READING THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON

PART III

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Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-4:20

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Chapter 3 flows from 2:21-24, in which those whom wickedness has blinded separate themselves from God.  The fate of the righteous in the afterlife is positive, however.  3:1-12, which adopts the Platonist separation of body and soul (contrary to historic Jewish doctrine), contrasts the fates of the two groups.  These righteous did not suffer as punishment for their sins, we read.  No, the verses tell us that the righteous will rule Israel postmortem, and wicked will suffer in the afterlife.

Recall, O reader, that persecution was in the background of the Wisdom of Solomon.  This persecution was violent much of the time.

As we keep reading, we find that God values that which the corrupt, wicked kosmos despises.  God blesses those whom “the world” curses and holds in low regard.  So, for example, righteous and childless people are better off than wicked people with families.  The fruit of injustice does not endure, but the fruit of righteousness does last.  Moral integrity is essential.  Pseudo-Solomon’s imagery of the barren woman comes from Isaiah 54.  His imagery of the blessed eunuch echoes Isaiah 56.

One failing of human psychology is the difficulty–whether collectively or individually–in thinking about the long term.  Populations and governments are notoriously incompetent at doing this.  And many corporate leaders prioritize short-term profits over long-term sustainability and profitability.  Individuals frequently make decisions which harm their long-term best interests.  The wicked of chapters 3 and 4 epitomize short-term decision-making with an emphasis on the tangible.  Yet that which is tangible is also temporary.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 3, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOANNA, MARY, AND SALOME, WITNESSES TO THE RESURRECTION

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READING THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON

PART II

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Wisdom of Solomon 1:1-2:24

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1:1-5 addresses rulers–not just Jewish 0nes, but mainly Gentiles.  Recall, O reader, that Pseudo-Solomon cast a broad net and sought to appeal to as many people as possible by fusing Judaism and Platonism in a Hellenistic context.  (FYI:  Platonism, influential in Christianity since the earliest years of Christianity, is less influential in Christianity than it used to be.  History tells us that Sts. Albertus Magnus and Thomas Aquinas helped to raise the profile of Aristotle and his philosophy in Christianity in the Middle Ages.)  Based on 1:1, what does Pseudo-Solomon encourage those in authority to love?  My survey of sixteen translations–fourteen in English ad two in French–indicates the following results:

1. Righteousness–seven translations,
2. Justice–seven translations,
3. Uprightness–one translation, and
4. Virtue–one translation.

The survey reveals a tie between righteousness and justice, terms where are interchangeable in the Bible.  Recall, O reader, that righteousness is right relationship with God, self, others, and all of creation.  Allowing for the separation of religion and state–which I, as a devout person and a student of history, favor–governments must still respect human rights and liberties, as well as live in harmony with nature.  They are failing.

The germane notes in The Jerusalem Bible (1966) and The New Jerusalem Bible (1985) define righteousness/justice slightly differently:

…perfect accord of mind and act with the divine will as manifested in the precepts of the Law and the injunctions of conscience.

That definition assumes that someone has a conscience, of course.  Some in positions of leadership are narcissistic, pathological predators devoid of a conscience.

For perverse thoughts separate men from God,

and when his power is tested, it convicts the foolish;

because wisdom will not enter a deceitful soul,

nor dwell in a body enslaved to sin.

–Wisdom of Solomon 1:3-4, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

Historical accounts and current events confirm those words.

As we continue to read, we find that

…the Spirit of the Lord has filled the world….

–Wisdom of Solomon 1:7a, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

The Spirit of the Lord is impossible to avoid, we read.  It knows what people say, we read.  Furthermore, people doom themselves.  God, who does not delight in the death of the living, favors righteousness, which is immortal.  We also read all that through 1:15.

