Meta Chestnutt Sager's Letter to Eva Heiliger, February 11,1945 (2)

One of the more remarkable notes found in the letter comes at the very beginning, where Sager speaks of her "salary," and refers to the financial struggles of "us school people." Apparently, at the age of eighty-one, she was still working at the Oklahoma College for Women in Chickasha. The campus of the college, now the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, is less than a mile from the house where she lived at 1528 South 7th Street. It seems likely that Sager, very much a woman of the nineteenth century, never drove an automobile. Most days she would have walked to and from her workplace, each time passing by the Rose Hill Cemetery where her husband lay buried.[1]

In response to what must have been Eva Heiliger's questions or challenges regarding baptism, Sager denies that her position detracts from the essentiality of faith. (Again, today the Church of the Nazarene asserts that the Lord grants salvation "to all who believe on Jesus Christ and receive Him as Lord and Savior"). At the same time, paraphrasing part of James 2:20, she adds that "faith without works is dead." This marks an opening salvo in an argument according to which Meta will insist that just as the New Testament connects faith to salvation, it also connects repentance, confession, and baptism to salvation. Coming to faith is not the end, but is rather the beginning of a process by which a person becomes a Christian, a series of steps culminating with the immersion of the penitent believer who has confessed his faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. And, "[j]ust as you must come every step of the way into the house, so you must come every step of the way into the Church of the living God."[2] On this point, she notes Acts 2:36-38, where the Apostle Peter did not tell people who had just concluded Jesus was the Messiah that they should believe. "It would have been silly to tell them to believe, for that they had already shown." Yet, neither did Peter suggest that their faith was sufficient for salvation. Instead, when they asked what they should do, Peter "told them to do what they had not done, repent and be baptized."[3]

Notes

[1] Meta Chestnutt Sager to Eva Heiliger, February 11, 1945, Meta Chestnutt Sager Collection, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City. The author has made several visits to Chickasha, Oklahoma, researching the life of Meta Chestnutt Sager.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

Meta Chestnutt Sager's Letter to Eva Heiliger, February 11,1945 (1)

The Meta Chestnutt Sager Collection presents mostly one-sided correspondence. Specifically, the archive contains letters written by Meta to her great-niece, Eva Heiliger, most of which directly reply to letters from Eva. But the archive includes none of the letters Mrs. Heiliger wrote to her Aunt Meta. These circumstances create problems for the historical sleuth. In some cases, for example, it seems impossible to know the referent of a certain word, phrase, or question in one of Chestnutt Sager's letters. In other cases, however, determining what she is replying to is simple.

Religious questions, especially matters on which Sager and Heiliger disagreed, are a frequent topic. What seems clear is that Heiliger did not understand, and sometimes differed with, the views of her Aunt Meta. What was the source of their disagreements?

When Heiliger died in 2009, her brief obituary mentioned that she was "an active member of the Community Church of the Nazarene where she taught children's classes."[1] Likewise, when Eva's husband, Richard C. Heiliger, died in 2002, his obituary noted that a memorial fund had been set up at the very same church.[2] The denomination known as the Church of the Nazarene resulted from a series of mergers from 1895 to 1908. All of the merging bodies had roots in the nineteenth-century Holiness Movement, which advanced the doctrine of Christian perfection taught by John Wesley (1703-91), the founder of Methodism.

True to their name, Holiness churches emphasize above all the expectation and goal of the complete sanctification of believers.[3] According to the Church's sixteen "Articles of Faith," God grants "full pardon" and "complete release" from the penalty of sin "to all who believe on Jesus Christ and receive Him as Lord and Savior."[4] The section on baptism describes it as "a symbol of the new covenant" and affirms that it "may be administered by sprinkling, pouring, or immersion." In addition, "young children may be baptized upon request of parents or guardians who shall give assurance for them of necessary Christian training."[5]

In a letter she wrote to Eva Heiliger on February 11, 1945, Meta Sager, then 81 years old, discussed each of these ideas and then some. In my next post, I'll say more about what she said.

Notes

[1] "Eva Heiliger, March 15, 1915--Feb. 2, 2009," Sedona Red Rock News, accessed January 30, 2021, https://www.redrocknews.com/2008/05/14/eva-heiliger/.

[2] "Richard C. Heiliger," Glendale News-Press, accessed January 30, 2021, https://www.latimes.com/socal/glendale-news-press/news/tn-gnp-xpm-2002-10-19-export23732-story.html.

