The Bible as Literature

Lift Up Your Gates Aug 21, 2025

All of Scripture comes to this: hope and trust.
Not in the work of our hands, but in the righteousness of God.
He alone vindicates the poor, he alone tends the needy.
He is the Good Shepherd, the breath in the night,
the voice that calms the storm,
the hand that keeps the wolf at bay.

Will we close the gates?
Will we bind ourselves in chains?
Will we send him away?

To wait is to hope.
Yet waiting is also a test,
a scrutiny that ends in failure or in faith,
in ruin or in steadfastness.

Who can endure?
Who will remain when the King returns—
ignoring the mockery of nations,
turning only for his guidance,
submitting to his Command before the Hour,
trusting in the Day?

“Lift up your heads, you gates,
And be lifted up, you ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in!

Who is the King of glory?

The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, you gates,
And lift them up, you ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in!

Who is this King of glory?

The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory.” (Psalm 24:7-10)

This week, I discuss Luke 8:40.

Καὶ ἐν τῷ ὑποστρέφειν τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἀπεδέξατο αὐτὸν ὁ ὄχλος· ἦσαν γὰρ πάντες προσδοκῶντες αὐτόν.

“And as Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed ἀπεδέξατο (apedéxato) him, for they were all waiting προσδοκῶντες (prosdokôntes) for him.”

Show Notes

ἀποδέχομαι (apodechomai)

ἀποδέχομαι (apodechomai) is a compound (ἀπό + δέχομαι) constructed on the core usages of “receiving, welcoming, taking in.” The prefix ἀπό (apo) heightens the action, not just marking reception but sharpening it into a decisive acceptance: an acknowledgment that leans toward submission rather than casual receiving.

Its itinerary begins in the Greek text with the notion of hospitality and reception: the gates opened for Judith, the honor paid in Joppa, the joyful welcome of brothers in Jerusalem, and the warm acceptance of a report. From there, its usage expands into the realm of acknowledgment and recognition: the acceptance of terms, the granting of petitions, the understanding of a matter, the admission of information, the acknowledgment of divine sovereignty, the cognitive recognition of realities, and the formal acknowledgments offered in speech. Finally, in the New Testament, the term reaches its full significance in submission to the divine words: those who receive the apostolic proclamation do not merely admit or recognize but firmly accept it as God’s own words, surrendering themselves in baptism.

Judith 13:13: HOSPITALITY AND RECEPTION “When they heard her voice, they hurried to call the elders of the city. They all ran together, both small and great, because it seemed unbelievable to them that she had returned, and they opened the gate and welcomed [ἀπεδέξαντο (apedexanto), aorist middle indicative] them.”
1 Maccabees 9:71: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF TERMS “Thus the sword ceased from Israel. And Jonathan lived at Michmash. And Jonathan began to judge the people, and he accepted [ἀπεδέξατο (apedexato), aorist middle indicative] the situation at that time.”
3 Maccabees 3:17: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF PETITION “When the people heard this, they raised an outcry to heaven, so that those who were nearby and those far away were astonished at the sound of their united cry. But the king, considering their unity, accepted [ἀπεδέξατο (apedexato), aorist middle indicative] their plea.”
Tobit 7:16: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF UNDERSTANDING “And Raguel called his wife Edna, and said to her, ‘Sister, prepare the other room and bring her there.’ She went and spread the bed with her for her, as he had said, and she brought her there. And she understood [ἀπεδέξατο (apedexato), aorist middle indicative] the matter.”
2 Maccabees 3:9: FORMAL ADMISSION OF INFORMATION “So he told him about the great amount of money under the king’s control, and that Apollonius the governor had informed him. And Heliodorus went to the king and admitted [ἀπεδέξατο (apedexato), aorist middle indicative] what had been told.”
2 Maccabees 3:35: RECOGNITION OF DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY “And Heliodorus offered sacrifice to the Lord and made very great vows to Him who had granted him life, and he acknowledged [ἀπεδέξατο (apedexato), aorist middle indicative] the Lord of all.”
2 Maccabees 4:22: TRIBAL WELCOME WITH HONOR “And when he came into Joppa, he was welcomed [ἀπεδέχθη (apedechthē), aorist passive indicative] magnificently by the people.”
3 Maccabees 5:27: JOYFUL ACCEPTANCE OF REPORT “But the Jews, as they heard this and perceived the invincible protection, praised the Lord, who had so miraculously manifested Himself, and they received [ἀπεδέξαντο (apedexanto), aorist middle indicative] the report with joy.”
4 Maccabees 3:20: COGNITIVE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT “For since reason rules over the emotions, it is evident that the emotions are not destroyed. For if the emotions had been destroyed, it would not be possible for reason to recognize [ἀποδέχεσθαι (apodechesthai), present middle infinitive] any of them.”
Acts 2:41: SUBMISSION TO THE WORD “So then, those who had received [ἀποδεξάμενοι (apodexamenoi), aorist middle participle] his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.”
Acts 15:4: TRIBAL WELCOME AND ACCEPTANCE OF REPORT “When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed [ἀπεδέχθησαν (apedechthēsan), aorist passive indicative] by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.”
Acts 18:27: FRATERNAL WELCOME TIED TO MISSION “And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome [ἀποδέξασθαι (apodexasthai), aorist middle infinitive] him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace.”
Acts 21:17: TRIBAL WELCOME “After we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed [ἀπεδέξαντο (apedexanto), aorist middle indicative] us gladly.”
Acts 24:3: “We acknowledge [ἀποδεχόμεθα (apodechometha), present middle indicative] this in every way and everywhere, most excellent Felix, with all thankfulness.” FORMAL ADMISSION OF INFORMATION
Acts 28:30: “Now Paul stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming [ἀπεδέχετο (apedecheto), imperfect middle indicative] all who came to him.” FRATERNAL WELCOME TIED TO MISSION
1 Thessalonians 2:13: DECISIVE SUBMISSION TO DIVINE WORD“For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received [παραλαβόντες (paralabontes), aorist active participle] the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted [ἀποδεξάμενοι (apodexamenoi), aorist middle participle] it not as the word of men, but as what it really is, the word of God, which also is at work in you who believe.”

προσδοκάω (prosdokaō)

Expect, wait for, look for. From δοκάω (think, suppose) with the prefix πρός- (towards). To look toward in expectation.

ע־ר־ף (ʿayin–resh–fe) / ع-ر-ف (ʿayn–rāʾ–fāʾ)
“May my teaching drip [יַעֲרֹף (yaʿarof)] as the ra...

Incense and Ash Aug 07, 2025

The function ש־ו־ב (shin–waw–bet) is not the sigh of remorse in a cloistered heart, but the pivot of a sword’s edge; the turn God commands into the place where his name has been denied. Abraham returns from the valley of kings; Moses returns to the mountain, still breathing the smoke of the calf’s golden stench; Gideon returns to the camp with the dream of victory burning in his ears. None turns to hide—all turn to face him.

And ח־נ־ן (ḥet–nun–nun), to plead, is no bowing before the courts of men. The human reference vanishes. Job’s feeble plea to his servant falls into the void. Malachi mocks the lips that beg for favor while the hands bring defilement. Proper pleading is stripped of flattery and calculation, bare as incense in the wind, carrying no name but his.

In Luke’s Gerasene plain, the return is marked by absence. The swine are gone, the crowd is gone, the man’s former companions erased. He stands alone, clothed and found, with no community left to shield him, no filth left to hide him, no power left to reference but the one who sent him. This is the Day when the disbeliever is given back his own deed, when tribe and city and oath are dust, and a man stands naked before the Face that made him.

This is the Day that the Lord has made.

To return is to step into that bareness now, ahead of the Hour, with only obedience in your hands.

“Return to your house, habibi, and describe what great things God has done for you.”

This week, I discuss Luke 8:39.

Show Notes

δέομαι (deomai) / ח־נ־ן (ḥet–nun–nun) / ح–ن–ن (ḥāʾ–nūn–nūn)

BEGGING IN VAIN

The itinerary of ח־נ־ן (ḥet–nun–nun) / ح–ن–ن (ḥāʾ–nūn–nūn) opens with righteous entreaty to God in Deuteronomy 3:23 — “I pleaded [וָאֶתְחַנַּ֖ן (waʾetḥannan)] with the Lord at that time” — and proceeds to submission before his prophet in 2 Kings 1:13 — “he bowed down on his knees before Elijah and begged [וַיִּתְחַנֵּ֗ן (wayyiṭḥannēn)] him.” It is upheld as the correct course in Job 8:5 — “if you will search for God and implore [תִּתְחַנָּֽן (titḥannan)] the compassion of the Almighty” — but falters in Job 19:16, when Job seeks compassion from a human servant: “I called to my servant, but he gave me no answer; I pleaded [חִנַּ֖נְתִּי (ḥinnantī)] with him with my mouth.”

Here, the root meets the same fork in the road as מ־צ־א (mem–ṣade–aleph) / و–ج–د (wāw–jīm–dāl) “to find.” To plead in the wrong direction is the verbal equivalent of being found in the wrong place—misoriented, exposed, and powerless. Job is “found out” in his misdirected appeal.

The itinerary returns to proper alignment in Psalm 141:2 — “may my prayer be counted as incense before you” — where the supplication is again oriented toward God, the one who truly “finds” his slave. But the arc terminates with Malachi 1:9 — “will you not plead [חִנַּנְאֵל (ḥinnū-ʾēl)] for God’s favor…with such an offering…will he receive any of you kindly?” Here, the prophet exposes the futility of petition without obedience. Even the correct address is worthless if the one who pleads is “found” corrupt.

In Luke, δέομαι (deomai) follows the same itinerary. As with מ־צ־א, the point is not the act itself — searching, pleading, finding — but the reference. Mercy is not secured by human initiative, whether in seeking or in supplication, but by being found by God in faithful submission. To plead wrongly is to be found wrongly; to plead rightly is to be found rightly. Luke’s use aligns with Malachi’s charge: misplaced faith or hypocritical worship is no more effective than Job’s appeal to his unresponsive servant.

Deuteronomy 3:23 – וָאֶתְחַנַּ֖ן (waʾetḥannan) – I also pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying, – Moses petitions the Lord to let him cross the Jordan and view the promised land.
2 Kings 1:13 – וַיִּתְחַנֵּ֗ן (wayyiṭḥannēn) – So the king again sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. When the third captain of fifty went up, he came and bowed down on his knees before Elijah, and begged him and said to him, “O man of God, please let my life and the lives of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight.” – A third captain approaches Elijah after the first two captains were destroyed. He kneels and requests preservation for himself and his men.
Job 8:5 – וְאֶל־שַׁדַּ֥י תִּתְחַנָּֽן (weʾel-shadday titḥannan) – If you will search for God And implore the compassion of the Almighty, – Bildad advises Job to seek God and appeal for compassion.
Job 19:16 – חִנַּ֖נְתִּי (ḥinnantī) – I called to my servant, but he did not answer; I implored him with my mouth. – Job recounts calling his servant and receiving no reply, even after pleading directly.
Psalm 141:2 – תִּתְחַנָּֽה (titḥannah) – May my prayer be counted as incense before You; The raising of my hands as the evening offering. – The psalmist compares his prayer to incense and the lifting of hands to the evening offering.
Malachi 1:9 – חִנַּנְאֵל (ḥinnū-ʾēl) – But now will you not plead for God’s favor, so that He will be gracious to us? With such an offering on your part, will He receive any of you kindly?” says the Lord of armies. – The prophet challenges the priests to request God’s favor despite their unacceptable offerings.

ὑποστρέφω (hypostrephō) / ש־ו־ב (shin–waw–bet) / ث-و-ب (thāʾ–wāw–bāʾ)

Finding, Pleading, Returning: Three Arcs Toward Confrontation

In Luke 8, the healed man’s commission to return [שׁוּב (shub)] to his city cannot be read in isolation. It is the culmination of three interwoven prophetic itineraries — מ־צ־א (mem–ṣade–aleph) “to find,” ח־נ־ן (ḥet–nun–nun) “to plead,” and ש־ו־ב (shin–waw–bet) “to return” — each carrying its own history of confrontation, exposure, and the tearing down of human constructs.

The root מ־צ־א moves through Scripture as a pivot between encounter and judgment. To “find” is not neutral; it is to be located, exposed, or confronted by what is found. In Luke 8:35, the townspeople find the formerly demon-possessed man “clothed and in his right mind” — an exposure that drives them to fear. Their response aligns them not with Abraham’s trust (Genesis 14:17), but with those who resist God’s presence.

“Then after his return [בְּשׁוּבוֹ (bə·shū·bō)] from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). (Genesis 14:17)

The root ש־ו־ב is typically mistranslated as repentance in a theological sense. Still, in the prophetic arc, it signals a strategic pivot, a “turn” toward confrontation, often in the face of danger. In Genesis 14:17, Abraham’s ש־ו־ב [בְּשׁוּבוֹ (bə·shū·bō)] from victory leads directly into confrontation with the king of Sodom. In Judges 3:19, Ehud turns back [שָׁב (shab)] to assassinate Eglon.

But he himself turned back [שָׁב (shab)] from the idols which were at Gilgal, and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” And he said, “Silence!” And all who were attending him left him.” (Judges 3:19)

In Exodus 32:31, Moses’ return [וַיָּשָׁב (way·yā·shab)] to God comes after shattering the tablets, standing be...

The Desert Knows His Name Jul 24, 2025

In Scripture, to “find” is never mere discovery.
It is encounter—

a turning of the text where mercy meets rebellion,
where favor walks hand-in-hand with wrath.

In Gerasa, the people find the healed man—clothed, sane, silent—
and they tremble.

He is a mirror, a testimony they cannot bear.
Restoration becomes a scandal. Mercy, a threat.
As well it should be.

They send away the one who scattered their demons
because he disturbed their peace.

The Scriptures whisper:

To find a man is to stand at the edge of wrath—
to be weighed, watched.
Will you be spared?

In Hebrew: to find, to meet, to expose.

In Arabic: to find—yes—
but also to be found out.
To be found wandering.
To be guided.

The disbeliever finds God waiting—
and no one can shield him.

Every expectation collapses under the weight of divine wisdom.

Everything found is double-edged:
Grace, if received.
Judgment, if refused.

So—finders, beware.
The light of instruction burns.

This week, I discuss Luke 8:35-37.

Show Notes

εὑρίσκω (heuriskō) / מ־צ־א (mem–ṣade–aleph) / و–ج–د (wāw–jīm–dāl)

find; reach; meet accidentally; obtain, achieve

FOUND THE MAN

The people “find” the healed man—מ־צ־א (mem–ṣade–aleph)—and become afraid, encountering divine judgment. He stands as a sign of both judgment and mercy: restored and sent out as a witness. In Scripture, finding a man—whether by apparent chance, deliberate search, or divine appointment—often precedes divine entrapment: a moment of redirection, confrontation, or exposure.

Their encounter with this man echoes a biblical pattern in which finding a man signals the onset of divine action.

Joseph, found wandering, is sent on a path of suffering to deliver many from famine (Genesis 37:15).
- “A man found [וַיִּמְצָאֵהוּ (wayyimṣaʾēhu)] him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, ‘What are you looking for?’”
Benjamin, found out by a planted cup, exposes guilt but leads to submission and reconciliation (Genesis 44:12).
- “He searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found [וַיִּמָּצֵא (wayyimmāṣēʾ)] in Benjamin’s sack.”
The prophet, found under the oak, faces judgment for disobedience (1 Kings 13:14). The “finding” (מ־צ־א) here is a trap—not for the wicked, but for the prophet who fails to remain obedient to God’s direct command.
- “He went after the man of God and found [וַיִּמְצָאֵהוּ (wayyimṣaʾēhu)] him sitting under an oak…”
  - “You shall not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the way you came.” (1 Kings 13:9)
  - “So he went back with him and ate bread in his house and drank water.” (v. 19)
Jonah, who finds a ship, is caught in a storm of God’s judgment—and becomes a reluctant prophet (Jonah 1:3).
- “But Jonah rose up to flee… and found [וַיִּמְצָא (wayyimṣaʾ)] a ship going to Tarshish…”

FOUND FAVOR

In Luke 8:35–37, after Jesus casts out Legion, the people come and find the man “sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind.” Rather than rejoicing in the mercy extended, they are seized with fear. They do not celebrate the restoration but instead beg Jesus to leave. This rebellion—typical of the עֵדָה ʿ(ēdāh) that Jesus scatters throughout the Gospel of Luke—reveals a tragic irony: grace is offered, but rejected.

This moment echoes a recurring biblical pattern centered around the root מ־צ־א (mem–ṣade–aleph), which signifies finding, meeting, or encountering. When someone “finds favor” [מָצָא חֵן (māṣāʾ ḥēn)] in God’s sight, it often leads to intercession on behalf of others—even the wicked:

Abraham pleads for Sodom upon having found favor (Genesis 18:3).
- “He said, ‘My Lord, if now I have found [מָצָאתִי (māṣāʾtī)] favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by.’”
Lot, though surrounded by destruction, acknowledges divine mercy (Genesis 19:19).
- “Now behold, your servant has found [מָצָא (māṣāʾ)] favor in your sight, and you have magnified your zealous care…”
Moses repeatedly intercedes for Israel’s rebellious collective after finding favor in God’s sight (Numbers 11:11).
- “Why have you been so hard on your servant? And why have I not found [לֹא מָצָאתִי (lōʾ māṣāʾtī)] favor in your sight, that you have laid the burden of all this people on me?”
In the golden calf incident, no favor is found in God’s sight—only consequence. Yet, Moses stands in the breach and intercedes (Exodus 34:9).
- “If now I have found [מָצָאתִי (māṣāʾtī)] favor in your sight…”
Esther, having found favor, risks her life to save her people (Esther 8:5).
- “If it pleases the king, and if I have found [מָצָאתִי (māṣāʾtī)] favor before him, and the matter seems proper to the king…”

In all these examples, those who found favor stood in the breach for others—unlike the people of the Gerasenes, who reject the one who intercedes against the Roman Legion. Their response echoes Israel’s rebellion in the wilderness, when the people grumbled against Moses and said:

“If only the Lord had killed us in the land of Egypt when we sat by pots of meat and ate our fill of bread! But you have brought us out into this wilderness to make us all die of hunger.” (Exodus 16:3).

Though they had been delivered, they longed for the security of slavery rather than trust in the provision of God. So too in Luke 8, the people, confronted with divine mercy in the healed man, recoil in fear and send Jesus away.

Bloody cowards.

They cannot bear the grace that unmasks their allegiance to the 1%—the settled urban elites who love injustice. As in the wilderness, favor is offered—but refused. Grace stands before them, confronting their false peace—and they choose Pharaoh. Cowardice draped in civility. In the end, refusing to take a stand is the most wicked stand of all. May their dinner parties be found worthy of the price.

FOUND JUDGMENT

The people “find” judgment—מ־צ־א (mem–ṣade–aleph)—not by seeking it, but by standing in the way of divine mercy. In Luke 8:35–37, those who witness the healed man respond with fear rather than submission. The grace shown to the possessed becomes a sign of judgment for those who reject it. This reversal echoes throughout Scripture: to “find” is to be found out by God—exposed, weighed, measured, and confronted. “Finding” unmasks guilt, and divine justice follows swiftly—even when grace has already been extended:

Egypt, the symbol of empire and wealth, is found stripped bare—exposed in its powerlessness before God. The Egyptians, found lacking, are emptied of silver and reduced to servitude (Genesis 47:14).
- “And Joseph collected all the money that was found [הַנִּמְצָא (hannimṣāʾ)] in the land of Egypt…”
A thief is found in possession of stolen goods, and the act triggers justice (Exodus 22:4).
- “If what he stole is actually found [נִמְצָא (nimṣāʾ)] alive in his possession… he shall pay double.”
The people ga...

The Staff Rebellion Jul 10, 2025

Examining the history of nomadic pastoralism across Asia—from the Caucasus and Central Asian steppes to ancient Mesopotamia—reveals a consistent pattern: settled elites have repeatedly waged war against pastoral peoples. Both the Bible and the Qur’an emerged from nomadic pastoral societies, yet these same texts were later weaponized by sedentary civilizations against the very peoples once nurtured by them. We are witnessing this tragic pattern unfold again in real time—perhaps in its most brutal form yet—with escalating consequences that now reach into the heart of the West, the heir of Greco-Roman hubris.

Even in pre-biblical East Asian traditions, such as the Confucian Book of Odes, herdsmen arrive with their flocks to establish an unnamed prince—a figure who emerges not from the city but from the periphery to usher in an era of divine justice. This archetype, consolidated in the Bible and the Qur’an, becomes active in the world whenever and wherever the voice from the pasture rises against the corruption of the palace.

This is the Voice of the Scriptural God—
The Voice of the Shepherd.
It will not be silenced.
It cannot be bought.
It does not serve a throne.
It does not belong to anyone.
It roams freely upon the earth,
calling its flock from the outlands, out of the city to the wilderness.

The Biblical Jesus is near, habibi—
And it’s time for the Lord to act.

It’s time for Ibrahim’s Discords.

سُبْحَانَ مَنْ جَعَلَ فِي الْحَمْدِ نُورًا
(subḥāna man jaʿala fī al-ḥamdi nūran)
“Glory to the one who placed light within praise.”

This week, I discuss Luke 8:32-34.

Photo by Cajeo Zhang on Unsplash

Show notes

ἀγέλη (agelē) / ע־ד־ר (ʿayin–dalet–resh) / غ–د–ر (ghayn–dāl–rāʾ)

In the Gospel of Matthew, we are warned that God will separate the sheep from the goats. Mishearing this, the rule-followers among us foolishly turn their gaze outward, seeking to teach others which rules to follow. In doing so, they become goat-finders and goat-fixers—lions and bears who come not to protect the flock but to steal sheep from it.

But in Luke’s application of ע־ד־ר (ʿayin–dalet–resh) from the Song of Songs, this dichotomy is flipped on its head. When the mashal unfolds at the Decapolis in Luke, the Song’s poetic use of ἀγέλη (agelē)—interchanging goats and sheep—reveals the Bible’s mockery of human rule-followers. The constant switch between goats and sheep in the Song of Songs reflects a deliberate poetic symmetry: the goats evoke movement and allure (hair), while the sheep evoke purity and precision (teeth).

This imagery, drawn from real pastoral life, is repurposed to undermine self-righteous Hellenistic legal constructs. There is no intent in the text to constrain the beloved or to define her by a boundary. Rather, it moves freely—dark and light, wild and ordered, descending and ascending—a complete pastoral image that cannot be systematized. The beloved is named not to be limited, but to be delighted in—not judged, but adored.

David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s flock [הָעֵדֶר (hā-ʿēder)], and when a lion or a bear came and took a sheep from the flock…” (1 Samuel 17:34)Know well the condition of your flocks [עֲדָרִים (ʿădārīm)], and pay attention to your herds; (Proverbs 27:23)Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where do you pasture your flock [עֵדֶר (ʿeder)], where do you have it lie down at noon? For why should I be like one who veils herself beside the flocks of your companions? (Song of Songs 1:7)Your hair is like a flock [כְּעֵדֶר (kə-ʿēder)] of goats, coming down from Mount Gilead. (Song of Songs 4:1)Your teeth are like a flock [כְּעֵדֶר (kə-ʿēder)] of newly shorn sheep, which have come up from their watering place… (Song of Songs 4:2)Your hair is like a flock [כְּעֵדֶר (kə-ʿēder)] of goats that have descended from Gilead. (Song of Songs 6:4)Your teeth are like a flock [כְּעֵדֶר (kə-ʿēder)] of ewes which have come up from their watering place… (Song of Songs 6:5)

Still, even in the open pasture, there are rules of engagement. This is how one should hear the text—as a Bedouin.

Surat Al-Anfāl (سورة الأنفال, The Spoils of War) addresses the terms of conflict and the proper conduct of the faithful toward their enemies. It contains the Qur’an’s only occurrence of the Lukan-corresponding root غ–د–ر (ghayn–dāl–rāʾ)—a term that denotes treachery or betrayal. Even when nomadic clans behave treacherously, those who follow God are commanded to act transparently—even in the face of betrayal. The response to ghadr is not reciprocal deceit, but open disengagement.

The verse also contains the word قَوْمٍ (qawm), meaning “those who stand or rise together as a group,” from the root ق–و–م (qāf–wāw–mīm). Its presence evokes the image of a herd rising for judgment—a disobedient gathering whose posture does not guarantee righteousness. Instead, it invokes divine judgment, alluding to the Day of the Lord. This imagery echoes the Gosp...

The Mirror is Not Your Friend Jun 26, 2025

Human beings are evil. We are hardwired to curate our self-image, excuse our failures, and cling to the stories that make us feel good about ourselves. The truth is, we are hypocrites—fluctuating between condemning unspeakable horrors, often hidden from public view, and idolizing the very politicians and institutional cowards who cause or permit them.

The same psychological games we play to deceive ourselves work flawlessly when we’re told to choose the “lesser of two evils” during election season.

Listen to yourselves, habibi. You reject Scripture—yet somehow affirm its judgment against you when you call one of your human choices the “lesser of two evils.”

You hypocrite.

Most people will never acknowledge their complicity in the killing fields of Gaza. It’s far more comfortable to live in self-deception than to face the truth about the monsters we really are.

Evil functions under a triple constraint.

First: your reflection, shown in a natural mirror, not of your own making. You want to look away, to forget what you see. So, you rush to the second constraint: the mirror of your fairy tales—the one that says you are the “fairest of them all.” Or worse, the artificial mirrors in your data centers, which regurgitate what everyone wants to hear, calibrated to the desires of monsters.

Between these two lies the third constraint: your neighbor. The neighbor who also sees your reflection, not in the natural mirror of Scripture, but in how you behave when you follow yourself, even though they are as blind as you.

In the end, the natural mirror does not care if you “speak the truth.” It already knows that you, like your virtue-signaling, murderous, failed politicians, are blind, arrogant, and evil.

