New Testament: Gospels – Episodes 44 & 45 – Final Episodes in Series

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Christ-Foot Washing-Hosios Loukas-Narthex-North Wall-PCA
Jesus Washing the Disciples’ Feet.  Mosaic, Hosios Loukas Monastery, Distomo, Boaetia region, Greece.  Photo by Ed88. Public Domain, CC-by-SA 3.0.  No date was provided by vendor.  The Monastery was built in the 10th C. honoring a monastic saint, the Venerable Luke of Steiris. I applied perspective correction to the original image.

It has been a challenge and a pleasure to work on the upgrades to the AIC Bible Study Video series, New Testament: Gospels.  For more than a year I have been occupied with finding new historic images, improving the content, especially filling out the Scriptural quotations in the original version, fixing errors in spelling and syntax and other shortcomings, and, finally, making the series compatible with all the other series now offered through links on this site.

Now, just days before the start of another Church Year on First Sunday in Advent, I complete the upgrades with the final two episodes, Episode Forty-four and Episode Forty-five.  They are focused on five unique events in the Gospel of John:  the Visit of Nicodemus; the Restoration of the Adulterous Woman; Foot Washing on Maundy Thursday; the institution of the Sacrament of Penance/Confession; and, finally, Jesus’ Seaside Post-Resurrection Breakfast with the remaining Disciples.

Watch: Episode Forty-four.      Listen: Podcast – Episode Forty-four.

Watch: Episode Forty-five.       Listen: Podcast – Episode Forty-five.

I have in mind several projects for A.D. 2020, but am not ready to provide details.

Please consider sharing this blog with friends, family and others interested in traditional Anglican liturgy and study.

As always, thank you for you interest and support.  May God bless you in all that you do in His Name! Amen!  Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

New Testament: Gospels – Episodes 40 to 43

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Christ-Last Supper-Codex_Bruchsal_1_28r
The Last Supper  Codex Bruchsal, circa 1220 A.D., also called the Evangelistar von Speyer, after the Cathedral for which it was made.  The top panel shows St. John leaning upon Jesus’ breast and the disloyal Judas separated from the others in the lower left side.   The bottom panel has two scenes of Jesus washing the feet of the Disciples, with St. Peter in the right hand panel, his hand to his head in the manner described by St. John (“It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it” John 13:26a).  The image is also published in Wikipedia Commons under the CCo (non-commerical) license.

Contininuing toward final completion of the upgrading of the New Testament: Gospels Bible Study Video series, this week I offer you information about four more episodes, which are the 2nd through 5th in a series of 7 on Unique Themes, Details and Events.  Episode Forty continues my discussion of Unique Themes, with more on Light vs. Darkness; Good vs. Evil; Truth vs. Falsehood; the Emotions of Jesus, shown in four examples; Numerology; St. Jobn’s frequest use of “the Jews”; and Jesus’ prophecies.  In Episode Forty-one the focus shifts to unique mentions of Places and People: Cana, Samaria, the Samaritan Woman at the Well, Thomas, Nathanael, Philip & Andrew,and  the Father-Son relationship.  In Episode Forty-two  the focus is on unique references to Peter, Nicodemus, Judas Iscariot, and Mary Magdalene.  Finally, in Episode Forty-three, the unique subjects are the Sanhedrin Plot, the New Commandment, the lack of an “agony in the garden” scene, Jesus’ use of “lift up” or “lifted up” in reference to the Son of Man, and, finally, Jesus’ use of concepts of time, beginning with “hour”, from the Greek hora.  The discussion continues into the next episode.

This week the competition of featured illustration was again close, between the Arrest of Jesus from the Codex Egberti, a mosaic of St. Peter at St. Michael’s Golden-domed Monastery at Kiev, and the Last Supper from the Codex Bruchsal, made in Cologne region of Germany around 1220 A.D.  The latter was the winner, owing to its spectacular use of color and complexity of detail based on  Chapter 13 in the Gospel of St. John.

Watch: Episode Forty.      Listen: Podcast-Episode Forty.