Yet godless/ungodly people–the fools/benighted men of Psalms 14 and 53–summon death upon themselves.  Their atheism, in context, is practical atheism; they reject divine interest in human activities, as well as any divine retribution.  They sound like Ecclesiastes minus the piety.  They lack all compunction against oppressing people–a violation of Biblical mutuality.  They know that they are predators, and target the inconvenient, righteous people.  These godless/ungodly people lack a conscience.  They even martyr some of these righteous people.  The wickedness of these godless/ungodly people blinds them morally.

To come full circle, 1:1-5 tells rulers not to be like that.  No, those in authority should feel ashamed at the approach of unrighteousness/injustice.

I choose my words carefully in these weblogs, for i seek to make my meaning plain.  However, even the plainest and most direct language cannot prevent all misunderstandings.  Nevertheless, I continue to try to be clear without attaching a lengthy disclaimer to every blog post.  Such a disclaimer would be ridiculous and not worth my time and effort.

With all that in mind, I state that people of good conscience may disagree about whether a given policy is just or unjust.  Some people are bound to be mistaken, and all of us possess moral blind spots.  Yet an evidence-based person with a conscience may admit error in the pursuit of righteousness/justice.  And such a person may change his or her mind regarding a given policy.  Results matter.  I, as one trained in historical methodology, affirm that evidence and objective reality matter.  I reserve my harshest condemnations for those who do not care about righteousness/justice.  I summon my fiercest moral outrage and tear into those who lack a sense of morality.  Their tribe is legion, unfortunately.  To paraphrase Jon Stewart, a shameless person commits the most shameful deeds.

Chapter 2 concludes with a bridge into chapter 3.  That bridge reads, in part:

…for God created man for incorruption,

and made him in the image of his own eternity,

but through the devil’s envy death entered the world,

and those who belong to his party experience it.

–Wisdom of Solomon 2:23-24, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

The alternative translations of God’s “eternity” are “nature” and “likeness.”  This definition fits with “eternal life” in the Gospel of John, where “eternal life” pertains to the nature of God and has no relation to time.  In the Johannine tradition, “eternal life” is knowing God via Jesus.  So, eternal life begins in this life and continues in the afterlife.  Elsewhere in the New Testament, though, “eternal life” refers to the afterlife.  Regardless of the translator’s choice in Wisdom of Solomon 2:23-24, the meaning is that God created people for immortality yet they are not immortal.  Human ethical conduct–defined by righteousness/justice–is full life in God.  The opposite–“death”–is total separation from God and virtue.

In the arena of the history of theology, I note that, by the time of the composition of the Wisdom of Solomon, the influence of Zoroastrianism upon Judaism had reached full flower.  Chapter 2 indicates that “the Satan” has completed his transformation from a loyal servant of God (as in Numbers 24) into a rogue.  This chapter, combined with the previous one and the next one, also affirms reward and punishment in the afterlife.  Sheol is out; divine retribution in the afterlife is in.

The history of theological development is a matter of evidence–written evidence, especially.  One can state objectively that theology has changed.  This fact upsets some people; I know this, based on their reactions to me after I have explained this.  Yet this fact need not upset anyone, unless objective reality upsets that person.  The truth of theology at any given stage of its development is not so easy to settle, however.  The question of theological truth–insofar as fact checks can neither confirm nor refute them–resides in the realm of faith.  Fact checks aside, history cannot evaluate many claims of faith.

Now I move into that realm of faith.  I step outside the territory of fact checks.  I hold that, by the time of the composition of the Wisdom of Solomon, Jewish theology had made strides in the direction of understanding Satan and divine reward and punishment in the afterlife correctly.  I agree that God condemns nobody to Hell; people condemn themselves.  Yet the story of Jesus preaching in Hades/Hell between the crucifixion and the Resurrection sticks in my mind.  What was the point of such preaching if damnation is necessarily permanent? So, I also affirm that those in Hell can still find salvation if they will accept it.  They can still go to Heaven if wickedness ceases to blind and bind them.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 2, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF GEORG WEISSEL, GERMAN LUTHERAN PASTOR AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF ANNA BERNADINE DOROTHY HOPPE, U.S. LUTHERAN HYMN WRITER AND TRANSLATOR

