Archive for the ‘Genesis 22’ Category
Above: The Sacrifice of Isaac, by Caravaggio
Image in the Public Domain
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Genesis 22:1-18
Psalm 6
Romans 8:31-39
Mark 1:12-15
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O Lord God, you led your ancient people through the wilderness
and brought them to the promised land.
Guide now the people of your Church, that, following our Savior,
we may walk through the wilderness of this world
toward the glory of the world to come;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
or
Lord God, our strength,
the battle of good and evil rages within and around us,
and our ancient foe tempts us with his deceits and empty promises.
Keep us steadfast in your Word, and,
when we fall, raise us again and restore us
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 17-18
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O almighty and eternal God, we implore you
to direct, sanctify, and govern our hearts and bodies
in the ways of your laws and the works of your laws
and the works of your commandments
that through your mighty protection, both now and ever,
we may be preserved in body and soul;
through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 33
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I know an Episcopal priest who handles well one’s claim not to believe in God. He asks those who claim not to believe in God to describe the deity in whom they do not believe. Invariably, that person describes a total bastard deity in whom the priest does not believe either.
Biblically and creedally, belief in God is trust in God. Of course, the most popular understanding of “believe in God” may be to affirm the existence of God. Therefore, for the sake of clarity, my answer to whether I believe in God begins with,
What do you mean?
Once I hear the answer to that question, I continue with my reply. For the record, I always affirm the existence of God and usually trust in God.
The portrayal of God in Genesis 22:1-18 is that of a total bastard deity in whom I do not believe, regardless of how one defines belief in God. That portrayal of God is of a vicious, monstrous deity.
No, I do not believe in that God. I do, however, believe–trust–in God, who is love from whom nothing can separate us. I do believe–trust–in God, who is on our side in the midst of troubles and persecution. I do believe–trust–in God, whose kingdom breaks into our troubled world. I do believe–trust–in God, who comforts–not afflicts–the faithful.
The Lord’s Prayer contains a petition for God to
save us from the time of trial.
Divine testing of the faithful is a Biblical concept. The Wisdom of Solomon 3:5-6 tells us of the righteous deceased:
Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good,
because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;
like gold in the furnace he tried them,
and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them.
—Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition
Trusting is one matter; abuse is another. I believe–trust–in God, who tests, not abuses.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 15, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE NINETEENTH DAY OF LENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT ZACHARY OF ROME, BISHOP OF ROME
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JAN ADALBERT BALICKI AND LADISLAUS FINDYSZ, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS IN POLAND
THE FEAST OF JEAN BAPTISTE CALKIN, ANGLICAN ORGANIST AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF OZORA STEARNS DAVIS, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, THEOLOGIAN, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF VETHAPPPAN SOLOMON, APOSTLE TO THE SOLOMON ISLANDS
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Adapted from this post
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Above: Icon of the Crucifixion
Image in the Public Domain
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READING SECOND ISAIAH, PART IX
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Isaiah 52:13-53:12
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The Book of Common Prayer (1979) lists the Fourth Servant Song as one of three options for the reading from the Old Testament on Good Friday. Another option is Genesis 22:1-18. My thoughts on Abraham nearly killing his son, Isaac, are on record at this weblog. The other option is the Wisdom of Solomon 2:1, 12-24, in which the wicked reject justice. That reading fits Good Friday perfectly, for, as the Gospel of Luke emphasizes, the crucifixion of Jesus was a perversion of justice. One may recall that, in the Gospel of Luke, for example, the centurion at the foot of the cross declares Jesus innocent (23:47), not the Son of God (Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:39). As I will demonstrate in this post, the applicability of the Fourth Servant Song to Good Friday works thematically, too, but interpretive issues that have nothing to do with Jesus also interest me.
In the original context, the servant in Isaiah 53:13-53:12 is the covenant people during the Babylonian Exile. The dominant theology in Second Isaiah (chapters 34-35, 40-55) is that the Babylonian Exile was justified yet excessive (40:2; 47:6)–that people had earned that exile. The theology of Second Isaiah also argues that this suffering was vicarious, on behalf of Gentile nations in the (known) world. In other words:
Yet the Israelites are still the focus in that these verses offer them a revolutionary theology that explains the hardships of exile: The people had to endure the exile and the suffering it engendered because that suffering was done in service to God so that God, through their atoning sacrifice, could redeem the nations.
