Dr. Michael Barber
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Understanding the Book of Acts—Part 3: More Similarities Between Luke and Acts
Posted by Dr. Michael Barber on 04.29.11 |
Be sure to read Part 1 and Part 2.
Continuing our walk through the book of Acts, we can note the following similarities between what happened to Jesus in the Gospel of Luke and what happens in the life of the Church in Acts.
A centurion. . .
A centurion, well-spoken of by the Jews, sends servants to Jesus to ask him to come to his house (Luke 7:1–10).
A centurion, well-spoken of by the Jewish people,… [Continue Reading]
The Eucharistic Theology of Early Church Fathers
Posted by Dr. Michael Barber on 04.28.11 |early church, early church fathers, Eucharist, Ignatius, Irenaeus
Joel, who speaks of how he is more Eucharistic-centric than many of his Protestant friends, has a great post up on John Paul II and the Eucharist. Of course, I’m pretty Eucharistic-centric too. : )
In fact, at JP Catholic we participate in the Eucharistic celebration every day.
Anyways. . . since Joel brought up the Eucharist, I thought I’d share a bit from the early church fathers.
Irenaeus on the… [Continue Reading]
Understanding the Book of Acts: Part 2—Acts of Jesus & Acts of the Apostles
Posted by Dr. Michael Barber on 04.27.11 |Book of Acts, Easter Season, Luke-Acts, Talbert
In the first post of this series I highlighted the unity of Luke-Acts. I emphasized that the two books seem to show us that the ministry of Jesus is continued through his Church. Now I want to begin to move closely through the narrative, highlighting the way this theological truth is underscored.
Indeed, for the reader who knows the Gospel of Luke, Acts is a sort of déjà vu experience. The narrative… [Continue Reading]
Jesus Didn't Just "Die for Our Salvation": Why He Rose from the Dead
Posted by Dr. Michael Barber on 04.26.11 |1 Cor 15:14, 1 Corinthians 15, Durrwell, Easter, Resurrection, Rom 4:25, Thomas Aquinas
Christ is risen, Alleluia!
But why did he rise from the dead?
Here I want to ask the question and touch on an aspect of the resurrection that is often overlooked, namely, how it relates to our salvation.
Most people know that Jesus died for their sins. But, as we shall see, according to the New Testament Jesus also rose for our salvation. This aspect of the biblical message is often neglected. The… [Continue Reading]
Understanding the Book of Acts: Part 1—"Why Do You Persecute Me?"
Posted by Dr. Michael Barber on 04.26.11 |Book of Acts, Easter Season, Talbert
As we begin the Easter season, the liturgy—particularly the lectionary readings—turn our attention to the Book of Acts. Here then I thought I’d return to some material I’ve touched upon here in the past, namely, the link between the Acts of the Apostles and the life of Christ in the Gospel of Luke.
Indeed, once you see how the ministry of the Church in Acts is linked to that of Christ’s in the Gospels—and… [Continue Reading]
Presenting a Paper for the Matthew Section at SBL
Posted by Dr. Michael Barber on 04.04.11 |Gospel, Matthew, SBL, Scripture
I got word this week that the paper I proposed for the Matthew section at this year’s annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature was accepted. Here’s the abstract:
Jesus’ Teaching on the Law, Deuteronomic Concessions and Eschatological Righteousness: A Re-examination of the Teaching on Divorce and Remarriage in Matthew 5:31–32
In the Sermon on the Mount we find Matthew’s most explicit account… [Continue Reading]
Archbishop Gomez on the Pope's Book as the Model for Scripture Study
Posted by Dr. Michael Barber on 03.21.11 |Archbishop Gomez, Jesus of Nazareth, Pope Benedict XVI, Scripture, Scripture Study
Archbishop Jose Gomez has a piece in the latest Tidings, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, focusing on Benedict’s new book. This is fantastic stuff! Would that all Catholic bishops would write to their faithful about the need to follow Benedict’s example of Scripture study!
Pope Benedict’s attempt to implement the Catholic biblical renewal envisioned by the Second Vatican Council will… [Continue Reading]
Archbishop Gomez's Inspiring Inaugural Homily
Posted by Dr. Michael Barber on 03.07.11 |Archbishop Gomez
The new archbishop of Los Angeles delivered a stirring homily today. I just had to mention some of it here:
. . . this is not a future I could have ever imagined for myself [i.e., becoming the archbishop of the largest diocese in America, Los Angeles]. But our God is a God of surprises—un Dios de sorpresas—as well as a God of blessings and tender mercies!
As I mark the start of my ministry today in… [Continue Reading]
