Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity, A.D. 2026

For the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity Archbishop Cranmer adapted a collect from the Gelasian Sacramentary, a document much favored in the England in the years before the separation of the English Church from Rome. The Archbishop’s adaptation was altered for the 1662 B.C.P. by the addition of the reference to the Holy Spirit. The collect addresses clearly understandings that are under attack in the 21st C.: God the Father as mankind’s ultimate protector and His Holy Spirit as His agent in His Creation (vs. the concept that mankind can save itself through self-awareness and good works).

O GOD, forasmuch as without thee we are not able to please thee; mercifully grant that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle reading, Ephesians 4:17-32, is one of the longest pericopes, or quotations from Scripture used in Christian liturgies, in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Trinity is, as I call it, The Teaching Season, so there should be no surprise that in these verses St. Paul continues his teachings of the subject of what is now known as the Christian Virtues. In the 6th, 7th and 8th C. these concepts were more fully developed by saints and theologians in both the Eastern and Western Church traditions. St. Paul refers to what modern writers refer to as “passions” or “lusts.” In his writings, mostly from the period of his confinement at Rome before his martyrdom, St. Paul widens the definition into more than sexual passions into the subjects of excessive desire for material things, greed and corrupt language. The closing verse refers to forgiveness, urging Christians to forgive others as God, through Christ, forgives the shortcomings of mankind. For more on the concept of the Christian virtues, you can read the Virtue(s) entry in the AIC Bookstore Publication, Layman’s Lexicon, available through my Amazon Author Central page.

A detailed mosaic depicting a biblical scene with figures, including two central characters, a seated woman, and several other figures around them, set against a textured background.
Christ Healing the Paralytic Man at Capernaum, Byzantine mosaic, early 14th C., east wall, far south end, Outer Narthex, Chora Church, Constantinople/Istanbul. © Zzvet/Dreamstime.com.

The Gospel reading, Matthew 9:1-8, an account of the healing of a paralytic man in the region of Capernaum, on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee late in 27 A.D. near the start of Jesus’ earthly ministry. The most interesting aspect of the account is Jesus’ statement that he man’s healing at His hand was, in part, the result of the faith of the man’s friends. As I noted in Episode Seven in our Bible Study Video series, Trinitytide: The Teaching Season, Jesus follows the healing with three demonstrations of His divinity (knowing the thoughts of men in verse 4; the power given Him by God the Father to forgive sins in verse 4b; and the healing by His word only in verse 6). The audio-only version is linked from the Podcast Archive page. I discussed the Collect, Epistle and Gospel readings, with two illustrations, in my Blog post for 10/4/24, which is also linked from the Archives page in the righthand column.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity, A.D. 2026

A.D. 2026 is one of those years with a long Trinity season. There will be 24 Sundays after Trinity, followed by Sunday next before Advent on November 22nd. Since, for reasons unrecalled now, I did not post commentary on the Collect, Epistle and Gospel readings for Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity in A.D. 2025 and A.D. 2023, I take this opportunity to do so in A.D. 2026. The Collect for Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity is a modified version which Archbishop Cranmer derived from the Gelasian Sacramentary for the 1549 Book of Common Prayer, with the addition of the phrase, “the world, the flesh and the devil” which was added with the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. The Gelasian Sacramentary is named after Pope Gelasius, who ruled at Rome from 492 A.D. to 496 A.D.. The Gelasian document appeared for the first time at Paris, France, in the mid-8th C. In the English tradition the Gelasian Sacramentary was widely used in the English Church before the separation from Rome during the reign of Henry XVIII in the third decade of the 16th C. As I did in A.D. 2024, I share with viewers an image of the cover cover and first page of an edition of the Gelasian Sacramentary printed in the 8th C. It is not clear whether this is an image of the first edition of the Gelasian document. It is one of the many historic documents shared and entered into the public domain from the enormous collection found in the Yorck Project. The original of the Gelasian Sacramentary is at the Vatican Library, Rome, Italy,.

Gelasian Sacramentary, Title page (left) and 1st page (right), colors and gold on parchment, 8th C.,
The Yorck Project, commonly called 10,000 Masterworks, published in a DVD in 2002 A.D.. Public Domain.

