Park Rangers carried the Mendi Bible for the swearing-in ceremony. (Globe Staff Photo / David L. Ryan)
In July of 1839 a group of Africans took control of a Spanish slave ship off the coast of Long Island New York. La Amistad (Spanish for friendship) was captured by the USS Washington and brought to port. The Africans, on their way to Cuba to be sold into slavery, were held in prison as no one was quite sure what to do with them.
Their case went to court in Connecticut where competing interests held that the Africans were property and thus should be given to the rightful owners, the Government of Spain. The Captain of the ship held that they belonged to him because he had not been paid for the voyage and wanted to seize the “cargo” as payment and the crew of the USS Washington believed they belong to them as bounty off of a salvaged ship.
In 1841 the case made its way to the United States Supreme Court and Former President John Quincy Adams, serving in Congress at the time, was asked to argue the case. The court agreed with Adams, a staunch abolitionist, and ruled that the Africans were indeed being held as slaves and were set free.
The Mendi, in honor of their being set free, gave Adams a Bible, now called the Mendi Bible that sits on the table in the Stone Library at the Old House at the Adams National Historic Park in Quincy.
Along with the Bible was a letter of thanks addressed to Adams:
We are about to go home to Africa. We go to Sierra Leone first, and then we reach Mendi very quick. When we get to Mendi we will tell the people of your great kindness. Good missionary will go with us. We shall take the Bible with us. It has been a precious book in prison, and we love to read it now we are free! Mr. Adams, we want to make you a present of a beautiful Bible! Will you please to accept it, and when you look at it or read it, remember your poor and grateful clients?…
For the Mendi people. CINQUE, KINNA, KALE.
Boston, Nov. 6, 1841
Since the Bible was placed in the Library it has only left three times. It was stolen in 1996 and recovered by the FBI in New Hampshire in 1997. And it was used twice by Governor Deval Patrick for his inauguration.
Early in June I posted an essay about visiting local sites and listed some of the sites that I was going to try and visit this summer. A couple of them were not so local but I am traveling this summer so I added some out of state sites to the list.
On Friday, July 4, 2014 I visited the Adams National Historic Site in Quincy Massachusetts. The Site comprises the Birth Places of John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams and the Old House, also known as Peacefield. Not part of the National Park Service property but well worth a visit is the United First Parish Church (The Church of the Presidents) in the center of Quincy Square that hold the final resting place of John and Abigail Adams as well and John Quincy and his wife Louisa Catherine Adams.
The tour beings at the Visitors Center on Hancock Street where tickets for the tour can be purchased and books and other mementoes of the visit can be purchased. There is a 30 minute movie, narrated by Laura Linney and Paul Giamati that is well worth the time to view it. It is best to view it prior to boarding the bus but if you have to leave right away, make sure to leave time at the end of the tour.
John Adams Birthplace (on right) and John Quincy Adams Birthplace (on left) NPS Photo
The first stop is the birth places of both John Adams and John Quincy Adams. The houses were originally located in Braintree Massachusetts but the name of that section of Braintree was changed to Quincy (pronounced QuinZee). President John Adams was born in the house on the right in 1725. Both houses are constructed in the “salt box” style and are very simple. John Adams lived in the house until he married Abigail Smith of Weymouth. The newly married couple moved into the farm house next door that has been purchased by the former owner. The family would live in this home until John and Abigail retuned from Europe. The houses were operated by the Quincy Historical Society until the late 1970’ when they were turned over to the care of the National Park Service.
The Old House, or Peacefield to John Adams NPS Photo
The second stop is the “old house” or what John Adams called it, Peacefield. The Adams’ purchased the house while they were still living in England and planned to retire there but shortly after they moved in John Adams was elected Vice President and so they were on the move again. Adams named his new home Peacefield to remind him, and probably others, of the part the played in the Treaty of Ghent that ended the American Revolutionary War. The house changed with each generation of Adams’ that lived in the house, 4 generations, until the Adams foundation retained the home and cared for it until 1940 when the National Park Service took possession of the house.
