Speaking to the Soul at the Episcopal Caf has a snippet from the Epistle of Barnabas up for the feast of the same today. The Epistle is most likely not by Barnabas, of course, but is considered a legitimate writing of the Apostolic Fathers. The Epistle is primarily a work against Judaizing tendencies and pushes hard a very allegorical reading of the Law.
I have a rather intimate familiarity with this text since it was the one I chose to focus on for my Patristic Greek exam. My favorite part is the section on the allegorical interpretation of weasels…
From Wikipedia:
“Most mustelid reproduction involves embryonic diapause. The embryo does not immediately implant in the uterus, but remains dormant for a period of time. No development takes place as long as the embryo remains unattached to the uterine lining. As a result, the normal gestation period is extended, sometimes up to a year. This allows the young to be born under more favorable environmental conditions. Reproduction has a large energy cost and it is to a female’s benefit to have available food and mild weather. The young are more likely to survive if birth occurs after previous offspring have been weaned.”
Let the blogger understand.
Indeed…there is much wisdom in allowing that course to unfold. :-)