Watch: Episode Forty-one.      Listen: Podcast-Episode Forty-one.

Watch: Episode Forty-two.      Listen: Podcast-Episode Forty-two.

Watch: Episode Forty-three.      Listen: Podcast-Episode Forty-three.

The final two episodes, Forty-four and Forty-five, are complete and will be the subject of the blog entry for the week of Nov. 24th.

The graphics on most of the pages on this site have been upgraded and, hopefully, the persistent glitches of unwanted blank lines removed.   These do not seem to want to go away no matter how many times the files are corrected.

I am working on another project but am not yet ready to declare whether it will be completed.

As always, thank you for your interest and support.  May God bless you in all that you do in His Name! Amen!  Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

 

New Testament: Gospels – Episodes 36 to 39 – the Seven Signs

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Christ-Raising of Lazarus-Church in Mistra_001
The Raising of Lazarus, fresco, 15th C. A.D., Pantanassa Church, Mistra, Greece, from the Yorck Project:  10,000 Masterworks.

Moving along rapidly toward completing the updating of our Bible Study Video series, New Testament: Gospels, this week I bring you four more episodes, all focused on the Seven Signs in the Gospel of St. John plus additional unique material.  St. John makes an interesting distinction, referring to these seven events, five of which are unique to the Gospel of John, as “signs” from the Greek semeion.  I explain the theories of why in the video series.  Episode Thirty-six is focused exclusively on the Wedding at Cana, “This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him” (John 2:11).   Episode Thirty-seven includes the Healing of the Nobleman’s Son (John 4:46-54); the Healing of the Paralytic Man (John 5:1-1-15); and Pt 1 of 2 on the Healing of the Man Born Blind (John 9:1-41).  Episode Thirty-eight completes my discussion of the five unique signs with the Healing of the Man Born Blind (Pt 2 of 2) and the Raising of Lazarus (John 11:38-43).  Episode Thirty-nine includes discussion of the two signs which are also reported with slightly different details in one or more of the Synoptic Gospels: the Feeding of the 5,000 (John 6:1-14) and the Walking on Water (John 6:15-21), followed by the Part 1 of 7 on Unique Themes, Details and Events in the Gospel of John, starting with the spiritual themes of Light vs. Darkness, Good vs. Evil; Truth vs. Falsehood; Life vs. Death; Heaven vs. Earth; moving on to the first of Unique Details: the Emotions of Jesus; Numerology in the Gospel of John; John’s extensive use of “Jews”; and Prophecy.

Once again, the choice of the featured image was difficult, since there are a great many amazing images in these four episodes.   The contest ended in a draw.   The first, above, used in Episode Thirty-eight, is a 15th C. fresco, the Raising of Lazarus, Pantanassa Church, Mistra, Greece, from the DVD collection known as the Yorck Project more commonly called 10,000 Masterworks.  The photograph was taken more than 15 years ago and one hopes that restoration, or at least, active preservation techniques, have halted the deterioration of this remarkable image.   It’s rival in the Western Church tradition is Duccio di Buoninsegna’s egg tempera and gold on panel work, produced between 1310 and 1311 A.D. at Siena, Italy, from the Kimball Art Museum, Ft. Worth, TX.

Christ-Raising_of_Lazarus-Duccio_di_Buoninsegna,_1310–11)
The Raising of Lazarus, egg tempera and gilt on panel, Duccio di Buoninsegna, 1310-1311 A.D., Kimball Art Museum, Ft. Worth, TX.

Watch: Episode Thirty-six.    Listen: Podcast-Episode Thirty-six.

Watch: Episode Thirty-seven.   Listen: Podcast-Episode Thirty-seven.

Watch: Episode Thirty-eight.    Listen:Podcast-Episode Thirty-eight.

Watch:  Episode Thirty-nine.    Listen: Podcast-Episode Thirty-nine.

In the week of Nov. 17th my focus will be on Episode Forty to Episode Forty-three, which include Parts 2 through 5 of seven on Unique Themes, Details and Events in the Gospel of St. John.

