Tobit: Triumph of Faith in Adversity

IntroductionTobit is represented as a Jew of Galilee, living in the eighth century B.C. Though his fellow Israelites follow idolatrous practices he maintained his devotion to Yahweh and the temple in Jerusalem. He often went on pilgrimages to observe the festivals of the Torah, taking three-tenths of his income as his tithe (1.1-9). His family, however, is taken into captivity to Nineveh during the reign of Shalmaneser (2 Kings 18.9-11, the date...

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Sirach: Wisdom is Obeying God's Word

IntroductionYeshua (Jesus) Ben Sira, the scribe, lived in Jerusalem during the High Priesthood of Simon II (219-196 B.C.). His work, the longest of the Apocrypha (51 chapters) was written in Hebrew and later translated into Greek by his grandson around 132 B.C. Interestingly enough the grandson reveals what every translator has since learned, no translation is perfect!“You are invited therefore to read it with goodwill and attention, and to be...

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The "Rest" of Apocryphal Daniel: Azariah, Susannah & Bel and the Dragon,

Introduction to Forgotten Stories Like our previous blog on the Greek Esther, the book of Daniel comes down to us in at least two forms: one in the Septuagint (LXX) and the other in the canonical Hebrew Bible preserved by post-Temple Rabbinic Judaism. In fact there are actually two Greek versions of the story one in the LXX and the one most frequently adopted by the Fathers that of Theodotion (Theodotion was a second century AD Jewish scholar who...

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Vacation in Sweet Home Alabama

Every summer I get Rachael and Talya for the month of June. One of the highlights has become our trip to visit Alabama. Usually by Christmas the girls are bugging me about going to the "visit the cousins" in Sweet Home Alabama. This year it was actually needed by all of us ... time off. Time to have a sabbath. Time to laugh. Time to cut up. Time to sleep. Time to give the old brain a break. Time to be with family. And God provided! We headed to...

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Greek Esther: Aid of the All Seeing God & Savior

IntroductionThe book of Esther has come down to us in at least two forms: one in Hebrew and one in Greek (which is 107 verses longer than the Hebrew). The Greek form is part of the Apocrypha. The two stories have the same characters but they are transformed in the Greek version into deeply pious prayer warriors. There is a shift from Mordecai and Esther as heroes to the Lord God of Israel. The differences between the two are quite significant and...

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Wisdom of Solomon: The Righteous Will Live Forever

Introduction[A page from Wisdom]Though called the Wisdom of Solomon, Solomon is never mentioned in the book. Wisdom is a product of Alexandrian Judaism and promotes a wholehearted pursuit of wisdom which begins with reverance for God and his Word. The unknown author focuses on God’s judgment in order to demonstrate that forsaking the path of true wisdom is utter folly. Wisdom recalls God’s care and grace towards Israel throughout her history, especially...

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Ephesians 6.13, the Panoplia of God: A Short Study in Historical & Cultural Contexts

Ephesians 6 and Hebrews 11 are two texts providing us near text book examples of how illuminating knowledge of Jewish backgrounds can be for New Testament study.These are "Givens" that we have spoken of before.Paul's text in Ephesians 6.10-18 bristles with power, excites the mind, and challenges the soul. It is one of my favorite (of course Ephesians is probably my favorite Pauline epistle too but . . .). This text also has evoked a plethora images...

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