Bible in a Year with Fr Paul

For on that day of perpetual light about which Zechariah said, “And there shall be one day that is known to the Lord, not day or night” [Zec 14:7.] (that is, a day that is remote from the usual experience of passing time), the elect sacrifice great victims to the Lord, namely, those about which the psalmist, tasting them in the hope of things to come, said, “You have broken my bonds; I will offer to you the sacrifice of praise.” [Psa 116:16-17 (115:7-8 LXX, Vg).] He properly also reveals where he was hoping that he would offer this sacrifice when he immediately adds, “I will pay my vows to the Lord in the courtyards of the Lord’s house, in the sight of all his people, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.” [Psa 116:18-19 (115:9-10 LXX, Vg).] For we pay our vows to the Lord in the midst of Jerusalem in the sight of all his people when, in the heavenly homeland, after the whole multitude of the saints has congregated, we offer those praises of thanksgiving to him whom in this present life we sigh for and thirst for with daily desire—The Venerable Bede

Hear me, therefore, my fellow servant, my friend, my brother; give ear for a moment that I may tell you how you are to walk in the holy Scriptures. All that we read in the divine books, while glistening and shining without, is yet far sweeter within. “He who desires to eat the kernel must first break the nut.” [Plautus Curc. 1.1.55.] “Open my eyes,” says David, “that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” Now, if so great a prophet confesses that he is in the darkness of ignorance, how deep, do you think, must be the night of misapprehension with which we, mere babes and unweaned infants, are enveloped! Now this veil rests not only on the face of Moses [2Co 3:14-15.] but on the Evangelists and the apostles as well. To the multitudes the Savior spoke only in parables and, to make it clear that his words had a mystical meaning, said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” [Luk 8:8.] Unless all things that are written are opened by him “who has the key of David, who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens,” [Rev 3:7.] no one can undo the lock or set them before you—St Jerome

Like the foundation in a house, the keel in a ship and the heart in a body, so is [Psalm 1 as a] brief introduction to the whole structure of the Psalms. For when David intended to propose in the course of his speech to the combatants of true religion many painful tasks involving unmeasured sweats and toils, he showed first the happy end, that in the hope of the blessings reserved for us we might endure without grief the sufferings of this life—St Basil the Great

“And they rose up to stand, and they read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God four times a day, and four times a night they confessed and prayed to the Lord their God.” For who would not be amazed that such a great people had such extraordinary concern for devotion that four times a day—that is, at the first hour of the morning, the third, the sixth and the ninth, when time was to be made for prayer and psalmody—they gave themselves over to listening to the divine law in order to renew their mind in God and come back purer and more devout for imploring his mercy; but also four times a night they would shake off their sleepiness and get up in order to confess their sins and to beg pardon. From this example, I think, a most beautiful custom has developed in the church, namely, that through each hour of daily psalmody a passage from Old or New Testament is recited by heart for all to hear, and thus strengthened by the words of the apostles or the prophets, they bend their knees to perseverance in prayer, but also at night, when people cease from the labors of doing good works, they turn willing ears to listen to divine readings—The Venerable Bede

The enemies of the holy city are urging Nehemiah to go down to the plains and to enter into a peace pact with them by together slaughtering calves as testimony to the arranged treaty, but he perseveres in the mountains so that the devout work is not neglected. So too, heretics and false catholics want to have a fellowship of peace with true catholics but with this stipulation, that they do not agree to ascend to the citadel of ecclesiastical faith or duty themselves but rather they compel those whom they see dwelling on the peak of the virtues to go down to the lowest depths of wicked works or dogmas. And it is well that they want to enter into a pact with Nehemiah on one plain, doubtless because they desire that all those whom they are able to seduce be relaxed in the same freedom of the broader life that they themselves follow; and it is well that they wish to enter into a pact with him by together slaughtering calves, because false brothers are eager to offer the sacrifices of their prayer and action to God together with true catholics, so that, when they are believed to be genuinely faithful, they might be able to corrupt these same true catholics through the proximity of their association. But Nehemiah, representing the person of faithful teachers, by no means agrees to go down to the impious or to be defiled with their sacrifices but remains devout in the virtuous works he has undertaken; and the more severely his enemies tried to frighten him, the more he himself strove to become terrifying to these same enemies by doing a good work—The Venerable Bede

