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Question 57: John 3:13 states that only Jesus went into Heaven. 2Kings 2:11 says Elijah went up into Heaven. 2Corinthians 12:2-4 speaks of a man who was caught up into the third Heaven. And Hebrews 11:5 says that Enoch was taken from this life because of his faith. The first reference speaks of one single person, Jesus, yet the same Bible also mentions three other people. Could you explain that please? (TR)
Answer: In all religions, Heaven refers to the dwelling place of God/the gods and supernatural powers. At the same time, Heaven is a metaphor for the otherworldly and the infinite, the symbol of transcendence. Hermeneutically speaking, there are several different levels of meaning: the cosmological view of the Old Testament has Heaven as a „place“ has to be understood in the light of the ancient world view, according to which Heaven as a part of the universe is the firmament, a giant hemisphere above the flat earth. Theologically, Heaven is God’s dwelling place. The firmament is His throne from where He directs the fate of mankind. The Old Testament itself already de-mythologizes this view: Heaven and Earth alone cannot contain God; dwelling in Heaven refers to His transcendence, His remoteness and distance (Jeremiah 23:23ff). At the same time He is also a very close and present God whose glory fills the whole earth (Isaiah 6:3). He hears and answers the pleading of His people, even the pleading of each and every human being. Because Heaven is seen as God’s dwelling place, the word Heaven is also used as a synonym for God Himself and is used to paraphrase His name. “From Heaven” is synonymous with from God (see Daniel 4:23; John 3:27). In Heaven means with God (Matthew 16:19; 18:18; Luke 19:38).
The anthropological and an eschatological view that the just ones will be with God („in Heaven“) forever originate in the late writings of the Old Testament. The image of the „ascension“ of a just one also stems from there, its meaning being the God-given grace to allow us to come into His presence.
In the New Testament, the Christological perspective is of prime importance. In accordance with His nature, Christ came down from Heaven (John 3:13; 6:38, 41ff, 50ff) and returned there after His resurrection to sit at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19; Acts 3:21; Ephesians 1:20; 2:6; Hebrews 8:1; 1 Peter 3:22). This “return” is depicted using the image of the ascension. So he ascended into God’s dwelling place (Hebrews 9:11ff., 24) to come again at the end of time (Hebrews 9:28). It is in this sense that Paul describes the Christian attitude to life as a hopeful waiting for the expected second coming of Christ from Heaven (1 Thessalonians 1:10; 4:16; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; Philemon 3:20), when a new heaven and a new earth will arise (2Peter 3:13).
In summary, it can be said that from the Christian point of view, Heaven is the theological metaphor for the ultimate salvation and redemption of mankind which has been reconciled with God through the death and resurrection of Christ. Heaven is thus not a timeless and real place, not a spatial Kingdom-come, but personal reality. It is the everlasting union of mankind with God, life in unity with him and with each other. (cf.. L. Hagemann, art. Himmel 2. Christlich in Adel Th. Khoury [Hg.] Lexikon religiöser Grundbegriffe. Judentum. Christentum. Islam. Graz: Styria, 1987. p. 486-488.)
Question 58: In Matthew 16:18 Jesus calls Peter the rock on which He would build His church and even says that He would give him the key to the Kingdom of Heaven.... But only a few verses on Jesus says to Peter: „Get behind me, Satan!“ What am I to believe now? Is this Peter Satan or is he the keeper of the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven? (TR)
Answer: Matthew 16:18 reads: “And I tell you that you are Peter [meaning rock], and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” This means that the powers of evil, which draw mankind first of all towards the death of sin and then later into eternal death, will not be able to get through the gates of the underworld. It will be the task of the church to rescue the chosen ones from the reign of death, from actual and especially from eternal death, to enable them to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. (see Colossians 1:13, 1 Corinthians 15:26, Revelation 6:8, 20:13). Like the city of death, the city of God too has gates. They permit entry only for those who are worthy (see Matthew 23:13). Peter receives the keys to those gates. It will therefore be his task, mediated through the church, to open or shut the gates to the Kingdom of God.
