A visitor to Mass at Stony Stratford this morning said that my homily showed that I had liberal tendencies. I think it may have had something to do with there being more than one person involved in the writings included in the Book of Isaiah....
Lenten Homilies AD 2009 – The Scriptures
1st Sunday of Lent – The Book
The aim of this morning’s Homily is to give an overview of the Scriptures and some information to help us understand the types of literature we will find within it. The word Bible is derived from the Greek biblia, meaning "books." The Old Testament is the sacred writings of the Jewish people and was written originally in Hebrew, except for some portions in Aramaic. The New Testament was written in Greek and records the story of Jesus and the beginnings of Christianity.
The Old Testament was written over a period of more than 500 years and, unlike most ancient religious books, the Old Testament is characterized by a strong sense of history; even laws and exhortations are woven into the narratives. The themes are the uniqueness and glory of God, the Covenants he made with Israel, the Law, God's control of history and Israel's special destiny, God's revelation through the Prophets, the nature of humanity, corporate and individual sin and its remedy, and the true worship of God.
The Torah (The Law)
Genesis recounts the creation of the universe and the first human beings, the story of the flood, and the stories of the patriarchs down to the slavery of the Hebrews in Egypt and the deaths of Jacob and Joseph. Exodus tells how Moses led the people from Egypt and received the covenant and Law on Mount Sinai. Leviticus is largely a legal code; Numbers tells the story of journey toward the Promised Land. Deuteronomy partly repeats the narrative, recording other laws, and concludes with the death of Moses. It teaches a strict doctrine of reward and punishment for the nation.
It is fairly certain that the Pentateuch was compiled from a variety of sources: the oldest source was possibly written in Judah, the southern kingdom, around 950 BC. Between 900 and 750, we find another source from Israel, the northern kingdom. In the 7th century BC, Deuteronomy, or most of it, seems to have been written up. Around 550 BC, during the exile in Babylon, the final edition of the Torah added a priestly source, some parts of which are thought to be very old.
Historical Books
Joshua and Judges are the stories of the Hebrew tribes in the period before the monarchy as they struggle to hold on to the Promised Land. The books of Samuel are about the founding of the monarchy under Saul and David and seem to be an early source for the life of David, possibly written about 900 years before Christ.
Ezra and Nehemiah were composed after the exile, when these two leaders restored Judaism in Palestine, and Nehemiah's own memoirs make up much of the latter book. The two Books of Chronicles cover Hebrew history from Ezra's priestly point of view but contain some valuable earlier traditions. Ruth is the story of a foreign woman who became loyal to Israel and was the ancestor of David. Esther is a tale of a Jewish queen of Persia who saved her people from persecution.
Poetical, or Wisdom, Books
Job contains some of the finest poetry in the Bible. Its themes are the problems of suffering and of man's standing before God. The Psalms were essentially composed for temple worship, although some may be pieces of individual devotion. Many are ascribed to David, but some come from an earlier period. Proverbs comprises several collections of ancient wisdom. Parts of Ecclesiastes are sceptical, but other sections express conventional wisdom. The Song of Solomon is a collection of love poems.
The Prophets
The great prophets of the 8th century BC were Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, and Micah. They proclaimed God's holiness and his judgment on the turning aside to the false god’s of the surrounding nations and their idols and moral abuses of the Hebrew kingdoms, and called the people back to loyalty to the covenant. Jeremiah, the greatest prophet of the 6th century BC, records his inner spiritual struggles and records God’s promise of a new covenant. Like Isaiah, he opposed military alliances with foreign nations and resistance to the Babylonian invasion. Zephaniah and perhaps Habakkuk belong to the same century. Nahum gloats over the destruction (612 BC) of Nineveh. During the period of Babylonian exile Ezekiel and the unknown authors of chapters 40 - 55 and 56 - 66 of Isaiah, encouraged the return of the Jews to the Holy Land and promised a renewed national life. Lamentations reflects the miseries of the exile.
The remaining prophets followed the exile. Obadiah is strongly nationalistic; Jonah expresses God's concern for Gentiles as well as Jews. Haggai and Zechariah 1 - 8 reflect the rebuilding of a small temple in Jerusalem. Joel, Zechariah 9 - 14, and Malachi combine the themes of judgment and restoration and have apocalyptic elements. Daniel is an apocalypse from the Maccabean period (c. 164 BC) and promises God's help to the Jews in time of persecution.
The New Testament
The New Testament consists of four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, collections of Epistles, and the Book of Revelation.
The Gospels
Originally gospel meant "good news"(Greek evangelion). The term was later applied to books embodying this message. These are not biographies but proclamations of the good news in story form. Although all dates for New Testament books are debated, prevailing opinion dates Mark AD 68 - 72, Luke and Matthew c. 85, and John 95 - 100. However, there are very strong arguments for early dating of all the writings as outlined by a minority of scholars due to a lack of any reference in the New Testament to the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in AD 70, which was a cataclysmic event for both Jews and Christians. The first three Gospels are called synoptic because they can be compared side by side. It has long been argued that Matthew and Luke used Mark as well as a supposed document called Q (German Quelle, "source"), consisting mainly of Jesus' sayings – but no one has been able to produce such a document. The parables are prominent features of the synoptic Gospels.
