The Third Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 8, 30 June 2019
The Third Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 8 – 30 June 2019 Track One: II Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20 Track Two: I Kings 19:15-16, 19-21 Psalm 16 Galatians 5:1, 13-25 St. Luke 9:51-62 Background: Samaritans If we understand that the books of the Pentateuch were written much later in the late seventh or early sixth century (BCE) then we can have a clue about the Samaritans and the rift between the north and the south in the stories of the rivalries amongst the sons of Jacob. In Deuteronomy, which originated in Judah, the north is portrayed as a wicked nation, forgetting their covenant with YHWH. The despoiling of the northern kingdom by the Assyrians in 720 BCE is given as evidence of their wickedness and the judgment of YHWH. During the post-exilic period, the jury is mixed. Kings measures out a certain inclusivity, whereas Ezra and Nehemiah see the returnees as part of a unified twelve tribes. Chronicles focuses entirely on Judah and ig...