MATHETΩN

I have seen a certain bulletin plastered on churches by Mathetai so often that I think I must quote at least part of it:

… His [Jesus's] most commonly-repeated command was:

Follow me.

Follow him to where? To his Kingdom of life, through death. Here is a list of questions that ask, Am I following Jesus?

“Have you left your home, your family, and your income?”

“Are you proclaiming, or teaching about, the Kingdom? Are you healing? Are you everywhere doing good?”

“Have you been, or are you soon to be, houseless or arrested?”

“Are you soon to be killed?”

(Once, attached to some Youth Camp caravan, I saw the list limited to the last two questions — but added to them, I think, toothlessness and jailtime — concluded with something flippant such as: “If not, you aren’t doing it right.”)

Paul was a middle-upper-class Hebrew — educated, of affluent and influential stock — writing to middle-upper-class Hellenes — educated and very affluent and influential. The Assemblings he fathered were in a few Hellenistic metropoles in Turkey and thereabout, of course, and were composed of statesmen, merchants, ex-clergy, and so on. He writes just as one would expect, then. He attempts to introduce Corinth to some of the better Hebrew mores, but with a liberal spirit. Indeed, he is always liberal toward the Hellenic culture — he writes as a sort of respectful, amiable diplomat.

I suppose what I want to say is that: Jesus contended with the powerful clergy, and so did Paul (per the Acts); but Jesus passed his time with the outcast, while we have no such record of Paul. (And Jesus eventually clashed with the civil powers — which we know Paul did as well, when he volunteered to enter the den of Caesar, but of his showdown we have no record.)

If instead of writing parentheticals to genteel houseslaves, Paul had written a whole epistle to the Empire’s slave-prostitutes, what would he have written?

“Copy me as I copy the Christ” seems the only answer we can read in him. “You have but one Teacher,” said Jesus.

[The WITNESSES assembled.]

[Entered the BRIDE and GROOM, robed in white, to stand before them; behind whom was a small, white-clad table holding white flowers, the wedding certificate, bread, and wine.]

[Said the GROOM (paraphrased):]

We welcome you to our wedding. Christian witnesses are a most-important function of holy Christian sacrament; and a holy Christian sacrament we believe a wedding to be. As baptism is a confession before witnesses of Jesus’s Spirit’s washing a Follower from sin, and as communion is a confession before witnesses of Jesus’s Spirit’s abiding in a Follower until He comes again, so wedding is a confession of Jesus’s Spirit’s already having drawn together forever two Followers’ hearts. Some of you will have additional roles; we thank all of you for attending.

[They sat down among the WITNESSES. WITNESS A offered a brief benediction (the words of which were not recorded).]

[WITNESS B read the following psalm, chosen and arranged by the GROOM:]

And upon his right hand did stand the queen, in gold of Ophir.

Hearken, O daughter, and consider and incline your ear: Forget your own people and your parents’ house: so will the King greatly desire your beauty — for he is your Lord — and worship you him.

And the daughters of Tyre will be there with a gift; the rich among the people will ask your favor. A king’s daughter is all glorious within. Your clothing is of wrought gold. You will be brought to the King in raiment of needlework. With gladness and rejoicing will you and the virgins your companions be brought; and you will enter the King’s palace.

And in the stead of your father and grandfathers will be — your children: You may make them princes of all the earth.

I will make your name to be remembered in all generations. The people will praise you forever and ever. My heart indites this good matter; for a tongue I have the pen of a ready writer.

[The BRIDE and GROOM resumed the fore. They faced the WITNESSES for a short time, and then faced each other.

[The GROOM took both the BRIDE'S hands, and recited this vow:]

In the name of God who is love, I, Porter Daniel Martin Doran, take thee to my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness in health, to love, cherish, and serve thee until death us do part, according to God’s holy sacrament; and thereto I give thee myself your friend, your brother, your spouse.

[He placed a ring on the BRIDE'S finger and kissed her lips.]

