The New Testament and the Early Church

New Testament and the Early Church

The texts of the NT speak about the church and its unity in specific historical situations. Rather than offering one timeless picture of the church, they present a number of ecclesiastical images. The Gospels portray → Jesus making fellowship (koinōnia) a reality among those who followed him. Other texts offer the picture of a fellowship in the Holy Spirit in the confession of Jesus the Christ, a fellowship in worship and love. The rule of Christ under the Spirit is the source of unity, but it is a unity that assumes diversity. Tensions and differences, even contradictions, are evident in the NT with its different theologies; the NT nevertheless proclaims one church, a fellowship of local churches with a mutual recognition of confession, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper (→ Confession of Faith).
Unity is at the center of the thought and theology of the apostle → Paul. Closely connecting the unity of the church with → Christology, Paul employs unitary images such as “the people of God,” “the temple of God,” and “the body of Christ.” He also recognized much diversity that did not threaten the fundamental unity of the church. Organizational patterns or differing Christological formulations did not affect this unity. The Gospel of Mark, although not using the word ekklēsia (church), presents a view of the true community of the elect. The Gospel of Matthew reflects an ecclesiology of the body of the elect versus the nonelect; the unity of the former is in constant danger. Both the Gospel of Luke and Acts give considerable attention to the unity of the church (esp. Acts 2; 4; 15). Here is presented an idyllic situation of correct belief, → community of goods, and unity of heart and soul. The Johannine literature is much interested in unity (e.g., John 17). In this gospel, unity with Christ leads to unity of believers; unity of the latter reproduces the unity of believers with the Father and the Son.
With its considerable diversity the NT maintains a remarkable unanimity on many aspects of unity. The unity of the church is not merely a desirable feature of the life of the church but is a condition of the church’s very existence. This unity derives from its one Lord. The NT does not know → denominations or opposing churches; it recognizes diversity, but not divisions. Its church knows tensions and disputes, but divisions and large numbers of Christians separated from fellowship with one another are not to be found.
The unity and diversity of the church affirmed in Scripture was largely maintained for centuries, in spite of controversy and theological dispute. In the second century → Irenaeus stressed unity as a unity of teaching, or orthodoxy. In the fourth century the unity of the church received a new dimension when Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire. The ecumenical councils of → Nicaea (325), Constantinople (381), → Ephesus (431), and → Chalcedon (451) demanded universal recognition with a definition of belief. The earlier unity maintained by the first four councils was broken after the Council of Chalcedon in 451, when churches that did not accept this council’s Christological formulations established themselves in Egypt and Syria. By the fifth century the patriarchal structure formed an organizational principle of unity for the churches accepting the decisions of Chalcedon.
Another break in unity occurred in 1054 between the Latin patriarch and the Eastern patriarchates (→ Heresies and Schisms 3). Cultural and political as well as theological factors were the cause of this rupture, and one of its results was the creation of two views of unity. In Eastern Orthodoxy the patriarchal model with sister → autocephalous churches prevailed, while in the West Roman primacy was so strengthened that the Roman Catholic Church came to understand itself as the universal church of Christ, from which the Eastern churches had separated themselves.

Fahlbusch, E., & Bromiley, G. W. (1999-2003). Vol. 2: The encyclopedia of Christianity (49–50). Grand Rapids, Mich.; Leiden, Netherlands: Wm. B. Eerdmans; Brill.

Do God exist?

A man went to a barber shop to have his hair   and his beard cut as always. He began to have a good conversation    b with the barber who attended him. They talked about so many things and various subjects. Suddenly, they touched on the subject of God. The barber said: "Look man, I don't believe that God exists." "Why do you say that?" asked the customer. Well, it's so easy, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God does not exist. Oh, tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God exists, there would be no suffering nor pain. I can't think of loving a God who permits all of these things." The customer thought for a moment, but he didn't respond because he did not want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barber shop, he saw a man in the street with long hair and a beard. It was very long, and a long time since he had his hair cut. He looked dirty and unkempt. The customer entered the barber shop   again and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist." "How can you say they don't exist?" asked the surprised barber. " I am here and I am a barber. Why I just worked on you!" "No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist, because if they did there would be no people with long hair and beard like that man who is outside." "Ah, barbers do exist, what happens   is that people do not come to me." "Exactly!"- affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God does exist. What happens is people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world." If you think God exists, send this to other people---   If you think God does not exist, Ignore it!

