Luke 1:39-56; 1 Samuel 2; 2 Samuel 6 We come to that intriguing vignette in Luke’s gospel where two women prophesy about the greatest divine action of all time, and when two unborn babies exemplify what happens when God meets with humanity. Luke 1:39-56 is well known, but let’s put the sights and sounds intoContinue reading “Light from the Old Testament Upon the Nativity 4: The Blessed, the Humble, and the Mighty”
Category Archives: A Lamp for Today
Light from the Old Testament on the Nativity 3: Our LORD and His Cousin, John
Luke 1:26-38; Gen 18; Ezekiel 8; Haggai 1, 2 Sam/2 Kingdoms 7, Isaiah 29:22 In our last episode we saw how the story of Jesus our Savior is set up in Luke by relating first the story of his cousin, John. I mentioned then that in Luke the links between the two children and theirContinue reading “Light from the Old Testament on the Nativity 3: Our LORD and His Cousin, John”
Light from the Old Testament Upon the Nativity 2: The Promise of the Forerunner
Luke 1:13-25; Judges 13; 1 Kings/3 Kingdoms 17-18; 2 Kings/4 Kingdoms 2:81-15; Malachi 4:5-6/LXX 3:22-23 You may be wondering why, in a series dedicated to the Nativity of Christ, we begin with the Forerunner John. In doing so, we are following the lead of the evangelist Luke, who intertwines stories of their birth in suchContinue reading “Light from the Old Testament Upon the Nativity 2: The Promise of the Forerunner”
Light from the Old Testament Upon the Nativity 1: According to Luke
Luke 1:1-8; Luke 24; 2 Peter 1:19; Amos 9:11; Gen 18; 1 Sam 1; Exodus 37; 2 Chr. 26:18. It is a delight for me to spend concentrated time reading and thinking about the nativity stories found at the beginning of the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Especially in this series, we will concentrate onContinue reading “Light from the Old Testament Upon the Nativity 1: According to Luke”
Light from the Readable Books 32: The Ezra Apocalypse and Transfiguration
4 Ezra (2 Esdras 3-14); Luke 9:28ff; Isaiah 65:17-25; Rev 12; Rev 21; 2 Cor 3. Finally we come to our last episode on the Readable Books. 4 Ezra, also known as 2 Esdras, the Apocalypse of Ezra, or the Prophecy of Ezra, is not found in many Orthodox Bibles, though we see it inContinue reading “Light from the Readable Books 32: The Ezra Apocalypse and Transfiguration”
Light from the Readable Books 31: 1 Esdras, the Domestic, and the Divine
1 Esdras 3:1-5:6 (OSB 1 Ezra); 1 Corinthians 13; Proverbs 31; Psalm 119 [118]:160; Matthew 19:5; Matthew 24:35 Tucked into the historical books of the Orthodox Old Testament (which is based on the Septuagint, or Old Greek version) is the composite book of 1 Esdras (as it is known in the Greek tradition), also calledContinue reading “Light from the Readable Books 31: 1 Esdras, the Domestic, and the Divine”
Light From the Readable Books 30: The Prayer of Manasseh, Repentance, and Forgiveness
The Prayer of Manasseh; Ezra 9; Nehemiah 9; Psalm 51; 1 Chronicles 21:14-15; Mat 6:9-15; Luke 23:34; Acts 7:60; Romans 5:8; Ephesian 4:32 What is forgiveness? How is it related to repentance? Is one the pre-requisite of the other? These questions have been foremost in my mind since hearing the compassion of Erika Kirk directedContinue reading “Light From the Readable Books 30: The Prayer of Manasseh, Repentance, and Forgiveness”
Light from the Readable Books 29: Psalm 151 and David the Small
Psalm 151; 1 Kingdoms/2 Samuel 17; 1 Corinthians 1:22-27 Orthodox stand pretty much alone in including Psalm 151 in the OT Psalter, though it has its uses also in the Armenian and Coptic churches. In the past, though, it was used as a canticle even some “Western” lands, alongside others like the Song of theContinue reading “Light from the Readable Books 29: Psalm 151 and David the Small”
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”
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”
Edith M. Humphrey 