THE FEAST OF CARROLL O’CONNOR, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC ACTOR AND SCREEN WRITER

THE FEAST OF CHRISTIAN GOTTFRIED GEBBARD, GERMAN MORAVIAN COMPOSER AND MUSIC EDUCATOR

THE FEAST OF FREDERICK WILLIAM FABER, ENGLISH MORAVIAN BISHOP, LITURGIST, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR

THE FEAST OF SAINT PETER JULIAN EYMARD, FOUNDER OF THE PRIESTS OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT, THE SERVANTS OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT, AND THE PRIESTS’ EUCHARISTIC LEAGUE; AND ORGANIZER OF THE CONFRATERNITY OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT

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READING THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON

PART I

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The Wisdom of Solomon–or, as some translations call it, the Book of Wisdom–joins the Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, and much of the Book of Proverbs on the list of the texts composed in the persona of King Solomon. Any close reading of the Biblical stories of King Solomon should dispel his reputation for wisdom, which has survived somehow.

The anonymous author of the Book of Wisdom (allegedly Solomon; see 9:1-18, with an emphasis on 9:8) wrote in Greek between 100 B.C.E. and 50 C.E.  This Alexandrian Jew quoted the Septuagint and wrote for a Hellenized Jewish population familiar with persecution (2:12-5:14).  Linguistic evidence hints strongly at composition in the first century C.E.

The audience of the Wisdom of Solomon had forsaken their Jewish traditions and faith in favor of Greek philosophy and culture.  The author, conversant in Greek philosophy, used that language and these concepts to forge a synthesis while urging skeptical Jews to embrace their heritage.  The authorial synthesis of Judaism and Platonism includes the separation of the body and the soul (3:1-19), as well as Greek concepts of providence (6:7; 14:3), conscience (17:11), and the cardinal virtues (8:7).

Pseudo-Solomon’s Jewish-Greek synthesis reminds me of an idea which has stuck in my brain recently.  In Tradition and Apocalypse:  An Essay on the Future of Christian Belief (2022), David Bentley Hart argues for tradition, not traditionalism.  Traditions are living, Hart writes.  They adapt to circumstances.  In contrast, traditionalism relies upon the fiction of continuity of belief and practice.  Traditionalism is also rigid.

So, Pseudo-Solomon, not a traditionalist, embraced Jewish tradition.  He also used his Jewish-Greek synthesis to appeal to Gentiles (1:1-2; 10:15-11:14).

The Wisdom of Solomon is canonical in Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Oriental Orthodoxy.  It is part of the canon of scripture, as I understand that concept; I accept the definition of the canon which emerged from the Council of Trent.

The Wisdom of Solomon consists of two or three main sections in nineteen chapters.  One source divides the book into main sections:  Wisdom’s Activity in Israel’s Present Suffering (1:1-9:18) and Wisdom’s Activity in Israel’s History (10:1-19:22).  Yet another source divides the book into the following main sections:

1. The Two Worlds (1:1-6:21),
2. Wisdom and the Way to It (6:22-10:21), and
3. The Exodus (11:1-19:22).

Nevertheless, a third source divides the Wisdom of Solomon into three different sections:

1. Wisdom and Human Destiny (chapters 1-5),
2. Solomon and the Quest for Wisdom (chapters 6-9), and
3. A Meditation on History (chapters 10-19).

A fourth source uses a variation on the second outline:

1. Exhortation of Justice (1:1-6:21),
2. In Praise of Wisdom (6:22-10:21), and
3. The Justice of God Revealed in the Exodus (11:1-19:22).

One question to keep in mind as we progress through the Wisdom of Solomon concerns tradition versus traditionalism in our contexts.  Living tradition is flexible yet well-defined.  It is like a tall tree with deep roots.  The tree neither snaps nor falls over in strong winds; no, it sways.  Traditionalism, however, is reactionary.  When and where we are, how adaptable should our tradition be to survive and thrive?

