Posts by Admin
From Babylon to Bethlehem – The Hasmonean Dynasty
The period between the Maccabean Revolt and Roman rule of Judea is not represented by any writings in the Scriptures, but like all things that touch the history of Israel and Christ, it is worth studying. The Hasmoneans, named after the house of Hasmon, are not related to David, but are a priestly family from…
Read MoreFrom Babylon to Bethlehem – Prelude to the Maccabean Revolt
At the time of the Greeks, the Davidic line passes into obscurity, and the political power in Israel is held by the high priests. One such high priest, Onias II, refuses to pay taxes to the Ptolemaic empire. The Tobiad family steps in to cover the debt, and winds up becoming responsible for the tax…
Read MoreFrom Babylon to Bethlehem – Greek Rule over Israel
After the Persian period, the Greeks conquered a vast empire, spreading Hellenistic Greek culture throughout the area from Rome to India. Alexander the Great conquered the area from Rome and Egypt to India, including Israel. This land would be divided after Alexander’s death, and the area including Israel was known as the Seleucid Empire, ruled…
Read MoreFrom Babylon to Bethlehem – to the Ends of the Earth
Period history up to the beginning of 1 Maccabees. The closing theme is Gerard Satamian’s Chansons Sans Paroles Op. 2 Pastorale, from the album Dry Fig Trees. www.magnatune.com Download MP3 (23:56; 13 MB)
Read MoreFrom Babylon to Bethlehem – Rebuilding the Temple
The return to the land of Israel was an event which really broadened the world of the Israelites. When Jews began forming a Diaspora, it clarified the concept that God was not just a local deity, but rather the God of the universe. Babylon, in particular, appears as a true cosmopolis until the time when…
Read MoreFrom Babylon to Bethlehem – Persian Rule
The Persians under Xerxes invade Greece, and have some success until Greece expels them. It is during this period that the Book of Esther takes place, a book that has great significance when considering the tensions between the many cultures in the Middle East at the time. After Xerxes, the Persia is ruled by Artaxerxes…
Read MoreFrom Babylon to Bethlehem – Return from Exile
The Jewish canon ends the Hebrew Scriptures after the return from the Babylonian Exile. While the canon continues for Christians, there is not much Scripture for the 500 years between the return from Babylon and the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. There are many events that occurred in this time, and placing them into a…
Read MoreWonder’s Role in Faith
This was recorded at the 2009 Rochester Chesterton Society Conference. It is very easy to allow ourselves to experience wonder on a purely intellectual basis, which misses the point, since wonder is too powerful to be experienced merely through the intellect. We should wonder at some of the amazing things written in the Scriptures and…
Read MoreTom Howard on Wonder
This was recorded at the 2009 Rochester Chesterton Society Conference. As we grow older, we lose our grasp on a sense of wonder in the world. Wonder is modulated by time and repetition, but there are three cases unaffected by time: youth, art and eternity, and it is by studying these three cases where we…
Read MoreLife on the Rock
St. Irenaeus Ministries was invited to be a guest on the Life on the Rock program on EWTN on September 4, 2008. This is a recording of that portion of the program. St. Irenaeus Ministries is a Rochester, NY based apostolate promoting orthodox Catholic faith named after St. Irenaeus, an early Christian bishop and writer…
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