Intro We know of Baruch from the book of Jeremiah, where he is presented as Jeremiah’s scribe (Jeremiah 32:10-16; 36:1-31). Baruch means “blessed one,” a shortened form of Berechyahu, “blessed by Yahweh.” Near the end of Jeremiah’s and Baruch’s career in Judea, Baruch read aloud what Jeremiah told him to write. Baruch did this, and […]
The Apocrypha, Lesson 19: Sirach, Part 2: The New Testament’s Use of Sirach
September 9, 2017 by
Intro Last week, we surveyed the Lutheran Church’s “lovefest” with Sirach. Today, we do the same but focus our attention on the New Testament. In about 195 BC, “Jesus, son of Eleazar, son of Sira,” a faithful Jew and renown teacher, commonly called “Sirach,” compiled his class lecture notes and reflections. These would later become […]
The Apocrypha, Lesson 18: Lutheranism’s Love Affair with Sirach
September 7, 2017 by
Intro For this first lesson on Sirach, we are breaking protocol. When your pastor started preparing this lesson, he found an extensive use of Sirach in the history of the Lutheran Church. So, he decided in the lesson to cover some of Sirach through our Lutheran fathers, continuing with the rest later. Martin Luther […]
The Apocrypha, Lesson 17: The Wisdom of Solomon, Part 3
August 26, 2017 by
Intro We earlier learned Jesus is Wisdom incarnate. The Church understood the Apocrypha book of Wisdom to foretell Christ’s coming (“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel). Today, we continue exploring what this book has for us to learn. We Make Our False Idols so We Can Do What We Want In Acts 15, the Church’s […]
The Apocrypha, Lesson 16: The Wisdom of Solomon, Part 2
August 25, 2017 by
Intro Last week, we stopped at the end of chapter 6. Today, we pick up, exploring select verses of Wisdom. Wisdom Described and the Christ to Come Remember, “wisdom” is a feminine-gendered word the Greek, so “she” is used to describe “her/him/it” irrespective of whom or what “she” refers. Wisdom 7:23-24, 8:1: 23 Wisdom […]
The Apocrypha, Lesson 15: The Wisdom of Solomon, Part 1
August 25, 2017 by
Intro Author: The Lutheran Study Bible Apocrypha writes: “The obvious Greek style and philosophical influences make it clear that the Hebrew king Solomon did not write the book.” Now, this does not mean that what is in Wisdom is not linked in some way to the teachings of Solomon. Date: 30-10 BC. The Church’s Historical […]
The Apocrypha, Lesson 12: 1-2 Maccabees, Pt. 2
July 24, 2017 by
Recap A representative of Antiochus confronts Mattathias in his town to be the first to offer a pagan sacrifice and become a “friend” of the king. When Mattathias refuses, another man steps in, hoping to receive favor. Angry, Mattathias kills both the opportunist and the king’s agent. The Maccabean revolt begins. At first, Mattathias focuses, […]
The Apocrypha, Lesson 11: 1-2 Maccabees
July 17, 2017 by
Introduction 1 Maccabees describes the attempts at Hellenization by the Seleucid ruler, Antiochus IV Epiphanes (1:1-2:70), moving on to cover the exploits of Judas Maccabeus (3:1-9:22) and his brothers Jonathan (9:23-12:53) and Simon (13:1-16:24). Judas and his brothers battle to remove the Greek influence from Israel. The book was written after 134 BC since the […]
The Apocrypha, Lesson 10: Tobit, Pt. 3
July 17, 2017 by
We finished with Tobias sending Azariah (the angel Raphael) to retrieve the 30 years’ worth of wages. After the 14-day wedding celebration, Tobias and Azariah plan to head home. We now get a snapshot of what is taking place Tobit and Anna. Tobias and Azariah Return Home 10:1 Meanwhile, day by day, Tobit kept […]
The Apocrypha, Lesson 9: Tobit, Pt. 2
July 17, 2017 by
Last week, we learned of Tobit, who became blind from bird droppings. After remembering he had saved about 30 years’ worth of wages, he sends his son, Tobias, to retrieve his wealth. So Tobias readies himself for the journey. The Introduction to Some New Characters Today, some new characters will come our way. Gabael: […]
