Esther, Ruth & Jonah; I & II Peter: Ivan IV

St.Basil, Moscow: named for "holy fool"
8 buildings around one 8-sided building

We discussed what "story" means in the context of Scripture.  We find humor in Jonah; do we also find spiritual meaning?  God's providence is felt strongly in Esther ("You may be in this high position just for this purpose"), though God is named only in the added portions found in the RC version.   The topic of respect for non-Jews didn't come up, but two of these readings make a big deal of God's looking out for a Moabite woman and for the people of Nineveh; a third shows how Jews can prosper as a minority.

The bloodfest at the end of Esther and the arbitrariness of Xerxes reminded third year of Ivan IV "The Terrible."  Factors in making Moscow a "third Rome" included the city's being out of reach for the Islamic juggernaut. Other marauders - Khans ("Tartars") who invaded, then slowly converted. Other factors had to do more with personal politics among the privileged.  But we noted as well how cold, dark, harsh climate shaped liturgy and worship practices to draw whole villages together for a long time in cozy, warm, colorful, musical, harmonious worship.  "Individualism" and reform were born in warmer Western places; the orthodox doubled down on what they've had, and maintained it despite innovations imposed from above.

We agreed that we appreciate the context more when we read I & II Peter straight through; and knowing better the context of his time takes the edge off of his command for wives to obey their husbands.  We noted also that I Peter was written in the expectation of the impending ending of the world.  We discussed Peter's "marketing" of the faith by example more than by preaching and argument.  We wondered about St. James' church in this regard, as an hospitable place "not in your face."

Next week: We all read the 25-page essay about "Minding the Gaps" in the Reading and Reflection Guide (RRG).   Lynne will bring the TR; Jeff (and Sally!) will bring food; Jen will prepare worship.

For our TR, visit the TR page.

Wisdom books, Hebrews, and the Byzantine church

Our "coming on board" time brought out a discussion of "the tithe."  Here's a link to a digest of research I did on the topic as SJ's Senior Warden: Church Stewardship Campaign, ca. 1600.

We heard about how the politics and economics of the high middle ages fanned doctrinal differences into flame between Rome and Byzantium -- especially relating to the leavening of communion bread, the idea of Purgatory, and the use of icons.  East needed the West's protection from burgeoning Islamic kingdoms, and instead got sacked by Italians.  We did see loveliness in the idea that a rood screen, i.e., a wall of icons, can be a window.

Ecclesiastes and Job both seem to be bitter pills wrapped in sweetness, and we found the sweetness part less convincing.  Still, knowing that life really doesn't work out the way promised in Proverbs, it was reassuring to us to find the reality in our scriptures.

We discussed how animal sacrifice is countermanded in Hebrews, but also ridiculed in Hebrew prophets. The ideas in Hebrews are part of a long tradition, though the other tradition seemed to dominate at the time of its writing.  We noted that the idea of punishment and atonement, so strong in Hebrews, is not so strong elsewhere in our scriptures.  One of us asked, "Did God change?"  The answer seemed to lie more in the awareness of the worlds in which the Scriptures were written, where the priestly classes made their livelihood from traditions that predated the Exodus, and the political class benefitted from the same traditions.

Speaking for myself, as I re-read this, I can see Scripture as a rood screen:  We have ancient politics, arcane traditions, and alien culture sometimes blocking a clear perception of God in Scripture, so that He appears to be changing from book to book; but we can often glimpse God through the iconic images among the flat wood panels.

The TRs are summarized on the TR page.

Romans

Read the assignment and enjoyed the Author's perspective.  Never thought about the Gentiles taking over when the Romans kicked the Jews out.  Apparently they ran the Roman Christian Church while they were gone.

I also enjoyed the "shout outs" to women in Rome as major players.  Wonder what happened in the Roman Catholic church?  Popes in the coming years seemed to have relegated women's role to secondary and that continues to this day.

Bill