[The BRIDE took both the GROOM'S hands, and recited this vow:]

In the name of God our Father above, I, Bonnie Jean MacDonald, take you to be my husband, for as long as we both shall live, to hold your heart in mine no matter what may come ahead, to love you with an undying love; and I give myself to be your wife, lover, friend, and companion.

[She placed a ring on the GROOM'S finger and kissed his lips.]

[The BRIDE and GROOM turned to face the table and, holding hands, kneeled and prayed:]

[The Lord's Prayer; followed by a vow and thanks to God, the record of which has been temporarily lost.]

[The BRIDE and GROOM rose and turned to face the WITNESSES, still holding hands. Said the BRIDE:]

“What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” Will you witnesses do all in your power to uphold this marriage?

[Said the WITNESSES:]

We will.

[The BRIDE and GROOM turned to the table. Together they lifted the bread, a hand of each on the round. The BRIDE tore a piece from the round and placed it in the GROOM'S mouth, while reciting:]

This is Jesus’s body, which was broken for you; this do in remembrance of him.

[The GROOM did the same to her.]

[The BRIDE and GROOM returned the bread, and together they lifted the wine goblet, a hand of each on the stem, and lifted it to the GROOM'S lips, as the BRIDE recited:]

This cup is the new testament in Jesus’s blood; this do ye in remembrance of him.

[They did the same to the BRIDE.]

[ALL then sang a hymn, chosen by the BRIDE:]

Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.

Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love.

Take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee.

Take my voice and let me sing
always, only for my King.

Take my love, my Lord: I pour
at thy feet its treasure store.

Take myself and I will be
ever, only, all for thee.

[The BRIDE and GROOM exeunted, and the WITNESSES signed the wedding certificate.]

( 1 ) And as they journeyed along the way, a man said to him: I will follow you wherever you go. And Jesus said to him: Foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the son of man has no place to lay his head. ( 2 ) And he said to another: Follow me. But the man said: Give me leave first to go and bury my father. But he said to him: Leave the dead to bury their own dead, but you go and announce the Kingdom of God. ( 3 ) And another man said: I will follow you, Lord; but first allow me to take leave of the people in my house. But Jesus said to him: No one who has put his hand to the plow and then looked back is fit for the Kingdom of God.

I just finished studying Francis of Assisi’s first Rule (he rewrote the Rule years later for confirmation by papal bull) and taking notes, and I think I will sum my interpretation of it:

I. Live the whole gospel of Jesus Christ in its most obvious and simple way, all His teaching, all His footsteps. First, sell your property and give all you possess to the poor. Seek out the conversation of the poor, despised, sick, and beggars and show joy in it. Judge none, but judge your own self severely. Observe the Golden Rule toward everyone; love one another, in works and then words, which is Christ’s Commandment; resist no evil fate but accept violence, even from nature, and expect martyrdom. Never become depressed, never complain, but show forth joy, contentment in the Lord, and merriment. Show chivalry and courtesy.

II. Revere all churches, ordinances, and clerics. Study the gospel and pray in a regular pattern daily; seek repentance in a regular pattern daily; fast regularly and during holy seasons. Yet if it become necessary, to further the work of the Kingdom, fasts or any other constraints may be abandoned. Expel a brother or sister who is proved a heretic. Among unbelievers, or in the countries of unbelievers, do not contend but only freely confess you are a Christian. Then, when there is opportunity, explain the gospel of Christ to who will listen. When God is blasphemed, respond with a word of praise of God. Any may preach, but none may call himself a preacher, make of it a career, or preach in an aggrandizing way. Confess sins and faults to one another. Confess all sins before taking the bread and wine.

III. Wear poor clothes and have very few. Neither own nor use private transportation. Own nothing but food and clothing and perhaps the tools of your trade. Work at an honest, preferably manual, trade you knew before you were converted to support your own needs. Do not become a businessman or a manager; do not take a morally-ambiguous job; do not take a job for the money. Do not borrow, save, or invest money. If you discover money or a money-making opportunity, let it lie as though it were nothing but a stone. Ask boldly for donations for the poor, or for your work or yourself if necessary; remember that insults are a shame only for the insulter; remember that every person’s wealth will perish except the wealth of charity. Never claim a space as home, and always welcome any who comes, even if he is a thief. Never be idle, but always be doing a job, your good work, or your devotions. Travel everywhere doing good work; lodge in pious households as you come to them; accept attacks on the way and give to any who asks. Yet, if you become ill, you may instead seek care from your brothers and sisters, and these constraints may be abandoned. Do not let illness make you morose or angry, but learn from it as from the chastisement of a Father.