Another matter to keep in mind is the contrast between the Wisdom of Solomon and the older Sirach/Ecclesiasticus.  Their roots are in the conflict between Judaism and Hellenism.  Both works argue for fidelity to Jewish tradition.  Yet each work represents a different approach; Sirach/Ecclesiasticus rejects Greek philosophy.

Yet I choose not to get ahead of myself.  Sirach/Ecclesiasticus is next on my list of books to study.  Immediately, the Wisdom of Solomon awaits.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 1, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA, DISCIPLE OF JESUS

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READING SECOND ISAIAH, PART IX

Above:  Icon of the Crucifixion

Image in the Public Domain

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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:

1. Penal Substitutionary Atonement,
2. The Incarnation, and
3. 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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READING 1-2 SAMUEL, 1 KINGS, 2 KINGS 1-21, 1 CHRONICLES, AND 2 CHRONICLES 1-33

Above:  King Manasseh of Judah

Image in the Public Domain

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PART CIV

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2 Kings 21:1-18

2 Chronicles 33:1-20

The Prayer of Manasseh

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For they reasoned unsoundly, saying to themselves…

“Come, therefore, let us enjoy the good things that exist,

and make use of the creation to the full as in youth.

Let us take our fill of costly wine and perfumes,

and let no flower of spring pass by us.

Let us crown ourselves with rosebuds before they wither.

Let none of us fail to share in our revelry,

everywhere let us leave signs of enjoyment,

because this is our portion, and this is our lot.

Let us oppress the righteous poor man;

let us not spare the widow 

nor regard the gray hairs of the aged.

But let our might be our law of right,

for what is weak proves itself to be useless.”

–Wisdom of Solomon 2:1, 6-11, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

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King Hezekiah of Judah (Reigned 729/715-698/687 B.C.E.)

King Manasseh of Judah (Reigned 698/687-642 B.C.E.)

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The evaluation of King Manasseh in 2 Kings 21 is devastating and relentlessly negative.  We read of his idolatry.  We read of the willful idolatry of many subjects, under his leadership.  We read of King Manasseh ordering the executions of many innocent people, thereby, poetically, filling Jerusalem with blood from end to end.  We read more foreshadowing of the Babylonian Exile, too.

The account in 2 Chronicles is probably ahistorical.  The foreign incarceration, with repentance, of King Manasseh is improbable.  Ancient historical records reveal that he, as a vassal of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, may have had to visit Nineveh occasionally and swear loyalty to the new king, though.  The Apocryphal Prayer of Manasseh (most of which constitutes one my favorite canticles in Morning Prayer in The Book of Common Prayer, 1979) takes its lead from 2 Chronicles 33:11-13.

My reading of much of the Old Testament convinces me that much of the populations of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah needed no encouragement to commit idolatry.  I recall accounts of pious kings who modeled proper religious behavior.  Those accounts mention that idolatry persisted.  This reality does not negate the criticisms of monarchs who modeled idolatry, of course.

Judah was marching toward its inevitable fate.  That fate was the one generations of subjects had chosen (by their deeds) for the kingdom.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 8, 2020 COMMON ERA

PROPER 27: THE TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR A

THE FEAST OF JOHN DUNS SCOTUS, SCOTTISH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN

THE FEAST OF JOHANN VON STAUPITZ, MARTIN LUTHER’S SPIRITUAL MENTOR

THE FEAST OF JOHN CASPAR MATTES, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER AND LITURGIST

THE FEAST OF SAINTS PAMBO OF NITRIA, AMMONIUS OF SKETE, PALLADIUS OF GALATIA, MARCARIUS OF EGYPT, AND PISHOY, DESERT FATHERS; SAINT EVAGRIUS OF PONTUS, MONK AND SCHOLAR; SAINT MELANIA THE ELDER, DESERT MOTHER; SAINT RUFINUS OF AQUILEIA, MONK AND THEOLOGIAN; SAINT DIDYMUS THE BLIND, BIBLICAL SCHOLAR; SAINT JOHN II, BISHOP OF JERUSALEM; SAINT MELANIA THE YOUNGER; DESERT MOTHER; AND HER HUSBAND, SAINT PINIAN, MONK