During the week of Nov. 24th my focus will be on the final two episodes, Episode Forty-four and Episode Forty-five, the last of which is focused on five unique events in the Gospel of St. John plus a summary of the entire series.

As always, thank you for your interest and support.  May God bless you in all that you do in His Name! Amen!  Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

 

New Testament: Gospels – Episodes 32 to 35

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Christ-Good Shepherd-Ravenna-5thC
I Am the Good Shepherd, Byzantine mosaic, 1st half, 5th C. A.D., Mausoleum of Galla Placida, Ravenna, Italy.  The Yorck Project: 10,000 Masterworks.

Keeping with the pace started last week, I’ve uploaded four more episodes in the New Testament: Gospels series.  This week’s uploads are Episode Thirty-two, Episode Thirty-three, Episode Thirty-four and Episode Thirty-five.  In these four episodes I complete my discussion and commentary on the “I Am” declarations in the Gospel of St. John, including the Bread of Life; The Living Bread; The Light of the World; I Am From above; I Am not of this world; Before Abraham Was, I Am; I Am the Door; I Am the Good Shepherd; I Am the Resurrection and the Life; I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; and, finally, I am the True Vine.

As always, selection of a featured illustration is difficult, with so many choices across four episodes.  This time I selected another example of early Byzantine art in the west at Ravenna, Italy.  The photograph was used in the Yorck Project’s DVD: 10,000 Masterworks.   The DVD is accessible online, but be prepared: there are actually more than 10,000 images, which are arranged alphabetically, some by title and some by artist.

Watch Episode Thirty-two.           Podcast version of Episode Thirty-two

Watch Episode Thirty-three.      Podcast version of Episode Thirty-three.

Watch Episode Thirty-four.       Podcast version of Episode Thirty-four.

Watch Episode Thirty-five.        Podcast version of Episode Thirty-five.

The next group of four episodes, 36 to 39, are about the Seven Signs in the Gospel of St. John, treating those six which are unique to St. John’s Gospel first, followed by the last two, which appear in the Synoptic Gospels.   These are complete and will be featured here during the week of Nov. 10th, when the featured illustration is a 15th C. fresco of the Raising of Lazarus from a church in Greece.

The next group, also of four, 40 to 43, is focused on Unique Themes, Details & Events in the Gospel of St. John, beginning with Themes; followed by Details of Content; followed by unique mentions of Places and People, including Cana and Samaria; Peter; Nathanael; Philip; Andrew; the Samaritan Woman (Photina).   These four are complete and will be featured here during the week of Nov. 17th, when the featured illustration is a mid-19th Eastern Orthodox Christ Pantokrator image in Romania.

The final two episodes are complete in script and slides but still need a voice track.  The voice track will be recorded during the week of Nov. 10th with release during the week of Nov. 24th.  They are focused on more unique details & one five unique events in the Gospel of St. John, including the Visit of Nicodemus; the Restoration of the Adulterous Woman; Foot Washing on Maundy Thursday; the institution of the Sacrament of Penance/Confession; and Jesus’ Breakfast the the Seashore with the eleven remaining Disciples; and, ending with some summary slides on all four Gospels and the series.  The featured illustration will be a splendid mosaic of Jesus washing St. Peter’s feet from the tradtion of the Eastern Church.

In other news, I have upgraded the illustrations throughout the AIC Web Site and fixed (I hope) some glitches in spacing that in previous attempts don’t want to stay fixed.  I’ll be very surprised is they stay fixed.  I think I need some help from the technical people at WordPress.com.

As always, thank you for your interest and support.  May God bless you in all that you do in His Name! Amen! Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

 

New Testament: Gospels – Episodes 28 to 31

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Christ-Samaritan womanatwell-Ravenna-6th C

Hoping to get the revisions to New Testament: Gospels online before Christmas (and even more hopefully before Thanksgiving), I’ve accelerated the schedule of uploads.  For the week of October 27th there are four new episodes.  Episode Twenty-eight is focused on how the followers of John the Baptist became followers of Jesus Christ; the calling of the two pair of brothers, Peter and Andrew, James and John; and the dramatic conclusion of Chapter 1.  Episode Twenty-nine is the first of seven episodes focused on the “I Am” declarations, beginning with Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan Woman at the Well of Jacob, with St. Photina as the first to whom Jesus reveals Himself as Messiah.  Episode Thirty continues with two more “I Am” declarations, the first calming the Disciples at sea and the second being Part 1 of 2 on “I Am the Bread of Life.”  Episode Thirty-one continues the story with Part 2 of 2 of the “I Am the Bread of Life,” plus “I Am the Living Bread,” and Part 1 of 2 in “I Am the Light of the World.”