Matthew 16:23 reads: „Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.“ In Matthew 16:21 Jesus had announced His coming suffering for the first time and declared He would have to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things. That, yes, He would be killed, but that He would be raised to life on the third day. Thus Jesus combines the glorious task of the Messiah (see Habakkuk 3:13, Samuel 2:10, Psalms 2) with the painful task of the suffering servant of God (see Isaiah 42:1-9,. 49:1-6, 50:13-52, 12). Jesus prepares the disciples’ faith for the coming crisis of His death and resurrection. You are a stumbling-block to me, meaning, you are my potential fall (death). Because Peter wants Jesus to resist suffering and His shameful death, as he does not understand the road the Messiah must take, he becomes His stumbling block (the original meaning of the Green word skandalon) und the, albeit unwitting, helper of Satan. In Matthew 4:1-10, the gospel writer had already told of Satan’s attempt to tempt Jesus in the wilderness in order to divert Him from His path of suffering and the humility of being God’s servant. Peter and the other disciples hoped right until Jesus’ death that He would eventually use His powers and proclaim victory over His enemies on earth. Only when the Holy Spirit came upon them did Peter and the other disciples receive the grace of understanding the true meaning of the cross and the resurrection. All those who follow Jesus as His disciples will have to walk the same rocky and stony path, will have to learn that the path of the Messiah is a path of service and suffering. This is especially true for the successors of Peter in the pastoral ministry of the church.
Question 59: There are two versions of the story of Judas Iscariot. According to Matthew 27:3-7 Judas commits suicide and the high priests buy the potter’s field. According to Acts 1:16-19 Judas himself bought this field and died there but not through suicide. Which story is true? (TR)
Answer: The New Testament does indeed contain two different descriptions of Judas’ death, Matthew 27:3-10 and Acts 1:18-19. According to Acts, Judas dies not by hanging like Ahithophel (2 Samuel 17:23) but after a fall like the evil-doers of Wisdom 4:19 with his body bursting open and all his intestines spilling out, as happened to several villains in the folklore legends of old. The term "Field of Blood“ is not linked to the blood of Jesus, but to that of Judas. Through these differences in oral tradition it is possible to sense the actual sudden and shameful death of a traitor. The event was then rather artificially linked with Hageldama, a well known place in Jerusalem of ill-repute.
Question 60: If today’s Christianity is the truth, why are there four different gospels? (TR)
Answer: The Old Testament was the first book of the church. It soon became apparent that there was a need for scriptures which told “what had happened among us”, and so the four gospels were written.
It is true that we do not know about the life of Jesus from one piece of scripture, but from four parallel writings, something that is unique in the history of literature. Each of these writings contains the complete Good News. They are named according to their authors: Matthew, the tax collector who became a disciple; Mark, a young follower from Jerusalem. According to Acts 12:12, it was in the house of his mother the congregation met (possibly the house where the last supper took place); Luke, “our dear friend the doctor“ (Colossians 4:14) who was a friend of Paul’s; and finally John, “the disciples Jesus loved“, who lived to an old age.
It has been said from early on that Matthew was the first to write, possibly around the year 50 in Palestine or Syria. His gospel was later edited to its current form. The gospel according to Mark, which was written around the year 63 A.D. in Rome, is therefore the oldest we have. The final version of Matthew and the gospel of Luke, which was written in Greece, are assumed to have been written between 70-80 A.D. John’s gospel is likely to have been written around the year 100 A.D. in Asia Minor. The first three gospels, also called the synoptic gospels, are often word for word the same. This proves that they are connected in one way or the other.