The mirror has only one objective: to force you to see the truth it reflects about you, and not to let you look away. Can you accept this? Can you sit with it? Or will you, once again, project your truth onto someone else caught in the same triple constraint?

You hypocrite.

You blind fool.

On that day, no amount of pleading will bring you comfort.

This week, I discuss Luke 8:31.

Photo by Kyle Johnson on Unsplash

Show Notes

“They were imploring him not to command them to go away into the abyss.” Lk 8:31.

“For if anyone is a listener of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; (τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γενέσεως — literally, “the face of birth” or “natural face”) for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.” (James 1:23–24)

παρακαλέω (parakaleō) / נ–ח–ם (nūn–ḥet–mēm) / ن–ح–م (nūn–ḥāʾ–mīm)

Encourage, exhort, and comfort. Feel regret, be sorry, and console yourself. Provide comfort. Saul disobeyed God’s command by sparing King Agag and taking spoils from the battle. God, through Samuel, declares that he regrets [נִחַמְתִּי (niḥamti)] making Saul king:

“I regret [נִחַמְתִּי (niḥamti)] that I have made Saul king, because he has turned back from following me and has not carried out my commands.” And Samuel was furious, and he cried out to the Lord all night. (1 Samuel 15:11)

Later in 1 Samuel 15:30, Saul, like Legion, makes a self-serving plea, concerned with his reputation rather than divine obedience.

David’s so-called consolation [נִחַם (niḥam)] in 2 Samuel was not repentance or discernment—it was political sentimentality disguised as pastoral care. It resembled the rhetoric of a liberal American politician who publicly laments starving children in Gaza, yet quietly approves weapons sales, enforces food embargoes, and suppresses dissent.

David had a soft spot for Absalom, even though Absalom murdered his half-brother Amnon in a revenge killing for the rape of their sister Tamar. Instead of submitting to God’s instruction, David inserted himself as judge and jury, led not by divine command but by personal affection and public image. This sentimental indulgence led to Absalom’s exile, his orchestrated return, and eventual rebellion—a direct consequence of David’s failure to uphold justice according to the Lord’s command, rather than his personal “consolation.”

And the heart of King David longed to go out to Absalom; for he was comforted [נִחַם (niḥam)] regarding Amnon, since he was dead. (2 Samuel 13:39)

Pharaoh, in the following example, is lexically analogous to Legion in Luke 8:31, who pleads not to be judged, but to seek relief from consequences in lieu of repentance. In Ezekiel, Pharaoh observes other fallen nations, tyrants, and armies defeated, and finds a twisted comfort in their shared destruction:

Pharaoh will see them, and he will be comforted [וְנִחַם (weniḥam)] for all his hordes killed by the sword—Pharaoh and all his army,” declares the Lord God. (Ezekiel 32:31)

In this final example from Lamentations, a destroyed Jerusalem calls for God’s wrath to fall upon her enemies. But unlike Pharaoh, who found twisted comfort in the judgment of others (Ezekiel 32:31), this plea arises under the unbearable weight of divine chastisement. As it is written:

“The Lord is righteous; for I have rebelled against his command. Hear now, all you peoples, and see my pain; My virgins and my young men have gone into captivity.” (Lamentations 1:18)

The call for vindication is not a boast but a plea, spoken on the lips of the harlot city—Jerusalem—who confesses her guilt and urges the Lord to act. Her cry for the nations to “become like me” is an appeal to divine vengeance, not for destruction’s sake, but to expose their harlotry, undo their rebellion, and make possible their submission to God’s command, which Jerusalem itself foolishly rejected:

People have heard that I groan; there is no one to comfort me [מְנַחֵם (menaḥem)]. All my enemies have heard of my disaster; they are joyful that you have done it. Oh, that you would bring the day which you have proclaimed, so that they will become like me. (Lamentations 1:21)

Luke 8:31, ἐπιτάσσω, Legion “pleads” for consolation in Luke. In Qur’an 7:14–15, this motif corresponds to a mashal with a different root, أ–م–ر (ʾalif–mīm–rāʾ), where Iblis “begs” God for respite: ن–ظ–ر (nūn–ẓāʾ–rāʾ).
- He said, “Grant me [أَنظِرْنِي (anẓirnī)] respite until the Day they are resurrected.”

ἐπιτάσσω (epitassō...

Lex Maligna, Lego Inferna Jun 12, 2025

In Dark Sayings, I explain how Emperor Justinian stands as a striking example of imperial harlotry. Like all rulers, he filtered Scripture through his own agenda—much like what we see in 2025, with elites twisting the biblical text to justify the very actions it condemns. Today’s world leaders are effectively reenacting the sins of the Bible’s villains.

If it weren’t a tragedy, it would be a comedy. I’d sit with Jonah beneath the vine—bag of popcorn in hand.

What came of Justinian copying the sins condemned in Scripture?

A massive stone temple—still longed for today. This longing betrays a rejection of the preaching of the story of the Gerasene demoniac, where God himself, through his anointed Slave, rejects Roman law and silences the Greek intellectual tradition.

In defiance of this witness, Justinian—praised even now—translated Roman law into Greek, a move that flatly contradicts the biblical text.

O foolish Galatians. You asked for a king, and you got one.

Justinian’s reign was marked by a bloody attempt to resurrect Rome’s former glory: the North African campaign against the Vandals, the prolonged and ruinous Gothic Wars in Italy, and a brief incursion into southern Spain. These campaigns were catastrophically expensive, devastating to local populations, and—like all imperial games—ended in failure. Far worse was the Justinianic Plague, a lethal epidemic that ravaged both the population and the economy.

Together, these calamities fractured the region’s future. Though the Western Roman Empire had already collapsed in the 5th century, Justinian’s ambitions destabilized its successors and hindered the organic development of local societies.

Things might have turned out differently. We might have avoided the first Dark Age—or at least the first one we know of—had Justinian not tried to impose a new civilization atop the ruins of the old.

Dear friends:

There is no God but One.
He is the Heavenly Shepherd.
He claims no embassy, joins no assembly, and takes no seat at your councils.
He casts no vote, answers to no electorate, and has no constituents.
He occupies no office, nor does he dwell in any capital.
He is beholden to nothing and answers to no one.
His throne is in the heavens, far beyond your reach, where maps are not drawn.
Be afraid oh nations.
Tremble with fear, oh bordermongers, for he is not mocked—
Not by you, nor your puny gods, nor your counterfeit leaders.

I place all my hope in his Slave who trusted in his command to subdue the Latin-lex and silence the Greco-lego at the Decapolis in Luke.

Everything I do, I do for this Slave’s Rebellion.

This week, I discuss Luke 8:30.

Show Notes

ἐρημόω (erēmoō) / ח־ר־ב (ḥet–resh–bet) / خ–ر–ب (khāʾ–rāʾ–bāʾ)

To dry up, to be desolate, or to be destroyed. To be devastated, often referring to lands, cities, or nations. Greek examples in the LXX include: ξηραίνω (xērainō - to dry up), ἐρημόω (erēmoō - to make desolate), ἀφανίζω (aphanizō - to destroy).

In Hebrew חָרַב and Arabic خَرِبَ both describe the undoing of cities, structures, or human systems—especially in the wake of divine judgment.

In both the Bible and the Qur’an, ruin is not random—it is the consequence of injustice, arrogance, or rejection of divine instruction.

Isaiah 51:10 – “Was it not you who dried up (הַמַּחֲרֶבֶת [ha-maḥărébet]) the sea…”
Surah Al-Hashr 59:2 - “They destroy (يُخْرِبُونَ [yukh’ribūna]) their houses with their own hands…” يُخْرِبُونَ (yukh’ribūna) comes from خَرَّبَ (khar·ra·ba) — they lay waste / destroy, describing the self-inflicted ruin of the Banu Nadir tribe, continuing on the itinerary of civilizational ruin brought on by pride and resistance to God’s covenant.

The function ח-ר-ב (ḥ-r-b) appears in Scripture to prescribe the destruction of cities and the downfall of kings—figures aligned with human systems of law and control. This same root functions in the name Mount Horeb, the site where divine law is given. It also functions as “sword,” an agent of God’s judgment. In Exodus 32:27, Moses commands the Levites at Horeb to take up their swords ח-ר-ב (ḥ-r-b) and execute judgment within the camp after the sin of the golden calf, connecting the themes of lawgiving and purifying violence. ח-ר-ב (ḥ-r-b) highlights the biblical tension between the collapse of human law and the assertion of divine will through biblical instruction and judgment.

In the Septuagint, ἐρημόω (erēmoō) corresponds lexically to ח-ר-ב (ḥ-r-b) in the following passages: Judges 16:24; 2 Kings 19:17; Job 14:11; Isaiah 34:10; Isaiah 37:18, 25; Isaiah 44:27; Isaiah 49:17; Isaiah 51:10; Isaiah 60:12; Jeremiah 28:36; Jeremiah 33:9; Ezekiel 26:2, 19; Ezekiel 29:12; Ezekiel 30:7; Amos 7:9.

Λεγιών (legiṓn)

(For a detailed discussion, please see Blaise Webster’s article, The Crux of Paul and John’s Gospel.)

From the Latin legio, meaning legion, a Roman military unit (~6,000 soldiers), itself from the Indo-European root legō.
From Latin legō, we also get Lex—law (that which is gathered or set in order)
- Lex, derived from legō, becomes a symbol of civilizational control—a codified system that enforces order, often violently.
- Roman Legions (from the same root) are the custodians of lex, instruments of imperial coercion and domination.
- Lex and legion are bound together both linguistically and ideologically—law enforced by gathered violence.
In Greek, λόγος (logos) stems from λέγω and is associated in Hellenistic philosophy with reason, logic, and natural law. The Pauline School’s co-opting of this term is an attack on Hellenism.
- For Paul, λόγος is not Greek reason, but shorthand for “the word of the cross” (ὁ λόγος τοῦ σταυροῦ)—foolishness to the world and power to those being saved, who trust in God’s victory (1 Corinthians 1:18); Knowing that his work will find its own completion in the Day of the Lord. (Philippians 1:6)

Unlike the constructive Greek logos, which seeks order and coherence, the Pauline logos is destructive—an insurgent word embedded within Greco-Roman structures, intended to bring about their co-termination in the execution of Jesus, thereby dismantling the entire system.

Lex (law) and lego (rhetoric/philosophy) represent false structures of control and meaning, in opposition to the Pauline gospel.
T...

Presence of Absence May 29, 2025

In Isaiah, Cyrus the Great emerges as a unique figure chosen by the God of Israel to fulfill a specific historical task: the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple and the liberation of the Judahites from exile in Babylon in direct fulfillment of the prophecy spoken by Jeremiah.

Cyrus’s rise to power is depicted not as a product of his strength but as the result of God stirring his spirit and granting him authority over all nations.

God bestows upon Cyrus exceptional titles: “my shepherd,” a nomadic-pastoral, Bedouin-styled function typical of prophetic literature, signifying his role in guiding the people of Israel back to God’s land, and “my anointed,” indicating a special divine commissioning that parallels, though does not equal, the messianic expectations normally associated with Israelite kings.

Through Cyrus’s conquests, especially the subjugation of Babylon, the Lord demonstrates his universal sovereignty, demonstrating to all nations that he alone is the Unipolar Hegemon that directs the course of history and holds ultimate authority over the kingdoms of the earth.

While Cyrus plays a pivotal role as a pawn on God’s political chessboard, Isaiah carefully distinguishes him from the Slave of the Lord.

The Slave—often wrongly identified with Israel itself—points to a future messianic figure who carries a broader, more enduring mission: to establish justice, bring light to the nations, and embody God’s ultimate purpose. Unlike Cyrus, whose mission is temporal and political, the Slave’s work is a universal call to the path of the Lord, extending beyond the restoration of Jerusalem to the transformation of the human race.

Thus, Isaiah presents Cyrus as a divinely appointed instrument for a limited, though critical, historical role. At the same time, the Slave of the Lord stands as the ultimate fulfillment of God’s plan of victory and liberation for his people and the entire world.

Then, in Luke, the Slave landed on the beaches of the Gerasenes.

Everything I do, I do for the Slave.

This week, I discuss Luke 8:29.

Show Notes

παραγγέλλω (parangellō)

order, summon, command, send a message

שׁ-מ-ע (shin-mem-ayin) / س-م-ع (sīn-mīm-ʿayn)

- hear, submit!
  - 1 Samuel 15:4 - Saul, Israel’s first king, asserts his leadership by gathering a vast army (200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah) to fulfill a divine command: to destroy the Amalekites utterly. Centralized, royal power at its peak.
  - 1 Samuel 23:8 - Saul, now insecure in his power, redirects his military might to pursue David at Keilah, driven by jealousy and fear of losing his throne.
  - 1 Kings 15:22 - King Asa commands all of Judah to dismantle Baasha’s fortifications at Ramah and repurpose them to fortify Geba and Mizpah. Asa’s leadership is pragmatic and defensive, focused on security rather than prophetic utterances.
  - Jeremiah 26:14 (LXX) - Jeremiah stands alone before religious and political leaders, “I am in your hands; do with me as seems good and right to you.” Luke’s lexical itinerary at Decapolis follows the biblical storyline, shifting from the king’s authority to the prophet’s vulnerability.
  - Jeremiah 27:29 (LXX) - Jeremiah warns Judah that resisting Babylon will only bring destruction; the people must submit to Babylon’s yoke as God’s instrument of judgment.
  - Jeremiah 28:27 (LXX) - The theme of the yoke—submission to Babylon’s dominion—continues. This reinforces the prophet’s earlier warning that Judah’s fate is sealed unless they accept God’s judgment.

ע-ב-ר (ʿayin-bet-resh) / ع-ب-ر (ʿayn-bāʼ-rāʼ)

- pull along, pass through, pass by, go your way; consistent with nomadic pastoral or shepherd life
  - 2 Chronicles 36:22 - This verse marks the beginning of the return from exile. It records that in the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord moved his heart to make a proclamation allowing the exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. This aligns with the prophecy of Jeremiah being fulfilled — God’s promise to bring his people back from captivity after seventy years.
  - Ezra 1:1 - This verse parallels 2 Chronicles 36:22. It highlights that in the first year of King Cyrus of Persia’s reign, God stirred his spirit to make a decree throughout his kingdom allowing the Judeans to return and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, again, fulfilling the prophecy of Jeremiah.
- In Arabic, this root carries various functions, including “to cross,” “to pass over,” “to interpret,” or “to take a lesson.”

- - عُبُور (ʿubūr) crossing
  - مَعْبَر (maʿbar) crossing place
  - تَعْبِير (taʿbīr) expression, interpretation (especially of dreams)
א-מ-ר (ʾaleph–mem–resh) / أ-م-ر (ʾalif-mīm-rāʾ)

- In Arabic, this root is the foundation for words like أَمْر (ʾamr) (“command” or “order”) and مَأْمُور (maʾmūr) (“one who is commanded”). Matthew Cooper observes that אָמַר (amar) “he spoke,” is inter-functional with the Arabic word أمير (emir), which means “prince,” “commander,” or “leader,” from the same root.
  - Joshua 6:7 - Joshua commands his army to advance on Jericho. Specifically, he orders the armed men to proceed, and the seven priests with the trumpets to go before the Ark of the Covenant as they prepare to encircle the city. This is part of the famous account of the fall of Jericho, where the walls come down after the Israelites’ obedience to God’s instructions.

צ-ע-ק (ṣade-ayin-qof) / ص-ع-ق (sīn–ʿayn–qāf)

- In biblical Hebrew, צעק (ṣāʿaq) means “to cry out, to shout, to call loudly.”
  - 1 Samuel 10:17 - Samuel gathers the people of Israel at Mizpah to publicly present Saul as the chosen king. This follows God’s command to anoint a king, as the people had demanded one like the nations around them. Samuel is about to cast lots to reveal Saul as God’s chosen king formally.
- In Arabic, صعق (ṣaʿaqa) means “to be struck by thunder, to be shocked, to be stunned.”

י-ע-ץ (yod-ayin-ṣade) / و-ع-ظ (wāw-ʿayn-ẓāʾ)

- 1 Kings 12:6 - Rehoboam, Solomon’s son and the new king, consults the elders who had served his father about responding to the people’s request to lighten their burdens. The elders advise him to show kindness. He does not listen.
- “To advise, to give counsel.” The Arabic triliteral carries the core function “to exhort, to admonish, to preach.”

- - وَعْظ (waʿẓ) exhortation, admonition
  - وَاعِظ (wāʿiẓ) preacher, admonisher
  - تَوْعِيظ (tawʿīẓ) act of exhorting, preaching

“Call to the path of your Lord with wisdom and the beautiful exhortation (الْمَوْعِظَةِ ٱلْحَسَنَةِ al-mawʿiẓati al-ḥasanati), and discuss with them in that which is best. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has strayed from his path, and he is most knowing of the guided.” Surah An-Nahl (16:125) ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Join the Rebellion May 15, 2025

People choose personal relationships and personal fulfillment over duty. Most often, they place the latter ahead of the former, which is why you see all these ridiculous posts on social media about “toxic relationships.”

It’s a big joke.

I live among people who do not inhabit the same reality as I do.

It used to frustrate me, but now I smile and move on, knowing that most people are not willing to make hard choices. They—and those who enable them—form Caesar’s political base.

The blind leading the blind.

Scripture has taught me, the hard way, that I have no right to judge.

Neither do others, yet we all persist in doing so.

All of you should watch the Star Wars series Andor in full—it’s just two seasons—and then watch Rogue One, and you’ll understand what the writers of the New Testament were doing in the shadows of “empire.”

Unlike the arrogant cowards sitting on the Rebel Council at Yavin IV, the biblical writers weren’t building anything new to replace Rome or Jerusalem. They had no secret plans for a “new” Republic. The gospel was not a hero’s journey or a strategy for institution-building under the protection of a solipsistic Jedi order, nor was it fighting for “freedom.” It was, however, about hope, against all hope.

Rehear Galatians.

The New Testament ends where it begins—with the sword of instruction wandering the earth in God’s broad encampment, moving from place to place with an urgent message of permanent, perpetual rebellion:

“Caesar is not the king!”

Long before Paul, Jeremiah, too, had joined the Rebellion. He understood the price. Jeremiah was not James Dean. You cannot be a rebel unless you have a cause. Unless, of course, you, like most Americans I know, want to remain a teenager for the rest of your life.

Adults, however, have to make a choice:

“Cursed be the day when I was born; Let the day not be blessed when my mother bore me! Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father, saying, ‘A baby boy has been born to you,’ and made him very happy.”
(Jeremiah 20:14-15)

This much I know:

“Everything I do, I do for the Rebellion.”

This week, I discuss Luke 8:28.

Show Notes

ἀνακράζω (anakrazō) / ק-ר-א (qof–resh–aleph) / ق-ر-أ (qāf–rāʾ–hamza)

Cry out. Read aloud.

“When the three units blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing, and shouted, ‘A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!’” (Judges 7:20)

Gideon’s story is part of the cyclical narrative structure that characterizes the Book of Judges. In this recurring pattern, Israel turns away from God and does evil, prompting God to give them into the hands of their enemies. In their suffering, the people cry out to God, who then raises up a deliverer—a judge—to rescue them. This deliverance brings a period of temporary peace until the cycle begins again. In the case of Gideon, Israel is oppressed by the Midianites. God chooses Gideon to lead a small and unlikely force, emphasizing that the victory is not the result of human strength but a demonstration of the Lord’s power and faithfulness.

“Then he cried out in my hearing with a loud voice, saying, ‘Come forward, you executioners of the city, each with his weapon of destruction in his hand!’” (Ezekiel 9:1 )

In Ezekiel 8–11, the prophet is shown a vision of the abominations taking place in the Jerusalem temple, including idolatry, injustice, and ritual defilement. As a result of this widespread corruption, the glory of God departs from the temple. In chapter 9, the vision shifts from exposing sin to executing judgment. God summons six angelic executioners, each carrying a weapon and a seventh figure dressed in linen holding a writing kit. This scribe is instructed to mark the foreheads of those who mourn over the city’s sins, while the others are commanded to kill the rest without mercy, beginning at the defiled sanctuary.

“So the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: ‘I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and Zion.’” (Zechariah 1:14 )

προσπίπτω (prospiptō) / נ-פ-ל (nun-fe-lamed) / ن-ف-ل (nun-fa-lam)

Fall upon, at, against; become known.

“Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and fell (יִּפֹּ֥ל yiffōlʹ) on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.” (Genesis 33:4)

“And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell (תִּפֹּ֖ל tiffōl) down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.” (Esther 8:3)

Esau suffered the consequences of tribal betrayal and familial treachery; Esther and her people faced annihilation under a lawfully decreed genocide. These parallels—illuminated by Luke’s deliberate lexical choices—frame the demon-possessed man as a victim of Greco-Roman imperial oppression.

In each case, the act of falling appears directed toward a human being when, in fact, it is the acceptance of Providence.

This is the core teaching of the Abrahamic scrolls.

Esther does not confront the king as a preacher or moral authority; she pleads with him, fully aware that she holds no power. You might say Esther was, in this instance, a functional Muslim.

To fall is ultimately submission to divine authority—Esther, by entrusting herself to God’s hidden providence, accepts that there is no King but God.

Her only weapon against oppression, along with Esau and the demonic, was to fall prostrate, hoping against all hope in God’s promise (in his absence), that:

“Caesar is not the king!”

نَفَّلَ (naffala) “he fell to his share” or “assigned as a share.”الْأَنْفَالُ لِلَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ
(al-anfālu lillāhi wa-l-rasūli)
“The spoils are for God and the Apostle.”
Surat al-Anfal 8:1

(see also: κατεκλίθη)

δέομαι (deomai) / ח-נ-ן (ḥet–nun–nun) / ح-ن-ن (ḥāʼ–nūn–nūn)

Ask; pray; beg. Grace. Compassion, mercy, tenderness.

“I also pleaded (אֶתְחַנַּ֖ן ʾěṯḥǎnnǎnʹ) with the Lord at that time, saying, ‘O Lord God, You have begun to show your servant your greatness and your strong hand; for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as yours? (Deuteronomy 3:23–24)

“If you would seek God and implore (תִּתְחַנָּֽן tiṯḥǎnnānʹ) the compassion of the Almighty, if you are pure and upright, surely now he would rouse himself for you and restore your righteous estate.” (Job 8:5–6)

The triliteral root ح-ن-ن (

I Am Not a Greek May 08, 2025

Situated opposite Galilee, the “earth” of the Gerasenes marks the site of God’s first tactical strike against Greco-Roman assimilation in Luke.

The Greco-Roman rulers who possess and enslave the land impose violence and havoc, sowing death where God’s many flocks were meant to roam freely, without interference.

Like the abusers in Jerusalem, the occupying forces in Decapolis do not want to live and let live. They seek to assimilate, to convert, to impose, to kill—to force others to become like them, “twice as much the sons of Hell as themselves.”

Sure, they may be interested in learning something from those they conquer, but ultimately, everything must be “melted down” and absorbed into something of their own making. It’s called a “god complex:”

“…the logic of American liberalism is a barely warmed-over Hellenism. The world-embracing, universe-striding Hellenic ideology under Alexander was an assimilationist one. In the Alexandrian ideology, it doesn’t matter what tribe your parents are from, what your lineage is, or in what area of the world you were born. If you speak Greek, eat like a Greek, dress like a Greek, walk like a Greek, shit like a Greek, think like a Greek—then you’re a Greek. It’s exceptionally difficult for an American to consider this ideology and not think of the ‘melting pot’”
(Matthew Franklin Cooper, And the Lamb Will Conquer)

They do not submit to God, who made the heavens and the earth. They do not accept what was made, as it has been made, by his making. His name alone be praised!

Unlike every other revolution in human history, the socio-political rebellion of the biblical tradition—be ye not deceived, O man, it is indeed a political rebellion, though it is not about starting something new, it is a reversion—to accept the Bible is to revert to God as your King, your religion, your tribe, your city, and your homeland.

To return to his land is to return not to what we build, create, perceive, synthesize, or formulate through our ideolocial or theological assimilations, but to what God himself provided in the beginning: an open field where all living creatures coexist in his care.

This week, I discuss Luke 8:27.

Show Notes

δαιμόνιον (daimonion) / ש–י–ד (shin–yod–dalet) / ث–د–ي (thā–dāl–yāʼ)

Demon, other deity, or god. From the root שדד (shadad), which means “to deal violently, despoil, or devastate.” Klein notes that the Arabic ثَدْي (thady), “breast,” reinforces his observation that שֹׁד (shōd) and שַׁד (shad) are two forms of the same biblical root meaning “breast.” In consideration of this link, and the fact that the original text is unpointed, it is difficult to ignore the consonantal link between chaos, havoc, militarism, and the function “demon,” vis-à-vis the field, and violence against the land, since the land is inherently matriarchal:

שָׂדָאוּת (sadā’ut) is a feminine noun meaning “military fieldcraft,” derived from שָׂדֶה (sadeh), meaning “field.”

Note that שֵׁדָה (shedah), female demon, and שָׂדֶה (sadeh), field or open land, are indistinguishable in the unpointed text.

This intersection is intentional. Consider a related sub-function associated with δαιμόνιον in Luke:

שׁדד (shin-dalet-dalet) and שׂדד (sin-dalet-dalet)
- שׁדד (shadad) to devastate, despoil, or destroy, referring to violence or judgment.
- שׂדד (sadad) to plow or harrow, referring to agricultural activity.

In Semitic languages, the function “demon” likely originates from the Akkadian term šēdu, a protective spirit often depicted in Mesopotamian art as a bull-like colossus or a human-bull hybrid, for example, the bull effigy of Wall Street. The question is not what the demon šēdu protects, but whose interests it serves. Does it protect life in God’s field or wreak havoc on behalf of its human sponsors? Does it plow and harrow, or does it despoil?

