54:1) as she could not bear children without her spouse, but when her Husband arrived, this nation and multitude came to life; a fruitful virgin, she brought forth this vast community as a result of love, devoid of lust. If we acknowledge that Tamar is included in the genealogy of the Lord due to her mysterious significance, we must assume that Ruth is likewise included for similar reasons. Perhaps the holy apostle had her in mind when he envisioned the future calling of the Gentiles through the gospel: the law is not intended for the righteous, but for the unrighteous (1 Tim. 1:9). How could Ruth, a foreigner, marry a Jew? Why did the evangelist deem this marriage, which the law prohibits (cf. Deut. 7:3), worthy of inclusion in Christ's lineage? Is it not the case that the Lord's lineage adheres to lawful unions? This would appear disgraceful unless we recall the apostle's assertion that the law is not for the righteous but for those outside of it. Although Ruth was a foreign Moabite and the Law of Moses specifically forbade such unions (see Ex. 34:16), excluding Moabites from the assembly - it is stated that Moabites may not enter into the assembly of the Lord until the third and fourth generation, forever (Deut. 23:4) - she was still welcomed into the congregation, having been moral and virtuous (cf. Eph. 5:27) and thus transcending the law. If the law was established for the wicked and sinful, then Ruth, who exceeded the boundaries of the law by joining the congregation, became an Israelite and was honored to be named among the ancestors of the Lord. Chosen through spiritual, not merely familial ties, she stands as an exemplary figure for all of us gathered from the nations to enter the Lord's Church. Let us emulate her! Just as she earned the right to be listed among the chosen people through her conduct, we too should aspire to gain admission to the Lord's Church through our virtuous behavior. In ancient times, during the period of the Judges, a famine struck the Israelites, prompting a man to leave Bethlehem in Judah, where Christ was born, to settle in the fields of Moab with his wife and two sons. The man's name was Elimelech, and his wife's name was Naomi (Ruth 1:1-2). His sons married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth, and lived there for about ten years before they died... Naomi was then left alone, bereaved of both her sons and her husband (Ruth 1:4-5). Upon learning that God had visited Israel, Naomi decided to return home and urged her daughters-in-law to go back to their families. One agreed, but Ruth insisted on remaining with her mother-in-law. Naomi said to Ruth, ‘Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. But Ruth replied, ‘Don't urge me to leave you or turn back from you. Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried (Ruth 1:15-17). So, they both traveled to Bethlehem. Recognizing Ruth's goodness, respect for her mother-in-law, love for her deceased spouse, and faithfulness to God, Boaz, the great-grandfather of David, took her as his wife in accordance with the Law of Moses, to preserve the lineage of a deceased relative (cf. Deut. 25:5; Mk. 12:19; Lk. 20:28). It is noteworthy that when she worked in the fields during the harvest, gathering grain, she preserved it for her mother-in-law and did not pursue the younger men (cf. Ruth 2:17, Ruth 3:10), instead following the honorable Boaz. For this reason, she was praised with the words: ‘You are a woman of noble character’ (Ruth 3:11), and again: ‘This last act of kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier’ (Ruth 3:10). The final act of the Church coming together is more significant than the previous ones. We mention it briefly here, as we have explored it in greater detail in the writings On Faith. The distant relative drew Ruth close when the closest kin had rejected her, and Boaz, by marrying her, received the sandal from the closest relative. This was customary: if the nearest relative refused to marry his relative, he removed his shoe and gave it to the other. There exists a mystery in this: the one who takes a foreign woman as his wife obtains the authority to proclaim the gospel. The benediction from the elders affirms that this marriage foreshadows what is to come: ‘May the Lord make the woman who enters your house like Rachel and Leah, who built up the house of Israel; may you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem; may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman’ (Ruth 4:11-12). Therefore, Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife (Ruth 4:13), eventually giving birth to Obed, the father of Jesse and grandfather of David (cf. Ruth 4:17). It is fitting that Matthew, in his Gospel, which calls the Gentiles into the Church, highlights that the Lord, in commencing the gathering of the nations, included foreigners in His earthly lineage, knowing that this lineage would produce the One who unites the nations and that all of us, drawn from the Gentiles, would follow Him, leaving behind our ancestral ties and proclaiming to those who called us to honor the Lord, whether that be Paul or any bishop, ‘Your people are my people, and your God is my God’ (Ruth 1:16). Thus, like Leah and Rachel, Ruth left her people and her father’s household (cf. Ps. 44:11), breaking free from the constraints of the law and joining the Church. And he who rejects the Church has cast off his shoes. It was said to Moses, ‘Take off your sandals; for the place where you are standing is holy ground’ (Ex. 3:5), lest he be regarded as the Bridegroom of the Church. Only the true Bridegroom does not cast off his sandals! This is why John proclaimed, ‘I am not worthy to untie the strap of His sandal’ (Luke 3:16). He too served as a type, contributing to the establishment of the house of Israel. The necessity of referencing this lineage in the Lord’s genealogy reveals an even deeper mystery—the prophecy that Christ would be born from this family in Ephrathah: ‘The Lord will establish you in Ephrathah, and let His name be renowned in Bethlehem’ (Ruth 4:11). What is this power but that which unifies the Gentile nations in Christ? And what name could be greater than that of Bethlehem, the birthplace of the Lord, who took on flesh there? The prophecy affirms, ‘But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel’ (Matt. 2:6, cf. Micah 5:2). Hence, the inclusion of these women aligns perfectly with the historical, moral, and sacramental significance of Scripture.
THEOSIS