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Basics of koch postulate

What is Koch postulate?

In the identification of any plant disease the first step is to determine whether the disease is caused by an infectious agent or by environmental factor. Infectious agent usually characteristics symptoms on some part of the plant that reveal the presence and sometime the kind of infectious agent. Some infectious agent however, especially viruses may produce general systemic symptoms very similar to those caused by various environmental factors. If no pathogen can be found on or in a diseased plant and if the symptom presence are not the physical virus symptoms and cannot be consider as the cause of the disease. When a pathogen is found on the plant, the pathogen is identified by reference to special manners and if the pathogen is known to cause such disease then the identification may be consider completed. If however the pathogen found seems to be the cause of the disease but no previous exist to support this, then the following steps are taken to verify the hypothesis that the isolate pathogen is the cause of the disease. The procedure for proving this postulate can be summarised thus:

1.      RECOGNITION: The organisms in question must be found constantly associated with a particular symptom.

2.      ISOLATION: It must be isolated, grown and studied in pure culture.

3.      INOCULATION: The organism grown in pure culture must be inoculated into a healthy plant to produce the particular disease. The symptom produced in the inoculated plant should be the same as the symptom first observed.

4.      RE-ISOLATION: The organism must be re-isolated from the inoculated plant and compared with the first culture to be shown to be same as the original culture

I hope this little notes is of help.

 Yours sincerely,

Ajibade Tolulope Samuel.

Hygienic Practices to be put in place in Garri Factory and Processing

HYGIENE COMPLIANCE

Maintaining good hygiene is vital for the health of the customers and the processors, as well as to build and maintain the processor’s reputation, encourage repeat business and grow sales.

PERSONAL AND FACTORY HYGIENE

·         All staff must maintain good personal hygiene, especially when handling finished products. This includes cleaning machines thoroughly before and after use.

·         Keep your fingernails short and clean

·         Clean the grater by pouring water into the hopper while the engine is running for a few minutes

·         Do not leave the grater dirty, always clean it before and after use otherwise, the dirt will contaminate the next batch of garri.

·         Dress in clean clothing, wear a head scarf or cap and remove all jewelry.

·         Wash your hands thoroughly with soap before starting work, after meal breaks and especially after using the toilet.

·         The wet area of the factory should be tiled for easy cleaning. Wash the floor of the factory at the end of every day with plenty of water and ensure the water flows into a soak away, not straight onto the ground outside the factory.  Clean cobwebs and dust from the inside of the roof, windows, walls and corners once a week.

ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE

·         Gather all cassava peels. When dried, they can be fed to livestock, e.g., goats and pigs. Cassava peels can also be used as a mulch to control nematodes in vegetable plots and as part of the substrate used to produce edible mushrooms. Do not throw cassava peels on waste dumps. They will rot and create a bad smell as well as attracting flies and germs.

·         Collect the milky waste-water from the fermentation bags in a bowl placed underneath the fermentation rack or by the side of the press. Starch in the milky waste-water will collect at the bottom of the bowl and can be collected, cleaned, then sold as a useful by-product.

·         Alternatively, channel the water into in a soak away just outside the factory. Do not allow the waste water to flow straight unto the ground next to the factory; this will make the environment dirty and promote the spread of germs.

Steps and Principles in Garri Processing from Cassava

Step 1:        Harvesting

Harvesting of cassava is usually done in the early mornings. The cassava roots are harvested by the used of mechanical harvesters if available or by uprooting the roots mechanically and using your cutlass to burrow into the soil in case any of the cassava roots are still left within the soil to avoid wastage. For accurate record keeping, It is expected of the farmer to know the total number of stands that is been harvested and the record kept. After Harvesting of the cassava, they are then taken to the factor by the use of a transporting wheel that is coupled to a tractor in a mechanized farm or using other means of transportation.