Demonic Evil

“For [a] root of all evils is the love of money—
which some, desiring, wandered away from the faith,
and pierced themselves through with many griefs.”
(1 Timothy 6:10)

As it is written:

“ῥίζα γὰρ πάντων τῶν κακῶν ἐστιν ἡ φιλαργυρία”
“the love of money is [a] root of all evils”

“πάντων τῶν κακῶν” unambiguously indicates “of all evils,” not “all kinds,” underscoring Paul’s deliberate rhetorical force in presenting the love of money not as a moral weakness but as a seed giving rise to every form of evil in God’s field.

ἱμάτιον (himation) / ב-ג-ד (bet–gimel–dalet) / ب-ج-د (bāʼ–jīm–dāl)

Outer garment; cloak.

A scarce word in Classical Arabic, بَجَدَ (bajada), means “to strive or exert,” technically different than بِجَاد (bijād) — the pre-Islamic Bedouin term for a striped cloak or blanket, which Klein links to ב-ג-ד.

Instead of بَجَدَ (bajada), Arabic typically employs roots like ج-ه-د (jīm–hāʾ–dāl) — جَاهَدَ (jāhada) — the basis of جِهَاد (jihād), to express striving or struggle, especially in a religious context. Related roots such as ج-د-د (jīm–dāl–dāl) — جَدَّ (jadda) “to be serious” — and ج-دّ (jīm–dāl–dāl) — جِدّ (jidd) “seriousness” — reinforce the idea of earnest effort and commitment that underlies the concept of jihād.

The بِجَاد (bijād)—a coarse, often red or striped woolen cloak worn by Bedouins—symbolizes striving through its association with the harsh realities of shepherd life in God’s open field, demanding simplicity, endurance, and honor, in contrast with the soft garments of city dwellers. The reference to soft garments is not incidental. In Luke 7:25, Jesus mocks those dressed in “soft clothing” who “live in luxury” in the royal houses. As such, John the Baptist is “more than a prophet.” Clothed in the rough and unpleasant garment of a shepherd, he survives under God’s rule in the open field with an honor imperceptible in the eyes of city dwellers.

It is “the smell of a field” that Luke 8:27 makes terminologically functional here, recalling the transfer of Isaac’s blessing to his younger son. Now Luke turns the tables. As Esau was denied his birthright in favor of Jacob, so now Jacob is denied the same in favor of the demon-possessed Gerasene:

Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come close and kiss me, my son.”
So he came close and kissed him; and when he smelled the smell of his garments (בְּגָדָ֖י begāday), he blessed him and said,
“See, the smell of my son
Is like the smell of a field which the Lord has blessed;
Now may God give you of the dew of heaven,
And of the fatness of the earth,
And an abundance of grain and new wine;
May peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you;
Be master of your brothers,
And may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Cursed be those who curse you,
And blessed be those who bless you.”
(Genesis 27:26–29)

οἰκία (oikia

The Liberation of the Land May 01, 2025

In Scripture, “earth” signifies more than just physical land; it functions as a literary sign that opposes human oppression. The biblical narrative presents the land both as a silent witness against human civilization and as one of its victims. In this context, the recurring phrase “heavens and earth” serves as a merism, expressing the totality of creation and affirming God’s sovereign authority and judgment:

“Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their hearing and call the heavens and the earth to witness against them.” (Deuteronomy 31:28)

Poet Mahmoud Darwish echoes this Abrahamic outlook by portraying the land as a woman—“the lady of the earth”—a figure of both suffering and resilience. Through this personification, Darwish critiques the domination of land by human civilization, portraying earth not as property but as a noble matriarch. His vision resonates with the biblical sabbatical and jubilee traditions, in which the land itself is granted rest and release from exploitation (Leviticus 25).

In the Old Testament, Galilee is often marginalized or conquered. Yet, in Isaiah—and later in the New Testament—it is repurposed as the launching point for God’s mission to liberate the land from human abuse.

In contrast to Jerusalem or Rome, which embody imperial tyranny cloaked in Hellenistic pluralism, Jesus reclaims Galilee as the new hub for Biblical Shepherdism—a direct challenge to the ideology of Hellenistic urban empire. Galilee becomes a scriptural threshold: a place of refuge, instruction, and mission. It embodies God’s cause, where divine law transcends political borders, and the land becomes a witness to divine justice against human violence, not a possession of empire.

اللَّهُ مَالِكُ الْمُلْكِ
allāhu māliku al-mulk
“God is the Owner of Sovereignty”

This week I discuss Luke 8:26.

Show Notes

χώρα (chōra) / ע-ר-ץ (ʿayin–resh–ṣade) / أ-ر-ض (ʾalif-rā-ḍād)

The biblical Hebrew אֶרֶץ (’ereṣ) can denote:

The entire inhabited earth, as in Genesis 1:1 (“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”), is typically rendered in the Septuagint (LXX) as γῆ (gē).
A specific territory, region, or localized land, such as “the land of Canaan,” or the land surrounding a city.
The pairing of שָּׁמַיִם (šāmayim)“heavens” and אֶרֶץ (’ereṣ) earth in scripture functions as a merism, a literary device expressing totality.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
(Genesis 1:1)

“May you be blessed of the Lord, Maker of heavens and earth.”
(Psalm 115:15)

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.”
(Isaiah 65:17)

In the Qur’an, أرض “arḍ” also appears frequently in the same manner in phrases like “السماء والأرض” (al-samāʾ wa al-arḍ) – “the heavens and the earth.”

بَدِيعُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَاتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَإِذَا قَضَىٰٓ أَمْرًۭا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ
badīʿu al-samāwāti wa al-arḍi. wa idhā qaḍā amran fa-innamā yaqūlu lahu kun fa-yakūn.
[He is] the Originator of the heavens and the earth. When he decrees a matter, he only says to it, “stand forth,” and it stands forth.

In his poetry, Mahmoud Darwish uses the Semitic function أ-ر-ض in line with the anti-civilizational tradition of Abrahamic literature:

عَلَى هَذِهِ ٱلْأَرْضِ
ʿalā hādhihi al-arḍ
on this earth

Darwish refers to the earth (ٱلْأَرْض) both as a practical reality, literally, “on this earth,” this “ground,” and as the shared heritage of those who live on this ground, who come from the ground, from the same mother, “the lady of the earth.” This sovereignty is not imposed or “built” by civilization, but inherent.

سَيِّدَةُ ٱلْأَرْضِ
sayyidatu al-arḍ
the lady of the earth

In Semitic, earth as “lady” or “mistress” implies dignity and nobility: the land as a suffering yet powerful matriarch—both witness to and victim of human civilization. For Darwish, it evokes the Palestinian spirit of steadfastness (صمود – ṣumūd). It is not the human being, but the land that is steadfast:

“Still, and perhaps more importantly, regarding the years as set times are the sabbatical year, set every seventh year, as rest for the land, and the jubilee year, set every fifty years, when everybody is set free and even the earth itself is set free from their subjugation by the human being (Lev 25).”

(Tarazi, Paul Nadim. Decoding Genesis 1–11. Orthodox Center for the Advancement of Biblical Studies, St. Paul, MN. 2014. p. 82)

أُمُّ ٱلْبِدَايَاتِ
ʾummu al-bidāyāt
mother of all beginnings

(Gen 2:7, Qur’an 30:20)

أُمُّ ٱلنِّهَايَاتِ
ʾummu al-nihāyāt
mother of all endings

(Genesis 3:19, Qur’an 20:55)

Γερασηνῶν (Gerasēnōn) / جرش

Gerasa (جرش Jerash in modern-day Jordan) was a key city in the eastern Roman Empire. It served as a Hellenistic hub and a strategic site that developed due to the cultural changes after Alexander the Great’s conquests in the 4th century BC.

The typical features of a Hellenistic polis—such as a colonnaded cardo maximus, theaters, temples dedicated to Greco-Roman gods, and agoras—are visible in the ruins of Gerasa. These structures reflect the urban planning strategies introduced by Macedonian and later Roman rulers, as well as the blending of Greek and local Semitic cultures. These are hallmarks of anti-Scriptural Hellenistic pluralism, which seeks to erase Ezekielian shepherdism. Ezekiel’s school was carried forward by St. Paul, who opposed Roman imperialism by imposing coexistence against Caesarunder the one God of the tent-dwelling shepherd Abraham.

Γαλιλαία / (Galilaia) / גָּלִיל

In Joshua and Chronicles, Kedesh in Galilee is identified as a city of refuge and a Levitical inheritance, tying it to themes of mercy, sanctuary, and priestly service.
In 1 Kings 9, this same region is dismissed by King Hiram of Tyre when Solomon gives him twenty cities in Galilee as a diplomatic gift—cities Hiram calls כָּבוּל (Kabul) “Cabul,” or “worthless.” This underlines Galilee’s devalued status in the eyes of political power.
In 2 Kings 15, Galilee becomes the first region to fall to the Assyrians, highlighting its vulnerability.
Isaiah turns this trajectory on its head in Isaiah 9:1-2, where Galilee—specifically called “Galilee of the nations”—becomes the location where light of instruction will arise:

By the way of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles.
The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in a dark land,
The light will shine on them.

In the New Testament, this prophetic rever...

Internalized Racism Apr 24, 2025

In “Dark Sayings,” I explore how internalized racism destroyed my mother’s family. This psychological process, woven out of Hellenistic pluralism and anti-Scriptural platitudes about the so-called “Melting Pot,” reveals how systemic racism operates not only externally but within the immigrant’s self-conception.

Internalized racism is more insidious than the inferiority complex from which it stems. Eventually, the immigrant—the stranger in a foreign land—overcomes fear by adopting the personality of the oppressor.

“You shouldn’t give your children Arabic names, Marc.”
“Stop listening to Arabic music, Marc.”
“You need to assimilate into this culture, Marc.”
“If you love the Middle East so much, Marc, why don’t you live there?”

The last one is my favorite. It reveals the speaker’s true heart. They might as well say, “Go back to Africa, Marc.”

My father is from Africa. Is Africa a punishment?

Internalized racism explains why people from the West Bank see themselves as superior to people from Gaza. It’s why Arab Christians often identify with white Western Christians against their Muslim brothers. It’s why immigrants and minorities across backgrounds look up to those who marginalize them.

This concept of “Stockholm Syndrome” reflects a fundamental truth about the human condition. The privileged and underprivileged who perpetuate internalized racism share something profoundly disturbing in common: both reject the God of Abraham, trusting not in him as King, but in themselves.

Ironically, Pharaoh (or Caesar) is not their king, as they profess in John’s Gospel, but merely their locum tenens — their temporary substitute. They view themselves as the true sovereigns. This explains their enthusiasm for elections; they delight in proclaiming their chosen figurehead by acclamation: creatus imperator.

They “create” (creāre) him. They “make” him. They “elect” him. They “bring him into being” and then they control him—but they can’t control the God who speaks out of the whirlwind.

Providence, habibi, is rougher than a corncob. She’ll slap you sideways even if you’re careful.

Though “internalized racism” isn’t a Scriptural term, it’s rooted in biblical notions of cowardice; in the absolute fear of the power of death and deep anxiety about what might happen if Jesus alienates the “wrong people” in Decapolis. God forbid he offend those “nice white people.” Very bad for business.

Consider the disciples.

What a bunch of cowardly, misguided fools. One almost wonders why Jesus didn’t let his Father finish what he began with the storm at sea.

Oops! I am starting to sound like Jonah. See, there are no good guys!

This week, I discuss Luke 8:25.

Show Notes

βουλή (boulē) / מ-כ-ר (meem-kaf-resh) / م-ك-ر (mīm-kāf-rāʾ)

Purposeful plan, will, counsel. يَمْكُرُ (yamkurū) to plan, scheme, plot. מכר (makar) to sell. For example, Joseph being sold by his brothers (מָכְרוּ māḵərū Genesis 37:28).

“But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s plan (τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ θεοῦ tēn boulēn tou theou) for themselves, not having been baptized by John.” (Luke 7:30)
“For thus says the Lord: ‘You have sold yourselves (נִמְכַּרְתֶּם nimkartem) for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.’” (Isaiah 52:3)
“Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the Lord, “Who execute a plan, but not mine, and make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, in order to add sin to sin.” (Isaiah 30:1)
“And [remember] when those who did not believe made plans (يَمْكُرُ yamkuru) against you to restrain you, or kill you, or expel you. And they make plans (ۚ وَيَمْكُرُونَ wa yamkuruna), but God makes plans (وَيَمْكُرُ wa yamkuru) — and God is the best of planners (الْمَاكِرِينَ al-makirin).” (Surah Al-Anfal 8:30)

πίστις (pistis) / אֱמֶת (ʾemet), from the root א-מ-ן (aleph-mem-nun), אָמֵן (ʾāmēn), and أمين (amīn)

The root א-מ-ן (aleph-mem-nun)is functional with إيمان (īmān, “faith”) and آمن (āmana, “he trusted”), reflecting the biblical Hebrew concepts of trust, faithfulness, and reliability.

Under the influence of Hellenism (Judaeo-Christianism), אֱמֶת (ʾemet) is misinterpreted by neoplatonists as “truth,” as if it were a philosophical abstraction. Here, the wisdom of George Carlin comes to mind:

“I leave symbols to the symbol-minded.”

The God of Abraham is not a “symbol,” let alone a pagan effigy—he is our trustworthy Master. Saying “amin” does not indicate agreement with an idea; it reflects placement of trust in the trustworthy Master.

φοβέω (phobeō) / י-ר-א (yod-resh-aleph) / و-ر-ي (wāw–rāʼ–yāʼ)

Fear, fearful, or feared. وَأَرَى (waʾara) — “to frighten someone.”

“Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God ( יְרֵ֤א אֱלֹהִים֙ yerēʾʹ ʾělō·hîmʹ ), since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.”” (Genesis 22:10–14)

In the Qur’an, وَأَرَى (waʾara) is linked to divine signs intended to cause fear. Concerning the Lukan reference, Abraham is shown (أَرَى arā) a terrifying thing:

“And when he reached the age of striving with him, [Abraham] said: ‘O my son, indeed I see (أَرَى arā) in a dream that I am sacrificing you.” (Qur’an 37:102)

In Genesis 22, Abraham also sees (וַיַּרְא wayyárʾ) the ram caught in the thicket, and “fears God” (ירא אלהים yirē ʾelohim) through his obedience.

θαυμάζω (thaumazō) / ת-מ-ה (taw-meem-he)

The disciples encountered God on Mount Zion, were filled with terror, panicked, and fled:

“They saw it, then they were amazed (תָּמָ֑הוּ tā·māʹ·hû); They were terrified, they fled in alarm.” (Psalm 48:5)

In Ecclesiastes, after a reminder to “fear God,” a warning: don’t be shocked by institutional oppression. Corruption and injustice are standard and forever entrenched — officials monitor one another, but the system will always fail. “Reform” is a word found only on the lips of the self-righteous:

“Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to hear rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil….For in many dreams and in many words there is emptiness. Rather, fea...

The Arrogance of Job Apr 03, 2025

Theologians and philosophers love to talk about the meaning of life. They explore its purpose, justification, and value, questioning whether or not suffering has meaning. They sound like the Preacher in Ecclesiastes, wasting time viewing things from the wrong perspective: man’s point of view, the king’s point of view, Job’s point of view.

This mirrors how Christians assess and then attempt to control the Holy Spirit through human words. Their version of the Holy Spirit—always friendly, gentle, and “inspiring”—bears little resemblance to the God of Scripture. This domesticated spirit, which makes people feel good with that telltale twinkle and misty look, becomes a false god they tame, groom, and adore like a pet.

That’s why they’re confused when the same wind that filled Jesus’ sails at the beginning of the parable suddenly transforms into a fierce, wrathful storm—a whirlwind. But this is precisely how God’s breath, his wind, operates.

Not only is it invisible to the eye, but it cannot be controlled. Sometimes cold, sometimes hot, and always unpredictable, it can turn against you on a dime, just like life’s events.

As Jesus said in judgment of Job’s lament, “the rain falls on the just and the unjust.” (Matthew 5:45)

This week, I discuss Luke 8:24.

λαῖλαψ (lailaps) / ס-ע-ר (samek-ʿayin-resh) / ס-ו-פ (samek-waw-feh)

Hurricane, tempest, furious storm. All three biblical references in Luke 8:23 invoke the Lord’s wrath against human arrogance:

Job 21:18 (סוּפָה sû·fāhʹ ) - The arrogance of Job, who questions why the wicked prosper.
- “Are they as straw before the wind, and like chaff which the storm (סוּפָה sû·p̄āhʹ ) carries away?
Job 38:1(סְעָרָה seʿā·rāh) - Anger at Job’s arrogance—at his attempt to comprehend divine judgment. The whirlwind is the wrath of God.
- Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind (סְעָרָה seʿā·rāh) and said, 2 “Who is this that darkens counsel By words without knowledge?
Jeremiah 32:18 (סַ֫עַר sǎʹ·ʿǎr) God stirs up a sweeping, consuming judgment against all nations.
- Thus says the Lord of hosts,
- “Behold, evil is going forth
- From nation to nation,
- And a great storm (סַ֫עַר sǎʹ·ʿǎr) is being stirred up
- From the remotest parts of the earth.

ἐπιτιμάω (epitimaō) / ג-ע-ר (gimel-ʿayin-resh) / ج-ع-ر (jīm–ʿayn–rāʼ)

Rebuke or speak insultingly, often with a firm or authoritative tone. It can also imply harsh or scolding speech; in divine usage, it can function as subduing or silencing through rebuke. The Arabic root also denotes the production of a loud, guttural sound, explicitly referring to the mooing or bellowing of cattle. In both Hebrew (גער) and Arabic (جعر), the shared Semitic root captures a raw, forceful vocalization.

The waters in the Psalms represent a fundamental aspect of God’s creation, serving as a metaphor for his dominion and kingly victory over all opponents. They are the chaotic forces under his control. The Psalms consistently depict God as the supreme authority over all the waters of creation—a realm teeming with life and human activity, overcome by God, the only true hegemon.

“You have rebuked (גָּעַ֣רְתָּ gā·ʿǎrʹ·tā) the nations, you have eliminated the wicked; You have wiped out their name forever and ever.” (Psalm 9:5)

“Thus he rebuked (יִּגְעַ֣ר yiḡ·ʿǎrʹ) the Red Sea and it dried up, and he led them through the deeps, as through the wilderness.” (Psalm 106:9)

“You rebuke (גָּ֭עַרְתָּ gāʹ·ʿǎr·tā) the arrogant, the cursed, who wander from your commandments.” (Psalm 119:21)

“And the Lord said to Satan, ‘The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke (יִגְעַ֨ר yiḡ·ʿǎrʹ) you! Is this not a log snatched from the fire?’” (Zechariah 3:2)

ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi) / א-ב-ד (ʾalef-bet-dalet) / أ-ب-د (ʾalif-bāʼ-dāl)

Perish, get lost, go astray; destroy, kill. In Arabic, أَبَدَ (ʾábada) can indicate “it ran away”, especially concerning animals, in line with the function lost, gone, destroyed, or vanished beyond recovery or control.

“Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, ‘How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, so that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is destroyed? (אָבְדָ֖ה ʾǒḇ·ḏāhʹ)’” (Exodus 10:7)

“As for any person who does any work on this same day, that person I will eliminate (הַֽאֲבַדְתִּ֛י hǎ·ʾǎḇǎḏ·tîʹ) from among his people.” (Leviticus 23:30)

“But you will perish (אֲבַדְתֶּ֖ם ʾǎḇǎḏ·těmʹ) among the nations, and your enemies’ land will consume you.” (Leviticus 26:38)

“On that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were perishing (אֹֽבְדִים֙ ʾō·ḇeḏîmʹ) in the land of Assyria and who were scattered in the land of Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain at Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 27:13)

In the Qur’an, the function أ-ب-د is often used in noun forms and derivatives related to judgment. This usage stems from the biblical function אֲבַדּוֹן (abaddon) used interchangeably with Sheol (Proverbs 15:11; Psalm 88:11). In Arabic, أَبَدًا (ʾabadan) indicates everlasting:

Surah Al-Baqarah (2:95):

“وَلَن يَتَمَنَّوْهُ أَبَدًا”
(wa-lan yatamannawhu ʾabadan)
“And they will never wish for it, ever.”

Surah Al-Jinn (72:23):

“…عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا أَبَدًا”
(adhāban alīman abadan)
“a painful punishment, forever…”

“خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا”
(khālidīna fīhā abadan)
“abiding therein forever.”

The phrase خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا (khālidīna fīhā abadan) appears numerous times in the Qur’an. It’s used in verses describing the everlasting nature of Paradise or Hell.

ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi) / כרת (kaf–resh–taw)

To “cut” or “cut off.” In a cultic setting, a covenant was “cut”—reflecting the ritual slicing of animals in two (cf. Genesis 15:18, where God “cut a covenant” with Abram).

ἀπόλλυμι is not the most frequent translation of כרת, whichcarries the function of destruction or extermination, notably, unto death or ruin.

Luke’s usage of this rare Levitical function corresponds to the consequence of disobedience:

“And anyone from the house of Israel, or from the strangers who reside among them, who eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats the blood and will cut him off (הִכְרַתִּ֥י hiḵ·rǎt·tîʹ) from among his people.” (Leviticus 17:10)

“I will also set my face against that man and will cut him off (הִכְרַתִּ֥י hiḵ·rǎt·tîʹ) from among his people, because he has given some of his children to Molech, so as to defile My sanctuary and to profane my holy name.” (Le...

Sing to the Lord a New Song Mar 27, 2025

In every age, empires create words to describe the people in the societies they seek to dominate and exploit. Eventually, these terms are turned inward and used against themselves. The Greco-Romans—and their eastern heirs, whom modern scholars call the Byzantines—labeled those outside their empire as barbarians.

The colonials who settled the Americas, after dismantling the peaceful coexistence of Semitic peoples in Southern Spain, referred to the inhabitants of this supposed “new” land as savages.

Whether communists, leftists, or terrorists, from age to age and generation to generation, we rely on the notion of the alien or foreigner to demonize the other.

Humanities scholars, clinging to the illusion of progress, speak as though they have just discovered this problem, but wisdom literature has tackled this since before Hellenism emerged as a blot on humanity’s historical record.

When Jesus sets out to make a pilgrimage to Decapolis, he does so under the control of his Father’s will, who breathes into his sail and sends him on a mission—not to trample underfoot the barbarians at the edge of Constantine’s empire, but to confront Constantine himself.

It is Constantine, Habibi, who is the problem. The Emperor is the barbarian from whom the Lord’s inheritance must be saved.

This week, I discuss Luke 8:22, which exposes the true enemy of God, not the outsiders, but the emperor himself.

Show Notes

πλέω / מ-ל-א (mem-lamed-alef) / م-ل-أ (mīm-lām-hamza)

That which fills, makes full; fullness, full amount, measure, extent:

“Sing to the Lord a new song,
Sing his praise from the end of the earth!
You who go down to the sea, and all that fills it (וּמְלֹאוֹ umelo'o),
You islands, and those who live on them.” (Isaiah 42:10)

The root مَلَأَ (malaʾa) in Arabic can be found in words such as:

مَلَأَ (malaʾa) - to fill
مَلِيء (malīʾ) - full, filled
مَمْلُوء (mamlūʾ) - filled (passive participle)
امْتَلَأَ (imtalaʾa) - to become full, to be filled
مِلْء (milʾ) - fullness, filling
تَمْلِيء (tamlīʾ) - filling (verbal noun)
مَلَأ (malaʾ) - assembly, ruling council, crowd, public

ἄνεμος / ר-ו-ח (resh-waw-ḥet) / ر-و-ح (rāʾ–wāw–ḥāʾ)

ἄνεμος (anemos, “wind,” 8:23) When the wind fully enters (מְלֹא / مِلْء) the sail, it takes shape, and the boat is propelled forward. Classical Arabic poetry often compares the full sail to a “breathing chest”—expanding, alive, and responsive to the unseen force of wind (رِيح rīḥ, which in Scripture functions as God’s breath or “Spirit.”) The biblical Hebrew term רוּחַ (ruaḥ) and the Arabic رُوح (rūḥ) both function as wind or divine Spirit.

The Greek verb πληρόω (plēroō), meaning “to fill,” “make full,” or “complete,” also corresponds to מ-ל-א and appears numerous times throughout Paul’s letters, notably:

καὶ μὴ μεθύσκεσθε οἴνῳ, ἐν ᾧ ἐστιν ἀσωτία, ἀλλὰ πληροῦσθε ἐν Πνεύματι,
“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.”
(Ephesians 5:18)

Paul deliberately chooses a second term in 1 Corinthians—not πληρόω, but κορέννυμι—to convey sharp sarcasm, mocking the leaders in Roman Corinth for being full of themselves and smug in their self-satisfaction. The only other appearance of this Pauline term, which does not occur in the Septuagint, is in Acts 27, which corresponds to Luke by way of authorship:

“καὶ ἐμπλησθέντες τροφῆς ἐκούφισαν τὸ πλοῖον ἐκβαλλόμενοι τὸν σῖτον εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν.”
“And when they had eaten enough (ἐμπλησθέντες), they lightened the ship by throwing out the wheat into the sea.”
(Acts 27:38)

See also: ب-و-ء (bā-wāw-hamza)/ ב-ו-א (bet-waw-alef)πλέω also corresponds to בוא (Jonah 1:3), which aligns with Acts 27:38.