–Susan Ackerman, in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible (2003), 1031
Much of the Hebrew Bible, in its final, postexilic form, holds that the Babylonian Exile was divine punishment for persistent, collective, and unrepentant disregard for the moral mandates in the Law of Moses. This attitude is ubiquitous in the Hebrew prophetic tradition. I know, for I am working on a project of reading the Hebrew prophetic books, roughly in historical order (with some exceptions), starting with the Book of Hosea.
Yet Isaiah 53:7-9 contradicts that interpretation. It rejects even 40:1-3 and 47:6, from within Second Isaiah. Isaiah 53:7-9, not about Jesus, argues that the Babylonian Exile and its accompanying suffering was unjust and the people were innocent. The thematic link to the atoning suffering of sinless Jesus is plain to see.
Let us not neglect the theme of the vicarious suffering of the Hebrews in the Babylonian Exile, though. I can read; the text says that, through the suffering of these exiles, Gentile nations would receive divine forgiveness and the Hebrews would receive a reward–renewal. I try to wrap my mind around this theology, yet do not know what to make of it. I wrestle with this theology.
Atonement via vicarious suffering is a topic about which I have written at this weblog. Reading in the history of Christian theology tells me that three theories of the atonement exist in the writings of Church Fathers. These theories are, in no particular order:
- Penal Substitutionary Atonement,
- The Incarnation, and
- The Conquest of Satan (the Classic Theory, or Christus Victor).
I come closest to accepting the Classic Theory. It has the virtue of emphasizing that the resurrection completed the atonement. In other words, dead Jesus cannot atone for anything; do not stop at Good Friday. I like the Eastern Orthodox tradition of telling jokes on Easter because the resurrection of Jesus was the best joke God ever pulled on Satan. The second option strikes me as being part of the atonement, and the first option is barbaric. I stand with those Christian theologians who favor a generalized atonement.
Whether the question is about the atoning, vicarious suffering of Jewish exiles or about the atoning, vicarious suffering of Jesus, perhaps the best strategy is to accept it, thank God, and live faithfully. The Eastern Orthodox are correct; we Western Christians frequently try to explain too much we cannot understand. Atonement is a mystery; we may understand it partially, at best.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 10, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF MYLES HORTON, “FATHER OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT”
THE FEAST OF SAINTS EUMENIOUS AND PARTHENIOS OF KOUDOUMAS, MONKS AND FOUNDERS OF KOUDOMAS MONASTERY, CRETE
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH OF DAMASCUS, SYRIAN ORTHODOX PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1860
THE FEAST OF SAINT NICHOLAS SPIRA, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF RUED LANGGAARD, DANISH COMPOSER
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Above: Icon of Jeremiah
Image in the Public Domain
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READING JEREMIAH, PART X
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Jeremiah 14:1-15:9
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The title for this post comes from The New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume VI (2001).
God, we read, will not listen to intercessions for the people of the Kingdom of Judah any longer. That is why certain prayers do not work in Jeremiah 14:1-15:9. We return to a theme from earlier in the Hebrew prophetic tradition: repentance is no longer an option. The Book of Jeremiah, like other Hebrew prophetic books, is inconsistent about whether repentance is no longer an option. I, having finished rereading the Book of Jeremiah and having read earlier Hebrew prophetic books as of the time I type these words, make that statement with authority and without fear of being objectively inaccurate.
Some aspects of this block of scripture beg for explanation.
Translations of 14:18 vary, for the Hebrew text is difficult. The priest and the prophet
roam the land,
They do not know where,
in TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985). However, the priest and the prophet
ply their trade in a land they do not know,
in The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011). In The Revised English Bible (1989), they
wander without rest in the land.
Other translations offer variations on those renderings.
