Day 1 (Monday)

4 Kingdoms 17:1-41 (Fall of Israel, Resettlement with Foreign Peoples by King of Assyria )

Last time, we finished reading about the miracles that the Lord accomplished through His prophet Elisha. His time as the prophet of the Lord sets the stage for the final decline of the kingdom of Israel. During the time that Elisha was prophesying, Ahab’s son Jehoram ruled in Israel, and during his reign the kingdom of Moab rebelled against Israel (3 Kingdoms 3). A little later (3 Kingdoms 8), Jehoshaphat the king of Judah died and his son Jehoram (whose mother was the daughter of Jezebel) succeeded him, and did evil. In his time, Edom rebelled against Judah and became independent, so that from this time forward, Israel and Judah have lost all that remained of the great kingdom of Solomon.

Then (3 Kingdoms 9) an Israelite general, Jehu, is anointed as the new king of Israel, and he kills Ahab’s son Joram and also Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram of Judah, and then kills Jezebel and all the descendants of Ahab, and becomes the king of Israel himself. He abolishes the worship of Baal in Israel, but continues to worship the golden calves of Jeroboam, and during his reign, “the Lord began to trim off parts of Israel” (4 Kingdoms 10:32), and all of Gilead east of the Jordan River is lost. Nonetheless Jehu’s son Jehoahaz, and his grandson Jehoash, and his great-grandson Jeroboam II, all reigned with some degree of success in Israel. But then, for 32 years there were a series of four kings who each assassinated their predecessor, and after these four kings of Israel came the last king, Hoshea. This is where we will return to the text and see the final days of Israel.

Hoshea Reigns over Israel; Israel Carried Captive to Assyria

17 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah Hoshe′a the son of Elah began to reign in Samar′ia over Israel, and he reigned nine years. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, yet not as the kings of Israel who were before him. 3 Against him came up Shalmane′ser king of Assyria; and Hoshe′a became his vassal, and paid him tribute.

4 But the king of Assyria found treachery in Hoshe′a; for he had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year; therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison. 5 Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land and came to Samar′ia, and for three years he besieged it. 6 In the ninth year of Hoshe′a the king of Assyria captured Samar′ia, and he carried the Israelites away to Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

7 And this was so, because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods 8 and walked in the customs of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs which the kings of Israel had introduced.

9 And the people of Israel did secretly against the Lord their God things that were not right. They built for themselves high places at all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city; 10 they set up for themselves pillars and Ashe′rim on every high hill and under every green tree; 11 and there they burned incense on all the high places, as the nations did whom the Lord carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the Lord to anger, 12 and they served idols, of which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this.”

13 Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.” 14 But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the Lord their God. 15 They despised his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and the warnings which he gave them. They went after false idols, and became false, and they followed the nations that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them that they should not do like them.

16 And they forsook all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made for themselves molten images of two calves; and they made an Ashe′rah, and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Ba′al. 17 And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings, and used divination and sorcery, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. 18 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight; none was left but the tribe of Judah only.

19 Judah also did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the customs which Israel had introduced. 20 And the Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel, and afflicted them, and gave them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight.

21 When he had torn Israel from the house of David they made Jerobo′am the son of Nebat king. And Jerobo′am drove Israel from following the Lord and made them commit great sin. 22 The people of Israel walked in all the sins which Jerobo′am did; they did not depart from them, 23 until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he had spoken by all his servants the prophets. So Israel was exiled from their own land to Assyria until this day.

Assyria Resettles Samaria

24 And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharva′im, and placed them in the cities of Samar′ia instead of the people of Israel; and they took possession of Samar′ia, and dwelt in its cities. 25 And at the beginning of their dwelling there, they did not fear the Lord; therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them.

26 So the king of Assyria was told, “The nations which you have carried away and placed in the cities of Samar′ia do not know the law of the god of the land; therefore he has sent lions among them, and behold, they are killing them, because they do not know the law of the god of the land.” 27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, “Send there one of the priests whom you carried away thence; and let him go and dwell there, and teach them the law of the god of the land.” 28 So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samar′ia came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the Lord.

29 But every nation still made gods of its own, and put them in the shrines of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities in which they dwelt; 30 the men of Babylon made Suc′coth-be′noth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashi′ma, 31 and the Av′vites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sephar′vites burned their children in the fire to Adram′melech and Anam′melech, the gods of Sepharva′im.

32 They also feared the Lord, and appointed from among themselves all sorts of people as priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places. 33 So they feared the Lord but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away. 34 To this day they do according to the former manner.

They do not fear the Lord, and they do not follow the statutes or the ordinances or the law or the commandment which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel. 35 The Lord made a covenant with them, and commanded them, “You shall not fear other gods or bow yourselves to them or serve them or sacrifice to them; 36 but you shall fear the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm; you shall bow yourselves to him, and to him you shall sacrifice. 37 And the statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandment which he wrote for you, you shall always be careful to do. You shall not fear other gods, 38 and you shall not forget the covenant that I have made with you. You shall not fear other gods, 39 but you shall fear the Lord your God, and he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.” 40 However they would not listen, but they did according to their former manner.

41 So these nations feared the Lord, and also served their graven images; their children likewise, and their children’s children—as their fathers did, so they do to this day.

Reading 10 – 1533 words

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 provides us both with the final disposition of the Ten Tribes of the kingdom of Israel, as they are resettled elsewhere in the Assyrian Empire, but also shows us the origin of the Samaritans, whom we know from the New Testament. They are descended from other peoples that the kings of Assyria settled in the former territory of Israel, and they adopted the worship of Yahweh the God of Israel in a problematic fashion after they arrived. Nonetheless, we know from the New Testament that the Lord shows mercy to them, and visits them as well as the Jews in Judaea, and provides for them a path to salvation, and if we recall, it was the Samaritans who first turned to the Way of Christ in the early chapters of the book of Acts. They, unlike the Gentiles, were not accounted as entirely outside the household of Israel, and thus we can see even in this disaster the Lord’s ongoing mercy to His people, and the fulfillment of the assurance that He gave to Elijah on the mountain, that He had reserved for Himself thousands of people who had not bent the knee to Baal.)

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)

St. Gregory the Theologian – On the Holy Lights – 3

Last time we saw St. Gregory speak about the place where we must begin to respond to the mystery of the Lord’s Baptism, as it is this which delivers us from the absurdities and depravities of the pagan mysteries and demon gods who had dominated humanity up to the point of the Lord’s Incarnation. But for us, who have been in bondage to sin and corruption, the place where we must begin is with the fear of God, that we may earnestly seek the purification that the Lord offers to us, in following after Him and obeying His commandments. In this way, we may encounter Him as He comes to us to save us, and raise us up from fear to love.

On the Baptism of Christ (On the Holy Lights) – Part 3

11 Since we have purified the place of this assembly by our discourse, come now, let us reflect a little about the feast, and celebrate with the souls that love feasts and love God. And since the main point of the feast is the remembrance of God, let us remember God. For indeed the sound of those celebrating there, where there is the dwelling of all who rejoice,61 I consider to be nothing other than this, hymning and glorifying God by those counted worthy of the citizenship there.

And if the present discourse contains some things I have said before, let no one marvel. For I will not only utter the same words, but also speak about the same realities, trembling both in tongue and mind when I speak of God and praying that you also may have the same praiseworthy and blessed experience.

When I speak of God, be struck from all sides by the lightning flash of one light and also three; three in regard to the individualities, that is hypostases, if one prefers to call them this, or persons, for we will not struggle with our comrades about the names as long as the syllables convey the same idea; but one if one speaks of the essence, that is the divinity. For they are divided undividedly, if I may speak thus, and united in division.

For the divinity is one in three, and the three are one, in whom the divinity is, or, to speak more precisely, who are the divinity. But we omit the excesses and omissions, neither making the union a fusion, nor the division a separation. Let both the contraction of Sabellius and the division of Arius be equally far from us, the evils that are diametrically opposed yet equal in impiety. For why is it necessary to either fuse God together wrongly or cut him up into inequalities?

12 “But for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things,”62 and one Holy Spirit, in whom are all things, yet the “from whom” and “through whom” and “in whom” do not divide natures—for then neither would the prepositions change, nor the order of the nouns—but they characterize the properties of a nature that is one and unconfused. And this is clear from the fact that they are again brought together into one, if these other words of the same apostle are not read as an afterthought: “from whom and through whom and in whom are all things; to him be the glory unto the ages. Amen.”63

The Father is a father and without origin, for he is not from anyone. The Son is a son and not without origin, for he is from the Father. But if you take it to mean an origin in time, he is also without origin; for he is Creator of time, not subject to time. The Holy Spirit is truly the Spirit sent forth from the Father, yet not as a son or through begetting but through procession, if indeed one must make some innovation in words for the sake of clarity.

Nor does the Father cease to be unbegotten because he has begotten, nor does the Son cease to be begotten since he is from the unbegotten—how could that be?—nor does the Spirit change either into the Father or into the Son because he proceeds or because he is God, though to the godless this does not seem to be so; for the property does not shift. For how could it remain a property if it were shifted and changed?

Those who consider that “unbegotten” and “begotten” name natures of gods would perhaps also consider that Adam and Seth are separate from each other in regard to nature, since the one was not born from flesh but molded by God64 while the other was born from Adam and Eve.65 So there is one God in three, and the three are one as indeed we have said.

