Day 1 (Monday)

Daniel 5:1-31 (Belshazzar’s Feast & the Writing on the Wall)

Last time, we wrapped up our lengthy consideration of the life of King David with three Psalms, prayers of repentance. As we move into the summer, we will continue the story of Daniel in Babylon, after the destruction of David’s kingdom and the exile of the people of Judah into Mesopotamia. We last read about Daniel in Week 37, just after Holy Week, and saw Nebuchadnezzar finally humbled and giving glory to God for all things. This time, we will see the end of the Neo-Babylonia Empire that he had established, as a successor of his fails once more to learn the lesson that Nebuchadnezzar had finally learned. Before we begin, we’ll provide a brief note on dates. Nebuchadnezzar reigned from 605 to 562 BC (a reign of 43 years). During his reign, he first conquered and subjugated Jerusalem in 601 BC (this was the point when Daniel and his friends were taken to Babylon), and then destroyed Jerusalem when it revolted in 587 BC. Thus Daniel had been in Babylon for 39 years when Nebuchadnezzar died. The next king of Babylon was Nebuchadnezzar’s son, Amel-Mrduk, who reigned from 562 till 560, when he was overthrown by his brother-in-law Neriglissar, who reigned till 556, when he died, and was succeeded by his son Labashi-Marduk, who reigned only for two months, until he was deposed and killed by a palace plot, and a man named Nabonidas succeeded him. Nabonidus was fairly elderly, and although he reigned from 556 until 539, for most of his reign his son Belshazzar was exercising most of the power of the kingship. Belshazzar seems to have pushed for his father’s ascendance to the throne, as it gave him access to wealth and power, and put him in line for the throne when his father died. This context, as well as the likelihood that Belshazzar’s mother was a daughter of Nebuchadnezzar, are the background that we need for this story.

Belshazzar’s Feast

5 King Belshazzar made a great festival for a thousand of his lords, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand.

2 Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar commanded that they bring in the vessels of gold and silver that his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 So they brought in the vessels of gold and silver that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

The Writing on the Wall

5 Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and began writing on the plaster of the wall of the royal palace, next to the lampstand. The king was watching the hand as it wrote. 6 Then the king’s face turned pale, and his thoughts terrified him. His limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. 7 The king cried aloud to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the diviners; and the king said to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever can read this writing and tell me its interpretation shall be clothed in purple, have a chain of gold around his neck, and rank third in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king the interpretation. 9 Then King Belshazzar became greatly terrified and his face turned pale, and his lords were perplexed.

10 The queen, when she heard the discussion of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall. The queen said, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts terrify you or your face grow pale. 11 There is a man in your kingdom who is endowed with a spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father he was found to have enlightenment, understanding, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and diviners, 12 because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.”

The Writing on the Wall Interpreted

13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king said to Daniel, “So you are Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? 14 I have heard of you that a spirit of the gods is in you, and that enlightenment, understanding, and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15 Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and tell me its interpretation, but they were not able to give the interpretation of the matter. 16 But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you are able to read the writing and tell me its interpretation, you shall be clothed in purple, have a chain of gold around your neck, and rank third in the kingdom.”

17 Then Daniel answered in the presence of the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, or give your rewards to someone else! Nevertheless I will read the writing to the king and let him know the interpretation. 18 O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar kingship, greatness, glory, and majesty. 19 And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. He killed those he wanted to kill, kept alive those he wanted to keep alive, honored those he wanted to honor, and degraded those he wanted to degrade.”

“20 But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he acted proudly, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and his glory was stripped from him. 21 He was driven from human society, and his mind was made like that of an animal. His dwelling was with the wild asses, he was fed grass like oxen, and his body was bathed with the dew of heaven, until he learned that the Most High God has sovereignty over the kingdom of mortals, and sets over it whomever he will.”

“22 And you, Belshazzar his son, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this! 23 You have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven! The vessels of his temple have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them. You have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know; but the God in whose power is your very breath, and to whom belong all your ways, you have not honored.”

24 “So from his presence the hand was sent and this writing was inscribed. 25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: mene, mene, tekel, and parsin. 26 This is the interpretation of the matter: mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27 tekel, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting; 28 peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed in purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made concerning him that he should rank third in the kingdom.

30 That very night Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was killed. 31 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out that this story presents us with God’s justice upon Babylon, which had been the instrument of His judgment against faithless Judah before. God’s interactions with Nebuchadnezzar should therefore be viewed as God warning him, and calling him to repentance, and providing him an offer to be more than a blunt instrument, but to truly submit himself and his kingdom to God. He finally did so at the end of his life, but his kingdom did not hold fast to this, and before a generation has passed (only 23 years), his kingdom is now being given up to the Medes and Persians, represented by the silver chest of the image that Nebuchadnezzar saw in the first dream that God sent to him. Thus we see that God has not forsaken His people, or abandoned their salvation; ultimately, through the rise of the Persian empire, the Jews will be able to return to Jerusalem and rebuild it.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 2 (Wednesday)

Irenaeus – Against Heresies 5

Last time we read some additional excerpts from Book 3 of 5 from “Against Heresies,” in which Irenaeus spoke about the Incarnation of the Lord and His unity with the Father. This time, we will conclude our readings from Book 3, and will see him continue to develop the theme of the Lord’s full humanity and full divinity, and how He has accomplished our salvation and transformation in Himself by uniting us with Him. We are drawing these selections from a recent condensation of this very substantial work by an academic named James Payton; anyone who would like to purchase this book can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Irenaeus-Christian-Faith-Condensation-Heresies/dp/1608996247/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

St. Irenaeus of Lyons – Against Heresies – Book 3 (excerpts 3)

Book 3 – Chapter 18

Since it has now been clearly demonstrated that the Word, who existed in the beginning with God, by whom all things were made [John 1:1, 3], who was also always present with humanity, was in these last days, at the time appointed by the Father, united to his own workmanship, since he became a human being subject to suffering, it follows that every objection is set aside of those who say, “If our Lord was born at that time, then Christ had no previous existence.” I have already shown that the Son of God did not then begin to exist, since he was with the Father from the beginning. When he became incarnate and was made human, he began anew the long line of human beings and, to state it briefly, furnished us with salvation. Consequently, what we had lost in Adam—namely, the image and likeness of God—we recovered in Christ Jesus. (3:18,1)

The title “Christ” implies the one who anoints, the one who is anointed, and the anointing itself with which he is anointed. It is the Father who anoints, but the Son is anointed by the Spirit, who is the anointing, as the Word declares through Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me” [Isa 61:1]: this points out the anointing Father, the anointed Son, and the anointing which is the Spirit. (3:18,3)

… As man contending for humanity, the Lord fought and conquered. Through obedience he completely did away with disobedience: he bound the strong man [Matt 12:29], set the weak free, and granted salvation to his own handiwork by destroying sin. He is a most holy and merciful Lord, and he loves humanity. (3:18,6)

He caused human nature to cleave to and become one with God. On the one hand, unless a human being had overcome the enemy of humanity, the enemy would not have been justly defeated. On the other hand, unless it had been God who had freely given salvation, we could never have possessed it securely. Unless humanity had been joined to God, humanity could never have become a partaker of incorruptibility. So, it was incumbent upon the mediator between God and men [1 Tim 2:5], via his relationship to both, to bring them to friendship and peace, and so to present humankind to God, while revealing God to humankind.…

This is also why he passed through every stage of life, restoring all of them to communion with God.… It behooved him who was to destroy sin and redeem humankind under the power of death to be made human, for humanity had been drawn by sin into bondage and was held by death, so that sin should be destroyed by man, and humankind should be delivered from death. For as by the disobedience of the one man who was originally molded from virgin soil, many were made sinners and forfeited life, so it was necessary that, by the obedience of one man, who was originally born from a virgin, many should be justified [Rom 5:19] and receive salvation.… What he appeared to be he also was: God recapitulated in himself the ancient formation of man, so that he might kill sin, deprive death of its power, and give life again to humankind. His works are sure. (3:18,7)

