Proverbs 1:7 - The Beginning of Wisdom is the Fear of God   This phrase from the Proverbs of King Solomon, written towards the end of his life, provides an insight into how the spiritual life is to be approached. What is wisdom? St Ambrose of Milan in commenting on this verse identifies wisdom as the path of virtue, as does St John Chrysostom. Following the path requires that we first cut off the passions that Chrysostom calls “a result of a lack of wisdom”. Essentially, it means looking towards the true source of joy and not to the pleasures [...]

Vision of Isaiah   The 6th chapter of the Prophecy of Isaiah contains the remarkable account of the prophet’s vision of God’s throne and the heavenly court. While Isaiah was in the Temple, he saw the Lord in all His glory, “sitting upon a high and exalted throne,” surrounded by the six-winged seraphim who cried out “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3). Falling to the ground, Isaiah confessed his unworthiness, saying, “Woe is me…for being a man, and having unclean lips … I saw the King, the Lord [...]

The Seven Holy Maccabee Martyrs   Tradition informs us that the seven Maccabee martyrs, Abim, Antonius, Gurias, Eleazar, Eusebonus, Alimus and Marcellus, their mother Solomonia and their teacher Eleazar, suffered in the year 167 BC under the impious Syrian King Antiochus. The King compelled the people to not live by the laws of God: “A man could neither keep the Sabbath, nor observe the feasts of his fathers, nor simply confess himself to be a Jew” (2 Mac 6:6). Eleazar, a Jewish scribe, was forced to open his mouth to eat swine’s flesh, however he spat out the flesh and [...]

Prophet Elisha   We first encounter the Prophet Elisha in the third book of Kingdoms. The Prophet Elijah had thoughts that he alone was left among the prophets of Israel, but it was revealed to him that “Elisha, the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah, you shall anoint as prophet in your place” (3 Kingdoms 19:16). When the Prophet Elijah found Elisha, he was “plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him”. He threw his mantle onto him, thus signifying that Elisha was now the prophet of Israel (3 Kingdoms 19: 19). From that time, Elisha became Elijah’s loyal follower, [...]

2 Kingdoms*, Chapter 24 In verse 1 of this chapter, we read that God incites David against his people of Israel. It is not saying that God caused him to sin. Rather, it represents a reflection of the sinful state of David’s soul, since, against God’s wishes, David decided to conduct a census and count his people. This stirring of David bears parallels to the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart in Exodus 4:21. Much like Pharaoh, it was David’s decision to harden his own heart, rather than God interfering with free will. The decision to take a census does not seem [...]