IV. Do not ogle the opposite sex and do not dally with them alone. Offer them spiritual counsel and encouragement. Expel immediately a brother or sister who is proved a fornicator; afterward, urge him or her to repent.

V. Establish servants who will arrange the brothers and sisters throughout the country to best effect and others who will visit them often with admonishment and comforting. Remember that such servants are not masters but slaves, for the first shall be last. Never shall any among you be called Prior. Let all watch the servants carefully for any wrongdoing, and, after three private admonishments, let nothing prevent you from reporting them. Also, let all watch each other, and admonish wrongdoing three times, and then report it openly. Yet let no such discovery make you angry or sad but at peace with God and apter to judge yourself. All shall obey all. No one who does any conscious sin is being obedient; no one who follows the gospel is being disobedient; and no one shall obey against his soul. All shall hold all in reverence. No one shall argue, be angry, or accuse others, but shall be silent or offer a humble, ready answer. Everyone in the country shall meet yearly, and everyone in the world shall meet tri-yearly. Wash one another’s feet.

VI. [Francis offers a very short benediction and sermon that a brother or sister may use anytime in any company.]

VII. [Francis concludes with a long and beautiful summation of the gospel of Christ, admonishment for the brothers and sisters' souls, and praise of God.]

John observed wryly in a comment upon an earlier entry that George Fox was not always well-received. Here are some of his manners as I’ve found them described in the very early reports.

“[He would] fix his eyes earnestly on such strangers as came into his company, a good while together, as though he would look them through. If anyone please to look on him steadfastly again, it is his manner … to outstare them. His followers say he can outlook any man, and that he does it to know what is in them … . …

“It is another of his customs to talk and hold them awhile by the hand, and it is confidently reported that … though some of them before their coming to him did exceedingly disaffect both him and his [teachings] even to hatred, and though they stayed but a while with him … yet so strangely have they been wrought upon and altered that they have been all on the sudden earnest, fierce … both for it and him.”

One of Mr. Fox’s favorite openings was to ask a person whether he were a sinner. Although the church taught that the infant baptism and holy communion vouchsafed by the state-appointed priests purified Englishmen, relieving them of fear of hellfire, still many an honest person would reply that he was a sinner and add that no man cannot be. To this Mr. Fox would rattle off several scriptures: “As He is, so are we in this present world,” “The saints are made the righteousness of God,” “The saints are one in the Father and the Son,” and that all teaching must be given to bring the saints “to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”.

If his subject protested that the communion cup washed away his sin, Mr. Fox would call him “a sot” — a drunkard — and ask him whether a shot of wine would not rather add to than erase his evil deeds?

The story is told of an elderly Friend who had gotten the knack of some of Mr. Fox’s repartee. A man in search of a priest’s funeral procession asked her whether she had seen a coffin pass that way. She replied, “I saw a company of heathen go to bury a dead dog.”

He continually called those around him, even his enemies and jailers, “dear heart” and “friend”.

When questioned, Mr. Fox was patient, and peppered his replies with “If God should keep me in the same mind as now,” “As far as I am grown up in the Word now,” and other humble sayings.