Inside view of the Stone Library NPS Photo
On the same ground of the “”Old House” is Stone Library holding more than 14,000 books. Built by the son of John Quincy Adams in 1870 it was considered a Presidential Library until the personal papers of both Adams’ were removed. They are now in the possession of the Massachusetts Historical Society. One of the treasures in the Stone Library is the Mendi Bible given to John Quincy Adams by members of the Mendi Tribe after his successful freeing them as slaves. I am going to write more about the Mendi Bible in another essay.
John & Abigail Adams TombsUnited First Parish Church
No Adams tour is complete without a visit to the United First Parish Church of Quincy located across from City Hall on Hancock Street. This is the Church, although not that particular building, that the Adams family attended and where both Presidents and their wives are buried. Located in a crypt in the church basement are four large Quincy Granite tombs that hold the remains of the Presidents and First Ladies. Originally they were buried across the street in the Hancock Cemetery but were moved after construction of the present church. Each year on the Birthdays of the two presidents, the White House sends flowers and a ceremony is held, open to the public, and the flowers are placed on their tombs. On the tombs are American flags as they would have looked during the time of their Presidency.
Although it was raining on the day of my visit I did take a trip across the street to the Hancock Cemetery and walked through. Many Revolutionary War veterans are buried there as well as the Adams children.
I want to that the National Park Service for the care and concern they show to these national treasures and their desire to keep them open to the general public. If you find yourself in Quincy do take time to visit the Adams National Historical Site you will be pleased.
On July 4, 2014 I took the tour of the Adams National Historic Site in Quincy Massachusetts. During the tour the Rangers for the National Park service tell stories of the Adams Family and their descendants and perhaps some stories of colonial life. I noticed three terms that were common during the Colonial period that we still use today but for different reasons.
Gridiron – In the kitchens of colonial houses were large open hearths where cooking would take place all during the day. There were various pots and pans that would hang or rest on the floor of the hearth for cooking. In the hearth at the John Quincy Adams Birthplace was an iron grid with a handle and small legs on the bottom. This device is called a gridiron, for obvious reasons, and, as the Park Ranger demonstrated, if you hold it in front of your face it looks like the lines on the football field, hence the term gridiron.
Chairman of the Board – Chairs were very rare and expensive in the colonial period. Most of the time benches were provided in the home for sitting at table. The table in the John Adams Home was a simple board that was placed on a frame. Many Town meetings were held in the kitchen in the Adams home around that simple table and the person who was to lead the meeting would sit in a chair at the head of the table, hence the term Chairman of the Board.
Big Wig – Hanging on the wall in one of the rooms of the John Quincy Adams Birthplace is a painting of one of the brothers of Susana Boylston Adams, mother of President John Adams. In the painting he is wearing a rather fine suite and he has a long flowing white wig. In Colonial Days the longer the wig the more influential the man hence the term Big Wig.
It was a wonderful tour and I plan to write more about it in another essay.
To the Most Reverend Hierarchs, the Reverend Priests and Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, the Presidents and Members of the Parish Councils of the Greek Orthodox Communities, the Distinguished Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Day, Afternoon, and Church Schools, the Philoptochos Sisterhoods, the Youth, the Hellenic Organizations, and the entire Greek Orthodox Family in America.
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
On this Independence Day we offer thanksgiving and praise to God for the freedom we have as human beings created in His divine image and as citizens of a nation that values, protects and promotes freedom as essential to human life, well-being, and potential. As Orthodox Christians we know and affirm that God is the source of our freedom because He is the absolutely Free and the Creator of genuine freedom.
In view of this basic truth we can understand the importance of our cherished religious freedom in the United States of America and our support for religious freedom around the world. Religious freedom affirms the fundamental human characteristic of freedom and creates the proper conditions for worshipping God.
