2 Maccabees 14 exposes the damage caused by corrupt religious ambition, the instability of political friendship, Nicanor’s threat against the temple, and the hard pastoral question raised by Razis.

Read and follow along: https://orthodoxbiblestudy.com/bible-studies/old-testament/2-maccabees/2-maccabees-14-alcimus-nicanor-and-razis

2 Maccabees 15 closes the book with Nicanor’s Sabbath contempt, Judas’ hope-filled encouragement, the vision of Onias and Jeremiah interceding, and a victory that must be read as worshipful deliverance rather than triumphalism.

Read and follow along: https://orthodoxbiblestudy.com/bible-studies/old-testament/2-maccabees/2-maccabees-15-onias-jeremiah-and-the-defeat-of-nicanor

Genesis introduces creation, fall, covenant, promise, and providence as the foundation for reading Scripture through Christ and the life of the Church.

Read and follow along: https://orthodoxbiblestudy.com/bible-studies/old-testament/genesis/genesis-general-introduction

Genesis 1 proclaims that everything begins with God speaking: creation is ordered, blessed, declared good, and crowned with humanity made in the image and likeness of God.

Read and follow along: https://orthodoxbiblestudy.com/bible-studies/old-testament/genesis/genesis-1-creation-and-the-image-of-god

Genesis 2 reveals God forming man from the dust, breathing life into him, planting Eden, and establishing marriage as communion, stewardship, and gift.

Read and follow along: https://orthodoxbiblestudy.com/bible-studies/old-testament/genesis/genesis-2-eden-marriage-and-the-breath-of-life

Genesis 3 traces distrust into shame, blame, toil, and death, while the enmity promised in 3:15 opens a hope Christians read in the victory of Christ.

Read and follow along: https://orthodoxbiblestudy.com/bible-studies/old-testament/genesis/genesis-3-the-fall-and-the-first-promise

Genesis 4 shows worship turned inward as Cain rejects correction, envies Abel, and rises against his brother. The study carries the wound of false worship and violence while showing God warning, judging, and preserving a line of calling through Seth.

Read and follow along: https://orthodoxbiblestudy.com/bible-studies/old-testament/genesis/genesis-4-cain-abel-and-the-wound-of-worship

Genesis 5 traces Adam’s generations under the repeated shadow of death, yet keeps the promise alive through Seth, Enoch, and Noah. The study weighs the grief of mortality against the hope of walking with God and awaiting comfort beyond the curse.

Read and follow along: https://orthodoxbiblestudy.com/bible-studies/old-testament/genesis/genesis-5-adam-s-generations-and-the-hope-of-enoch

Genesis 6-8 presents the flood as judgment on a corrupt and violent world, yet also as salvation through the ark. The study carries the holy seriousness of sin and the mystery of God preserving life through waters that bring a new beginning.

Read and follow along: https://orthodoxbiblestudy.com/bible-studies/old-testament/genesis/genesis-6-8-noah-the-ark-flood-and-new-beginning

Genesis 9 reveals God blessing Noah, covenanting with all flesh, and setting the bow in the clouds after the flood. The study holds mercy and realism together, showing a preserved world still in need of inward renewal.

Read and follow along: https://orthodoxbiblestudy.com/bible-studies/old-testament/genesis/genesis-9-covenant-with-noah-and-the-bow-in-the-clouds