.php
10. Two Paths of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
God’s dominion from the Beginning of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
The revenue of the wicked
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCj10-1Paths.php
Beams in our eyes of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
Removing the Beam
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCj10-2Beams.php
These two Kingdoms of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCj10-3TwoKingdoms.php
Faith is actions of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCj10-4Action.php
The kingdom appointed to Liberty of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCj10-5AppointedLiberty.php
11. Where is the kingdom of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
The kingdom comes of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCk11-1Kingdom.php
Eating in the kingdom of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCk11-2Eating.php
Washing in the kingdom of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCk11-3Washing.php
Where is the Church? of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCk11-4Where.php
We are all kings of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCk11-5AllKings.php
12. Apostasy of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
The Ship of State of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCl12-1Ship.php
The Allurement of Wolves of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCl12-2Wolves.php
The Church of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCl12-3Church.php
The Separate Church
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCl12-4Separate.php
13. The Kingdom of Heaven of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
The State of the Nation of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCm13-1Heaven.php
Seeking the kingdom, The Law of God of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCm13-2SeekLaw.php
What does the Kingdom look like? of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCm13-3looks.php
Assembling a congregation of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
Where to start seeking the kingdom of God
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCm13-4Start.php
Appendix of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
Appendix 1. Kingdom of Heaven and God of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCn-1Appendix.php
Appendix 2. The things He says of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCn-2AppenSaid.php
Appendix 3. What is Worship? of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCn-3AppenWorship.php
Appendix 4. Who are the Nicolaitans? of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCn-4AppenNicolaitan.php
Appendix 5. Who is a god? of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCn-5Appengods.php
Appendix 6. Oaths and Swearing of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCn-6AppenOaths.php
The Cover of the book, Thy Kingdom Comes
The Elixir of Love.
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/tkczzwa.php
About the Author of the book Thy Kingdom Comes
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/tkczzwb.php
Other publications:
The Covenants of the gods
The Free Church Report
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