The emphasis on religious freedom as a gift from God also relates to the fact that we have been created for relationship – relationship with God and with each other. We are social beings, and it follows that we have been created by God to give social expression to our beliefs through our worship. As communities of faith we gather freely without fear of reprisal or persecution. We live and serve together, inviting others to hear the truth of the Gospel. In freedom we follow the tenets of our Orthodox faith, sharing truth without prohibitions or restrictions so that others might receive the blessings of grace and an abundant life in Christ.
Finally, we know that freedom, religious freedom in particular, is founded on truth and is essential to our human and communal existence because God created us with a free will. We have the freedom to believe in Him or to reject this belief. We have the freedom to accept and live in His revealed truth or to deny it. Religious freedom provides the space to search, question and discuss. We are able to seek the truth without coercion. We are not threatened by force, burdened by the threat and pain of torture, or bound by intolerant and discriminatory laws. We are truly free as intended by God to ask, to seek, to find, and to choose.
On this day we join with many throughout this nation in celebration of freedom and in honor of those who have sacrificed their lives to protect it. As our faith guides us in understanding the vital significance of freedom, we affirm religious freedom as an essential value. We offer a witness of the blessings of this freedom. We continue our tireless efforts on behalf of our beloved Ecumenical Patriarchate for religious freedom. And we recognize that this freedom is an indispensable right for every human being on earth.
May we use our freedom responsibly and strengthen our witness of the source of freedom, offering to all the truth of the Gospel and the love of Christ.
The Reverend Joseph Henry Thayer was born November 7, 1828 in Braintree Massachusetts to Joseph Thayer and Evelina Stetson Thayer. He studied at the Boston Latin School and graduated from Harvard in 1850. He went on to study theology at Harvard Divinity School and Andover Theological Seminary and was ordained a minister in the Congregational Church in 1859. That same year Rev Thayer married Martha Caldwell Davis in Boston and they had five children.
He served Churches in Quincy and Salem Massachusetts and on September 17, 1862 was commissioned chaplain with the 40th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment and reported for duty on the 23rd of September that same year. The 40th Massachusetts was sent south to Fort Ethan Allen near what is now Arlington Virginia. They were involved in several skirmishes in that area during 1862 and 1863. Chaplain Thayer resigned his commission on May 15, 1863 and returned to Massachusetts.
It was not uncommon for Chaplains to serve for a short period of time the average length of service was 18 months. There are two main reasons for this one had to do with the average age of the chaplain which was 58 and the other reasons was time away from their church. Some Churches would only grant a short leave for their minister to go off to war and then they had to resign and return. It is unclear why Thayer resigned but it might have been to take the position at Andover.
From 1864-1882 he was professor of sacred literature at Andover Seminary and was also a member of the American Bible Revision Committee and was recording secretary of the New Testament Company working on the Revised Version of Scripture. His chief work was a Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament that he devoted 25 years of his life to complete. However, shortly after his Lexicon was published Gustav Adolf Deissmann published a work based on Egyptian papyri that would revolutionize New Testament Koine Greek and thus made Thayer’s work obsolete.
In 1884 he became the Bussey Professor of New Testament criticism at Harvard Divinity School where he served until shortly before his death on November 26, 1901.
The Reverend Thayer has come under some criticism of his works and has been called, in some Evangelical circles, a Unitarian and claim that he departed from traditional orthodox Christian beliefs. There seems to be much disagreement on this.
Jean-Léon Gérôme – The Christian Martyrs’ Last Prayer
During the ordinary time of the year, each day of the week is assigned a pericope from the Epistles and Gospel. All too often we miss these passages as we go about our Sunday to Sunday Christianity and when we hear the Sunday Gospel and Epistle we have no context fir it and it is disjointed. It would be like watching a miniseries and only catching the ending. Sure we know the ending but what got us to that point is just as important.
This past Wednesday, June 25th, was the 3rd Wednesday after Pentecost and the Gospel reading was taken from St. Matthew chapter 10 verses 16-22:
The Lord said to his disciples, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.” 1
This is a challenging passage but one that has such rich meaning for us as we face, what some call the persecution of the Church here in America. Let me just state right up front that we are not being persecuted, sure we are hated, but Jesus told us we would be. Our message is counter cultural and is designed to call people to be accountable for their actions, not something that plays well in 21st century America today. We tend to carry this notion of “personal freedom” to far in the context of our faith to the point where, some churches are very hard to recognize as Christian at all.