[3] H. E. Raser, "Church of the Nazarene," in Dictionary of Christianity in America, ed. Daniel G. Reid, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 274-75; J. Gordon Melton, Nelson's Guide to Denominations (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2007), 385-401, esp. 388 and 391. See also Church of the Nazarene, Articles of Faith, https://nazarene.org/sites/default/files/2019-09 /ArticlesOfFaith%28English%29_0.pdf, accessed January 30, 2021. According to article "X. Christian Holiness and Entire Sanctification," members affirm that "subsequent to regeneration" and "preceded by consecration," that is, the absolute devotion of the individual, a person may be completely filled with the Holy Spirit. This experience, described by phrases like "Christian perfection," "the fullness of the blessing," and "perfect love," brings the believer into a state of entire devotion to God.

[4] Church of the Nazarene, Articles of Faith, "IX. Justification, Regeneration, and Adoption."

[5] Ibid., "XII. Baptism."

Tabernacle Furnishings in Exodus and Hebrews

According to the instructions found in the Book of Exodus, the Tabernacle contained seven ceremonial items. Chapter 25 details four of these furnishings: the ark of the covenant, its atonement cover, in some translations called the mercy seat, which was graced by two cherubim, the table of the bread of presence, and the menorah, sometimes called the lampstand or candlestick). Subsequent passages describe the three remaining items: the altar of burnt offering (27:1-8), the altar of incense (30:1-10), and the brazen laver or basin (30:17-21). In the closing chapter of Exodus, the God of Israel gives Moses specific directions for setting up and consecrating the Tabernacle (40:1-33). Notably, this passage refers to each of the seven items described in the earlier sections of the book.

In the New Testament Epistle to the Hebrews, the author draws parallels between the Mosaic tabernacle and "the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man" (8:2, NIV). Chapter 9 mentions specifically the lampstand, the table, the altar of incense, the ark of the covenant, and the atonement cover (9:2-5), but not the two items that stood outside the tent of meeting, in the tabernacle courtyard: the brazen laver and the altar of burnt sacrifice.

The Heavenly Tabernacle in Hebrews 8 and 9

In Hebrews 4:14 through 7:28, the writer draws an extended comparison between the priests of Israel, especially the high priests, and Christ, who is portrayed as a superior high priest. 7:26 through 8:2 provides a fitting summary of the previous section and an introduction to the next. The passage refers to the superior sacrifice of Christ, the better covenant that God inaugurated through Christ, and the heavenly sanctuary in which Christ serves as the perfect high priest:

Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever. The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man  (7:26--8:2, NIV).

Those verses lead directly into the discussion in chapters 8 and 9, where the author compares the literal tabernacle, constructed by the ancient Israelites under the direction of Moses, and a heavenly tabernacle. Later in this section, the author refers to the "first tabernacle," implying that there is a second (9:8). Finally, he speaks of "the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands" (9:11).

Getting a Handle on Hebrews

In the New International Version of the Bible, the New Testament contains forty-one occurrences of the word better. Of those occurrences, eleven, more than one fourth of the total, appear in the book that was known in the Early Church as To the Hebrews. The word superior occurs five times among the twenty-seven books of the New Testament. Three of the five occurrences of superior are in Hebrews.[1]

The relatively high frequency of better and superior in the Epistle to the Hebrews points to the author's use of comparisons. He sets out to compare God's dealings with the human race in two different periods of time, specifically before and after the redemptive work of Christ. The first four verses of the epistle point to its before-and-after perspective:

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs (Heb. 1:1-4, NIV).

As the writer explains, prior to the coming of Christ, God spoke to humanity "through the prophets." But ever since the Incarnation, the same God has been speaking to humanity "by his Son." The superiority of the messenger, Jesus Christ, implies the superiority of the dispensation in which the readers are living, the Christian age.

So, if the people of God prior to the time of Christ were expected to devote themselves to the Lord and to their covenant obligations, how much more should believers living in the Christian age devote themselves to following the ways of God? To use the language of Hebrews, if the message from God before the coming of Christ "was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?" (2:2-3).