And Thomas Lawson priest of Rampside Chapel hearing that G.F. had been at Auldenham steeplehouse, the first day aforesaid in the morning said to his congregation when their forenoon sermon was ended that he was credibly informed that G.F. purposed to be at their Chapel the afternoon unto whom he purposed to resign his place; the said Thomas Lawson went a mile to meet the said G.F. and conducted him to his chapel at Rampside aforesaid and offered him his pulpit to preach in, which the said G.F. refused, but stood upon a form, and livingly declared and held forth the way of salvation to the people for about three hours’ space; and when he came forth into the yard, some of the people would have laid violent hands upon him, but the said Thos. Lawson forbade them, saying he was greatly satisfied with G.F.’s preaching; and said if our worship and doctrine cannot be maintained without fear and violence, ’tis time to leave it. So the people were quieted and an old woman aged 80 years said she never heard such good doctrine out of any black coat all the days of her life. And the said Thos. Lawson soon after laid down his public ministry, being satisfied that the call of man made not a minister of Christ.

* * *

G.F. after he had preached the Gospel at Ulverston steeplehouse as aforesaid at which time he was only haled out the second time when he came upon a lecture day, one John Sawrey, then called a justice of peace, called to the officers and rude multitude to have him out, and after they had pulled him out into the yard the said Jo. Sawrey cried “away with him,” whereupon the rude multitude fell upon him, and beat him with forks and staffs and threw stones at him, thrusting, pulling and pushing him till they had haled him to the common or moss side and then they knocked him down with clubs and staffs. But the said G.F. soon got up again and held forth his hands to the people exhorting them to more sobriety and one of the rude multitude struck him over the back of the hand with a long cut staff and wounded and bruised him so sorely that his fingers felt as if they were broken, and his arms and other parts of his body remained black with the blows, knocks and bruises for many days after. And several other Friends that were with G.F. and accompanied him were beaten also. And Thos. Salthouse had his head broken and one William Pool’s head was broken; and James Lancaster’s coat was pulled off his back and torn in pieces; and several other Friends were beaten and bruised at the same time. And in their fury and madness they threw Judge Fell’s only son George Fell into the water, who only stood by the Friends that were so abused. And when some Friends would have had G.F. to have gone away to Swarthmoor on the back side of the town aforesaid, the said G.F. refused to do, but came back again through the town and market then held. And when the rude multitude saw him, they cried, “A fox, a fox,” and began to be rude again; but there was a soldier, one Leonard Pearson, who having seen or heard these former barbarous usages of him, drew his sword and said “let me see whether any dog in the market dare catch this Fox,” whereupon G.F. passed quietly through the market, none daring then to lay violent hands on him, and so he went up to Swarthmoor.

* * *

And sometime after, G.F., with James Nayler, went to the Island of Walney to preach the Gospel. And then James Lancaster fetched them out in a boat, and they had no sooner landed upon the island but the inhabitants came with clubs and staffs of purpose to have destroyed G.F., and fell upon him and knocked him down. And the said James Lancaster, seeing their cruelty and wicked intentions, lay along upon G.F. to save him from their blows, crying out bitterly, “What, will you kill this good man that came in love to your souls?” And they pushed at him with pitchforks and poles and the women threw stones at him when they could find or spy a place bare to hit him and miss the aforesaid Ja. Lancaster that lay upon him to defend him from their blows and stones. And at last they pulled James Lancaster by the leg to get him off him, and so sprained one of his thighs in pulling of him, as he felt the strain and hurts thereof a long time after. And then the said James Lancaster desired to let them go with their lives, and they should take all he had amongst them. And then G.F. got up, and they thrust him towards the sea with intent to have drowned him. And the boat which brought them over, being near, James Lancaster put G.F. into it and then threw it off into the water and they took up a fishing pole of the said James Lancaster about 6 or 7 yards long, and struck again at G.F. but missed him. And when they were got out of the reach of the pole, they again threw stones at them; and the said James Lancaster stood up betwixt G.F. and them to defend him from the stones, and some of the stones lit on James Lancaster’s cheek and made it bleed; and then they rowed off by the seaside to seek for James Nayler, who had walked off into the island whilst they were beating G.F. as aforesaid, being unknown to them. But they after perceiving he was a Quaker also, they hunted him out, and fell upon him, and with clubs and staffs beat him sorely also.

I’ve discovered an ecumenical order of Franciscans, but it is disappointing in a variety of ways.

I must have a new motto. “Credo in veritatem, amorem, pulchritudinem …” — these are my sensibilities of five to ten years ago. Since then my mind and heart have undergone a sea-change.

