B (3:16)

Yeah, it's funny, it is so familiar to us that we don't think about it, but it's actually a very interesting phrase. And I have a whole chapter on that in my book. It's my favorite chapter in the book. That's why I asked you. We have to have an episode on this topic. And it's actually more complicated than people would think. I just noticed as I was looking at this Bible here, there's a little footnote that says it could also be translated into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The Greek preposition has a number of translational possibilities, but then it gets even more interesting because throughout the New Testament, there are actually three different prepositions that are used with respect to being baptized in the name. And there was a German biblical scholar of the early 20th century who wrote a pretty influential book on baptism. And he suggested that the phrase baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, or just in the name, it came from this Aramaic idiom that had something to do with transferring something to somebody's bank account. Now, of course, it's not literal, it's a metaphor. But that he suggests that in baptism you were being. Basically, you were going to belong to the one in whose name you were.

A (4:32)

By the name you're being like, transferred.

B (4:33)

Yeah. Into the account. Say, the Father. Yeah, exactly. Wow. Yeah. Now, it's an interesting suggestion, but as I just mentioned, there are three different prepositions that are used in the New Testament.

A (4:47)

So this German scholar's idea is dependent on being one particular preposition.

B (4:51)

Well, I don't think it necessarily depends on one preposition because he's. I mean, the Germans know. They know. They know their Greek very well. So he was a witness. But when I was thinking about the question and looking at the prepositions, it occurred to me, well, maybe what's more important than the preposition is this notion of the name. Right. And I distinctly recall when I got the idea for this chapter, it was that summer, you remember, when I was really getting into it, and I had written the four Old Testament chapters that we talked about in the earlier episodes. And then I went on my retreat to a monastery of our Dominican sisters, Dominican nuns in North Guilford, Connecticut. And I have to make a little plug. If there are any young women out there who are considering a vocation to the contemplative religious life, Our lady of Grace Monastery in North Guilford, Connecticut, is a wonderful place. Or if you know anybody who is considering such a vocation, please encourage them to think about that monastery. But I was there celebrating Mass for the nuns, and we were in the liturgy of the Eucharist, and I was saying the Lord's Prayer, and I said, hallowed be thy name. And just fireworks went off. I was thinking about the name, because, of course, the name of the Lord. Well, we talked about it in an earlier episode about Ezekiel 36, but there's so much theology behind the name.

A (6:09)

Oh, right. Because that's where his name is profaned among the nations in the Lord's Prayer. Then it's like we're asking for the opposite. Exactly. Right.

B (6:17)

Yeah.

A (6:18)

That's your name, hallowed or sanctified or honored.

B (6:21)

That's precisely what's in the background of that petition of the Lord's Prayer. And then I got to thinking about other things that the Old Testament says about the Name, and there were two in particular that jumped out at me, and they both have to do with the temple. So if the ancient Israelites would speak of the Lord dwelling in the temple, they would actually speak of his name dwelling there. So one important passage is in the book of Deuteronomy,

A (6:47)

everybody's favorite book of the Bible.

B (6:48)

That's right. Yeah. It's the one that. Yeah, it's better than Leviticus for most people, I think. But that's not saying much. That's only because people don't understand some of the beautiful imagery that's going on.

A (7:02)

Yeah, I know for our students here at the Augustine Institute, especially when they study with Dr. Giescheck, who is just absolutely spectacular in teaching the Pentateuch, they're always blown away by the stuff that they find in Leviticus and Deuteronomy and Numbers.

B (7:18)

Yeah. So there's this passage in Deuteronomy where Moses is talking about, when they enter into the land, they're going to come to this place that the Lord will designate for them to worship. So that's where the temple is going to be eventually. And so at the beginning of Deuteronomy 12, it says, these are the statutes and rules that you shall be careful to do in the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to Possess all the days that you live on the earth, you shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods on the high mountains and on the hills and under every tree. So he's ordering them to destroy these places of false worship, where you worship things that aren't gods. And then he goes on, you shall tear down their altars and dash them in pieces with their pillars and bur their asherim with fire. You shall chop down the carved images of their gods and destroy their name out of that place. You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, but you shall seek the place that the Lord your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there. There you shall go, and there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd, of your flock. So the Temple, the place that he's going to designate for them is where he's going to dwell in their midst. Now, the ancient Israelites weren't dumb. This is something I tell my students, not just about the Israelites, but ancient people weren't dumb. They knew that God couldn't be contained in a place. In fact, in another important passage in First Kings, the dedication of the temple, Solomon acknowledges, heaven in the highest heavens can't contain you, how much less the

A (9:00)

house that I've built.

