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”
Category Archives: A Lamp for Today
A new podcast on The Transfigured Life”-Why we should read “the Readable Books”
Why read what Orthodox call “the Readable Books?”
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”
Light from the Psalter 23: Homo Adorans
Psalm 148-150; Genesis 1-2, Isaiah 6, Revelation 4-5. We come to the end of the Psalter, to the last three psalms called the “Praises” that are sung during Sunday’s morning prayer, and to the end of this series on “Light from the Psalter.” Of course, there are more psalms to be prayed, and there isContinue reading “Light from the Psalter 23: Homo Adorans”
Light from the Psalter 22: The Great Confession
Psalm 50 (MT 51), 2 Kingdoms/2 Samuel 11-12, Romans 5:12-17 David’s confession, Psalm 50/51, is one of the most well-known psalms. It is used both liturgically and personally in prayer. Though it has a historical “anchor”—King David’s sin of adultery with Bathsheba and murder of her husband Uriah—its framing in the first person makes itContinue reading “Light from the Psalter 22: The Great Confession”
Edith M. Humphrey 