These patterns of both continuity and discontinuity permeate the rhetoric of the Epistle to the Hebrews and provide a key to understanding its content.[2] 

Notes

[1] Word statistics are taken from the Zondervan NIV Exhaustive Concordance, ed. Edward W. Goodrick and John R. Kohlenberger III (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1999). Still one of the better discussions of the title of this book in the ancient church is provided by Brooke Foss Westcott, The Epistle to the Hebrews, 2nd ed. (London: Macmillan and Company, 1892), xxvii-xxx.

[2] The discussion here of comparisons and of patterns of continuity and discontinuity in the Epistle to the Hebrews was informed mainly by Luke Timothy Johnson, The Writings of the New Testament: An Interpretation (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1986), ch. 20 titled "The Letter to the Hebrews."

Meta Chestnutt as a Bible Teacher: The Tabernacle

Housed in the Oklahoma History Center, not far from the state capitol in Oklahoma City, is a visual aid that Meta Chestnutt likely used in her Bible lessons at the Church of Christ in Minco, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory. A heavy oilcloth, approximately five feet high and three feet wide, presents an overhead schematic of the biblical Tabernacle. It clearly labels the Court, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. It also presents the locations of, and labels, the Brazen Altar, Brazen Laver, Table of Shewbread, Candlestick, Altar of Incense, and the Ark of the Covenant.[1]

Photo by Frank Bellizzi

The Tabernacle was a portable sanctuary constructed by the ancient Israelites during the time of Moses. The "Tent of Meeting," as it is sometimes called in Scripture, was the unique dwelling of the Almighty, the place where the descendants of Abraham met with their God. It served as a place of worship and a site of divine revelation during the period of the wilderness wanderings. Once the Israelites crossed the Jordan River and entered Canaan, their promised land, the Tabernacle was stationed successively at Shiloh (Joshua 18:1) and Gibeon (1 Chronicles 16:39). Later, King David brought it to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:1-12). Solomon’s Temple, constructed in Jerusalem around 950 B.C., replaced the Tabernacle. Yet, it survived. Eventually, Solomon brought it to the Temple (1 Kings 8:4).[2]

From earliest Christian times, the followers of Jesus considered the Hebrew Bible to be their Bible. In this as in all other matters, they took their cue from Jesus himself, who regarded the Hebrew Bible as authoritative Scripture. Along this line, a survey of the words attributed to Jesus in the New Testament reveals a remarkable consistency. To borrow the words of biblical scholar John Bright, "Jesus knew no Scripture save the Old Testament, no God save its God; it was this God whom he addressed as 'Father.'" Jesus "regarded the Scriptures as the key to the understanding of his person; again and again he is represented as saying that it is the Scriptures that witness to him and are fulfilled in him."[3] In the same way, the New Testament the writers never question the authority of the Hebrew Bible. Instead, they always assume and occasionally assert its unique standing, as in the words of 2 Timothy 3:16-17: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (King James Version). The earliest Christians made theological meaning and bolstered their moral exhortations by highlighting and drawing connections to people, events, objects, and stories from the Jewish Scriptures, which they came to call the Old Testament.[4]  

Notes

[1] The oilcloth is located in box 2 of the Meta Chestnutt Sager Collection, Research Division, Oklahoma Historical Society, Oklahoma City.

[2]  "Tabernacle" in Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, and Tremper Longman III, eds., Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1998), 837-40 provides an excellent, non-technical discussion. See also Roland Kenneth Harrison, "Tabernacle," in The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, ed. Merrill C. Tenney (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1967), 821-24. Richard Elliott Friedman, "Tabernacle," in Anchor Bible Dictionary, ed. David Noel Freedman (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 6:292-300, is an outstanding piece of technical scholarship. Along the way, Friedman argues that evidence amassed since the beginning of the twentieth century, such as the large number of tent shrines in the Ancient Near East, undermines the older scholarly view that the biblical Tabernacle was only a pious fiction.

[3] John Bright, The Authority of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1967), 77.

[4] C. K. Barrett, "The Interpretation of the Old Testament in the New," in Cambridge History of the Bible, ed. P. R. Ackroyd and C. F. Evans (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1970), 1:377-411, provides an insightful discussion of the interpretive assumptions and methods exhibited by New Testament writers as they alluded to, quoted, etc., the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. George W. E. Nickelsburg and Michael E. Stone, Faith and Piety in Early Judaism: Texts and Documents (Philadelphia: Trinity Press International, 1991), reveals how New Testament authors developed Old Testament themes like worship, piety, divine wisdom, judgment, and deliverance.