13 And since these realities are thus, or this reality, it was necessary that the worship not be limited only to those above, but that there be some worshipers also below, that all things may be filled with the glory of God, since indeed all are of God. For this reason the human being was created, honored with the hand of God and his image.66 But to neglect this creature, who by the envy of the devil and the bitter taste of sin67 is pitiably separated from God his Creator, is not God’s way. What happens? And what is the great mystery concerning us?

An innovation is made to natures, and God becomes human, and he who “has mounted upon the heaven of heavens at the dawn”68 of his own glory and splendor, is glorified at the sunset of our cheapness and lowliness, and the Son of God accepts both to become Son of a human being and to be called such; not changing what he was, for he is immutable, but assuming what he was not, for he loves humankind, that the ungraspable might be grasped, associating with us through the mediation of flesh, as if through a covering, since his pure divinity cannot be borne by a nature subject to generation and corruption.

For this reason unmingled realities are mingled, not only God with generation, or mind with flesh, or the atemporal with time, or the uncircumscribed with measure, but also childbirth with virginity, and dishonor with what is above all honor, and suffering with the impassible, and the immortal with the corruptible. For since the deceptive advocate of evil thought he was unconquerable as he ensnared us with the hope of divinity,69 he was ensnared by the obstacle of flesh. Just as when he meant to attack Adam he encountered God, so also by the new Adam the old was saved70 and the condemnation of the flesh was abolished,71 since death was put to death by flesh.

St Gregory of Nazianzus, Festal Orations, ed. John Behr, trans. Nonna Verna Harrison, vol. 36, Popular Patristics Series (Crestwood, NY: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2008), 79–97.

Reading 3 – 1015 words

61 Ps 87:7.

62 1 Cor 8:6.

63 Rom 11:36.

64 Gen 2:7.

65 Gen 4:25.

66 Gen 2:7; 1:26–27.

67 Gen 3:6.

68 Ps 68:33.

69 Gen 3:5.

70 1 Cor 15:35.

71 Rom 5:16–18.

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 St. Gregory’s point in the previous section, emphasizing the need for the fear of God, of obedience and faithfulness, is illumined further here, as he is emphasizing the importance of actual faithfulness to the Lord before we presume to reflect upon the mystery of His coming, of His Divinity and Humanity in His Incarnation, and of the great mystery of the Holy Trinity. This is a vital point at all times, but especially in the Constantinople at which he had so recently arrived, which was both full of Arians, and full of people eager to discuss and debate, or even come to blows over, the details of theology, without having submitted themselves to the Lord or begun the work of repentance. Thus he presents to us this time the essential truths of the Lord’s Incarnation and of the Holy Trinity, having first charged his listeners, and us, to attend with diligence to faithfulness and obedience in the fear of God, and then to dare to lift our eyes to the glory of the Lord.)

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)

Acts 24:1-23 (Paul Before Felix at Caesarea)

Last time, we saw some of the zealous opponents of Paul among the Jews in Jerusalem make a plot to kill him, and we saw Paul’s nephew hear about this and bring word about it to Paul and to the tribune who had arrested him. The tribune moved quickly, sending Paul by night under a strong escort of soldiers to the city of Caesarea, where the governor Felix was, ensuring that the plot was not able to be put into practice by removing Paul from the city where the plot had been devised. This time, we will see what St. Paul says to Felix the governor.

Paul before Felix at Caesarea

24 Five days later the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and an attorney, a certain Tertullus, and they reported their case against Paul to the governor. 2 When Paul had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying:

“Your Excellency, because of you we have long enjoyed peace, and reforms have been made for this people because of your foresight. 3 We welcome this in every way and everywhere with utmost gratitude. 4 But, to detain you no further, I beg you to hear us briefly with your customary graciousness. 5 We have, in fact, found this man a pestilent fellow, an agitator among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. 6 He even tried to profane the temple, and so we seized him. 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to learn from him concerning everything of which we accuse him.”

9 The Jews also joined in the charge by asserting that all this was true.

Paul’s Defense before Felix

10 When the governor motioned to him to speak, Paul replied:

“I cheerfully make my defense, knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation. 11 As you can find out, it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem. 12 They did not find me disputing with anyone in the temple or stirring up a crowd either in the synagogues or throughout the city. 13 Neither can they prove to you the charge that they now bring against me.

14 But this I admit to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our ancestors, believing everything laid down according to the law or written in the prophets. 15 I have a hope in God—a hope that they themselves also accept—that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. 16 Therefore I do my best always to have a clear conscience toward God and all people.

17 Now after some years I came to bring alms to my nation and to offer sacrifices. 18 While I was doing this, they found me in the temple, completing the rite of purification, without any crowd or disturbance. 19 But there were some Jews from Asia—they ought to be here before you to make an accusation, if they have anything against me. 20 Or let these men here tell what crime they had found when I stood before the council, 21 unless it was this one sentence that I called out while standing before them, ‘It is about the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.’”

22 But Felix, who was rather well informed about the Way, adjourned the hearing with the comment, “When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will decide your case.” 23 Then he ordered the centurion to keep him in custody, but to let him have some liberty and not to prevent any of his friends from taking care of his needs.

Reading 44 – 528 words

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, we have the chance here to see how things are conducted on a legal basis in front of a Roman governor. These are more sophisticated accusations made against Paul, and a more sophisticated defense that he makes for himself, because it is a more sophisticated audience. It is worthwhile to look at the text and to see the subtleties present in each argument. Second, we should note that the prosecuting attorney here calls the Christians “Nazarenes,” belittling them by the place of Christ’s birth, while Paul refers to Christianity as “The Way,” and affirms that it is in this Way that he follows the ancient teaching of the Torah and the Prophets, which is to say, he affirms that he remains a faithful Jew, and that he does so by following Jesus Christ.)

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)

4 Kingdoms 5:1-27; 6:8-23 (Naaman the Syrian is Cleansed, Aramean Attack is Thwarted)

Last time, we saw several of the miracles that God did through Elisha, including the raising from the dead of the son of the Shunamite woman. We noted there, and in the other stories, how these miracles prefigure and prophesy the Lord’s ultimate healing of all humanity, with not just the resurrection, but also the multiplication of the food to feed the crowd, and the remedy given to the food in the pot, which had been death for those who ate of it, so that it became nourishment for them once meal/grain was added to it. This time, we will see two more miracles of Elisha, in what will be a longer reading. Those who are constrained for time should consider skipping the episode in which Gehazi tries to get money from Naaman; suffice to say, it doesn’t work.

The Healing of Naaman

5 Na′aman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. 2 Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little maid from the land of Israel, and she waited on Na′aman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samar′ia! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 4 So Na′aman went in and told his lord, “Thus and so spoke the maiden from the land of Israel.” 5 And the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”

So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten festal garments. 6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Na′aman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 7 And when the king of Israel read the letter, he rent his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.”

8 But when Eli′sha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you rent your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Na′aman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the door of Eli′sha’s house. 10 And Eli′sha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.”

11 But Na′aman was angry, and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and cure the leper. 12 Are not Aba′na and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?”

So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, if the prophet had commanded you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much rather, then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

15 Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came and stood before him; and he said, “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant.” 16 But he said, “As the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will receive none.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused.

17 Then Na′aman said, “If not, I pray you, let there be given to your servant two mules’ burden of earth; for henceforth your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the Lord. 18 In this matter may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon your servant in this matter.” 19 He said to him, “Go in peace.”

Gehazi’s Greed

But when Na′aman had gone from him a short distance, 20 Geha′zi, the servant of Eli′sha the man of God, said, “See, my master has spared this Na′aman the Syrian, in not accepting from his hand what he brought. As the Lord lives, I will run after him, and get something from him.” 21 So Geha′zi followed Na′aman. And when Na′aman saw some one running after him, he alighted from the chariot to meet him, and said, “Is all well?”

22 And he said, “All is well. My master has sent me to say, ‘There have just now come to me from the hill country of E′phraim two young men of the sons of the prophets; pray, give them a talent of silver and two festal garments.’” 23 And Na′aman said, “Be pleased to accept two talents.” And he urged him, and tied up two talents of silver in two bags, with two festal garments, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they carried them before Geha′zi. 24 And when he came to the hill, he took them from their hand, and put them in the house; and he sent the men away, and they departed.

25 He went in, and stood before his master, and Eli′sha said to him, “Where have you been, Geha′zi?” And he said, “Your servant went nowhere.” 26 But he said to him, “Did I not go with you in spirit when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Was it a time to accept money and garments, olive orchards and vineyards, sheep and oxen, menservants and maidservants? 27 Therefore the leprosy of Na′aman shall cleave to you, and to your descendants for ever.” So he went out from his presence a leper, as white as snow.

4 Kingdoms 6:1-7 – The Miracle of the Ax Head – omitted for the sake of time

The Aramean Attack Is Thwarted

8 Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with his servants, saying, “At such and such a place shall be my camp.” 9 But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are going down there.” 10 And the king of Israel sent to the place of which the man of God told him. Thus he used to warn him, so that he saved himself there more than once or twice.

11 And the mind of the king of Syria was greatly troubled because of this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?” 12 And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Eli′sha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedchamber.” 13 And he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him.” It was told him, “Behold, he is in Dothan.” 14 So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army; and they came by night, and surrounded the city.