Themes of the Collect are mankind’s long struggle against the “temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil” and the need for humanity to “follow thee, the only God.” The phrase, “world, the flesh and devil,” was derived from the petitions for deliverance (“deceits of the world, the flesh, and the devil”) in the Litany (B.C.P. p. 54). The Epistle reading, 1 Corinthians 1:4-9, is a reminder by St. Paul to the constantly-wavering congregation he established at Corinth that faith in Jesus Christ and His teachings, was, is and remains always for mankind the only path to being “blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Gospel reading, Matthew 22:34-46, is St. Matthew’s account of Jesus’ lesson to the Pharisees on two questions: “which is the great commandment in the law” and the identity of Jesus Christ: “what think ye of Christ? whose son is he?” This encounter happened on the Tuesday following Palm Sunday in 30 A.D.. (Tuesday before Easter in the B.C.P.). The reading should be seen in the context that the Pharisees had calculated that there were 613 commandments in Scripture and that the authors of the Book of Common Prayer included Jesus’ answer following the Ten Commandments in the Holy Communion liturgy (B.C.P. page 69). The Collect and the two readings from Scripture are powerful reminders of the absolute need of all the faithful to rely upon the Christian truth, as opposed to the many and varied temptations offered constantly in newspapers, radio, television and the Internet to follow the fickle teachings of men (and women). I have never found, through many web searches, an illustration that is not a modern cartoon-like interpretation. If anyone knows of one, I would like to hear detailed information.

This week’s Collect, Epistle and Gospel lessons are an enduring lesson in the need for paying attention to traditional Christian teachings. This point of view seems completely alien to those who go so far as rewriting the New Testament to fit their beliefs. Take heart. This kind of variation has been with the Church Universal from the beginning. There is more on this subject in the episodes of our Christian Education Video Series, The War on Christianity, linked from the Digital Library page.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity, A.D. 2026

For many weeks now I have been struggling for inspiration on what to post to this Blog. Having posted revised versions of commentaries on the Collect, Epistle and Gospel readings for Trinity season in A.D. 2024 and A.D. 2025, there seemed nothing new to add. Nonetheless, in A.D. 2026, there has been an abundance of evidence that the Church Universal is more than ever under threat. Nowhere else is this more evident than in the Anglican tradition.
Recent events within the Church of England provide evidence that the home church in England has lost its moorings in its own traditions. The appropriate response within the worldwide Anglican community is not rock music concerts in St. Paul’s Cathedral but a return to the worship traditions begun by Archbishop Cranmer and his associates in the 16th C. These traditions were firmly based in the worship practices of the early Church and its development in both the Western and Eastern Christian traditions. One of the best of these traditions is the following morning prayer which I adapted from the eastern liturgy of St. Mark the Apostle, considered the founder of the Church at Alexandria, one of the original sees of the Church Universal. The prayer has the virtue of being simple and clear and, at the same time, embodying the heightened sense of Christian spirituality found in the early Christian tradition.

WE give thee thanks, our Lord and God, the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ,
for all thy goodness at all times and in all places, because thou hast shielded,
rescued and guided us all the days of our lives and brought us to this morning hour,
permitting us again to stand before thee and implore forgiveness for our sins.
We pray and beseech thee, merciful God, to grant in thy goodness that we
may spend this day and all the time of our lives without sin, in fulness of joy,
health, safety, holiness and reverence of thee; drive away from us all envy, fear,
temptation, the influence of Satan, and the snares of wicked men. Amen.

The prayer appears as the Fifth Prayer for First Hour (6 A.M. or local sunrise) in the AIC Bookstore Publication, Hear Us, O Lord: Daily Prayers for the Laity, offering prayers for the traditional “hours” throughout the day (being First, Third, Sixth, Ninth, Vespers and Compline).. The book was discussed in my Blog post for October 26, A.D. 2025. This and other postings are linked from the Archives column at right. All the Hours offices offer true comfort based on “worship” and rather than “entertainment.”

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

Whitsunday 2026 A.D.

Sunday, May 24th, 2026 A.D., on the Anglican Church Calendar is Whitsunday, which in other denominations is more commonly known as Pentecost, a celebration of the Descent of the Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost in the King James Version). As noted in previous posts in A.D.2026, the Descent is commonly depicted with the Holy Spirit depicted in the form of a dove, as in the Gospel accounts of the Baptism of Christ (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22; John 1:29-34) and Acts of the Apostles (2:1-11).

The Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, gilt and silver on wood icon, probably 18th C., Russia. Holy Spirit depicted as a Dove and flames of fire. From a private collection. Wikimedia Commons.

In the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, there are two Collects for Whitsunday. The first is an adaptation by Archbishop Cranmer from the Gregorian Sacramentary (10th C.), based on the reading used for the Sunday morning Communion service for Whitsunday at St. Peter’s Basilica. In the Collect reference is made to the Spirit offering comfort to “thy faithful people.” The Collect makes clear that it is the presence of the Holy Spirit in the faithful which makes it possible for mankind to achieve “a right judgment in all things.” The second Collect is unique to the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. The identity of the author is unknown. Prayer book scholar Massey Shepherd speculated that it may have been added in order that more of the faithful would hear such doctrine on the Sunday morning celebration of Holy Communion on one of the three most important Sundays on the Church calendar, the other two being Christmas morning and Easter. It contains a plea that by the indwelling of the Spirit the faithful “may be enlightened and strengthened for thy service.” The second Collect is intended for use in the first service when there is more than one service offered on Whitsunday.

The Collects and the two sets of epistle and “for the epistle” reading from St. Luke’s account of the Descent of the Spirit (Acts 2:1-11) plus the Gospel readings for both services are discussed and illustrated in Episode One in our Seasonal Video series, Trinitytide: the Teaching Season, linked from the Digital Library page. The reading from 1 Corinthians 12:4-14 includes important instruction from St. Paul on the nature of the Church and the importance of spiritual gifts. The video series begins with readings for Whitsunday and for weekdays Whitsun Week and closes with the Sunday next before Advent, as well as the complicated rules for moving readings from Epiphany season when there are more than twenty-four Sundays after Trinity. The audio only (MP3) version is linked from the Podcast Archive page. My Podcast Homily for Whitsunday is linked from the Podcast Homilies page. A related Podcast Homily for Whitsunday, based on Psalm 68, the Psalm reading for Morning Prayer on Whitsunday, is linked from the Podcast Homilies-Morning Prayer page.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

Ascension Day & Sunday after Ascension

In the Anglican worship tradition, Ascension is officially celebrated on the Thursday following Fifth Sunday after Easter and, because so many cannot attend a mid-week service, themes related to the Ascension are repeated on Sunday after Ascension (the Sixth Sunday after Easter). The Collect for Ascension Day is based on the Gregorian Sacramentary and the Missal texts at Sarum (Salisbury). Theological concepts observed on Ascension Day were incorporated into the Nicene Creed in 325 A.D. The original text and the changes made in 381 A.D. are discussed and illustrated in the AIC Video Series, The Nicene Creed, linked from the Digital Library page. The Epistle reading, Acts 1:1-11, includes St. Paul’s record of post-Resurrection appearances by Christ and His being taken up into heaven. The Gospel reading, Luke 24:49-53, is the evangelist’s own record of the actual event of the Ascension to the Father.

The Ascension, illumination in tempera and gold on parchment, Rabbula Gospels, 586 A.D., region of present-day Syria. Laurentian Museum, Florence, Italy. Public Domain.

For Sunday after Ascension, the Collect was derived from a Vespers office of the new Church of England that is itself derived from the deathbed song of the Venerable Bede. The Epistle reading, 1 Peter 4:7-11, another example of New Testament wisdom features throughout Eastertide, includes St. Peter’s teachings on the proper use of one’s gifts from God. In the Gospel lesson, the sixth and last in Eastertide from the pen of St. John, John 15:26-16:4a, St. John quotes more from Jesus on preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit, or The Comforter. The Collect and readings are discussed and illustrated in Episode Three in the AIC Seasonal Video series, Eastertide: From Resurrection to Ascension, linked from the Digital Library page. The audio-only Podcast version of Episode Three is linked from the Podcast Archive page. My Podcast Homily for Sunday after Ascension is linked from the Podcast Homilies page. A related Podcast Homily, focused on the Psalm reading for Morning Prayer on Sunday after Ascension, Psalm 8 & Psalm 108:1-5, is linked from the Podcast Homilies-Morning Prayer page.