Book 3 – Chapter 19

By no other means could we have attained incorruptibility and immortality, unless we had been united to incorruptibility and immortality. How could we be joined to incorruptibility and immortality unless incorruptibility and immortality had first become what we are, so that the corruptible might be swallowed up by incorruptibility, and the mortal by immortality [1 Cor 15:53], so that we might receive adoption as children [Gal 4:5]? (3:19,1)

Book 3 – Chapter 24

… The preaching of the Church is consistent everywhere, continues on an even course, and has its authentication from the prophets, the apostles, and all the disciples. It covers the entire history of God’s merciful dealing with humanity and presents a sure path to human salvation—namely, our faith. What we have received from the Church we preserve. By the Spirit of God it is always renewing its youth, as if it were some precious deposit in an excellent vessel, which renews the vessel containing it, as well. This gift of God has been entrusted to the Church, as breath was to the first created man, for this purpose, that all members receiving it may be given life. The Church enjoys communion with Christ through the Holy Spirit, the sure pledge of incorruption, who confirms our faith.… Where the Church is, there is the Spirit of God; and where the Spirit of God is, there is the Church, and every kind of grace; but the Spirit is truth [1 John 5:6].… (3:24,1)

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out how St. Irenaeus is emphasizing that the ancient principle of the Church’s theology, that what is not assumed by the Lord of our humanity is not saved, and that it is only because it has been assumed by God Himself that it has been saved. This is a very early expression of the ongoing standard of Orthodox Christian theology, the central importance of the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ; that He is both perfect and fully God and perfect and fully Man, divine and human. )

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 3 (Friday)

John 12:36b-50 (Unbelief of the People, Summary of Jesus' Teaching)

Last time, we saw some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the feast approach the Lord’s disciples and ask to speak with Him. He does not seem to have met with them, but took their request to speak some essential and difficult truths about what it means to follow Him, and how true life and glory only come through obedience, humility, and the Cross. When they argued with Him, He simply told them that they should walk in the Light while the Light was with them, because the darkness was coming soon. This time, we will see the end of His public teaching, with a final proclamation.

The Unbelief of the People

After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them. 37 Although he had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in him. 38 This was to fulfill the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

“Lord, who has believed our message,
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

39 And so they could not believe, because Isaiah also said,

40 “He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their heart,
so that they might not look with their eyes,
and understand with their heart and turn—
and I would heal them.”

41 Isaiah said this because he saw His glory and spoke about him. 42 Nevertheless many, even of the authorities, believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved human glory more than the glory that comes from God.

Summary of Jesus’ Teaching

44 Then Jesus cried aloud: “Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in Him who sent me. 45 And whoever sees me sees Him who sent me. 46 I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness. 47 I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.

48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, 49 for I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me.”

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out how the Evangelist John is at pains to show us how many opportunities Jesus gave to the Judaeans, to His own people, to receive Him, how many times He told them and showed them Who He is. He is writing to us in that difficult period after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, when the final disambiguation between Christianity and Judaism is reaching its completion. For those who reject the Lord, there is no light remaining, for as long as they reject Him. But John himself, together with the Lord, is eager to see them repent, and turn, and trust in the Lord, Who comes “to save the world,” not to judge it.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 1 (Monday)

Psalms of Repentance (Psalms 31, 37, & 50 – Septuagint Numbering)

Since January, we have been reading the life of King David. As the “man after God’s own heart,” and the Anointed One of the Lord (or the Messiah of Yahweh, as it would have read in the original language), David is a figure of critical importance. But the trajectory of his life is not what we would expect from a “normal” saint’s life. As he grew in power, he also declined in holiness and faithfulness, and after his great and sin, everything seemed to go wrong for him all the rest of his life. But all of that is the external perspective, the “historical” story of a king and his rise and fall. What we are missing are David’s own words, the expression of that heart that yearned for the Lord. So this time, to close out our time with King David, we will read some of his prayers of repentance, so that we may understand that he is not a saint because of or despite his sins, but rather because of his repentance.

Psalm 31
Of David, for understanding

Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin, and in whose mouth there is no guile. Because I kept silence, my bones grew old from my crying out all the day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; I was turned to misery while the thorn stuck fast in me.

I acknowledged my sin, and did not hide my iniquity. I said, I will confess my iniquity to the Lord against myself; and you forgave the ungodliness of my heart. For this shall everyone who is holy pray to you in a seasonable time: Only that in the flood of great waters, they should not come near him. You are my refuge from the trouble that besets me, and my joy; deliver me from those who surround me.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will fix my eyes upon you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding, Whose cheeks you must constrain with bit and bridle, or they will not come near you. Many are the scourges of the sinner; but mercy shall surround the one who trusts in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O you righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

Psalm 37
A psalm of David, for remembrance concerning the Sabbath

O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger, nor chasten me in your wrath. For your arrows are fixed in me, and your hand presses heavily upon me. There is no health in my flesh because of your anger, nor is there peace in my bones because of my sins. For my transgressions have risen over my head; they have weighed upon me like a heavy burden.

My wounds have grown foul and corrupt because of my folly. I am altogether wretched and bowed down; I go mourning all the day long. For my loins are filled with mockery, and there is no health in my flesh. I am feeble, and am brought exceedingly low; I have roared because of the groaning of my heart.

Lord, all my desire is before you, and my groaning is not hidden from you. My heart is troubled, my strength has failed me, and even the light of my eyes is gone from me. My friends and my neighbors drew up across from me and stood, and my kin stood far off. And those who sought my life used violence; and those who sought my hurt spoke vain things, and talked deceitfully all the day long.

But I, as if deaf, did not hear, and I was like a mute who does not open his mouth; And I was like a man who cannot hear, and in whose mouth are no reproofs. For in you, O Lord, have I hoped; you will hear, O Lord my God. For I said, Let never my enemies rejoice over me; when my feet slipped, they spoke boastfully against me. For I am ready for scourges, and my grief is continually before me. For I will declare my transgression, and be sorry for my sin.

But my enemies live, and are stronger than I, and those who hate me wrongfully are multiplied. Those who render me evil for good have slandered me, because I pursue goodness. Do not forsake me, O Lord; O my God, do not be far from me. Make haste to help me, O Lord of my salvation.

Psalm 50
For the end, a psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had gone in to Bathsheba the wife of Uriah

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your great mercy, and according to the multitude of your compassions blot out my transgression. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my iniquity, and my sin is ever before me. Against you only have I sinned, and done this evil before you, that you might be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.

For behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother bring me forth. For behold, you have loved truth; you have revealed to me the hidden and secret things of your wisdom. You shall sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; you shall wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. You shall make me hear joy and gladness; the bones that have been humbled shall rejoice. Turn your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right Spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and establish me with a governing Spirit. I will teach transgressors your ways, and the ungodly shall return to you. Deliver me from blood-guilt, O God, the God of my salvation; my tongue shall rejoice in your righteousness. O Lord, you will open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise.

For had you desired sacrifice, I would have given it; you will not be pleased with whole-burnt offerings. A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; a broken and humbled heart God will not despise. Do good, O Lord, to Zion in your good pleasure; and let the walls of Jerusalem be built. Then shall you be pleased with a sacrifice of righteousness, with oblation and whole-burnt offering; then shall they offer bullocks upon your altar.

Roumas, Nicholas. The Psalter of David the Prophet and King with the Nine Odes (pp. 185-186). Great Light Publishing Co.. Kindle Edition.