الْمَلَأ (al-malaʾ) “ruling council, community leaders, chiefs, the elites” is a recurring function in the Qur’an, where prophets confront the elite power structures in their communities. The malaʾ are gatekeepers of institutional norms and the status quo, resisting the prophets’ calls for repentance and submission to God.قَالَ الْمَلَأُ مِن قَوْمِ فِرْعَوْنَ إِنَّ هَـٰذَا لَسَاحِرٌ عَلِيمٌ
qāla al-malaʾu min qawmi firʿawna inna hādhā lasāḥirun ʿalīm
“The elite of Pharaoh’s people said, ‘Indeed, this is a learned magician.’”
Surah al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:34 (ref. to Moses)فَقَالَ الْمَلَأُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِن قَوْمِهِ مَا هَـٰذَا إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ…
faqāla al-malaʾu alladhīna kafarū min qawmihi mā hādhā illā basharun mithlukum…
“So the chiefs of his people who disbelieved said, ‘This is only a man like yourselves…’”
Surah al-Muʾminūn 23:24 (ref. to Noah)

The malaʾ belittle the prophets:

• “He’s just a man like us.” (26:155)

• “He’s a liar.” (26:186)

• “He’s possessed/crazy.” (26:154)

• “He’s a magician.” (26:34)

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Glory to the Most High Mar 13, 2025

Some concepts in the Bible are so crucial that if they aren’t properly understood from the outset, the text itself can be twisted from a guide that protects your steps into a snare that traps you in a cycle of endless folly.

One such example is the idea of ownership or proprietorship.

When you hear the Bible, even in the original languages, but especially in translation—for example, the colonial King James text—when you hear the Bible in that translation, you are hit over and over again with a notion of ownership that has as its reference not Scripture but, in fact, the King of England, who imagines that he owns things, just like those of us living in a capitalist society imagine that we own things.

Just ask your child.

Ask them about the shirt on their back, the shoes they wear to school, or the toys on the floor of the room where they sleep. Ask them to whom those things belong. They will likely tell you that they “own” those things.

But that is not how ownership functions in Scripture.

Even when it says, “your land,” in Scripture—even then—the underlying premise of the text is that God, not his children, is the sole proprietor. That”s how ownership works in the Bible. Everything is a temporary loan. No one “owns” anything except God.

That is what the word “inheritance” means.

It is not granted to you, so you can “possess” it in perpetuity. It is a temporary gift that can be reclaimed and lent to others at any time. You cannot claim it as property because you are not the Most High.

You are not the Proprietor.

This week, I discuss Luke 8:22.

Show Notes

ἀνάγω (anagō) / ع-ل-و (ʿayn-lām-wāw) / ע-ל-ה (ʿayin-lamed-he)

This root carries the core function of “ascending” or “rising.” The same root is used to refer to pilgrimage in Jewish tradition, particularly in the phrase עֲלִיָּה לָרֶגֶל, (ʿaliyah la-regel) literally “going up” or “ascending by foot,” referring to three biblical festivals involving pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem:

“For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no man shall covet your land when you go up (בַּעֲלֹתְךָ - baʿalotka) three times a year to appear before the Lord your God.” (Exodus 34:24)

Religious and political ideologues routinely pervert this verse. The biblical understanding of land relationship can be described as patrimony (נַחֲלָה - naḥala). This concept frames the land as a divine inheritance or trust from God, who remains the sole owner. As Leviticus 25:23 explicitly states:

“The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with me.”

Other verses where the same root appears are also significant for Jewish tradition:

“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” / “To which the tribes go up (עָלוּ - ʿalu), the tribes of the Lord—an ordinance for Israel—to give thanks to the name of the Lord.” (Psalm 122:1, 4)“And many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up (וְנַעֲלֶה - venaʿaleh) to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths.’ For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:3)“‘If this people go up (יַעֲלֶה - yaʿaleh) to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.’ So the king consulted, and made two golden calves, and he said to them, ‘It is too much for you to go up (מֵעֲלוֹת - meʿalot) to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.’” (1 Kings 12:27-28)

Luke’s lexical use of ἀνάγω (anagō), the Greek parallel to Hebrew עלה (ʿalah), repeatedly functions as a direct reference to Exodus themes: the plagues, the movement out of Egypt with God into the wilderness, the people’s complaints, and constant reminders that it was God who brought them up, and God who brings up.

The Arabic cognate عَلَا (ʿalā), means “was high, was elevated, rose, ascended.” The word عَلَا (ʿalā) and related forms from this root occur multiple times throughout the Qur’an:

فَتَعَالَى اللَّهُ الْمَلِكُ الْحَقُّ
fa-taʿālā allāhu al-malik al-ḥaqq
“Exalted is God, the true King”
(Surah Ta-Ha 20:114)إِنَّ فِرْعَوْنَ عَلَا فِي الْأَرْضِ
inna firʿawna ʿalā fī al-arḍ
“Indeed, Pharaoh exalted himself in the land”
(Surah Al-Qasas 28:4)وَلَتَعْلُنَّ عُلُوًّا كَبِيرًا
walataʿlunna ʿulūwan kabīran
“And you would surely cause corruption on the earth with great arrogance”
(Surah Al-Isra 17:4)سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَى
sabbiḥi isma rabbika al-aʿlā
“Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High”
(Surah Al-Aʿla 87:1)

The root functions in various ways, including:

عَلِيّ (ʿaliyy) - high, exalted
أَعْلَى (aʿlā) - highest, most exalted
تَعَالَى (taʿālā) - to be exalted, elevated
عُلُوّ (ʿuluww) - height, exaltation, arrogance

“Al-ʿAli” (The Most High) is one of the 99 names of God.

The same root appears in the angelic proclamation from Luke 2:14, which is used in Christian liturgical services in the doxology: “Glory to God in the highest”:

المجد لله في الأعالي
al-majdu lillahi fil-ʿali ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Forget, Lest You Forget Mar 06, 2025

What is it like to be unaffected?

How sad it must be to go to church, attend a class, interact with your neighbor, and be indifferent to what they say.

What is it like to be unaffected?

To be so confined to yourself that when you look at your natural reflection in the mirror, you see your flaws—you might even acknowledge them—but the moment you look away, you forget them. You carry on with your life. It’s a curiosity, an interest, a fleeting insight, perhaps. But it’s a compartment, a facet of your identity that you create that fits into something you control—a picture you paint that does not influence how you live.

What is it like to be unaffected?

To live in such a way that everything around you exists as an experience in service to you on your checklist—an item on your itinerary, your menu, your agenda.

What happens when every member of society treats everything like a trophy wife? Their job, partner, children, friends, family, affiliations, and even the place they pray?

Everything becomes a trophy wife.

Even God—the god of their imagination—becomes a trophy wife.

What happens when everything is the object of the reflection of their natural face?

What is it like to be unaffected?

To resolve the dissonance of your natural reflection with the comfort of forgetfulness.

To return to what was left behind. To turn away from what lies ahead. To prefer a lie. To lie to yourself.

What happens when you look away?

This week, I discuss Luke 8:19–21.

Show Notes

Refer to Episode 548: Μαγδαληνή / ג-ד-ל (gimel-dalet-lamed) / ج-د-ل (jīm-dāl-lām)

In Latin, creāre means “to create,” “to produce,” or “to elect.” In Rome’s political sphere, it referred to the act of appointing or electing officials, including Julius Caesar.

Hearers Not Listeners

“For if anyone is a listener of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.” (James 1:23-24)“Γίνεσθε δὲ ποιηταὶ λόγου καὶ μὴ ἀκροαταὶ μόνον…”

“But be doers of the word and not listeners only…”
(James 1:22)“Ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς· Μήτηρ μου καὶ ἀδελφοί μου οὗτοι εἰσιν οἱ τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ ἀκούοντες καὶ ποιοῦντες.” (Luke 8:21)

In James 1:22, ποιηταὶ λόγου (“doers of the word”) and ἀκροαταὶ (“listeners") correspond to the participial forms found in Luke 8:21: ἀκούοντες (“hearing”) and ποιοῦντες (“doing”). Notably, ἀκροαταὶ and ἀκούοντες come from different roots. ἀκροαταὶ from the root: ἀκρο- (akro-), meaning at “the edge” or “the extremity,” implying passive reception, or “listening” vs. ἀκούοντες “to hear.”)

Someone who sees their natural face (πρόσωπον τῆς γενέσεως, “the face of his birth”) in a mirror and then forgets what he saw is the one who hears Scripture and neglects to act. He chooses to forget his appearance in God’s eyes. His knowledge of Scripture (the mirror) is overtaken by willful self-deception. He is a listener, not a doer.

ἀκροατής (“listener to”) occurs only four times in the New Testament, all with the negative connotation of inaction:

Romans 2:13:
1. γὰρ οἱ ἀκροαταὶ νόμου δίκαιοι
2. “for it is not the listeners of the Law”
James 1:22:
1. καὶ μὴ ἀκροαταὶ μόνον παραλογιζόμενοι
2. “and not mere listeners of the Law, who delude themselves”
James 1:23:
1. ὅτι εἴ τις ἀκροατὴς λόγου ἐστὶν καὶ οὐ ποιητής
2. “for if anyone is a listener of the word and not a doer"
James 1:25:
1. παραμείνας οὐκ ἀκροατὴς ἐπιλησμονῆς γενόμενος
2. “not a forgetful listener, but a doer”

παραλογίζομαι / ر-م-ي (rā-mīm-yāʼ) / ר-מ-ה (resh-mem-he)

To deceive, defraud. To desert, abandon, or betray. To cast, throw, to cast (blame), or shoot (arrows). The Arabic رَمَى (ramā) and the Hebrew רמה (rāmā) carry the same function.

“So it came about in the morning that, behold, it was Leah! And he said to Laban, ‘What is this that you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? Why then have you deceived (רִמִּיתָנִי, rimmītānī) me?’” (Genesis 29:25)“But whoever earns an offense or a sin and then blames it (يَرْمِ yarmī) on an innocent has taken upon himself a slander and manifest sin.” Surah An-Nisa (4:112)

James 1:24: ἐπιλανθάνομαι (“to forget”)

"For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten (ἐπελάθετο) what kind of person he was." (James 1:23-24)

"For God is not unjust so as to forget (ἐπιλαθέσθαι) your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints." (Hebrews 6:10)

"Do not neglect (ἐπιλανθάνεσθε) to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it." (Hebrews 13:2)

"And do not neglect (ἐπιλανθάνεσθε) doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." (Hebrews 13:16)

"Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting (ἐπιλανθανόμενος) what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead." (Philippians 3:13)

Philippians 3:13 refers to 3:8, which pertains to Paul’s station, family, tribe, religion, religious purity, heritage, personal achievements, religious accomplishments, national pedigree, and personal zeal—in his words—"ἡγοῦμαι πάντα ζημίαν / ἡγοῦμαι σκύβαλα" (I consider everything a loss; I consider them dung):
- “More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere dung, so that I may gain Christ.”
- "ἀλλὰ μενοῦνγε καὶ ἡγοῦμαι πάντα ζημίαν εἶναι διὰ τὸ ὑπερέχον τῆς γνώσεως Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου μου, δι’ ὃν τὰ πάντα ἐζημιώθην, καὶ ἡγοῦμαι σκύβαλα, ἵνα Χριστὸν κερδήσω."

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It's Literature Mar 04, 2025

This week, Fr. Paul reminds us that a word does not carry meaning yet the words of Scripture make God’s instruction accessible. Likewise, it is the words of God to which we submit, not an abstract Torah in Deuteronomy, but the words of God, a point echoed in the letters of St. Paul. (Episode 333)

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It's Personal Feb 20, 2025

When people hear Luke 8:18, they assume it is talking about stuff.

But Luke, like the Book of Job, is not about stuff.

It is about darkness and light.

When people evaluate others—their first mistake is that they evaluate at all—they measure what others have. That is how the Duopoly assesses Job. They love him because he was rich, pity him because he was poor, judge him because he was self-righteous, or cheer him because he did not give up.

They experience the full range of human suffering, not through their own trials, but by observing and evaluating others.

They think they are something when they are nothing—wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Women and men who glory in the flesh; who glory in the suffering of others.

They are the Duopoly—the "both-sidesies" people.

Thus says the Lord: There is only one side; my throne in the heavens. It is mine, my kingdom rules over all, and I am not mocked.

Even what they think they have is already gone, fading before they can grasp it—lost in their foolish desire to measure it.

There is only one thing needful.

And it cannot be counted as loss, because it does not come from them.

That is why they think it has no meaning—because it is not of their making.

Those who think like them, who act like them, will become like them.

This week, I discuss Luke 8:18.

Show Notes

ἔχειν (to have) and δοκεῖ ἔχειν (thinks he has)
- 1 Corinthians 8:2
  - οὐδεὶς θεὸς εἰ μὴ εἷς “There is no god except one.” (oudeis theos ei mē heis)

- - لَّا إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ “There is no god but him.” (lā ilāha illā huwa; common phrase, e.g., Surah Al-Baqarah, 255)
  - שְׁמַע יִרָאֵל יְהוָה (אֲדֹנָי) אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה (אֲדֹנָי) אֶחָד “Hear O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” (shamaʿ yisra'il, yahweh [adonai] eloheinu, yahweh [adonai] aḥad; Deuteronomy 6:4)

- Galatians 6:3
δοθήσεται (it will be given)
- Romans 12:3
- 1 Corinthians 4:7
ἀρθήσεται (it will be taken away)
- Romans 11:21-22
  - ἐκκόπτω (ekkoptō) “cut off, cut down” כ-ל-ה (kaf-lamed-he)
    - To complete, finish, or bring to an end. Destruction, annihilation, perishing.
- 2 Corinthians 13:5
  - Luke makes 2 Corinthians functional in 8:18, reinforcing “the light” in 8:17 as an implement of testing. See my comments on the previous verse: φανερός / ב-ח-ן (bet-ḥet-nun) / م-ح-ن (mīm-ḥāʾ-nūn)

In Latin, “en-” and “ex-” are prefixes with distinct meanings:

The word “encounter” comes from the Old French “encontre,” which means “meeting” or “opposition,” and is derived from the Latin “in-” (meaning “in” or “on”) and “contra” (meaning “against” or “opposite”). At its root, “encounter” literally means “to meet against” or “to face.”

In contrast, the anti-biblical term “experience” signifies “going through a test” or “emerging from a trial.” It emphasizes the personal involvement and subjective perception of events, where meaning is drawn from one’s own reference point. This internalized perspective distinguishes experience from encounter, as it places the self at the center of interpretation, making it inherently self-referential.

I appreciate Father Paul Tarazi for highlighting this distinction and Matthew Cooper for further exploring the Latin etymologies with us—over coffee. ☕

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May God Cover Us Feb 06, 2025

Most people, when they hear the story of Josiah and his priest rummaging through the rubble of the temple in Jerusalem and stumbling upon a scroll, fall prey to the hope that Josiah was a reformer. That he picked up the scroll, looked upon those who came before him, and thought: I can do it better. I can get it right this time.

But that's the trap. That's the mistake. That's the arrogance--not just of Josiah, but of the one hearing the story.

Had he only watched Star Trek.

Had he seen what happens, over and over again, to the guy in the red shirt--the one who beams down to the planet with Kirk and Spock. The one standing there, amid ruins, staring at some mysterious artifact.

Why is the planet in ruins? Where have all the people gone?

What is this strange artifact?

And just before the guy in the red shirt meets his inevitable doom, the real question emerges:

Why did they keep it buried?

Why were they afraid of it?

More importantly, why am I holding this thing in my hands?

Perhaps instead of uncovering it, Josiah should be praying for cover--in the wilderness.

This week, I discuss Luke 8:17.

Show Notes

κρυπτός / א-ט-ם (aleph-tet-mem) / أ-ط-م (ʾalif-ṭāʾ-mīm)

“To seal,” “to block,” or “to close securely.” In Arabic, أَطْمَ (ʾaṭma) can indicate “a strong building” or “fortification,” although this root is not as commonly used in contemporary Arabic.

"And there were shuttered windows (אֲטֻמוֹת, ʾăṭumōt) looking toward the guardrooms, and toward their side pillars within the gate all around, and likewise for the porches. And there were windows all around inside; and on each side pillar were palm tree decorations." (Ezekiel 40:16)"There were latticed windows (אֲטֻמוֹת, ʾăṭumōt) and palm trees on one side and on the other, on the sides of the porch; thus were the side chambers of the house and the thresholds." (Ezekiel 41:26)

φανερός / ב-ח-ן (bet-ḥet-nun) / م-ح-ن (mīm-ḥāʾ-nūn)

“Examining,” “testing,” or “distinguishing.” This root appears in various Semitic languages with similar meanings:

Aramaic: בְּחַן (bǝḥan) – to test, try.
Syriac: ܒܚܢ (bḥan) – to test, examine.
Arabic: مَحَنَ (maḥana) – to probe, examine, or test a student.

“Send one of you that he may get your brother, while you remain confined, so that your words may be tested (יִבָּחֵנוּ, yibbāḥēnû) whether there is truth in you. But if not, by the life of Pharaoh, you are certainly spies!” (Genesis 42:16)

The name of the surah, al-Mumtaḥanah, sometimes rendered “She who is to be tested,” refers to the believing women tested in 60:10, the only occurrence of م-ح-ن in the Qur’an, as the term اِمْتَحَنَ (imtaḥana) as the imperative فَامْتَحِنُوهُنَّ ( fa-imtaḥinūhunna“test them!”). In Classical Arabic, م‑ح‑ن conveys “to test,” “to try,” “to examine,” or “to subject someone to a trial or hardship.” The noun مِحْنَة (miḥnah) means “trial,” “ordeal,” or “affliction.”

ἀπόκρυφος / ס-ת-ר (samek-taw-resh) / س-ت-ر (sīn-tāʾ-rāʾ)

Hiding, concealing, covering, or sheltering. The Arabic noun سِتْرًا (sitran) means a covering, a veil, or protection.

لَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُم مِّن دُونِهَا سِتْرًا
(lam najʿal lahum min dūnihā sitran)
“…We had not provided for them any cover (سِتْرًا) from it (the sun).”
Sūrat al-Kahf (18:90) الله يستر (allāhu yastur) literally means “God conceals” or “God covers.” In everyday usage, Arabic speakers often say it as an exclamation along the lines of “May God protect us!” or “God help us!” A prayer for protection or guidance in hardship, asking that God will hide something undesirable from public view, such as a fault or mistake, and that he will cover sins. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

God is the Light Jan 30, 2025

Evil always dresses in a garment of light. It hides in plain sight. It smiles. It’s friendly. It’s comforting. It’s dishonest. It appears as something it’s not.

Take, for example, that seemingly innocuous campfire song all your children have been taught to sing at your silly church camps: “This Little Light of Mine.” Like a mother who possesses children; like a tribe that possesses land; like those who refuse to let go of what God destroys—or worse, those who wickedly imagine they can compensate for God’s will by loving their neighbor—like a spoiled child clamoring for a toy.

Yes, this little hymn of the Antichrist twists the teaching of the Gospel of Luke into a fascist anthem that leads, at worst, to genocide—and at best, to a mind-numbing theology of the cult of self: the worship of money, human reason, community, and ultimately, state power.

“This little light of mine?”

Are you kidding me? Do you really think the place men dared not tread is now yours to share? Do you know what you’re talking about? Do you really believe the light upon which Moses dared not gaze is yours to adorn with coverings, like a pet?

Think. No—do not think. Hear.

To what did Luke refer in chapter 8 when he said lampstand? Container? Cover? What do any of these things have to do with you and your church camps?

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

This week, I discuss Luke 8:16.

Show Notes

ἅπτω / נ-ג-ע (nun-gimel-ʿayin) / ن-ج-ع (nūn-jīm-ʿayn)

Greek: to set on fire. Hebrew: to touch, strike violently, reach, or afflict. The Arabic cognate نَجَعٌ (najaʿ) refers to 1. the effect of the action, 2. being effective, or 3. having an impact or benefit—for example, a statement or teaching; in modern usage, a medicine. In a nomadic context, it signifies the departure or migration of people or animals in search of pasture or sustenance.

λύχνος / נ-ר (nun-resh) / ن-و-ر (nūn-wāw-rāʾ)

Light, lamp. The Arabic cognate نُور (nūr) functions as “light” or “illumination.”

καλύπτω / כ-ס-ה (kaf-samek-he) / ك-س-ى (kāf-sīn-yāʾ)

Cover, conceal, clothe, drape, forgive. The Arabic verb كَسَا (kasā) means “to clothe” or “to cover.” Its triliteral root is ك-س-و (kāf-sīn-wāw). كسوة الكعبة (kiswat al-ka'bah) denotes the cloth that covers the Kaaba in Mecca.

σκεῦος / כ-ל-י (kaf-lamed-yod) / ك-ي-ل (kāf-yāʾ-lām)

Vessel, implement, tool. The Arabic word كيل (kayl) refers to a measure of grain. It denotes measuring, weighing, or apportioning something in quantities. The root is also related to the Hebrew function כול (kul), which can function as comprehending, containing, or measuring. In Arabic كُلّ (kulu) indicates all.

κλίνη / מ-ט-ה (mem-ṭet-he) / م-ط-ط (mīm-ṭāʾ-ṭāʾ)

Couch, bed, to incline, stretch downward, extend. The Arabic مَطَّ (maṭṭa) "to stretch" or "extend" shares a common Proto-Semitic root (m-ṭ-) with Hebrew:

Hebrew מ-ט-ה (m-ṭ-h);Arabic م-ط-ط (m-ṭ-ṭ); Aramaic מטא (mṭʾ); Akkadian (maṭû)

λυχνία / מ-נ-ר (mem-nun-resh) / ن-و-ر (nūn-wāw-rāʾ)

Lampstand, light, menorah. The Arabic cognate of מְנוֹרָה (menorah) is منارة (manārah), which means candlestick, lighthouse, or minaret (the tower of a mosque), the lighthouse from which the call to hear scripture is announced to all. The triliteral root in Arabic pertains to light, illumination, or shining.

اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ
(allāhu nūru as-samāwāti wa-al-arḍi)
”"God is the light of the heavens and the earth.”
(Surah An-Nur 24:35) ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

God Is Not Shy Jan 23, 2025

It has taken some time to understand what the Parable of the Sower meant when it introduced the function “soil” in its critique of human beings’ betrayal of God’s covenant with Abraham. Still, by the time the New Testament was written, Matthew, Mark, and Luke all found it necessary to clarify that the position of the one being judged was separate from the station of the one Judge.

In the end, the nuance of “seed” as covenant unto instruction vs. seed as offspring and the distinction between “holy seed” and “rebellious seed” were not clear enough for those who, like the Caesars, sought to enthrone themselves as gods by making the Bible a historical narrative about their community.

Long before the Qur’an split the function zera’ into two distinct Semitic roots, the New Testament introduced the function “soil” opposite the covenantal seed of Abraham to demonstrate how God’s instruction operates as the sole Judge of his offspring, who, like Job, are found wallowing in the dark midnight of their self-righteous fate, powerless before him, left only with only “with ears to hear” his voice and the opportunity to submit to him, or not.

That is why Jesus is explicit and open. There are no secrets or mysteries. The seed is the word of God, and the mystery is his judgment, which, the prophet Daniel taught us, is beyond man’s grasp.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

This week, I discuss Luke 8:9-15.

Show Notes

μυστήριον (mystērion) / ר-ז-ז (resh-zayin-zayin)

The term רָז (raz) is an Aramaic word that means “mystery” or “secret.”

“The king answered unto Daniel, and said, of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.” (Daniel 2:47)

The name “Daniel' comes from דָּן (dan), meaning 'judge,” and אֵל (el), which refers to “God.”

קוֹדֶר (qoder) / قَدْر (qadr)

In biblical Hebrew, קוֹדֶר (qoder) can mean “dark” or “gloomy.” (Job 30:28) In Arabic, the phrase ليلة القدر (laylat al-qadr) refers to “The Night of Decree,” “The Night of Power,” or " The Night of Fate,” during which the prophet received the Word of God.

As an extension of judgment, qadr can also refer to value, worth, extent, amount, volume, or rank:

له قدر كبير (lahu qadr kabīr) “he is highly esteemed.”
قدر الماء (qadr al-māʼ ) “amount of water”

παραβολή (parabolē) / מ-ש-ל (mem-shin-lamed) / م-ث-ل (meem-tha-lam)

In Arabic, the word مَثَل (mathal, plural: أمثال amthāl) is equivalent to the Hebrew מַשָּׁל (mashal).

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَسْتَحْيِي أَنْ يَضْرِبَ مَثَلًا مَا
(inna allāha lā yastaḥyī an yaḍriba mathalan mā)
”Indeed, God is not shy to present a parable (mashal)”
Surah Al-Baqarah (2:26) ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

And of My Descendants? Jan 16, 2025

In Scripture, Abraham’s seed encompasses more than just biological lineage. It also transmits God’s covenant, outlining the potential for righteousness and human corruption in a single function.

The Hebrew term zera', "seed" or "offspring," follows the continuity of God’s promise to Abraham from one generation to the next. It also marks the recurring story of human rebellion, which is as predictable in each generation as the agrarian cycle of seasons.

Nothing changes under the sun.

In this sense, the biblical seed is covenantal, according to God’s promise across the generations, and biological, according to his command. The seed has all living things and the preservation of life in its purview, even as humans repeatedly threaten life in literary Scripture and literal history.

To sow the biblical seed is to “spread” God’s covenant in fulfillment of his promise to Abraham, a grace carried in the content of Paul’s gospel, which scatters our rebellious (biological) seed as Jesus scatters in Luke, all the while gathering God’s offspring for the Kingdom.

This is what the Magnificat in Luke 1:46-55 means:

Scripture shatters the stubborn back of human rebellion in every generation, scattering those who remain and spreading them among the nations, fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham and his offspring, including all life in God’s zealous care.

Put that in your flashy fundraising brochure.

This week, I discuss Luke 8:4-8.

Show Notes

σπείρω / σπόρος / ז-ר-ע (zayin-resh-ʿayin) / ز-ر-ع (zāy-rāʿ-ʿayn)

“And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time זרע (zaraʿ), and you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land safely.” (Leviticus 26:5)זֶ֫רַע (zeraʿ) “seed,” in biblical Hebrew, also functions as “offspring” or “descendants” with a connotation of spreading or scattering. In Arabic:

The verb زرع (zaraʿa) means “to sow” or “to plant.”
The noun زرع (zarʿ) refers to “crops” or “plants.”

