Widows in the Early Church

Excerpt

‎In the early church, widows were cared for and steps were taken to ensure equal distribution of food (Acts 6:1-6). The writer of the pastoral Letter 1 Timothy urged a just and cost-efficient plan for the use of limited funds, so that ‘real widows’ (those in abject poverty and truly alone) could be provided for (5:3-16). To this end, families were charged to care for their own (5:3-4, 16), and rules of eligibility for the enrollment of widows were prescribed (5:9-15). This enrollment probably implies the existence of an order of widows who devoted themselves to intercessory prayer and to rendering special services to the church. According to the second-century writers Ignatius (Smyrnaeans 13:1) and Polycarp (Philippians 4:3), such an order or ministry existed in their time. This order of widows later merged with that of church deaconesses.

Achtemeier, Paul J., Harper & Row and Society of Biblical Literature. Harper’s Bible Dictionary 1985 : 1132. Print.

Furnishings of the Tabernacle

Furnishings of the Tabernacle . ‎The book of Exodus details the construction of the tabernacle and its furnishings. As Yahweh’s sanctuary, the tabernacle served as God’s dwelling place among the Israelites—the expression of the covenant between Yahweh and His people ( Exod 25:8–9 ).

A Threshing Floor

A Threshing Floor In the ancient world, farmers used threshing floors to separate grain from its inedible husk (chaff) by beating it with a flail or walking animals on it—sometimes while towing a threshing sledge. Sledges were fitted with flint teeth to dehusk the grain more quickly. Other workers would turn the grain over so that it would be evenly threshed by the sledge.

DAILY, WEEKEND, AND HOLIDAY INTERNET EVANGELIZE TO THE WORLD MINISTRY

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