Friday, April 25, 2025

David's steward

Today I spent in another town, needing a library and set to attend a performance by a Brother In Christ. A mutual Brother dropped some knowledge on me: Asher ‘al ha-Bayit. This is a thing in Catholic apologetic.

As Machiavelli noted, kings like to delegate, if nothing else than to take the heat when the king must move against an already-disloyal constituency. (Hence why nobody likes Musk anymore; they should be disliking Navarro, but anyway.) The Bible names this palace steward (na‘ar), the "man over the house"; major-domo seems a fair translation, although superior-domo might be more Vulgar. The asher ‘al term seems to exist in archaeology.

For Rome - although I'd add Alexandria and Antioch - we hold to the Gospel of Matthew. Here, Christ (Who is King) appointed Shim‘on Kepha with reference to Isaiah 22:19-23. Peter is, thereby, Christ's major-domo and steward. Over the three Churches founded on Simon's rock, that office passed to Clement, Mark, and Ignatius (respectively).

Anyway presently we're short a Steward too. Pray we find a good one.

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