Friday, August 24, 2012
Fri, 24 Aug 2012
Continuing a tradition that began with the inaugural Class of 2007, Liberty University School of Law held its seventh annual Ad Fontes ceremony on Wednesday, August 22, 2012. Many people gathered in the Supreme Courtroom to witness members of the Class of 2013 place their hands on the Ebenezer Stone. This symbolic act demonstrated the law school motto – Ad Fontes – meaning “back to the sources.”
The Ebenezer Stone, quarried from Mt. Sinai, has only been touched by members of each School of Law graduating class and Dr. Jerry Falwell. The Class of 2013 was commissioned to hold fast to God, the Author of law. “The act of placing one’s hands on the stone is a symbolic pledge to God and to Moses, God’s earthly lawgiver, that you will be ministers of justice using law for its high purpose,” said Mathew Staver, Dean of Liberty University School of Law.
Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr., along with Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Dr. Ronald Godwin, Dean Mathew Staver, and Liberty law faculty were present in full regalia to solemnize the ceremony. “This ceremony serves as a reminder for each third-year law student about the true Source of the law and the rich history of the law school. In addition, it is designed to instill a sense of honor in their calling of becoming a lawyer armed with the rule of law, using law as a fulcrum for good,” added Staver.
The idea of the Ebenezer Stone comes from the Old Testament, where the prophet Samuel took a stone and named it “Ebenezer,” saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” (I Samuel 7:12)
“When future generations ask about the stone, may it be told, the story of how the Lord intervened in the lives of our students,” concluded Staver.