It is always hard to decide upon a feature image for a multi-episode release.  I have chosen a 1st Quarter, 6th C. A.D. Byzantine-style mosaic of St. Photina and Jesus at the Well of Jacob, one of 13 mosaics in the upper tier in the left wall of the Nave at the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy.  The figure in white is not identified.    Among the professional photographs of the Basilica I could not find a higher resolution version of this image.  Because it is so high up on the wall, it is very hard to photograph without distortion.  The image here is from Wikipedia Commons.  In the video I explain the meaning of St. Photina’s name, her family history, and the traditional story of her death as a martyr.   I also explain why this encounter and the first one in Episode Thirty is presented as an “I Am” declaration.  Among other details I encountered is the tradition that the well-head from this story was bought by a Byzantine emperor and was installed and still exists beneath the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople/Istanbul, Turkey.

Watch Episode Twenty-eight      Listen to the Podcast of Episode Twenty-eight.

Watch Episode Twenty-nine.      Listen to the Podcast of Episode Twenty-nine.

Watch Episode Thirty.      Listen to the Podcast of Episode Thirty.

Watch Episode Thirty-one.      Listen to the Podcast of Episode Thirty-one.

I have recorded and edited into video format (and made the companion MP3 podcasts) for Episode Thirty-two through Episode Forty-one.  These will be released during the early weeks of November.   I still need to record the sound tracks for Episode Forty–two through Episode Forty-five, but will not be able to do so until the week of Nov. 10th.

I have also been upgrading each page on this site, adding images from the newest videos and correcting formatting errors.  In coming weeks, I hope to replace several of the masthead images with material from the videos.  This will not be easy owing to the wide-screen format.  Narrow slices of most images would be unacceptable.  My objective is to make the site more usable in conveying traditional Christian teaching.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. I urge viewers and listeners to share this material with others.  May God bless you in all that you do in His Name! Amen!  Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

 

New Testament: Gospels – Episodes 26 & 27

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NT-Gospels-Title1-revEpisode Twenty-six and Episode Twenty-seven, the first of twenty focused on the Gospel of St. John in the AIC Bible Study Video series, New Testament: Gospels, were uploaded this week.  In Episode Twenty-six I explore the history, authorship & themes and offer some suggestions on how to read the Gospel of St. John, plus a reading of the first five verses of John 1,the opening words in St. John’s ground-breaking Prelude.  In Episode Twenty-seven I read and discuss the whole Prelude:  John 1:1-18.     Among the many examples of historic art depictions of St. John is a remarkable and colorful example from the Carolingian era of the revived Holy Roman Empire in western Europe.  The manuscript, The Benedictional of Aethelwold, a service book for the Mass by the Bishop of Winchester, based on the Gallican and Gregorian Sacramentaries, was protected by various noble families after the English Reformation.  It was acquired from the Duke of Devonshire, Chatsworth, Devonshire, by the British Library in 1958 A.D.  Below is the only illumination of a Gospel author that has survived, St. John with the traditional Eagle symbol.

John-Writing-Aethelwold Bened-Addl 49598_f019v-v2
St. John Writing His Gospel.  Illumination in colored inks and gold on parchment, The Benedictional of Aethelwold, made at Winchester, England, for the use of Aethelwold, Bishop of Winchester, 963-984 A.D.   Ms. Additional 49598, Folio 19v, British Library, London, England.  Perspective correction applied.