15:4 tells us:
I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, on account of King Manasseh son of Hezekiah of Judah, and of what he did in Jerusalem.
—TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
King Manasseh of Judah (r. 698/687-642 B.C.E.) was one of the monarchs certain Biblical authors loved to despise. 2 Kings 21:1-18 unloaded on the idolatrous monarch. 2 Chronicles 33:1-20 softened that blow by adding material about the monarch’s supposed repentance. 2 Kings 21:1-18 knew nothing about this alleged repentance, however. Later, an anonymous author, drawing from 2 Chronicles 33:1-20, composed The Prayer of Manasseh, an apocryphal text which enriches The Book of Common Prayer (1979).
Idolatry offers the theological clue to the interpretation of the drought in Jeremiah 14:1-15:9. The author wants people to recall the famine and drought in 1 Kings 17:1-18:46, meant to prove the ineffectiveness of Baal Peor, the Canaanite storm and fertility god.
The promise (15:8) that:
Their widows shall be more numerous
Than the sands of the seas.”
—TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
calls back ironically to the divine promise regarding the number of descendants of Abraham (Genesis 22:17) and Jacob (Genesis 32:13; cf. 1 Kings 4:20; Isaiah 10:22; Hosea 2:1).
She who bore seven is forlorn,
Utterly disconsolate;
Her sun has set while it is still day,
She is shamed and humiliated.
The remnant of them I will deliver to the sword,
To the power of their enemies
–declares the LORD.
–Jeremiah 15:9, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
This forlorn, disconsolate mother is Jerusalem personified. Themes, being what they are, occur in different and subsequent contexts, though. The stories of the mother and her seven sons, all martyrs during the Seleucid period, fill 2 Maccabees 7 and 4 Maccabees 8-18.
One should read scripture in various contexts, including literary genres and the historical record. Another context in which to read scripture is other scripture. We who have read the Bible know the rest of the story with regard to the final years of the Kingdom of the Judah. We know that matters got worse before they improved. We know that repentance was still an option.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 10, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT JAMES OF NISIBIS, BISHOP; AND SAINT EPHREM OF EDESSA, “THE HARP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT”
THE FEAST OF FREDERICK C. GRANT, EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND NEW TESTAMENT SCHOLAR; AND HIS SON, ROBERT M. GRANT, EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND PATRISTICS SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF SAINTS OF GETULIUS, AMANTIUS, CAERAELIS, AND PRIMITIVUS, MARTYRS AT TIVOLI, 120; AND SAINT SYMPHROSA OF TIVOLI, MARTYR, 120
THE FEAST OF SAINT LANDERICUS OF PARIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF THOR MARTIN JOHNSON, U.S. MORAVIAN CONDUCTOR AND MUSIC DIRECTOR
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Above: Mattathias and the Apostate, by Gustave Doré
Image in the Public Domain
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READING 1, 2 AND 4 MACCABEES
PART XV
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1 Maccabees 2:1-70
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How much is too much to tolerate? When must one, in good conscience, resist authority? The First and Second Books of the Maccabees are books about resistance to tyranny and about the political restoration of Israel (Judea). These are not books that teach submission to all human governmental authority, no matter what. The heroes include men who killed imperial officials, as well as Jews who ate pork–
death over a ham sandwich,
as a student of mine said years ago.
Mattathias was a Jewish priest zealous for the Law of Moses. He and his five sons started the Hasmonean Rebellion after the desecration of the Temple in Jerusalem by King Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 167 B.C.E. Mattathias, having refused an offer to become on the Friends of the King, launched the rebellion. (Friend of the King was an official position. Also, there were four ranks of Friends: Friends (entry-level), Honored Friends, First Friends, and Preferred Friends.) The sons of Mattathias were:
- John Gaddi–“fortunate,” literally;
- Simon Thassis–“burning,” literally;
- Judas Maccabeus–“designated by Yahweh” or “the hammerer,” literally;
- Eleazar Avaran–“awake,” literally; and
- Jonathan Apphus–“favorite,” literally.
The rebellion, under Mattathias, was against Hellenism. Under Judas Maccabeus, the rebellion became a war for independence.