Step 2: Peeling and washing cassava roots

Freshly harvested cassava roots are covered with soil and dirt and some may be damaged or rotten. Only healthy roots (without rot or other damage) should be transported to the factory. At the factory, the roots are peeled to remove the outer brown skin and inner thick cream layer and washed to remove stains and dirt. The water source should be checked regularly to ensure it is not dirty or contaminated.

Items needed here are:

·         Fresh, undamaged cassava roots

·         Source of clean, good water

·         Source of assorted clean containers

·         Clean, Sharp knife

·         Plastic scourer

When peeling, Select fresh cassava roots without rot or damage. Use a sharp knife to peel the roots and remove the skin. Remove any damaged or woody parts from the roots. Do not shave the roots because you will cut off too much and reduce the amount of gari produced.

When Washing, Wash the peeled roots in clean water. Do not use water from unprotected sources as this could introduce contamination. Gently scrub the roots with the scourer to remove pieces of unpeeled skin and dirt and make sure the washed roots are clean with no spots.

Step 3: Grating cassava roots into mash

Cassava roots are traditionally grated into a mash or pulp as part of the process to remove cyanide and make the roots safe to eat. Traditional cassava graters are usually made from perforated metal sheets. These rust quickly and are difficult to keep clean. They are also very slow and labour intensive to use.

Mechanized graters are needed to produce a sufficient quantity of cassava mash to meet market demands and standards. Smallholder processors therefore need to learn how to use and maintain these machines.

Items needed for Grating are:

·         Washed and spotless roots in a clean container

·         A motorized grater. It is preferred that the grating drum and all the food contact medium in the grating machine be made or stainless steel as Iron made one promotes quick rusting and will have a detrimental effect on the quality of the grated cassava.

·         Clean woven polythene sacks to hold the cassava mash after grating

When grating, we load the grater with washed roots while the engine is running to crush the roots into a mash. It is advisable not to use bare hands in the grating machine to avoid injury or otherwise, carefully done. After it had been grated, the mash will then be collected into a clean polythene sack.

Step 4: De-watering and fermenting mash into wet cake

De-watering and fermenting complete the process of removing cyanide from the cassava mash. This is done traditionally by using stones or logs as weights to press excess water out of the bags of cassava mash. The bags are then left to drain and ferment for a few days. As with traditional graters, these methods are slow and unhygienic, and are therefore not suitable for a cassava processing business. Several improved methods are available.

Bagged cassava mash can be left on the fermentation rack for one or more days before de-watering. Alternatively, the bags of cassava mash can be pressed for the required number of days, during which time the mash will ferment. At the end of the fermentation period, the mash will become a firm, wet cake.

Fermentation periods of longer than one or two days will produce very sour products. Consumer tastes and preferences will therefore determine the length of the fermentation period.

The carotene cassava was not allowed to undergo fermentation process but the TMS variety was allowed to undergo fermentation process for up to 3 days before de-watering in the Hydraulic Press. De-watering of both varieties took about 24 hours.

Items needed in this step include:

·         A fermentation rack

·         A hydraulic press or a screw press depending on the choice of the farmer or what is available.

De-watering of the cassava mash in the factory can be done using any of these two methods:

The first is to load the bags of cassava unto the fermentation rack and allow the milky water to drain freely from the bags. The fermentation period depends on the choice and the type of quality product that is envisaged to be achieved by the farmer. At the end of the fermentation period, remove the bags of mash from the rack and screw them in a hydraulic press or screw press. This step is carried out in the Cassava factory in OAU Teaching and research farm in the processing of the TMS variety of cassava.

The second step involves loading the cassava bags directly on to a hydraulic press or screw press. Lift and press the jack handle up and down until it is hard to move for the hydraulic press. For the screw press, turn the handle clockwise to force the water out of the bag.

When a press is used on bare ground, the waste water will not get drained properly and the area will be dirty. The bags of cassava mash could also get contaminated with dirt. It is advisable to place the press on a raised platform.