The Gospel of John differs from the others in structure and reflects the theological development of the first century, and it contains incidents not recorded by the synoptics.
The Acts
The Acts of the Apostles was written by Luke as a sequel to his Gospel. It recounts the traditions of the earliest churches in Palestine and gives the details of Paul's missionary journeys.
The Epistles
Two kinds of Epistles are attributed to St. Paul in the New Testament.
Ten are letters addressed by Paul to specific churches and deal mainly with problems of faith, morals, and community life, although some scholars argue that Ephesians may not have been written by St Paul. These letters contain St Paul’s teaching of the Christian Faith and his methods of dealing with pastoral problems.
The remaining Epistles attributed to St Paul are not actual letters; rather they are writings in letter form, intended for the whole church or large parts of it. The pastoral Epistles - 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus - written in Paul's name, contain directions for church leaders and warn against errors in doctrine and behaviour.
The author of the Letter to the Hebrews is unknown, but it is a carefully constructed sermon which proclaims Christ as high priest and urges fidelity in time of persecution.
The general, or catholic, Epistles are so called because they are directed to the church as a whole. The Epistle of James emphasizes the importance of good deeds against an empty type of belief that involves no right action, interestingly Martin Luther hated it and called it “an Epistle of straw” almost certainly because it went against what he was trying to preach. The first Epistle of Peter proclaims joy in the face of persecution and is addressed particularly to congregations with newly baptized members. The Epistles of John resemble the fourth Gospel. St. John teaches the intimate relationship between love of our brothers and sisters in the Faith and the true doctrine about Christ; he also attacks division within the church.
Revelation
The Book of Revelation is thought to have been written to encourage Christians to be faithful during a persecution under Domitian (AD 81 - 96), but there is evidence for the persecution of Christians in Rome much earlier than this. It portrays the future through many symbols, and the prophet expects God's judgment on the Roman Empire, a 1,000 year reign of Christ, and a new heaven and a new Earth. There is evidence to show that it was based around the Mass as well in order for the early Christian Church to be under no illusion where the threat lay and yet where eternal salvation was to be found.
I have tried to show that the Bible contains many types of literature and its countless stories, teachings and sayings have been the foundation of our society for 1500 years. It is up to our generation to make sure that the stories, teachings and sayings remain at the heart of the life of the Church and our nation despite the best endeavours of the militant secularists who think they are in control today. If there is one message of the Scriptures that they ought to heed it is that man may propose, but that God disposes.
1st Sunday of Lent – The Book
The aim of this morning’s Homily is to give an overview of the Scriptures and some information to help us understand the types of literature we will find within it. The word Bible is derived from the Greek biblia, meaning "books." The Old Testament is the sacred writings of the Jewish people and was written originally in Hebrew, except for some portions in Aramaic. The New Testament was written in Greek and records the story of Jesus and the beginnings of Christianity.
The Old Testament was written over a period of more than 500 years and, unlike most ancient religious books, the Old Testament is characterized by a strong sense of history; even laws and exhortations are woven into the narratives. The themes are the uniqueness and glory of God, the Covenants he made with Israel, the Law, God's control of history and Israel's special destiny, God's revelation through the Prophets, the nature of humanity, corporate and individual sin and its remedy, and the true worship of God.
The Torah (The Law)
Genesis recounts the creation of the universe and the first human beings, the story of the flood, and the stories of the patriarchs down to the slavery of the Hebrews in Egypt and the deaths of Jacob and Joseph. Exodus tells how Moses led the people from Egypt and received the covenant and Law on Mount Sinai. Leviticus is largely a legal code; Numbers tells the story of journey toward the Promised Land. Deuteronomy partly repeats the narrative, recording other laws, and concludes with the death of Moses. It teaches a strict doctrine of reward and punishment for the nation.
It is fairly certain that the Pentateuch was compiled from a variety of sources: the oldest source was possibly written in Judah, the southern kingdom, around 950 BC. Between 900 and 750, we find another source from Israel, the northern kingdom. In the 7th century BC, Deuteronomy, or most of it, seems to have been written up. Around 550 BC, during the exile in Babylon, the final edition of the Torah added a priestly source, some parts of which are thought to be very old.
Historical Books
Joshua and Judges are the stories of the Hebrew tribes in the period before the monarchy as they struggle to hold on to the Promised Land. The books of Samuel are about the founding of the monarchy under Saul and David and seem to be an early source for the life of David, possibly written about 900 years before Christ.
Ezra and Nehemiah were composed after the exile, when these two leaders restored Judaism in Palestine, and Nehemiah's own memoirs make up much of the latter book. The two Books of Chronicles cover Hebrew history from Ezra's priestly point of view but contain some valuable earlier traditions. Ruth is the story of a foreign woman who became loyal to Israel and was the ancestor of David. Esther is a tale of a Jewish queen of Persia who saved her people from persecution.
