Catholic Word of the Day: LEAVEN, 03-04-10

CatholicReference.net ^ | 03-04-10 | Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary

[Salvation]

Featured Term (selected at random):

LEAVEN

Any substance that will cause fermentation and will raise dough; also when introduced into the Mass modified and tempers the whole. Symbol of moral influence, whether good or bad. In the Jewish tradition unleavened bread is a sign of sinlessness. Christ spoke of the leaven of the Pharisees as harmful (Matthew 16; Mark 8). St. Paul urged the Christians to purge out the old yeast of evil and to have only the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (I Corinthians 5:8). In one of the parables of the Gospel, the kingdom of heaven is compared to yeast that eventually leavens all who come under its influence (Matthew 13:33).

All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

[Salvation]

As noted, "leaven" is often used by St. Paul.

Similarly, it was used in both the Old Testament and again by Christ in proclaiming the Gospel in the New Testament.

A little bit of leaven is often compared to a little bit of faith -- much like the mustard seed.

[Salvation]

Catholic Word of the Day – links will be provided later by another FReeper.

 

Monogamy	Sanctoral Cycle/Proper of the Saints	Prinknash
Gift of Knowledge	Nine Offices	Imputability
Thesis	Hypapante	Evangelist of Mary
Grace of God	Morality of Dancing	Priest
Henotheism	Creationism	Incommunicable Attribute
Homoousios	Credence	Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
Baptism	Darius	Papal Decoration
Secret Society	Laus	Humanae Personae Dignitatem
Station Days	Christian Marriage	Incarnation
Gabriel	Congregation for Religious and Secular Institutes	Dead Sea
Redemptorists	Agony	Dispensation
Monism	Cathedral of Cologne	Sursum Corda
Sacramental Confession	Mass Penny	Objective (Ontological)
Psaltery	Theological Censure	Mary’s Death
Prescience	Leaven

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[Tax-chick]

In the historical context, it was probably on the order of a sourdough starter.

[RnMomof7]

Leaven is always used to describe evil in scripture. That is why the Jews cleaned their homes of leaven for the passover .

This parable I think is a difficult passage, because included in the discourse is the parable of the wheat and the tares which speaks of weeds being planted in the field with the good. It seems this too might fall under that explanation of the Kingdom .

The women HID the leaven in the dough, we are not to hid the gospel we are to proclaim it.. It might be that this is talking of the false teachers and evil infiltrating the Kingdom and eventually having a major impact on it.

Many commentaries agree with the reading in the article.but to me it is counter the normal flow of scripture

I tend to agree with schofield on this

"(3) The method of the extension of the kingdom is given in the first parable. It is by sowing seed, not by mingling leaven. The symbols have, in Scripture, a meaning fixed by inspired usage. Leaven is the principle of corruption working subtly; is invariably used in a bad sense (see "Leaven," See Scofield Note: "Gen 19:3"), and is defined by our Lord as evil doctrine. Mt 16:11,12 Mk 8:15.

Meal, on the contrary, was used in one of the sweet-savour offerings Lev 2:1-3. and was food for the priests Lev 6:15-17.

Interpreting the parable by these familiar symbols, it constitutes a warning that the true doctrine, given for nourishment of the children of the kingdom Mt 4:4 1Tim 4:6 1Pet 2:2 would be mingled with corrupt and corrupting false doctrine, and that officially, by the apostate church itself 1Tim 4:1-3 2Tim 2:17,18 4:3,4 2Pet 2:1-3.

This is not a matter of salvation ..but an interesting study

thanks

[Salvation]

**Leaven is always used to describe evil in scripture. That is why the Jews cleaned their homes of leaven for the passover .**

Huh?

Not always — that’s too inclusive of a word.

[RnMomof7]

Can you think of another time it does not? I can not off hand

[Salvation]

Most of the quotes with leaven are from the Old Testament and in the New Testament warning against the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod.

On the other hand -- Luke 13:20-21 (This is what I always think of.)

20

Again he said, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?

21

It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed (in) with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened."

[Salvation]

**Interpreting the parable by these familiar symbols**

YOPIOS again?

—Your Own Personal Interpretation of Scripture—

[RnMomof7]

Is not the above article simply HIS own interpretation of scripture or is this from the magistrum and considered an infallible teaching?

[Salvation]

No. Those are definitions aligned with the magisterium.

Have you read any of Fr. John Hardon’s articles?

Very Catholic and orthodox.

[Salvation]

Come on, Fr. John Hardon is using Biblical definitions.

LOL!

[RnMomof7]

Come on, Fr. John Hardon is using Biblical definitions. LOL!

Wait thats what protestants do...LOL

As I pointed out in scripture from the OT to the new represents sin and is consistently portrayed as leaven

remember during the passover leaven had to be purged from the jewish home?

Exd 12:15 — Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

Exd 13:7 — Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters.

Lev 6:17 — It shall not be baken with leaven. I have given it [unto them for] their portion of my offerings made by fire; it [is] most holy, as [is] the sin offering, and as the trespass offering.

Even in the NT it seems preferential usage is that it represents sin

Mat 16:6 — Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Mat 16:12 — Then understood they how that he bade [them] not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

1Cr 5:6 — Your glorying [is] not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?:7 — Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us::8 — Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened [bread] of sincerity and truth.

Salvation, I was not picking a fight with you..honest.. The writer is entitled to his opinion.. as I said there are some protestant commentators that would agree with him.. I just find it unlikely that the meaning of a word commonly used in the jewish culture and religious practices would ever represent the gospel .

I appreciated his article because it caused me to consider that scripture and look up the greek and the historical usage ..anything that makes us think and study is good