B (9:01)

And yet he has chosen to place his name there. And so this is one thing that I had in mind was this notion of the name of the Lord dwelling in someone. And so if we come back to the prepositions relating to baptism, I suggested that this Greek preposition in Matthew can be translated in or into. It could even be for baptize them for the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. In other words, to make them into a dwelling place, to make. To incorporate people into this new temple.

A (9:35)

Wow.

B (9:35)

That Jesus is himself the temple. But then when we're joined to him through baptism, the Lord comes to dwell in us in a particular way.

A (9:44)

So, I mean, if we reach back then to episode two, when I asked you to pick a couple maybe less well known, less famous Old Testament passages that pertain to baptism, we looked at Ezekiel 47 and Ezekiel 36, and it seems to me that there are a lot of kind of dots that we can connect here. Right. So you're talking. It sounds like what you're saying is that sometimes, anyway, when scripture talks about the name of the Lord. This is a way of speaking about God, who can't be contained, who's beyond all of our categories, whom we can't comprehend, nonetheless, you could say stooping down to be with us. And this is a way of, like, designating that he reveals his name to his people. He makes his name dwell in the temple. He connects his name to the people. Right. So they've profaned his name because they bear his name. And then it's interesting because then we saw that the temple is where the life flows from. Right. That's the place where his name is. But now you're saying something even more that when we're baptized in the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, that we ourselves in some sense, become temples.

B (10:56)

Yeah, we become a part of the temple.

A (11:00)

Yeah. Wow. Well, I mean, that's interesting because, of course, Paul says that we're temples in 1 Corinthians. But it's cool to see how that. That's not just something Paul made up. It's like he's drawing that out of.

B (11:12)

Yeah, There's a rich Old Testament background to that.

A (11:15)

Okay. Wow.

B (11:16)

Yeah. So that's one aspect of the name in the Old Testament. Another one has to do with this phrase calling on the name of the Lord. And it's a phrase that. It can be used generically. You can hear it. It sounds like help. And, for example, Psalm 116 includes that phrase a couple times. In the first instance of it, it certainly seems like God come to my assistance. Basically, it's just an appeal. But in several other places, very frequently in the Old Testament, it's closely associated with offering sacrifice on the altar. So we see this especially in the patriarchs, in Abraham, for example, so in Genesis chapter 12. So Genesis chapter 12, of course, is a very important chapter in all of Scripture. That's where the Lord calls Abraham to go. Well, Abram at the time, but calls him to go. To leave his family and his country and to go where? I tell you, it's a call to faith. Like, I'll tell you when you stop. And at one point, during his sojournings, to use a good biblical word in Genesis chapter 12, beginning, say, verse six or so a little before that, it says, when they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time, the Canaanites were in the. In the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said to your offspring, I will give this land. So he built there an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him. From there, he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and AI on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. So, offering sacrifice, calling upon the name of the Lord, they go together. And you see this at several points in Genesis, right? In the next chapter, he does it again in basically the same place. Isaac at one point does the same thing. And there are various places in the prophets as well that'll speak about calling on the name of the Lord. And the context suggests that it's. It's an action associated with sacrifice, which, of course, is what would go on in the temple.

A (13:27)

Right? Okay. Yeah. Okay. So it Actually, this is. It's not just a totally separate thing from this temple connection that we're in, Right?

B (13:35)

They go closely together. One of the most famous and amusing instances of this is the story of Elijah and the prophets of baal, where they both prepare their sacrifices. And he says, you call on the name of your gods and I'll call on the name of the Lord, right? And of course, their gods don't answer. The Lord answers when Elijah calls on him and the fire comes down.

A (13:54)

So is like maybe the way to think about the connection that. That because the Lord, in this special way, according to Deuteronomy 12, is going to make his name to dwell in the temple. That. That's sort of the central place. That's like the premier place to call on the name of the Lord. And what do you do at the temple? You offer sacrifice, right? Oh, fascinating.

