The Work of Bees

I can’t remember how it happened exactly, but yesterday I decided to write an essay about bees—bees in the history of Christian culture, to be more specific. Modern preachers rarely mention them, but Origen, John Chrysostom, Lactantius, Gregory of Nyssa, and St. Augustine all spoke about bees. Early versions of the Exsultet , the prayer of the Church at the lighting of the Paschal Candle, sing the praises of the bees who provide the wax for the candle, though today’s English translation doesn’t even convey the bees’ brief mention in the Latin rite. In any event, if readers of the blog know of good appearances by bees in the writings of the Church Fathers, popular devotion, or the rites of the church, please e-mail me .