Mattathias died in 166 B.C.E.
The farewell speech in 2:49-70 contains references to the the following parts of the Hebrew Bible:
- Genesis 22 (Abraham; see Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 44:19-21, also);
- Genesis 39 (Joseph);
- Numbers 25 (Phinehas; see Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 45:23-26, also);
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- Joshua 1 (Joshua; see Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 46:1-10, also);
- Numbers 13 and 14 (Caleb; see Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 46:7-10, also);
- 2 Samuel 7 (David; see Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 47:2-12, also);
- 1 Kings 17 and 2 Kings 2 (Elijah; see Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 47:25-12, also);
- Daniel 3 (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego); and
- Daniel 6 (Daniel).
The point is to remain faithful to God during difficult times. I support that. On the other hand, killing some people and forcibly circumcising others is wrong. If I condemn Hellenists for committing violence, I must also condemn Hasmoneans for doing the same.
The text intends for us, the readers, to contrast the death of Mattathias with the death of Alexander the Great (1:5-6). We read:
[Alexander’s] generals took over the government, each in his own province, and, when Alexander died, they all assumed royal crowns, and for many years the succession passed to their descendants. They brought untold miseries on the world.
–1 Maccabees 1:8-9, The Revised English Bible (1989)
The agenda of 1 Maccabees includes the belief that renewal of Jewish traditions followed the death of Mattathias , however.
I have a habit of arguing with scripture, off-and-on. I may recognize a text as being canonical yet disagree with part of it. Arguing with God is part of my patrimony, inherited from Judaism. Sometimes I seek to adore and thank God. Arguing with God (as in Judaism) contrasts with submitting to God (as in Islam). Perhaps the combination of my Protestant upbringing and my inherent rebelliousness keeps showing itself. If so, so be it; I offer no apology in this matter.
As much as I engage in 1 and 2 Maccabees and find them interesting, even canonical–Deuterocanonical, actually–they disturb me. Violence in the name of God appalls me, regardless of whether an army, a mob, or a lone civilian commits it. I may recognize a given cause as being just. I may, objectively, recognize the historical importance of certain violent acts, including those of certain violent acts, including those of rebellious slaves and of John Brown. I may admit, objectively, that such violence may have been the only feasible option sometimes, given the circumstances oppressors had created or maintained. Yet, deep down in my soul, I wish I could be a pacifist.
So, the sacred violence in 1 and 2 Maccabees disturbs me. I understand the distinction between civilians and combatants. The violence against civilians in 1 and 2 Maccabees really offends me morally. These two books are not the only places in the Old Testament I read of violence against civilians. It is present in much of the Hebrew Bible proper, too. I object to such violence there, also.
Jennifer Wright Knust, a seminary professor and an an ordained minister in the American Baptist Churches USA, wrote Unprotected Texts: The Bible’s Surprising Contradictions About Sex and Desire (2011). She said in an interview on Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) radio that she has detected a disturbing pattern in many of her students. Knust has said that many of her pupils think they must hold positions they would otherwise regard as morally repugnant. They believe this, she has explained, because they interpret the Bible as supporting these positions.
As Mark Noll (a historian, a University of Notre Dame professor, and a conservative Presbyterian) has written, the U.S. Civil War was a theological crisis. The authority of scripture was a major part of proslavery arguments that quoted the Bible, chapter and verse. The counterargument was, therefore, allegedly heretical. That argument rested mainly on a few verses–the Golden Rule, mainly. And the abolitionist argument was morally superior.
I encourage you, O reader, to go all-in on the Golden Rule. Questions of orthodoxy or heresy be damned. Just follow the Golden Rule. Leave the rest to God. Do not twist the authority of scripture into an obstacle to obeying the Golden Rule. I do not believe that God will ever condemn any of us for doing to others as would have them to do to us.
I offer one other thought from this chapter. Read verses 29-38, O reader. Notice that even those zealous for keeping the Law of Moses fought a battle on the Sabbath, instead of resting on the day of rest. Know that, if they had rested, they may have lost the battle. Know, also, that relativizing commandments within the Law of Moses was a Jewish practice. (Remember that, so not to stereotype Judaism, as in stories in which Jesus healed on the Sabbath then faced criticism for having done so.) Ideals clash with reality sometimes.
