On February 3rd, at 10 am, our Theology Classes will continue. The classes are entitled “Seven Stories of Scripture,” and in them we will tour seven great themes and motifs that run through the Bible that culminate in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This week, we will be looking at the story of Jacob and Esau, as well as some of the parables of Jesus, primarily the Parable of the Prodigal Son, and how Jesus mined stories from his Scriptural heritage to formulate his own message. We will trace themes from the patriarch stories that Jesus used in his parables to teach about forgiveness and compassion.
If you would like to read a “kaleidoscopic” theological discourse on the Parable of the Prodigal Son, please look at this fine piece by James Alison, a Roman Catholic scholar. It explores the layers extant in the parable in a way that we could barely pursue in a class setting.
As a rule, our primary reference text will be the Authorized Version of the Bible, which will be available at every class.
On Sunday, February 10, we will welcome a special guest, the Rev. Dr. Christine Pae, Associate Professor of Religion at Denison University, to give a presentation on Justice in the Scriptures from a the perspective of her expertise in Christian ethics.
Also, we will have a Theology Evening Lecture Series ahead. On Wednesday, February 13 at 6:30-8pm in Andrew Hall, Professor Jeremy Waldron will begin a series on “Biblical Justice,” focusing mainly on the concepts of judgment, justice, and social justice in the writings of the prophets.
The first session, on February 13, will focus on the prophet Amos and the place of justice in his nine chapters. Amos is a short book (7 or 8 pages) and it will be helpful if participants can read it through in advance. Two other classes will follow on Wednesday, February 20 and Wednesday, February 27.
Everyone is welcome.
If you have any questions or more material that I could read about our topics, please feel free to contact me at [email protected].
Grace and peace to you,
Matthew Moretz+
Associate Rector
