28/07/2018
Did you know..
The Phoenix is a real bird that lives for 500 years at a time!
According to one of the early church fathers:
Clement of Rome, First Epistle
The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
25:1-28:1 (Apocryphal New Testament)
"Let us consider the wonderful sign that happeneth in the region of the east, even about Arabia.
There is a bird which is called the phoenix. This, being the only one of its kind, liveth for five hundred years. And when the time of its death draweth near, it maketh for itself a nest of frankincense and myrrh and the other perfumes, into which, when its time is fulfilled, it entereth, and then dieth.
But as its flesh rotteth, a certain worm is produced, which being nourished by the moisture of the dead animal, putteth forth feathers. Then, when it hath become strong, it taketh the nest wherein are the bones of its ancestor, and bearing them, it flieth from the region of Arabia to that of Egypt, to the city which is called Heliopolis;
there, in day-time, in the sight of all, it flieth up, and placeth them upon the altar of the sun, and having done so, returneth back.
The priests, therefore, look into the registers of the times, and find that it has come at the completion of the five-hundredth year.
Shall we then think it great and wonderful, if the Maker of all things shall make a resurrection of those who, in the confidence of a good faith, have piously seized him, when even by means of a bird he showeth the greatness of his promises?
For he saith in a certain place, And thou shalt raise me up, and I will give thanks unto thee; and again: I slumbered and slept; I arose up because thou art with me.
And again Job saith, Thou shalt raise up this my flesh, which hath suffered all these things.
In this hope, therefore, let our souls be bound unto him who is faithful in his promises and just in his judgments.
He who hath commanded men not to lie, much more shall he not lie; for nothing is impossible with God, except to lie.
Let our faith, therefore, in him be kindled afresh within us, and let us consider that all things are near unto him.
By the word of his majesty did he constitute all things, and by a word he is able to destroy them.
Who shall say unto him, What hast thou done? or who shall resist the might of his strength? He will do all things when he willeth and as he willeth, and none of the things decreed by him shall pass away.
All things are before him, and nothing hath escaped his counsel:
seeing that the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth the work of his hands: day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night proclaimeth knowledge; and there is no speech nor language where their voices are not heard.
Since, therefore, all things are seen and heard of him, let us fear him and abandon the filthy desires for evil deeds, that we may be sheltered by his mercy from the judgments to come."
*Clement is an early church father who was appointed bishop of the church of Messiah in Rome by Peter. Contrary to Catholic claims, Clement was not a pope! For the first 280 years of Christian history, Christianity was banned by the Roman Empire, and Christians were persecuted terribly. This changed after the “conversion” of the Roman Emperor Constantine. Constantine provided religious toleration with the Edict of Milan in AD 313, effectively lifting the ban on Christianity. Later, in AD 325, Constantine called the Council of Nicea in an attempt to unify Christianity. Constantine envisioned Christianity as a religion that could unite the Roman Empire, which at that time was beginning to fragment and divide. While this may have seemed to be a positive development for the Christian church, the results were anything but positive. Just as Constantine refused to fully embrace the Christian faith, but continued many of his pagan beliefs and practices, so the Christian church that Constantine promoted was a mixture of true Christianity and Roman paganism. Origen of Alexandria (AD 185—284) and Eusebius of Caesarea (AD 260—340) maintain that Clement of Rome was the same Clement mentioned by the apostle Paul in Philippians 4:3. Irenaeus of Lyons (AD 130—200) informs us that "this man [Clement of Rome], had seen the blessed apostles, and had been conversant with them, and might be said to have the preaching of the apostles still echoing [in his ears], and their traditions before his eyes".
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