Break Open the Word

The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 17, 2 September 2018 Song of Solomon 2:8-13 Psalm 45:1-2, 7-10 Or Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9 Psalm 15 James 1:17-27 St. Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 Background: The Holiness Code Although the Holiness Code refers to a specific section of the Book of Leviticus (see Leviticus 17-26) the general tenor of the Law commends this as a good place to understand the purity laws of Judaism, which Laws both Moses and Jesus make comment on. The breadth of the Holiness Code covers a multitude of things: the sacred nature of blood, sexual behaviors, general behavior, punishment for sins, the purity of priests, holy days and Passover, Pentecost, New Year’s Day, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Booths,  Aspects of the Tabernacle/Temple, the Sabbatical Year, the Jubilee Year and its customs, and finally what comes with obedience to the Law, and disobedience as well (Blessings and Curses). These provisions have a special int...

The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 15, 19 August  2018 Track One: I Kings 8:[1,6,10-11], 22-30, 41-43 Psalm 84 or 84:1-6 Or Track Two: Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18 Psalm 34:15-22 Ephesians 6:10-20 St. John 6:56-69 Background: The Temple As we follow the history of Israel, their movement out of Egypt and their gradual insinuation into the Canaanite Levant, we continue to see the influence of the cultures around them, in their literature, their religious works, and in their architecture. One stunning almost recent discovery (1955) is the temple at ‘Ain Dara in northern Syria 67 kilometers from Aleppo near the Turkish border. Unfortunately, this example of Syro-Hittite temple building that dates from 1300 BCE was largely destroyed by the Turkish air force in January of this year. Nonetheless we can see in it, through the studies done by Ali Abu Assaf, we can see similarities with the Temple of Solomon that is described in the Bible. ...