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The Bible as Literature — Education
The Bible as Literature

Each week, Fr. Marc Boulos discusses the content of the Bible as literature. On Tuesdays, Fr. Paul Tarazi presents an in-depth analysis of the biblical text in the original languages.

Latest Episodes:

A Yo Yo for Your Sake Aug 25, 2016

Show notes

Unfortunately, Christians often co-opt the Bible to justify philosophical axioms, such as, "it is good to be humble," or, "it is wrong to boast;" “it is good to be nice," or, "cruelty is evil." You get the point. We take the Bible, which turns human morality on its head and we use it to justify the way that we think people should be. But in Paul's teaching, there is no "way to be." On the contrary, there is a teaching to follow, and for that teaching, boasting can be as useful as humility and cruelty as helpful as kindness. Everything depends on our premise and the reference for our actions. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 2 Corinthians 10. (Episode 136; 2 Corinthians 10); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Vicious” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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No Thanks to You Aug 18, 2016

Show notes

Is it possible to do something good without allowing yourself to take credit? I'm not talking about haughty expressions of socially encouraged self-deprication. On the contrary, is it possible to do something good while knowing--with absolute certainty--that you are not good and that you do not deserve any credit? What is a selfless act? Some would say it is impossible. Thankfully, with God all things are possible. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 2 Corinthians 9. (Episode 135; 2 Corinthians 9); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Dreamer" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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The Bus Keeps Moving Aug 11, 2016

Show notes

People tend to overestimate their own importance while ignoring--or at least underestimating--the value of others. This problem is keenly felt in the church at Roman Corinth, where Paul uses the success of others to realign the self-view of his disciples. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 2 Corinthians 8:16-24. (Episode 134; 2 Corinthians 8:16-24); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Peaceful Desolation" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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True Equality is Not Fair Aug 03, 2016

Show notes

On some level, people recognize the importance of being fair. We know that our laws should treat people equally and we understand that no one should take more than their "fair share" from anyone else. From the moment we step on the playground as kids until the day we calculate our retirement pay, we live and operate in a world that frames equality in terms of reciprocity. But what if equality could not be achieved by fairness? Worse, what if true equality meant cheating everyone? Would we still demand equality? Fortunately, it's not what we demand, but what St. Paul commands, that truly counts. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 2 Corinthians 8:1-15. (Episode 133; 2 Corinthians 8:1-15); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Secret of Tikki Island” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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The Story of God's Will Jul 28, 2016

Show notes

Life coaches love to talk about having confidence in their clients and the importance of building self-worth and self-esteem. Fortunately, for the church in Roman Corinth, Paul does not view his followers as customers and he definitely does not have confidence in them. On the contrary, Paul's boldness is in God’s teaching at work in his children. St. Paul's hope is not in the ability of his disciples, but in the power of the teaching to manifest its fruit on its own terms. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 2 Corinthians 7:8-16. (Episode 132; 2 Corinthians 7:8-16); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Nonstop" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Repeat, Repeat, Repeat! Jul 21, 2016

Show notes

Most leaders motivate others by boasting of their accomplishments. They talk about past goals they have achieved, they reflect on how effective they were at leading others to meet those goals, they praise others for their efforts, they explain the virtue of their future goals, and they repeat the message over and over again to motivate their teams. But what if your leader only spoke of his failures and sufferings? What would you think of him? How much confidence would you have in his leadership? What if he kept repeating his message of failure? Would you remain loyal to him? Would you follow his instructions? Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 2 Corinthians 7:1-8. (Episode 131; 2 Corinthians 7:1-8); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Super Power Cool Dude" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Life is Not Gray Jul 14, 2016

Show notes

People resolve the tension of diversity either by clinging to fundamentalism or by embracing relativism. Unfortunately, both approaches share a desire to be right: to have the right ideas, to associate with the right people, to know who is clean and who is unclean. The relativist, like the fundamentalist, is fine with "everyone," so long as "everyone" agrees with them that everything is relative. In 2 Corinthians 6, Paul admonishes his disciples to separate "righteousness and lawlessness" but also warns the church that when God says "be separate" or don't touch what is unclean, he is not talking about people who disagree with you. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 2 Corinthians 6:11-18. (Episode 130; 2 Corinthians 6:11-18); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "District Four" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It Jul 07, 2016

Show notes

We human beings love having an excuse; or having the opportunity to blame someone else for our problems; or having the freedom to blame our failures on unforeseen circumstances. Unfortunately for us, according to St. Paul, no matter who you are, no matter what you do in life, no matter where you come from, no matter what is happening to you, no matter what others do to you, no matter what you think, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to remain steadfast in your trust of God's teaching. (Episode 129; 2 Corinthians 6:1-10); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; âDead Dropâ Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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The Great Divorce Jun 30, 2016

Show notes

In one of his most popular works, C.S. Lewis talks about the inevitable divorce between good and evil: a comforting philosophical notion that allows adherents to be right or to be able to choose the winning side--as the sons of men often and arrogantly boast--"to be on the right side of history." But what if there are no winning sides? What if, as Jesus said, "no one is good?" In 2 Corinthians, St. Paul also talks about a divorce, not between good and evil, but between what is perishable and what is imperishable. Richard and Fr. Marc continue their discussion of 2 Corinthians 5. (Episode 128; 2 Corinthians 5:10-20); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Overworld” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Don't Get Comfortable Jun 23, 2016

Show notes

When Paul talks about being "absent from the body," our Hellenized ears want to believe that he is talking about a dualism with some version of a Platonic soul inhabiting (or exiting) our "earthen vessel." As appealing as this may be to some, it has nothing to do with St. Paul's letter. Paul is not talking about your soul leaving your body. On the contrary, he is admonishing you to embrace discomfort in your body, trusting God's teaching against all hope, especially when it is unpleasant. In the immortal words of Tertullian, "What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?" Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 2 Corinthians 5:1-10. (Episode 127; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Deadly Roulette” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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