The Pool of Siloa [This is the Latin spelling (derived from the Greek in the LXX) of the name “shelah”.] (which means “sent”), where the man born blind was given light, [Jhn 9:7.] stands for the Lord Savior who was sent by God the Father for our illumination. The spring of this pool can be very aptly understood as the same Father from whom he was born, about which the psalmist well says, “For with you is the spring of life; in your light we shall see light.” [Psa 36:9 (35:10 LXX, Vg).] And the Spring Gate is built in Jerusalem when teachers are ordained in the church to preach belief in divine eternity to the nations. The walls of the Pool of Siloa are built too when the very firm and invincible testimonies of the Scriptures, in which the mystery of the Lord’s incarnation is described, are rooted in the mind of the faithful. Moreover these walls of divine utterances reach as far as the King’s Garden when, having recognized the mysteries of the Lord’s dispensation, we begin to bring forth shoots of the virtues with the help of that same king, our Lord God—The Venerable Bede

Nehemiah is interpreted in Latin as “My consoler is the Lord” or “the consoler from the Lord.” For when Nehemiah restored Jerusalem’s walls and, after delivering them from the disdain of their enemies, raised up the people of God to the observance of the divine law, it is surely clear that by his word and deed and person he not unsuitably designates the mediator of God and people, the man Christ Jesus, [See 1Ti 2:5.] who indicates that he was sent to console the poor in spirit when he said to his disciples as he was about to ascend to heaven: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete,” [Jhn 14:16.] that is, a Consoler, by whom the psalmist showed that God’s holy city (namely, the church) would be rebuilt and also those who mourn would be consoled when he said, “The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted,” [Ps 147 (146:2-3 LXX, Vg).] and so on—The Venerable Bede

“These are their family heads, and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylonia, in the reign of King Artaxerxes: Of the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom,” and so on until the end of the genealogy. He carefully enumerates the leaders who came up with him from Babylon and unfolds their genealogy. He takes pains, too, to add their total, which reached 1,440, to suggest that the names of those who come up from the “confusion” of this world are contained in the book of life of the Lamb. [See Rev 21:27.] But also all teachers [i.e., the heads of the families] of God’s people receive increases in their eternal reward commensurate with the number of souls they have acquired for the Lord, according to that parable in the Gospel wherein the good and wise servant said, “Master, your pound has earned ten pounds,” and the master replied, “Take charge of ten cities,” [Luk 19:16-17.] which is to say, “appear more glorious in the heavenly kingdom because of the life of those whom you have taught.”—The Venerable Bede

Speaking further of Christ in the same vein, Malachi says, “Behold, I send my angel, and he shall prepare the way before my face. And presently the Lord, whom you seek, and the angel of the testament whom you desire, shall come into the temple. Behold, he comes, says the Lord of hosts. And who shall be able to think of the day of his coming? And who shall stand to see him?” In this text he foretells both comings of Christ, the first and the second—the first where he says, “And presently the Lord shall come into his temple.” This refers to Christ’s body, of which he himself said in the Gospel, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” [Jhn 2:19.] His second coming is foretold in these words: “ ‘Behold, he comes,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘And who shall be able to think of the day of his coming? And who shall stand to see him?’ ”—St Augustine

When the whole nation of Israel was about to perish, blessed Esther defeated the tyrant’s anger simply by fasting and praying to God. By faith she changed the ruin of her people into safety. [See the commentary on Esth 4:16.] Those days are feast days for Israel; they used to call a feast when an enemy was slain or a conspiracy against the people was broken up and Israel was delivered. That is why Moses established the Feast of the Passover: because Pharaoh was killed and the people were delivered from bondage. So then, especially when tyrants were slain, temporal feasts and holidays were established in Judea. Now, however, the devil, that tyrant against the whole world, is slain. Therefore, our feast does not relate only to time but to eternity. It is a heavenly feast! We do not announce it as a shadow or a picture or a type but as the real thing—St Athanasius the Great

But what use is there to recall all the examples of those who, because they prayed as they ought, received great favours from God? Everyone can choose for himself many examples from the Scriptures. Anna obtained the birth of Samuel, who was reckoned with Moses, [See Jer 15:1; Psa 99:6 (98:6 LXX).] because when she was barren she prayed to the Lord with faith. [1Sa 1:9-18.] And Ezechias, being still childless and having learned from Isaias that he was about to die, prayed and was included in genealogy of the Saviour. [See 2Ki 20:1-6; Isa 38:1; Mat 1:9.] Again, when, as a result of a single order arising from the intrigues of Aman, the people were about to be destroyed, the prayer and fasting of Mardochai and Esther were heard, and hence there arose, in addition to the feasts ordained by Moses, the festival of Mardochai for the people—Origen

