Our Woman of the Week is Rebecca Hiromi Luft, nominated for her work as professor of Holy Scripture, St. Macrina Orthodox Institute for the Renewal of Diakonia and Catechesis, a ministry of the Diocese of the Midwest of the Orthodox Church in America, where she was a founding faculty member. She holds a Ph.D. in Old Testament studies, and specializes in research on the ancient priestly cult. You see her here representing St. Makarios Orthodox Christian Chaplaincy and Orthodox Christian Fellowship at a student orientation week at the University of Chicago around two years ago, and representing the Orthodox Church in America at the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Karlsruhe, Germany, in late summer 2022 alongside His Grace Bishop Andrei of Cleveland (right) and OCA Chancellor Fr. Alexander Rentel. We asked her to tell you how she became involved with the institute, which started as a late-vocations program:
“I started teaching Scripture for Saint Macrina Orthodox Institute for Diakonia and Catechesis of the OCA Diocese of the Midwest about seventeen years ago when it was the Chicago Deanery late vocations program. It is now a diocesan-wide program which involves a curriculum cycle of seven courses. The institute prepares men for ordination to the diaconate, and women or men for a catechist certificate. It includes a yearly practicum and conference for people in both the diaconal and catechetical track. The classes are academically- and pastorally-oriented and emphasize spiritual discernment in reading critical scholarship. Our goal is not just to teach ‘the facts,’ that is, just to memorize data, but to develop a habit of deeper reflection which struggles with the complexity and nuances of theology. One of our goals is to uncover the scriptural elements that inform and support our Tradition--not to present fully synthesized or dogmatic conclusions.
“It has been an honor to teach the many students who are managing multiple responsibilities as parents, full- time work, and parish commitments. This student profile brings a richness to the discussions, because they are able to draw on their many deep, diverse, and complex life experiences. I have personally benefited from our seminar-style discussions, which I then take back to my own reflection and teaching on the scriptural text.
“Each time I teach, I fundamentally struggle with my sense of insufficiency before the God who reveals Himself and continues to reveal Himself to anyone who searches Scripture. I have a strong temptation to a Moses-like self-pity, when he said, ‘Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either heretofore or since thou hast spoken to thy servant; but I am slow of speech and of tongue.’ I remind myself of the first time I entered an Orthodox church before I converted—I felt strangely at home but also in an Apocalypse of terrifying beauty. Through the study of Scripture and participation in the liturgy, I seek to renew and deepen that experience.”
Axia!
Rebecca Hiromi Luft is our Woman of the Week is nominated for her work as professor of Holy Scripture. You see her here at the annual St. Macrina Conference and Practicum in August 2022. We asked her to tell you what she wants Orthodox Christians to know about the Old Testament, her area of specialty:
“What I would like for people to understand about the Old Testament is that it is the Scripture of the Apostle Paul and Jesus and his disciples. This may seem obvious, but when Christians discuss the relationship between the Old and New Testament, it is often described in terms of a radical, new departure from the Law and the Prophets. This is an erroneous approach to Scripture because it suggests there are two different gods, one of the Old Testament and one of the New Testament.
“Already in the Old Testament, God descends from the heavens and manifests Himself to Israel in a sense-perceptible manner, that is, in His Glory. The Lord expresses his desire to be close to his people when says, “And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.” He accompanies his people through their journeys in the wilderness. Through his prophets, he provides a visible witness to the foolishness of the Cross and prefigures his own suffering in the flesh. In other words, God is already moving toward incarnation in Israel.
“Closely tied to my first point is the way that Christians sometimes characterize the Law as simple legalism and no longer relevant for Christians. We have to remember that these Laws are divine revelation and should not be carelessly rejected as obsolete. Instead, we must continue to interpret them, and to even see Christ in them. Seeing Christ in the Law is not as straightforward as our Christological interpretations of figures in the Prophets and the Psalms, but he is there, as my first statement referring to the Glory demonstrates.
“A better characterization of the Law is one in which it is viewed as a gift of wisdom and instruction which allows for a sustained relationship between Israel and her God. God from his position outside the limitations of time and space, had already chosen Israel—she is already foreknown in the mind of God. God also knew that his people would fall short, so he gave the Law as a pathway back to him. In this way, he doesn’t abandon his people to their human sinfulness, but keeps his promises to them.
“Finally, how is this important for Orthodox Christians? This understanding of the Law is relevant for Orthodox Christians because our practices presume principles which underlie the Law. The ritual dimensions of the Law are expressed in the way that we organize sacred space. Our great respect for the holy things is something we share with the Law. Our ascetic practices, such as fasting before we receive holy communion, reflects the fasting of Moses and the Israelites in their preparation for theophany. The eating and drinking of the divine presence by Moses, Aaron, the priests, and seventy elders on the holy mountain participates in our eating and drinking the body and blood of Christ. These are only a few examples, but I think they are a good starting point for understanding the centrality of the Old Testament for the Church.”
As always, we asked our Woman of the Week, Rebecca Hiromi Luft, who (in addition to being a professor of Old Testament) is a chanter in her parish and Church School Director and teacher, about her morning routine. She has also shared her home altar with you:
“You asked about my morning routine--it’s quite boring: prayer, coffee, get sleepy teenage boy to school, then start reading and thinking.
“I’m very grateful to have a life of study and reflection on Scripture. I'm also thankful that I have been able to pursue this work with a supportive husband, Fr. Elijah Mueller, my most significant interlocutor, and to have been in warm and hospitable parish settings which have nurtured my work. Fr. Elijah is a graduate of St. Vladimir Theological Seminary and rector of Saints Cyril and Methodius (OCA) in the Diocese of the Midwest.”
Thank you, Rebecca!
