#608: Part 1, Oration 40 (On Baptism) by St. Gregory Nazianzen

This week, I’m starting the extremely interesting “Oration 40″ by St. Gregory Nazianzen. The speech was delivered on January 6, 381 in Constantinople. (Kinda amusing to be able to date it so exactly!)

Part 1 talks about why Epiphany was called the Feast of Lights back then, all the different and lovely names Baptism had, and why people ought to quit putting it off. It’s a really beautiful lecture, passing from mood to mood and idea to idea as smoothly as quicksilver. (You have no idea how fun it was to read!)

Oration 40, Part 1

39:25.

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Btw, New Header….

Not much painting done of Mary with reading material in this season. We’ve got the Feast of the Holy Family, the Circumcision of Jesus (now called the feast of Mary the Mother of God), Epiphany (which includes the Marriage at Cana and the Baptism of the Lord), and we end up with the Feast of the Presentation (of Jesus in the Temple).

But if you look closely at that middle picture of the Presentation, with Jesus in swaddling clothes (and I’m pretty sure this wasn’t intentional), Mary looks as though she were carrying a big Torah scroll.

Also, there’s a napkin or something in front of Jesus on the table at Cana. Kinda looks like he’s picking up the check under parental pressure, doesn’t it?

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#607: Chs. 6-7, Book 4, Against Heresies by St. Irenaeus of Lyons

Against Heresies continues with an interesting talk about what Jesus meant by “No one knows the Father except the Son”, and what the Gnostics say he meant. Also, there’s a discussion of how Abraham saw Jesus’ day and rejoiced, as Jesus said he did.

Chs 6-7, Book 4

19:05.

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