Break Open the Word

The Twenty-Forth Sunday after Pentecost - Proper 26, 27 October 2013 Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4 Psalm 119:137-144    Or Isaiah 1:10-18 Psalm 32:1-8 II Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12 St. Luke 19:1-10                                                                                     Background: Habakkuk The Prophet Habakkuk, although sporting an exotic name (the name is based on an Akkadian word for a plant – unlike the theocentric names of Isaiah and Jeremiah which were more common) shares the pattern of the prophets that flourished from the eighth century and onward.  The name, however, does remind us of the on-going influence of Mesopotamian culture in Judah and Israel.  Some of this is due to the Levant’s place in the geography of the ancient near east, sitting astride the trade routes that described the Fertile Crescent.  Such a placement ought to allow for an equal amount of influence from the South and Egypt – and such does exist, especially in th

All Saints' Day, 1 November 2013 Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18 Psalm 149 Ephesians 1:11-23 St. Luke 6:20-31                                                                                    Background:  Daniel In speaking about Daniel, some care needs to be exercised in distinguishing the character from the book.  The character of Daniel is much more ancient than the book.  Modeled on a judge that appears in the literature of Canaan, the Biblical character is active at a much later time than the character of legend.  Daniel makes a brief appearance along with Noah and Job in Ezekiel 14:14, 20 , where he appears more as a hero of legend and archetype than an actual person. There is another reference to Daniel in Ezekiel , where he and the King of Tyre are compared for their acute wisdom. The book, however, is more recent, and is divided into two sections: a section of legendary tales, and a section of dreams and visions.  The first section’s content seems to