أَفَرَأَيْتُم مَّا تَحْرُثُونَ
أَأَنتُمْ تَزْرَعُونَهُ أَمْ نَحْنُ الزَّارِعُونَ
(ʾafa-raʾaytum mā taḥruthūna, ʾaʾantum tazraʿūnahu ʾam naḥnu al-zāriʿūna)“Have you seen that which you sow?
Is it you who makes it grow, or are we the grower?”(Surah Al-Waqi'ah, 56:63-64)

The biblical function ז-ר-ע bifurcates in the Qur’an, clarifying the distinction between covenant and offspring. A second root, ذ-ر-أ (dhā-ra-hamza), is introduced alongside ז-ר-ע that ties directly to lineage, posterity, and the continuity of God’s covenant with Abraham:

قَالَ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِي قَالَ لَا يَنَالُ عَهْدِي الظَّالِمِينَ
(qāla wa-min dhurrIyyatī qāla lā ya-nālu ʿahdī a-ẓālimīna)“He [Abraham] said, ‘And of my descendants?’ He said, ‘My covenant does not include the wrongdoers.’”(Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:124)

As with Biblical Hebrew, both connotate scattering, dispersing, or spreading.

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They Built Themselves High Places Jan 02, 2025

“He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me, scatters.” (Luke 11:23)

Mothers, not women—mothers specifically—are exploited by the schemes of city builders. This distinction is important because women are often party to the weaponization of mothers.

I began this week's monologue with a verse from Luke 11 because it is impossible to hear what Luke wrote about “scattering” until you hear clearly what he taught about point of reference.

As Matthew taught us earlier in the New Testament, you cannot serve two masters: You cannot serve the Hasmoneans and the Kingdom of God. You cannot serve Herod and the Kingdom of God. You cannot serve Caesar and the Kingdom of God. You cannot serve any institution and the Kingdom of God.

You are allowed one choice in the Bible: submit to him and gather for him and scatter as Jesus scatters, or submit to something else and gather against Jesus, which means you are the wolf, stealing sheep and scattering the Master’s flock.

All clergy are hirelings, but not all are wolves. Whether an assembly is full or not, who can tell who is gathering and who is scattering? None but him, and it has nothing to do with a church’s balance sheet.

Truly, truly, I say to you: the first three verses of Luke 8 carry the proclamation of the liberation of the mothers of Judah from the buildings of the Israelites, which are an affront to God.

This week, I discuss Luke 8: 1-3.

Show Notes

Μαγδαληνή / ג-ד-ל (gimel-dalet-lamed) / ج-د-ل (jīm-dāl-lām)

Μαγδαληνή (Magdalene) from the Hebrew מִגְדָּל (migdal) in the New Testament functions as “Mary Magdalene,” (Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνή), or “Mary of Magdala.” In Arabic, مجدل (majdal) a fortress, tower, or stronghold, can also function as something braided or woven tightly or strong.

“Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower (migdal) that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’” (Genesis 11:4)“The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that were not right. From watchtower (migdal) to fortified city they built themselves high places in all their towns.” (2 Kings 17:9)

Χουζᾶς / ח-ז-ה (ḥet-zayin-he) / ح-ز-ي (ḥāʼ-zā-yāʼ)

The Hebrew root ח-ז-ה (ḥet-zayin-he) can function as “to see” or “to behold,” typically in prophetic usage. In Arabic, حَزِي (ḥazi) refers to “an astrologer” or someone who interprets celestial phenomena to foresee events.

Σουσάννα / ש-ו-ש (shin-waw-shin) / س-و-س (sīn-wāw-sīn)

Transliterated from the Hebrew or Aramaic name שׁוֹשַׁנָּה (Shoshannah, “lily”), Σουσάννα (Sousanna), appears in the Septuagint in the text of the same name. Shoshannah can function as “lily” or “rose,” in Hebrew and Aramaic usage.

שׂוּשׂ (sus): To rejoice or exult.
שׁוֹשׂ (shos): Rejoicing or delight.

The same root in Arabic سوس (sūs) is associated with managing, governing, or overseeing.

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To the Text Dec 31, 2024

In this episode, Fr. Paul stresses the importance of going to the biblical text, not “going back, ” highlighting how Paul’s letters and even Luke’s Gospel were written to specific individuals, challenging the tendency to read these texts as universally applicable. We want to make Scripture timeless to elevate our power, but its power lies in its direct address to its original audience.

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Do You See? Dec 26, 2024

We imagine that love is the product of a kind or generous heart. We confuse love with sentiment. Maybe we want others to like us. Perhaps we can’t stomach their suffering, so we medicate them with lies, or we embrace their fantasies because they accommodate our needs. We coddle sentiment as a virtue because it feels safe, womblike, and even noble.

Sentiment reinforces our private delusions. There is no better resolution for cognitive dissonance than sentimentality. Sentiment is practically Western doctrine. Make everyone feel good. How dare you not? How dare you be so unfeeling, so cold, so unloving? The problem with this line of thinking is that it is evil. Only a self-oriented person believes that a human being is capable of love.

God is the only one who loves his children. If you keep insisting on yourself, which is indicative of what Chris Hedges calls hyper-masculinity, that’s all you will ever understand about relationships. You will never find him. Those who think otherwise always end up alone, sitting in someone else’s chair until the day he appears. You cannot meet God until you are not there, Habibi.

You will never find him in your “community,” you harlots. “You brood of vipers.” Truly ba‘alic—the lot of you, “reclining together.” That is the prophetic and Pauline wisdom that Jesus uses in Luke 7 to trap Simon, who fancies himself something when he is nothing.

“Do you see this woman, Simon?” Do you dare judge her? Worse, do you dare judge her rightly? Nothing in the Bible is worse than being right about a wrong that condemns you. Jesus does not praise her because she loves much. How could he? That is akin to Simon’s mistake. She is a human. She is incapable of love. Instead, the Lord praises the only one who loved her, the one who gave her the tears to wash his feet when he forgave her much, forgiveness she received from above in submission to him. Simon, on the other hand, judged much.

“What caused you to deny the Master, Simon?” You fool. There is no Judge but him. If I were you, I would trade in my sandals for a pair of running shoes. This week, I discuss Luke 7:40-50.

Show Notes

δανιστής / ת-ו-ך (tav-waw-kaf) / ت-ك-ت (tāʾ-kāf-tāʾ) The Greek word δανιστής(danistēs), “moneylender,” refers to a person who lends money, often with interest, associated with violence in Scripture. In Luke 7:41 it is aligned with the function תֹּךְ (tok), which carries the usage “violence” and “oppression” in Proverbs:

“The poor man and the oppressor תְּכָכִים (tekakim) have this in common: The Lord gives light to the eyes of both.” (Proverbs 29:13)

In Arabic تَكَتَكَ (taktaka) means to trample underfoot or to crush, akin to war. تَكَتُك (takatuk): A repetitive sound, such as tapping or clicking, reflecting rhythmic motion or action. The war drum. In Semitic, the idea of trampling extends to subjugation, domination, or persistentoppression, aligning with its use in biblical Hebrew and in Luke 7.

δάκρυ / ד-מ-ע (dalet-mem-ʿayin) / د-م-ع (dal-mīm-ʿayn)

“I am weary with my sighing; Every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my tears דִּמְעָתִי (dim‘ati).” (Psalm 6:6)

ἔλαιον / ש-מ-ן (shin-mem-nun) / س-م-ن (sīn-mīm-nūn) Fat, oil, olive oil.

“Then Jacob got up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had placed as a support for his head, and set it up as a memorial stone, and poured oil (שֶׁ֫מֶן, shemen) on top of it.” (Genesis 28:18)

“You will have olive trees throughout your territory but you will not anoint yourself with oil (שֶׁ֫מֶן, shemen), because your olives will drop off.” (Deuteronomy 28:40)

“You will sow but you will not harvest. You will tread the olive press, but will not anoint yourself with oil (שֶׁ֫מֶן, shemen); and [you will tread] grapes, but you will not drink wine.” (Micha 6:15)

“For their mother has committed prostitution; she who conceived them has acted shamefully. For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil (שַׁמְנִי, shemeni), and my drink.’” (Hosea 2:5)

The function س-م-ن (sīn-mīm-nūn) appears four times in the Qur’an, twice regarding Joseph’s dreams and the famine in Egypt, once regarding the Hospitality of Abraham, and once referring to food for the unrighteous from the “thorny plant” on the Day of Judgment:

لَا يُسْمِنُ وَلَا يُغْنِي مِن جُوعٍ
lā yus’minu wa lā yugh’nī min jūʿ
“[Which] neither fattens nor avails against hunger.”
Surah Al-Ghashiyah (88:7)

μύρον / מֹר — מ-ר-ר (mem-resh-resh) / م-ر-ر (mīm-rāʼ-rāʼ) The function מ-ר-ר conveys bitterness, sharpness, or acridity, both literally (in taste and smell) and metaphorically. The Arabic مُرّ (murr) and مِرَّة (mirrah) are cognates of the biblical Hebrew מֹר (mor), which refers to myrrh, the fragrant yet bitter resin. Related Semitic Cognates: Aramaic: מָרָא (mara) — Bitter.; Akkadian: murru — Bitter or acrid.

μύρον — ב-ש-ם (bet-shin-mem) / ب-ش-م (bāʼ-shīn-mīm) Refers to balsam or other fragrant substances. In some cases, overlaps with the use of μύρον/מֹר to describe fragrant materials mixed with oils.

“Nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all the trees of frankincense; myrrh (מֹר, mor) and aloes, along with all the finest balsam (בְּשָׂמִים, b’samim) oils.” (Song of Songs 4:14)

συνανάκειμαι (synanakeimai) (Luke 7:49) THE WORD “RECLINE” DOES NOT APPEAR IN LUKE 7. Three distinct functions describe the action translated as reclining, “synanakeimai” being the third. Each Greek term corresponds to a unique Semitic function. The appearance of the third action condemns Simon and those who congregate with him. “To recline together.” In Maccabees, made functional by Luke, communal reclining, shared meals, companionship, and “500” elephants all serve a wicked scheme:

“οἱ δὲ συνανακείμενοι συγγενεῖς τὴν ἀσταθῆ διάνοιαν αὐτοῦ θαυμάζοντες προεφέροντο τάδε” “But the Kinsmen reclining at table with him, wondering at his instability of mind, remonstrated as follows:” (3 Maccabees 5:39) ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

I’m Your Lily Dec 12, 2024

When the text says “recline” in Greek, it doesn’t mean “recline.” When the Greek text differentiates “recline” through repetition, it still doesn’t mean “recline,” even in translation. Even when Greek functions correctly, Greek alone is insufficient—it doesn’t work without lexicography. Without proper word study, there is no such thing as Scripture. If you merely hear the original Greek text in Greek without studying its Semitic inter-function, you are nothing more than a Greek. Jesus has not yet restored your ears, crippled by Hellenism.

What is an alabaster flask? Oh yes, you want to discuss your ancient theology of burial—wrong again. What is an alabaster flask? Do you know where your theology originates, who it was crafted for in antiquity, and how it was used? Or would you prefer to talk about how noble it is that someone as esteemed as you deigns to meet with people you perceive as lesser?

You hypocrite.

You are not Jesus; he may be least, but he is less than no one in the story. They have nothing to offer him, and he has nothing to learn from them. Your theology of reclining is silly, too.

If you disagree, it is because you still have not understood the command against patriarchy, family, institution, and Alexandrian Greco-imperialism in Genesis: you must leave your father and mother and cling to your wife.

As a long-time listener wrote in this week:

“In your last podcast, did you argue that the idea is not about continuation in a particular place? That the entire point is to disappear, ensuring that nothing continues from one generation to the next? Is it less about mother, father, husband, wife, nuclear family, sentimentality, and romantic ideals and more about living your time without worrying about progeny, trusting instead that God will provide?That looking back to our father’s generation and our ancestors is futile because clinging to what they had means we are simply trying to preserve an institution that God places no value on because continuing where you came from isn’t the command?”

Yes…yes.

Would you rather be a lily in God's field or a slave in Solomon's brig?

He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Or, as I am wont to shout from the rooftops:

“Free Palestine!”

This week, I discuss Luke 7:36-39.

Show Notes

φάγω-ἐσθίω / א-כ-ל (aleph-kaf-lamed) / أ-ك-ل (ʾalif-kāf-lām)

To “to eat” or “consume.” أَكَلَ (akala)

“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘From any tree of the garden you may eat(אָכַל, akal) freely.’” (Genesis 2:16)“For God knows that in the day you eat (תֹּאכֵלוּ, tokelu) from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5)

κατεκλίθη / נ-פ-ל (nun-pe-lamed) / ن-ف-ل (nun-fa-lam)

From the verb κατακλίνω, κατεκλίθη means to lay down or to cause to recline. It corresponds to נפל, which indicates fall, collapse, aggressive action, to fall upon in raid, to force to lie down, bring to ruin, drop to the ground, and by extension, to give birth (the related concept of dropping something to the ground).

“If men have a quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but falls (נָפַל, nafal) to bed,” (Exodus 21:18)نَفَّلَ (naffala) “he fell to his share” or “assigned as a share.” الْأَنْفَالُ لِلَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ
(al-anfālu lillāhi wa-l-rasūli)
“The spoils are for God and the Apostle.”
Surat al-Anfal 8:1

κατάκειμαι / ש-כ-ב (shin-kaf-bet) / س-ك-ب (sīn-kāf-bāʼ)

From the verb κατάκειται, κατάκειμαι means to lie down or to be laid out. It aligns with שׁכב, which can indicate to lie down, lie, lie asleep, or lie sick. سَكَبَ (sakaba) to pour or spill.

“How long will you lie down (תִּשְׁכָּבtishkab), lazy one? When will you arise from your sleep?” (Proverbs 6:9)“And you will be like one who lies (כְּשֹׁכֵב, ke-shokheb) down in the middle of the sea, or like one who lies (כְּשֹׁכֵב, ke-shokheb) down on the top of a mast.”وَيُسْكَبُ مَآءٌۭ حَمِيمٌۭ
(wa-yuskabu māʾun ḥamīmun)
“And scalding water will be poured.”
Surah Al-Infitar (82:19)

ἀλάβαστρον

The name “Alabastron” derives from the Egyptian city of the same name, where high-quality alabaster stone was quarried. The use of the alabaster flask is associated with the cult of Osiris and, by extension, Hathor. Sealed alabastrons were placed in tombs as offerings to the gods or for the deceased’s “ka” in the afterlife.

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God Has Spoken Dec 05, 2024

In their extreme hubris, humans believe that Luke’s admonition, “A tree is known by its fruit,” is nothing more than a proverb about being a “better parent.” But as I explained a few episodes ago, it is a warning that humans can’t parent.

It is a judgment, a mashal, a rule, a verse, a biblical sign that there is no such thing as a good human parent because the only tree that bears “good fruit” is the wisdom of God.

With this in mind, what did you go out to see in the wilderness of Luke 7? Twice?

Luke wrote the question twice.

Twice, he asked, “Are you the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?”

Twice, as if the same person were looking at himself in the mirror.

Is Jesus looking for John the Baptist, or is it the other way around? What’s the difference between the message and the messenger?

Do you study the Bible, or does the Bible study you?

Who is the reed shaken by the wind?

Is it the reed Solomon can’t use to measure John’s Palace, or the reed Isaiah’s “Bringer of Justice” refuses to break?

Who is the “Bringer of Justice?” Can you tell?

What did you go out to see, human?

A prophet? You may be indifferent to the prophet, yes, but then you hate his message, too.

You hypocrite.

I will tell you what the fruit of the Good Parent looks like.

It doesn’t eat bread, and it doesn’t drink wine, and you say it has a demon.

It eats bread and drinks its fill, and you accuse it of gluttony.

Why? Because you are a wicked human parent. You do not love God. You are like a spoiled child: impossible to please, self-serving, fickle, unresponsive, pouty, regardless of the message or the messenger.

But the children of the Good Parent, whether they fast or feast sumptuously with sinners, are deemed righteous by the Most High; the same is shown to be righteous by his children.

As Paul said:

“You are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.”

This week, I discuss Luke 7:25-35.

Show Notes

צ-ד-ק (sade-dalet-qof) / ص-د-ق (ṣād-dāl-qāf) / δικαιόω

The root צ-ד-ק carries the usage “deemed just” or “deemed righteous” in Semitic languages:

Aramaic: צְדֵק “He was righteous.”
Syriac: זָדֵק “It is right.” Note the shift of צ to ז. (Klein)
Ugaritic: (ṣdq) “Reliable, strong.”
Arabic: صَدَقَ (ṣadaqa) “He spoke the truth.”
Ethiopic: (ṣadaqa) “He was just, was righteous.”

In the Bible, there are numerous examples of this root as it pertains to God’s judgment:

“And the heavens declare His righteousness (צִדְקָתוֹ, ṣidqātō), for God Himself is judge. Selah.” (Psalms 50:6)“Put Me in remembrance, let us argue our case together; state your cause, that you may be proved right (תִּצְדָּק, tiṣdāq).” (Isaiah 43:26)“In the Lord all the offspring of Israel will be [deemed] righteous (יִצְדְּקוּ, yiṣdāqū) and will glory.” (Isaiah 45:25)

In the Qur’an and Arabic, the root ص-د-ق is associated with honesty, trustworthiness, acts of charity, the fulfillment of promises, and righteousness. Compare parallel usage in the Torah and the Qur’an:

ְהֶאֱמִן בַּיהוָה וַיַּחְשְׁבֶהָ לּוֹ צְדָקָה
(Wa-heʾemin ba-Yahweh wa-yaḥshebaha lahu ṣidāqah)
“Then he believed in the Lord, and he reckoned it to him as righteousness.”
(Genesis 15:6)وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّهُ كَانَ صِدِّيقًا نَبِيًّا
(Wa-udhkur fī al-kitābi Ibrāhīma innahu kāna ṣiddīqan nabiyyā.)
“And mention in the Book Abraham. Indeed, he was a man of righteousness and a prophet.”(Surah Maryam, 19:41)

Examples of ص-د-ق in Arabic:

صَدِّيقٌ (ṣiddīq) – A person of high righteousness and truthfulness.
صَدَقَةٌ (ṣadaqah) – Voluntary charity or almsgiving.
صَادِقٌ (ṣādiq) – Truthful, honest, a righteous person.
تَصْدِيقٌ (taṣdīq) – Affirmation or confirmation of truth.
مُصَدِّقٌ (muṣaddiq) – One who believes in and confirms the truth.

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God is Sufficient Nov 28, 2024

A single, passing word is easily overlooked in translation. You could pontificate about it in abstraction, but can you observe its importance, its technicality? Of course, you can’t—not in English. No way. Not in a thousand years.

What does the word “luxury” have to do with the book of Genesis? Can you tell me how or where it connects to Genesis? What does “luxury” have to do with a dog’s vomit? Can you figure it out? Perhaps you could look up “dog’s vomit” and try to put it all back together from that hint. But by simply hearing Luke in English, you wouldn’t stand a chance. You have no hope of finding these connections. No hope, for example, of hearing what the writer is telling you about the Four Rivers in Genesis. About the difference between a tree and a human being.

Could you, in English, hear by hearing the word “luxury” what Luke is proposing? No—you would simply pontificate about the problem of “ living in luxury” because you’re not interested in lexicography. You’re interested in context, in narrative, in interpretation. The best you could do is theologize about Paradise (or your 401K savings; they are functionally the same), which puts you in league with those condemned in 2 Peter 2.

Your only way out of this dilemma is to hear Luke in the original Greek—but even that’s not enough. You will never hear what Luke is saying if you deal solely with the Greek manuscript.

You have to hear Luke in triliteral Semitic.

Can you discern from the word “luxury” in Luke 7 that you were never supposed to congregate in the first place? That there is a problem with “congregating?” That you’re supposed to spread out, to disperse? That you shouldn’t be here, safe and sound “inside?” You should be spreading out all over the earth—not gathering here in your synagogue, in your “ecclesia,” and settling down.

According to Luke, the proof of your ignorance is found in your dress and your place of habitation. The place of luxury of which God speaks does not require soft clothing, let alone fancy suburban houses.

This week, I discuss Luke 7:20-25.

Show Notes

ق-ن-ى (qāf-nūn-yāʾ) / ק-נ-ה (qof-nun-he)קָנֶה (qāneh) in biblical Hebrew refers to a “reed,” “stalk,” or “cane. " It is often associated with plants that grow near water, such as the reeds along the Nile or Jordan River.

As “calamus” or “sweet cane”

“Take also for yourself the finest of spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, two hundred and fifty, and of fragrant cane (קָנֶה־בֹשֶׂם, qāneh-bōśem) two hundred and fifty,” (Exodus 30:23)“Nard and saffron, calamus (קָנֶה, qāneh) and cinnamon, with all the trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, along with all the finest spices.” (Song of Solomon 4:14).“The waters from the sea will dry up, and the river will be parched and dry. The canals will emit a stench, the streams of Egypt will thin out and dry up; the reeds and rushes (קָנֶה וָסוּף, qāneh wāsūf) will rot away.” (Isaiah 19:5-6).“The scorched land will become a pool and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, its resting place, grass becomes reeds and rushes (קָנֶה וָסוּף, qāneh wāsūf).” (Isaiah 35:7).“You have bought Me not sweet cane (קָנֶה, qāneh) with money, nor have you filled Me with the fat of your sacrifices; rather you have burdened Me with your sins, you have wearied Me with your iniquities.” (Isaiah 43:24).

As “reed” or “measuring rod”

“Behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze, with a line of flax and a measuring rod (קָנֶה הַמִּדָּה, qāneh ham-middāh) in his hand; and he was standing in the gateway.” (Ezekiel 40:3).“And behold, there was a wall on the outside of the temple all around, and in the man’s hand was a measuring rod (קָנֶה הַמִּדָּה, qāneh ham-middāh) of six cubits, each of which was a cubit and a handbreadth. So he measured the thickness of the wall, one rod; and the height, one rod.” (Ezekiel 40:5).“He measured on the east side with the measuring rod (קָנֶה הַמִּדָּה, qāneh ham-middāh) five hundred rods by the measuring rod.” (Ezekiel 42:16).

The Arabic term قَنًى (qanā), which refers to a reed or stalk, is from the same root as the Hebrew קָנֶה (qaneh), and is associated with “acquiring,” “creating,” or “possessing. However, in the context of plants, it refers to reeds or stalks as slender, hollow structures.

قَنًى (qanā): A reed or stalk, similar to the Hebrew קָנֶה (qāneh).
قِنِيَة (qinīyah): Related to possession or acquiring, aligning with ק-נ-ה, which can also mean “to acquire” or “possess.”
قَنِيَ (qaniya): The verb form meaning “to acquire” or “to obtain.”

وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ أَغْنَى وَأَقْنَى (wa-annahu huwa aghnā wa-aqnā) “And that it is he who enriches and satisfies (or makes content).” Surah Al-Najim 53:48)

τρυφή / ع-د-ن (‘ayin-dal-nun) / ע-ד-נ (‘ayin-dalet-nun)

Luke employs the term tryphē as a sociopolitical statement, contrasting the immorality of his opponents—condemned in 2 Peter 2 for emulating the Roman “palace”—with the gentleness of John, who is associated with the Lord God’s Eden.

The term עֵ֫דֶן (‘ēḏen) refers to the “place of delight,” “fertility,” or “pleasure.” In Hebrew, עֵ֫דֶן emphasizes delight and lushness, tied to a specific place, the Garden of Eden. In Arabic, عدن (‘adn) pertains to permanence and bliss, the abode of reward, جنة عد (jannat ‘adn), the “Garden of Eternity” or paradise. This function corresponds to τρυφή tryphē in Luke 7:25.

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A Greek Tragedy Takes Flesh—and Still Dwells Among Us Nov 21, 2024

The Odyssey narrates Odysseus’s ten-year journey as the king of Ithaca, during which he attempts to return home after the fall of Troy. Virgil’s Aeneid chronicles the journey of Aeneas, a Trojan hero and son of the goddess Venus. Aeneas escapes the fallen city of Troy and embarks on a quest to start a settler-colonial project in Italy.

Virgil wrote a work of total fiction, and then as if by witchcraft, Augustus traced his (and Rome’s) historical origins back to Aeneas.

In Jewish Antiquities, Josephus Flavius followed the line of Augustus, adulterating the Bible to appease the ego of his settler-colonial abuser, adopting the same Greco-Roman “literary-historicizing” framework. This may not have resonated with the Jews of the time, but man, would-be Christian imperial colonizers loved his historicizing of epic literature to “build” their apotheosis.

What good is Star Wars if lightsabers are not real, if you are not the heir of Luke Skywalker, and the Republic is not rightfully yours to “possess?”

So, thanks to Josephus Flavius, the (sellout, Uncle Tom) closet Hasmonean, and his oversized case of Bible-wrecking Stockholm Syndrome, by now, we’ve had to deal with two millennia of Hellenized theologians who really believe that Jesus picked up where Venus and Augustus left off.

If you want to understand the socio-political consequences of this approach, consider watching independent news media on YouTube.

If you want to be set free from the tyranny of Augustus and Josephus, hear the Gospel of Luke.

This week, I discuss Luke 7:17-19.

Show Notes

ἔρχομαι (erchomai) ب-و-ء (bā-wāw-hamza)/ ב-ו-א (bet-waw-alef)

The Hebrew verb בוא (bo) and the Arabic verb بَاءَ (bā’a) “he returned” are cognates that trace back to a common Semitic root related to movement toward a point—be it coming or returning. This root corresponds to ἐρχόμενος (erchomoenos) in Luke 7:19, the one who is expected.