15 When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was round about the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16 He said, “Fear not, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 Then Eli′sha prayed, and said, “O Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes that he may see.”

So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Eli′sha. 18 And when the Syrians came down against him, Eli′sha prayed to the Lord, and said, “Strike this people, I pray thee, with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Eli′sha. 19 And Eli′sha said to them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city; follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he led them to Samar′ia.

20 As soon as they entered Samar′ia, Eli′sha said, “O Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” So the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and lo, they were in the midst of Samar′ia. 21 When the king of Israel saw them he said to Eli′sha, “My father, shall I slay them? Shall I slay them?” 22 He answered, “You shall not slay them. Would you slay those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.” 23 So he prepared for them a great feast; and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the Syrians came no more on raids into the land of Israel.

Reading 9 – 1545 words

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 Naaman’s healing comes through what is effectively a baptism, and how it actually functions as a baptism for him. From that day, he commits himself to be a faithful worshipper of Yahweh only, to the point of asking for mercy on those occasions when he is required to enter the temple of the gods of Assyria to assist his master. We should also note the harsh penalty that comes upon Gehazi, as he abuses the gift of God’s grace to his master for his own enrichment. If we attend to the words of the prophets, and all of Scripture, it is always these sins that God speaks of most harshly. Failures due to human weakness are dealt with mercifully, but abusing the authority and power of God to fleece the innocent for one’s own gain, whether they can afford it or not, is condemned absolutely. Finally, the Leader should point out that what Elisha sees, with the hosts of heaven constantly surrounding him, is the actual truth of our life in this world. What we see and experience is NOT actually reality; it is only a small piece of it, the trial that we are given by God, and called to endure in faithfulness and love.)

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)

St. Gregory the Theologian – On the Holy Lights – 2

Last time we saw St. Gregory begin by speaking of the Lord’s Baptism as a great mystery, but not like the mysteries of the Greeks and other pagan peoples. We noted how the distinction between the two is that, for the Greeks, they simply recount things that their gods had done, and strive to appease or control the gods with them by imitation or participation in those things. In contrast, our Lord Jesus Christ acts first, uniting Himself with us, and remaining always present with us, and then invites us to respond to His self-emptying by being present with Him. Thus we do not engage in the depravities and shameful acts of the pagan mysteries…but we enter into the waters of baptism, where the Lord has come to meet with us, and we are transformed by him there. But let us see how St. Gregory continues.

On the Baptism of Christ (On the Holy Lights) – Part 2

7 So let the children of the Greeks play with these things, and the demons from whom their foolishness has come, who draw aside God’s honor to themselves and divide people in various ways into shameful opinions and fantasies. For they have expelled us from the tree of life31 by means of the tree of knowledge32 partaken of inappropriately at the wrong time, then overrun us since we were weaker than before, carrying away completely our guide, the mind, and opening a door to the passions.

For since they are by nature envious and hate humankind—or rather became such because of their own wickedness—they could not bear those below attaining things on high, since they themselves fell to earth from above, nor could they bear the occurrence of such a transformation of humans’ glory and first nature. This is the persecution of the one molded,33 through this the image of God34 is outraged; and as we did not see fit to keep the commandment35 we have been given over to the self-rule of error, and as we have erred we have been dishonored by the things we venerated.

For there was not only this disaster, that having been made for good works to his glory and praise and having been made to imitate God as far as is possible, we have become a base of operations for all kinds of passions, which devour horribly and consume the inner human being;36 but also we have set up the gods as advocates of the passions, so that sin is regarded not only as blameless but even as divine, since it appeals to this defense, the things worshipped.

8 As for us, as indeed we have been given grace to flee the error of superstition, be joined to the truth and serve the living and true God,37 and to rise above the creation, passing beyond everything subject to time and the first motion, so also let us know and reflect on the things around God and divine things. As we begin, let us reflect on where it is better to begin; and it is better where Solomon legislated for us. “The beginning of wisdom,” he says, “is to acquire wisdom.”38 What does he mean by this “beginning of wisdom”? Fear.39

For one must not begin from contemplations and end in fear—for unbridled contemplation would perhaps push us down precipices—but let us be set straight and purified by fear and, if I may speak thus, made light so as to rise on high. For where there is fear there is keeping of commandments; and where there is keeping of commandments there is purification of the flesh, that cloud covering the soul and not allowing one to see purely the divine ray; and where there is purification there is illumination. And illumination is the fulfillment of desire for those who aim for the greatest things, or that which is greatest, or that which is beyond greatness.

9 Because of this, let us each first purify ourselves, then come close to the pure, if indeed we do not want what Israel experienced, not bearing the glory of Moses’ face and because of this needing a veil,40 or again what Manoah experienced, so that he said, “We are lost, wife, we have seen God,” as God appeared to him;41 or like Peter, to send away Jesus from the boat, as not worthy of such a visit.42 And when I say Peter, of whom do I speak? The one who walked on the waves.43

Or, like Paul, to be stricken in the eyes, when before being purified of persecuting he came close to the one he persecuted, or rather to a brief flash of the great light;44 or, like the centurion to seek healing, but because of praiseworthy fear not receive the healer into his house.45 Let such of us also, as long as he is not yet purified, but is still a centurion ruling many in evil, and serves as a soldier for Caesar the world ruler of those dragged downward, say, “I am not sufficient for you to come under my roof.”46

But when he has seen Jesus, though he was small in spiritual stature like the renowned Zaccheus47 and has climbed atop the sycamore tree, mortifying his limbs upon the earth48 and mounting above the body of lowliness,49 then indeed let him receive the word and hear, “Today salvation has come to this house,”50 and let him receive salvation and bear the more mature fruits, pouring forth and dispersing well what he has gathered badly as a tax collector.51

10 For the same Word is both fearful because of his nature to those who are not worthy and graspable because of his love for humankind to those who are thus prepared, who have driven out the impure and material spirit from their souls and swept clean and adorned their own souls by full knowledge,52 and not let them be idle or inactive so as to be seized again with greater power by the seven spirits of wickedness,53 whose number equals that of the virtues.54

For what is hardest to fight calls for more effort. But to flight from vice they add practice of virtue, bringing to dwell within themselves the whole Christ, or as much of him as possible, so that the wicked power does not encounter any empty place to fill again with himself, and the last state does not become worse than the first55 through the greater vehemence of the attack and because the fortress is more secure and more difficult to capture.

When we have “guarded our own soul with all vigilance”56 and “arranged ascents in our heart,”57 and “broken up our fallow ground”58 and “sown unto righteousness,”59 as Solomon and David and Jeremiah advise, let us light in ourselves the light of knowledge. Then let us speak of the wisdom of God hidden in a mystery60 and illumine others. Meanwhile, let us purify ourselves and be initiated beforehand into the Word, that we may work the most good possible for ourselves, making ourselves deiform, and receive the Word who is coming; and not only this but also hold him fast and manifest him to others.

St Gregory of Nazianzus, Festal Orations, ed. John Behr, trans. Nonna Verna Harrison, vol. 36, Popular Patristics Series (Crestwood, NY: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2008), 79–97.

Reading 2 – 1060 words

31 Gen 3:22–24.

32 Gen 2:9–17.

33 Gen 2:7.

34 Gen 1:26–27.

35 Gen 2:16–17.

36 Eph 3:16.

37 Heb 9:14.

38 Prov 4:7.

39 Sir 1:16.

40 Exod 34:30–35.

41 Judg 13:22.

42 Luke 5:8.

43 Matt 14:28–29.

44 Acts 9:1–18.

45 Matt 8:5–10.

46 Matt 8:10.

47 Luke 19:2–10.

48 Col 3:5.

49 Phil 3:21.

50 Luke 19:9.

51 Luke 19:8.

52 Matt 12:44; Luke 11:25.

53 Matt 12:45; Luke 11:26.

54 Isa 11:2, LXX.

55 Matt 12:45; Luke 11:26.

56 Prov 4:23.

57 Ps 84:5.

58 Jer 4:3.

59 Hos 10:12.

60 1 Cor 2:7.

Discussion questions:

1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should note St. Gregory’s basic point; the Lord comes to us who are bound in darkness and false belief and slavery to the demon gods of the nations, and calls us to be purified. The question we face is how we are to respond to Him, existing naturally as we do under the sway of the devil, and St. Gregory affirms that we should do so first with awe, with fear and trembling as we behold God Himself come to deliver us. Therefore he quotes Proverbs, that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and urges that fear and awe upon us all, that we may diligently renounce the old life and become purified by obedience to the Lord of Glory Who comes to us. For we cannot come to know God without obedience, faithfulness, and purity.)

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)

Acts 23:12-35 (Plot to Kill Paul, Paul Sent to Felix the Governor)

Last time we saw St. Paul before the Sanhedrin, where he ran afoul of the High Priest and the Sadducees, but gained the protection of the Pharisees when he affirmed that it was for his defense of the doctrine of the Resurrection of the Dead that he was being attacked. When the order in the Sanhedrin broke down, the tribune removed him once again and brought him back to the barracks where he was imprisoned. This time, we will see the events transpire which result in Paul’s final departure from Jerusalem.

The Plot to Kill Paul

12 In the morning the Jews joined in a conspiracy and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. 13 There were more than forty who joined in this conspiracy. 14 They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food until we have killed Paul. 15 Now then, you and the council must notify the tribune to bring him down to you, on the pretext that you want to make a more thorough examination of his case. And we are ready to do away with him before he arrives.”

