Veiled prophecy of Christ on the cross is found in Samson who went down to a prostitute in a certain town but Christ went down to prostitutes in His openness to their repenting. The Gazites sought to ambush Samson in that town just as Christ was ultimately ambushed. Here follows both a symbol of the cross and a symbol of Christ being the gateway to Heaven simultaneously found in Samson's midnight actions in Judges 16:3: " le Now Samson lay until midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the city gate and the two posts and pulled them up along with the bars; then he put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the mountain which is opposite Hebron." There he is....cross and gate to heaven simultaneously set against the heavens which is his background since he is at the mountain top.
ps...remember what Simeon said to Mary...." this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel". Right after the gate cross symbol, the tale stops abruptly and next Samson meets Delilah who leads to his blindness and capture...and to his being between two columns that hold up the roof on which there are many Phillistines. The two columns had to be very close to Samson because by pushing them outward simultaneously, Samson is in the shape of a cross...the roof caves in....and many Phillistines are killed. Back to Simeon...." this child is destined for the fall....of many".
Augustine saw Samson as Christ in defeating the lion and then finding honey in its mouth on the return trip...symbolizing Christ conquering the bad values of the Roman empire with it eventually producing the honey of Rome helping Christianity. So he keyed me into looking closer at Samson since I tended to memorize a lot of scripture. You'll enjoy Augustine's take on the ark's measurements. 300 cubits by 60 cubits wide by 30 cubits high. Augustine simply noticed quickly...these are the proportions of a slender man's body....so that the ark was never the fat artist depiction of the children's books. The ark was more like the shape of a thin man's coffin. And he noted, it had a hole in its side as did Adam as Eve was removed and as Christ did on the cross....Adam, Noah's ark and Christ were all one....or rather the first two foretold Christ in veiled ways....each with a hole in their side. On Samson...remember when Christ says that no one takes His life but that He lays it down and takes it up again. No one took Samson's life...he laid it down and then Augustine and Aquinas were at pains to deal with the suicide involved with Augustine saying that there and in Abraham almost sacrificing Isaac and in Osee taking a harlot as wife....we are to think that they had special inspiration to make those choices blamelessly which I'dd add were similar to the hetem wars against the Canaanites which if don't without inspiration by an ordinary army would be the sin of genocide. Hence not even Israel attempts such in modern times.
. A big reply just vanished but suffice it to say that Augustine put me on to the Samson as Christ idea because he noted how Samson defeating the lion and then finding honey in its mouth on his return trip was prophetic of Christ defeating the bad values of Rome and later Rome...the lion...helping Christianity instead of hurting it...thus the honey.
Please comment with charity and avoid ad hominem attacks. I exercise the right to delete comments I find inappropriate. If you use your real name there is a better chance your comment will stay put.
Beautiful. This week I'm going on a retreat. I pray for you. A big hug
ReplyDeleteA blessed Holy Week to you and your family dear Angelo!
DeleteVeiled prophecy of Christ on the cross is found in Samson who went down to a prostitute in a certain town but Christ went down to prostitutes in His openness to their repenting. The Gazites sought to ambush Samson in that town just as Christ was ultimately ambushed. Here follows both a symbol of the cross and a symbol of Christ being the gateway to Heaven simultaneously found in Samson's midnight actions in Judges
ReplyDelete16:3:
" le
Now Samson lay until midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the city gate and the two posts and pulled them up along with the bars; then he put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the mountain which is opposite Hebron."
There he is....cross and gate to heaven simultaneously set against the heavens which is his background since he is at the mountain top.
ps...remember what Simeon said to Mary...." this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel".
ReplyDeleteRight after the gate cross symbol, the tale stops abruptly and next Samson meets Delilah who leads to his blindness and capture...and to his being between two columns that hold up the roof on which there are many Phillistines. The two columns had to be very close to Samson because by pushing them outward simultaneously, Samson is in the shape of a cross...the roof caves in....and many Phillistines are killed.
Back to Simeon...." this child is destined for the fall....of many".
Thanks very much Bill - this is a wonderful insight on how Samson prefigured Christ - I don't remember having heard that before.
DeleteAugustine saw Samson as Christ in defeating the lion and then finding honey in its mouth on the return trip...symbolizing Christ conquering the bad values of the Roman empire with it eventually producing the honey of Rome helping Christianity. So he keyed me into looking closer at Samson since I tended to memorize a lot of scripture. You'll enjoy Augustine's take on the ark's measurements. 300 cubits by 60 cubits wide by 30 cubits high. Augustine simply noticed quickly...these are the proportions of a slender man's body....so that the ark was never the fat artist depiction of the children's books. The ark was more like the shape of a thin man's coffin.
DeleteAnd he noted, it had a hole in its side as did Adam as Eve was removed and as Christ did on the
cross....Adam, Noah's ark and Christ were all one....or rather the first two foretold Christ in veiled ways....each with a hole in their side.
On Samson...remember when Christ says that no one takes His life but that He lays it down and takes it up again. No one took Samson's life...he laid it down and then Augustine and Aquinas were at pains to deal with the suicide involved with Augustine saying that there and in Abraham almost sacrificing Isaac and in Osee taking a harlot as wife....we are to think that they had special inspiration to make those choices blamelessly which I'dd add were similar to the hetem wars against the Canaanites which if don't without inspiration by an ordinary army would be the sin of genocide. Hence not even Israel attempts such in modern times.
herem...not hetem.
Delete. A big reply just vanished but suffice it to say that Augustine put me on to the Samson as Christ idea because he noted how Samson defeating the lion and then finding honey in its mouth on his return trip was prophetic of Christ defeating the bad values of Rome and later Rome...the lion...helping Christianity instead of hurting it...thus the honey.
DeleteNow...all the posts have returned.
DeleteSo few words, so simple, and so full of truth.
ReplyDelete