The four gospels are evidence of the church’s concern that the Good News had to be preserved. They also show how this Good News was proclaimed according to the different ways of thinking in different social environments. Each one of the gospels shines a particular light on what a particular faith community considers to be most important. Matthew, who writes for the Jews, compiles the words of Jesus in five big speeches, corresponding to the five books of Moses, so that Jesus appears as the new lawgiver. Mark’s main interest is the revelation of Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. Luke writes for his fellow educated Greeks. He shows an historic progression (and because of this also writes the Acts of the Apostles) and emphasizes Jesus’ love of the neglected ones: the poor, the sinners, and women. He also has much to say about the Holy Spirit and prayer.
Sometimes people try to analyze the use of words to determine in which community a gospel was preached before it was written down. Because as much as people tried to retain Jesus’ words exactly as he had spoken them, and as much as Jesus’ rhythmical and metaphor-rich way of speaking facilitated this mental feat, it also remains true that the words of Jesus were passed on in live oral tradition. That means that free clarifications and adaptations were occasionally added. We have already seen how Matthew changed Jesus’ words about “The Kingdom of God“ to “The Kingdom of Heaven“. This is most apparent in the writings in the gospel according to John. The words of Jesus seem to reflect the terminology used in Asia Minor, where John preached. For example, he rarely uses the word “Kingdom of God”, which had very little meaning for the people there. “Light“ and “life“ was much more meaningful for them, and so those expressions are very often used in Jesus’ words as recorded by John. The disciple found that they were the best words to express what Jesus meant to say to those people when he used the words “Kingdom of God”.
This does not mean that the writers fantasized and created a Christ according to their own tastes. However, the aim of the evangelists is not the writing down of a precise progress report, month by month. Their aim is a Gospel; a proclamation of the Good News. And for that it is of immense importance that actual things really did happened, that actual words really were said. If this had not occurred, there would be no Good News to proclaim.
Interestingly, it is the fourth gospel that appears occasionally to be more precise about what actually happened. This is one of the arguments that was used later to ascribe this gospel to the ageing disciple John.
It is not only important that things actually happened, but something else also mattered: the truth about the historical Jesus. Modern Biblical research discovered that this was a special concern of the gospel writers. At a time when many of the eye witnesses for the church were no longer around, when legalistic and lyrical ideas threatened to creep into the oral tradition, the Church tried to ensure the purity of this tradition: of what Jesus had actually been like. Therein lies the origin of the gospels.
The concern of the community to preserve the pure image of Jesus, the true faith, is guided by the Holy Spirit who lives in the church. The Spirit does not act outside human authorship, but within it. In the final analysis, the scriptures came into being through the Holy Spirit who uses the creativity of human beings of different temperaments and talents. The extent to which the various gospels describe the same Lord can be seen in their unmistakable authenticity, which is apparent with equal strength in all four gospels. They clearly have one single source: the person of Jesus of Nazareth.
The four gospels are not the only sources of information about Jesus. In the early church, Luke not only wrote his gospel, but also its continuation, the Acts of the Apostles. Letters, too, were written. They come from the pens (or spheres of influence) of Paul (fourteen), Jacob the younger (one), Peter (two), John (three) and Judas Thaddeus (one). Finally, there is the prophetic writing in the name of John, the book of the secret Revelation, also known as the Apocalypse (see Glaubensverkündigung für Erwachsene. Deutsche Ausgabe des Holländischen Katechismus. Nijmwegen-Utrecht, 1968, p. 232-235). [This is taken from the German version, an English one also exists.]
Question 61: I am researching the history of church bells and of bell ringing. When were church bells used for the first time and why were bells used instead of the human voice to call people to prayer? (TR)
Answer: Information on bells as a church instrument and references to further literature can be found in many good encyclopedias and dictionaries, see for example the entry for “bells” in The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1974, p. 153.
Here only a few key data: The bell (Irish "clog“; old German "clochon – knocking“ giving rise to the German word "Glocke") is an instrument that was already known in ancient China. Its use in churches is mentioned as early as 400 by Paul of Nola. Bells are introduced in France around 550 and in the 7th century in Ireland. The ringing of the bells calls the people to the church services. In former times, the bell was not only used to announce Mass, but also rang three times a day (early in the morning, at midday and in the evening) to call people to the Angelus prayer.
