SUMMER BIBLE STUDY 2022

‘I Look for the Resurrection of the Dead . . .’

The Resurrection of Christ and the Faithful according to Luke 24 and 1 Corinthians 15

Wednesday Evenings beginning June 8

Join us beginning June 8 for an in-depth study of the Resurrection accounts in the Gospel of St Luke, Ch. 24, and of St Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, Ch. 15. Join us as we walk with the Risen Lord! 

“Jesus himself drew near and went with them…” (LK 24: 15).

• FREE & OPEN TO ALL, BRING A FRIEND!
• Classes held in our Education Center, with live Zoom broadcast for those unable to attend in person.
• Class at 7:30pm. Online schedule updated weekly; some sessions may be preceded by Vespers at 7:00pm.
• Class notes and updates to be posted here throughout the Summer.

STUDY NOTES & DOWNLOADS:

Download our Bible Study flier here...

Handout 1 - The Fathers on Luke 24 - revised 6/14/22

Handout 2 - Empty Tomb Traditions

Handout 3 - Post-Resurrectional Appearances

Handout 4 - The Resurrection and Holy Tradition

Handout 5 -  I & II Corinthians: True Pastoral Guidance of a Parish

Handout 6 - The Holy Fathers on II Corinthians 4:15- 5:10

Dear Parish Faithful,

Our final session of this summer's Bible Study will meet this evening at 7:30 p.m. in the Education Center.

We will focus on II Cor. 4:16-5:10. This passage is not as well-known as I Cor. 15, but every bit as important and revelatory as that chapter is to our understanding of life "in the world come" and of the resurrection of the dead.

Here are some questions to be mindful of:

• What does the Apostle Paul mean by "our outer nature" and our "inner nature" in 4:16? This is the RSV translation. Actually, it is  "outer person" [exo anthropos] and "inner person" [esso anthropos] in the Gk. What exactly is meant by "wasting away?"

• We don't want to miss discussing that magnificent verse: "For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." (4:17) What consolation does this verse offer in the face of human suffering?

• What is the "earthly tent" and the "house not made by hands" in 5:1? And what is the cause of our "groaning" in this present life?

• What does the Apostle mean by "not being found naked" and of being either "clothed" or "unclothed?" (5:3-4)

• What does it mean that the Spirit is called a "guarantee?" (5:5)

• How can 5:8 be understood as referring to an "intermediate state" between death and resurrection?

• The Apostle mentions "the judgement seat of Christ" in 5:10. Where else do we hear of this judgment seat? How do our actions "in the body" affect our judgement? What then is the relationship between soul and body?

See the section immediately above for the latest handout #6 - "The Holy Fathers on II Cor. 4:16-5:10." If you could have a copy with you at the Bible Study, that would be helpful. I will have copies to distribute if anyone would need one.

Looking forward to seeing you this evening for our final session!

Fr. Steven

Bible Study, Session VI - Wed. July 13

7:00pm - Vespers,

followed immediately by Bible Study

We will continue reading and discussing I Cor. 15, beginning at v. 20. Please read through the remainder of the chapter.

While we are in I Cor., I would like to further explore the Apostle Paul's understanding of Tradition - what he "received" and what he then "delivered" - by discussing his transmission of the practice of the Eucharist. This is found in I Cor. 13:23-34.

Then we will pick up the Apostle Paul's teaching on the Resurrection in I Cor. 15:20-58. Focus on the distinction between the "physical body" and the "spiritual body" that St. Paul makes.

We will probably have another final session beyond this evening. We will explore St. Paul's understanding of the "intermediate stage" of existence between death and resurrection, found in II Cor. 5:1-5.

Our Bible Study is scheduled for Wednesday evening, June 29 at 7:30 in the Education Center.

Dear Parish Faithful,

A reminder that our Bible Study will meet this evening for Session IV, probably in the Education Center this time, at 7:30 p.m.

We will read and discuss: I Thess. 4:13-18; Phil. 2:5-11 (Please have the handout from last week on hand). Since we celebrate the Apostles Peter & Paul today, perhaps we will also look at I Pet. 1 and his emphasis on the Resurrection of Christ. And then, we will begin I COR. 15. I would read through the entire chapter, to have a sense of the Apostle Paul's overall approach.

Two new attachments have been added (see above), #4 and #5. Please read those, and if possible, have them on hand also.

For whom may the Bible Study hold some interest? For anyone who believes in the Resurrection of Christ and wants to further explore what we confess about the "Resurrection of the dead."

Fr. Steven

Dear Parish Faithful,

"God is wonderful in His saints, the God of Israel!"

Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. - Bible Study

A reminder of our Bible Study this evening at 7:30 p.m. in the church hall. NO Vespers this evening. (But Great Vespers tomorrow evening for the Nativity of St. John the Forerunner).

This evening, we will cover Acts 2, focusing on the Apostle Peter's sermon in that chapter. We will then discuss I Thess. 1:1-10, the Apostle Paul's first epistle and the first document of the New Testament. If time allows, we will read and discuss the great Christ Hymn of Phil 2:5-11. Our emphasis in all of this is the centrality of the Resurrection of Christ as the heart of the Gospel proclamation. 

All of this is something of a "build up" to I Cor. 15, the most extensive passage by far in the NT about the Resurrection of Christ and its meaning for believers.

- Fr Steven

Dear Parish Faithful,

Wednesday - Bible Study at 7:30 p.m. - a zoom link will be sent out for this class.

We will cover the last half of Lk. 24:36-53; Acts 1:1-11.

If we get through these texts, we will next turn to I Thess. 1:1-10.

- Fr. Steven

Related: See our special page on the Ascension of Christ

Dear Parish Faithful,

"God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of trumpet!" ~ Psalm 47:5

Wednesday, June 8: Vespers at 7:00 p.m., Bible Study Session 1 to follow

Our theme this year is taken from the Nicene Creed: "I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life in the world to come." We will focus on Lk. 24 and I Cor. 15, but we will also study other passages. Above are three handouts that I am hoping you will be able to have accessible for our sessions. The first is a series of patristic excerpts that comment on Lk. 24. We will read some of those on Wednesday and save the others as the class unfolds. There are two other charts that we will also study for some wider perspective on the Evangelist Luke's particular approach to the Resurrection narratives.

Fr. Steven