On the Solemn Day of Pentecost, we read from the
Letter of St.Paul to the Romans; a ‘Work
of Art’, worth reading, studying, digesting and applying to our own life.
We find in chapter 8, verses 15: ‘For
you have not received the spirit of bondage again in fear; but you have
received the spirit of adoption of
sons, whereby we cry ‘Abba’ (Father).’
Studying in depth the meaning of one single word, in
this text should be more than enough for a whole lifetime.
“How
I wish, dear Lord, that all true Christians; priests, and laymen alike, study
the Bible in depth and pass it on to others to discover the great treasures
hidden in the Good Book…Lord hear us ...…”
Yes,
studying the implications of a single word in the mind of Paul, the great, the
giant of an Apostle, opens up wide, huge horizons.
Paul knew all about the Roman social life and Laws,
and he intelligently applied the Roman
Law of Adoption to the message he wanted to convey to the new Christians in
Rome … and to us all.
In the days of Paul, the Romans were a great, powerful
and wealthy nation…but they were corrupt. The authority of the Father was
indisputable, he was the supreme, his decisions, regarding his family, were
final. He had absolute power over his wife, his children, his slaves and
animals. The power of life and death was in his hands. This was known by the
Latin term, ‘Patria Potestas’.
As expected there was a provision in the Law that the
son could ask for adoption by another Father, or the father could get rid of
his son. This was done by taking the said son to market and put him up for sale,
at a cost, this was called the ‘mancipatio’.
When the transaction was settled, the result meant the
person became the son of a new father … by adoption, he would have lost all the
previous rights, benefits, property of the former family, but it also meant that
he had gained everything from the new family, all old debts were cancelled, he
inherited all the wealth and glory of the new family, because NOW he is an adopted child of the new
family.
This law was practiced by many, everybody was
conscious of it, suffice it to say that even Emperor Claudius, practised it, in
fact he adopted as his son the notorious Nero, so according to the Law, Nero
became an adopted son of Claudius (remember Brutus and Caesar ?). Wanting to make a further step in Claudius
family Nero asked for the hand of Claudius’ daughter, Octavia, in marriage.
They were brother and sister by law but not by blood. So the Senate enacted a
law to give permission of marriage.
St.Paul knew the Law inside out and using the same
basis of adoption he applied it to his message of the Gospel. He did explain
that whilst the Romans called for seven people to witness this adoption deed,
he would be calling just one witness, that is the Holy Spirit.
The new family of the Christians had to be the family of God. Jesus wiped away all the debts, through His Passion and Death,
all those adopted inherited the glory, they would defeat death, sin, the power
of darkness and ultimately gain heaven.
Paul was a master-mind, he was a born psychologist; he
used to apply the well known maxim when teaching, of going from the ‘known to
the unknown’. In his Letter to the Romans, which he wrote from Corinth in the
year 54 A.D., he passed on the message of the Gospel by appealing to the pagan,
and Jewish converts to apply the old Roman law to the new Christian law of
love.
Whereas in the Roman law ,through the Patria
Potestas, the son, though he might have grown old in age, used to be
treated as a child by his still surviving father, in the new family of adopted
sons of God, each individual is treated as brothers and sisters together with the
elder brother, Jesus Christ.
Finally, in chapter 8, line 15, we find Paul giving
the guarantee that the new Patria Potestas, the new owner, the
new
Father is not going to be a cruel father, the old times of fear and
bondage are gone and forgotten, once and for all. This is the vouched for by
the new Witness, the Holy Spirit; that now we are prepared for a new life of
love, and glory.