As the bells increased in size, special towers to hang them in became necessary, either a free standing bell tower, or one integrated in the church building. The bell-foundries, initially operated by the monks, were transferred in the 13th century to the professional founders. The secrets of bell-foundry were passed down the families.
In Germany, bells are consecrated by Bishops or authorized priests. While prayers are being said the bell is washed with holy water (this is also called the baptism of bells), anointed with consecrated oil and blessed. The bell sponsor gives it a name. The bells can be the property of the church, of the parish or in private use. Only the clerical authority has the right to determine the use of a bell. If it is to be used for civil occasions, a relevant license is necessary (ceremonies and public announcements).
Question 62: What is the order of rites that have to be carried out when someone dies? (TR)
Answer: The church does not prescribe precisely and in legally binding detail how a dying person or a dead body are to be treated. In this area too, the custom of Christians in different parts of the world recognizes much of the good that is alive in the various cultures and rites. However, the church does have official and comprehensive teaching on ethical questions which arise in the context of dying and death, especially in our modern societies, e.g. in its catechisms. It’s ritual, laid down in an official church book focusing especially on pastoral situations, with liturgical regulations and readings from the Holy Scriptures, as well as prayers, determines how fellow Christians are to assist the dying and which rites are to be carried out with and for the dying. The church also lays down the religious funeral rites.
We quote a few items from these teachings and rites (selected from the: Katholischer Erwachsenen Katechismus. 2. Band. Leben aus dem Glauben. Freiburg, 1995, p. 302-316 and from the Kleines Rituale für die Diözesen des deutschen Sprachbereichs. Freiburg 1980).
Dignity of the dying and piety vis á vis the body of a dead person
Illnesses and dying are not just a call on us living to be aware of death and to practice the concept of Christian dying, but they also confront us with ethical problems. Christians know they are responsible for the protection of life, the promotion of healing, the treatment and healing of illness, and journeying alongside the dying, helping them as much as possible. This is also the aim for all doctors and carers whose actions are primarily guided to achieve the comprehensive wellbeing of the sick person. For Christians, serving the ill and the dying has always been an "act of compassion“. It is a fundamental principle that human life is sacrosanct and that everyone has a right to a humane death. In consequence, there is the duty to assist the sick and the dying in the last phase of their lives with their dying, as well as the duty not to end human life. Assisted dying and accompanied dying will make dying easier and will help the dying person to die his own death. It would therefore be possible to speak of “assisted living” for the dying. There can be no right to be killed, but, especially in view the some excessively intensive therapies, there is a right to a humane death.
Death and funerals are part of life. They are the end of our earthly pilgrimage. From very early on, growing out of the Christian belief in the resurrection of the dead, there has been a growing awareness in the church that the dead are to be remembered and the dead body is to be revered. This aspect of Christian piety meant that a Christian burial became the norm in society. Because people used to die largely at home, the dead stayed there until the liturgical celebration of consecration and burial. This also enabled the mourners to be with the dead person for a little longer, to say their final good-byes and to deal with their sorrow each in their own way.
These days far fewer people die at home, but more frequently in hospitals and nursing homes without the presence of other members of the public. Dying and death in our non-religious society are being banished from society and are becoming anonymous.
Until 1964, Roman Catholic law prohibited the cremation of Catholics. This prohibition arose not so much from dogmatic considerations, but as a reaction to certain groups which proclaimed the cremation of dead bodies to be tantamount to denying the belief in the resurrection of the body. These days, Catholic Christians may be cremated, provided that this is not a means to explicitly denying the Christian faith.
Christians decorate the graves of their dead as a sign of remembrance and love. When the graves are blessed on Allhallows (All Souls’) Day, the parishes show their connection with the dead in a special way. Death and mourning are interpreted in the light of Jesus’ declaration of the resurrection in which the Christian communities proclaim their hope.
