The Decalogue is a responsive paraphrase of the Ten Commandments, used (sometimes) in the Sunday Communion service. The priest recites each commandment, followed by a congregational response. For example, here is the first commandment: Priest: God spoke these words and said: I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods but me….
Called By His Grace: 10 Theses on the Conversion of Paul
If we want to understand grace, we should look no further than the conversion of St. Paul the Apostle. This is not because grace is always so dramatic as to convert a murderer on the Damascus Road, but because grace can be so dramatic as to convert a murderer on the Damascus Road. As Paul…
The Book of Wisdom: Divine Intelligence or AI?
This is the fifth part of Dr. Noll’s series, “Reading and Enjoying the Apocrypha.” Many Anglicans greet the season of Advent with the hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” the second verse of which says: O Come, thou Wisdom from on high, Who orderest all things mightily; To us the path of knowledge show, And…
The Book of Judith, the Jewish People, and the Advent of the Messiah
This is the fourth part of Dr. Noll’s series, “Reading and Enjoying the Apocrypha.” The Daily Office readings for November (BCP page 760) insert ten days of readings from The Book of Judith, from the Apocrypha. This book picks up themes from the Books of Maccabees, which I reviewed earlier, and adds some gender balance…
The Liturgical Home: The Feast of St. Simon & St. Jude
As the Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude approaches on October 28th, the Church anticipates a unique celebration that honors not one but two remarkable saints and apostles. The Church commemorates them together due to ancient Christian traditions and writings that suggest their collaboration in spreading the Gospel and a shared martyrdom in distant…
Let Us Now Praise Famous (and Unfamous) Men: The Wisdom of Sirach
This is the third part of Dr. Noll’s series, “Reading and Enjoying the Apocrypha.” “Let us now praise famous men” is the best-known phrase from the entire Apocrypha. In the 20th century, it was used as the title of a photo narrative of poverty in Appalachia by James Agee and Walker Evans and a patriotic…
Was St. Paul an Anglican?
As an Anglican, I’ve always been fascinated with the familiar rapport between the Apostle Paul and his understudy, Timothy. Their friendship and partnership, forged through correspondence and cooperative missionary efforts, are familiar to me, as they are to most Anglican Christians. My title question, “Was St. Paul an Anglican?” is tongue-in-cheek, of course. But I…
Reading and Enjoying the Apocrypha: 1 & 2 Maccabees
This is the second part of Dr. Noll’s series, “Reading and Enjoying the Apocrypha.” In my introductory article, “What is the Apocrypha and Why Should You Read It?” I suggested one practical reason for Anglicans to do so is that the Prayer Book lectionary prescribes selections from the Apocrypha. Now I’d like to up the ante…
What is the Apocrypha, and Why Should You Read It?
This is the first part of Dr. Noll’s series, “Reading and Enjoying the Apocrypha.” It is hard enough to pronounce or spell Apocrypha, so why should you want to read it? Good question, and one I plan to answer in this series of articles. Did you know that the Apocrypha is part of the Bible?…
Did Jesus Reject the Land Promise?
This article is part of a series on Jesus the Jewish Messiah by Gerald McDermott. Click here to view other articles in this series. In Luke 21:24, Jesus prophesied that one day Jews would have sovereignty over the land of Israel. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all…
Jesus and the Jewish Covenant
This article is part of a series on Jesus the Jewish Messiah by Gerald McDermott. Click here to view other articles in this series. Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and will be given to a nation producing the fruit of it. (Matthew 21:43) Did Jesus…
Did Jesus Reject the Temple?
This article is part of a series on Jesus the Jewish Messiah by Gerald McDermott. Click here to view other articles in this series. He who swears by the temple swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. (Matthew 23:21) It has been something of a Christian consensus that Jesus rejected the temple…