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out how we hear these words in the Church, and often read them metaphorically, as though they are the prayers of a perfect and holy saint. But in fact, these prayers are talking about exactly what we might think they are talking about, and the most important thing to learn from King David’s prayers is how he did not give himself over to despair in his sins, but even when he felt that he was drowning in guilt and loss, he offered even that to the Lord, and in repentance he found grace and salvation. It is vital that we should imitate him in this hope and trust, and turn our own lives to the Lord whatever we have done; and it is equally vital that we follow that prayer with a true and genuine effort to forsake our sinful desires and hold fast to the Lord above all.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 2 (Wednesday)

Irenaeus – Against Heresies 4

Last time we read some additional excerpts from Book 3 of 5 from “Against Heresies,” in which Irenaeus discussed the history of the four Gospels and of the Church itself, noting how stable and consistent are the Church’s beliefs and practices. This time, we will see him discussing the full divinity and full humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are drawing these selections from a recent condensation of this very substantial work by an academic named James Payton; anyone who would like to purchase this book can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Irenaeus-Christian-Faith-Condensation-Heresies/dp/1608996247/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

St. Irenaeus of Lyons – Against Heresies – Book 3 (excerpts 2)

Neither the Lord, nor the Holy Spirit, nor the apostles would ever have called him God who was not God definitely and absolutely, unless he was truly God; nor would they have called anyone Lord except God the Father, who rules over all, and his Son, who has received dominion from his Father over all creation, as this passage has it: “The LORD says to my lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool’ ” [Ps 110:1]. Here the Scripture presents the Father addressing the Son: he gave him the inheritance of the nations and subjected all his enemies to him. Since the Father is truly Lord and the Son truly Lord, the Holy Spirit has fitly designated them by the title of Lord.… (3:6,1)

No other is named as God or is called Lord except the one who is God and Lord of all, who also said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you’ ” [Exod 3:14]; and his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who makes those who believe in his name the children of God [John 1:12]. Further, the Son spoke to Moses and said, “I have come down to deliver them” [Exod 3:8], for he was the one who descended and ascended for the salvation of humanity [Eph 4:9, 10]. God has been declared through the Son, who is in the Father and has the Father—the one who is—in himself. So, the Father bears witness to the Son, and the Son announces the Father. Isaiah also says, “You are my witnesses, says the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he” [Isa 43:10]. (3:6,2)

Therefore I also call upon you, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and of Israel, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, in the abundance of your mercy have had favor towards us, that we may know you who made heaven and earth, who rules over all, who are the only and the true God, above whom there is no other God. By our Lord Jesus Christ, pour out the governing power of the Holy Spirit; grant to every reader of this book to know you, that you alone are God, to be strengthened in you, and to avoid every heretical, godless, and unfaithful teaching. (3:6,4)

… Nothing created can ever be compared to the Word of God by whom all things were made, who is our Lord Jesus Christ. (3:8,2)

John declared that all things—whether angels, archangels, thrones, or dominions—were both established and created by the one who is God over all, through his Word. When he had spoken of the Word of God as having been in the Father, he added, “All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being” [John 1:3]. David also, when he had enumerated his praises, specifically included all that I have mentioned, both the heavens and all the powers in them: “He commanded and they were created; he spoke, and it came to be” [Pss 148:5; 33:9]. Whom did he thus command? The Word, no doubt: “By the word of the LORD, the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth” [Ps. 33:6]. But David indicates that God himself made all things freely, just as he pleased: “Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases” [Ps 115:3]. The things established are distinct from the one who established them, and what has been made from the one who made it. He himself is uncreated, without beginning or end, and needs nothing. He is sufficient for himself, but he gives being to everything else. The things he made received their beginnings; whatever has a beginning, though, is also liable to dissolution, so it always needs the care of him who made all things.… (3:8,3)

He became the Son of man for this purpose, that humans also might become the children of God.… With his incarnation everything entered a new phase. The Word arranged his coming in the flesh in a unique way, so that he might win back to God that human nature which had departed from God.… (3:10,2)

… But none of the heretics believe that the Word of God became flesh. If anyone carefully examines all their systems, that person will find that all of them teach that the Word of God did not become incarnate.… Some teach that “Christ” seemed to be human, but that he was not really born and did not become flesh. Some others hold that he did not assume a human form at all, but that, like a dove, he descended upon that Jesus who was born from Mary. But the Lord’s disciple exposed them all as false witnesses when he said, “The Word became flesh and lived among us” [John 1:14]. (3:11,3)

… The heretics wander from the truth, because their teaching departs from the one who is the true God. They do not believe that his only-begotten Word—who is always present with the human race, who was united to and mingled with his own creation, according to the Father’s pleasure, and became flesh—is himself Jesus Christ our Lord, who suffered for us and rose again on our behalf, and who will come again in his Father’s glory to resurrect all who have lived, to show his salvation, and to judge with consummate justice everything he has made.… In every respect, he is human, the formation of God: he took humanity into himself, the invisible becoming visible, the incomprehensible being made comprehensible, the impassible becoming capable of suffering, and the Word being made human, thus summing up all things in himself. So, just as in super-celestial, spiritual, and invisible things, the Word of God is supreme, so also in things visible and corporeal he possesses the supremacy. He has taken to himself the pre-eminence and has constituted himself head of the Church, in order to draw all things to himself at the proper time [Col 1:15–20]. (3:16,6)

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should note how clear is St. Irenaeus’ concern that his readers should recognize the importance of affirming the full divinity and full humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ. This truth has been attacked and undermined from the very beginning, because it is so impossible, and because it is such a powerful attack upon the powers that otherwise would enslave us; but the Church has, from the beginning, and not merely from the time of the 4th or 5th or 6th or 7th centuries, recognized that this truth is at the heart of the Gospel. God has become Man, and has called Humanity to become like Him and one with Him.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 3 (Friday)

John 12:20-36a (Some Greeks Wish to See Jesus, Jesus Speaks about His Death)

Last time we saw Jesus enter Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, after Mary, the sister of Lazarus, had anointed his feet with perfume, and Judas had begun to plot his betrayal, and the religious leaders in Jerusalem had determined to have both Jesus and Lazarus killed, lest the entire people of Judaea follow after Jesus. Everything is speeding up, with everyone moving towards a collision point in the Garden of Gethsemane. But for the present, we see something of an interlude, as Jesus has arrived in the city, and is preaching and ministering to the crowd. We will see what happens.

Some Greeks Wish to See Jesus

20 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

Jesus Speaks about His Death

27 “Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.

34 The crowd answered him, “We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” 35 Jesus said to them, “The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.”

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out that Jesus doesn’t actually answer the Greeks who come to Him, or at least, He doesn’t appear to. What He says seems to have nothing to do with their simple request to speak with Him. It is, however, worth noting that, when we reflect on the entire history of Greek-speaking people with the Gospel of the Lord over the past two millennia, the Lord’s words actually are profoundly apropos, and not only for Hellenes, but for every nation and people and family of humanity that receives the Gospel. If we take the Lord’s words and love as an occasion to build up for ourselves a safe and stable life according to the standards of the world, we will find that we have established houses of sand on foundations of straw; but if we can learn to trust in the Lord in all things, even if our lives according to the standards of the world are always falling to pieces, we will find that His peace and glory sustain and comfort us no matter what happens.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 1 (Monday)

3 Kingdoms 1:41-53; 2:1-46 (Solomon as King; the Death of David)

Last time, we saw David’s oldest remaining son, Adonijah, attempt to seize the throne as David’s age and failing health left him weak. In the face of this, Nathan the prophet, together with other faithful members of David’s court, took action, urging Bathsheba to approach David and ask if it was his will that Adonijah should be king. David acted decisively, directing Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet to crown Solomon as king, and to set him upon David’s throne, and to hail him loudly as king, and to blow the trumpet proclaiming the coronation. We will pick up the story from there.

