Metr. Saba: Scripture Reveals God’s Work, Not Simply Human History

ENGLEWOOD, NJ — Metr. Saba (Isper) of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America has explored how Scripture reveals divine providence through human history in an essay titled “The Concealed Theology.”

Metr. Saba explained that the Bible is not primarily a historical chronicle but a theological account of God’s work among humanity. Although Scripture contains information useful to historians, its central purpose is to reveal God’s action in human life.

He illustrated this distinction with the example of a poor father who, unable to afford his son’s operation, received an unexpected transfer from a long-estranged brother for exactly the amount needed. The believer, Metr. Saba wrote, would see the event not as coincidence but as providence.

The essay also examined how the Old Testament’s accounts reflect the religious understanding of later generations. Metr. Saba pointed to the Book of Judges, in which Israel’s obedience and disobedience shaped its fortunes, and discussed the biblical account of Jericho as an example of how historical traditions can convey theological meaning rather than precise chronology.

Metr. Saba concluded that Christians should learn to recognize God’s providence not only in extraordinary miracles but also in the ordinary means through which He provides for them. Recounting a story in which St. Anthony said he had sent a woman suffering from toothache a dentist three times, Metr. Saba asked: “Do not many people deal with God in precisely this way?”

Previously, the UOJ reported that the Antiochian Village Bookstore released a redesigned pocket prayer book.