Watch the Video of Episode Twenty-six.          Listen to the Podcast (Episode 26)

Watch the Video of Episode Twenty-seven.       Listen to the Podcast (Episode 27)

The text and audio of the next two episodes (28, 29) will be released during the week of Oct. 27th, with two more episodes each week until the entire revised series is complete later this year.

As always, thank you for your interest and support.  May God bless you in all that you do in His Name! Amen!   Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

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New Testament: Gospels – Episodes 24 and 25

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Luke-Writing His Gospel-Byzantine-Ms Additional 28815-f76v-BritLibr-PCA
St. Luke Writing His Gospel  Byzantine illumination in tempera and gold on parchment, 10th C. A.D., Constantinople.  From the Yorck Project (10000 Masterworks of Painting).  Original image is Ms. Additional 28815, Folio 76v, British Library, London, England.

Once again this week I have “doubled up” and uploaded two new episodes in the revised and extended version of our Bible Study Video series, New Testament: Gospels.  In Episode Twenty-four and Episode Twenty-five I complete my discussion of the Gospel of St. Luke.  Both episodes are focused on Unique Content in the Gospel of St. Luke.  Episode Twenty-four is focused on the Kingdom Lectures and the Restoration of Zaccheus.  Episode Twenty-five is focused on three topics, Jesus Before Herod, the Prayer Habits of Jesus, and the important roles for women in St. Luke’s Gospel.   The featured image is a 10th C. A.D. Byzantine illumination in tempera and gold on parchment made at Constantinople, showing St. Luke seated in an upholstered chair with a platform for his feet and in front of a large desk writing his Gospel.  The desk is filled with quills and what looks like a paper knife.  There are scrolls and a inkpot at his feet.  This version does not include the traditional image of an ox, the symbol of Luke.  The original is from Ms. Additional 28815, Folio 76v, British Library, London, England.  The British Library has not yet digitized much of the Additional Ms collection, including No. 28815.  This version is sourced from the Yorck Project, a DVD published in 2002 A.D. as 10,000 Masterworks of Painting.  The entire set of more than 10,000 images can be viewed on line.

Watch the Video of Episode 24.        Listen to the Podcast of Episode 24.

Watch the Video of Episode 25.        Listen to the Podcast of Episode 25.

I have recorded the first two of twenty revised and extended versions focused on the Gospel of St. John, these being episodes twenty-six to forty-five.  Episode Twenty-six and Episode Twenty-seven will be released during the week of October 20th. Episode Twenty-five is focused on a general introduction to the Gospel of St. John and a reading of St. John’s unique Prelude in verses 1-5.  Episode Twenty-seven begins with a discussion of John 1:1-5 and moves on to reading and discussion of John 1:5-18.  Later today I will record the next two episodes which will be released during the week of October 27th.   The slides and script for all remaining episodes have been completed but lack sound tracks and picture-to-sound correlation in iMovie.  The final slide in the series, in Episode Forty-five, will be No. 1560 (vs. No. 885 in the original series).  It has been a great and enjoyable adventure finding and editing the great Christian tradition of spiritually-minded images (vs. the modern representational forms in which the meaning often gets lost in the details and backgrounds).  I hope and pray that viewers find them spiritually enriching and helpful in understanding Scripture.

I have started work on a new series of Podcast Homilies based upon the appointed readings from Psalms and Lessons for Morning Prayer in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, using the alternative which includes a Gospel reading for the Second Lesson.  These will be linked from the Podcast Homilies page and posted in the order of the Church Calendar beginning with First Sunday in Advent.  I hope to have the four Advent podcasts complete before the start of the new Church Year 2019-2020 on December 1st.

As always, thank you for your interest and support.  May God continue to bless you in all that you do in His Name! Amen!  Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

New Testament: Gospels – Episodes 22 & 23

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Episode Twenty-two and Episode Twenty-three in the revised and expanded version of the AIC Bible Study Video series, New Testament: Gospels, were uploaded to the AIC’s YouTube channel and Podbean channel this morning.

