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2018, December 9 ~ Baruch 5:1-9; Malachi 3:1-4; and Philippians 1:3-11

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This week, the Revised Common Lectionary offers a choice for the First Reading between Baruch and Malachi.

Baruch 5:1-9

The Book of Baruch is not part of the “Canon” (accepted books) of the Hebrew Bible. It is, however, included as part of the Hebrew Scriptures in Roman Catholic and Orthodox Church Bibles as part of a “second” Canon. In Protestant Bibles, Baruch is not included in the Hebrew Scriptures but is part of a section called the Apocrypha (“hidden books”).

This difference in treatment arose because from 300 to 200 BCE, the existing Hebrew Scriptures were translated into Greek (the common language of the time). Compilations of these translations are called the “Septuagint.” Baruch was included in most versions of the Septuagint, but it (among other writings) was not included in the Canon of the Hebrew Bible (the “TaNaK”) when the TaNaK was codified in the period from 90 CE to 110 CE by the Pharisees/Rabbis after the Destruction of the Temple in 70 CE.

When Jerome completed translating the Bible into Latin (the “Vulgate”) in 405 CE, he included Baruch and other books that were part of the Septuagint in the Vulgate. Jerome wrote prefaces to some books noting that they were not in the Jewish Canon of the Hebrew Bible. Later compilers of the books in Bibles overlooked Jerome’s prefaces, and the Roman Catholic Canon of the Old Testament was not settled until the Council of Trent decreed in 1546 that the Canon includes all the books in the Septuagint that were included by Jerome in the Vulgate.

Luther and other Protestants, however, followed the Jewish Canon of the Hebrew Bible and put other books from the Septuagint (such as Baruch) in a separate section called the Apocrypha.

The Book of Baruch purports to be written by Baruch, Jeremiah’s secretary, during the Babylonian Exile (587-539 BCE) after Jeremiah’s death in Egypt in 586 BCE.

Based on the book’s allusions to writings in the Books of Sirach and Daniel, scholars conclude Baruch was actually written between 160 and 60 BCE. The author of Baruch copied and paraphrased numerous Biblical passages and combined them as a way of interpreting them.

Today’s verses are the concluding verses of Baruch. Verses 6, 7 and 8 paraphrased parts of Isaiah written during the Exile (Is. 40 to 55).

Malachi 3:1-4

The Book of Malachi is the last book of the 12 “Minor” Prophets – so called because these books are much shorter than the three “Major” Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel). His name literally means “my messenger” and the book appears to have been written in the 5th Century BCE, after the Second Temple was built around 505 BCE.

Malachi asserted that the “Day of the Lord” was coming soon, and the “messenger” of the Day of the Lord was identified as Elijah (4:5). In most prophetic books, the Day of the Lord was presented as a time of wrath, darkness, fear and trembling.
In today’s reading, Malachi described YHWH’s messenger as one who is like “refiner’s fire and fuller’s soap.” (Fuller’s soap is a harsh clay/soap used to whiten clothes or remove impurities from wool.) After the refining and cleansing, the offerings of Judah/Jerusalem will be pleasing to YHWH.

Philippians 1:3-11

Philippi was a major city in Macedonia on the Roman road to Byzantium (Istanbul). Paul wrote this letter from prison. For this reason, many think the letter was written from Rome around 62 CE. Other scholars note that Paul was also imprisoned earlier in Ephesus and made a number of trips to Philippi from Ephesus.

Paul had a deep affection for the Jesus Followers in Philippi, and thanked them for gifts sent to him in prison (4:18). In today’s reading, Paul referred to the “day of Jesus Christ” (1:6) and the “day of Christ” (1:10).

Many of the Messianic changes that many Jews (including Paul) expected (unification of the 12 Tribes; ouster of the Romans; peace and justice) had not fully occurred when Jesus was on earth. For this reason, Paul awaited a “Second Coming” of the Christ (Greek for “Messiah”) which Paul believed would occur soon. Accordingly, he hoped the Philippians to whom he was writing would be pure and blameless on that day.

2016, September 4 ~ Deuteronomy 30:15-20 & Philemon 1:1-21

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Deuteronomy 30: 15-20

Deuteronomy is the fifth (and last) book of the Torah. It is structured as Moses’ final speech to the Israelites just before they enter the Promised Land (which, if the events are historical, would have been around 1225 BCE).

“Deuteronomy” comes from Greek words meaning “Second Law.” The book is presented as a “restatement’ of the laws in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. Although much of the book was written in the reign of Josiah (640 to 609 BCE), there were later revisions during and after the Exile (587-539 BCE).

All the Deuteronomic books (Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings) contain an over-arching theme that “explains” Ancient Israel’s Exile and Judea’s subjugation to other nations. Rather than seeing the Exile and the other conquests of Judea as the result of the greater economic and military might of foreign nations, they are portrayed as the result of failing to obey the commandments of the LORD (v. 16) and being “led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them” (v.17). Verses 16 and 17 start with “if” and reflect the Deuteronomists’ understanding that the Covenant with the LORD was conditional. Judea failed to live up to its part of the covenant, and this is why it suffered.

Philemon 1: 1-21

The Letter to Philemon is the shortest of the letters attributed to Paul, and is presented as his last letter in the Bible. (When Jerome translated the letters for the Vulgate, he arranged them from the longest to the shortest on the theory that the longer letters were more important.) Today’s reading contains all but three of the verses of the entire letter.

The letter is written from prison, but the site is not specified. Paul is sending the slave Onesimus (whose name means “helpful”) back to Philemon with a request to free him as a “brother in the Lord” (v. 16). Paul notes that he converted Philemon (“owing me in your own self” v.19).