Bogoslovska smotra, Vol. 87 No. 2, 2017.
Izvorni znanstveni članak
The First Love and Deeds of the First Christians. The Interpretation and Enduring Relevance of the Letter to the Church in Ephesus (Rev 2:1-7)
Stipo Kljajić
orcid.org/0000-0002-5455-3191
; Franjevačka teologija – visokoškolska ustanova Franjevačke provincije Bosne Srebrne, Sarajevo, Bosna i Hercegovina
Sažetak
The last book of the New Testament canon – the Book of Revelation – has also been called the Book of signs, symbols, mysteries, since it, unlike any other book of the Bible, abounds in mysterious places that still defy and challenge not only populistic but also scientific approach. Although the research in the last decade of the second millenniumstrongly focused its attention on the Letters to the Seven Churches contained in Rev 2 – 3, many issues have still remained open. One of them undoubtedly concerns the Letter to the Church in Ephesus (Rev 2:1-7), in particular the meaning of the term first love and first deeds, which is the main topic explored in this article. Since the Letter to the Church in Ephesus is part of a broader textual whole, traditionally called the Letters to the Seven Churches, the first part of this paper provides a systematic outline of the main features of the Letters, expounding on their literary and historical context, including their specific writing form and structure. Exegetical analysis of the first Letter addressed to the most important church in Asia Minor at the time, indicates that this church, despite its determined efforts to fend off external (persecution) and internal adversaries (fake apostles or Nicolaitans) – ultimately garnering high praise from »one like a Son of Man« – abandoned one crucial matter: its first love and its first deeds. Contrary to what some Biblical scholars may hold, the first love and first deeds do not imply dampening of initial enthusiasm or disheartened witnessing for God among the second and third generations of Christians in Ephesus, but rather a real risk of the meaning of Christian life being reduced to a mere fight, whereby the fight against evil becomes more important than doing good, or in other words, the risk of investing all powers in the fight against conformism and syncretism, against acquiescing to the world, while letting love be replaced by doctrinal purity and loyalty. Ephesian Christians failed to avert the risk – which remains the lasting challenge for Christians of all times – of letting the zealousness for God and orthodoxy supplant fundamental trust and love. For this reason, Christ’s admonition over the abandonment of the first love, and the commandment to repent and to do the first deeds, accompanied by a stark warning on the loss of the privileged place, should be taken quite seriously.
Ključne riječi
the Letters to the Seven Churches; the Letter to the Church in Ephesus; first love; first deeds; Nicolaitans; zealousness
Hrčak ID:
184995
URI
Datum izdavanja:
20.7.2017.
Posjeta: 1.651 *