Thomas-Incredulity_XIV_C_Russian
The Incredulity of Thomas.   Icon in tempera and gilt on panel, 14th C. A.D., Monastery of the Metamorphosis, Meteora, Greece.  The icon was lost for centuries and was rediscovered in the early 1960s A.D.  There are several versions of the same scene currently available but with disputes over dates and location.  Some sources claim this version is a later Russian Orthodox copy.    Public Domain.

In order to finish the revisions in the series before year end, I decided to “double up” and complete two each week.  Both of this week’s premiers are about Unique Content in the Gospel of St. Luke, with Episode Twenty-two on Jesus’ discourses on Spiritual Light and the Hypocrisy of the Pharisees and Episode Twenty-three on His moral discourses.  The featured illustration is from the latter episode (in the context of “O You of little faith” Luke 12:28b).

Watch Episode Twenty-two.      Listen to Podcast of Episode Twenty-two

Watch Episode Twenty-three.    Listen to Podcast of Episode Twenty-three

The two remaining episodes on the Gospel of St. Luke will be completed and uploaded during the week of October 14th.

The first two episodes on the Gospel of St. John (Episodes Twenty-six and Twenty-seven) are nearly complete and, barring any technical glitches, should be available for upload during the week of October 21st.  I have completed the revisions of all the remaining slides and scripts in the series and hope to release two episodes per week with a goal of getting the whole series uploaded before Christmas.

As always, thank you for your interest and support.  May God bless you in all that you do in His Name!  Amen.  Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

New Testament: Gospels-Episode Nineteen

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After a short delay in production, Episode Nineteen in the revised editions of our Bible Study Video series, New Tesament: Gospels, is now online.  It runs just over 21 minutes, with a superb and very vivid early 11th C. illumination on the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus presented in 3 tiers.  The featured illustration, since I have used the Rich Man and Lazarus illumination in previous years, is a 16th C. restoration of much older fresco from Bulgaria.

Rich Man and Lazarus-Rila-PCA2
The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus  Fresco, Monastery of St. Ivan of Rila, nr. Sofia,
Bulgaria.  Started 927 A.D.; Destroyed by Moslems, early 15th C.; Rebuilt late 15th C.  Perspective correction and other adjustments applied.  Photo by Apostoloff  Creative Commons CC-by-SA 3.0.

Watch the video.         Listen to the Podcast.

I’ve been very busy completing the updating of the final episoses of the Gospel of  St. John.  Episode Forty-five should be complete by the end of the week or early next week.  It includes several illuminations I had not seen previously.

As always, thanks for your interest and support.  May God bless you in all that you do in His Name! Amen!   Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

New Testament Videos – Episode 18

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Christ-in Majesty-Ms Royal 1 D X-Fol8v-BritLibr-PCA
Christ in Majesty.  Produced before 1220 A.D., Oxford, England.  Ms. Royal 1 D X, Folio 8v, British Library, London, England.  CCo license applies.

Episode Eighteen in the revised and expanded version of New Testament: Gospels is now available in video and podcast formats.  The episode is focused on the next three unique parable: the Lost Coin, the Lost Son (or Prodigal Son in the KJV) and the Unjust Steward.   This week’s favored graphic is a wonderful blue and red themed Christ in Majesty, which is the Western Church term for what the Eastern Church labels as Christ Pantokrator.  Christ is seated on a the throne of judgment within the traditional almond-shaped mandorla, which signifies the Glory of the Lord.  At each corner is a symbol of one of the Gospel authors.  It is an illumination in colored inks and gold on parchment from a Psalter made at Oxford in the 1st Qtr 13th C. A.D. but definitely before 1220 A.D.  I used perspective correction software on the original image.

Watch the Video.      Listen to the Podcast

I am currently completing the revisions to Episode Forty-two in the same series.   Episode Forty-two is focused on Unique Details – People, including Peter, Nicodemus, Judas Iscariot and Mary Madgalene.  The final slides as yet unedited are those about Mary Magdalene.  I have the text but haven’t decided upon the right illustrations.

As always, thank you for your interest and support.  Please consider becoming a follower by clicking the Follow Anglican Internet Church tab in the right column.

May the Lord bless you in all that you do in His Name! Amen!  Glory be to God for all things! Amen!