“‘Behold, I am going to send my messenger, and he will clear the way before me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come (יָבוֹא, yāḇôʾ) to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, he is coming,’ says the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 3:1)“The Lord God has sworn by his holiness, ‘Behold, the days are coming (בָּאִ֣ים, bā’îm) upon you when they will take you away with meat hooks, and the last of you with fish hooks.’” (Amos 4:2)

Related functions in Arabic:

بَاءَ (bā’a) To return, to incur, to be burdened with, to bring upon oneself.

بَاءُوا بِغَضَبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ
(bā’ū bi-ghaḍabin mina allāh)
“They have incurred wrath from God.”
(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:61)

بَوَّأَ (bawwa’a) To settle someone, to provide lodging, to assign a place.
مُتَبَوَّأ (mutabawa’a) A dwelling place. Arabic Lexicon, Hawramani, https://arabiclexicon.hawramani.com/?p=1617&book=50#9b0b27

وَلَقَدْ بَوَّأْنَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ مُبَوَّأَ صِدْقٍ
(wa laqad bawwa’nā banī isrā’īla mubawwa’a ṣidqin)
“And we settled the Children of Israel in a good dwelling-place.”
(Surah Yunus 10:93)

تَبَاوَأَ (tabāwa’a) Used in literature to describe competition and contention between characters. The verb carries a negative connotation that implies equality. To be equal with each other. Equality in sin or punishment: state of being equally guilty.
- القتيلان فِي الْقصاص تعادلا (al-qatīlāni fī al-qiṣāsi ta‘ādalā)
  “Two dead, in retribution, were tied.”
  “بَوَاءٌ” Arabic Lexicon, Hawramani, https://arabiclexicon.hawramani.com/?p=63888#dbd19f

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Alexander's Seed Nov 19, 2024

This week, Fr. Paul reiterates the importance of hearing Scripture within its historical and sociopolitical context. Beginning with Alexander the Great’s quest for divinity, he illustrates this with references to subsequent events, like the Maccabean Revolt and the resulting Roman domination of Judah. In contrast, he critiques the folly of philosophy in biblical studies, arguing that theology, under the influence of its namesake, Alexander the Great, continues the Macedonian's quest for divinity, recounting the tale of how Aristotle's pupil once halted a battle to embark on a “spiritual journey” into the desert, seeking to understand himself as an incarnate god.

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A Stranger and a Sojourner in the Land Nov 14, 2024

What does it take to liberate people from exceptionalism? To liberate a teaching? Such a pernicious snare, that saying of yours, “family first.” It was your fear of losing the tribe that led you to elect a king and build a city against the will of God. So he sent his Shepherd to rescue his sheep from Cain’s cities, to liberate his people and the Torah from the stone idols fashioned by Cain’s sons.

For those who have stayed with me on the podcast all these years, let me say it plainly:

The idea that all people are created equal—an American principle—is beautiful and correct, but like the Torah, it is held hostage by identity politics. Like the preaching of the Cross under a Roman standard, it has been corrupted by a military-industrial nationalist agenda that feeds on the broken backs of impoverished women and children.

Nothing changes under the sun.

The Gospel of Luke is the Gospel to the Poor. It is a radical Gospel of Liberation. It this scroll of the Torah, the Lion of Judah, breaking free from the gilded prison of Herod's Temple—shattering the gates of brass—raging against you for your sake on behalf of the poor.

He who has ears to hear to hear, let him hear!

Still, the scroll of Luke is not a “liberation theology.” It is a warning that we must forsake what we have built, not build back again, but abandon what Cain built to roam freely with the Lion in his land. As Paul said:

“For if I build again the things I have destroyed, I prove myself to be a sinner.” (Galatians 2:18)

To borrow a term from psychology (one that I’ve used before), prophetic preaching keeps the disciple in a perpetual state of cognitive dissonance, unable to fall back on the natural human instinct to reconcile our innate hypocrisies.

The teaching of Scripture is not “God is love.” The teaching of Scripture is “you are a hypocrite.”

Until you submit to this repetitive literary frame, you can’t hear what Moses said, let alone Jesus. You can’t be set free. That is why the Qur’an went to such great lengths to stress St. Paul’s teaching of submission.

Because the “children of the book” are no such thing. They still belong to Pharaoh.

This week, I discuss Luke 7:11-16.

Show Notes

ש-ע-ר (shin-‘ayn-resh) / ش-ع-ر (shīn-‘ayn-rāʾ)

The Hebrew word שַֽׁעַר (sha’ar) means “gate” or “entrance.” It corresponds to πύλη (pylē) in Luke 7:12, functional with Ruth 4:

"Now Boaz went up to the gate (שַּׁעַר֮, sha‘ar) and sat down there, and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, “Turn aside, friend, sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down." (Ruth 4:1)

This root relates to awareness, feeling, and literary expression in Arabic:

شِعْر (shi‘r)—“poetry”: This is one of the most common words from this root, referring to poetry or verse, which is central to Arabic literary tradition.
شَاعِر (shā‘ir) - “poet”: This word describes a person who composes poetry, playing a significant role in Arabic and Islamic culture.
شَعَرَ (sha‘ara) - “to feel” or “to perceive”: This verb means to feel or become aware, capturing the idea of sensitivity or perception.
مَشَاعِر (mashā‘ir) - “feelings” or “emotions”: This word, in the plural form, denotes feelings, emotions, or sentiments, often used to express emotional sensitivity.
شعار (shi‘ār) “logo, emblem, or slogan”: identification or awareness through a symbol, slogan, or distinguishing mark, a “sign.”
مَشْعَر (mash‘ar) - “place of awareness” or “sacred monument”: Used in Islamic contexts, mashʿar refers to a sacred or symbolic place, often in pilgrimage sites like Mashʿar al-Ḥarām near Mecca.

נ-ע-ם (nun-‘ayn-mem) / ن-ع-ي-م (nūn-ʿayn-yāʾ-mīm)

The word Ναΐν (Nain) is derived from the Hebrew word נָעִים (na'im), meaning “pleasant” or “lovely.”

Behold, how good and pleasant (na'im) it is when brothers dwell in unity! (psalm 133:1)

It, too, corresponds (prescriptively) to the books of Ruth נָעֳמִי (Naomi) but also to the Qur’an. For reference:

“Blessing,” “favor,” “bounty” (ni‘mah): نِعْمَة “And if you count the blessings of God, you will not be able to enumerate them.” (Surah Ibrahim, 14:34)
“Bliss,” “luxury,” “delight” (na‘īm): نَعِيم “In gardens of delight.” (Surah Al-Waqi’ah, 56:12)
“To live in ease or comfort” (na‘ama): نَعَمَ “And for you in them are many comforts.” (Surah Al-Mu’minun, 23:21)
“Bestower of blessings,” “benevolent one” (mun‘im): مُنْعِم “And indeed, your Lord is the Forgiving, Possessor of great bounty.” (Surah An-Najm, 53:32)
“Soft,” “gentle,” “smooth” (nā‘im): نَاعِم “[Some] faces, that Day, will be radiant.” (Surah Al-Ghashiyah, 88:8)
“The blessings” (al-ni‘am): النِّعَم “They recognize the favor of God; then they deny it.” (Surah An-Nahl, 16:83)
“Softness,” “ease,” “comfort” (na‘mah): نَعْمَة “Lest His punishment should befall you if you deny his blessing.” (Surah Ibrahim, 14:7)

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The Only Vote That Counts Nov 07, 2024

Elitist intellectuals are drawn to the concept of a psychological trap because others’ suffering entertains them and because their perception of another's supposed trap reinforces their sense of self-importance and permanence. Poor Sartre, poor DNC, poor duopoly.

“The fool says in his heart, There is no Judge.”

I agree, Jean-Paul: for your spiritual children, there can be “No Exit.”

The local Judean elders, who should be hearing and repeating Jesus’s words, are more concerned with manipulating the goodwill of their Roman occupiers to further their political agenda. In turn, the Roman servant, manipulated by the elders, shows zeal for the Torah. Still, his life remains in disrepair because the people of the Synagogue love their “nation” and their shiny new Synagogue more than the words—the debarim—of Isaiah.

What right do the Judeans have to call anyone “worthy” or good? Their human judgment, assessment, and feedback “build” a house that Jesus does not enter and a Synagogue that ultimately rejects him.

Is there an exit from Sartre’s hell?

Yes. Clearly.

French existentialism, like postmodernism, is silly.

There is only one Judge.

Stop listening to the people of Capernaum and start following Jesus. Imitate the obedience of the Centurion, who did not accept accolades from the people of Judaea but received instead the one vote that counts.

This week, I discuss Luke 7:1-10.

Show Notes

י-ק-ר (yod-qof-resh) / و-ق-ر (waw-qaf-ra)

ἔντιμος (éntimos) “precious,” “honored,” “honorable in rank” (Luke 7:2) aligns with יקר (yāqār) in Hebrew, which can function as “heavy,” “valuable,” “honored,” “dignified,” “dear,” or—relevant to Luke 7:2, 1 Peter 2:4 and 1 Peter 2:6—“precious.” The Arabic root و-ق-ر (waw-qaf-ra) implies dignity, and can funtion as “to honor.”

وَقَار (waqār) — Dignity or solemnity. This word is often used to describe a person’s respectful or dignified demeanor.
وَقِرَ (waqira) — To be weighty or important. In this form, it implies something substantial or of significant value.
وَقَّرَ (waqqara) — To honor or respect. This is the form II verb (with shadda on the middle letter), meaning “to show respect or honor,” often used in contexts where someone honors or reveres another.
تَوْقِير (tawqīr) — Reverence or high regard. This noun, derived from form II of the root, refers to the act of showing respect or esteem, often used in formal or respectful contexts.
مُتَوَقِّر (mutawaqqir) — Dignified or solemn person. This adjective describes a person who carries themselves with dignity, calmness, and respectability.
وَقُور (waqūr) — A dignified or composed person. This adjective describes someone who possesses an aura of respect, often used for people who are calm, collected, and reverent.

The Hebrew root רפא (rafa) is rich in function related to healing, repairing, and recovering, extending across various Semitic languages. Arabic uses the verb رَفَأَ, (rafa'a) “to mend or repair,” with a similar connotation.

"And say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, Just so will I break this people and this city, even as one breaks a potter’s vessel, which cannot again be repaired (לְהֵרָפֵא, leheraphe)and they will bury in Topheth because there is no other place for burial.’" (Jeremiah 19:11 )

ח-ו-ר (ḥet-waw-resh) / ح-ر-ر (ḥāʾ-rāʾ-rāʾ)

ἔντιμος (éntimos) also aligns to חֹר (ḥor), “free,” or “noble”

حُرّ (ḥurr) freeborn
حرية (ḥurriya) “freedom” or “liberty
حرر (ḥarrara): To liberate or set free

ἔντιμος appears only in Luke 7:2, 1 Peter 2:4, 1 Peter 2:6 and Philippians 2:29.

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Sola Syntaxis and the Honorable Man Oct 31, 2024

The folly of human construction is similar to that of large language models. Noam Chomsky talks about this in his famous critique of the current state of artificial intelligence and the absence of scientific analysis. We imagine that these expansive predictive systems are creative. Sure, they are impressive, even helpful—for good and ill—and yes, they will likely replace or change your job, but these tools are not creative. They simply regurgitate what was already found before the LLMs themselves were made functional.

LLMs validate the power of syntax. In effect, a machine is Sola Syntaxis: by merely observing word order and function at scale, it can channel the content of a written text without philosophical abstraction or creativity. LLMs do not comprehend. A machine does not tell you what it thinks, feels, or experiences. Yet, it can often accurately repeat what is found in a text, unlike theologians and philosophers, who are tripped up by human creativity and reason.

At the same time, if you ask an LLM a question about a data set, instead of analyzing the data, it will accurately repeat what other people have said about that data. In that case, it often sounds as stupid as we do.

I believe the marketing people and even some programmers when they say that they do not understand how these systems work because they are neither scientists nor grammarians. They are capitalists, digital tycoons, corporate shills, and engineers. You know, the people who control education, media, politics, and religion in the West in the service of making a buck or pursuing their dreams.

I, myself, am not an expert. The industry may or may not be close to general artificial intelligence. Then again, food, water, and medicine may or may not reach Palestinian children who may or may not be in mortal danger and who may or may not deserve the same benefits upon which you gorge yourself daily. I don't need the Holocaust media to tell me that. I heard it in the Torah.

But hey, ignorance is strength, Habibi.

Whether or not large language models become creative, I do not doubt that industry will leverage them in harmful and destructive ways as we do with all technology—as we already have in West Asia because “nothing changes under the sun.”

But that’s the point. An LLM is just a mechanism of regurgitation. Ask it a question, and you get the same old answer, just faster, at scale. It does a miraculous job of aggregating, processing, regurgitating, and predicting more of the same more efficiently. That’s what human construction is. You take something that was there at the world’s foundation—something you did not create—and rearrange it. You can’t make something new because you are not the builder. The environmental crisis is just more damage piled up. Even the nuclear bomb, as ugly and stupid as it is, is just a bigger bomb. There’s nothing to brag about. It’s not new. It’s just bigger and dumber. You, O man, can’t make one hair on your head black or white.

Or do you have an arm like God? Can you thunder with a voice like his? (Job 40:9)

Unfortunately, I’m convinced that most of you, based on where you are found in the Parable of the Sower, are convinced that you do thunder with a voice like God’s—best of luck to you.

This week, I discuss Luke, chapter 6, verses 46 to 49.

Show Notes

ח-ר-שׁ (ḥet-resh-shin) —or— ח-ר-שׂ (ḥet-resh-sin)

In the original consonantal Hebrew, “sin” and “shin” are not differentiated; the reader must infer the correct pronunciation. Is Paul, the self-proclaimed “ἀρχιτέκτων” of 1 Corinthians 3:10, the חֶ֫רֶשׁ (ḥeresh)—the expert “artisan” or the wise חֶֽרֶשׂ (ḥeres), “earthen vessel” of Isaiah 3:3?

“The captain of fifty and the honorable man, the counselor and the expert artisan (or wise earthen vessel),and the skillful enchanter.” (Isaiah 3:3)

The Arabic function ح-ر-ش (ḥāʾ-rāʾ-shīn) conveys usages that relate to pottery, for example, “to scratch” or “to be rough” but functions more broadly concerning acts of incitement, provocation, and can mean “to stir up.”

حَرَشَ (ḥarasha)– to incite or stir up (as in creating conflict).
تحريش (taḥrīsh) – incitement, provocation, or stirring up discord.

ע-ש-ק (‘ayin-shin-qof) / ع-س-ق (‘ayn-sīn-qāf)

The Greek term πλήμμυρα (plēmmyra), “flood,” occurs only once in the New Testament (Luke 6:48) and only once in the LXX:

“If a river rages (יַעֲשֹׁ֣ק ya‘ashoq), he is not alarmed; He is confident, though the Jordan rushes to his mouth. (Job 40:23)

In Arabic, عَسَقَ (‘asaq) means “to commit injustice” or “to oppress” and extends to wrongful treatment or exploitation.

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Canon Disrupted Oct 29, 2024

This week, Fr. Paul underscores how the Septuagint’s different ordering and classification of texts impact our ability to hear the words of God correctly, shifting Chronicles from the Ketubim to historical books, reframing them as historical events rather than wisdom writings. The same can be seen with Daniel’s placement between Ezekiel and the Twelve, which undermines its resonance as wisdom literature. (Episode 330)

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Thorny Trees Are Not for Normie Trees Oct 24, 2024

For all you lost souls, reading books about how to be a better parent; For all you disciples of neoliberalism, believers in the new fascism, the elitist colonialism repackaged in a delusion tailor-made for people lured by the flattery of progress, fooled by a “new world” where the enlightened trample on the dead, comforted by the lie that they know better than all those who have ever lived, I have news for you:

It’s not “good” news; it’s just news, but if you insist on labeling it, please consider it “bad news.”

According to the Gospel of Luke, “a tree is known by its fruit.”

Now, before you get together with your breakfast buddies and start gossiping about each other’s children, again, I have “news” for you, Habibi.

You are gossiping.

Oops!

Like Jesus said, there is no such thing as a “good” teacher or a “good” parent because, as far as the eye can see, there has never been a family tree that has produced a “good” result.

You, Habibi, are the blind guide, just like the rest of us.

Let’s assume for a moment that the Platonic principle of the “moral arc of history” isn’t wishful thinking and make the wild assumption that you are an improvement on your parents, an incremental step forward, part of the sum total of history your ancestors and your society have achieved.

What’s the result?

What’s happening now in the world after everything supposedly learned by man less than a century ago? What did we learn? Did the war ever stop?

Did we “grow” in humility? Never mind that you can’t “grow” into something small. It’s a foolish statement, an antinomy.

No, our behavior has not improved, as evidenced by your parents’ fruit and yours.

We used to use religion to whitewash our tombs. Now, we use liberal values, which cynically ridicule religion while embracing the fiction of religious nationalism in West Asia to justify the desperate agenda of the dollar. In the end, the mechanism—the function—is the same. In the modern West, our heartfelt, introspective, socially conscious, “normie” liberal values are leveraged as the new opium of the people: “bread and circuses” as the elitist machine rages forward.

Luke’s message is clear: There is no such thing as progress. We are no better than our parents; the judgment of Genesis 6 is written, and God almighty has spoken the truth. We dare not test him.

No human tree ever bears good fruit. If there is any hope, we must put our hope in him.

This week, I discuss Luke 6:43-45.

Show Notes

ע-ץ-ץ (ayin-ṣadi-ṣadi) / ع-ض-ه (‘ayn-ḍād-hā’)

The Hebrew עֵץ (‘eṣ) can refer to “tree,” “timber,” “wood,” or even a “handle.” It has a functional connection to עצה (‘eṣah), which pertains to advice or counsel. In Arabic عِضَاه (‘iḍāh) can refer to thorny trees and shrubs commonly found in arid or desert regions. Aligns to δένδρον (dendron) in Luke 6:43.

“When you besiege a city a long time, to make war against it in order to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees (צָעֵ, ‘eṣa) by swinging an axe against them; for you may eat from them, and you shall not cut them down. For is the tree (עֵץ, ‘eṣ) of the field a man, that it should be besieged by you?” (Deuteronomy 20:19)ס-נ-ה (samek-nun-he) / س-ن-ن (sīn-nūn-nūn)סְנֶה (s’neh) in biblical Hebrew can mean briar or bramble (a thorny, fruit-bearing bush), sometimes translated as “bush,” as follows in Exodus. It corresponds to βάτος (batos) in Luke 6:44:“The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush (סְנֶה,s’neh); and he looked, and behold, the bush (סְנֶה,s’neh) was burning with fire, yet the bush (סְנֶה,s’neh) was not consumed.” (Exodus 3:2)

In Arabic, sanan (سنن) is multi-functional. Though not directly used as “thorn” or “bush,” its root س-ن-ن (sīn-nūn-nūn) pertains to things like “point” or “sharp edge” and can relate to the idea of something pointed or thorn-like. The plural form, sunan, refers to “customs” or “practices,” particularly those of the Prophet Muhammad, known as Sunnah (سُنَّة), recalling, from the Bible, that wisdom has an edge and cuts against the grain:

“The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one Shepherd.” (Ecclesiastes 12:11) ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

You Already Know the Answer Oct 17, 2024

When a student plays teacher with an earthen vessel, there comes a moment in their imaginary dialogue when the trust they thought they had is broken. It's not broken, of course, because the dialogue itself was platonic. It's akin to the crisis of faith a student has when they hear the Bible clearly for the first time and realize the Jesus they heard about in Sunday school is not the Jesus of the gospels. This crisis of trust is a sudden realization that the point of reference for the imaginary dialogue in your head is not the point of reference for the liberating monologue that breaks through to you from the lips of the earthen vessel. Your platonic dialogue exemplifies “the blind leading the blind,” leading you into a snare inside your mind. To break free from this crisis of faith, you must move past your confession that you don't trust the earthen vessel. You must realize the truth, namely, that it is the Torah that you do not trust. You trust in yourself and your construct of the blind leading the blind. You value the comfort of blindness more than the teaching of God. So, Habibi, you have to make a choice. The comfort of the snare and the pit, the blue pill, or the difficulty of the painful thing you don't trust, the red pill, which comes to you through the earthen vessel, the bitter delivery mechanism of God's monologue.

The problem, of course, is that the red pill shares nothing in common with everything about you.

You can't find one book in your library, one stance in any corner of your broken premises that shares anything in fellowship with the red pill. Every time it is offered, it seems wrong and untrustworthy—the red pill, not the vessel, or is it the pill? Can you even decide which one you don't trust?

This week, I discuss Luke 6:41-42.

Show Notes

ט-ר-ף (ṭet-resh-fe)טָרָף (ṭaraf) “fresh-plucked” aligns to κάρφος “dry stalk” and is the only such alignment in the Septuagint. It is typically (weirdly?) translated as “speck” or “mote” by colonial scholars. “The dove came to him toward evening, and behold, in her beak was a (ṭaraf) freshly picked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the water had subsided from the earth.” (Genesis 8:11)“Why do you look at the (κάρφος) speck (dry stalk) that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Luke 6:41)

Also, κάρφος does not appear in Paul’s letters, only in Matthew 7:3 and Luke 6:41.

طَرَفَ (ṭarafa) in Arabic can mean “to tear” or “to take a portion.”طُرْفَة (ṭurfa) can refer to something that is torn off or a fragment, and in some dialects, it may mean something rare or unique.ק-ו-ר (qof-waw-resh)

The triliteral root of (qorah), which typically functions as “beam,” “rafter,” or “timberwork,” and is associated with houses and walls. It aligns with the Greek, δοκός (beam), clumsily translated as “log” by colonial/neoliberal scholars attempting to make sense of what they perceive as “oriental” hyperbole.

Combining “function” and Tarazi’s “itinerant word” methodology, we learn instead that the word קֹרָה (qorah) usually refers to the construction of houses and, finally, the Temple of Solomon. (1 Kings 7:2)

“The beams (קֹרוֹת, qorot) of our houses are cedars, our rafters, cypresses.” (Song of Solomon 1:17) ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Father of Peace? Oct 10, 2024

Once you hear the biblical text and understand that the Bible satirizes and dismantles the arrogance and foolishness of war, political schemes, government powers, and the absurdity of any ruling authority, you can’t hear the Old Testament without bursting into laughter, the way that God laughs at us.

The gift of biblical satire—with all its fury—is true freedom from the historical tyranny of the hell that surrounds us.

Thank God that God judges and condemns us in the Bible. Only a monster would bless the monsters we are: men and women who do such monstrous things in his name, using his book, which lays out the epic parables of our monstrous forbears, whose legacy we are so desperate to manifest as our “new” destiny in West Asia.

I challenge all of you to find one inch of Western society that hasn’t been coopted, sold, or sold itself out to slogans or navel-gazing.

“What does it really mean that anyone can buy and sell activist discourse? Besides the trivialization of real issues…it is unclear who has claim to and who is profiting from this commodification. Think about all of the BLM merch sold on the website Etsy.com. On this site, anyone who makes anything can sell it. That being said, it is hard to know exactly who you are buying from on this site and where the money is going. I clicked on one seller with the username thewomenstore and saw that next to a shirt that read “Black Lives Matter” was a shirt that read “Tequila is Gluten Free.” … Are these phrases, priced the same, equally as important? Did this seller simply add a Black Lives Matter shirt to her collection because she knew it would sell?” — jaenichelle, Blavity.com

There are signs of hope, always, but we can count on our Western institutions to fight against them in the name of the almighty dollar.

After all, our institutions were established by David and administered by Absalom. Ah, yes, “A student is not above his teacher.”

This week, I discuss Luke 6:39-40.

Show Notes

ע-ו-ר (ʿayin-waw-resh) / ع-و-ر (ʿayn-waw-ra)

In Arabic, the word أَعْوَر ( ’a‘war) means “one-eyed” or “having one eye.” עִוֵּר corresponds to τυφλός in Luke 6:39, which also appears in Romans 2:19.

פ-ח-ת (pe-ḥet-taw)פַּ֫חַת—pit; ravine

The corresponding term βόθυνος (bothynos) does not appear in the New Testament, except in some Greek manuscripts where it onlyappears in Luke 6:39.

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Why is There Violence in Deuteronomy? Oct 03, 2024

Why is there violence in the Bible?

Why did the authors of Deuteronomy present parables of genocide?

Why did the gospel writers posit a story about tribal, religious, and political betrayals, acts of treason, and violent acts by the hand of God?

Why do both Testaments deal with war, cruelty, violence, and the threat of God's wrath?

The New Testament is not new in its content. It is the same old content directed at a new audience.

The Bible is not a bunch of broken fragments from different writers patched together arbitrarily. This is a boring orientalist theory invented by German colonial scholars that nobody who knows what they are talking about takes seriously anymore.

J,E,D,P,Q. The last one is my favorite. If you can't find the source, there must be an all-powerful imaginary source called “Q.” It was such an excellent idea that Gene Roddenberry named an entire race of fictional narcissistic deities “Q.” Good job, biblical scholarship! You're so “mystical.”

For heaven's sake, pick up a copy of Tarazi and catch up.

As inconvenient as it is for Westernized (Hellenized) Christians, Paul's teaching of grace—his repurposing of Roman gratia in submission to the teaching of the Cross—was a reapplication of Deuteronomy's literary wrath against Israel's sense of self-entitlement and self-importance. A redirection of God's judgment against the latest monsters to invade and occupy Mesopotamia. Deuteronomy was something like a “directed conversation” held indirectly with all parties in which God himself warns everyone, beginning with Israel:

“The land belongs to me. It put you in, and I can talk you out. ”

The New Testament repeats this warning to a new audience:

“Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” (Deuteronomy 21:22-23; Galatians 3:13)

This verse or “sign” is the novelty of the prophetic self-destruction of the Temple and of the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and its sign is clear: the Emperor has no clothes.

