From the Old Testament The Leadership of Moses Exodus 3:1 - 4:31 records the events by which God called Moses to deliver the Israelites from their Egyptian captivity. A commentary on this passage is provided by theologian Professor Trembelas in his book “Moses, the Liberator of Israel”[1]. Moses was selected and prepared by God from birth to challenge Pharaoh and to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. It is important to note that God did not call Moses to this task while he was still living in the palace of Pharaoh as a “prince of Egypt”. According to Trembelas, God [...]

Moses and the burning bush - the representation of Panagia “..And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, ‘I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.’ So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look…. He said, ‘Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” [...]

In Exodus 33:18 Moses asks God: “Please, show me Your glory”! But the vision of God as presented in the Holy Scriptures may sometimes appear contradictory. Some passages characterise such a vision as impossible whereas others state the opposite. From the Old Testament, we read: “the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend”. At the same time a few verses later God tells Moses: “You cannot see My face, for no man can see My face and live” (Exodus 33:11,20). Likewise, in the New Testament Christ teaches: “blessed are the pure in heart [...]

The Rod of Jesse “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” (Isaiah 11:1) This is one of the many prophecies regarding the Incarnation of Christ, which clearly states that Christ will be born with royal lineage. The Genealogies of Christ found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, confirm that Jesus’ descendants can be traced back to Jesse through the Holy Theotokos. Our Church hymnography expresses the same message in the Katavasies of Christmas: “Jesse’s root produced a branch, O Christ, and You its flower blossomed forth.” [...]

The Prophet Joel Nothing certain is known of the life of the holy Prophet Joel outside of his book of the Old Testament. The Book of Joel is very short, but contains a very important prophecy relating to the events that occurred on Pentecost: "I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions" (Joel 3:1). The promise of the Holy Spirit is followed by a prophecy that the good news shall be proclaimed by those whom the Lord calls. This perhaps [...]