Not only the Holy Scriptures, but the Jewish Antiquities of Josephus as well contain the story of Esther, although they differ in some of the historical details. Therefore, there is some question as to the actual identity of that Ahasuerus who ruled from India to Ethiopia over one hundred twenty-seven provinces. In fact, when Josephus mentions him, he relates that he was Cyrus son of King Xerxes who reigned over Persia after his father Darius. He also adds that this Cyrus was called Artaxerxes by the Greeks, having the nickname “Long-handed,” [“Longimanus” in the Latin text.] and was in power for forty years. But I do not think that Esther lived at that time. Ezra writes that he had returned at that time from Babylonia, but he would never have omitted mentioning Esther if she had actually accomplished the things which are attributed to her. Therefore Eusebius, in his Chronicles, thinks that this Ahasuerus was called Artaxerxes and reigned after Darius for forty years—Rabanus Maurus

Why do we need such extensive genealogies that occupy the first NINE chapters of 1 Chronicles? By Fr Tadros Malaty (Part 4/4)17. The form of the genealogies in general reveals the plan of God and His work with us, whether on the level of the church as a congregation, or the people of God or the believer as a member. The genealogies pass through three stages:· The first stage: The choice: God chose Adam, and created him according to His image; chose Abraham to become a father of a multitude of nations; and chose the people to become a leaven to sanctify the world by the Messiah the Son of David. Every believer, therefore exults to hear the Lord Christ, say: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you” (John 15: 16); and to hear the apostle say: “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1: 4). By saying: “He chose us in Him”? He means that that happened by faith in Him; namely in Christ, who ordained that for us by a plan before we were born, and even before the foundation of the world. How beautiful is this word “foundation”, as though the world has fallen down from a very huge altitude. Yes, the exaltation of God is extensively high in a way beyond description – not location-wise, but concerning the possibility of nature to talk about.· The second stage: The continuity: If God is the beginning, having chosen us, His work would not stop at choosing us; but our Christ, the Way along whom we set forth from the start until the finish with security.· The third stage: The reform: In the continuity we are exposed to faults and weaknesses; the way Israel and Judah were. God, in His longsuffering endured them, But through their persistence on doing wrong, they were corrupted and have fallen into captivity. However, God did not forsake them but brought them back from captivity, to become a people prepared for the kingdom of Christ the King of kings.· These three stages are the broad lines of the life of man from Adam till the return from captivity. It is as though the genealogies open before us the door of hope, whether at the start of the way, in its middle, or even close to its end.18. If the genealogies disregarded the Northern kingdom, on account of that it set a kind of worship according to the human thought (mixing between paganism and the worship of God); and not according to the divine law; Yet, the return of the godly men among them to the Southern kingdom, and the joining together of all of them in their return from captivity, confirm that the Southern kingdom has not set a wall to exclude the other tribes; but by the wall it sets a holy building, with the hope that all the tribes would eventually come within the circle of the godly life, and the obedience of the law. The genealogies, therefore, would provoke us to have the width of heart and of love, even toward the non-believers; so that humanity would find its happiness in the gospel of Christ, and the enjoyment of the work of the Holy Trinity in it.19. These genealogies came to correct certain faulty concepts of some, concerning the origin of peoples and nations. For the ‘Arcadians’ believed that they existed before the moon; The people of ‘Thessaly’ believed that they were created from stones; And the Athenians believed that they grew from the earth.

Why do we need such extensive genealogies that occupy the first NINE chapters of 1 Chronicles? By Fr Tadros Malaty (Part 3/4)14. Going through these chapters, we encounter people along the generations, through whom we would get lessons for the edification of our souls, and would learn from some of them how they came to be great in the sight of God, and the sight of the heavenly creatures, through the purity of their hearts, and their faithfulness in the few that was within their hands, and now that we have more talents within ours; … Some of whom have fallen to depths, but with the grace of God, they rose up again, grew, and became righteous. We encounter ‘Jabez’ who, even his name refers to being sorrowful and suffering; yet he overcame his name, and “became the most honorable of his family”.(4: 9) We encounter Abraham whose name was changed to become Ibrahim, father of a multitude of nations We encounter Reuben who, by his sin lost the privileges as the firstborn. We encounter Joseph who rejected the sin, to be honored by God. We encounter women who surpassed many men in righteousness.15. The author, quoting long parts from Genesis 10, kept from the genealogies coming down from the first man, only Abraham the Semite, then his sons Isaac and Jacob.16. Disregarding the details of the events of human history of the period prior to king David; the two books confirm that that period, in spite of its importance, longevity, and the multitude of its events, has been not more than a preparation for the covenant set by God with His people, through the first true king set by God Himself, and not according to men. There were indeed other covenants between God and certain believers like Noah, Abraham, and even Moses; but they were not to be compared to the eternal covenant with king David. This explains to us the secret behind the disregard by the two books of the chronicles of the dissented Northern kingdom, despite its inclusion of ten tribes of the twelve, on account of that it was set to oppress the divine covenant with the house of David.