Prayers for the dying
The commandment of love their neighbour compels Christians to express their relatedness with the dying brother/sister through praying with him or her for God’s grace and a trusting faith in Christ. The Ritual of the Church contains prayers, litanies, devout callings out, psalms and Bible readings for the hour of death. The aim of these prayers is mainly that the dying person, if he is still conscious, conquers his natural fear of death through faith. He shall be helped to accept this fear in the name of following the suffering and dying Christ, and to overcome it in the hope of a life in Heaven and in the resurrection of Him who overcame our death through his dying.
If the believer is to assist the dying person, even if he is no longer conscious, shall gain comfort from those prayers through which they recognize the Easter meaning of Christian death. It is often helpful to express this with visible signs, such as signing a cross on the forehead of the dying person, just as for the first time at his Baptism.
As far as possible priests and deacons shall endeavor to accompany the dying person together with his family, and to say all the proposed prayers. Their presence signifies that Christians die within the community of the church. If they cannot be present because of other important pastoral tasks, they should instruct the believers to be with the dying person and to pray with them.
Vigil, prayer in the house of the house of the dead person, funeral
Depending on local custom a vigil is to be held on the days between the death and the funeral, either in the house of the dead person or in church. This is generally lay-led.
Where customary, a leave-taking (wake) held before dead person is transferred to be buried. There are several options for the funeral and one of the most commonly used forms has two stations, the first station being the chapel of rest at the cemetery or the mourning hall. The second station is the grave. The individual rites, readings from Holy Scripture and prayers are laid down in the Ritual.
Question 63: What is the relationship between the gospels and science? How do the gospels view science? Do they lead mankind to science? (TR)
Answer: In reply to this question, which can only be dealt with briefly at this point, we cite the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
2293 Basic scientific research, as well as applied research, is a significant expression of man's dominion over creation. Science and technology are precious resources when placed at the service of man and promote his integral development for the benefit of all. By themselves however they cannot disclose the meaning of existence and of human progress. Science and technology are ordered to man, from whom they take their origin and development; hence they find in the person and in his moral values both evidence of their purpose and awareness of their limits.
2294 It is an illusion to claim moral neutrality in scientific research and its applications. On the other hand, guiding principles cannot be inferred from simple technical efficiency, or from the usefulness accruing to some at the expense of others or, even worse, from prevailing ideologies. Science and technology by their very nature require unconditional respect for fundamental moral criteria. They must be at the service of the human person, of his inalienable rights, of his true and integral good, in conformity with the plan and the will of God.
2295 Research or experimentation on the human being cannot legitimate acts that are in themselves contrary to the dignity of persons and to the moral law. The subjects' potential consent does not justify such acts. Experimentation on human beings is not morally legitimate if it exposes the subject's life or physical and psychological integrity to disproportionate or avoidable risks. Experimentation on human beings does not conform to the dignity of the person if it takes place without the informed consent of the subject or those who legitimately speak for him.
Question 64: It is said that the number of about 100 different gospels [which were recognized at that time] were reduced to four at a Council in Nicea. Is this true, and if so, how can we be sure that today’s gospels are authentic? (TR)
Answer: There have been two ecumencial Councils in Nicea (Iznik), the first in 325, the second in 787. Neither of these Councils debated the issue of the canon of the Holy Scriptures. With regard to the gospels of the New Testament, the church had already agreed on the authenticity of the 4 pieces of writing which today form part of the New Testament during the course of the first two centuries. There was and still is a certain number of gospels which are called the apocrypha, but there are far fewer than 100 of them. These are gospels which were not excluded from the authentically revealed scriptures at the time.
Modern critical Biblical researchers agree that none of the apocrypha can claim a higher degree of authenticity than the four which form part of the New Testament. It goes without saying that the term “apocryphal” does not imply that everything these gospels tell is inaccurate, inauthentic and contrary to orthodox faith. C.f. F.L. Cross (ed.), The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Oxford: OUP, 1990. Art. APOCRYPHA, The; APOCRYPHAL, NEW TESTMANT, The; CANON OF SCRIPTURE.