When water stops dripping from the bags and the surface of the bag is still moist, you can remove the firm wet cake from the press. Ensure sufficient water has been removed, otherwise the garri will form into lumps during roasting. But, if too much water is removed, the garri will not cook properly during roasting, but become floury instead.

Step 4: Sieving wet cake into grits and roasting grits into gari

Gari is made by sieving the wet cake into small pieces - known as grits - and then roasting or frying the grits in a hot frying tray or pan to form the final dry and crispy product. Gari is normally white or cream, but will be yellow when made from yellow cassava roots or when fried with palm oil. It is important to make sure the taste and smell is acceptable to local consumers. Yellow cassava roots and palm oil are rich in vitamin A and therefore make nutritious gari.

The product should be free from mould, insects (dead or alive), dirt and any other material that could be hazardous to health.

Gari is usually classified by its particle size:

•   Extra-fine: passes through 0.25 mm to 0.5 mm aperture sieve

•   Fine: passes through 0.5 mm to 1 mm aperture sieve

•   Coarse: passes through 1 mm to 1.25 mm aperture sieve

•   Extra Coarse: passes through 1.25 mm to 2.0 mm aperture sieve.

Items needed here are:

·         Garri sieve. It could be a type that is made from stainless sieve mesh, or the traditional sieve made from wooden materials.

·         A garri roasting bay with a shallow stainless steel tray or a molded aluminum pot. The tray should be mounted on mud bricks rather than cement bricks since clay is more heat efficient when compared to cement.

In breaking and sieving of the cassava mash, we need to:

·         Firstly remove the wet cake from the bag

·         Break the wet cake into small pieces (grits) using a grater or a sieve with an aperture size of 1.5 – 2.0mm. This can also be done by hand.

·         Sieve the pieces of wet cake to remove any fibrous material.

In roasting:

·         Clean the surface of the roasting tray and smear it with a thin layer of edible oil(e.g. palm oil or cooking oil)

·         In the improved garri roasting bay, fuel wood, wood shavings, charcoal or other readily available suitable material is lit through a fireplace on the outside of the factory wall from direct contact with the processor.

·         The fire heat the stainless steel tray sitting on a raised platform above the fireplace inside the factory providing the heat for roasting the garri. Heat the tray and load it with a batch of grits. Stir the batch with a wooden spatula. The gari is ready when it turns into dry, creamy granules. Smoke generated from the fire underneath the tray escapes through a galvanized steel chimney pipe to the top of the roof.

·         Traditional garri bay exposes the processor to direct heat, smoke and fumes, and this may affect the health of the processor and their family over the long run.

·         Do not also use mild steel tray for roasting garri. This will rust and contaminate the garri.

·         Collect the garri from the roasting pan when it is dry, leaving a small amount if garri in the tray. This will help to roast the next batch.

·         Note that; if the fire is not hot enough, the garri will not cook properly and will become white. If it is too hot, the garri will burn. Normal required heat will ensure the garri is well roasted.

Step 5: Bagging and storing the gari

The product is hygroscopic (it absorbs moisture from the air) and should be packed in airtight and moisture-proof bags, especially in areas of high humidity, to prevent mold growth.

This step can be highlighted as follows:

Ø  Remove the gari from the roasting tray and spread it thinly on a raised platform in the open air to cool and dry. Several batches can be put on the cooling tray.

Ø  Sieve the gari with a standard size sieve to produce fine granules, which are collected in a plastic bowl.

Ø  Use a grinder to break the large granules into smaller ones

Ø  When the gari granules are all the same size, pour the gari into a plastic lining inside a woven polythene sack

Ø  Weigh the sack of gari to make sure it is the correct weight, as required by the market: e.g. 1kg, 5kg, 10kg, 25 kg, 50 kg or 65 kg. Seal the sack manually or with a bag sealer (if available) to keep the gari clean and fresh during storage.

Pile the sacks on pallets or a raised platform and keep them in a cool, dry place; the gari will keep for up to a year in these conditions