Why do we need such extensive genealogies that occupy the first NINE chapters of 1 Chronicles? By Fr Tadros Malaty (Part 2/4)6. These genealogies that goe back to Adam, provokes us not to isolate ourselves, neither from the near or the far past.7. This genealogies constitute persons who lived on this earth, then were forgotten by the time, and their names were buried in ancient records One day, our names will also be buried in similar records and be forgotten. Whereas he, who enjoys the new spiritual birth, As a son of God by baptism, he has got the grace of adoption (John 3: 3-6); and has got a place in God’s heart and plan; And as a son of God, his name is inscribed on His divine palm; is recorded in the book of life, that even death cannot wipe out. “The world is passing away, and the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2: 17). In His love for humanity, God is not only preoccupied with recording the names of billions of men in the book of life, but He even inscribes every name on His palm; personally knows him; grants him a personality unique from all others; and keeps for him a specific mission in life. Everyone gets attached to God perceives that he is unique, and an object of God’s personal care. While meditating in such amazing love of God, St. Augustine wonders, as though he is the only one on earth, and if God loves anyone as He loves him. That is the kind of feeling oby him who experience the adoption by God, and counts himself the unique cherished son, who preoccupies the mind of God.8. The genealogies provoke us to renew our trust in God, our relationship with Him, and our anticipation of encountering Him eternally.9. This genealogies represent Abraham’s family tree, then that of Israel and Judah, and finally of David; for our souls to make sure that our Lord Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Son of David, who reigns on the hearts. As to the genealogies going back to Adam, it is to confirm that the kingdom of God is set in man, whatever his race is, being a son of Adam.10. Genealogies are important to set the lineage of the tribe of Levi concerning the priesthood, and the Levites as ministers of the temple; until the heavenly High Priest comes.11. Those genealogies had their importance for those who returned from captivity; and those born in captivity, or carried there as little kids, who know nothing about the promised land, the city of Jerusalem, the temple of the Lord, the offering of sacrifices, singing praise, and celebrating feasts. Having returned according to the divine promise, they need to live in faith, and to experience the fellowship with God. If the Babylonian captivity passed on them like a great flood that wiped the past away, and brought on men some kind of confusion, these genealogies came to call on us to cast a quick look at the past, to consummate the walk, and to enjoy the holy life lived by good fathers.12. These genealogies help anyone to search for his origin, to perceive that, as a descendant of Abraham, he has a portion in the divine promises that were offered to Abraham for the sake of his descendants.13. These genealogies has their specific importance for the Jews, to anticipate the coming of the Messiah the Son of David, the Son of Judah, the Son of Abraham, the Son of Adam. And they have their importance, as well, for us Christians; confirming that Jesus Christ is a descendant of David the son of Abraham, the One promised to the people of God as the Savior of the world; in whom the prophecies were fulfilled.

