First Sunday in Advent & AIC Bookstore Preview – Part 7

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Sunday, Nov. 30th, A.D. 2025, marks the start of the penitential season of Advent. My Podcast Homily for First Sunday in Advent is linked from the Digital Library page. The theme is “The Coming of the Light” and in it I discuss Archbishop Cranmer’s new Collect for the occasion, the Epistle reading (Romans 13:8-14) and the Gospel lesson (Matthew 21:10-13). Another Podcast Homily for First Sunday in Advent, this time based on the Morning Prayer readings for the same occasion, is also available. Should you be visual-minded you can watch Episode One (focused on First and Second Sunday in Advent) in our Seasonal Video series, Advent: a Season of Penitence & Preparation. In this video series I also explain other traditions associated with Advent, including the “Greening of the Altar,” the use of Chrismons rather than Christmas ornaments, and the practice of avoiding Christmas carols until Christmas Eve.

For this post for First Sunday in Advent, the highlighted AIC Bookstore Publication is a very special book, Angels: In Scripture, Art & Christian Tradition, which was published in A.D. 2023.

The cover art is an 11th C. Byzantine-influenced mosaic in the upper registry, Baptistery of Saint John, located opposite the Basilica of Santa Maria dei Fiori, Florence, Italy. A full view of the mosaic is printed on page 4.

In the Preface to Angels: In Scripture, Art & Christian Tradition I offered this: “The purpose of this book is to educate Christians in the rich literary, artistic and liturgical traditions concerning angels in both the Western and Eastern Church understanding.” In the book I explore every mention of angels in the Old and New Testament, plus the second canon Old Testament and a non-canonical Old Testament book in the Eastern Church tradition. There are 153 illustrations including frescoes, icons, mosaics, stained glass windows, watercolors, paintings and engravings. I pay special tribute to the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne and his spiritual advisor, the Blessed Alcuin of York; and to the Ottonian and other successors to the title Holy Roman Emperor in the Western Church; to St. John of Damascus, author of the Exact Exposition on the Orthodox Faith, the earliest known explanation of the origin, nature and purpose of angels; and, finally, to St. Clement of Alexandria and St. Thomas Aquinas, the former from the Eastern Church tradition and the latter from the Western Church tradition.

The book is divided into five parts: Part One is a primer on angels); Part Two is focused on every reference to angels in the Old Testament; Part Three includes discussion of each mention of angels in the New Testament; Part Four is focused on references to angels in Christian worship; and Part Five includes discussion and illustrations of angels traditions around the world, including foods and festivities.

The publication of Angels: In Scripture, Art & Christian Tradition completes the planned catalogue of AIC Bookstore Publications. Corkie Shibley suggested the concept of a book on angels. As a special bonus for readers, I have included her recipe for the remarkably light biscuits, which she calls “Angel Biscuits.” The recipe is placed at the end of Part Five.

Royalties on this and the other AIC Bookstore Publications are donated to the AIC. The book is available online through my Amazon Author Central page. Additional information about the catalogue is available on the AIC Bookstore page.

I offer a special thanks to our contributors — and also those who assisted in the production of the book, each of whom is named in the Preface. Contributions and book royalties provide the funds necessary to obtain the high-resolution images and licenses for the use of the same. Through reader support, we have been able to collect and catalogue over 3,000 such images, most of them rarely seen by the general public.

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

Trinity 23 and AIC Bookstore – Part Six

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Ooophs. In A.D. 2025, there is no Trinity 23. On the traditional calendar it is preempted by Sunday Next Before Advent. In 2024 A.D. for reasons I do not remember, I did not provide a Blog post for Trinity 23. In 2025 A.D. it is the final Sunday after Trinity, since Advent begins on Sunday, November 30th. However, you can listen to my Podcast Homily for Trinity 23 or, for a visual version, watch Episode Eight in Trinitytide: the Teaching Season. The Gospel reading for Trinity 23 includes Jesus’ use of the phrase, “Render unto Caesar…” (Matthew 22:15-22). In the video series, the discussion includes another of James Tissot’s remarkable watercolor interpretations of the words of Christ. The Gospel reading for Trinity 23 is the ninth quotation from the Gospel of Matthew in Trinitytide.

