Discipleship Courses
THE BIRTH OF THE MESSIAH: DISCIPLESHIP BOOK STUDY PLEASE REGISTER
As we have moved through the Advent and Christmas seasons in the past, have you ever found your selves asking some of these questions: Are the Infancy Narratives of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke straightforward histories of biographies of Jesus? How come the two narratives do not always agree in their details? Why do Matthew and Luke have Infancy Narratives and not Mark and John? Are the genealogies of Jesus just a long boring list of names or is there something more going on here? Who are the Magi and why do they appear in the narratives? Why does one of the narratives (Matthew) focus more on Joseph and the other (Luke) focus more on Mary? Why are there so many quotations from the Old Testament in the Narratives? And, for all of these questions, what is the evidence that is given in response? No doubt you can add many more questions to these. How do we dig deeper and find answers to such questions? This discipleship group is designed to help us find our way through to a deeper understanding of the beginning of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke Raymond E. Brown (1928 - 1998) was one of the foremost Catholic Scripture scholars of the twentieth century. He had a long and prolific career devoted to deepening our understanding of the Sacred Scriptures. One of his best known works is Raymond E. Brown, S.S. The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke (New Updated Edition). New York: Doubleday 1999, a study of the Infancy Narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.
This Fall, beginning on Saturday, October 24 (and running for 8 weeks through Saturday, December 19, 8:00 – 10:30 AM, upstairs in Barry Hall) in preparation for the Feast of Christmas, Christ the King Parish will have a reading group focused on Brown’s magisterial work, a detailed examination of the Infancy Narratives. We will dig deep into the Narratives and examine their content as theology and as introduction to the Gospels, and how we can come to see them as “Gospels in miniature” as we come to understand the Narratives as the initial Christian messages of Matthew and Luke, and how they convey from the beginning that Jesus is the Son of God acting for the salvation of all people. Brown’s book includes a detailed commentary on the Infancy Narratives as well as the background that helps us to understand them in the context of their times and places, the nature and process of composition of the narratives, and the wider vision of the evangelists. We will see that there were other infancy narratives about Jesus (still extant today) that were widely known and read, but ultimately not included in the canon of Scripture – why was this? In all of this, Brown works to deepen our knowledge of how they can speak to us today.
This will be a reading intensive group, which will include weekly readings and meditations on the Gospel narratives as well as about 50 pages a week in Brown’s book. The discipleship group will be led by CTK parishioner Jim Beauregard. You can reach Jim at drjamesbeauregard@aol.com with any questions.
About the book: Raymond E. Brown, S.S. The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke (New Updated Edition). New York: Doubleday, 1999. There is no cost for the group, but group members will need to purchase or obtain their own copy. No one will miss out due to any financial hardship – if you are not able to purchase a copy of your own, please let Jim know as some copies will be available at no cost. The book is available at amazon.com and also frequently at reduced prices at AbeBooks
Meeting/Readings Schedule
Meetings will be held Saturdays, 8:00 – 10:30 AM upstairs in Barry Hall
Texts:
- Raymond E. Brown, S.S. The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke (New Updated Edition). New York: Doubleday, 1999.
- Gospel of Matthew 1-2, Infancy Narrative
- Gospel of Luke 1-2 , Infancy Narrative
Weekly Schedule:
Week 1 Saturday, October 24
Reading: Brown, Birth of the Messiah, 45-121
Week 2 Saturday October 31
Reading: Brown, Birth of the Messiah, 122-201
Week 3 Saturday November 7
Reading: Brown, Birth of the Messiah, 202-255
Week 4 Saturday November14
Reading: Brown, Birth of the Messiah, 256-329
Week 5 Saturday November 21
Reading: Brown, Birth of the Messiah, 330-392
No meeting 11/28 Thanksgiving Break
Week 6 Saturday December 5
Reading: Brown, Birth of the Messiah, 393-434
Week 7 Saturday December 12
Reading: Brown, Birth of the Messiah, 435-499
Week 8 Saturday December 19
Reading: The Protoevangalium of James