Solomon Begins to Reign

41 Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished feasting. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “Why is the city in an uproar?” 42 While he was still speaking, Jonathan son of the priest Abiathar arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in, for you are a worthy man and surely you bring good news.”

43 Jonathan answered Adonijah, “No, for our lord King David has made Solomon king; 44 the king has sent with him the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and they had him ride on the king’s mule; 45 the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan have anointed him king at Gihon; and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you heard.

46 Solomon now sits on the royal throne. 47 Moreover the king’s servants came to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May God make the name of Solomon more famous than yours, and make his throne greater than your throne.’ The king bowed in worship on the bed 48 and went on to pray thus, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who today has granted one of my offspring[b] to sit on my throne and permitted me to witness it.’”

49 Then all the guests of Adonijah got up trembling and went their own ways. 50 Adonijah, fearing Solomon, got up and went to grasp the horns of the altar. 51 Solomon was informed, “Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon; see, he has laid hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me first that he will not kill his servant with the sword.’” 52 So Solomon responded, “If he proves to be a worthy man, not one of his hairs shall fall to the ground; but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.” 53 Then King Solomon sent to have him brought down from the altar. He came to do obeisance to King Solomon; and Solomon said to him, “Go home.”

David’s Instruction to Solomon

2 When David’s time to die drew near, he charged his son Solomon, saying: 2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, be courageous, 3 and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn. 4 Then the Lord will establish his word that he spoke concerning me: ‘If your heirs take heed to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you a successor on the throne of Israel.’

5 “Moreover you know also what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, Abner son of Ner, and Amasa son of Jether, whom he murdered, retaliating in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and putting the blood of war on the belt around his waist, and on the sandals on his feet. 6 Act therefore according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.

David gave other instructions regarding those who had been loyal and those who had been disloyal to him, directing Solomon to be just with both.

Death of David

10 Then David slept with his ancestors, and was buried in the city of David. 11 The time that David reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 12 So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David; and his kingdom was firmly established.

Solomon Consolidates His Reign

13 Then Adonijah son of Haggith came to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. She asked, “Do you come peaceably?” He said, “Peaceably.” 14 Then he said, “May I have a word with you?” She said, “Go on.” 15 He said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel expected me to reign; however, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s, for it was his from the Lord. 16 And now I have one request to make of you; do not refuse me.” She said to him, “Go on.” 17 He said, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.” 18 Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak to the king on your behalf.”

19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon, to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. The king rose to meet her, and bowed down to her; then he sat on his throne, and had a throne brought for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right. 20 Then she said, “I have one small request to make of you; do not refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Make your request, my mother; for I will not refuse you.” 21 She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah as his wife.”

22 King Solomon answered his mother, “And why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom as well! For he is my elder brother; ask not only for him but also for the priest Abiathar and for Joab son of Zeruiah!” 23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, “So may God do to me, and more also, for Adonijah has devised this scheme at the risk of his life! 24 Now therefore as the Lord lives, who has established me and placed me on the throne of my father David, and who has made me a house as he promised, today Adonijah shall be put to death.” 25 So King Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he struck him down, and he died.

26 The king said to the priest Abiathar, “Go to Anathoth, to your estate; for you deserve death. But I will not at this time put you to death, because you carried the ark of the Lord God before my father David, and because you shared in all the hardships my father endured.” 27 So Solomon banished Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, thus fulfilling the word of the Lord that he had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.

28 When the news came to Joab—for Joab had supported Adonijah though he had not supported Absalom—Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and grasped the horns of the altar. 29 When it was told King Solomon, “Joab has fled to the tent of the Lord and now is beside the altar,” Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down.” 30 So Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord and said to him, “The king commands, ‘Come out.’” But he said, “No, I will die here.” Then Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, “Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.”

31 The king replied to him, “Do as he has said, strike him down and bury him; and thus take away from me and from my father’s house the guilt for the blood that Joab shed without cause. 32 The Lord will bring back his bloody deeds on his own head, because, without the knowledge of my father David, he attacked and killed with the sword two men more righteous and better than himself, Abner son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. 33 So shall their blood come back on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants forever; but to David, and to his descendants, and to his house, and to his throne, there shall be peace from the Lord forevermore.”

34 Then Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck him down and killed him; and he was buried at his own house near the wilderness. 35 The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in his place, and the king put the priest Zadok in the place of Abiathar.

…Then Solomon dealt out justice to others who had been faithless to David…

46b So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out a few things here. First, the instructions that David leaves with Solomon are primarily that he should be faithful to God and follow the Law of Moses. David was far from perfect in this, and learned with great pain and sorrow the importance of true faithfulness; Solomon is succeeding him rather than Adonijah precisely and solely because David sees in him the possibility that he will do rightly. The other things that we see David direct him to do are to do justice where David failed to do so, especially with Joab (although there are other cases that we skip over because they have been secondary to the narrative, and we have not read them). The other thing we should understand is the significance of Abishag the Shunnamite; she is that rarest of things, a royal wife of King David who has not actually been sexually intimate with the king. Effectively, Adonijah, in asking for her as his wife, is trying to renew his claim to the kingship, to step into David’s role in the royal household and the royal bed, and to supersede Solomon on the throne. One commentator thinks that Bathsheba sees through this request, and brings it so willingly to Solomon because she knows Solomon will see through it as well, and this will bring a swift end to the threat that Adonijah continues to pose to Solomon’s rule. The other thing we should note is that this episode sees her set up as an authoritative and honored member of the household, with a throne next to the king. This honor would indicate that perhaps the commentator is right, and Solomon recognizes that his mother has enabled Adonijah to over-step and reveal his continued ambitions. Regardless, this role of the King’s Mother continues in the Royal House of Judah until the captivity, and persists even to the present day, as the Mother of the Christ/Messiah/Anointed One of the Lord continues to have a pivotal role in the Lord’s Council.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 2 (Wednesday)

Irenaeus – Against Heresies Book 3, Excerpts 1

Last time we read some additional excerpts from Book 2 of 5 from “Against Heresies,” in which Irenaeus spoke about the Incarnation of the Lord and His unity with the Father. This time, we will move on to Book 3, and will see him speak about the origin and history of the four Gospels and of the Church itself. We are drawing these selections from a recent condensation of this very substantial work by an academic named James Payton; anyone who would like to purchase this book can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Irenaeus-Christian-Faith-Condensation-Heresies/dp/1608996247/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

St. Irenaeus of Lyons – Against Heresies – Book 3 (excerpts 1)

We have learned the plan of our salvation from no one else than the ones through whom the gospel has come down to us. At first, they proclaimed it in public, but later on, in accordance with God’s will, they handed it down to us in the Scriptures, to be the ground and pillar of our faith [1 Tim 3:15]. It is unlawful to assert that they preached before they possessed “complete knowledge” [“gnosis”], as the heretics dare to say, who boast that they have improved on the apostles. After our Lord rose from the dead, the apostles received power from on high [Luke 24:49] when the Holy Spirit came down upon them [Acts 1:8], were filled with all his gifts, and thus received complete knowledge.