Why do we need such extensive genealogies that occupy the first NINE chapters of 1 Chronicles? By Fr Tadros Malaty (Part 1/4)For a long time, I used to avoid reading these nine chapters concerning the genealogies, on account of that they include many names of which I know nothing, and are even difficult to pronounce, being no more familiar today. Why then does the Holy Book care to record them? In what way will they preoccupy me? Will they be of any benefit to me? Does parading them touch mysalvation and my spiritual edification? … According to Peter H. David; Walter C. Kaiser Jr.: [For the first moment, mentioning these genealogies may look as being of no use, if not boring. Why are they given such a great area if they have no apparent spiritual benefit for the generations to come?].1. The first book of the chronicles starts by nine chapters of genealogies, that may probably benefit someone of direct interest, to locate a certain relative in the list; But, as far as our salvation is concerned, with the same attitude, we should go through those genealogies, being connected to our great human family; For our earth was blessed by Adam, Eve, Shem, and Abraham. Namely, those genealogies concern a great family which we cherish.2. With the coming of the promise of the inheritance of the land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants, it was imperative to make a record of his descendants to confirm their right in the promised land. To them, others were added who came to be counted as members of the people of God, through their acceptance of the true faith, their cherishment of rejecting paganism with all its abominations, and their zeal to be bound to God; Hence they were included in the genealogies.3. Those genealogies make clear that there was a prior divine ordinance in the mutual general history of the people of Israel, whether of the Northern or the Southern kingdoms; the rich and the poor; that theirs is the true God who guided His people, and kept them to realize their salvation.4. Having reached the promised land, and enjoyed conquest over many Canaanite nations; Every tribe of the people of God had to know its members, for all to know their portion, and to keep it along the generation. But by the coming of the Lord Christ, “the land and all its fullness became for the Lord and His Christ” (Psalm 24: 1-2); and every believer, whatever his citizenship may be, feeling that he enjoys the sonhood to God, will not hold fast to a designate border or a spot of land in the literal sense.5. This genealogy reveals God’s care for mankind, whether on the personal, family, tribe, church congregation, or humanity level. God wishes for every man to perceive that God cherishes him personally, knows him by name, cares for his family, and for everything that concern him. Yet, indeed, the Holy Book confirms that it is difficult for man to perceive the extent of God’s care for him; which will be more clearly proclaimed on the day we encounter our Christ on the clouds.

From Syria even to Rome I fight with beasts: not that I am devoured by brute beasts, for these, as you know, by the will of God, spared Daniel, but by beasts in the shape of people, in whom the merciless wild beast himself lies hid and pricks and wounds me day by day. But none of these hardships “move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself,” [Act 20:24.] in such a way as to love it better than the Lord. Wherefore I am prepared for [encountering] fire, wild beasts, the sword or the cross, so that only I may see Christ my Savior and God, who died for me. I therefore, a prisoner of Christ, who is driven along by land and sea, exhort you: “stand fast in the faith,” [1Co 16:13.] and be steadfast, “for the just shall live by faith”; [Hab 2:4; Gal 3:11.] be unwavering, for “the Lord causes those to dwell in a house that are of one and the same character.”—St Ignatius of Antioch

The sequence of events in the text is as if Darius himself had read Cyrus’s letter and, having perused it, immediately endorsed it with his authority, in such a way that suppressing all their adversaries, he ordered the temple of God to be rebuilt on its site just as the letter said, and himself, with a most devout mind in all things, assisted God’s worshipers to serve his will. Let Artaxerxes, therefore, who above forbade that the house or city of God be built, [See Ezr 4:17-24.] designate those lords of worldly affairs who by inciting persecutions opposed the construction of the holy church, while in the upheaval of these persecutions that church flourished chiefly by the triumph of martyrs. Let Darius designate the dutiful devotion of those kings who, recognizing the will of God, endeavored not only not to resist the Christian faith but also to assist it with their decrees; and many of them, forbidding the persecutions of their predecessors, wished that they themselves along with the people under their sway might be consecrated in the sacraments of the same faith—Bede

For in that passage too, in giving the name of high priest to him who made with his own blood the priestly propitiation for our sins, he does not by the word made declare the first existence of the Only-begotten. But he says “made” with the intention of representing that grace which is commonly spoken of in connection with the appointment of priests. For Jesus, the great high priest (as Zechariah says), who offered up his own lamb, that is, his own body, for the sin of the world; who, by reason of the children who are partakers of flesh and blood, himself also in like manner took part with them in blood. [Heb 2:14.] ([This is] not in that he was in the beginning, being the Word and God, and being in the form of God, and equal with God, but in that he emptied himself in the form of a servant, and offered an oblation and sacrifice for us). He, I say, became a high priest many generations later, after the order of Melchizedek—St Gregory of Nyssa

The man who dies before his time does not build his tomb, for, although he lives, he is dead. [1Ti 5:6.] He does not hear the words of Haggai, whose name interpreted the banqueter, for he does not enter the tabernacle of God “with the voice of joy and praise, the noise of one feasting.” [Psa 42:4 (41:5 LXX).] How does he hear his voice if he does not see his works? If he saw them, he would hear the word which was put within his grasp, he would rejoice in his acts, whereby “he knocked and it was opened to him,” [Mat 7:7.]and he would have gone down into his soul that he might feed therein upon the food of sincerity and truth. Because he failed to hear, the word of Haggai again comes, saying: Rise from houses embossed and carved with wickedness, and go up to the mount of heavenly Scriptures and hew the tree of wisdom, the tree of life and the tree of knowledge. Make straight your ways, order your actions so that they may have due order which is necessary and useful for building the house of God—St Ambrose of Milan