To return to Knust’s point, one need not believe something one would otherwise consider repugnant. One need not do so, even if one interprets the Bible to support that repugnant belief. The recognition of the reality on the ground takes one out of the realm of the theoretical and into the realm of the practical. May we–you, O reader, and I–properly balance the moral demands (real or imagined) of the theoretical with those (also real or imagined) of the practical.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
FEBRUARY 9, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF DANNY THOMAS, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC ENTERTAINER AND HUMANITARIAN; FOUNDER OF SAINT JUDE’S CHILDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITAL
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALTO TO ALTOMUNSTER, ROMAN CATHOLIC HERMIT
THE FEAST OF BRUCE M. METZGER, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, BIBLICAL SCHOLAR, AND BIBLICAL TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF JOHN TIETJEN, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER, ECUMENIST, AND BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT PORFIRIO, MARTYR, 203
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Above: The New Jerusalem
Image in the Public Domain
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Genesis 22:1-19 or Zechariah 8:7-17
Psalm 145:1-9
Revelation 21:9-27
John 15:26-16:15
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Genesis 22:1-19 is the outlier in this group of assigned portions of scripture. I refer you, O reader, to other posts in which I have covered that terrible tale of child abuse and attempted murder.
A dark tone exists also in John 16:1-4. Consider the circumstances of the Johannine, Jewish Christian community. Expulsion from synagogues was their reality. Religious persecution, although not constant from the imperium, was possible. Furthermore, a time when
anyone who kills you will think he is doing a holy service to God
functions, in this liturgical context, as a commentary on Abraham in Genesis 22:1-19.
Otherwise, the assigned readings depict a happy reality of dwelling in God. This reality is not free of troubles, but one lives in harmony with God, at least. And faith communities provide contexts in which members support one another. They have instructions from God:
These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to one another, under true and perfect justice in your gates. And do not contrive evil against one another, and do not love perjury, because all those things that I hate–declares the LORD.
–Zechariah 8:16-17, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
The original context of Zechariah 8:16-17 is Jerusalem after the return of exiles. The passage also applies to Christian faith communities, however. People are to love God and each other.
May we do so, by grace, and glorify God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
FEBRUARY 1, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT HENRY MORSE, ENGLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1645
THE FEAST OF SAINT BENEDICT DASWA, SOUTH AFRICAN ROMAN CATHOLIC CATECHIST AND MARTYR, 1990
THE FEAST OF CHARLES SEYMOUR ROBINSON, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMNOLOGIST
THE FEAST OF GIOVANNI PIERLUIGI DA PALESTRINA, ITALIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC COMPOSER AND MUSICIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT SIGEBERT III, KING OF AUSTRASIA
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2021/02/01/devotion-for-proper-27-year-d-humes/
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Above: De Profundis, by Horatio Walker
Image in the Public Domain
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For the First Sunday in Lent, Year 2
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Lectionary from A Book of Worship for Free Churches (The General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States, 1948)
Collect from The Book of Worship (Evangelical and Reformed Church, 1947)
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We beseech thee, O Lord, by the mystery of our Savior’s fasting and temptation,
to arm us with the same mind that was in him toward all evil and sin;
and give us grace to keep our bodies in such holy discipline,
that our minds may be always ready to resist temptation,
and obey the direction of thy Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—The Book of Worship (1947), 146
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Genesis 22:1-14
Psalm 130
2 Corinthians 6:1-10
Matthew 4:1-11
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Before I settle into the main business of this blog post, I choose to get some preliminary matters out of the day.
- I have written about the near-sacrifice of Isaac many times. (Check the category for Genesis 22, O reader.) It is a terrible, traditionally misinterpreted tale. In modern times, the state Department of Family and Children’s Services would be all over Abraham like lint on a cheap suit, and properly so. Police officers would arrest Abraham for attempted murder, and properly so. A prosecutor would try to convict Abraham in court, and properly so. God tested Abraham. Abraham failed that test. He should have asked questions, to be sure he understood correctly.