Jesus is pointing out to those who heard Him, and for us, that our mission is not going to be easy in fact it can cost us our lives, but He is also telling us that we must keep going. Several years ago, in an address to the clergy of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese, His Eminence Archbishop Nicolae stressed the importance of mission. When the church is not feeling pressure from outside sources, and that can be monetary or because of our beliefs, we tend to slip into comfortable religiosity that takes all too lightly our commitment to God and God’s purpose for us and for His Church.
I read an article not long ago, but for the life of me cannot find now, that outlined the various churches stand on same sex marriage and whether the church would bless or marry people of the same sex in the Church. The Orthodox Church was not even mentioned in the article, I say, because we do not make enough noise. I will also add that there is a fracture of opinion on this particular issue in the Orthodox Church here in America that has yet to be resolved. I also believe that some Orthodox spend far too much time worrying about what other people are doing and how they are living their lives when they should be focused on their own lives. However, I also believe this is not the be all and end all of issues but one illustration of the silence of Orthodoxy in America.
The other interesting part of this pericope is the insistence that there is no retaliation against those who persecute us and hate us for our message. In the Liturgy of St. Basil, and I wish is was in the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, we pray for “those who love us and those who hates us.” We are to love those who do not love us back; this is what unconditional love is all about, loving without condition. Some of my Orthodox brothers and sisters, in my opinion again based on what I have read; do not love those who do not love us back. Is this difficult, yes it is, but it is not optional! Sometimes I feel that we are persecuting the people rather than loving them simply because they do not agree with us. I believe this is the arrogance of some Orthodox that we are right and the rest of the world is wrong, that brings many to this conclusion. Calling people heretics is not a statement of love.
But Jesus gives us hope and He will never abandon us, we might abandon Him, but He will NEVER abandon us. He tells us that, “Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.”
We can never give up on mission. We can never let our voice be silenced not matter what “they” do to us. As long as we have breath in our lungs we can proclaim the Gospel in truth and in love, especially that last part, love. They will hate us but we have to love them in return and Jesus will guide us and give us the words that we need to speak to their hearts but if we do not love them they will never hear us.
1. The English Gospel text used is based on the Revised Standard Version from “The Holy and Sacred Gospel” by Holy Cross Press, Brookline, MA.
So here it is another anniversary of the day of my birth. As a child these days used to be very important but as I get older, and they seem to come faster, they are just reminders of advancing age but, all is not lost.
There are several times, during the year, when people will stop and take stock of what they have accomplished either that year or in their life time. Perhaps it is the start of the New Year or, like me, your birthday. I take this time to look backwards, not to dwell on things I have accomplished, or for that matter the things I have not accomplished, but rather to set the course for the coming year. One never sets out on a journey without first knowing where they are going.
I count myself lucky if not blessed. I have my health and a wonderful loving family, two families actually my biological one and my church family. I have a vocation that I love and a new one as chaplain to hospice patients. I will write more about that latter. I have accomplished many things in my life and feel proud of where I am so I do not feel as though I would do anything different. Someone told me once to live life without regret and I try to do that. Sure I might tweak things here and there but for the most part I am content with the journey thus far.
It is interesting how birthdays change over time. As I am writing this I have to break away, every now and again, to switch over to Facebook to acknowledge the birthday greetings that pop up now and again. It is great to see greeting from Russia, Romania, Ireland, and the many other places where people on Facebook live. For all of its faults, this is one of the great parts of Facebook and I try, each day, to acknowledge people’s birthdays.
So where do we go from here? Well God is in charge and I rely on Him to guide the course of my life. I learned a long time ago that life is better when I let God be in charge and I just sit back and enjoy the ride, and oh what a ride it has been.
