Author Archives: edithmhumphrey

Light from the Readable Books 28:  4 Maccabees, God’s Reason, and the Passions

4 Maccabees, Hebrews 11, Acts 22, Revelation 12. “But why the Maccabees?” asked St. Gregory Nazianzen in an Oration given during a celebration of the martyrs  (Oration 15).  He went on to answer an assumption in his own day that martyrs can only be called such if they die for Christ, and so the MaccabeesContinue reading “Light from the Readable Books 28:  4 Maccabees, God’s Reason, and the Passions”

The Beauty of God with Humanity: The Trinity and Theological Anthropology

This keynote talk at Paideia 2025 is now available on YouTube through the hard work and artistry of Herman Middleton, known to the Orthodox community through his production The Protecting Veil. Find it in this link, or go to the latest item in my “Speaking Engagements and Interviews” section of my webpage:

On Holy Tradition, Development in the Church, and the Call to Transformation: A Response to Fr. Jillions’ Response

I begin by thanking Fr. John Jillions for responding (https://publicorthodoxy.org/2025/08/22/response-to-edith-humphrey/) to my paper, (https://edithmhumphrey.com/2025/07/14/experience-prophetic-faithfulness-and-orthodoxy/), even if he has mistaken or missed some of my major points.  I am sorry that he found my tone “strident,” but am glad that he has taken it as an example of “vigorous debate” by someone of conviction.  I apologizeContinue reading “On Holy Tradition, Development in the Church, and the Call to Transformation: A Response to Fr. Jillions’ Response”

Light from the Readable Books 27: 3 Maccabees and the Works of God in Egypt

3 Maccabees, Exodus 15, Daniel 3, Daniel 6, Jonah 2 3 Maccabees is a book included in Orthodox Bibles because of its presence in the Septuagint, and its acceptance in various authoritative documents, such as Apostolic Canon 85 (probably fourth century) and the decisions of Council of Truro (late seventh century).  It is, despite itsContinue reading “Light from the Readable Books 27: 3 Maccabees and the Works of God in Egypt”

Light from the Readable Books 26: Maccabean War and Peace, Martyrdom and Resurrection

1 Maccabees 9:24-16:24; 2 Maccabees 7; 1 Kings (3 Kingdoms) 5:4; Micah 4:4; Zechariah 8:4; Ezekiel 34:27; Hebrews 12; Romans 4:17 We have already devoted two episodes to the first nine chapters of 1 Maccabees.  There we saw the witness of the patriarch Mattathias, and the prowess of his son Judas, who made a goodContinue reading “Light from the Readable Books 26: Maccabean War and Peace, Martyrdom and Resurrection”

Light from the Readable Books 25: Judas Maccabeus, the Happy Warrior

1 Macc 3:1-9:22, 1 Samuel/2 Kingdoms 17, Psalm 100 (MT 101) Who is the happy Warrior? Who is heThat every man in arms should wish to be?…[It is that one] Who, doomed to go in company with Pain,And Fear, and Bloodshed, miserable train!Turns his necessity to glorious gain. The term “Happy  Warrior,” used by FranklinContinue reading “Light from the Readable Books 25: Judas Maccabeus, the Happy Warrior”

Experience, Prophetic Faithfulness, and Orthodoxy

The Very Rev. Father and Doctor John Jillions has written recently concerning the interplay of experience and tradition with regards to “LGBTQ+” concerns in the Church (https://publicorthodoxy.org/good-reads/lgbtq-experience-and-orthodox-tradition/). Dominant notes in his paper include what he describes as the “messy process” of discernment, a call that careful thinkers should be prepared for “new possibilities” regarding theContinue reading “Experience, Prophetic Faithfulness, and Orthodoxy”

Light from the Readable Books 24: Maccabean Resistance and Remembrance

1 Maccabees 2, Numbers 25:7-9, Psalm 106: 26-28. The first chapter of 1 Maccabees, which we considered in last episode, set the scene for us, and gave an overall picture of the atrocities suffered by the Jewish people under the oppression of the Seleucid king, Antiochus Epiphanes IV.  Chapter two, which we will read inContinue reading “Light from the Readable Books 24: Maccabean Resistance and Remembrance”

Light from the Readable Books 23: God’s “Timefulness” and 1 Maccabees

1 Maccabees 1, Hebrews 11:34-35, 1 Cor 10:11, Daniel 9:27 and 11:31. In our survey of the Readable Books, we have considered stories such as Susanna and Judith, poetry such as the Song of the Three, visions such as Mordecai’s dream of the dragons, sayings of wisdom such as those found in Wisdom of SolomonContinue reading “Light from the Readable Books 23: God’s “Timefulness” and 1 Maccabees”