Hospitality

by Cynthia Clampitt.

What do we mean by hospitality?

In Latin, we start with the word hostis, which means stranger, enemy. From that, we get hospitem, Latin for guest or host. From these roots, English gets hospital, host, hostel, hotel, hospitality. Hospitals were originally hospices for the reception of pilgrims (those travelling to shrines or the Holy Land). (The term later applied to charitable institutions for the aged and infirm, and later still, to charitable institutions for the education of children, before it gained its current meaning) Hospitallers were those whose duty it was to provide hospitum (lodging and entertainment) for pilgrims (entertainment -- from the old French entretenir, "to hold among" - originally meant attention to the comfort and desires of guests; hospitality ). "Hospitality" was what you expected to get in a "hospital." This word history makes it pretty easy to see where we get our current definition of hospitality - "friendly reception; generous treatment of guests or strangers."

So, how does hospitality fit into a biblical world view?

Old Testament:

In the ancient Near East, hospitality was the process of "receiving" outsiders and changing them from strangers to guests. It was different from simply entertaining family and friends. In Genesis 18 and 19, we see first Abraham then Lot showing hospitality to the strangers who visited them. Their behaviour was not at all odd within the context of their society. It would have been unthinkable (and was still unthinkable in much of the Old World until this century) to allow a stranger to pass by.

Hospitality was part of the world order, tied to the idea of covenants with God. That is why salt, which sealed covenants with God (Leviticus 2:13 Leviticus 2:13

13 Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.
, Numbers 18:19 Numbers 18:19

19 Whatever is set aside from the holy offerings the Israelites present to the LORD I give to you and your sons and daughters as your regular share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the LORD for both you and your offspring
, 2 Chronicles 13:5 2 Chronicles 13:5

5 Don't you know that the LORD, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt?
)was also a symbol of hospitality. The Arab expression "There is salt between us" reflects the idea that to eat another man's salt creates a sacred bond between host and guest. The Russian word for hospitality, directly translated, is bread-salt. Hospitality was regarded by most nations of the ancient world as one of the chief virtues. The relationship between host and guest was sacred.

Though we do not encounter the word "hospitality" in the Old Testament, the concept runs throughout it. Exodus 2:20 - The daughters of Jethro, a priest in Midian, tell their father that Moses aided them, and he replies, "And where is he? Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat." Now, it is unlikely you will ever have to be as hospitable as Jethro, who also gave a daughter to Moses as a wife, but this was not considered extreme in those days. Lev. 19:33 &34 -- "When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God."(see also Exodus 22:21 Exodus 22:21

21 Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt.
 Exodus 23:9 Exodus 23:9

9 Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt.
)Deut. 10:17-19 - "For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt." 2 Kings 4:8-10 - The Shunammite woman urges Elisha to stay for a meal and then, recognizing that he is a servant of God, builds him his own room. Of course, in this story, we see a flip side to the hospitality issue - being a good guest. In verses 11 and following, we see that Elisha's response is to repay her hospitality in a way she could not foresee. Job 31:32 - "No stranger had to spend the night in the street, for my door was always open to the traveller."

New Testament:

Hospitality is making people feel like they're not strangers, like they "belong." Of course, this makes God the most hospitable person we know -- He certainly went to the ultimate length to make us feel like we belong. In the New Testament, we see that hospitality was expected, at least as the disciples travelled about Judea and Galilee. When Jesus sent out the disciples Matthew 10:10 - 13 Matthew 10:10 - 13

10 take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave. 12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you.
, he told them not to take gold or silver, but to find a worthy person and stay in their house while they are in town. The Greek word that is translated "hospitality" in the New Testament is Filoxenia (philoxenia), literally, a love of strangers. Hence, the essence of the Old Testament idea of hospitality is retained.

However, in the early Christian church, hospitality took on a new dimension. Roman roads made travel easy, but there were not a lot of inns, and the ones that existed could be expensive. Travelling evangelists and missionaries could hardly have afforded this kind of expense. Christians scattered throughout the world could count on finding in every large population centre a Christian church or fellowship that would welcome them, make them feel at home, and give them any immediately needed service. As Christianity spread into the more far-flung regions of the Roman Empire, commands of hospitality became more frequent in the Bible, since, as people moved away from their Middle Eastern roots, hospitality was not a 'given' of society, plus, there was the likelihood of far more numerous guests, as the Pax Romana opened up the whole known world to travellers. Both commands and examples abound in the New Testament. Matth. 25:35 & 40 - "I was a stranger and you invited me in." Matth. 22:2-10 & Luke 14:15-24 - Christianity is compared with a great banquet to which strangers are invited. Luke 24:29 - On the road to Emmaus: "They urged him strongly, 'Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.' So he went in to stay with them." Acts 28:30 - "For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him." Romans 12:13 - "Practice hospitality."