Thank you for all of your birthday greetings. I do read each one of them and try to respond as time allows.
Baltimore, MD (IOCC) — Rivers across the Midwest are surging over their banks, flooding cities and sweeping away summer crops as they fail to contain record summer rains that fell during the past week. Floodwaters have engulfed much of Minnesota, including Minneapolis and St. Paul, in some of worst flooding in decades. The state’s governor has declared a state of emergency as homes and businesses as well as vast stretches of farmland across 35 counties were submerged under several feet of water. In neighboring Iowa, more than 150 homes in the northwestern part of the state have been severely damaged by the fast moving waters. Jim, 64, a homeowner in the hard hit town of Rock Rapids, was caught off guard as water rushed into his basement, barely giving him time to escape.
International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) has mobilized to respond to the emergency needs of flood survivors in the region. IOCC Emergency Response Network volunteers as well as the local Orthodox Christian community sprang into action, with more than a dozen teens and adults from St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church in Minneapolis traveling to Rock Rapids to roll up their sleeves and help Jim clear out waterlogged debris from his flooded home, one of 30 submerged homes in his community.
More flooding is expected as the Mississippi River crests later today and is predicted to stay at flooding levels through the July 4th weekend. IOCC is working with local relief partners, Catholic United Response and NECHAMA Jewish Disaster Response, to continue to assess the needs of the survivors in the affected region and prepare to deploy more volunteers as needed to other hard hit areas across the two states.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
You can help the victims of disasters in the United States, like the Midwest floods, by making a financial gift to the United States Emergency Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief as well as long-term support through the provision of emergency aid, recovery assistance and other support to help those in need. To make a gift, please visit www.iocc.org, call toll-free at 1-877-803-IOCC (4622), or mail a check or money order payable to IOCC, P.O. Box 17398, Baltimore, Md. 21297-0429.
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHARITIES
IOCC is the official humanitarian aid agency of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America. Since its inception in 1992, IOCC has delivered $488 million in relief and development programs to families and communities in more than 50 countries. IOCC is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of churches and agencies engaged in development, humanitarian assistance and advocacy. To learn more about IOCC, please visit our website at www.iocc.org.
A few years ago I picked up the book Everything Must Change by noted religion writer Brian D. McLaren. I was intrigued by the title – I guess that is the point of book titles, to make you want to pick the book up – and so I started reading. McLaren writes about a journey around the world and the various places he visited but this book is more than a travel diary, for McLaren writes about the problems he encountered and the solutions being used to solve those problems. It is a new look at the Good News.
This past Sunday, Christians around the world celebrated the feast of Pentecost. This is the day that celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and others gathered in the Upper Room. This was the fulfillment of the mission of Jesus here on earth and marks the start of the Apostles’ mission to the world. I like to think of this feast in the same way as Brian McLaren was thinking of the problems he encountered: Everything must change.
Jesus mission was about change, a change in attitude and a change in the way people of faith think about their faith and their mission here on earth. Orthodox Christians say that our church has not changed in 2,000 years, and that would be true about our theology, but the way we talk and interact with the world has changed over the years. One of the issues I often hear from younger folks about church is that church is not relevant in their lives. Well, that may be true, and I think it is something we need to listen to. The message does not need to change but the way we talk about that message does.
As a person who studies the interaction of faith and society, I have been paying close attention to the work and words of Pope Francis. What I find most interesting about his mission is that he has not changed one letter of Roman Catholic teaching on issues but what he has done is shifted the conversation. He has shifted the conversation away from a strict adherence to the rule of law to a more compassionate stand. The rules have not changed – he just wants us to change the message.
The message of Jesus was simple and it was all about love – love of God and love of neighbor. We can be the best at following all of the rules. We can attend church each week or maybe more often. But if we do not follow the simple rule of loving God and loving neighbor then all of the outward religious things we do become hollow and meaningless rituals. Our faith has to form and transform our lives or it is reduced to something that we merely do. If we are not moved to compassion for the widow, the orphan, the homeless, the hungry, and the stranger among us then our faith is hollow. Everything must change, and that begins with the way we think about faith.
