Author Archives: edithmhumphrey

Light From (and Upon) the Readable Books 7: Esther’s Humility and God’s Rescue

Esther 4:17a-x, Psalm 1, Psalm 150-151, Daniel 3:2-45; 2 Kings/4 Kingdoms 19:14-19, Nehemiah 1:5-11 From the early days of the Church, the righteous Esther has been put forth as an example of both courage and humility. The first century father Clement of Rome, exclaimed: Many women, fortified by the grace of God, have accomplished manyContinue reading “Light From (and Upon) the Readable Books 7: Esther’s Humility and God’s Rescue”

Light From (and Upon) the Readable Books 6: Esther had a Good Dragon before Pete

Esther 1:1a-1l; 10:3a-3k (Epilogue); Job 40-41; Daniel 1, 7-8, Luke 1:46-55, Rev. 12, Psalm 15 LXX/16MT: 5-7. Clearly I am dating myself when the Prologue and Epilogue to Septuagint Esther send me back to the time when my children were little, and encountered Elliott, that ridiculous green-scaled, pink-haired monster, who elicits from the orphan PeteContinue reading “Light From (and Upon) the Readable Books 6: Esther had a Good Dragon before Pete”

Light From (and Upon) the Readable Books 5: Bel, the Dragon, and the King

Bel and the Dragon (appendix to Daniel), Jeremiah 50:2 (LXX 27:2), Jer 51:44 (LXX 28:44), Habakkuk 2:4, 1 Cor 10:19-20. The story of Bel and the Dragon, found as an appendix to the book of Daniel, is perhaps the “hardest sell” of the Readable Books (Apocrypha/Deuterocanon) for those who do not have it in theirContinue reading “Light From (and Upon) the Readable Books 5: Bel, the Dragon, and the King”

Light From (and Upon) the Readable Books 4: Susanna and the Enemies Within

Daniel Prologue or chapter 13 (dependent upon version), Daniel 3:17-18, Romans 4,  Psalm 3:1-4. The story of Susanna contains all the things that are delightful in the Readable Books.  It is a story that engages the mind, the imagination, and the spirit; from the beginning it has been attached to the mysterious book of Daniel. Continue reading “Light From (and Upon) the Readable Books 4: Susanna and the Enemies Within”

Light From (and Upon) the Readable Books 3: Blessed art Thou

Daniel 3:51-90; 1 Peter 3:18-20 One of the most beloved songs from the Bible, used in worship throughout the centuries is the hymn known in the Western Church as  Benedicte es (“Blessed art thou”) or in the East as the Song of the Three. Sung by the faithful three from the fiery furnace, it isContinue reading “Light From (and Upon) the Readable Books 3: Blessed art Thou”

Light from the Readable Books 2: Let Them Know that You are God!

Daniel 3:37-50; Psalm 50/51; 1 Ezra 8:71-87 How sad that so few Christians know the luminous confession of Azariah!  In the last episode, we spoke generally of the Readable Books and shorter extended texts, how they have been bequeathed to us by the fathers, how they are found in the Old Greek (Septuagint) versions ofContinue reading “Light from the Readable Books 2: Let Them Know that You are God!”

Light From (And Upon) the Readable Books I

Daniel 3:25-36, Genesis 15, Psalm 79, Romans 3:4, Rev 16:7 One of the dividing points between Orthodox and Protestant, and to a lesser extent, between Orthodox and Roman Catholic, is the extent of the Old Testament. If we are perfectly candid, we must admit also that among Orthodox there is not complete uniformity in thisContinue reading “Light From (And Upon) the Readable Books I”

What EVERY Christian Should Know about Tradition”

“What EVERY Christian Should Know about Tradition”—a dialogue with Fr. Jonathan Ivanhoff and Luther Menard, in their YouTube The Transfigured Life. We are hoping that this short presentation will be of interest and help to seekers, Orthodox believers, and our Catholic and Protestant friends.