- The Temptation of Jesus in the desert (Matthew 4) offers more familiar, much written-about ground. (Check the category for Matthew 4, O reader.)
I take my key note from Psalm 130, a prayer for forgiveness, both individual and collective. The text affirms the merciful love of God, as well as the human obligation to confess sins, feel remorse for them, and repent of them. That is the academic side of Psalm 130 for me.
There is no error is offering an objectively accurate analysis and summary of a text, of course. In the case of Psalm 130, however, I add the dimension of grief. During the years I loved Bonny Thomas, who struggled with mental illness, I returned frequently to Psalm 130. I cried to God from the depths. After Bonny lost her battle with mental illness and died violently, I cried again to God from the depths. I have continued to do so.
We can cry to God from the depths in proper confidence that God will hear us and take pity on us. We can also be present for others in their depths. Having been or being in the depths can enable us to help others in the depths better than we could aid them otherwise.
This point ties into 2 Corinthians 6:6. One of the ways we prove we are servants of God is by being kind. Speaking of kindness, Jesus can help us, too. He knows temptations, too. So, in the darkness of the depths, we can find a cause for rejoicing and recognize that we have everything we need.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 6, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
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Above: Arphaxad
Image in the Public Domain
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READING JUDITH
PART I
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Judith 1:1-16
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The Book of Judith is a novella, like the Books of Tobit and Esther. This story exists in two parts. Chapters 1-7 establish the crisis facing the Jews of Bethulia. Chapters 8-16 contain the story of the titular character. The Book of Judith, composed between 135 and 100 B.C.E., during or shortly after the reign (134-104 B.C.E.) of John Hyrcanus I (named in 1 Maccabees 13:53, 16:1-23), includes details and characters from five centuries, mixed and matched in odd combinations. The Book of Judith also exists in four Greek recensions, four ancient translations, and a Hebrew translation from the Vulgate version.
The Book of Judith, although never in the Jewish canon of scripture, has canonical status in the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. Certain early Christian writings attest to the high esteem in which some saints held that text. One can, for example, read St. Jerome (347-419), the great, frequently moody translator of the Vulgate, describing Judith as (1) a model widow, and (2) a type of the Church. One can also read of St. Jerome describing St. Mary of Nazareth, the Mother and Bearer of God, as a new Judith. One can also read St. Clement (I) of Rome, Bishop of Rome from 88/91 to 97/101, writing in his (First) Epistle to the Corinthians, cite Esther and Judith as examples of heroic love of their people.
“Judith,” literally “Jewish woman,” echoes other Jewish women. These include Jael (Judges 4), Deborah (Judges 4-5), and Sarah (Genesis 11, 12, 16-18, 20-22).
Now, for Judith 1:1-16….
Do not bother trying to keep track of historical dates, O reader; they are all over the chronology. Likewise, the measurements of the wall of Ectabana are hyperbolic. Who has ever seen a wall 105 feet high and 75 feet thick, with tower gates 150 feet high and 60 feet wide?
On the surface, this is a story about the warfare between King Arphaxad of the Medes and King Nebuchadnezzar II (allegedly of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, but really of the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire). Chapter 1 ends with Jews in Samaria and Judah dreading the wrath of Nebuchadnezzar II for not supporting his campaign against Arphaxad.
A careful reader may know that King Nebuchadnezzar II governed from Babylon, not Nineveh.
Chapter 1 sets up the rest of the Book of Judith. One theme is already evident. That theme is whether one should be loyal to a tyrant. The answer is “no.”