They departed to the ends of the earth, preaching the glad tidings of the good things sent from God to us, and proclaiming the peace of heaven toward humankind [Luke 2:14]. They all equally and individually possessed the gospel of God. Matthew produced a written gospel for the Hebrews in their own language, while Peter and Paul were preaching at Rome, laying the foundations of the church there. After their departure, Mark, the disciple and interpreter of Peter, handed down to us in writing what Peter had preached. Luke also, the companion of Paul, recorded in a book the gospel Paul preached. Afterwards, John, the disciple of the Lord, who had leaned upon his breast [John 13:23], also published a gospel while he was living at Ephesus in Asia. (3:1,1)

These have all declared to us that there is one God, the creator of heaven and earth, announced by the law and the prophets, and one Christ the Son of God. If anyone does not agree to these truths, that person despises the companions of the Lord. Even more, that person despises Christ himself the Lord. Beyond even that, such a person also despises the Father and so stands self-condemned, resisting and opposing his own salvation—as is the case with all heretics. (3:1,2)

…

Everyone who wants to see the truth can behold the tradition of the apostles in any church anywhere in the world. We can list all those whom the apostles instituted as bishops in the churches, and the succession from them down to our own times. None of them taught or knew of anything like what these heretics rave about. If the apostles had known “hidden mysteries” which they were going to impart to “the perfect” apart and privately from the rest, the apostles would undoubtedly have delivered them to those to whom they were committing the churches. After all, they wanted these men whom they were leaving behind as their successors, to whom they were committing the leading role in governing the Church, to be perfect and blameless in all things.… (3:3,1)

However, it would be tedious to list the successions of all the churches in a volume like this. Even so, we can answer the heretics and their adherents by … pointing to that tradition derived from the apostles which is found in the very great, very ancient, and universally known church founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul. The faith they preached to humanity has come down to our time through the successions of bishops. It is necessary for every church to agree with this church because of its significance: many faithful have traveled to Rome from all places and found there the apostolic tradition which has been preserved everywhere else also. (3:3,2)

Having founded and built up the church in Rome, the blessed apostles committed the office of bishop there into the hands of Linus. Paul mentions this Linus in his letters to Timothy [2 Tim 4:21]. Anacletus succeeded him; and next, in the third place from the apostles, Clement received the bishopric. He had seen the blessed apostles and conversed with them, so he might be said to have the preaching of the apostles still echoing in his ears and their traditions before his eyes. He was not alone in this: many were still alive who had been taught by the apostles.

…

After Clement came Evaristus; Alexander followed Evaristus. Then, sixth from the apostles, Sixtus was appointed; after him, Telephorus, who was gloriously martyred; then Hyginus; after him, Pius; then after him, Anicetus. Soter having succeeded Anicetus, Eleutherus—in the twelfth place from the apostles—now has the inheritance of the episcopate. In this order and via this succession, the ecclesiastical tradition from the apostles, the preaching of the genuine truth, has come down to us. This is most abundant proof that there is one and the same life-giving faith, which has been handed down and faithfully preserved in the Church from the apostles until now. (3:3,3)

Further, Polycarp was instructed by apostles and conversed with many who had seen Christ; the apostles in Asia appointed him bishop of the church in Smyrna. I saw him in my early youth, for he lived a long time. As a very old man, he endured a glorious and noble martyrdom and departed this life. He had always taught what he had learned from the apostles—which is what the Church has handed down, and which alone is true. All the Asiatic churches testify to these things, as do those who have succeeded Polycarp down to the present time. They are leaders of much greater significance and are more steadfast witnesses of truth than Valentinus, Marcion, and the rest of the heretics. Indeed, Polycarp came to Rome in the time of Anicetus and turned many people away from these heretics to the Church of God. He declared that he had received only one truth from the apostles—the one handed down by the Church.

…

There is also a very powerful letter of Polycarp written to the Philippians, from which those who are eager to learn about salvation can get to know the character of his faith and the preaching of the truth. Furthermore, the church in Ephesus, founded by Paul, among whom John remained until the times of Trajan, is a faithful witness of the tradition of the apostles. (3:3,4)

Since we have such proofs, we do not need to seek from others the truth which is easy to get from the Church: the apostles, like a rich man depositing his wealth in a bank, placed everything related to the truth in her hands, so that whoever wants to can draw the water of life out of her [Rev 22:17]. She is the door to life; all others are thieves and robbers [John 10:7–8]. Consequently, we should turn away from the heretics and be sure to turn to the Church, so that we may lay hold of the tradition of the truth.…

What would we do if the apostles had not left us writings? Would it not be necessary, in that case, to follow the course of the tradition which they handed down to those to whom they committed the churches? (3:4,1)

This is what the numerous barbarian nations who believe in Christ do. Salvation has been written in their hearts by the Spirit, without paper or ink, but they carefully preserve the ancient tradition—believing in one God, the creator of heaven and earth, and everything in them, through Christ Jesus, the Son of God; who, because of his surpassing love towards his creation, condescended to be born of the virgin, thus uniting humanity in himself to God; having suffered under Pontius Pilate, and rising again, and having been received up in splendor, he will come again in glory as the savior of those who are saved and the judge of those who are judged, and will send into eternal fire those who pervert the truth and despise his Father and his advent.

As regards our language, those who have believed this faith without recourse to written documents are barbarians, but as regards doctrine, manner, and tenor of life, they are very wise indeed because of faith: they please God, living their lives in all righteousness, chastity, and wisdom. If anyone were to preach to them in their own language what the heretics have dreamed up, they would immediately stop their ears and run as far away as possible, unwilling even to listen to such blasphemy. Rooted in the ancient tradition of the apostles, they do not accept any of the instruction offered in the elegant diction of these teachers, among whom neither Church nor doctrine has ever taken root. (3:4,2)
Before Valentinus, none embraced his views; no one held notions like Marcion’s before him; indeed, none of these perversely-minded heretics had a forerunner for his particular teaching.… All of them brought forward their apostasy much later, after the Church had already long been in existence. (3:4,3)

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out how this portion of Irenaeus’ writing gives us two assurances of the legitimacy of the Church’s teaching, both of which remain with us today. The first is the confirmation of the validity of the eyewitness testimony of the Lord’s life and teachings in the four gospel accounts, and even a little bit of the history of each book. The second is the continuity of teaching in each local church, with Rome as one example, and his own experience with Polycarp in Asia Minor as another. These two points remain lynchpins of the Church’s continued fidelity to the Apostolic tradition.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 3 (Friday)

John 12:1-19 (Mary Anoints Jesus, Plot to Kill Lazarus, Palm Sunday)

Last time, we saw the Lord raise Lazarus from the dead, and the immediate response of the religious leaders, which was to plot to kill him, lest the Romans bring down extreme force and violence upon Jerusalem and all of Judaea to prevent what would surely look to them like a nascent revolt. We saw that nonetheless, all of Jerusalem was filled with excitement, wondering whether this Jesus, who had even raised the dead Lazarus back to life, would come to Jerusalem for the Passover. This time, we will Jesus do just that.

Mary Anoints Jesus

12 Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2 There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. 3 Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” 6 (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

The Plot to Kill Lazarus

9 When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.

Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

12 The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord— the King of Israel!”

14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written:

15 “Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion.
Look, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey’s colt!”

16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him. 17 So the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify. 18 It was also because they heard that he had performed this sign that the crowd went to meet him. 19 The Pharisees then said to one another, “You see, you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!”

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out how quickly things are moving. We suddenly see explicit mention made of an imminent preparation for the Lord’s burial, we see Judas find his excuse for betrayal, and we see the people at large hailing Jesus as the Messiah, the long-promised one, and the Evangelist confirms that they are correct in identifying Jesus in this way with the quotation from Zechariah 9:9. We should also note, of course, St. John’s editorial comment; he and the others didn’t understand what was happening at the time, but after the Lord’s Resurrection, then they remembered and understood, and indeed, the connections were probably taught to them by the Lord Himself, as perhaps on the road to Emmaus.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 1 (Monday)

3 Kingdoms 1:1-40 (The Struggle for the Succession)

Last time, we saw all the evils that came upon King David in the aftermath of his great sin of adultery and murder. This time, we will begin the story of the end of his life, and will see the struggle for the succession to the kingdom that has been established for him. This is also the beginning of the third book of Kingdoms, or what is usually called 1 Kings in many Bibles published in the United States.