We live in a very complex world that has many issues that religion can, and should, play a role in helping to solve but it requires people of faith – all faiths – to work together to try and solve these problems. We need to be able to put aside what divides us and concentrate on what unites us and work together to come up with solutions to issues. Sure there are important theological issues that divide us and we need to discuss these, but right now people are suffering and I don’t really think they care about our theological differences.
What all of this requires is for people to go outside of their comfort zone and to have a fresh look and approach to issues, and that is not easy for some. We can get tunnel vision and be blinded by the complexity of the issue and become paralyzed and afraid to do anything. Jesus made the blind see and the lame walk and He gave courage to those who needed it. He will do the same for us if we are willing to take that first step.
A change took place in the Upper Room on the day of Pentecost. The Apostles and those gathered with them changed and became bold witnesses for Christ in the world. They were no longer afraid to speak and work for change. No longer were they blind to what had to be done. They took the boldness of the Holy Spirit and started work. I believe faith can be an answer to many of the problems we face today and if all people of faith could just seize the power of that Pentecost we could be that force of change that world needs.
This book came to my attention when I started following the blog of the Author John Fea. This is a topic that has intrigued me over the years and most recently with all of the talk taking place on Social Media about the fact, and I underline fact, that America was founded as a Christian Nation. If you are one who believes any discussion of America not being founded as a Christian nation is revisionist history then you might wish to stop reading at this point.
John Fea is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of History at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg Pennsylvania. He holds a PhD in History from Stony Brook University and an Master’s Degree in Church History from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and teaches courses in Colonial and Civil War History.
As an Orthodox Christian I bristle against any notion that a nation would be founded as Christian since our country is not here on earth but the Heavenly Jerusalem so the notion of a Christian Nation is foreign to Orthodoxy. And we, Orthodox, have also the bad side of when religion and the secular state and too closely involved. As an American I bristle against the idea of America being a Christian Nation due to our sacrosanct idea of separation of church and state and freedom of religion. I was interested where the author was going to take us.
It is my understanding that the book was designed to be a textbook of sorts to be used in schools as well as churches, for discussion around the topic. It is broken down into several different chapters that walk us through the development of the idea of America and the founding documents. The author did clear up many of my ideas about the religious thought of our early founders but he also left me with many questions as any good book on this topic does.
The book is broken down into three sections, Part one, “The United States as a Christian Nation: The History of an Idea.” This section explores the idea of an American nation from 1789 to the present time. Part two, “Was the American Revolution a Christian Event?” This section backs the story up a little and sets the stage for the Revolution. This section spends time on the sermons that were preached and also looks closely at the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Part Three, and in my mind the most valuable part of the book, focuses on the “Religious Beliefs of the Founders.” I say most valuable because I don’t think any discussion about Religion in the 17th and 18th century can happen without an understanding what religion meant and how they understood it. This section puts that question in context and clarifies some of my own questions.
The interesting thing for me was to read what the founders thought of non-Evangelical Christians. If the intent of the founders was to found a Christian nation it was a nation that would not include Roman Catholics and although the Orthodox were all but unknown at the time, my guess if they would feel the same about us, not truly Christians.
The book uses an amazing amount of primary documents and the footnotes and suggested readings alone are worth the price of the book for any serious student of America’s religious history.
I don’t want to give anything away but for me anyway, the answer to the question is a complex one and to say America was or was not founded as a Christian nation does a disservice to the founders. I believe that America was founded on Judeo Christian Ideals but that what the founders had in mind was a place where everyone could come and be free in mind and in spirit, and eventually in body. America is complex and to try and whittle it down to sound bites, again does a disservice to the founders.
In the end we each need to decide for ourselves the answer to this topic but to ask the question or to think otherwise is not “revisionist” or un patriotic in our thoughts. I like to think of America as place where religion is present, all religions, and that it influences how people think and how they act. That is the idea of America.