B (14:15)

And so the other fun connection between that story of Elijah and the New Testament is actually in the Acts of the Apostles, right? And Pentecost, because what happens? The Spirit comes down with tongues as of fire. And in that event, Peter, of course, preaches to the people there. And one of the texts he quotes is from the prophet Joel. And it says, and it shall come to pass that everyone who calls.

A (14:42)

Sorry, what verse are you in?

B (14:43)

I'm sorry, I'm in Acts, chapter 2, verse 21. This is in the middle of his speech.

A (14:47)

Got it, got it.

B (14:48)

Thank you. And he says, and it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. That's the tail end of a lengthy quotation from Joel. But he says, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. And then what does he say at the end of his speech? They ask, what should we do? He says, repent. Believe verse 38 and be baptized. Exactly. Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins. And. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

A (15:21)

That's really cool. So in other words, he's already said. He's quoted the Bible, right, The Hebrew Bible, to say, everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. And then when he finishes the speech, he's gotten through to them, the Spirit is clearly at work. And they say, brothers, what shall we do? And he's basically saying, the way to fulfill this verse, the way to call upon the name of the Lord is to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

B (15:51)

Yep.

A (15:51)

Okay. That's really cool.

B (15:53)

Yeah. And throughout Acts, it's interesting. Not throughout, but in a number of places, the early Christians are referred to as those who call upon the name. So, for example, in Acts, chapter nine. Let's see if I can. Yes. So Acts, chapter nine, this is after Paul's encounter on the road to Damascus, or shortly after that. So we'll begin in chapter 9, verse 10. Now, there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. And the Lord said to him in a vision to Ananias, and he said, here I am, Lord. And the Lord said, rise and go to the street called Straight. And at the house of Judas, look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. For behold, he is praying. And he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias and come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight. But Ananias answered, lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And saints, of course, is just one of the words for the early Christians, because we're all made holy through our baptism. It's not canonized saints, but it's a common word for them.

A (17:00)

I always remind my students, saint is just French for holy, Right? It just means the holy ones.

B (17:04)

Yeah, exactly. And then he says in verse 14, and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.

A (17:14)

There it is. Yeah, there it is.

B (17:15)

This is how they designate the people. Wow.

A (17:19)

Does Paul himself ever do that? Does he ever refer to Christians as those who call on the name?

B (17:26)

He does, yes, in 1 Corinthians. So let's look at 1 Corinthians.

A (17:32)

Sorry. Did you have anything else on Acts 9 you wanted to?

B (17:34)

Well, I was looking to see if I was remembering correctly, and I don't think I was.

A (17:37)

Well, it is interesting then, that. Then Jesus continues and says to Ananias, I will show him. This is verse 16.

B (17:44)

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

A (17:45)

How much he must suffer for the sake of my name. Right, right. The emphasis again on Jesus name.

B (17:51)

Right. And then Ananias goes to him and says, brother Saul, this is in verse 17. The Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and. And be filled with the Holy Spirit. And then what does he do? And immediately, something like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized. And of course, it's through the baptism that he receives the Holy Spirit.

A (18:16)

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. I'm convinced. I'm convinced. All right. Can we see the. You said it was.

B (18:23)

Yeah, let's just go to the beginning of First Corinthians. We're on a roll here.

A (18:26)

Yeah, we are.

B (18:30)

So First Corinthians, chapter one, the very beginning of the letter. It begins, paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus and our brother Sosthenes. That's a name that needs to make a comeback, don't you think?

A (18:43)

100%.

B (18:43)

I think your next child, Sosthenes. Deal.

A (18:46)

Do you mind talking to my wife about it?

B (18:48)

Okay. To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. There it is, both their Lord and ours. And not much later in that chapter, he asks rhetorically, were you baptized in the name of Paul?

A (19:09)

Oh, yeah.

B (19:10)

And of course, no.

A (19:11)

Right.

B (19:11)

You're baptized in the name of the Lord.

A (19:14)

Right. Very cool. Okay. And so. And that's even. That's really interesting, right? I mean, Ananias. Well, Jesus. No, Ananias says to Jesus, right, He's been given authority to bind all those who call upon your name.

