Înţelepciunea, bătrâneţea frumoasă şi veşnicia
Wisdom, beautiful old age and eternity

Summary/Abstract: The article analyzes the meaning of the term elder in the Old Testament, with reference to wisdom, inner beauty and eternity. The institution of patriarchy in the Old Testament includes both those before Abraham and those after him. The institution of the “elders”, of these pater familias, is present throughout the Holy Scriptures, from Moses to the Apocalypse of Saint John, from those three to those twentyfour. In the Old Testament the elders were authorities for confession of faith, authorities for its moral fulfillment in society and authorities that judged inter-community disputes. During the period of the oral faith, they had to transmit the faith, be models of living the faith and be watchful towards its fulfillment in this life in order to acquire eternal life. The institution of elders and the principles of their ministry in ancient times remain normative, relevant and blessed in the Church today. In the Old Testament, several categories of elders are mentioned: a) “elders of the people”, b) “elders of the king’s house”, c) “elders of the city”. Some theologians speak of elders as paradigms of authority. From these I chose three representative figures for the thematic statement in the title: Isaac, Joseph and Moses.

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