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On History: I stood on the
moldering remains of Hadrian’s wall, which was built by
the Romans
1900 years ago to protect the northern border of Britain, and felt
as if
I was looking through a window into history. To the north, I
could see barns and
fences built with stones scavenged from the wall
long after it was abandoned by
Rome. Those newer structures had themselves
become part of ancient history. It
was
like studying the concentric
age-rings of an old tree. The words of G.M. Trevelyn,
featured in a
nearby museum, echoed my own thoughts: |
 “The
poetry of history lies in the quasi-miraculous fact that once upon
this earth,
on this familiar spot of ground, walked other men and women
as actual as we
are today, thinking their own thoughts, swayed by their
own passions, but now
all gone, one generation vanishing after another,
gone as utterly as we ourselves
will shortly be, like ghosts at cockcrow.”
I marveled at this fact of history, that we are interconnected with
people of the
past and share many of the same experiences, thoughts
and emotions. However,
the unwelcome reminder that we all share the
same end nearly caused me to
despair. Some years later, I read this
startling prophecy in the book of Isaiah
which foretold an end to this
common fate:
“And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is
cast over all peoples,
the veil that is spread over all nations. He
will swallow up death forever and the
Lord will wipe away tears from
all faces.” |
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700 years later-on that
same mountain-Christ was crucified. “He was wounded
for our transgressions,” Isaiah wrote, “he was crushed
for our iniquities...with his stripes we
are healed.” Immanuel-“God
with us”- had come to give his life as a ransom and “make
many
to be accounted righteous.” According to St. Paul, he was “delivered
up for our trespasses and
raised for our justification.” Christ
Jesus “...abolished death and brought life and immortality to
light through the gospel.” What marvelous news. No need to despair.
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