16 Now the son of Paul’s sister heard about the ambush; so he went and gained entrance to the barracks and told Paul. 17 Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to report to him.” 18 So he took him, brought him to the tribune, and said, “The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you; he has something to tell you.” 19 The tribune took him by the hand, drew him aside privately, and asked, “What is it that you have to report to me?”

20 He answered, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire more thoroughly into his case. 21 But do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him. They have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink until they kill him. They are ready now and are waiting for your consent.” 22 So the tribune dismissed the young man, ordering him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of this.”

Paul Sent to Felix the Governor

23 Then he summoned two of the centurions and said, “Get ready to leave by nine o’clock tonight for Caesarea with two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen. 24 Also provide mounts for Paul to ride, and take him safely to Felix the governor.” 25 He wrote a letter to this effect:

26 “Claudius Lysias to his Excellency the governor Felix, greetings. 27 This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them, but when I had learned that he was a Roman citizen, I came with the guard and rescued him. 28 Since I wanted to know the charge for which they accused him, I had him brought to their council. 29 I found that he was accused concerning questions of their law, but was charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. 30 When I was informed that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him.”

31 So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him during the night to Antipatris. 32 The next day they let the horsemen go on with him, while they returned to the barracks. 33 When they came to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. 34 On reading the letter, he asked what province he belonged to, and when he learned that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive.” Then he ordered that he be kept under guard in Herod’s headquarters.

Reading 43 – 598 words

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 the hatred that the Sadducees showed toward the Lord remains strong toward His followers, with this group of zealous Jews swearing to assassinate Paul. This is important for us to understand; the high priesthood was held by unfaithful people, who wielded it as a tool for power and the accumulation of wealth. This was the party of the Sadducees; they had long ago abandoned faithfulness to the Lord, and were only interested in power. Paul’s preaching of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ threatened their power, as the Lord Himself had done, and therefore they were determined to see him dead. It is this determination which sets him on his journey to Rome, and similarly this ultimate rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ which sets the leaders of Jerusalem on the road to rebellion and the eventual destruction of the Temple.)

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)

4 Kingdoms 4:8-44 (Miracles Done Through Elisha)

Last time, we moved quickly through the series of usurpers after Jeroboam’s death until we came to Omri, king of Israel and builder of Samaria, which will be the capital of Israel until the kingdom’s defeat and destruction by the Assyrians. Omri’s son, Ahab, together with his wife Jezebel, led Israel into the worship of Baal, and things went from bad to worse. However, at that time we saw the Lord send prophets, first Elijah, and then Elijah’s successor Elisha, to preach and minister to His people and to call them to repentance, and to care for them in these troubled times. This week, we will see some of the miracles which the Lord did for His people through Elisha.

Elisha Raises the Shunammite’s Son

8 One day Eli′sha went on to Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to eat some food. So whenever he passed that way, he would turn in there to eat food. 9 And she said to her husband, “Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God, who is continually passing our way. 10 Let us make a small roof chamber with walls, and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so that whenever he comes to us, he can go in there.”

11 One day he came there, and he turned into the chamber and rested there. 12 And he said to Geha′zi his servant, “Call this Shu′nammite.” When he had called her, she stood before him. 13 And he said to him, “Say now to her, See, you have taken all this trouble for us; what is to be done for you? Would you have a word spoken on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?” She answered, “I dwell among my own people.” 14 And he said, “What then is to be done for her?” Geha′zi answered, “Well, she has no son, and her husband is old.” 15 He said, “Call her.” And when he had called her, she stood in the doorway. 16 And he said, “At this season, when the time comes round, you shall embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord, O man of God; do not lie to your maidservant.” 17 But the woman conceived, and she bore a son about that time the following spring, as Eli′sha had said to her.

18 When the child had grown, he went out one day to his father among the reapers. 19 And he said to his father, “Oh, my head, my head!” The father said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 And when he had lifted him, and brought him to his mother, the child sat on her lap till noon, and then he died. 21 And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out. 22 Then she called to her husband, and said, “Send me one of the servants and one of the asses, that I may quickly go to the man of God, and come back again.” 23 And he said, “Why will you go to him today? It is neither new moon nor sabbath.” She said, “It will be well.” 24 Then she saddled the ass, and she said to her servant, “Urge the beast on; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.” 25 So she set out, and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.

When the man of God saw her coming, he said to Geha′zi his servant, “Look, yonder is the Shu′nammite; 26 run at once to meet her, and say to her, Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?” And she answered, “It is well.” 27 And when she came to the mountain to the man of God, she caught hold of his feet. And Geha′zi came to thrust her away. But the man of God said, “Let her alone, for she is in bitter distress; and the Lord has hidden it from me, and has not told me.” 28 Then she said, “Did I ask my lord for a son? Did I not say, Do not deceive me?” 29 He said to Geha′zi, “Gird up your loins, and take my staff in your hand, and go. If you meet any one, do not salute him; and if any one salutes you, do not reply; and lay my staff upon the face of the child.” 30 Then the mother of the child said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So he arose and followed her. 31 Geha′zi went on ahead and laid the staff upon the face of the child, but there was no sound or sign of life. Therefore he returned to meet him, and told him, “The child has not awaked.”

32 When Eli′sha came into the house, he saw the child lying dead on his bed. 33 So he went in and shut the door upon the two of them, and prayed to the Lord. 34 Then he went up and lay upon the child, putting his mouth upon his mouth, his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands; and as he stretched himself upon him, the flesh of the child became warm. 35 Then he got up again, and walked once to and fro in the house, and went up, and stretched himself upon him; the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. 36 Then he summoned Geha′zi and said, “Call this Shu′nammite.” So he called her. And when she came to him, he said, “Take up your son.” 37 She came and fell at his feet, bowing to the ground; then she took up her son and went out.

Elisha Purifies the Pot of Stew

38 And Eli′sha came again to Gilgal when there was a famine in the land. And as the sons of the prophets were sitting before him, he said to his servant, “Set on the great pot, and boil pottage for the sons of the prophets.” 39 One of them went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine and gathered from it his lap full of wild gourds, and came and cut them up into the pot of pottage, not knowing what they were. 40 And they poured out for the men to eat. But while they were eating of the pottage, they cried out, “O man of God, there is death in the pot!” And they could not eat it. 41 He said, “Then bring meal.” And he threw it into the pot, and said, “Pour out for the men, that they may eat.” And there was no harm in the pot.

Elisha Feeds One Hundred Men

42 A man came from Ba′al-shal′ishah, bringing the man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And Eli′sha said, “Give to the men, that they may eat.” 43 But his servant said, “How am I to set this before a hundred men?” So he repeated, “Give them to the men, that they may eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’” 44 So he set it before them. And they ate, and had some left, according to the word of the Lord.

Reading 8 – 1153 words

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 Elisha escalates his intercessions for the son of the Shunamite woman. First he sends Gehazi with his staff, and has him lay it upon the face of the boy. Then he arrives himself, and prays, then lays himself upon the child, in direct contact with him, and at this, the child grows warm. Then Elisha walks around, and then lays himself upon the child once more, and the child sneezes seven times and wakes up. We do not need to read the Fathers of the Church to know what they will say about this; this is clearly a sign and foreshadowing, and indeed a participation, in the Lord’s Resurrection. It is not His suffering on the Cross which resurrects the dead, and thus the rod of the prophet does not accomplish the raising of the boy. It is when the Lord unites Himself with us in our death and our lowliness that life and warmth returns to us, and thus the instant that He dies, the tombs are broken open. But the second day, the great and holy Sabbath Day that we have just finished reading about from St. Epiphanios, is the day when He fills Hades with Himself, and raises them up, and thus it is the second time that Elisha lays himself down upon the boy that the life returns to him, and he sneezes seven times, to signify the completion of the days of the Creation and the beginning of the New Creation, and then he gets up and goes with Elisha, who gives him to his mother, and in this we see a sign of the Lord’s Resurrection, raising up our mortal nature and restoring us to the fullness of life in 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 2 (Wednesday)

St. Gregory the Theologian – On the Holy Lights – 1

St. Gregory the Theologian, sometimes referred to as St. Gregory of Nazianzus, his hometown, is one of the three Cappadocian Fathers (the other two are St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory of Nyssa, his brother). He was a close friend and schoolmate of St. Basil the Great, and despite his preference for a life of prayer and study, was pressed into service by St. Basil in the theological and political struggles of the later Arian controversy. The culmination of this resulted in his installation in 379 as the Nicene bishop of Constantinople, a city whose churches were entirely controlled by the Arians, such that the new bishop was reduced to establishing a chapel in the home of a wealthy cousin. With the arrival of the Nicene emperor Theodosius in the city in November 380, however, St. Gregory was suddenly installed the Archbishop of the entire city, in charge of the all the Churches. He preached a series of three festal sermons on the great feasts that winter: one on Christmas, the beginning of which has been adopted as the Christmas Katavasies (Christ is born; glorify Him!), this one we are about to read, on the Lord’s Baptism, and another preached the day after Theophany, on the baptism of the Christian. He only served as the Archbishop until July of the following year, at which point he retired to Cappadocia, where he wrote and taught until his repose in 390.

For this text, please note that there are a number of numbers in the text; these are footnotes, and contain either Scriptural references or additional information that can be found at the end of the main text.

