Day 39 It’s almost like the Acts of the Apostles is a fifth Gospel. It’s a series of stories about the apostles continuing the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. Christianity is born, the Holy Spirit descends, and the church rapidly spreads. It’s a fascinating read. I’ve read this book before and every time, I am […]
Day 38 In the beginning was the Word. I AM. The Father and I are one. The Gospel of John is the one that breaks the mold. There are still parables and miracles, but throughout there is a pervading sense of the mystical. But even beyond that, Jesus embodies a noticeably different…ethos. And pathos. And […]
Day 37 I intended to read John before Luke. I know, going out of order! But Luke is volume one of a two volume work — the second being the Book of Acts. Anyone that went to seminary knows this. If you paid attention in Sunday school, you might know this, too. Every Gospel has […]
Day 36 The oldest and shortest Gospel, Mark is a great read. Gone are lengthy explanations and, instead, there’s a pithy Jesus on a mission. That’s what stands out to me most here. Jesus is very frank, often withdraws, quickly moves on to other locations, and loses his patience. A lot of religious art has […]
Day 35 I love the Gospels. I’ve read them countless times, so, these reflections will be a little different. In undergrad, my focus was in Patristics (early church history) and the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke). I had a rather ruthless professor, whom I adored, that threw us into graduate level studies of the Gospels. […]
Day 34 Here ends the Hebrew Scriptures and Apocrypha! Wow! On to the Christian Scriptures. The final four minor prophets offer what I’ve come to expect. Different takes on judgement, always room for redemption in the end, and little unique bits here and there. The tone of each prophet is where we learn more about […]
Day 33 Another batch of “minor” prophets. Short little books tacked on to the end of the Hebrew Scriptures. For the most part, they all have a similar tone. Destruction is coming! Don’t bother repenting now, it’s here! And forgiveness will come once judgement is exacted. These feel like short letters circulated to make sense […]
Day 32 The Maccabean books end with two bizarre installments. Third Maccabees has nothing to do with Judas Maccabeus or his relatives and Fourth Maccabees is a ponderous philosophical treatise on the merits of martyrdom. Third Maccabees deals with the Ptolemaic Dynasty in Egypt, specifically the reign of Ptolemy IV Philopator. Now, before reading this […]
Day 31 If First Maccabees was Braveheart…then Second Maccabees is Braveheart + Monty Python + Gladiator. This book pulls out all the stops. It basically tells the same story as 1 Maccabees with a few additions and embellishments. Some of the characters change, but the basic structure remains: action packed warfare. The interesting thing here, […]
Day 30 I present to you, the Braveheart of the Apocrypha. That’s really what this book felt like. The main character, at least for the first 3/4 of it, is Judas Maccabeus — a warrior who, with his brothers, helps lead a revolt against the foreign powers occupying Israel and defiling their temple. The story […]