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READING 1-2 SAMUEL, 1 KINGS, 2 KINGS 1-21, 1 CHRONICLES, AND 2 CHRONICLES 1-33

Above:  Sennacherib on His Throne, by John Philip Newman

Image in the Public Domain

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PART CI

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2 Kings 18:13-19:37

2 Chronicles 32:1-23

Isaiah 36:1-37:38

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For they reasoned unsoundly, saying to themselves…

“Let us lie in wait for the righteous man,

because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions;

he reproaches us for sins against the law,

and accuses us of sins against the law,

and accuses us of sins against our training.

He professes to have knowledge of God,

and calls himself a child of the Lord.”

–Wisdom of Solomon 2:1a, 12-13, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

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King Hezekiah of Judah (Reigned 729/715-698/687 B.C.E.)

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This series of blog posts is nearly complete.  A set of plans for future Bible-based series exists.  One of the planned series is the prophets (major and minor), in roughly chronological order.  When I consulted resources and divided the Book of Isaiah in First, Second, and Third Isaiah, I transferred Isaiah 36-39, taken from 2 Kings, into this series.  

Sennacherib (reigned 705-681 B.C.E.) was the King of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.  He had a quarrel with Hezekiah, a former vassal of the empire.  King Hezekiah had to pay tribute to Sennacherib.  The Neo-Assyrian king, via an underling, presumed to know more about God and divine commandments than did King Hezekiah.  That underling also attempted to undermine King Hezekiah’s political support.  First Isaiah, conveying God’s message to King Hezekiah, offered comfort.  God had plans to end the Neo-Assyrian threat against Judah.  King Hezekiah continued to trust God in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds.  God remained faithful.  The invasion force died.  Years later, so did Sennacherib.

Trusting God can prove challenging, especially in desperate times.  The presence of a large Neo-Assyrian invasion force seems like a dire circumstance.  I know the difficulty of trusting God in circumstances much less severe.  Trusting God is a sign of good character.  Trusting God liberates one to act out of one’s higher nature, not one’s lower nature.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 7, 2020 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT WILLIBRORD, APOSTLE TO THE FRISIANS; AND SAINT BONIFACE, APOSTLE TO THE GERMANS

THE FEAST OF ELEANOR ROOSEVELT, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST

THE FEAST OF JOHN CAWOOD, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF JOHN CHRISTIAN FREDERICK HAYER, LUTHERAN MISSIONARY IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND INDIA; BARTHOLOMEAUS ZIEGENBALG, JR., LUTHERAN MISSIONARY TO THE TAMILS; AND LUDWIG NOMMENSEN, LUTHERAN MISSIONARY TO SUMATRA AND APOSTLE TO THE BATAK

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READING 1-2 SAMUEL, 1 KINGS, 2 KINGS 1-21, 1 CHRONICLES, AND 2 CHRONICLES 1-33

Above:  King Jotham of Judah

Image in the Public Domain

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PART XCVIII

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2 Kings 15:32-38; 16:1-20

2 Chronicles 27:1-9; 28:1-27

Isaiah 7:1-8:15

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Thus they reasoned, but they were led astray,

for their wickedness blinded them,

and they did not know the secret purposes of God,

nor hope for the wages of holiness,

nor discern the prize for blameless souls;

for God created man for incorruption,

and made him in the image of his own eternity,

but through the devil’s envy death entered the world,

and those who belong to his party experience it.

–Wisdom of Solomon 2:21-24, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

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King Azariah/Uzziah of Judah (Reigned 785-733 B.C.E.)

King Jotham of Judah (Reigned 759-743 B.C.E.)

King Ahaz of Judah (Reigned 743/735-727/715 B.C.E.)

King Pekah of Israel (Reigned 735-732 B.C.E.)