St. Gregory the Theologian

ORATION 39

On the Baptism of Christ (On the Holy Lights)

1 Again my Jesus, and again a mystery, a mystery not deceitful or disorderly, nor belonging to the disorder and drunkenness of the [pagan] Greeks—for thus I name their solemnities, as, I think, everyone sensible will—but a mystery exalted and divine and bringing the radiance from above. For the holy day of lights, to which we have come and which we are deemed worthy to celebrate today, takes its origin from the baptism of my Christ, the true light, which illumines every human being coming into the world,1 effects my purification, and strengthens the light we received from him from the beginning, which we darkened and blotted out through sin.

2 Therefore listen to the divine voice, which resounds very strongly in me, the initiate and the initiator of these mysteries; and may it also resound in you: “I am the light of the world.”2 And because of this “come near to him and be illumined and your faces will not be ashamed,”3 being marked with the sign of the true light.4 It is the time of rebirth; let us be born from above. It is the time of refashioning; let us receive again the first Adam.5

Let us not remain what we are but become what we once were. “The light shines in the darkness” of this life and the flesh, and it is persecuted by the darkness but not overcome,6 I mean by the adverse power, who out of shamelessness leapt upon the visible Adam7 but encountered God and was defeated, so that we, putting aside the darkness,8 may draw near to the light,9 and thus become perfect light, children of perfect light.10 Do you see the grace of this day? Do you see the power of the mystery? Have you not been lifted up from the earth? Have you not clearly been placed above, exalted by our voice and our guidance upward? And you will be placed still higher when the Word has guided this discourse well.

3 Is it some kind of legal and shadowy purification, providing aid through temporary sprinklings and sprinkling the ashes of a heifer on those who have become unclean?11 Is it something like what the Greeks reveal in their initiations? To me all their initiations and mysteries are nonsense, dark inventions of demons and fabrications of a demon-possessed mind, assisted by time and deceived by myth. For what they worship as true they hide as mythical. If these things are true, they should not call them myths but show that they are not shameful; if false, they should not marvel, nor so recklessly hold opposite opinions about the same subject. It is as if they were playing in the marketplace with children, or rather with truly demon-possessed men, and not conversing with men of reason who worship the Word though they spit upon this contrived and sordid plausibility.

4. With us there are no births and thefts of Zeus, the Cretan tyrant, though the Greeks are displeased; nor Curetes shouting and clapping and dancing with their weapons, drowning out the noise of a crying god, so as to hide him from a father who hates children; for it would have been strange for one swallowed as a stone to cry as a child.12 Nor the Phrygians’ mutilations and flutes and Corybantes, nor all the people’s ravings about Rhea, initiating others into the cult of the mother of the gods and being initiated as befits the mother of such gods.13 Nor for us is there any maiden abducted, nor does Demeter wander or introduce any Cerei and Triptolemoi and dragons or things she does and suffers. For I am ashamed to grant to the day the initiation of the night and make what is unseemly a mystery. Eleusis knows these things, as do those who see the things that are guarded in silence and are surely deserving of silence.14 Nor is there Dionysus or the thigh in labor with an unformed fetus, as formerly a head was with another one;15 nor the androgynous god and the drunken chorus and the relaxed army and the Theban madness honoring this god and the thunderbolt of Semele that is worshipped.16 Nor the harlot mysteries of Aphrodite, who, as they say themselves, was shamefully born and is shamefully honored. Nor any Phalloi and Ithyphalloi, shameful both as images and as objects;17 nor Taurian murders of strangers,18 nor blood of Lacedemonian youths on the altar, as they are scourged with the whips and in this alone are manly in a bad way, who honor a goddess, one who is a virgin. For they both honored effeminacy and revered boldness.19

5 And where will you place the butchery of Pelops, who provides a feast to hungry gods and his cruel and inhuman hospitality?20 Where will you place the frightening and nocturnal phantoms of Hekate, and the subterranean games and oracles of Trophanius, and the gibberish of the oak of Dordona, and the fallacies of the tripod of Delphi, and the prophetic drink of Castalia?21 This alone they could not prophesy, their own silence. Nor is there the sacrificial skill of the magi and their predictions through cutting victims, nor the astronomy of the Chaldeans and their horoscopes that connect our affairs with the movements of the heavens, who themselves are unable to understand what they are or will be.22 Nor are there those Thracian orgies, from which, they say, come the word for “worship”;23 nor the initiations and mysteries of Orpheus, at whom the Greeks marveled so much for his wisdom that they also made for him a lyre that draws all things by its music;24 nor the just punishment of Mithras against those who accept to be initiated into such mysteries;25 nor the tearing apart of Osiris, another disaster honored by the Egyptians; nor the misfortunes of Isis26 and the goats more venerable than the Mendesians and the feeding trough of Apis, the calf feasting on the foolishness of the Memphites;27 nor those honors by which they insult the Nile,28 while themselves singing its praises as giver of fruit and rich in grain and measuring happiness by its cubits.

6 For I do not speak of the honors given to reptiles and beasts and the emulation of impropriety, none of which have any initiation or festival of their own. Yet all share a common demonic possession. So if indeed they absolutely had to be ungodly and fall away from the glory of God,29 bowing down to idols and works of art and things made by hands, sensible people could not wish anything worse for themselves than to venerate such things and to honor them in such a way, “that they might receive the recompense due for their error,” as Paul says,30 in the things they venerate. They do not honor through themselves the things they venerate as much as they are dishonored by them. They are abominable because of their error, more abominable because of the vileness of the things they worship and venerate, so that they are more lacking in perception than the very objects they honor, being more exceedingly foolish than the things they worship are vile.

St Gregory of Nazianzus, Festal Orations, ed. John Behr, trans. Nonna Verna Harrison, vol. 36, Popular Patristics Series (Crestwood, NY: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2008), 79–97.

Reading 1 – 1233 words

1 John 1:9.

2 John 8:12.

3 Ps 34:5.

4 John 1:9.

5 1 Cor 15:45.

6 John 1:5.

7 That is, Christ.

8 Rom 13:12.

9 John 3:21.

10 Eph 5:8.

11 Heb 9:13.

12 Gregory refers to stories of the birth and childhood of Zeus, whose father Kronos learned that one of his children would dethrone him and tried to eat them all. His wife Rhea saved Zeus by substituting a stone for the baby and taking him to Crete, where warriors named Curetes protected him. Worshipers re-enacted this story by dancing and shouting like the warriors so the child’s murderous father would not hear him cry and find him.

13 The Corybantes of Phrygia worshipped Rhea with ecstatic dancing and mutilated themselves with small knives.

14 In Greece the Eleusinian Mysteries, whose initiates guarded its secrets in silence, celebrated the renewal of vegetation and grain through the myth of Demeter and her daughter Kore, who was abducted and taken to the underworld. Demeter endures many wanderings and sufferings as she searches for her lost child.

15 Athena was born from the head of Zeus. Zeus fathered Dionysus by his lover Semele, and when she died during pregnancy enclosed the fetus in his thigh until it came to term.

16 Dionysus was thought to have both masculine and feminine qualities. His worship involved drunkenness and sexual license. It was thought that Zeus struck Semele with a thunderbolt.

17 Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of sexual desire, and she was worshipped by dancers carrying phallic symbols.

18 The playwright Euripides tells a story of strangers being killed and sacrificed to the goddess Artemis at a temple in Taurus.

19 The Spartans, also known as Lacedemonians, honored Artemis with an initiation ritual in which boys whipped each other until they bled.

20 A myth tells of how Tantalus prepared a feast for visiting gods by butchering, cooking, and serving them his son Pelops.

21 Here Gregory refers to several well known pagan oracles and forms of prophesy.

22 The magi—three of whom visited the infant Christ, as Matthew tells the story—were Zoroastrian priests, astronomers and astrologers, and also foretold the future by examining the entrails of sacrificed animals. The Chaldeans also practiced astronomy and astrology, which were studied together in the ancient world and only later became clearly separate disciplines.

23 The Greek word is threskeuein, hence the pun or supposed etymology linking it to Thrace.

24 Orpheus was a musician whose playing was thought to charm all of nature.

25 Mithras was a sun god from Persia worshipped throughout the Roman world, especially by soldiers. Initiation in his cult was expensive, strenuous and dangerous.

26 Osiris, according to Egyptian myth, was cut into pieces by his brother Typho. Isis, the wife of Osiris, had to search for all the pieces and reassemble them.

27 In Egypt, the people of Mendes worshipped a god in the form of a goat, and those in Memphis worshipped Apis in the form of a calf.

28 Egyptians considered the Nile almost a god, since its annual flooding made possible the agriculture on which the country depended for life and prosperity.

29 Rom 3:23.

30 Rom 1:27; 6:23.

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 St. Gregory begins by speaking of the Lord’s Baptism as a mystery, and in this selection proceeds by contrasting it with the mysteries of the various pagan gods. This is notable, as the mysteries in those contexts were initiations, and then continued participations in the life of the gods. To speak of the Lord’s Baptism as a mystery is therefore somewhat surprising; we would expect him to speak of our own baptism as an initiation. What he is doing is something that is essential to the Christian Gospel, an inversion of a pattern that exists in the pagan world to make it correct. The false pattern is that we human beings do something which invokes the presence of the gods; the true pattern is that God acts first, and unites Himself with us, and calls us to meet and encounter Him. Thus St. Gregory spends the majority of this section in drawing the contrast, in mocking the foolishness, the frivolity, or the depravity of the heathen mysteries, and in setting them in comparison with the true mystery of God uniting Himself with His creation. Please note that we have italicized portions of the text, so that families don’t need to read EVERYTHING that is there; we have left the entire text for those with older children or households with only adults, with the footnotes at the bottom explaining what he is referring to.)