I wish Congress understood Deuteronomy. But how could they? Even Western scholars, let alone the clergy, don’t get it.

“Yet to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear.” (Deuteronomy 29:4)

Remember, the writers of the Torah, who wrote under the pen name “Moses,” were something akin to disillusioned and disaffected State Department employees.

So why did Scripture deal with violence head-on, placing all violence in the hands of the unseen and indepictable God? Let me count the ways for you. For all of you “evolved” and “enlightened” Westerners.

The following are notable genocides and massacres committed by invaders against occupied populations, starting from the Mesopotamian era through the Greek and Roman periods.

Conquest of Sumerian City-States by Sargon of Akkad (2334–2279 BC)
Gutian Invasion and Destruction of Akkad (2150 BC)
Destruction of Ur by the Elamites and Amorites (2004 BC)
Destruction of Mari by Hammurabi (1761 BC)
Destruction of Babylon by the Hittites (1595 BC)
Elamite Conquest of Babylon (1155 BC)
Assyrian Destruction of Susa (647 BC)
Destruction of Babylon by Assyrians (689 BC)
Persian Conquest of Elam (540 BC)
Destruction of Thebes (335 BC)
Siege of Tyre (332 BC)
Destruction of Carthage (146 BC)
Massacre of the Lusitanians (150 BC)
Gallic Wars (58–50 BC)

If you want to get a sense of the cruelty and horror of each of these events, read Deuteronomy!

“NOTHING CHANGES UNDER THE SUN.” 🍉

This week, I discuss Luke 6:38.

Show Notes

The triliteral root for the Hebrew word מִדָּה (middah) is מ-ד-ד (mem-dalet-dalet), which generally relates to the concept of measuring or measuring out. It corresponds to μέτρον in Luke 6:38. Its various uses can function as measures, portions, or the act of measuring something. The corresponding root in Arabic is م-د-د (mīm-dāl-dāl). This root generally relates to extension, lengthening, or spreading. Words derived from this function can include مدّ (madda), meaning "to extend" or "to stretch out," and مِقدار (miqdār), meaning "measure" or "amount."

Here are some common Arabic words derived from this function:

مَدَّ (madda) - to extend, stretch, or lengthen.
مَدّ (madd) - extension, lengthening, or a stretch.
مِدَاد (midād) - ink (historically referred to the extension of writing).
مُدَّة (mudda) - duration or period of time.
مِقدار (miqdār) - amount, measure, or quantity.
مَديد (madīd) - long or extended.
مُتَمَدِّد (mutamaddid) - stretched out, lying down, or expanded.
تَمْدِيد (tamdīd) - extension or prolongation.
مَامُود (mamūd) - a well-known old term meaning praised or extended (rare usage).
إِمْدَاد (imdād) - reinforcement, support, or supply.

“You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measurement (מידה, middah) of weight, or capacity.” (Leviticus 19:35)

The triliteral root for the Hebrew word נתן (natan) is נ-ת-נ (nun-tav-nun). This root generally means “to give” or “to grant.” It is used in various contexts to denote acts of giving, granting, or placing. It corresponds to the word δίδωμι in Luke 6:38.

“Then God said, ‘Behold, I have given (נָתַתִּי, nāṯattī) you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you.’” (Genesis 1:29 ) ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The Battle is Literary Oct 01, 2024

This week, Fr. Paul emphasizes that the hearing of scripture is a literary battleground where various traditions compete for control over its meaning. He critiques how translations like the Septuagint and later Christian adaptations have altered the original intent of the Hebrew consonantal text, arguing that figures such as Philo and Josephus Flavius laid the groundwork for this betrayal.

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A Sign and a Proof Sep 26, 2024

The word “آية” (āyah) in Arabic refers to a “verse” in Scripture. It can also mean a “sign” or “miracle.” Its root in Semitic is ء-ي-ي (hamza-ya-ya) or ء-ي-ن (hamza-ya-nun), depending on the classical derivation one follows.

The equivalent of “آية” (āyah) in biblical Hebrew is אוֹת (’ot), which means “sign,” "proof," or “mark.”

“And He said, ‘Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign אוֹת (’ot) to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.’” (Exodus 3:12)

In Exodus, God himself spoke to Moses. The fact that God spoke is itself the sign, and Moses, in turn, is his sign—living proof of God's promise: “Certainly I will be with you, and you shall worship me.”

“If they will not believe you or heed the witness of the first sign (’ot), they may believe the witness of the last sign (’ot).” (Exodus 4:8)“But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply my signs (’otot) and my wonders in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 7:3)

In Exodus, Moses is living, functional proof that God himself has spoken. Moses is the ’ot elohim, the “آية الله” (āyat allāh), the “sign of God,” the ”proof of God” to Pharaoh.

But as Moses confirms in Deuteronomy, the signs in Exodus are not the miracles and wonders themselves, but rather, the verses that carry them, the āyāt that record what God has spoken. These verses serve as the true “signs,” the otot that carry God’s will and instruction to the people.

In turn, all those who proclaim these verses—for example, Jesus in Luke’s Gospel—are judged by those who shun God. Yet, in fulfillment of God’s command, even Jesus would not judge them before the time. His only purpose was to give God’s signs as proof in anticipation of the one Judge whose Kingdom rules over all.

This week, I discuss Luke 6:37.

Show Notes

The word “āyāt” in Arabic is written as آيات. It is the plural form of “āyah” (آية), which means “verse” or “sign” and is commonly used to refer to the verses of the Abrahamic texts. “They have sold the proofs' of God at a cheap price and turned away from? His path; evil is what they did.” (Surah Al-Tawbah 9:9)

ש-פ-ט (shin-fe-ṭet)

To judge, to rule or govern, a judgment, to administer justice.
Related to the function ש-ל-מ (mem-sheen-lamed), mashal—can signify a parable but also signifies ruling, judging, and making comparisons. It can also mean “to rule” or “to have dominion.” In Arabic م-ث-ل (mīm-thāʾ-lām) is “to resemble” or “to compare” مثل (mathal).

ר-ש-ע (resh-shin-‘ayin) / ر-س-ع (rā-sīn-‘ayn)

To be wicked, to act wickedly. A wicked person. In Arabic, رَسَعَ can mean looseness or slackness of limbs. From the Hadith of Ibn Amr ibn al-As: “بَكَى حَتَّى رَسَعَتْ عينُهُ” (baka hatta rasa‘at ‘aynu) “He cried until his eye changed, became damaged, or its eyelids stuck together.” The word رَسَعَتْ (rasa‘at) here means: 1. Changed or became altered, 2. Became damaged or corrupted, 3. The eyelids stuck together due to excessive crying. Ibn al-Athir al-Jazari. al-Nihāya fī Gharīb al-Hadīth wa-l-Athar. d. 1210, Arabic Lexicon.

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An Offer You Can’t Refuse Sep 19, 2024

It’s difficult to be part of any relationship, at an individual or group level, without attempting to exert control. We rationalize to ourselves that we don’t want control, but it's not true. If you carefully examine your relationships in life, the level of control you attempt to exert is commensurate with your level of investment, which, in a culture of excess, precedes your commitment.

In a Roman household, your level of commitment is not optional. If you are living under the pressure of your patron, you’re stuck. Whether you’re a family member or a slave, you must operate within the confines of the sheepfold in which you are found. That is your life. It’s not a question of what you choose or your level of commitment; you are committed. That’s what you do. It’s your job. Most people in the world, in day-to-day life, don’t have the opportunity to ask what entitled Americans ask. They don’t get to say, “I wonder what my purpose in life is,” or, “What is my dream job?” They just get a job if they’re fortunate and are thankful to be able to do something that provides income so that they can live.

So, if you are found in a Roman household, whatever your function or status, you are committed to do whatever you are committed to do. But if your patron has not been baptized by Paul, then your reference is not Christ; your reference is Caesar. This means that the favors your patron provides the sheepfold are not given freely. They come with a price.

Even though you are fully committed and have no power over your station, you still have to earn your spot. There is an expectation that your family gods, your patrician, the broader neighborhood (the familia, or city block under your patrician), and more importantly, your chief god, the emperor, expect an offering from you in order for the grace of Caesar’s favor through his patrician to be maintained.

But in the end, if you act correctly because you know that your gods, your father, or your neighbors are expected to act correctly or give you something in return, is that grace? Are you committed within the sheepfold, under God through Jesus Christ, or are you still somebody else’s slave?

This week I discuss Luke 6:32-36.

Show Notes

ח-נ-נ (ḥet-nun-nun) / ح-ن-ن (ḥāʾ-nūn-nūn)

חָנַן (ḥanan): “to be gracious” or “to show favor”
תְּחִנָּה (teḥinnah): “supplication” or “plea for grace”
حَنَان (ḥanān): meaning “tenderness” or “compassion.”
تحنّن (taḥannun): meaning “to show mercy” or “to act compassionately.”

נָח (nun-ḥet) Noah

In Hebrew, נָח (nun-ḥet) refers to resting, settling, or being at rest.
In Arabic, أَنَاخَ (’anāḫa) “he made camels kneel down”; مُنَاخ (munāḥ) “resting place of camels”. The triliteral ن-و-خ (nūn-wāw-khāʾ) is a different root, but related, according to Klein. This connection underscores biblical shepherdism.

“But Noah נָח (nun-ḥet) found favor (חֵן, ḥēn) in the eyes of the Lord.” (Genesis 6:8)

In this week’s podcast, Fr. Marc explains how Luke dismantles Rome’s system of gratia, highlighting three categories of “untouchables” in the American system, all related to control of the land.

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It Exists to Resist Sep 17, 2024

This week, Fr. Paul examines later additions to biblical manuscripts, such as Greek breathing marks and the differentiation between uppercase and lowercase letters, which were not in the original texts. He criticizes poor translation choices, like rendering the Hebrew "yarash" as "possess" instead of "inherit." He also discusses Kamal Salibi’s original discovery that the Hebrew consonants for "raven" and "Arab" are identical, allowing for different interpretations. Salibi's work, which questioned specific translation choices, remains unresolved, emphasizing the need to hear the text consonantally and showing that the biblical text resists modern interpretive control and should be read on its own terms. (Episode 328)

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The Hand That Gives Sep 12, 2024

If you accept the Bedouin axiom, “The tree begins with a seed”, you have taken your first step to joining the human race; to accepting that pragmatism is the currency of facts. Admit to yourself that it’s a dog-eat-dog world and operate on that basis, or lie to yourself that you aspire to a higher ideal as you continue to operate in a dog-eat-dog fashion, with blinders on.

In both cases, you are squarely under God’s judgment. In the second example, with the added charge, “bearing false witness.”

Whether you console yourself with your fake ideals or justify your sins with the inevitability of pragmatism, the truth is, whatever men build, create or devise, no matter their intention, it ends in moral bankruptcy. System failure is coded in your DNA.

This is why, by design, the sacrifice of Isaac confounds and mocks human ethics and morality.

There is another Bedouin proverb, Habibi, that reflects the actual pragmatism of life, the fact of the anti-philosophical fate in which you are found:

“The hand that gives is upper one.”

The problem is not interpretation, absolutism, the constitution, authoritarianism, legality, or your ability to adapt to change. The problem is you. You are not and cannot be your own reference.

Learn another saying, Habibi, from the first Bedouin:

“God will provide for himself the lamb for the offering.” (Genesis 22:8)

People misunderstand the admonition of Luke. Yes, you are commanded to offer the other cheek, but it is not yours to give in the first place, and it given under the pressure of his upper hand, because, as he said, you are wicked.

It is he who found you in utter darkness. In his wrath he is testing you as one in time of battle. He is pressuring you. You are under his judgment, for the sake of his honor.

It is not your enemy who strikes you, then you could bear it. It is him.

“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” (Exodus 15:11)

This week I discuss Luke 6:29-31.

Show Notes - נ-כ-ה (nun-kaf-he) / ن-ك-ه (nun-kaf-he)

The Hebrew verb נָכָה (nakhah) means “to strike” or “to beat.”

“Now it came about in those days, when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his brethren and looked on their hard labors; and he saw an Egyptian beating (מכה, makkeh) a Hebrew, one of his brethren.” (Exodus 2:11)
“He went out the next day and behold, two Hebrews were fighting with each other; and he said to the offender, ‘Why are you striking (תכה, takkeh) your companion?’” (Exodus 2:13)
“Thus says the Lord, ‘By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, I will strike (נכה, nakkeh) the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and it will be turned to blood.’” (Exodus 7:17)
“He who strikes (מכה, makkeh) his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.” (Exodus 21:15)

In Arabic, the root نَكَى (nakā) shares a similar meaning related to causing harm, injury or damage. The noun نِكَايَة(nikāyah) refers to “the inflicting of injury.” ن-ك-ه (nun-kaf-he) is rare in the Qur’an but appears in contexts related to harm or inflicting damage, particularly in warfare.

نَكِيل (nakīl) – punishment, severe retribution. It often refers to a severe or exemplary punishment meant to serve as a deterrent or warning.
نَكِيلًا (nakīlan) – severe punishment or retribution, often used in Quranic or formal contexts to describe intense chastisement.

“Indeed, with us [for them] are shackles and burning fire. And food that chokes and a painful punishment. On the day the earth and the mountains will convulse, and the mountains will become a heap of sand pouring down. Indeed, we have sent to you a messenger as a witness upon you just as we sent to Pharaoh a messenger. But Pharaoh disobeyed the messenger, so we seized him with a ruinous punishment (nakīlan).” (Surah Al-Muzzammil 73:12-16)

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You Have Been Found Sep 05, 2024

Am I humble?
Am I arrogant?

Am I pious?
Am I blasphemous?

Am I cruel?
Am I kind?

Who is the judge?
Search me.
Who can tell?

There is only one who can tell.

Any attempt to test, judge, discover, search, or discern is human folly. You can’t tell. You can’t even discover yourself. It’s a lost cause. Your best effort is to study (darash) God’s scroll, and in doing so, discover that it is God who studies you. Then there is a chance that you will be found wandering in your darkness (qoder), a chance that you will be found out, and then you will find hope.

You will find God’s power in your fate (qadr) and reprieve from your mourning (qoder).

If you have no control over your own fate, Habibi, why does it matter what others do? You yourself are not the judge. St. Paul will not even judge himself.

There is only one judge. It’s not that you do not understand his words when they are fed to you; you just don’t like their taste in your ears.

Why do you care what other people do?

It’s because you want control. You want to own God. You want to keep him as your pet—at least, for starters. Your true aim is to become God.

You want the throne.

You want control.

But you’re not the Shepherd, let alone the Divine “Emir” (أ-م-ر), his Father, who commanded his prophets “to speak” (א-מ-ר) the words that you can’t stomach:

“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

This week I discuss Luke 6:27-28.

My thanks to Matthew Cooper, the OCABS scholar who unlocked the inter-functionality of the Arabic word “emir” with the Hebrew verb “amar.”

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Announcing: The Slow Bible Study Sep 04, 2024

Subscribe: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2350896.rss

All of us, like Job, “go about in darkness (qoder), without comfort;” we “stand up in the assembly and cry for help.” (Job 30:28)

That is what I did, under the cloud of darkness (qoder), in which God found me. I made a call, as I do each week in the assembly: you must do the work, in that state in which you have been found, because there is work to be done.

This is your fate, Habibi.

ק-ד-ר (Qof-Dalet-Resh)

It is the same function in Arabic.

The expression, laylat al-qadr (ليلة القدر), refers to the command of God given to his prophet at night: in the “night of [his] decree,” the “night of [his] power.”

John Pearson was indeed attentive that night, and the result is The Slow Bible Study podcast.

As fate challenges each of us, John challenges American individualism, urging his hearers to submit to Scripture as it was originally intended—through its ancient languages, in its historical setting. By stripping away interpretations and theologies, John emphasizes the Bible’s clear, uncompromising call to bow down before the Lord. His podcast confronts the pervasive egoism of American culture, encouraging us to hear and obey Scripture as God's command in the assembly, rather than our personal interpretations, reminding us that the Bible is a call to submission, not a prop for our self-justification.

“In my distress, I cried to the Lord, and he answered me.” (Psalm 120:1)

He who has ears to hear let him hear!

I give you the premiere episode of The Slow Bible Study podcast.

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The Aleph is Not the Alpha Sep 03, 2024

This week, Fr. Paul condemns the Masoretes for stamping vowels on the Hebrew consonantal text, arguing that it served as a method of control over the Bible and its later interpretation by theologians. He explains that this imposition corrupted the biblical dabar, twisting it into the Platonic logos of Greek philosophy, ultimately undermining the authority of the Torah.

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The Prophetic Command Aug 27, 2024

In this episode, Fr. Paul asserts that the prophetic function, particularly within the clergy, is crucial for dismantling entrenched religious practices and ideologies that contradict the proposition of the biblical text.

In a provocative analysis, Fr. Paul contends that the church’s fixation on orthodoxy has overshadowed the biblical emphasis on orthopraxy—right practice—as heard in Paul’s criticism of Peter for not “walking correctly” in Galatians. Fr. Paul challenges modern clergy to abandon the use of terms and practices not found in the Bible, arguing that they perpetuate a false security among believers, similar to the misguided faith in the temple criticized by Jeremiah or the misuse of scriptures such as the book of Joshua, currently unfolding in Gaza.

Through this lens, the Fr. Paul calls for a radical disruption of the church’s understanding and proclamation of the the biblical text, urging clergy to submit to the prophetic command to dismantle and deconstruct the false logic and practices that have become entrenched in the life of the modern church.

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Observe the Faithful Swoon Aug 22, 2024

I am a fortunate man because when I hit my twenties, I was exposed to teachers who refused to give praise or express gratitude. These were people who took their cues from the cruelty and mercy of God in the Biblical text, and that’s how I’ve conducted my ministry as a priest.

In recent years, it has become more difficult in the United States. Assailed by the angst of materialism and individualism, Americans push themselves further away from the cruelty of God’s mercy, desperately seeking comfort and answers to the pain that everyone feels inside their troubled hearts—a deep suburban sadness that leads to rage. We all want validation and approval; unfortunately, a commercial-industrial society that seeks to exploit you is eager to please.

There is no shortage of false prophets ready to proclaim, “Good job, thank you, we appreciate you. Now please write us a check,” or “Thank you for your check. Thank you for your amazing efforts, you work so hard. Thank you for your beautiful chanting voice, Marc. Thank you for your financial support. Thank you for all you do.” But this is not love. It is not appreciation. It is exploitation. Such hubris quickly becomes:

“Damn right. I did that.”

But that is not what was written by the finger of God.

When you are born, you are given a munificent gift of immeasurable value, for free. It did not come from you or your parents, and its only cost is measured at its moment of expiration, by the one who provides it. Instead of saying thank you for this free gift, we exploit it as though it is a business opportunity, against the will of him who gave it. “For,” Paul said,

“We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” (1 Timothy 6:7)

Yet, our exploitation of God has become institutionalized, not just in the churches but in our families, schools, and government.

This is what has happened to us, and it has reached dystopian levels. One can actually hear people espouse beautiful values—whether in the name of Jesus Christ, the civil rights movement, or high-minded secular values—we hear them say beautiful words in Chicago (at the DNC), and observe the faithful swoon like evangelicals as they preach, when, in fact, what’s coming out of their mouths is transactional. It is evil.

“All who trust in them are like them.” (Psalm 115:8)

But for those who are being saved, who have accepted the comforting cruelty of the Cross, the admonition against laughter, wealth, and praise in Luke is a biblical sign of hope in these troubling and worrisome times.

This week, I discuss Luke chapter 6:24–26.

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The Only One Who Loves Aug 15, 2024

One way or another, people want to control what the teacher says and what the teacher does.

They want control.

Every relationship, no matter what people tell themselves, is about their power.

They want to purchase God online, have him delivered to their door, and display him at parties as part of their collection.

The most wicked phrase in the human lexicon in any language is “I love you.”

It is a lie, Habibi.

Human beings are liars. They are incapable of love.

Every time you have preached about love, philosophized about love, mourned a person’s inability to love or be loved, you have accrued divine wrath against you.

Do you really think all of this is about your love?

Let’s be honest before God: I do not love you and you do not love me.

After so many years of ministry, the vast majority of those for whom I have slaved want to control what I say and what I do under the pretext of love and how hard they work.

Well, Habibi, I do not need your love. I have fallen into the inevitable, terrible, terrifying and unmanageable hands of the iconoclastic, invisible, and inexistent God.

You can’t find him pleasuring himself with friends, or hanging out at comfy social gatherings with “loved” ones.

He holds vigil with those who die alone, like little girls assailed by machine-gun fire in the back seats of cars, or suffocating alone, bleeding out in bombed hospital rooms.

Does your post modern god exist?

“What’s the point,” you ask, in your dystopian haze, as you plan “your life” for “your children”?

God is definitely real, and it has nothing to do with you and your military industrial solipsistic white picket nonsense in the suburbs, which you call “love.”

“We have to unite to save democracy.”

No, dummies. You have to stop killing kids.

The true God, the one whom you do not love, meets his children under the rubble.

Under your boot.

I became a priest to teach. I am not so arrogant as to imagine that I am capable of love.

The only difference between you and me is that I admit it to myself and I tell you to your face, in his name, not mine.

He is my God. In him do I trust.

But people do not trust God or love him, let alone the priest because they come to church for the building. Their investment is with the building.

The building is their future, not God. Their building is their hope, not the teaching. Their building is their white picket fence in the suburbs. In their mind, priests come and go, but the building abides forever.

But that is not what the Good Book said:

“There was silence, then I heard a voice:
‘Can mankind be righteous before God?
Can a man be pure before his Maker?
If God places no trust in his slaves,
if he charges his angels with error,
how much more those who live in houses of clay,
whose foundations are in the dust,
who are crushed more readily than a moth!
Between dawn and dusk they are broken to pieces;
unnoticed, they perish forever.
Are not the cords of their tent pulled up,
so that they die without wisdom?’” (Job 4:16-21)

This week’s episode is dedicated to the unearned love presented to me by God, a beloved wife of 25 years, who has been a steadfast companion in difficulties. She continues to support me, in her words, not because she loves me or because we are family, but because she believes in the content of what I teach. If only there were more people like you, Alla. You may be flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone, but I thank God every day that I did not make you.

This week I discuss Luke 6:12-23. (Episode 530)

The Destructive Power Of Motherly Love
By Anthony Costello
"One of the most chilling scenes in fiction is the portrayal of a mother named “Pam” in C.S. Lewis’ novel, The Great Divorce. In the story, Lewis envisions the eternal separation between heaven and hell, where we encounter a number of ghostly beings who are invited to visit heaven from what is presumably hell (or possibly purgatory). For a moment, these vapor-like specters are allowed to see the divine realm with their own “eyes.” These lost souls receive one final opportunity, a last chance, to choose God and eternal life. In the end, all but one of these visitors, when offered the full reality of the heavenly places and the divine light, reject the offer to stay there. Instead they opt out and return to hell. The return to hell is also a return to their own self-centered and self-created realities."
[Read more]

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Power Referential Aug 08, 2024

When you hear someone say, “If we just stick together,” it is always spoken by an individual. In truth, this individual is saying, “If you just stick with me, I will provide an outcome, and ensure a benefit.”

That mechanism—“stick with me and I will provide”—is, in fact, what St. Paul describes as the power of death.

It is a threat. Stick with me or else.

The use of the pronoun “we” cloaks death in the garment of connection. This threat is the same evil “we” that funds death while giving campaign speeches about "sticking together.”

It is the anthem of fascism. Can you hear its song in your music?

Never “go back” to what?

You are already what you fear.

There is no question that care for the flock is paramount in Scripture. Love of neighbor and table fellowship are the only matter at hand in the commandment. The problem is, who is the “I” of the matter, that you cloak with your idolatrous “we”?

To whom does the flock pertain?

Colonial scholars get caught up with the Twelve Tribes in the Old Testament...but “there is only one Shepherd in the Bible, which means one flock, no matter how many tribes you find.” (Dark Sayings, p. 84)

That’s why the Scribes and the Pharisees were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus in Luke; that’s also why Jesus understood their intention. Not because he was a mind reader—but because reactionary, insecure people who believe in their own values and are willing to ignore human suffering to cling to power in defense of their fake “we” are easy to understand.

You do not need a degree in psychology to predict their thoughts, let alone their next move.

All you need do is emasculate them; liberate what they have bound up; and tear down down what they have built up.

Nonviolently, with much love, and in a spirit of fellowship.

You can’t do that in congress, Habibi. But you can do it in Scripture.

This week, I discuss Luke 6:8-11.

(Episode 529)

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We Are the Evil Aug 01, 2024

There’s a riddle I’ve been working out as a pastor for many years. I’ve accepted the biblical premise that the gospel is not about growing churches or building temples. I’ve observed the scandal it creates in meetings and discussions with mission boards, parish councils, and planning committees.

All of that makes sense as the institutional scandal of the crucifixion.

What has been most eye-opening, or perhaps better stated, “ear-opening” for me, has been how it plays out in pastoral relationships. It all goes back to the Parable of the Sower in Mark.

Everyone wants to be the plant that takes root and bears fruit. Unfortunately, all of us have to reconcile what it means scripturally to come face-to-face with a God who can’t be depicted. No matter how long it takes, the implications of this reconciliation are—in a very literal sense—life-shattering.

Our human tendency is to attempt to contextualize this reconciliation in terms of human community, relationships, or personal connection, which we naturally understand in terms of loyalty—in other words—the way we understand family. If we just stick together, we rationalize, we can survive.

But that’s not how it works in Scripture.

I was doing a Bible study this week with a friend from the Jesuit community, a poet and teacher. We were hearing the Gospel of Mark while studying Fr. Paul’s commentary and looking at lexicography.

I noticed something interesting in Mark with the use of the word “synagogue.” A similar pattern appears in Luke with respect to the problem of people gathering.

Humans gather for security, fellowship, even for celebration, when we should be on the move—moving outside of the city wherever the teaching moves, away from human control.