King Rezin of Aram (Reigned 750-732 B.C.E.)

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The contrast between Kings Jotham (father) and Ahaz (son) of Judah was striking.  Jotham was pious, but Ahaz went all-in for idolatry.  Jotham was a capable monarch, but Ahaz reduced the Kingdom of Judah to a vassal state of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.

The Syro-Ephraimite War occurred in the context of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.  The Kingdoms of Israel and Aram sought to force the Kingdom of Judah to join their coalition against Assyria.  King Ahaz refused to do so, however.  Therefore, the Kings of Israel and Aram wanted to depose him and to replace him with a monarch who would join their coalition.  The Syro-Ephraimite War was the context of Isaiah 7:1-8:15, a text many, if not most, Christians read seemingly in reference to the birth of Jesus and not in historical context.  King Ahaz turned not to God but to the Neo-Assyrian Empire.  The Assyrians conquered Aram in 732 B.C.E.  They also reduced the Kingdom of Israel to vassalage.  A decade later, the Assyrians added Israel to their empire.

The Chronicler included material absent in 2 Kings.  He told the story about Judean prisoners of war in Israel and of the prophet Obed’s warning that Israelite tactics against Judah in the Syro-Ephraimite War angered God.  The appeal to Leviticus 25:39-43, 46, worked.  The prisoners of war received aid and went home; they did not become slaves.

A theme present in the germane readings from 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, and Isaiah is the imperative of trusting God and keeping the commandments.  We need to avoid prosperity theology, a heresy.  Keeping God’s laws does not necessarily lead to health, wealth, and security.  In fact, obeying God may lead to death, poverty, and insecurity, depending on circumstances.  The myriad number of martyrs attests to this.  The example of Jesus also attests to this.  However, being on God’s side is preferable to opposing it.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 6, 2020 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF CHRISTIAN GREGOR, FATHER OF MORAVIAN CHURCH MUSIC

THE FEAST OF GIOVANNI GABRIELI AND HANS LEO HASSLER, COMPOSERS AND ORGANISTS; AND CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI AND HEINRICH SCHÜTZ, COMPOSERS AND MUSICIANS

THE FEAST OF HALFORD E. LUCCOCK, U.S. METHODIST MINISTER AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR

THE FEAST OF SAINT MAGDELEINE OF JESUS, FOUNDRESS OF THE LITTLE SISTERS OF JESUS

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READING 1-2 SAMUEL, 1 KINGS, 2 KINGS 1-21, 1 CHRONICLES, AND 2 CHRONICLES 1-33

Above:  King Jeroboam II of Israel

Image in the Public Domain

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PART XCVI

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2 Kings 14:23-29; 15:8-16

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Do not invite death by the error of your life,

nor bring on destruction by the works of your hands;

because God did not make death,

and he does not delight in the death of the living.

For he created all things that they might exist,

and the creatures of the world ware wholesome,

and there is no destructive poison in them;

and the dominion of Hades is not on earth.

For righteousness is immortal.

But ungodly men by their words and deeds summoned death;

considering him a friend, they pined away,

and they made a covenant with him,

because they are fit to belong to his party.

–Wisdom of Solomon 1:12-16, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

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King Amaziah of Judah (Reigned 798-769 B.C.E.)

King Jeroboam II of Israel (Reigned 788-747 B.C.E.)

King Azariah/Uzziah of Judah (Reigned 785-733 B.C.E.)

King Zechariah of Israel (Reigned 747 B.C.E.)

King Shallum of Israel (Reigned 747 B.C.E.)

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The Kingdom of Israel seemed to be doing well during the reign of King Jeroboam II.  The military was strong, the borders were secure, Assyria was not yet the threat it went on to become. The Kingdom of Israel was prosperous, but the uneven distribution of wealth meant that the relative few rich people owed their money and status to the exploitation of the impoverished masses.  The devastating and timeless prophecies of Amos came from this time.

A quarter of a century after King Jeroboam II died, the Assyrians conquered Israel.