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)

Acts 22:30, 23:1-11 (Paul Before the Council)

Last time, we saw the St. Paul speak to the crowd after the tribune had rescued him from the mob, and tell his story up to the point at which God sent him to preach to the Gentiles. At that point, the crowd began to cry for his blood once again, and the tribune interrupted the proceedings (not knowing what had happened, as Paul had spoken in Hebrew/Aramaic), and ordered the soldiers to examine him by flogging, to find out why the crowd was so disturbed. Paul interrupted this proceeding in turn by informing the tribune that he was a Roman citizen, and had been born a citizen. This time, we will see the tribune’s next steps to determine why the crowd hates Paul.

Paul before the Council

30 Since he wanted to find out what Paul was being accused of by the Jews, the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and the entire council to meet. He brought Paul down and had him stand before them.

23 While Paul was looking intently at the council he said, “Brothers, up to this day I have lived my life with a clear conscience before God.” 2 Then the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near him to strike him on the mouth. 3 At this Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting there to judge me according to the law, and yet in violation of the law you order me to be struck?” 4 Those standing nearby said, “Do you dare to insult God’s high priest?” 5 And Paul said, “I did not realize, brothers, that he was high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a leader of your people.’”

6 When Paul noticed that some were Sadducees and others were Pharisees, he called out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” 7 When he said this, a dissension began between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, or angel, or spirit; but the Pharisees acknowledge all three.)

9 Then a great clamor arose, and certain scribes of the Pharisees’ group stood up and contended, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 10 When the dissension became violent, the tribune, fearing that they would tear Paul to pieces, ordered the soldiers to go down, take him by force, and bring him into the barracks.

11 That night the Lord stood near him and said, “Keep up your courage! For just as you have testified for me in Jerusalem, so you must bear witness also in Rome.”

Reading 42 – 351 words

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 well St. Paul knows his audience. On the one hand, he may not recognize the high priest (as Ananias had probably become high priest since Paul’s last visit to Jerusalem), but he certainly understands the essential positions and fault lines within the Sanhedrin. He first asserts that his conscience is clear, and this results in his confrontation with the high priest, who is automatically the leader of the Sadduccees. That opens up for him the opportunity to affirm that he is a Pharisee, and that he is on trial on account of his belief in the resurrection from the dead; this enlists every Pharisee as an ally, and the result has him back in the custody of the tribune, and on the verge of leaving Jerusalem for the last time.)

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 15:1-15, 33-34; 16:23-28; 4 Kingdoms 4:1-7 (Decline in Judah and Israel, Prophets in Israel)

Last time, we saw the first generation of kings after Solomon’s death; we say kings because Solomon’s kingdom was divided, as God had warned him, so that there was a northern kingdom called Israel, with ten tribes and its capital in Shechem (later in Samaria), and a southern kingdom called Judah with two tribes and its capital in Jerusalem. Both Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, and Jeroboam, the first king of Israel, were evil in the sight of the Lord, and the unity, power and glory of Solomon’s kingdom declined precipitately during their reigns. This time, we will see what happens after the kings of this 1st generation after Solomon die.

Abijam Reigns over Judah: Idolatry and War

15 Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah. 2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom. 3 He committed all the sins that his father did before him; his heart was not true to the Lord his God, like the heart of his father David. 4 Nevertheless for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem; 5 because David did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

6 The war begun between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continued all the days of his life. 7 The rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah? There was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. 8 Abijam slept with his ancestors, and they buried him in the city of David. Then his son Asa succeeded him.

Asa Reigns over Judah

9 In the twentieth year of King Jeroboam of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah; 10 he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom. 11 Asa did what was right in the sight of the Lord, as his father David had done. 12 He put away the male temple prostitutes out of the land, and removed all the idols that his ancestors had made.

13 He also removed his mother Maacah from being queen mother, because she had made an abominable image for Asherah; Asa cut down her image and burned it at the Wadi Kidron. 14 But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was true to the Lord all his days. 15 He brought into the house of the Lord the votive gifts of his father and his own votive gifts—silver, gold, and utensils.

Meanwhile, in Israel, Jeroboam’s son Nadab succeeds, but is killed after two years in a coup by Baasha, who killed everyone from Jeroboam’s household, according to the word of the Lord through the prophet Ahijah.

Second Dynasty: Baasha Reigns over Israel

Chapter 15:33 In the third year of King Asa of Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah began to reign over all Israel at Tirzah; he reigned twenty-four years. 34 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, walking in the way of Jeroboam and in the sin that he caused Israel to commit.

Baasha’s son Elah succeeds him, but only reigns two years, and then is murdered by Zimri, who destroys Baasha’s household, and reigns for seven days. Then Omri, the commander of the army, fought against Zimri and another pretender, Tibni, and became king.

Chapter 16:23 In the thirty-first year of King Asa of Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel; he reigned for twelve years, six of them in Tirzah.

Samaria the New Capital

24 He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver; he fortified the hill, and called the city that he built, Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill.

25 Omri did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; he did more evil than all who were before him. 26 For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and in the sins that he caused Israel to commit, provoking the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger by their idols. 27 Now the rest of the acts of Omri that he did, and the power that he showed, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel? 28 Omri slept with his ancestors, and was buried in Samaria; his son Ahab succeeded him.

This King Ahab marries Jezebel from Sidon, and goes beyond any other king of Israel, by worshipping Baal and Asherah, the evil gods of the Canaanites. Then, of course, God sends Elijah the Tishbite to warn Ahab and to call Israel to return to Him, as we read (and will read again soon) in Year 1. After the confrontation at Mount Carmel, the Prophet Elijah encounters God on the mountain, and is then sent to anoint a new king of Damascus, a new king of Israel, and a new prophet to succeed him. Then, as we begin the book of 4 Kingdoms, Elijah is carried into heaven and the story continues with Elisha. Of all the stories that are told in 3rd and 4th Kingdoms, this period, during the reign of King Ahab in Israel and King Jehoshaphat in Judah, and the reign of their immediate successors, takes up the most time. During this period, the prophets are particularly active and visible in Israel, as God cares for those of His People who are faithful to Him, despite their evil kings. These chapters are particularly worth reading, as we see the hapless kings of Israel vacillate between the different pagan gods and Yahweh, the God of Israel, and see the faithful prophets ceaselessly bearing witness to the truth and power (and love) of the Lord. In them, and especially in Elisha, God works many miracles, and we will see one of them here this week, and more in the next two weeks before we continue with the final decline of Israel, and the (temporary) renaissance of Judah. We continue the story in 3 Kingdoms chapter 4:

Elisha and the Widow’s Oil

4 Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Eli′sha, “Your servant my husband is dead; and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” 2 And Eli′sha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house, except a jar of oil.” 3 Then he said, “Go outside, borrow vessels of all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few. 4 Then go in, and shut the door upon yourself and your sons, and pour into all these vessels; and when one is full, set it aside.”

5 So she went from him and shut the door upon herself and her sons; and as she poured they brought the vessels to her. 6 When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. 7 She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”

Reading 7 – 1160 words

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, with King Asa, we have the first righteous king of Israel since David, and his righteous acts show us how far things have declined, with the need to remove male temple prostitutes and Asherah poles from the land. Simultaneously we see things go from bad to worse in Israel; where Jeroboam had established golden calves, using pagan methods, but still at least theoretically worshipping Yahweh, Omri and his son Ahab abandon Yahweh and lead the people in the worship of Baal. In the entrance of the prophets Elijah and Elisha upon the scene, however, we see God caring for His people even as their kings are leading them astray, and in this particular story of the widow and the oil, we see God protecting this one faithful woman in a very particular and beautiful way. So even when God’s people at large abandon Him, He does not abandon them. Which is a surprising piece of good news to see in a story that has so far been one of a catastrophically precipitate decline in faithfulness.)

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)

Feast of Pentecost

On Sunday, we celebrated the Feast of Pentecost, with the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles as they were gathered in the Upper Room fifty days after the Lord’s Pascha. This was the Jewish Feast of Pentecost, the celebration of the giving of the Torah and the making of the covenant between Israel and the Lord at Mt. Sinai, and therefore with the descent of the Holy Spirit, we see the Twelve and the Seventy ordained as the fulfillment and renewal of Israel, the people of God, called to be the instrument of the Lord reconciling all humanity with Himself. We will read some of the hymns of the Feast today.

Orthros Kathisma 1
Let us celebrate with joy this final post-festal feast, * O believers; for it is the feast of Pentecost today, * and the fulfillment of the promise and the appointed time. * For on this day the fire of the Paraclete * descended to the earth immediately, * as in the form of tongues, and illumined the Disciples * and made them initiates of heaven. * The holy light of the Holy Spirit * has appeared and illumined the world.

Canon 1 Ode 3 Hymn 2
When the grace and power of the Holy Spirit came, * it united in holy concord * the language that was divided of old * when men badly agreed. It gives understanding * and knowledge of the Trinity to the believers, * in which we are confirmed in faith.