Sunday after Ascension brings the season of Eastertide to a close. The remainder of the Anglican Church Year is focused on readings and other material focused on Trinity Sunday and Trinitytide, the longest season on the Anglican Church calendar. The AIC Seasonal Video series, Trinitytide: the Teaching Season, is presented in nine episodes, also linked from the Digital Library page with Podcast/audio only versions linked from the Podcast Archive page.

I have not decided on a plan for Fr. Ron’s Blog during Trinitytide. Since the weekly postings for Trinity were completely rebuilt in A.D. 2021, the weekly Blog will probably revert to more topical postings without any specific plan in mind. As always, thank you for your interest and support. Viewers might be interested to know that the greatest number of visits to our site is coming from Asia. To our Asian friends, another thank you. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

Fourth Sunday after Easter

For Fourth Sunday after Easter the Collect selected by Archbishop Cranmer for the 1549 Book of Common Prayer was adapted from the Gelasian Sacramentary, which dates to the second half of the 8th C. The Gelasian Sacramentary remained popular in the English Church before the separation from Rome. The Epistle reading, James 1:17-21, is a favorite example of what is commonly known as “New Testament wisdom” writings. The concept of “New Testament wisdom” is discussed in the AIC Bookstore Publication, Christian Spirituality: An Anglican Perspective, in the context of the wisdom writings of two pairs of saints, St. Peter & Paul, St. James and St. Jude. The book was featured in my Blog post for December 5th, A.D. 2025 (linked from the Archive column at right). It is available through my Amazon Author Central page, with more complete detail available on the AIC Bookstore page.

The Descent of the Holy Spirit, Rabbula Gospels, 586 A.D., Laurentian Library, Florence, Italy. Perspective correction applied. Public Domain.

In the Gospel reading, John 16:5-11, St. John quotes Jesus’ teaching concerning the Holy Spirit, called the “spirit of truth,” who would guide the Apostles “to all truth. For the illustration I have chosen one of the oldest images representing the Holy Spirit as a dove, from the Rabbula Gospels (586 A.D.). The Collect, Epistle and Gospel readings are discussed and illustrated in Episode Three in our Bible Study/New Testament series, Eastertide: From Resurrection to Ascension. The audio only version of Episode Three in MP3 format is linked from the Podcast Archive page. My Podcast Homily for Fourth Sunday after Easter is linked from the Podcast Homilies page. A related Podcast Homily, based on Psalm 116, which is the Psalm reading in Morning Prayer for Fourth Sunday after Easter, is linked from the Podcast Homilies-Morning Prayer page. In later posts during Eastertide/Ascension and also for Trinity Sunday, there will be other examples of imagery related to the Holy Spirit, many of which include the Blessed Virgin Mary as the central figure among the Apostles and saints.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

Third Sunday after Easter

For Third Sunday after Easter Archbishop Cranmer selected a Collect from the Leonine Sacramentary (10th C. version). It is the oldest Collect in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. The Collect includes two uniques phrases, “the light of truth” and a reference to “Christ’s religion.” The Epistle reading, 1 Peter 2:11-17 includes St. Peter’s teaching on Christian virtues, specifically referring to resisting “lust” and obedience to civil authority. In the Gospel lesson, John 16:16-22, Jesus referred to a concept of time, “in a little while,” which confused the Disciples/Apostles. The concept refers to Jesus’ own expectation of the time coming for His death upon the Cross. I discuss the Collect and readings in Episode Two in the AIC Christian Education Video series, Eastertide: From Resurrection to Ascension. The entire series is linked from the Digital Library page. The audio-only version of Episode Two is linked from the Podcast Archive page. My Podcast Homily for Third Sunday after Easter is linked from the Podcast Homilies page. A related Homily for Third Sunday after Easter, based on the appointed Psalm reading for Morning Prayer, Psalm 36:5-12 and Psalm 138, is linked from the Podcast Homilies-Morning Prayer page.

Because there are no specific examples of Christian art which clarify the issue raised in the Gospel lesson, I have chosen one of the oldest surviving images of St. John, from the Codex Aureus of Stockholm, originally known as the Codex Aureus of Canterbury where it was produced, circa 750 A.D. I discuss the its complicated history — including possession by theft by Vikings & its return a century later, and, still later, by a member of the Spanish royal family, before its arrival in Sweden following its purchase by the Swedish royal family. The matter is presented in the context of this and other references by Jesus to other concepts of time in Episode Forty-three and Episode Forty-four in our Bible Study Video series, The New Testament: Gospels linked from the Bible Study-New Testament pages. The image was used as Illustration No. 4 in our publication, The Gospel of John: Annotated & Illustrated, available through my Amazon Author Central page. Details about the book are found on the AIC Bookstore page. The image is one of almost 600 examples of Christian art used on this site since its inception in August A.D. 2014.

