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This tale, found in the book of Ben Sira (Sirach), one of the Deuterocanonical books, really brings home the power of faith and righteous action in the face of overwhelming odds. I...
It's in those moments that we often turn to something greater, something beyond ourselves. And that's precisely what we find in the words attributed to Ben Sira. This passage, foun...
The birth of a child, for instance, can be a moment of overwhelming happiness tinged with the pain of labor, the worry for their future. The story of Benjamin's birth, as recounted...
Our story begins with Tobi. He’s in exile in Nineveh, in Assyria. And right away, he’s calling out to God: “Remember me, my God, for good.” He’s not just asking for a favor; he’s r...
That’s precisely what happened back in the 3rd century BCE, according to the Letter of Aristeas. This fascinating text, attributed to a courtier named Aristeas in the service of Eg...
That's the story that unfolds in the Book of Maccabees, and it starts with a wolf in sheep's clothing. The passage we're looking at from 1 Maccabees 1 describes the actions of Anti...
Mattathias, father of the Maccabees, certainly felt that way. Our story isn't from the Hebrew Bible we know as the Tanakh. This comes from the First Book of Maccabees, part of the ...
What would you do? Where would you go? This is precisely the situation facing Mattathias and his sons in the Book of Maccabees I, Chapter 2. They've just made a monumental decision...
The First Book of Maccabees, a historical text not included in the Hebrew Bible but considered canonical by some Christians, offers a powerful glimpse into this very question. It r...