Canon 2 Ode 3 Hymn 1
Unembarrassed prayer of the Prophetess Hannah * Shattered fetters on her womb that made her barren, * Ending the irritation of her fruitful rival’s * Needling; for she brought a broken heart and spirit * To the omniscient God and only Sovereign.

Canon 2 Ode 3 Hymn 2
Truly incomprehensible is the most divine * Holy Spirit’s grace! It made unlettered fishermen * Erudite speakers, who by their brilliant preaching * Stifled many sophists, and who drew out countless * People from the deep and dark night of ignorance.

Canon 2 Ode 3 Hymn 3
Immortal, almighty, the light-creating Splendor * Receives by procession from Light unbegotten * Its being. Now Its fiery sound reveals that It is * The consubstantial Beacon of God the Father’s * Authority through the Son, to the nations in Zion.

Canon 1 Ode 8 Hymn 2
Suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty, * energizing wind of the all-holy Spirit, * and there appeared divided tongues as of fire * on the fishermen, who proclaimed the mighty works of God. * “O all you works of the Lord, sing a hymn to the Lord, * and exalt Him beyond measure unto all the ages.”

Canon 1 Ode 8 Hymn 3
We who have not come now to a tangible mountain * nor are afraid of a blazing fire, * come and let us stand on Mt. Zion, in the city of the living God, * and join the Spirit-bearing Disciples and celebrate. * “O all you works of the Lord, sing a hymn to the Lord, * and exalt Him beyond measure unto all the ages.”

Canon 2 Ode 8 Hymn 3
Another Advocate is the Father’s Spirit; * Divine Light and giver of light, He is Savior, * And He comes at His own will. O Christ, You sent Him * Now as holy wind on Your Apostles to fill them. * Distribute Him, who hears us, also on Your servants.

Canon 2 Ode 8 Hymn 4
God-inspired mouths of the Prophets proclaimed You, * Ruler, as the One who would come to earth in body, * And the Spirit, who proceeds from the Father’s bosom, * Coequal, uncreated co-creator, whom You sent * Evincing the doctrine of Your Incarnation.

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 the hymns of the feast reflect on two points repeatedly. First, on the full divinity of the Holy Spirit, in perfect unity with the Father and the Son. Second, on the ministry and active life of the Holy Spirit in the world, giving life, inspiring the prophets, and empowering the Apostles and all the Faithful.)

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)

Acts 22:6-29 (Paul Tells of His Conversion, Speaks with the Tribune)

Last time we saw St. Paul arrested by the tribune who came upon the mob as they were taking Paul to kill him. He asked the tribune if he could address the people gathered together, and was granted permission, so he began to speak, giving his background, a Jew of Tarsus, zealous for the Torah, and dedicated to the destruction of the Way of Christ. This time, he will continue the story with his encounter with the Lord on the road to Damascus, and what he had done since that time.

Paul Tells of His Conversion

6 “While I was on my way and approaching Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone about me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Then he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.’ 9 Now those who were with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10 I asked, ‘What am I to do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go to Damascus; there you will be told everything that has been assigned to you to do.’ 11 Since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, those who were with me took my hand and led me to Damascus.

12 “A certain Ananias, who was a devout man according to the law and well spoken of by all the Jews living there, 13 came to me; and standing beside me, he said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’ In that very hour I regained my sight and saw him. 14 Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear his own voice; 15 for you will be his witness to all the world of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now why do you delay? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on his name.’

Paul Sent to the Gentiles

17 “After I had returned to Jerusalem and while I was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance 18 and saw Jesus saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 19 And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. 20 And while the blood of your witness Stephen was shed, I myself was standing by, approving and keeping the coats of those who killed him.’ 21 Then he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

Paul and the Roman Tribune

22 Up to this point they listened to him, but then they shouted, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.” 23 And while they were shouting, throwing off their cloaks, and tossing dust into the air, 24 the tribune directed that he was to be brought into the barracks, and ordered him to be examined by flogging, to find out the reason for this outcry against him. 25 But when they had tied him up with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who is uncondemned?”

26 When the centurion heard that, he went to the tribune and said to him, “What are you about to do? This man is a Roman citizen.” 27 The tribune came and asked Paul, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” And he said, “Yes.” 28 The tribune answered, “It cost me a large sum of money to get my citizenship.” Paul said, “But I was born a citizen.” 29 Immediately those who were about to examine him drew back from him; and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him.

Reading 41 – 598 words

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 first that we get more of St. Paul’s perspective on his encounter with the Lord and his life and ministry than we have seen before. We see him confessing even at this point his guilt in approving and encouraging the stoning of Stephen, and we see him recount God’s words sending him to preach to the Gentiles. It is at this point that the crowd refuses to listen any longer. This is not dissimilar to his experience elsewhere; those who reject him among the Jews reject him because he is preaching to the Gentiles, which heralds a substantial change in the world as they have known it. Meanwhile, once again, the Romans assume that he, being a Jew, has no rights as a Roman citizen…but this is, of course, incorrect, and as a result, Paul will gain his opportunity to appeal to Caesar, as we will see in coming weeks.)

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 14:1-31 (Judgment on Jeroboam’s House, Rehoboam’s Reign and Death)

Last time, we saw Solomon’s son Rehoboam succeed him as king of all Israel, and then immediately alienate ten of the tribes by refusing to lighten the burden of taxation and labor that Solomon had imposed on them, promising rather to be much harsher than his father. They turned to Jeroboam, as God had warned Solomon by His prophet, but then Jeroboam established two golden calves for the people to worship instead of going to the Temple in Jerusalem, by this renewing the great sin of Israel with the golden calf at Mt. Sinai. God sent a prophet to warn Jeroboam that his altars would be destroyed and that God did not accept this worship, but Jeroboam did not repent. This time, we will see what happens to him and his household as a result.

Judgment on the House of Jeroboam

14 At that time Abi′jah the son of Jerobo′am fell sick. 2 And Jerobo′am said to his wife, “Arise, and disguise yourself, that it be not known that you are the wife of Jerobo′am, and go to Shiloh; behold, Ahi′jah the prophet is there, who said of me that I should be king over this people. 3 Take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him; he will tell you what shall happen to the child.”

4 Jerobo′am’s wife did so; she arose, and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahi′jah. Now Ahi′jah could not see, for his eyes were dim because of his age. 5 And the Lord said to Ahi′jah, “Behold, the wife of Jerobo′am is coming to inquire of you concerning her son; for he is sick. Thus and thus shall you say to her.”

When she came, she pretended to be another woman. 6 But when Ahi′jah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jerobo′am; why do you pretend to be another? For I am charged with heavy tidings for you. 7 Go, tell Jerobo′am, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: “Because I exalted you from among the people, and made you leader over my people Israel, 8 and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you;”

“And yet you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commandments, and followed me with all his heart, doing only that which was right in my eyes, 9 but you have done evil above all that were before you and have gone and made for yourself other gods, and molten images, provoking me to anger, and have cast me behind your back;”

10 “Therefore behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jerobo′am, and will cut off from Jerobo′am every male, both bond and free in Israel, and will utterly consume the house of Jerobo′am, as a man burns up dung until it is all gone. 11 Any one belonging to Jerobo′am who dies in the city the dogs shall eat; and any one who dies in the open country the birds of the air shall eat; for the Lord has spoken it.”’

12 Arise therefore, go to your house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die. 13 And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him; for he only of Jerobo′am shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something pleasing to the Lord, the God of Israel, in the house of Jerobo′am. 14 Moreover the Lord will raise up for himself a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jerobo′am today.

And henceforth 15 the Lord will smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and root up Israel out of this good land which he gave to their fathers, and scatter them beyond the Euphra′tes, because they have made their Ashe′rim, provoking the Lord to anger. 16 And he will give Israel up because of the sins of Jerobo′am, which he sinned and which he made Israel to sin.”

Death of Jeroboam

17 Then Jerobo′am’s wife arose, and departed, and came to Tirzah. And as she came to the threshold of the house, the child died. 18 And all Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Ahi′jah the prophet. 19 Now the rest of the acts of Jerobo′am, how he warred and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 20 And the time that Jerobo′am reigned was twenty-two years; and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead.

Rehoboam Reigns over Judah

21 Now Rehobo′am the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehobo′am was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. His mother’s name was Na′amah the Ammonitess.

22 And Judah did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, more than all that their fathers had done. 23 For they also built for themselves high places, and pillars, and Ashe′rim on every high hill and under every green tree; 24 and there were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.

25 In the fifth year of King Rehobo′am, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem; 26 he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house; he took away everything. He also took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made; 27 and King Rehobo′am made in their stead shields of bronze, and committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house. 28 And as often as the king went into the house of the Lord, the guard bore them and brought them back to the guardroom.

29 Now the rest of the acts of Rehobo′am, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 30 And there was war between Rehobo′am and Jerobo′am continually. 31 And Rehobo′am slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. His mother’s name was Na′amah the Ammonitess. And Abi′jam his son reigned in his stead.

Reading 6 – 1016 words

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 catastrophically badly things have turned in just a few years; from the height of blessings enjoyed just before Solomon built the Temple to now, the kingdom has been divided, ten of the twelve tribes are worshipping golden calves as “the gods that brought them out of Egypt,” using the methods of the pagan nations to worship Yahweh the God of Israel. In Judah, too, heathen worship is normative, to the point that there are male cult prostitutes in the land; these would be used in pagan sexual rituals by which women would give birth to “divine” children, imitating and participating in the rituals of the giant clans expelled from the land by Joshua. In all this, the only person in whom God sees anything good is Abijah, the young son of Jeroboam, and therefore He shows him a hard mercy; he dies of a sickness before judgment comes upon Israel and Judah, and is the only one of Jeroboam’s family to be buried in peace.)