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 6, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
THE EIGHTH DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT NICHOLAS OF MYRA, BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT ABRAHAM OF KRATIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, ABBOT, BISHOP, AND HERMIT
THE FEAST OF ALICE FREEMAN PALMER, U.S. EDUCATOR AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF HENRY USTICK ONDERDONK, EPISCOPAL BISHOP, LITURGIST, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF PHILIP AND DANIEL BERRIGAN, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND SOCIAL ACTIVISTS
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Above: The Holy Kinship of Saint Anne
Image in the Public Domain
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For the Third Sunday in Lent, Year 1
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Lectionary from A Book of Worship for Free Churches (The General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States, 1948)
Collect from The Book of Worship (Evangelical and Reformed Church, 1947)
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Almighty God, who hast been the hope and confidence of thy people in all ages;
mercifully regard, we beseech thee, the prayer with which we cry unto thee out of the depths,
and stretch forth the right hand of thy majesty and defense;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—The Book of Worship (1947), 150
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Genesis 22:1-19
Psalm 57
2 Corinthians 4
Matthew 20:17-28
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Regarding the near-sacrifice of Isaac and my rejection of a traditional interpretation of that story, I choose not to repeat myself in this post. If you wish, O reader, follow the germane tags.
One theme in this group of readings is persistence in following God. When foes have their proverbial knives out, remain firm in faith. Even a superficial reading of martyrology reveals that the knives, et cetera, have frequently been literal. (Consider the case of St. James Intercisus, who won the crown of martyrdom in what is now Iran in 421. “Intercisus” means “cut into pieces.”)
The servant is not greater than the master. This is a lesson from Matthew Matthew 20:17-28. Attentive readers of the Gospels may know that Sts. James and John, sons of Zebedee, were first cousins of our Lord and Savior. One may realize, then, that their mother (St. Mary Salome), was Christ’s aunt (sister of St. Mary of Nazareth).
Modern-day helicopter parents and snowplow/lawnmower parents have nothing on St. Mary Salome, assuming that she asked the question. One can read in Mark 10:35-45 that Sts. James and John made the request themselves.
To imagine that following Jesus is a path to an easy life full of riches is to labor under a false impression. (Prosperity Theology is a heresy.) This a lesson, history tells us, that both brothers learned. We read in hagiography that one became a martyr and the other, although he died of natural causes (old age, mainly), suffered for his faith. Sometimes living one’s faith leads on one’s death. If living one’s faith does not lead to one’s death, it will, nevertheless, lead to some negative consequences in this life. The servant is not greater than the master.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 25, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE ANNUNCIATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
THE FEAST OF SAINT DISMAS, PENITENT BANDIT
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Above: Temptations of Christ
Image in the Public Domain
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For the First Sunday in Lent, Year 1, according to the U.S. Presbyterian lectionary of 1966-1970
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Almighty God, who givest us our quiet seasons of thought and prayer:
help us now and at all times to find in thee our true peace.
Save us in the hour of trial, deliver us from evil thoughts and desires,
and from the tyranny of outward things.
May we learn of Christ to be strong and brave in the struggle with temptation,
and to over come even as he overcame. Amen.
—The Book of Common Worship–Provisional Services (1966), 120-121
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Genesis 22:1-8
2 Corinthians 6:1-10
Matthew 4:1-11
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One’s sole basis of identity should be God, according to Henri J. M. Nouwen, writing in The Way of the Heart (1981). That standard proves daunting for me, for my ego rests on several factors, including my intellect.
In Matthew 4 we read of the temptations of Jesus. Analyses of the temptations, with slight variations, follow the same pattern. Nouwen’s argument is that the temptations were, in order, were “the three great compulsions of the world”: to be relevant, spectacular, and powerful. The case according to M. Eugene Boring, writing in Volume VIII (1995) of The New Interpreter’s Bible, follows:
- To fulfill messianic expectations and gain political power by feeding the masses,
- To demonstrate dramatically that he is the Son of God, and
- To serve Satan, to rule as the Roman Emperor did, and to accept and fit in with the status quo.
The case according to Douglas R. A. Hare (1993) is that the temptations were, in order, to distrust God, to dishonor God, and to commit idolatry.
I would be remiss if I chose not to quote the play, Cotton Patch Gospel (1982), set in the U.S. South. In that paraphrase, Satan tempts Jesus to turn stones into grits. Jesus replies,
Man doesn’t live by grits alone, but on every word that drips from the lips of God.