The motto of the Mathetai I think shall be: “μιμηται μου γινεσθε καθως καγω χριστου.” But mine, while also, I hope, in Greek and also of similar sentiment, should be mine only.

What shall it be?

i.9ff         The “good work” begun in the Followers by Jesus (.6) includes these:

• Their love abounding more and more in knowledge and in judgment [discernment]
• Their approving things that are excellent
• Their being sincere and without offense
• Their being filled with the fruits [results, work] of righteousness

i.15ff; ii.14; ii.20f; iii.18f         In Paul’s day:

• some envied him and strove with him, preaching Jesus to gain some advantage over or otherwise contend with him
• Assemblings murmured and disputed internally (or were in danger of doing so)
• “all men” looked out for only their own [safety or comfort or gain]
• many preached a Goodnews that (much like the Americanist gospel):
• made God over into their desires [their “belly”]
• made things they should be ashamed of (human failings or ambitions) into their pride [“glory”]
• took into account [“minded”] the things of this earth (perhaps fame or perhaps the things of “normal life”)

i.28         Those who oppose the Followers consider their courage to be a sign that they are certainly damned or hopeless [an “evident token of perdition”]—but to the Followers their courage should be a sign that God is saving them.

ii.12         “My loved ones, since you have always obeyed [Jesus, to whom every knee must bow (prev. p.)] not only in my presence but also, now [that I am imprisoned], much more in my absence—work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” We must ourselves work out [figure out with work, or work to make happen] how to be saved—from “this untoward generation” (as Peter Envoy put it), from sin, from our own selves—while we are full of fear and of trembling (of being on our own, of reverence toward God, of fear of failing at it). Yes, we must do this in 2007 in America—we must ourselves work out how to be saved to see the day of Jesus (i.6, &c.—i.e., the day when Jesus begins to rule the world as his Kingdom).

ii.26         Love is visceral.

iii.2f         Paul can be clever with words and rather rude: The Jews (and Judaizers) are not, as they claim, the circumcision (“the cut-arounders”) but the “concision” (“the cut-offers”). We Followers are the circumcision, having hearts cut-around (perhaps cut open) as an evident vow to God; the churchmen are merely cutting off hearts from Jesus.

iii.10ff         Paul desires “by any means” to attain Jesus’s resurrection from the dead—and so he “follows after” Jesus: first, he suffers as Jesus suffered, then, he will die as Jesus died—so that, last, he can follow Jesus into resurrection and Kingdom. (More word-cleverness, this time beautiful: “So I may apprehend that for which I am apprehended by Jesus.” Jesus is the caller; Jesus is the chooser and saver.)

iii.17         Where are Walkers today for me to take as examples? Besides the glimpses of Walkers in scriptures, and in history here and there, I cannot see any.

“Mark [observe] them which walk”—and yet all are to walk (.16, &c.), even the Assemblings at Philippi who evidently comprised the stable and well-off. The Works of the Envoys speaks again and again of “the Way” in which all who believed the Goodnews walk—it is a way of life (and death). Yet the Walkers are more than this—they walk through the world defending and confirming the gospel (i.7) and establishing Assemblings, and other things. Many walk falsely (.18); some were Envoys—for Paul was a Walker—yet even such high men as Envoys are to be our very own examples.

“What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—do” (iv.9). We see Paul a little in The Works. Where are Walkers today to see and take as examples?

iv.3         The stable and well-off Followers in Philippi are told to provide for the women and Clement who had been working with Paul. Cf. Jesus’s teaching that some are Followers while some, caring for Followers, claim a Follower’s reward (a bad paraphrase).

iv.6         “Do not worry about anything, but whatever your situation pray thank-yous to God and request of him anything you need.” Cf. the “Sermon on the Mount”.

iv.10ff         Paul is glad the stable and well-off Followers at Philippi are providing goods and care for him—not because he needs it, for he can starve or “abound” or die or live with equal contentment, but—for their sakes, to whom Jesus will account it fruit of them (of Him in them).