Ephphatha

Effata ( Hephata, Hephatha, of Aramaic hephatach, "! Open up ") is a saying of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark ( 7.31 to 37 ):

" Jesus left again the area of Tyre and Sidon came over to the Sea of ​​Galilee, in the middle of the territory of the Decapolis. Some people brought a deaf-mute to Jesus and asked him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside, away from the crowd, put his fingers in his ears and then touched the man's tongue with the saliva; then he looked up to heaven, sighed and said to the deaf: Effata, that is: Open up! At once opened his ears, his tongue was freed from their bondage, and he could talk properly. Jesus warned them not to tell anyone of it. But the more he charged them, the more they proclaimed it. Beside himself with amazement they said, He hath done all things well; he even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak. "

Catholic reception

At baptism, as it is celebrated, among others in the Roman Catholic rite, the celebrant touches the ears and mouth of the newly baptized and says, " Ephphatha! " To make it clear that this is to hear the word of God and confess the faith (so-called Effata - rite ).

Some associations of deaf Catholics in Germany incorporate so Epheta in their club name. Also, the monthly newspaper published by the Association of Catholic Deaf Germany ( VKGD ), bears the same name.

Evangelical reception

Based on the formulation Luther certain hot Deaf institutions of diakonia:

• Hephata ( Schwalm city), Diakonia Centre in Schwalm -Treysa
• Hephata ( Mönchengladbach ), Protestant Foundation in Mönchengladbach

And church buildings:

• Hephatha Church, Berlin
• Hephata Church ( Schwalm city )

• Jesus
• New Testament
• Deafness