–35
I experience no temptation to justify the actions of Abraham in Genesis 22. My analysis differs from what one may have read and heard elsewhere: God tested Abraham, and Abraham failed, for he should have argued from the beginning.
Abraham cared more about strangers, on whose behalf he haggled with God in Genesis 18, than he about his sons. He exiled Ishmael in Genesis 21 and was prepared to kill Isaac in Genesis 22. Arguing faithfully with God has long been part of Judaism and, by extension, Christianity. Abraham, at the root of Judaism, had argued with God. Why was he submissive at this crucial moment? And how much did he damage his domestic relationships?
I have probably read every traditional rationalization of Genesis 22:1-19. Not one has satisfied me.
One could write about more than one theme present in 2 Corinthians 6, but verse 3 stands out in my mind. Erecting spiritual obstacles is a frequent human activity. One might even mistake doing so for being properly devout. Who is an outsider? Who is an insider? Our answers to those may be predictable, but God’s answers may shock us. Also, we must trust in God if we are to grow spiritually, but do we really understand divine intentions at crucial moments?
One may wish for a clear–even spectacular–sign or signs. Yet would we understand those, or would we find the signs distracting and miss the message? Yes, we would, correct?
I ask God for no spectacular signs. No, I need simply to pay attention to my surroundings. As I type these words, the seasons are finally turning–from an abbreviated autumn to an early winter. The splendor of autumn leaves, cold temperatures, and other wonders of nature satisfy many of my spiritual needs.
Trusting in God remains difficult for me much of the time, but doing so is at least less difficult than it used to be. Grace accounts for that change. I trust more progress will ensue.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 12, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOSAPHAT, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF POLOTSK, AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF SAINT FRANCES XAVIER CABRINI, FOUNDRESS OF THE MISSIONARY SISTERS OF THE SACRED HEART
THE FEAST OF RAY PALMER, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM ARTHUR DUNKERLEY, BRITISH NOVELIST, AND HYMN WRITER
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Above: Joseph Reveals His Dream to His Brethren, by James Tissot
Image in the Public Domain
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Genesis 37:1-28 or Isaiah 30:15-25
Psalm 18:16-30
1 Corinthians 6:1-11
Matthew 11:2-19
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Patriarchs in Genesis had dysfunctional families. Abraham tried to kill his son Isaac, on faith that God had told him to do so. (Yes, I argue with that story.) Isaac’s son Jacob, with the help of Jacob’s mother, fooled him and defrauded Esau. Jacob seemed not to care about the rape of his daughter Dinah and, in a different context, acted in such a way as to foster tension among his sons, most of whom fooled him into thinking that his son Joseph was dead. With family like that, who needs enemies?
The main idea in 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 is that believers ought to conduct themselves in ways that glorify God and distinguish them from unbelievers. Yet even when holy people do that, they will still receive criticism, for some people thrive on finding faults, even if those faults are imaginary. It is preferable that the criticisms be baseless; that way they show up the critics.
During the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah (reigned 727/715-698/687 B.C.E.), the kingdom entered into a military alliance with Egypt against Assyria. This was an ill-advised alliance; Egypt was not trustworthy. The author of Isaiah 30 argued that the alliance indicated a lack of trust in God, who was reliable. After the announcement of divine wrath followed the prediction of mercy.
Trusting in God liberates one to do as one should and become the person one should be. One can lay aside the desire for revenge, not to lead a life defined by anger, and value justice instead. With confidence in God one can avoid foolish decisions that end badly. One, trusting in God, can find the source of ultimate peace and strength.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 30, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF CLARENCE JORDAN, SOUTHERN BAPTIST MINISTER AND WITNESS FOR CIVIL RIGHTS
THE FEAST OF SAINT PETER CHRYSOLOGUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF RAVENNA AND DEFENDER OF ORTHODOXY
THE FEAST OF SAINT VICENTA CHÁVEZ OROZCO, FOUNDRESS OF THE SERVANTS OF THE HOLY TRINITY AND THE POOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT WILLIAM PINCHON, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2018/07/30/devotion-for-proper-15-year-a-humes/
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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