Break Open the Word

The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 17 - 26 August 2012 Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9 Psalm 15 James 1:17-27 St. Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23                                                                                     
 Background:  The Deuteronomist It is probably not correct to speak of this movement in the singular, for there were probably several individuals, if not a school that functioned as the Deuteronomist.  In the Documentary Hypothesis, in its earliest form, scholars identified four strands in the Pentateuch (the Bo...

The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 16 - 26 August 2012 Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18 Psalm 34:15-22 Ephesians 6:10-20 St. John 6:56-69                                                                                    
 Background:  Joshua The Book of Joshua reflects several aspects of the history of Israel, not only in the materials that it has preserved, but in its editing as well.  The first major section of the book is a narrative concerning the conquest of Canaan (2:1- 11:23) and these are largely etiologies, i.e., stories of expl...

The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 15 - 19 August 2012 Proverbs 9:1-6 Psalm 34:9-14 Ephesians 5:15-20 St. John 6:51-58                                                                                    
 Background:  Wisdom In the Hebrew Scriptures, particularly in the Book of Proverbs, the Wisdom of Solomon, and other apocryphal books, wisdom is personified as a righteous woman.  The role of wisdom in ancient literature is ubiquitous, being found in most ancient near eastern cultures.  She is often present at creation, and ...

Saint Mary the Virgin Isaiah 61:10-11 Psalm 34:1-9 Galatians 4:4-7 St. Luke 1:46-56                                                                                     Background: The Blessed Virgin Mary in the Anglican Churches In popular opinion, it seems that Mary is the big divide between the so-called Protestant Churches and the Roman Catholic Church.  The truth, however, is that there is not a “protestant” consensus on Mary and her status, as she enjoys some level of devotion in some of the churches.  In the Anglican Church...