For this week’s Blog posting, the focus is on the second of two AIC Bookstore Publications focused on the primary seasons on the Anglican Church Calendar: Easter and Christmas.

The cover image is an 11th C. mosaic, Christ Resurrected (known as the Anastasis in Greek), east wall, Narthex, Hosios Loukas Monastery, Distoma, Greece. Source: Wikipedia Commons. The theological symbolism of the image is discussed in Chapters 2 and 3.

Easter: The Resurrection of Our Lord in Scripture, Art & Christian Tradition is presented in 156 pages. There are 132 illustrations from the 6th C., 9th through 17th C. and 19th through 21st C. The book is divided into six parts, plus a Preface, List of Illustrations and a brief guide to the art of illumination of Scripture. Part One includes discussion and art related to events and prophecies during the three days between Good Friday and Easter Sunday (called the Triduum in Latin), including the “Harrowing of Hades.” This is the period of Jesus’ visit in Hades/Hell that is mentioned in the Apostles’ Creed. A special text box includes the Easter/Paschal sermon of St. John Chrysostom, which is still delivered annually on Holy Saturday in many Eastern Orthodox Churches. Chapter Four in this section is focused on Jesus’ prophetic references to Resurrection in three days.

Part Two is focused on events of the Resurrection recorded for early on Easter Day, according to the accounts in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. A special text box explains the “Three Marys” tradition regarding the three women at the empty tomb in these Gospel accounts.

Part Three is focused on Post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the Gospels of Luke and John, including those occurring on Easter evening and the eight days afterward, including accounts of the “doubts” of St. Thomas and his confession; on meeting Apostles on the road to Emmaus and the subsequentmeal at Emmaus; and Jesus with the Apostles at the Sea of Tiberius, uniquely recorded in the Gospel of John.

Part Four is focused on Jesus’ final post-Resurrection appearances, the Great Commission and the Ascension. The text is based on the accounts in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, plus The Acts of the Apostles. There are fourteen illustrations of the Ascension depicting the event from both the Western and Eastern Church traditions.

Part Five is focused on music for Easter in both the Western and Eastern Church traditions, including the text of Easter hymns and Psalms; a special text box listing all the seasonal music printed in another AIC Bookstore Publication, The St. Chrysostom Hymnal, which was used at my former parish and which is now available in paperback.

Part Six is focused on Easter traditions both in liturgy and foods and includes images of Easter worship in Kent, Lancashire, St. Agnes Island, and London, England; and in Bucharest, Romania; Kiev, Ukraine; Emmaus-Nicopolis, Israel; and Gomel City, Belarus. For this volume, Corkie Shibley created a recipe for “Empty Tomb Hot Cross Buns.”

Sources for this collection of Christian art include icons, mosaics, frescoes, altarpieces, bas reliefs, tapestries, oil paintings and watercolors; stained glass windows; illustrated Psalters, Pericope Books, Sacramentaries, as well as illustrated Bibles and Gospels produced for the use of both clergy and royalty. The format used in Easter: The Resurrection of Our Lord in Scripture, Art & Christian Tradition is slightly different than in the Christmas volume. For this blog post, there is no image of an inside page, because nearly all the illustrations, for best effect, are printed on full pages placed opposite the actual Scripture text.

This volume, first published in A.D. 2023 and updated at Epiphany A.D. 2024, was written and edited primarily for the education of the laity of the Church; however, clergy from both the Western and Eastern Church traditions may find the Bibliography and the Sources of Illustrations pages useful for further learning and research. I am grateful to the staff at libraries and other archives in England, Europe and the United States and to our donors, who make possible the acquisition of the high-resolution images used in this book. Several individuals who provided exceptional assistance in resolving the many technical issues (resolution, clarity, etc.) are named in the Preface.

Like all the AIC Bookstore Publications, Easter: The Resurrection of Our Lord in Scripture, Art & Christian Tradition is available only through my Amazon Author Central page. Royalties for all the AIC Bookstore Publications are contributed to the AIC. Additional information about pricing and pagination of this and the other AIC Bookstore Publications is found on the AIC Bookstore page.

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