1 Kings (3 Kingdoms)

The Struggle for the Succession

1 King David was old and advanced in years; and although they covered him with clothes, he could not get warm. 2 So his servants said to him, “Let a young virgin be sought for my lord the king, and let her wait on the king, and be his attendant; let her lie in your bosom, so that my lord the king may be warm.” 3 So they searched for a beautiful girl throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 The girl was very beautiful. She became the king’s attendant and served him, but the king did not know her sexually.

5 Now Adonijah son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king”; he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. 6 His father had never at any time displeased him by asking, “Why have you done thus and so?” He was also a very handsome man, and he was born next after Absalom. 7 He conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with the priest Abiathar, and they supported Adonijah. 8 But the priest Zadok, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the prophet Nathan, and Shimei, and Rei, and David’s own warriors did not side with Adonijah.

9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fatted cattle by the stone Zoheleth, which is beside En-rogel, and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the royal officials of Judah, 10 but he did not invite the prophet Nathan or Benaiah or the warriors or his brother Solomon.

11 Then Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king and our lord David does not know it? 12 Now therefore come, let me give you advice, so that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go in at once to King David, and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying: Your son Solomon shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my throne? Why then is Adonijah king?’ 14 Then while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words.”

15 So Bathsheba went to the king in his room. The king was very old; Abishag the Shunammite was attending the king. 16 Bathsheba bowed and did obeisance to the king, and the king said, “What do you wish?” 17 She said to him, “My lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God, saying: Your son Solomon shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my throne. 18 But now suddenly Adonijah has become king, though you, my lord the king, do not know it.”

19 “He has sacrificed oxen, fatted cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the children of the king, the priest Abiathar, and Joab the commander of the army; but your servant Solomon he has not invited. 20 But you, my lord the king—the eyes of all Israel are on you to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the king sleeps with his ancestors, that my son Solomon and I will be counted offenders.”

22 While she was still speaking with the king, the prophet Nathan came in. 23 The king was told, “Here is the prophet Nathan.” When he came in before the king, he did obeisance to the king, with his face to the ground. 24 Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my throne’? 25 For today he has gone down and has sacrificed oxen, fatted cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s children, Joab the commander of the army, and the priest Abiathar, who are now eating and drinking before him, and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 But he did not invite me, your servant, and the priest Zadok, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon. 27 Has this thing been brought about by my lord the king and you have not let your servants know who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”

The Accession of Solomon

28 King David answered, “Summon Bathsheba to me.” So she came into the king’s presence, and stood before the king. 29 The king swore, saying, “As the Lord lives, who has saved my life from every adversity, 30 as I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Your son Solomon shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ so will I do this day.” 31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground, and did obeisance to the king, and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”

32 King David said, “Summon to me the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” When they came before the king, 33 the king said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord, and have my son Solomon ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon. 34 There let the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan anoint him king over Israel; then blow the trumpet, and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35 You shall go up following him. Let him enter and sit on my throne; he shall be king in my place; for I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.” 36 Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, “Amen! May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, so ordain. 37 As the Lord has been with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.”

38 So the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and led him to Gihon. 39 There the priest Zadok took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!” 40 And all the people went up following him, playing on pipes and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth quaked at their noise.

Discussion questions:

 

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out how strange it is, that Solomon, who would be much younger than his brothers, even Adonijah, should be David’s heir, at least in terms of the basic principles that generally prevail, that the eldest son of a king should succeed him. Adonijah was David’s fourth son, according to 2 Kingdoms 3, and was born while David was ruling only Judah, in Hebron. That makes Adonijah at least 33 years old here, since David ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for 33 years before he died. We don’t know when Solomon was born, but he must be substantially younger. The difference, perhaps, is that Solomon was born after David’s great sin and repentance, and perhaps David chooses him because he recognizes how badly his family has gone wrong through his early neglect and mistakes. Solomon is very far from perfect, but…he is not as bad as Amnon, Absalom, or Adonijah.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 2 (Wednesday)

Irenaeus – Against Heresies 1 – Book 2 Excerpts 2

Last time we began with our summer reading of one of the Church Fathers, St. Irenaeus of Lyons. His work “Against Heresies” is directed against the Gnostic heresies that were troubling the Church in his time (the mid-2nd century), but it contains a great deal of the theology of the Church, summed up in a manner that is remarkably relevant and recognizable, even to us in the 21st century. We are drawing these selections from a recent condensation of this very substantial work by an academic named James Payton; anyone who would like to purchase this book can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Irenaeus-Christian-Faith-Condensation-Heresies/dp/1608996247/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

St. Irenaeus of Lyons – Against Heresies – Book 2 (excerpts 2)

… Our Lord Jesus Christ underwent a genuine passion, not just the appearance of one. Even so, he was in no danger of being destroyed; instead, by his own power he established fallen humanity and called it anew to incorruption.… The Lord suffered so that he might bring those who have wandered from the Father back to knowledge and communion with him.… Having suffered, the Lord granted us salvation, bestowing on us the knowledge of the Father.… By his passion our Lord also destroyed death, dispersed error, put an end to corruption, and destroyed ignorance, while he manifested life, revealed truth, and granted the gift of incorruption.… (2:20,3)
…

… He did not appear as one thing while being something else, as those heretics teach who say he only seemed to be human: he manifested himself for what he was. As a master, he possessed the age of a master. He did not despise or evade any human condition. He did not set aside in his own case the order he had appointed for the human race; rather, he sanctified every stage of human development by participating in it himself. For he came to save all in himself, all those who are born again to God through him—infants, toddlers, young children, youths, and the mature.

He passed through every stage, becoming an infant for infants, thus sanctifying infants; a child for children, thus sanctifying those of this age, and serving them as an example of piety, righteousness, and submission; a young person for young people, serving as an example to youths and thus sanctifying them for the Lord; so also he was a mature person for the mature. In this way, he was a perfect master for all, not merely in setting forth the truth, but also in being mature, sanctifying at the same time those who are mature, as well, and becoming an example for them also. Then, finally, he came on to death itself, so that he would be “the first-born from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything” [Col 1:18], the author of life [Acts 3:15], existing before all and going before all. (2:22,4)
…

The right way to approach knowledge is not to try to rise above God in your thoughts: he cannot be surpassed. Do not try to find one greater than the creator; that would be futile. The one who made you cannot be contained within limits. Even if you could measure the cosmos and traverse the entire creation, and carefully examined it in all its depth and height and length, you would still not be able to come up with one superior to the Father. You will never be able to comprehend him.… (2:25,4)

It is better and more beneficial to be classed with the simple and illiterate, but to be near God in love, than to imagine yourself learned and insightful but be numbered with those who blaspheme him, conjuring up a superior god to be the father. This is why Paul declared, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” [1 Cor 8:1]. By this he did not disparage genuine knowledge of God, for then he would have been condemning himself. But he knew that some people, inflated with their pseudo-knowledge, fall away from the love of God, imagining themselves to be perfect.…

It is better to have no knowledge whatever of even one reason why a single thing in creation has been made, but to believe in God and continue in his love, than it would be to be puffed up through knowledge of the kind offered by the heretics and so fall away from that love which gives life to humanity. It is better to search after no other knowledge than that of Jesus Christ the Son of God, who was crucified for us, than to fall into impiety by subtle questions and hair-splitting expressions. (2:26,1)
…

… There is one only God, the creator—who is above every principality and power and dominion and virtue. He is Father, he is God, the founder, the maker, the creator who made those things by himself (that is, through his Word and his Wisdom)—heaven and earth, the seas, and everything in them. He is just; he is good; he it was who formed humanity, who planted paradise, who made the world, who sent the flood, who saved Noah. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of the living [Mark 12:26, 27]. He it is whom the law proclaims, whom the prophets preach, whom Christ reveals, whom the apostles make known to us, and in whom the Church believes.