In the King James Version, this verse says we should be "given to hospitality." The Greek-- diokontes - is literally "pursuing". We are not simply to wait for an opportunity to force itself on us, but we are to go out looking for ways to be hospitable, for people who need to be encouraged, cared for, just made to feel like they belong. Romans 16:23 - "Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings." 1 Timothy 3:2 - "Now the overseer must be above reproach...hospitable." 1 Timothy 5:10 - "...well known for her good deeds, such as...showing hospitality." Titus 1:8 -- An overseer "must be hospitable, one who loves what is good". Hebrews 13:2 - "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." 1 Peter 4:9 - "Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling." 3 John :5-8 - "...you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. (vs. 8) We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth."

Practical Application:

In his book The Weight of Glory, C. S. Lewis wrote as follows about the people we meet, the friends, strangers and neighbours who fill our lives. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendours. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously - no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. Lewis also notes of our interactions with others that "All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations [heaven or hell]."

What about me?

Since hospitality is a gift, there will always be some for whom it comes more naturally, who will do it on a larger scale. But hospitality is also something we are instructed to practice. So it is with many gifts God gives - some are great intercessors, but we are all commanded to pray; some are great evangelists, but we are all commanded to "be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks..." (I Peter 3:15). So, too, we can all show hospitality. Some life circumstances will alter the type of hospitality you can offer (e.g., as a single woman, it would not be wise for me to let a man stay in my apartment), but we can all be hospitable. Let's think of some ways and opportunities we might have to be "given to hospitality." What can you do? Think of little actions you can weave into your day that will make people feel that you care. To whom can you show hospitality? Be on the lookout for people who seem overwhelmed, overloaded, or left out. List some places you might run into people like this. Think of some times you have been hospitable. Thank God for opportunities he's given you in the past to be hospitable, and maybe recognize an area of gifting that you didn't realize was yours. Think of some new ways you can show hospitality. Remember that small things are sometimes the most welcome, and the most unexpected, especially in this day and age, when everyone is so self-absorbed. Pray that God will show you ways you can help. Ask for help in seeing ways you can show kindness.

Hospitality. It's making strangers into guests, making people feel they matter. It is as ancient as civilization and as contemporary as a lonely heart. It is a gift, a responsibility, and a joy. It is, quite simply, the second great commandment - "Love your neighbour as yourself." So, let PHILOXENIA be your battle cry, and get out there and show the world you care!


From Carl Sukkot, member of Danish Mensa:

Hospitality is highly recommended by God. And Xenophobia and lack of hospitality is godless to the point of self destructiveness. But the following quote may have an angle which we are not commonly aware of: In Genesis 18 and 19, we see first Abraham then Lot showing hospitality to the strangers who visited them. Their behaviour was not at all odd within the context of their society. It is true about Abraham and Lot, but certainly not about the inhabitants of Sodom. Some rabbis consider that the sin of Sodom was less of a sexual kind - than that of hostility to strangers. Note how Lot is singled out as a "newcomer" and stranger, though he has lived in the city for a considerable amount of time. So lack of hospitality is deemed as much a reason for destructing the sodomites as their sexual behaviour.


From Martin Hattersley, member of Canadian Mensa:

Thank you, Cynthia, for that very illuminating - and challenging - account of "hospitality".

One small technical point, the word hospitem is the accusative singular form of the noun hospes.

Unfortunately, in Latin (3rd declension nouns) the root of the noun is not carried by the pure nominative form and most derivative words stem from the genitive root.

Hence the genitive form of hospes is hospitis.

Perhaps one way to avoid the technical error is to quote both forms thus hospes/hospitis from which ..... HTH

I went to my Latin dictionary, and was interested to see that hostis - originally "stranger", developing into "enemy", is connected with hostio, literally to "give retribution" or "give tit for tat". Hence the whole idea of hostia as victim (e.g. the Latin hymn 'O salutaris hostia' - translated "O saving victim" in reference to Christ), which is also reflected in the bread of the Eucharist being referred to as the "host".

Which gives me some interesting thoughts - that Jesus the "Victim" is not just someone who is defeated (the literal derivation of "victim"), but rather the one who "pays the price of sin" - the concept surrounding all sacrifices - enabling all those for whom the price has been paid to go free.

And interesting that our attitude is what determines whether a "stranger" ends up as a "guest" or an "enemy"!

All good meditation as Holy Week approaches. I feel a Sermon coming on!