King Jeroboam II was the fourth of five monarchs of the House of Jehu.  The fifth monarch, King Zechariah, reigned for about half a year before he died in a coup d’état.  The next King of Israel, Shallum, reigned for about a month before he died in another coup d’êtat.

The accounts in 2 Kings 14 and 15 are brief.  I suspect that the author chose not to dwell on these three kings.  

For a fuller flavor of the time of Jeroboam II, read the Book of Amos.  Its moral standards should alarm many people around the world today.  After all, human nature is a constant.  So is God.  

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 6, 2020 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF CHRISTIAN GREGOR, FATHER OF MORAVIAN CHURCH MUSIC

THE FEAST OF GIOVANNI GABRIELI AND HANS LEO HASSLER, COMPOSERS AND ORGANISTS; AND CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI AND HEINRICH SCHÜTZ, COMPOSERS AND MUSICIANS

THE FEAST OF HALFORD E. LUCCOCK, U.S. METHODIST MINISTER AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR

THE FEAST OF SAINT MAGDELEINE OF JESUS, FOUNDRESS OF THE LITTLE SISTERS OF JESUS

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READING 1-2 SAMUEL, 1 KINGS, 2 KINGS 1-21, 1 CHRONICLES, AND 2 CHRONICLES 1-33

Above:  King Azariah/Uzziah of Judah

Image in the Public Domain

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PART XCV

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2 Kings 15:1-7

2 Chronicles 26:1-23

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Love righteousness, you rulers of the earth.

think of the Lord with uprightness,

and seek him with sincerity of heart;

because he is found by those who do not put him to the test,

and manifests himself to those who do not distrust him.

For perverse thoughts separate men from God,

and when his power is tested, it convicts the foolish;

because wisdom will not enter a deceitful soul,

nor dwell in a body enslaved to sin.

For a holy and disciplined spirit will flee from deceit,

and will rise and depart from foolish thoughts,

and will be ashamed at the approach of unrighteousness.

–Wisdom of Solomon 1:1-5, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

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King Amaziah of Judah (Reigned 798-769 B.C.E.)

King Azariah/Uzziah of Judah (Reigned 785-733 B.C.E.)

King Jotham of Judah (Reigned 759-743 B.C.E.)

King Jeroboam II of Israel (Reigned 788-747 B.C.E.)

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Again, the account in 2 Chronicles expands on its source material in 2 Kings.  This elaboration creates a different impression regarding the cause of the monarchs’ skin disease (“leprosy”–not what most of us think of when we hear that word) than 2 Kings 15 does.

Anyway, the skin disease made King Azariah/Uzziah ritually impure, thereby excluding him from the Temple and isolating him.  His son Jotham served as the regent.

The primary theme regarding King Azariah/Uzziah is hubris.  Strength leads to pride.  The lack of repentance for pride leads to punishment.  Willful disobedience has terrible consequences.  

The scene of the monarch’s hubris, impenitence, and willful disobedience may seem odd to many.  Perhaps one recalls that King Solomon burned incense in a priestly manner in 1 Kings 9:25.  The Chronicler’s perspective, informed by postexilic standards that only Aaronic priests may burn incense at the Temple, may be anachronistic.

Nevertheless, the example of King Azariah/Uzziah should serve as a reminder not to rest on one’s spiritual laurels.  If we think we are spiritual insiders, we may set ourselves up for the fall that comes after pride goes.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 5, 2020 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF ARTHUR AND LEWIS TAPPAN, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST BUSINESSMEN AND ABOLITIONISTS; COLLEAGUES AND FINANCIAL BACKERS OF SAMUEL ELI CORNISH AND THEODOER S. WRIGHT, AFRICAN-AMERICAN MINISTERS AND ABOLITIONISTS

THE FEAST OF BERNARD LICHTENBERG, GERMAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1943

THE FEAST OF SAINT HRYHORII LAKOTA, UKRAINIAN GREEK CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1950

THE FEAST OF JOHANN DANIEL GRIMM, GERMAN MORAVIAN MUSICIAN

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Above:  Grave Niches in the Roman Catacombs

Image Source = Gerald M

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Catacombe.jpg)

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Holy Women, Holy Men:  Celebrating the Saints (2010), of The Episcopal Church, contains an adapted two-years weekday lectionary for the Epiphany and Ordinary Time seasons from the Anglican Church of Canada.  I invite you to follow it with me.