He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through his Word, who is his Son, he is revealed and manifested to all to whom he is revealed—for only those know him to whom the Son has revealed him. But the Son, eternally co-existing with the Father from of old, indeed, from the beginning, always reveals the Father to angels, archangels, powers, virtues, and all those to whom he wills that God should be revealed. (2:30,9)

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out that Irenaeus’ comments about how it would be better to have no knowledge, but to be near God, is a direct assault on the very core point of Gnosticism, which is itself named for the Greek word for knowledge. The entire temptation of the Gnostic movement is the idea that there is special, secret knowledge about high and hidden things which can be learned, and then used, in order to gain power and position. This temptation, however, is antithetical to the right relationship with God to which we are called, as well as in direct conflict with the truths that our Lord Jesus Christ has revealed to us.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 3 (Friday)

John 11:38-57 (Jesus Raises Lazarus, Plot to Kill Jesus)

Last time we saw Jesus approaching the tomb of Lazarus, and meeting both of the dead man’s sisters. To Martha, the Lord proclaimed Himself as not just a prophet or holy man to whom God would listen if he prayed, but as Himself the Resurrection and the Life, Almighty God Himself. To Mary, the Lord showed His humanity, in weeping for the death of Lazarus and the grief that his death had brought to all who loved him. But this time, the Lord will reach the tomb, and we know what He will do there.

Jesus Raises Lazarus to Life

38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone.

And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what he had done. 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council, and said, “What are we to do? This man is performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation.”

49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all! 50 You do not understand that it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.” 51 He did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was about to die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the dispersed children of God. 53 So from that day on they planned to put him to death.

54 Jesus therefore no longer walked about openly among the Jews, but went from there to a town called Ephraim in the region near the wilderness; and he remained there with the disciples.

55 Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. 56 They were looking for Jesus and were asking one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think? Surely he will not come to the festival, will he?” 57 Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew where Jesus was should let them know, so that they might arrest him.

Discussion questions:

 

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out two things. First, that Jesus prays to the Father, audibly, not asking Him to raise Lazarus, but as He says, so that the crowd may know that the Father has sent Him, and that He does this work as the Messiah sent from the Father, and not apart from Him. Then, very clearly, He Himself commands Lazarus to come out. So we see at the same time the Lord’s oneness with the Father, and at the same time that He Himself is God, with power and authority over even the dead. Second, we should note that the determination of the council to kill Him comes as a direct response to this miracle. It is not that they disbelieve the miracle, but that they are concerned about what will happen to the peace and stability that they enjoy.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 1 (Monday)

2 Kingdoms 13-21 (summary), 22:15-25 (End of Pestilence, Purchase of Temple Site)

Last time, we saw David called out by the prophet Nathan for his great sin of adultery and murder, and saw the child born of that adultery die. We saw David repent, and receive from the Lord another son, named Solomon, by the woman whose husband he had murdered, and then we saw David win a great victory against the Ammonites. All might seem well, but in the next several chapters, we see that there is a deep rot in David’s household. We are going to sum up these next several chapters, as their content is shameful and ugly, and not appropriate for family reading.

Amnon and Tamar and Absalom

In Chapter 13, we see David’s firstborn son Amnon fall in love with his half-sister Tamar, whose brother Absalom was David’s third son. Amnon contrives to be alone with his half-sister, and violates her by force. David is grieved by this, but does not punish Amnon, because he is his firstborn, and he loves him. Absalom doesn’t forget, however, and after two years he tricks and betrays Amnon, and has him killed through trickery and betrayal. Absalom then flees to his mother’s family, and remains there for three years, but (Chapter 14) Joab intercedes for him, and David forgives him and welcomes him back home. But after six more years, (Chapter 15) Absalom raises a rebellion against David, and usurps the throne, and a great many of the people and the army follow Absalom, so that David has to flee from Jerusalem with only his own household, and a few faithful retainers. As he is leaving, there is one important piece that we should read in full, as the priests try to bring the Ark of the Covenant with him into exile.

Chapter 15:24 Abiathar [the priest]came up, and Zadok [the priest] also, with all the Levites, carrying the ark of the covenant of God. They set down the ark of God, until the people had all passed out of the city. 25 Then the king said to Zadok, “Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back and let me see both it and the place where it stays. 26 But if he says, ‘I take no pleasure in you,’ here I am, let him do to me what seems good to him.” 27 The king also said to the priest Zadok, “Look, go back to the city in peace, you and Abiathar, with your two sons, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan son of Abiathar. 28 See, I will wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” 29 So Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem, and they remained there.

30 But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, with his head covered and walking barefoot; and all the people who were with him covered their heads and went up, weeping as they went.

(Chapter 16) David makes it down the far side of the Mount of Olives just as Absalom enters Jerusalem from the other side, and proceeds across the Jordan River, back into exile. Meanwhile, (Chapter 17) Absalom sets himself up as king in his father’s place, and commits a great and unspeakable sin, and begins to prepare to pursue his father to destroy him. David, however, (Chapter 18) gathers those who are faithful to him, and prepares to return and take the kingdom back from Absalom. He only commands his generals to do all that they can to save Absalom’s life; however, in the battle, Absalom’s long hair is caught in the branches of a great oak tree, and Joab stabs Absalom through the heart with three spears.When David hears of this, he weeps and mourns, but eventually lays aside weeping to not shame his faithful followers (Chapter 19), as he returns to Jerusalem.

(Chapter 20 & 21) The rest of David’s reign is filled with more rebellions and violence. Chapters 22 & 23 give some side stories about the exploits of his mighty men. In Chapter 24, he commands a census be taken of all the fighting men, and God brings a plague upon the nation in punishment for David’s sin, depending upon his own strength. The end of this plague results in an important purchase: the site of the future Temple.

The Pestilence upon the People

15 So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from that morning until the appointed time; and seventy thousand of the people died, from Dan to Beer-sheba. 16 But when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented concerning the evil, and said to the angel who was bringing destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” The angel of the Lord was then by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 When David saw the angel who was destroying the people, he said to the Lord, “I alone have sinned, and I alone have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father’s house.”

David’s Altar on the Threshing Floor

18 That day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 Following Gad’s instructions, David went up, as the Lord had commanded. 20 When Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming toward him; and Araunah went out and prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground. 21 Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you in order to build an altar to the Lord, so that the plague may be averted from the people.” 22 Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him; here are the oxen for the burnt offering, and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. 23 All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God respond favorably to you.”

24 But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy them from you for a price; I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25 David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being. So the Lord answered his supplication for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out how the character of David’s reign has now completely changed. Before the incident with Bathsheba, everything that David did was moving him up in the world, toward the kingship, toward victory, toward plenty and power and pleasure and every desirable thing. Now…very quickly…we see him lose his daughter Tamar, and his son Amnon, and then his son Absalom, so that the justice that he meted out to himself before he knew that “he was the man” is fulfilled, and he has given four of his children as penalty for the innocent life of Uriah. His kingdom is preserved, however, and then in the final passage, we see him lapse once more into the temptation of power, performing the census, which basically defines and quantifies the military power that he has at his disposal, where he should instead be trusting God. Thus we see the Lord respond immediately with a judgment, but with mercy present as well. It is not stated explicitly in the text, but this threshing floor that David buys is what becomes the site of the Temple that Solomon will build. We should note well that David insists on paying for it, not receiving it as a gift, which for him, the king, is an act of humility, as he could have seized it as easily as he had seized the wife of Uriah.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 2 (Wednesday)

Irenaeus – Against Heresies 1 – Book 2 Excerpts 1

Over the remainder of the summer, we’ll spend the majority of our time reading selections from the great work of St. Irenaeus of Lyons, his Against Heresies. This work was written against the several Gnostic sects that were active in the 2nd Christian century. Gnosticism was quite variable, but the basic gist of the heresy (more of an umbrella term than a single heresy) is that it’s based on the idea that the Gnostic teachers had secret knowledge handed down orally outside of Scripture, the content of which tended to conflate and mix a shocking degree of polytheism with Christian notions, and generally included a strong denigration of the material world. Gnostic teachers, then, denied the Trinity, denied the full divinity of Christ, denied the Incarnation, denied the Resurrection, etc. The only thing “Christian” about them was that they tried to incorporate Christian names (Jesus, Christ, Logos, Holy Spirit, etc) into their otherwise overtly pagan system.