Question 65: What is the believer’s view on the second coming of Christ at the end of time? Will he come for all people or “only” for Christians? Are the Muslim teachers who believe that Jesus will judge mankind at the end of time? (DE)
Answer: This question is best answered by Muslims. We shall only point to some relevant data from the core writings of Islam, the Qur’an and the Hadith.
Starting point for Islamic teaching about Jesus’ coming at the end of time is Sura 4:159, which should be read in conjunction with the preceding verses:
[4:157] And for claiming that they killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of GOD. In fact, they never killed him, they never crucified him - they were made to think that they did. All factions who are disputing in this matter are full of doubt concerning this issue. They possess no knowledge; they only conjecture. For certain, they never killed him. [4:159] Everyone among the people of the scripture was required to believe in him before his death.
Explanation of verse 4:159 by A. Th. Khoury (in: Der Koran. Arabisch-Deutsch. Übers. und wiss. Kommentar. Bd. 5 Gütersloh, 1994, S. 257f.)
4:159 (158): Everyone among the people of the scripture was required to believe in him before his death. This refers to the Jews and to Christians. The statement either refers to the death of each human being among the Jews and the Christians: before they die they will believe in Jesus, in accordance with the truth about him: He is the true messiah, sent by God (this aimed at the Jews. See above 4:157), and he is not God’s son but God’s servant (this aimed at the Christians: 4:171-172). This occurs either in the last moments of life, commanded by the Angels which receive the soul of the dying person, or after death, when it is too late.
According to another interpretation, the words “before his” refer to Jesus: Before Jesus dies, here presumably in the end times after his coming again, all Jews and Christians who are still alive will come to the right faith in him.
On the Day of Resurrection, he will be a witness against them (2:143)
The Qur’an says: “The day will come when we will raise from every community a witness from among them, (16:89; cf. 16:84). Thus Jesus will witness against the Jews who did not want to believe in him, and also against the Christians who had a wrong belief in him.
According to Islamic tradition (e.g. according to the Hadiths, but which not all Muslims consider to be reliable) Jesus will come down from Heaven into the Holy Land at the end of time. He will behave like a perfect Muslim: He will destroy the Antichrist and say the prescribed morning prayer in Jerusalem, where he positions himself behind the Imam among the faithful Muslims. He will then abolish everything which is contrary to Islamic law, kill the pig, and remove signs, things and buildings which are contrary to strict orthodox Islam (such as crosses, churches and synagogues). He will witness against the Jews and the Christians and he will kill all Christians who have not turned to Islam. Then he will reign over a completely united Kingdom where he will reign as a just king and the whole creation will have 40 years of peace. To become like the other prophets in all things he will also marry and have children. Then he will die and he will be buried in Medina next to Muhammad and the first caliphs Abu Bakr and Umar. Then the hour of judgment comes. God will sit in judgment of the world and in his almightiness decide, who will be allowed to plead for the people. Jesus will be among those such graced, because the Qur’an counts him among those who are esteemed by God in this world and in the hereafter (3:45), i.e. those who are prophets on earth and have the right to plead on the day of judgment. Furthermore, at the time of the resurrection and the judgment Jesus will witness over the people of the book (4:159). (On the Hadiths, which refer to Jesus’ coming again at the end of time, see Ibn Kathïr, Tafsïr al-Qur’an, I, P. 547-552.) As already stated, Muslims in the past and today have strongly differing views in terms of the level of credibility to be accorded to the Hadiths of Ibn Kathïr (ca. 1300-1373). The words of many of these Hadiths can be found in the popular and polemic tract by Muhammad ’Atā’ur-Rahïm and Ahmad Thomson, Jesus, Prophet of Islam. London: Ta-Ha Publishers, 1996, P. 271-278.
This page was translated by Erika Baker and Leanne Cvetan.
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