Please read through a portion (one or two chapters is enough) of any of the Deuterocanonical books (the books included in Catholic and Greek Orthodox Bibles, but not usually included in Protestant Bibles). I recommend especially Ecclesiasticus (Sirach), but the other books are worth looking at as well.Note what you find particularly interesting in the selection you read. Would you ever read through the Deuterocanonicals on your own? Why, or why not?
If you have fallen behind on the blogs, you meet do additional entries on other Deuterocanonical books. [Please note: the link I give here has a pretty idiosyncratic list of the Apocrypha. "Bel and the Dragon" and "Susannah" are usually just called "additions to Daniel" and that's where you will find them in most Catholic Bibles.]
As a history major, the Macabees books always stuck out too me. It gives a good historical narrative of that intertestamental period. As a Protestant, you can sometimes feel lost when you jump straight into the New Testament from the Old and not know what's going on in Jewish culture. Obviously there is still a big gap missing, but even to see the shift of power from Greeks to Romans.
ReplyDeleteI looked at a portion of Book of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), and what stood out most was how practical and direct it is. A lot of it reads almost like advice you’d hear from a mentor—things about controlling your speech, choosing friends wisely, and staying humble. It doesn’t feel abstract or overly theological; it’s very focused on everyday behavior and character. I also thought it was interesting how strongly it connects wisdom with fearing God, showing that moral living and faith aren’t really separate ideas in this book. I think I could see myself reading more of the Deuterocanonical books, especially ones like Sirach, because they’re easy to follow and feel relevant even now. At the same time, I probably wouldn’t read them as often as other biblical books I’m more familiar with, just because they’re less emphasized in my background, but they still seem worth exploring for the insight they give into how people thought about faith and daily life.
ReplyDeleteI chose to read a portion of Book of Sirach, and what stood out most to me was its strong focus on practical wisdom for everyday life. The advice on humility, self-control, and relationships feels very direct and relatable, almost like a guidebook for making good decisions. This really just makes me think of my everyday life and how much this is talking about it or how much it connects to it. I think that's what made it so interesting because it just felt surreal to me.
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