Solomon and Kings

We’re always looking for ideas to get the most out of Dr. Jeannie’s lessons. With this in mind, the following questions were provided by the Bible study group at St. Mary’s Orthodox Church in Cambridge, MA. These questions are related to both Solomon and Kings and Elijah (Part 1).
  1. What should we take away from the fact that the Church Fathers are divided on the issue of Solomon’s righteousness?
  2. What is the book of Kings about? What literary pattern arises in this book?
  3. After the division of the Kingdom of Israel, what were the characteristics of the Northern Kingdom? How was the Southern Kingdom different?
  4. Why is Elijah such a “popular” prophet amongst Christians (relative to other Old Testament prophets)? How was St. John the Baptist similar to the prophet Elijah?
  5. How does Elijah come to be in need of food and water? What important lessons does St. John Chrysostom urge us to take away from the parable of the widow who feeds Elijah?
  6. The parable of the widow who feeds Elijah is one of the Old Testament readings on Holy Saturday morning. Why do you think this parable is included in the lectionary so close to Pascha?

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