Today is brought to you… by the number eight
In Greek 8= η (Eta)
In Hebrew 8= ח (Het)
8 = 7+1
ie. 8 is beginning again (as in the musical scale)
a new beginning
the eighth day is the beginning of a new week
The ark has 8 people saved through the water (2 Peter 2:5)
The Jewish male is circumcised on the eighth day
The Hebrew word for eight שְׁמוֹנֶה (Sh’moneh) is from a root meaning to make or to cover with fat – it is about superabundance.
In John, the Risen Jesus appears on the “eighth day” in John 20:26ff (poorly translated in NRSV, NIV, etc)
The Day of Pentecost is the eighth Sunday of the Easter Season.
It has been suggested that the English expression “Whitsunday” derives from the French huit (eight), Pentecost being le huitième dimanche, the eighth Sunday of Easter.
Octagonal (eight-sided) fonts are no accident. They occur from at least early in the fourth century and form one of the most common shapes for fonts and baptistries in Europe. This is not known in North Africa or the East. Octagonal fonts interpret baptism as resurrection with Christ, and new life in Christ (cf Rom 6:4b,9-11; Col 3:1)
I love it! There’s nothing like liturgical Sesame Street for liturgy geeks. I shared this on Facebook.
Ivy
beginning again…. i like it.
Off topic –
Father Bosco, I encountered this post at The Lead. Good news indeed for the folks in your church.
But my question is this, I found this description of your church in that post, “The ‘constitutionally autonomous’ Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia is a loose confederation of the three churches so named, each area having its own minimal canonical structure.” That is not what I have felt or understood that your church was. Is that a good definition of the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia?
David, from previous posts you will be aware that I think NZ’s communications can be improved – I have received nothing yet about this from our own news sources. The description is also in error about the location of Te Manawa o Te Wheke – this is more central North Island. East Coast is Te Tairawhiti. I also think the description of us being “a loose confederation of the three churches” is an expression I would be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. So I wonder who the Lead’s source is? Our General Synod meets soon, and for discussion purposes on the proposed Anglican Covenant will meet separately in three houses (lay, clergy, bishops – all tikanga together) and then in three tikanga – all houses together. Mostly they will meet in one group. All bishops from each tikanga were present at +Ross Bay (Auckland) ordination to the episcopate and there was recognition of each cultural stream at that service. Just a couple of examples. There may be issues and points of discussion about our tikanga structure – but I’m not sure that I would start from the statement you ask about.