Poetical, or Wisdom, Books
Job contains some of the finest poetry in the Bible. Its themes are the problems of suffering and of man's standing before God. The Psalms were essentially composed for temple worship, although some may be pieces of individual devotion. Many are ascribed to David, but some come from an earlier period. Proverbs comprises several collections of ancient wisdom. Parts of Ecclesiastes are sceptical, but other sections express conventional wisdom. The Song of Solomon is a collection of love poems.
The Prophets
The great prophets of the 8th century BC were Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, and Micah. They proclaimed God's holiness and his judgment on the turning aside to the false god’s of the surrounding nations and their idols and moral abuses of the Hebrew kingdoms, and called the people back to loyalty to the covenant. Jeremiah, the greatest prophet of the 6th century BC, records his inner spiritual struggles and records God’s promise of a new covenant. Like Isaiah, he opposed military alliances with foreign nations and resistance to the Babylonian invasion. Zephaniah and perhaps Habakkuk belong to the same century. Nahum gloats over the destruction (612 BC) of Nineveh. During the period of Babylonian exile Ezekiel and the unknown authors of chapters 40 - 55 and 56 - 66 of Isaiah, encouraged the return of the Jews to the Holy Land and promised a renewed national life. Lamentations reflects the miseries of the exile.
The remaining prophets followed the exile. Obadiah is strongly nationalistic; Jonah expresses God's concern for Gentiles as well as Jews. Haggai and Zechariah 1 - 8 reflect the rebuilding of a small temple in Jerusalem. Joel, Zechariah 9 - 14, and Malachi combine the themes of judgment and restoration and have apocalyptic elements. Daniel is an apocalypse from the Maccabean period (c. 164 BC) and promises God's help to the Jews in time of persecution.
The New Testament
The New Testament consists of four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, collections of Epistles, and the Book of Revelation.
The Gospels
Originally gospel meant "good news"(Greek evangelion). The term was later applied to books embodying this message. These are not biographies but proclamations of the good news in story form. Although all dates for New Testament books are debated, prevailing opinion dates Mark AD 68 - 72, Luke and Matthew c. 85, and John 95 - 100. However, there are very strong arguments for early dating of all the writings as outlined by a minority of scholars due to a lack of any reference in the New Testament to the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in AD 70, which was a cataclysmic event for both Jews and Christians. The first three Gospels are called synoptic because they can be compared side by side. It has long been argued that Matthew and Luke used Mark as well as a supposed document called Q (German Quelle, "source"), consisting mainly of Jesus' sayings – but no one has been able to produce such a document. The parables are prominent features of the synoptic Gospels.
The Gospel of John differs from the others in structure and reflects the theological development of the first century, and it contains incidents not recorded by the synoptics.
The Acts
The Acts of the Apostles was written by Luke as a sequel to his Gospel. It recounts the traditions of the earliest churches in Palestine and gives the details of Paul's missionary journeys.
The Epistles
Two kinds of Epistles are attributed to St. Paul in the New Testament.
Ten are letters addressed by Paul to specific churches and deal mainly with problems of faith, morals, and community life, although some scholars argue that Ephesians may not have been written by St Paul. These letters contain St Paul’s teaching of the Christian Faith and his methods of dealing with pastoral problems.
The remaining Epistles attributed to St Paul are not actual letters; rather they are writings in letter form, intended for the whole church or large parts of it. The pastoral Epistles - 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus - written in Paul's name, contain directions for church leaders and warn against errors in doctrine and behaviour.
The author of the Letter to the Hebrews is unknown, but it is a carefully constructed sermon which proclaims Christ as high priest and urges fidelity in time of persecution.
The general, or catholic, Epistles are so called because they are directed to the church as a whole. The Epistle of James emphasizes the importance of good deeds against an empty type of belief that involves no right action, interestingly Martin Luther hated it and called it “an Epistle of straw” almost certainly because it went against what he was trying to preach. The first Epistle of Peter proclaims joy in the face of persecution and is addressed particularly to congregations with newly baptized members. The Epistles of John resemble the fourth Gospel. St. John teaches the intimate relationship between love of our brothers and sisters in the Faith and the true doctrine about Christ; he also attacks division within the church.
Revelation
The Book of Revelation is thought to have been written to encourage Christians to be faithful during a persecution under Domitian (AD 81 - 96), but there is evidence for the persecution of Christians in Rome much earlier than this. It portrays the future through many symbols, and the prophet expects God's judgment on the Roman Empire, a 1,000 year reign of Christ, and a new heaven and a new Earth. There is evidence to show that it was based around the Mass as well in order for the early Christian Church to be under no illusion where the threat lay and yet where eternal salvation was to be found.
I have tried to show that the Bible contains many types of literature and its countless stories, teachings and sayings have been the foundation of our society for 1500 years. It is up to our generation to make sure that the stories, teachings and sayings remain at the heart of the life of the Church and our nation despite the best endeavours of the militant secularists who think they are in control today. If there is one message of the Scriptures that they ought to heed it is that man may propose, but that God disposes.
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