John Writing His Gospel, illumination in colors and gold on parchment, Codex Aureus of Stockholm, also called Codex Aureus of Canterbury in honor of its original owner, Ms. A.135, Konigsliga Biblioteket, Stockholm, Sweden. Public Domain.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. The AIC is pleased to be able to continue to provide this kind of access to traditional Christian teaching in print, visual and audio formats. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

First Sunday after Easter & Bookstore Preview #20

For First Sunday after Easter the 1928 Book of Common Prayer (American edition, 1943 revisions) the Collect, one of two original compositions by Archbishop Cranmer in Eastertide, is based upon John 3:16, Romans 4:25 and 1st Corinthians 5:7-8. The emphasis is upon St. Paul’s teachings on concepts concerning Christ’s redemptive sacrifice and, indirectly, the Christian virtues and their opposites. The Gospel lesson, John 20:19-23, records Jesus’ visit post-Resurrection appearance on the Monday after His Resurrection in which the Lord Jesus “breathed” the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and taught a lesson concerning the proper path to forgiveness.

The Three Marys at the Empty Tomb, illumination in colors on parchment, Alheide Psalter, 4th Qtr, 12th C-1st Qtr., 13th C., Thuringia, Germany, Ms. Additional 11847, Folio 13v, British Library, London, England. The manuscript is named after the woman who identifies herself as the scribe at the end of the volume.

These topics are discussed and illustrated in Episode Two of our video series, Eastertide: From Resurrection to Ascension. The audio-only version of Episode Two is linked from the Podcast Archive page. My Podcast Homily for First Sunday after Easter is linked from the Podcast Homilies page. A related Podcast Homily based on the Psalm reading in Morning Prayer for First Sunday after Easter, Psalm 103, is linked from the Podcast Homilies-Morning Prayer page. The Gospel reading is discussed and illustrated in our Bookstore Publication, The Gospel of John: Annotated & Illustrated. The volume is available exclusively through my Amazon Author Central page. Additional details about the book are found on the AIC Bookstore page.

We are nearing the end of the comments and images from the AIC Bookstore Publications, now numbering twenty-two volumes. Today, the focus is on The St. Chrysostom Hymnal, a project which grew out of my own local congregation’s effort to find hymns and songs which could easily be sung by people not trained in music. I researched hundreds of hymnals of many denominations at a local seminary’s library. Potential music was presented to the committee. Each proposed addition to our local hymnal was voted on by the members. Anything that did not pass muster was left out. One of the objectives was to find more music for Advent, Christmas and Easter and more hymns and songs suitable for opening and closing hymns. Yet another objective was to include hymns attributed to St. Ambrose of Milan and others discovered by, or written by, hymnologist John Mason Neale. The local publication was printed on letter-sized paper and placed in a spiral binding. After my retirement from pulpit ministry, I reworked the volume into the 5.5″ x 8.5″ format. Originally published in two volumes, it was later reformatted into a single book. Like all AIC Bookstore Publications, the volume is available exclusively though my Amazon Author Central page. Complete information about the book is found on the AIC Bookstore page.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things!

Monday before Easter

This year I have chosen interesting and sometime unique visual interpretations of the Gospel readings for Holy Week. For Monday before Easter the Gospel reading, Mark 14:1-72, is the longest during the cycle from Palm Sunday to Easter Day, covers four line on the opening page, plus four full pages, ending with two lines on the final page (1928 Book of Common Prayer, US Edition, 1943).

Upper panel: Jesus & His Disciples on the Mount of Olives; Lower panel: Arrest of Jesus, Peter Cutting Off the Ear of Malchus, illumination in egg tempera and gold on parchment, Gospels of Otto III, circa 998, Clm 4452, Image 96, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Munich, Germany. CC-by-NC-SA 4.0.

