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”
Tag Archives: Wisdom
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 20: Glimpsing Baruch’s Mystery of Wisdom
Baruch 3:9-4:8, Deuteronomy 3:11-14, Romans 10:5-13, 1 Cor 1:30-31. With Baruch 3:9-4:8, we come to the inner mystery of his prophecy. To this point in the book, we have heard of the tragic exile of the bulk of the people of God, of the exiles’ fondness for ravaged Judea and those few who still remainContinue reading “Light from the Readable Books 20: Glimpsing Baruch’s Mystery of Wisdom”
Light From (and Upon) the Readable Books 17: Sirach and the Fathers
Sirach 44-50, Wisdom of Solomon 10, Hebrews 11, 2 Cor 3-4. Sirach is, as we have seen, a “wisdom” book. Because wisdom concerns all of creation, it is encyclopedic, giving instruction and wise words about almost every situation and condition of humanity. In this episode, we will find enrichment in its long hymn of praiseContinue reading “Light From (and Upon) the Readable Books 17: Sirach and the Fathers”
Light From (and Upon) the Readable Books 16: Sirach and Lady Wisdom
(Sirach 24:1-23, 51:13-29, 5:1-2; Psalm 18 (LXX)/19 (MT): 8-10; Ezekiel 3:3; Mat 11:19b, 28-29; John 4:14, 6:35, 6:51-57; 1 Cor 1:30; Rev 22:17; Isaiah 55:1) Sirach, along with the book of Proverbs, Wisdom of Solomon, and other Jewish books, says a good deal about “Wisdom,” often picturing her as an honored Lady who is to beContinue reading “Light From (and Upon) the Readable Books 16: Sirach and Lady Wisdom”
Light from the Readable Books 15: The Wisdom of Sirach and the Fear of the Lord
Sirach Prologue, 1-2; Job 38-40; Proverbs 9; James 1-3; Ephesians 1-4 Our Scriptures are full of different genres, that is, different kinds of literature—poetry, visions, parables, narratives of various sorts, sermons. The book of Sirach, or in its full title, The Wisdom of Jesus ben Sirach (Jesus the son of Sirach) is a series ofContinue reading “Light from the Readable Books 15: The Wisdom of Sirach and the Fear of the Lord”
Edith M. Humphrey 