In this class, we discuss the books which are not part of the Bible but yet were very important to the Jews and early Christians - and had major influence on the New Testament.
We also consider what criteria could be used to determine which books are part of the Bible - and ultimately, we recognize that the Church gives us the Bible.
In the final weeks of the Liturgical Year, we meditate upon the end of time, the day of judgement and the consummation of all history with Christ's Second Coming. How is it that we can be afraid of Jesus' return? If we love him and know him as our Savior, we should look forward to that great day!
We also note that our Lord (in today's Gospel) predicts the destruction which would fall upon Jerusalem in 70 AD, and which would not leave "a stone upon another stone which will not be thrown down." When the Romans destroyed the Temple and sacked the city, 1.2 million Jews were killed (25% of the population), and another 100,000 were taken away in slavery. With tens of thousands of crucifixions (maybe 50,000), the Romans ran out of trees to cut down.
St Simeon the second bishop of Jerusalem led the Christian faithful in these dark times - preserved through divine intervention, they performed great charity to the Jews after the day of wrath.
Listen online [here]!
In this class, we consider 3 and 4 Maccabees, as well as other books which were important for the Jews around the time of Jesus as well as for the early Christians. We also briefly discuss the other deuterocanonical books in the Catholic Bible.
The Lateran Basilica was dedicated in 324 AD - the first church inside the walls of the City of Rome and first Basilica ever built in Church History - the Cathedral of Rome, and mother and head of all the Churches of the world.
Listen online [here]!
In this class, we review the book of Daniel, with a special focus on how the prophecies of this book are partly fulfilled in the time of the Maccabees. We also discuss the portions of Daniel which are deuterocanonical, and the various languages present in the book.