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Wisdom of Solomon 2:23-3:9 (Revised English Bible):

But God created man imperishable, and made him in the image of his own eternal self; it was the devil’s spite that brought death into the world, and the experience of it is reserved for those who take his side.

But the souls of the just are in God’s hands; no torment will touch them.  In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to be dead; their departure was reckoned as defeat, and their going from us as disaster.  But they are at peace, for though in the sight of men they may suffer punishment, they have a sure hope of immortality; and after a little chastisement they will receive great blessings, because God has tested them and found them worthy to be his.  He put them to the proof like gold in a crucible, and found them acceptable like an offering burnt whole on the altar.  In the hour of their judgement they will shine in glory, and will sweep over the world like sparks through stubble.  They will be like judges and rulers over nations and peoples, and the Lord will be their King for ever.  Those who have put their trust in him will understand that he is true, and the faithful will attend upon him in love; they are his chosen, and grace and mercy will be theirs.

Psalm 34:15-22 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):

15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous,

and his ears are open to their cry.

16 The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,

to root out the remembrance of them from the earth.

17 The righteous cry, and the LORD hears them

and delivers them from all their troubles.

18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted

will save those whose spirits are crushed.

19 Many are the troubles of the righteous,

but the LORD will deliver him out of them all.

20 He will keep all his bones;

not one of them shall be broken.

21 Evil shall slay the wicked,

and those who hate the righteous will be punished.

22 The LORD ransoms the life of his servants,

and none will be punished who trust in him.

Luke 17:7-10 (Revised English Bible):

[Jesus said to his disciples,]

Suppose one of you has a servant ploughing or minding sheep.  When he comes in from the fields, will the master say, “Come and sit down straightway”?  Will he not rather say, “Prepare my supper; hitch up your robe, and wait on me while I have my meal.  You can have yours afterwards”?  Is he grateful to the servant for carrying out his orders?  So with you:  when you have carried out all you have been ordered to do, you should say, “We are servants and deserve no credit; we have only done our duty.”

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The Collect:

O God, whose blessed Son came into the world that he might destroy the works of the devil and make us children of God and heirs of eternal life: Grant that, having this hope, we may purify ourselves as he is pure; that, when he comes again with power and great glory, we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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Many antebellum Southern defenders of slavery used the reading from Luke 17 to justify race-based slavery.  They missed the point, of course.  They did this because they engaged in prooftexting, one of the more frequent errors in Biblical interpretation.

The point, rather, is that those who follow God are servants of God.  But, as Paul wrote, we are also heirs and members of the family of God (http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/05/11/week-of-proper-25-monday-year-1/).  And our forebears in Christianity have joined the Church Triumphant.  They are the family, as I like to think of them.

So they are not really dead.  It is no accident that Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-5, 9 is among the approved readings for a funeral, according to the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer of 1979.  (See page 494.)

The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,

the lector reads,

and no torment shall ever touch them.

They have not perished; they have gone to their new home, with God.  They have received their inheritance.

May we rejoice for them while we continue faithfully the work God has assigned to us and look forward to our inheritance, at its proper time, whenever that is.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

MAY 19, 2011 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT ANDREW BOBOLA, JESUIT MARTYR

THE FEAST OF SAINT DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, ARCHBISHOP

THE FEAST OF SAINT IVO OF CHARTRES, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP

THE FEAST OF SAINT IVO OF KERMARTIN, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND ADVOCATE FOR THE POOR

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Adapted from this post:

http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/05/19/week-of-proper-27-tuesday-year-1/

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