St. Irenaeus was born in Asia Minor, probably around 135 A.D. He was a student of St. Polycarp of Smyrna, who had himself been a disciple of St. John the Evangelist and Theologian, so he is thus a “spiritual grandson” of the Apostle. Once he reached adulthood, he went west, and seems to have spent some time in Rome before settling in the Gallic city of Lyons. He served as a presbyter there, and eventually became the bishop of the city. In the face of the Gnostic threat to his flock, he wrote the text we will be looking at over the next few weeks. It contains quite a lot of information about what the various Gnostic sects believed, and as a result, the first two of the five books that comprise the work are very tedious reading. We will start, nonetheless, with a less tedious part of Book 2, and will depend on a recent condensation of the work by James Payton; anyone who would like to purchase this book can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Irenaeus-Christian-Faith-Condensation-Heresies/dp/1608996247/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

St. Irenaeus of Lyons – Against Heresies – Book 2 Excerpts 1

In the first book exposing “what is falsely called knowledge” [1 Tim 6:20], I laid out the whole false system, in its various contradictory forms, fabricated by the school of Valentinus. I also set forth the tenets of their predecessors, showing that they not only differed among themselves, but had long ago swerved from the truth itself.… Further, I carefully pointed out passages which they garble from the Scriptures, so as to adapt them to their own fictions. As well, I methodically laid out their audacious attempts to establish what they regard as truth by way of numbers and by the letters of the alphabet.… (2:pref, 1)

In this book, my thorough examination will bring forward all that is necessary to destroy their whole system. This will offer an exposure and subversion of their views, as the title of this work promises.… (2:pref,2)

It is fitting to begin with the first and most important point—God the creator, who made heaven and earth and everything in them, but whom these heretics blasphemously dismiss as the result of a defect. There is nothing either above or after him; he was not moved to create by another: he did so freely. He is the only God, the only Lord, the only creator, the only Father, who alone contains all things and who called everything into existence. (2:1,1)

The way the heretics argue may seem plausible or even convincing to those who do not know God, and who liken him to needy human beings or to those who cannot accomplish anything by themselves without help, but who have to use various aids to produce whatever they intend. But it will not be regarded as at all probable by those who know that God needs nothing, and that he created and made all things by his Word. He did not need the help of angels or any other power inferior to himself to produce the things which were made.… He himself, by himself alone, in a way we can neither describe nor understand, having predestined all things, formed them as he chose, bestowing harmony on all things, assigning them their particular place and the beginning of their creation.… He formed all things that were made by his Word that never wearies. (2:2,4)

It is unique to God that, in his preeminence, he needs no tools to create the things which he summons into existence. His own Word is both suitable and sufficient to create all things, as John, the disciple of the Lord, declares: “All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being” [John 1:3]. Clearly, our world must be included among the “all things.” It too was made by his Word: Scripture tells us in the book of Genesis that he made all things connected with our world by his Word. David also expresses the same truth: “For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm” [Ps 33:9].

Whom, therefore, shall we believe as to the creation of the world: these heretics who, as we have shown, prate so foolishly and inconsistently on the subject, or the disciples of the Lord, and Moses, who was both a faithful servant of God and a prophet? He began the narration of the formation of the world in these words: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” [Gen 1:1].… (2:2,5)

…
But the heretics do not believe that He who is God over all formed by his Word, in His own place and as He himself pleased, the various and diverse works we find in the creation. He is the one who formed all things, like a wise architect and a powerful monarch. But they believe that angels, or some power other than God (who was ignorant of him) formed this universe.… They are like the dog of Aesop that dropped the bread when it tried to seize its shadow, thus losing the real food. It is easy to prove from the words of the Lord that He acknowledges one Father and creator of the world and fashioner of humanity, the One who was proclaimed by the law and the prophets, while He knows no other—and that this one is really God over all. Further, He teaches that the adoption of children (which is eternal life) comes from this same Father, and that it takes place through Himself, since he confers it on all the righteous. (2:11,1)
…

… If they had understood the Scriptures and been taught the truth, they would have known beyond doubt that God is not as people are, and that his thoughts are not like ours [Isa 55:8]. The Father of all is at a vast distance from those affections and passions which operate among us. He is a simple, uncompounded being, without separate parts, and entirely like and equal to Himself: He is wholly understanding, wholly spirit, wholly thought, wholly intelligence, wholly reason, wholly hearing, wholly seeing, wholly light, and the whole source of all that is good—as those who are religious and pious are accustomed to say about God. (2:13,3)

However, He is above all these properties, and therefore indescribable. For He who comprehends all things may well and properly be called “understanding,” but He is not therefore like human understanding; and He may most properly be termed “light,” but He is nothing like the light with which we are acquainted. And so, in every other regard, the Father of all is not at all like us in our human weakness. We speak of Him in these ways because of our love for him, but His greatness far surpasses our thoughts and words about Him.… (2:13,4)

…
Enough has been said to show that their system is weak and untenable, utterly fanciful. As a common proverb says, “It is not necessary to drink the entire ocean to learn that its water is salty”.… (2:19,8)

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out that Irenaeus has two goals which he is pursuing in parallel; the first is to affirm the truth of the Christian Faith, while the second is to deny and refute the errors that are being taught by Gnostic teachers. Many of the details of Gnostic teachings are strange and obscure and overtly foolish to our modern ears, but some are commonly and frequently repeated by those who seem to be intelligent. The idea that any creator god must have required tools to accomplish the creation, and that we can therefore prove or disprove his making of things by investigating whether this is actually possible, is a common one which we hear every time some scientist claims that he can disprove the Christian faith with science.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?

Day 3 (Friday)

John 11:17-37 (Jesus the Resurrection and the Life, Jesus Weeps)

Last time we saw Jesus informed that Lazarus, his friend, was very sick and near death. We saw the Lord wait two days before leaving to go and visit Lazarus, and then tell His disciples that Lazarus was dead, but that He was going to go and raise his friend. The disciples, knowing that the religious authorities in Judaea were determined to kill Jesus, were reluctant to see Him expose Himself (and them) to danger, but they went with Him regardless. This week, we will see what happens when Jesus arrives in Bethany.

Jesus the Resurrection and the Life

17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.”

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”

Jesus Weeps

28 When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there.

32 When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34 He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus began to weep. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out two things here. First, that Jesus knows exactly what He is going to do here, and even tells Martha what is going to happen, urging her to trust Him. She struggles somewhat with this, but confesses Him as the Messiah, the Son of God. Second, that even though Jesus knows what He is going to do, nonetheless He weeps. We are not told why He weeps, whether it is for the sorrow and loss of Lazarus’ sisters and friends, or for the foolishness and doubt of so many of the people there, or whether it is for the death of Lazarus himself, but regardless, it is necessary to note that even Jesus weeps in the face of death. It may be that His weeping is not least to give us permission to weep and to mourn in the face of the brokenness of the world, even as we trust Him and wait upon Him to make all things whole.)

2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?

3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?

4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )

5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?