The bottom panel in the illustration appears as Illustration No. 73 in the AIC Bookstore Publication, The Gospel of Mark: Annotated & Illustrated. The volume was discussed in the Blog post for February 5, A.D. 2026, linked from the Archives column at right. The book is one the twenty-two volumes available exclusively through my Amazon Author Central page. Additional information is found on the AIC Bookstore page. St. Peter’s action against Malchus, a servant of the High Priest, is mentioned only in Mark 14:47 and John 18:10. The Golden Gospels of Otto III was produced at the Reichenau Monastery, Reichenau, Germany, for the third of four Ottonian successors to Charlemagne as Holy Roman emperors. The team of artists at Reichenau were locally trained by other artists brought from Constantinople under the supervision of the monk Liuthar. Just a few years later they began a two decade-long effort to produce a fully illuminated edition of Revelation (details about the AIC Bookstore version are found on the AIC Bookstore page.

A scene from the Gospel reading for Tuesday before Easter, Mark 15:1-39, will be the subject of the next Blog post. Thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

Sixth Sunday in Lent (Palm Sunday) and AIC Bookstore 19

For the Sixth Sunday in Lent, officially called Sunday next before Easter but commonly called Palm Sunday, Archbishop Cranmer modified a collect from the Gregorian Sacramentary (10th C.) by adding the phrase “partakers of his resurrection” to the last line. The 1928 Book of Common Prayer instructs that the Collect is to be said daily following collect appointed for each day during the week (Monday before Easter, Tuesday before Easter, Wednesday before Easter, Thursday before Easter (Maundy Thursday), Good Friday, and Easter Even). The Epistle reading, Philippians 2:5-11, includes the instruction that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.” The Gospel reading, Matthew 27:1-54, is the evangelist’s long account of the trial of Jesus and His crucifixion and death upon the Cross and the earthquake which followed it, according to the oral tradition known by the Greek word, kerygma. The image is a watercolor by James Tissot depicting events in the reading from St. Matthew’s Gospel. In the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, the actual entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday is read on First Sunday in Lent, also based upon St. Matthew’s Gospel, Matthew 21:1-11.

The events described in the Gospel reading are discussed and illustrated in Episode Three in AIC Christian Education Video series, Lent: the Season of Penitence, is linked from the Digital Library page. The audio-only version for Palm Sunday is linked from the Podcast Archive page. The Podcast Homily for Palm Sunday is linked from the Podcast Homilies page. A related podcast homily, based upon the Morning Prayer Psalm reading for the day, Psalm 22, is linked from the Podcast Homilies-Morning Prayer page. The word kerygma is discussed in the AIC Bookstore Publication, Layman’s Lexicon on page. ????. The book. which was featured in my blog post for October 18, A.D. 2025 in conjunction with the entry for Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity (linked from the Archive column), is available through my Amazon Author Central page. Additional information about the book is found on the AIC Bookstore page.

This week’s focus from the AIC Bookstore is The Writing Prophets of the Old Testament, another volume published in the 8.5″ x 8.5″ format.

Cover illustrations, from left to right, are a 10th C. mosaic of Isaiah’s virgin birth prophecy, Neo-Moni Monastery, Chios, Greece; 18th C. Russian Orthodox icons of Ezekiel & Jeremiah, Kishi Monastery, Karelia, Russia; and exterior mosaic of Daniel, Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, Rome, Italy. Images of Isaiah, Ezekiel & Jeremiah are public domain; mosaic of Daniel © Can Stock Photo, Inc./Alessandro0070.

The volume, written for a lay audience of readers, is focused on the Major and Minor Prophets of the Old Testament, supported by documents from both the Eastern and Western Church understandings. It includes five parts of the Septuagint Old Testament not included in the King James Version (Prayer of Azariah; Song of the Three Children; Susanna; Bel & the Dragon; and Daniel and Habakkuk in the Lion’s Den. Sixty-three illustrations from the Third through the Twentieth Century. Includes special text boxes (What is a Prophet?; Isaiah in Christian Liturgies; Jeremiah in Christian Liturgies; Ezekiel in Christian Worship, Scripture & Teaching; Daniel in Christian Worship; Theophanies: Images of Christ and God the Father; Joel in Scripture & Christian Literature; Amos in the Anglican Prayer Book; Micah on Right Worship; Zechariah in Scripture and Christian Literature; Malachi in Christian Liturgy; Old Testament/New Testament Parallels. 144 pages. $35.00. The book is available exclusively through my Amazon Author Central page. More information about the book is included on the AIC Bookstore page.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!