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)

St. Epiphanios on Holy Saturday – 6

Last time, we saw the angels of the Lord crying out to the enemies of God in Hades as they proclaimed His coming and His glory and His power, as He overthrew the gates of Hades and conquered the very place of darkness and the shadow of death. This time, we will see Him lead them in and liberate the captives there.

Sermon of our Father among the Saints, Epiphanius, Archbishop of Cyprus on the Burial of the divine Body of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, on Joseph of Arimathæa and Nicodemus, and on the Lord’s Descent into Hell, which occurred in wondrous manner after his saving Passion.

Part 6

When the Master’s forces had said these things to the hostile forces, they pressed onwards. Some of them dug up the foundations of the prison, others pursued the hostile powers that fled from the outer chambers further in. Others went about and searched through the crevices, cells, and caverns, while still others carried prisoners to the Master from various places. Some shackled the tyrant, while others unshackled the prisoners of the ages. Some gave orders, while others swiftly carried them out. Some ran before the Master as he went further in, while others stood beside him as their God and victorious King.

While these things, and even more besides, were taking place in Hades and being noised abroad, and as everything was in an uproar and great commotion, since the Master’s presence was about to reach the very nethermost of the nether regions; then Adam, the first-created and first-imprisoned of all men, held fast in chains with great security deeper down than all the rest, heard the Master’s footsteps coming toward the prisoners, and recognized their sound as he walked about the prison[79], and turned to all the prisoners with him from former ages, and said:

“I hear the sound of someone’s footsteps coming toward us; and if he has truly deigned to come unto this place, we are free of our chains: if we should truly see him here with us, we are delivered from Hell.”

As Adam spoke these things and others like them to all his fellow-condemned, the Master entered in unto them, wielding the victorious weapon of the Cross. Upon seeing him, Adam the first-formed beat his breast in shock, and cried out to all those sleeping from times past, “My Lord be with you all!” And Christ answering said to Adam, “And with thy spirit.” Then he took him by the hand and stood him up, saying:

“Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.[80] I am thy God, who for thy sake became thy son—for thy sake and thy posterity—who now speak and with authority command the prisoners, ‘Go forth,’ and them that are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves,’[81] and them that sleep, ‘Arise.’ Again I bid thee, Awake thou that sleepest: for I did not make thee, that thou shouldest be held captive in Hell. Arise from the dead: for I am the Life of mortals. [82] Arise, my creation; arise, my form, made in mine own image.[83]

“Arise, let us go hence[84]; for we are one single, inseparable person—thou in me, and I in thee.[85] For thy sake, I thy God became thy son; for thy sake, I the Master took upon me thy servile form[86]; for thy sake, I that am far above the heavens came upon earth, and went under the earth[87]; for thy sake, who art a man, I became as a man without help, free among the dead[88]; for thy sake, who wast exiled from a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden[89], and in a garden was crucified.[90]

“Behold my face which received spittings, that I might restore to thee thy primal in-breathing.[91] Behold my cheeks which received blows, that I might set right thy marred form according the original image. Behold my back which received scourging, that I might loose the burden of thy sins laid upon thy back.[92] Behold my hands which were nailed to the Tree for good, on behalf of thee who didst stretch forth thy hand to the Tree for evil. Behold my feet which were pierced[93] and nailed to the Tree, on behalf of thee who didst wickedly run to the Tree.

“On the sixth day, thine expulsion took place; so on the sixth day, I worked thy restoration and the opening of Paradise.[94] I tasted gall for thee, that I might heal thee from the bitter pleasure of that sweet fruit. I tasted vinegar, that I might neutralise the acrid and unnatural cup of death. I accepted the sponge, that I might blot out the handwriting of thy sins.[95] I accepted the reed[96], that I might sign the release of the human race. I slept on the Cross and was pierced in the side by a spear, on behalf of thee who didst sleep in Paradise and bring forth Eve from thy side. My side healed the pain of thy side, my sleep shall draw thee out of sleep in the grave, my spear has stopped the sword which turned every way against thee.[97]

“Arise then, let us go hence. I drove thee from the land of Paradise, yet I shall return thee no more to Paradise, but to a celestial throne. I barred thee from the archetypal Tree of Life, but lo, I myself, the Life, am now wholly united to thee. I placed Cherubim to keep thee out of Eden as a slave[98], but now I make Cherubim to bow down before thee as a god.[99] Thou didst hide from God as one naked, but lo, now thou hast hidden within thyself the denuded God. Thou wast clothed in a shameful coat of skins[100], but I, being God, am clothed in the sanguine coat of thy flesh.

“Wherefore arise, all of you, let us go hence, from decay to incorruption, from death unto life. Arise, let us go hence, from darkness to everlasting light. Arise, let us go hence, from grief to joy. Arise, let us go hence, from bondage to liberty, from prison to the Jerusalem above[101], from bonds to God, from straitness to the bliss of Paradise, from earth to heaven. For to this end, I both died and rose again, that I might be Lord both of the dead and the living.[102]

“Wherefore arise, let us go hence; for my heavenly Father awaits the lost sheep; the ninety and nine sheep[103], the angels, are waiting for the time when Adam their fellow-servant should arise, when he should ascend and return to God. A cherubic throne is set, and those who bear it aloft are ready and waiting, the bridechamber is furnished, the choice foods are made, the everlasting tabernacles and mansions are built, the treasuries of blessings are open, the kingdom of heaven has been prepared before the ages.[104] The good things which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man[105], are laid up in store for mankind.”

When the Master had finished these sayings and others like them, Adam, who was united to him, arose with him; and Eve also arose together with them; and many bodies of the saints which slept from ages past arose[106], and preached the Master’s Resurrection on the third day; the which, let us who believe cheerfully greet, behold, and embrace; dancing with the angels, celebrating with the archangels, and glorifying Christ who raised us up from corruption: to whom be glory and dominion, together with his beginningless Father, and the all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Reading 6

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 Lord speaks to Adam, proclaiming the truth and glory and profound good news of His Incarnation even to the father of the human race. In so many ways, St. Epiphanios highlights how the Lord’s wounds and sufferings are the specific and particular remedies of the age-old wounds of human nature in general, and of Adam in particular. And strikingly, he has the Lord raising Adam and the other righteous of the Old Testament, not simply to Paradise, but even to the heights of heaven, together with and even above the ranks of the bodiless hosts. It is at this point, on the very brink of the Lord’s Resurrection from the Dead, having raised our nature and our forefathers from corruption, that he brings the sermon to its end.)

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)

Acts 21:27-40, 22:1-5 (Paul Arrested in the Temple, Defends Himself before the Crowd)

Last time we saw St. Paul arrive in Jerusalem and confer with James and the other leaders of the Church in Jerusalem. They were concerned about his reputation among the very many Jewish Christians, who had heard about him that he neglected or despised the Law and taught others to do so. They themselves knew and acknowledged clearly that these things were untrue, but their concern for the peace of the Church and the correction of those slanders led them to suggest to Paul that he join some others of the Christian community who were under a vow, and were purifying themselves in preparation for entering the Temple, providing public support for and participation in the rites of the Temple and the Torah. He agrees, and does so…this time, we will see what the result is.

Paul Arrested in the Temple

27 When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, who had seen him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd. They seized him, 28 shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against our people, our law, and this place; more than that, he has actually brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” 29 For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.

30 Then all the city was aroused, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut. 31 While they were trying to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32 Immediately he took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. When they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

33 Then the tribune came, arrested him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains; he inquired who he was and what he had done. 34 Some in the crowd shouted one thing, some another; and as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. 35 When Paul came to the steps, the violence of the mob was so great that he had to be carried by the soldiers. 36 The crowd that followed kept shouting, “Away with him!”

Paul Defends Himself

37 Just as Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?” The tribune replied, “Do you know Greek? 38 Then you are not the Egyptian who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?” 39 Paul replied, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city; I beg you, let me speak to the people.”

40 When he had given him permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the people for silence; and when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language, saying: 22 “Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense that I now make before you.” 2 When they heard him addressing them in Hebrew, they became even more quiet. Then he said:

3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated strictly according to our ancestral law, being zealous for God, just as all of you are today. 4 I persecuted this Way up to the point of death by binding both men and women and putting them in prison, 5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. From them I also received letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I went there in order to bind those who were there and to bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment."

Reading 40 – 521 words

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, despite the careful plan of the leaders of the Church, the power of rumor and fear becomes unstoppable, and the truth ceases to matter for the mob that has gathered. In the midst of all of this, Paul himself was in great danger of being stoned to death as Stephen had been long before. This is, perhaps, part of the point: having overseen and approved the stoning of Stephen, Paul now submits himself to the same danger, and to the will of God. The arrival of the Roman tribune, then, is God’s deliverance of him, and also enables the next stage in Paul’s journey, because this turn of events is the inflection point after which Paul will not be a free man again until the end of the book of Acts…but his captivity will bring him even to Rome, where he will preach the Gospel as he has been wishing to do.)

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?