B (19:27)

Yep.

A (19:28)

And then here, Paul talks about those who in every place, call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Which is kind of a cool early expression, I guess you could say, of the catholicity of the church. Yeah, right. That it's something that ties us all together no matter where we're from.

B (19:44)

Yep, yep. And there's Old Testament background to that for phrase as well, most likely. Yeah. It's from the prophet Malachi.

A (19:50)

Malachi.

B (19:51)

Back to Malachi.

A (19:52)

Or as my wife's grandmother of blessed memory used to say, Malachi.

B (19:56)

Yeah, Malachi, the last prophet of the Old Testament. In Malachi, chapter one, it's just one brief little verse that's really packed. Chapter one, verse 11 is one of the promises that the Lord makes. And he says, for from the rising of the sun to its setting, my name will be great among the nations. And in every place, incense will be offered to my name. And a pure offering for my name, in case you didn't get it the first two times, will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.

A (20:27)

So, I mean, we see that same sort of convergence of sacrifice or worship being connected to God's name.

B (20:34)

Yep. And to the name being reverenced, basically.

A (20:37)

Yeah. This is really interesting, too. Right. And in a lot of ways brings it back full circle. We saw all the way back in Ezekiel 47. Right. That the leaves of the trees that grow from that life giving water from the temple is for the healing of the nations. It was a problem that Israel's sin was causing God's name to be dishonored among the nations. And here it turns out, because the whole point is for all the nations to be able to call on the name of the Lord. And this is where we started in Matthew 28. Right. Goes back to all nations.

B (21:14)

Yep, exactly.

A (21:15)

And make. And make disciples. Okay, that's. That's really cool. Well, should we. Should we go back for a minute here to Matthew 28, then I guess we can.

B (21:24)

Sure. Why not?

A (21:26)

Well, the thing I was thinking about was, was just this, like, it's. It's so beautiful to see God's condescension. Not in a negative sense, but in that sense of, you know, like a father accommodating himself. Like how, you know, dads do this with their kids out of love for Israel and making his name to dwell in the temple. But now how that privilege is being extended to the nations, not just that they would have access to the temple, but that they can, in a way, become the temple and comes to dwell in them. And you kind of pushed on me. You said, well, they're part of the temple.

B (21:59)

Yeah.

A (21:59)

And that's. I guess that's kind of what I was thinking about here too. It's the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And, you know, in the last episode, we talked about Jesus's baptism, Right. Where he's baptized and the Holy Spirit comes out of heaven like a dove, and the Father calls him his beloved Son.

B (22:19)

Yeah.

A (22:20)

I mean, it seems like in some sense, Matthew wants us to see this connection between Jesus's baptism and maybe even his identity.

B (22:28)

Yeah. I Think so.

A (22:29)

Right. That the Father's revealing there and what happens when we're baptized.

B (22:32)

Right. We're incorporated into that. So I'm on the right track. I think so, yeah.

A (22:37)

Right. Okay.

B (22:38)

Yeah.

A (22:38)

So that's incredible. Right. So that. And we see here, even the beginning, like we went to acts of this mission to the Gentiles, this mission to the nations, the healing of the nations by being baptized into the name and being brought into that relationship with God that the Israelites were invited to at the temple.

B (22:58)

Yeah. And I know we're going to talk about practical things in a later episode, but right now, just whenever you go into a church and you dip your fingers, water, and you cross yourself in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, that's a perfect reminder of what we received in our baptism. And you're doing that as you enter the church, the place of worship and of sacrifice.

A (23:18)

Right. And then if I'm following you, then reminding yourself that through my baptism, I am a temple of God. Right. In a way, then kind of coming into the place where I most myself and find out who I am.

B (23:35)

Yep.

A (23:35)

Yeah. That's okay. That's. That's spectacular. Well, that seems like a good place to end.

B (23:40)

Yeah, I think so.

A (23:40)

In this episode. Wonderful. Well, thank you so much for joining us. Such a rich conversation. And we'll be continuing this in the next episode, talking more about what it means to be a baptized Christian and how we can sort of live that out in our lives as disciples who've been baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. So I hope you're able to join us then. God bless.