My daughter asked me this week if there was anyone I thought could be president of the United States who could stand up to the criticism of the Bible. I said, “no,” and quickly added, “I myself don’t stand up to this criticism.”

I established a small mission church in my hometown with people I knew. As with most humans, everyone involved, including me, had good intentions.

Still, like the government, it’s a human institution with all the same complications, difficulties, and corruption because it’s made up of human beings who want something other than what Jesus brings to the synagogue.

The reason people don’t like it when the gospel dismantles their idols is that if they can’t believe in something—a system, a program, a nation, an idea, a hero—they can’t believe in themselves. So as long as you’re defending something—anything you judge worthy of being redeemed—you will never be able to encounter the inexistant, undepictable, indescribable, and incomprehensible God of Scripture, whose pass of entry demands that you have no other gods before him—least of all and last of all, yourself.

I keep saying it, but none can hear it, because none are willing to believe it.

If I say it nicely, you will praise my humility—shutting yourself out of the Kingdom. If I act it out, you will see what I am and condemn me—and then there is hope for both of us: because all will see that we who have gathered at church are no different than the prostitute and the thief.

As Paul said, “because there is no difference; οὐ γάρ ἐστιν διαστολή” (Romans 3:22)

We are the evil Americans.

This week, I discuss Luke 6:6-7.

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Necessity, the Mother of Obligation Jul 25, 2024

In The Republic, the Platonic school discusses the origin of the state and the nature of human justice, implying that necessity drives the creation of human invention.

Years later, in 2024, Plato’s school produced Blue Anon and its twin cousin, the historical realization of President Camacho. They gave birth to a son, and they called his name Adenoid Hynkel. He appeared unto them as a guest speaker in the hallowed hall of Plato's democracy.

But remained the scroll of Genesis, wherein (despite their ignorance of its unvocalized Semitic letters) the biblical text ridicules human invention, circumscribing the act of creation to a deity that cannot be depicted, described, or conceived of as an imaginary projection of the human mind.

According to _Genesis_, a political gathering comprised of touching personal narratives is blasphemous because this God cannot appear in your stories. Likewise, your spin doctors are an affront to God—your powerful people who justify violence, propping up a Manchurian candidate—your city builders and storytellers, creatives who invent things out of the necessity of Plato's state.

Their mother is your lust for survival.

You know who they are in the original Star Wars universe, And if Obi-Wan were here, you know what he would say.

“That is not the mother you are looking for.”

Throughout the books of the Law, the God of Abraham utters ordinances and statutes with his promise of life, which is given part and parcel of the threat of the curse of the Law.

In Ezekiel, the hearers of the Law come face to face with this teaching in exile.

What does the Sabbath mean in the wilderness?

What is the blessing of God’s curse?

Why do Ezekiel, Leviticus, and Luke prescribe necessity as the mother, not of invention, but obligation?

This week I discuss Luke 6:2-5.

(Episode 527)

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One of These Things Jul 18, 2024

Things are never what they seem and your eyes can deceive you. Maybe that’s why Sesame Street was so important for so many of us growing up in the seventies.

In 1968, Joan Ganz Cooney introduced the show with the teaching segment, “One of These Things.” Her work, set to music by Joe Raposo, conveyed a methodology for study and a life-saving template for correct behavior.

“One of these things,” brothers and sisters, always and forever, is not like the others.

Thank God for that; and thank God for Sesame Street, and the teachers of that era who gave a damn, made an effort and used their capacity to teach as many kids as possible (people they would never meet) the power of observation.

Roots, Habibi, not fruits.

“One of these things is not like the others.”

Are these things different?

How do these things fit together?

Why do some things stand apart?

Why do things appear as they do?

Should these things be excluded because they are different?

Are they different?

‘Ayin-Bet-Resh

‘Ayin-Resh-Bet

Please, somebody, can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

This week, I discuss Luke 6:1.

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Needy Teachers Jul 11, 2024

When you hear a parable on the lips of the Master, the worst thing you can possibly do is try to figure out what the parable means based on your understanding of the biblical narrative or narrative context.

But people do this all the time. It’s been done on this podcast—and it’s wrong.

The last thing any Bible student should do is try to figure out what the text is saying based on their knowledge.

Take, for example, the parable of the wineskins in Luke. Typical explanations compare old and new covenants, which leads less discriminating disciples to compare old and new communities.

Uhuh.

You sound like teenagers evaluating their parents—because your premise is that you are new and improved, better than what came before you.

Disgusting.

Like those who bravely protested the Vietnam War in the sixties before growing up to become the apologists and suppliers for the Gaza Genocide.

Western Values, habibi.

Like I said, disgusting.

Nothing new here—or anywhere else under the sun.

You believe in this nonsense because you approach the biblical text in terms of your understanding of a narrative, which is no different than your theology. It’s the same thing—a god in your head—a statue you construct to elevate yourself above others as a reference.

You and your “personal relationship” with a king you can manipulate control.

You know, the Jesus that wants you to kill Palestinians. That one. The one you constructed in nineteenth-century Europe. Or was it much earlier?

Why?

Because you are like Hymenaeus and Philetus—you need to be loved.

So, you refuse to submit as a hearer of the Bible. Instead, you insist on reading it because when you read the Bible, you control what you process and make what you control the reference.

According to Luke, when you do this, you become the old wineskin. You become the thing to be disregarded because you become the needy teacher.

If you want to hear the riddle—the dark saying—and submit to the mashal of the old wineskin, you must first stop vying to be the teacher who needs to be loved. The key to the wineskin’s riddle is not your narrative; it’s the Bible’s terminology.

This week, I discuss Luke 5:36–39.

(Episode 525)

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If You Love Me Jul 04, 2024

Institution and family (or tribe, or community, or friends, take your pick) are two sides of the same coin. Both mechanisms rely on ancient forms of currency to maintain control.

The most obvious form of human currency is currency itself, money. But friends and family, just like big institutions and powerful kings, use other mechanisms of control to maintain what they perceive as wellbeing, safety, and security.

The worst of these is violence—but the most insidious is the infamous “personal relationship.” The merchant class calls it “networking.” Sociologists refer to it as “reciprocity.”

That’s why Christians love to boast about their “personal relationship” with Jesus Christ. What their theology proclaims is a less than mystical obsession, not with love, but their own self-importance They want to be insiders. They want influence over the crown.

Lonely Americans want to be the mother, brother, or sister that Jesus turns away in Luke 8. (Luke 8:21) They want to be his insider. His Peter. They want to be the guarantors of security.

But security for whom?

Much later, in John (21:17), Jesus warns his betrayer, “I’m not interested in your love. I'm interested in the work.”

The educated class in the United States is easily fooled by Western imperialism, because they have been groomed from a young age to believe in themselves, their lives, their feelings, and the centrality of their relationships.

They are incapable of hearing Scripture, which is not about their feelings and has no interest in their personal lives.

The God of Scripture is neither relatable nor relational. He is instructional.

“Do this and you shall live.” (Luke 10:28)

That’s good news for the poor. However, for the well meaning colonial, it is confusing. They need their tyrant to be a “decent man who cares deeply” about the people of Gaza, while funding and supplying Gaza’s extermination. How else could they feel good about living out their lies?

It is not complex. You are self-righteous.

Shall I pause, now, for you to extrospect?

You sound like Tobit, habibi. A well-meaning, upstanding, almsgiving do-gooder who complains to God, “I have had to listen to undeserved insults.”

Yes, Tobit. Yes. You blind fool! God is insulting you: because the Bridegroom did not come to call “Tobit the Righteous” to repentance.

Father Marc discusses Luke 5:34-35 (Episode 524)

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Extrospection Jun 27, 2024

What is self-righteousness?

You hear the command of God, and refuse to introspect. You do not, as Paul teaches, “look to yourself.”

You look to others.

You gossip. You nitpick. You complain. You find fault. You do everything under the sun but consider the one thing that is needful in God’s eyes:

The most likely possibility.

That you, oh man (or woman)—I mean, let’s be generous—oh bipedal humanoid earth mammal—you, and nobody else but you, are the problem.

But you do not consider this. You do not introspect. So when the voice of the Lord touches your heart, you “extrospect.”

You observe and consider the external world and external things.

What a lovely capitalist you make.

You are the perfect fit for judging others, for giving your opinion: for shopping, and critiquing what people do, how they talk, how they conduct their affairs, even how they look.

Extrospection is just another word for playing God—playing Judge.

To borrow and bend a line from Captain America:
“There’s only one God, ma’am, and I’m pretty sure he is not you.”

Introspection, the extrospective theologian boasts, leads to prayer and fasting. Why? Because the extrospect worships the very control they seek through extrospection.

So prayer, for the extrospect, is not submission. It’s AIPAC money.
Fasting, for the extrospect, is not weakness. It’s a corporate PAC.

I have bad news kids. God the Father is not for sale. Jesus is not Bernie Sanders.

You’re not trying to fit into the system. And make things work.

The good news is, he will not sell you out. The bad news is, he cannot be bought.

This week, I’ll explore the Hebrew and Arabic functions that ground Luke’s use of the term deēseis in Luke 5:33.

Passage:

Οἱ δὲ εἶπαν πρὸς αὐτόν· Οἱ μαθηταὶ Ἰωάννου νηστεύουσιν πυκνὰ καὶ δεήσεις ποιοῦνται, ὁμοίως καὶ οἱ τῶν Φαρισαίων, οἱ δὲ σοὶ ἐσθίουσιν καὶ πίνουσιν. (Luke 5:33)

And they said to him, “The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do the same, but yours eat and drink.” (Luke 5:33)

Father Marc discusses Luke 5:33 (Episode 523)

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Excursus: Freedom in Christ Jun 20, 2024

Father Marc Boulos provides an update on upcoming episodes of “The Bible as Literature Podcast” and makes an important announcement about Father Paul’s podcast series, “Tarazi Tuesdays.”

He also shares that he is relaunching “The Bible as Literature Podcast,” emphasizing functionality and language, steering away from theology and narrative. He discusses the importance of understanding sacred texts through the study of grammar and the original languages, especially Hebrew and Arabic, and how this approach submits to the text of Scripture, facilitating table fellowship.

Article mentioned in the program:

Celebrating the Jewish Grammarians of Al-Andalus

By Blaise Webster

“Lately, much of my study has been dedicated to Hebrew and Arabic lexicography. I am fascinated by the close relationship between these two languages and how they create natural links between the Bible and the Qur’an. I am fascinated by how both texts use virtually the same vocabulary, share the same cultural milieu, and fundamentally share the same exhortation to submit to the one God and to serve the needy neighbor. It is a world that eschews divisive theologies and speculative philosophizing.”

Link: https://medium.com/@webproductions28/celebrating-the-jewish-grammarians-of-al-andalus-34fc4597443e

Father Marc discusses the triliteral ʿ-ṣ-b. (Episode 522)

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How Could Architecture be Christian? May 28, 2024

Years ago, when I worked in the city, I took perverse pleasure in the prophetic absurdity of a small, dilapidated, prewar brownstone jutting out against the pristine, monied plaza of the Towers, built as money does, to cover the ugliness of human sin with the vanity of majesty and looks.

It was an ugly, filthy box, with fire escapes and all. I used to look to see if I could find an old Greek woman running a clothesline to hang dirty underwear out to dry for all the wealthy brokers to see—people who made their living funding all the genocides the Western media has long since perfected hiding from us—but I could never find that underwear.

Alas, the brownstone is gone, but the underwear is finally on display.

That church was not built by Greek sailors. It was camped in. It was an old brownstone that people prayed in. It was a tent of meeting and it was a threat to the city elite—to people who worship money.

It was ugly on the outside and beautiful on the inside.

“I remember in Romania we had a class on Christian architecture.”

“ How,” Fr. Paul asks, “could architecture be Christian?”

How, indeed?

“I mean, the dome is Roman, Greco-Roman, it’s not Christian.”

“The Orthodox like to speak about the dome, heaven descending upon earth. In the West, in Europe, they like much more the spires, you know, going up to God.”

“Ultimately, you start theologizing the stone.”

You know, stones. Rubble. The stuff left over after clergy bless bombs with holy water or politicians scribble little hearts with love notes like “finish them.”

That’s what happens when you start theologizing stones.

I prefer praying in prewar brownstones or whatever is available—free of charge, with a charge.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

(Episode 325)

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Paul Warned Us May 21, 2024

The canon—not the text—of the Septuagint dates back only to the fourth century, to the area of, you guessed it, Alexandria.

The canon—not the text—of the Septuagint comes from sources like Codex Alexandrinus, Sinaiticus, and Vaticanus.

The canon—not the text—because the Septuagint text, Fr. Paul explains, was rendered by the original authors (or their followers), who, unlike Philo and Origen, were committed to teaching Scripture, not using it for their own gain.

We pretend that political violence is shocking or surprising. However, early Christian leaders, Fr. Paul continues, influenced by Platonic philosophy, behaved exactly like Herod and the Sadducees.

Like politicians.

They behaved like Netanyahu. But long before Netanyahu, there were others.

Men like Emperor Justinian did their genocidal work quickly, by hand. They did not take seven months and did not require advanced technology.

Influenced by Platonic thought, these same men loved the idea of a “divine spark” in each person.

And why not?

If you want to be a god, what better way than to embrace a vast intellectual, literary, religious, and cultural tradition that leads to the undue adulation of human beings and then use that library to undermine the biblical teaching and distort the Christian message?

Western values, anyone? Or perhaps an ice cream cone will suffice.

(Episode 324)

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Origen Was a Monster May 07, 2024

Imagine a monster whose primary interest is to embrace philosophy and then power—Roman power, Greco-Roman power, and Greek philosophy, in other words, human power.

Origen.

You know what he loved.

The ugliest, most vile, sinister, and self-serving sin, zealously and passionately preached by everyone I know.

The worship of state, ethnicity, family, religion, but especially philosophy—for example, your blood-soaked liberal values—embedded in your “Greekdom.”

Profoundly and inexorably disgusting.

Likewise, the human clan, the family, the irredeemable evil character that the gospel itself presents as the arch-enemy of Jesus Christ.

Peter: Equally revolting and unworthy of God.

Origen, who learned Hebrew, not to teach Scripture but to increase his importance in order to undermine the Rabbis.

Alexandria: Self-involved academics and money-grubbing politicians. A marriage made in Hell. Don’t believe me? Ask your kids.

“All you need,” Fr. Paul thunders, “is to read Galatians 2 fifteen times in a row.”

As if.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

(Episode 323)

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If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Resist Apr 23, 2024

No statement more fully captures the anti-scriptural sadism of colonial solipsism than the American expression, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”

Unless, of course, the “em” is a shepherd standing at the midbar, reciting the written command of the Scriptural, inexistent, invisible, unseen, indomitable God who has no egregious, obscene, man-made statue or temple. By all means, join him, if you can.

In 1932, according to the Yale Book of Quotations (yes, the same Yale that arrested Jewish kids this week for following the Shepherd), the Atlantic (yes, the famous liberal magazine that once, long ago, fought to protect Jewish kids) cited that ungodly saying (which is a much older saying) as uttered by a U.S. Senator. Once the Atlantic and then Yale published it, it became a colonial reference—just before many terrible things took place under its spell.

That senator would have loved Philo or Josephus Flavius. The latter lived in Palestine and fought against the Romans but later decided, “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”

“There was a tension,” Fr. Paul thunders, “Between the originators of scripture and some of their followers.”

“There was an intellectual fight.”

Fr. Paul continues, “This took place in Alexandria. Remember, Philo was in Alexandria. And that’s the head of the Asp, as we say in Arabic. It’s Alexandria, which was the intellectual capital of the Roman Empire.”

Against Alexandria, the Shepherd cries: If you can’t beat ‘em, submit to God!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the Highest!

Bring more evils upon them, O Lord. Bring more evils upon those who are glorious upon the earth.

Arise, O God, judge the earth, for to thee belong all the nations.

Blessed Pascha to all peoples. Peace in the Middle East.

(Episode 322)

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Stop Preaching Your Gods Apr 16, 2024

It gets so old—your universal declarations, your philosophies, your ideologies, your heightened sensibilities, your values, your propaganda, your Kool-Aid.

Your gods.

Hearing Fr. Paul teach, it hit me like a ton of your rubble.

When people hear the words of the biblical Prophet, they can’t help but respond by preaching their civilization.

It’s an obvious, if not childlike, attempt to assimilate and digest the biblical Prophet—to neutralize the bitter pill.

“How can we make this ours?”

One only needs to visit the British Museum to understand the mechanism.

But Prophets cannot be digested. Like a statue of Dorothy Day or Malcolm X, they cannot be made to fit in. You want them to fit because you fit in.

But that’s why you can’t hear Scripture.

So you draw a picture of your city, the god of Reagan, and write the name “Jesus” or “Mary” on it, and then tell stories about your holy wars.

I wish I were talking about fringe extremists, but as we speak, the most evolved, educated, liberal, and enlightened scholars of your civilization conspire to kill Saracens in defense of their gods.

“There is tension,” Fr. Paul explains:

“There are insiders that are opposing the message. And I’m convinced that things were worded in this way because the original authors…knew that they were talking against the grain…that’s why they included—in their stories—a preemptive strike against those who would not agree with them, and it is this that is my basis when I critique the Liberal Arts and Reception History.”

It’s tempting to call those praying to kill the Saracens “idiots,” but this is a grave error. An extremely intelligent person with an Oxford degree in the humanities is not only capable of conspiring to kill Saracens (in the service of his gods) but has been doing it openly for the past six months.

The word you are looking for is not “idiot” but “monster.” If adding modifiers like “authentic,” “evolved,” or “enlightened” helps, please do so.

It’s your civilization.

(Episode 321)

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You Become What You Accept Apr 02, 2024

Every immigrant, every minority, and every colonized person living under a human boot faces the same dilemma: how to live without imitating or accepting the ways of the human gods that impose their glory.

“We have,” a wise poet once said, “on this earth what makes life worth living.”

Scripture, Fr. Paul has explained many times, forged a path for living in the ancient world by refusing to accept the glory of Alexander, the Seleucids, and all who came after them by pushing back.

Not by working within their system.

Not by playing their game or thinking like them.

Least of all by adopting their language.

With no hope, from under their boot, Scripture came up with biblical Hebrew to force the Greeks to submit to the Scriptural God.

They did not study Greek or capitulate to Greek culture in order to convince or get ahead in Greek society and maybe attract a few wealthy people to their secret cult. You’re thinking of the harlots in 1 Corinthians.

Don’t be like the harlots in 1 Corinthians.

You become what you accept. So, reject everything and become nothing, like the biblical prophets.

Trust me.

When you are nothing you have more free time to study Semitic triliterals. The more you know Semitic, the better your chance of hearing God speak.

So when in Rome, smile at the Romans, the Greeks (or the freedom-loving ice cream people), politely ignore them and do what Paul says.

(Episode 320)

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Against Consensus Mar 26, 2024

There is nothing like a cup of Turkish Coffee. That’s not an opinion. It’s an observation of fact. The local Starbucks does not serve Turkish Coffee.

That’s why I never buy Starbucks for Fr. Paul before his lectures. Why would I? Why would anyone who cares about anything important, meaning Scripture, do something so foolish? I am pretty sure there is a “Stars and Bucks” somewhere in the Middle East (and like any industrious knock-off, I bet they serve Turkish Coffee), but not the local Starbucks.

This week, Fr. Paul even mentions the importance of his Turkish Coffee in the morning (with lots of water) before tackling the authorship of the Hebrew and Septuagint texts.

Of course, his view goes against scholarly consensus.

He also discusses his novel stance on the Book of Sirach, which goes against scholarly consensus.

And his view on the choice of Greek over Latin, which goes against scholarly consensus.
And the importance of the Latin Vulgate, which goes against Orthodox consensus, which is not scholarly.

And the function of grammatical gender, which goes against, well, everybody but especially theologians.

Why, my daughter asked me, is the Bible so negative?

The Bible is humorous, I answered. The Bible is ruthless, even cruel. But negative?

I, myself, am a man of optimism.

The many puny human gods, I explained, are like tiny cancerous tumors.

The Bible, on the other hand, is hopeful, like a doctor who prescribes chemotherapy to a person covered with many tumors.

When these puny, toxic little gods are attacked, ridiculed, dismantled, and poisoned by the text of the Bible, the pain is unbearable—but the doctor goes to work against the cancer anyway because he has hope—hope against all hope when there is clearly no hope—that the treatment will bring hope.

I call that insane optimism like a Gazan who just lost everything but somehow finds the strength to lift his hands in prayer—like the Olive Tree—which gives thanks only to God.

You do not need a Seminary degree to unpack that puzzle.

(Episode 319)

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The Bible is Making Fun of You Mar 19, 2024

The Bible, Fr. Paul explains, is a holy joke.

That’s a big relief. Even hopeful.

Looking around, I see that the current state of affairs is an unholy joke.

Truly, if the Scriptural God is not laughing at us, mocking us, and ultimately—as Fr. Paul explains—entrapping us, he is not God.

He can’t be.

What kind of god, what monster, would be happy with us? I mean, seriously, people?

Look at us.

Do you think it sounds odd that God would say, “Here is a nice tree in the Garden, now don’t eat of it,” when you say to little children:

“We love you. We do not want you to go hungry. So we will send you food, but we will not let you touch it. We will just talk about how much we care because we are not violent like the God of the Old Testament.”

May this God, the vengeful and terrible God found only in the text (the one everybody ignores and abuses), the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, mock, shame, confound, judge, terrify, and entrap us without reprieve for the sake of the poor until his Kingdom comes in power.

(Episode 318)

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A Maskil Mar 12, 2024

Code Pink! Code Pink!

People are running around with blinders on!

It appears they’ve been reading English translations of the Septuagint!

Half keep referring to something called the Books of the Kingdoms, which do not appear in the Bible; the other half are enamored with some goofy Greek nonsense called “philosophical questioning.”

One of them keeps eating ice cream in a stupor.

They insist that the Bible is about building churches, investing in property, planning for the future, defending walls, funding wars, protecting their people, and—above all—trying to prove which tribe held the first theropod roast in prehistoric Palestine, which, at that time, was known as, well, “nothing,” because we probably did not have language yet.

Some of these people are doing DNA tests and then photoshopping pictures of themselves holding a Bible while standing at said therapod roast.

Ah, the suffering of Job. But Job was a fool. I mean, look, what did his supposed righteousness get him?

A house in Tel Aviv?

But that’s what you want.

So you host Lenten retreats about the deep spiritual meaning of Job’s suffering and how to be patient like him in anticipation of your colonial therapod roast.

Disgusting.

And just to be clear, Elihu, Father Paul explains, is no better.

The structure of Job, the syntax of the canon, and the placement of Psalms all undermine you: all of them de-historicize, de-value, and de-center the human being.

So, please.

It does not matter what your DNA test says.

If the result of your DNA test comes back “human being,” that is already way too much information.

May God have mercy upon the therapods.

(Episode 317)

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Lie to Yourself, Please Mar 05, 2024

Scripture unmasks your illusions. Religion, family, friends, ideas, institutions, nations, individuals, “isms” of every school—all your human ideals and beliefs are a lie.

Unfortunately, you can’t sleep around with your lies and remain faithful to the Master.

You do, in fact, have to make a choice. Note my use of the word “fact.”

So, please, step in front of the bus or return to the safety of your lies.

That is how this works.

Go ahead—I insist—lie to yourself. It’s better for you. Enjoy your environmentally safe lifestyle. Don’t forget to vote.

There you go. See? You are a good person. Your hands are clean. God bless you.

You should be a guest on “The View.”

Notice, I said god bless you. I did not mention the text. I was talking about your god, not the God of Scripture.

Anyone who can’t see the true face of their idolatry or who tries to apologize for it or the idolatry of this age in any way is morally bankrupt.

It’s true. I’m not lying.

The West is having its moment—it’s painful to watch and definitely long deserved, but the pain, at least for now, is located in the weakest part of the body.

But you cannot dull the pain of facts with the stupor of your idols forever.

MENE, MENE, TEQEL, UPHARSIN

Your narratives certainly feel good. Family is dear to you, and personal relationships mean everything to you. You take courage in speaking truth to power and in the freedom to disagree, to be different—that’s the American way, Fr. Marc.

What a great story. You should work for Disney.

Thanks be to the Scriptural God: the Bible is not your story. Let alone a story.

It’s a text with consonants totally foreign to your colonial brain, laid out in a particular order, in a language concocted from the many Semitic languages of the many peoples you still number among your enemies, you fool.

It’s funny how you love all your idols, your religion, your atheism, family, friends, institutions, and your “democratic values,” but you still somehow manage to hate the same enemies you were commanded to love.

As Fr. Paul used to say in the classroom, God is merciful, but I am not God.

You would do well to forgo your stupid ideals and, instead, study Arabic alongside biblical Hebrew. Then you will see with your eyes and hear with your ears what the Scriptural God said in his original Semitic syntax, sparing both you and the poor the tyranny of your self-serving flotillas.

Allahu Akbar.

(Episode 316)

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Facts Not Narratives Feb 27, 2024

This week, a few listeners reached out to wish me well on my sabbatical or to ask what I plan to do with my free time.

First, please be assured that I will not be eating ice cream. Second, as my oldest Palestinian cousin Tina said while doing manual labor at St. Elizabeth, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”

In her honor, let’s make good use of the time because the days are definitely evil.

Teaching is about conveying facts from the text, not your ideas about the text, let alone your institutional narratives.

On a personal level, you want to talk about “narrative” or “narrative context” because you want to give yourself importance. On an institutional level, if you take just five minutes to stop gossiping about or psychoanalyzing each other, you’ll discover that your obsession with “narrative” is all about the Benjamins.

You fund the Tower of Babel; thus, it is utterly disgusting. “And that,” Fr. Paul explains this week, “is the price we are paying in so-called Judeo-Christianism.”

Just watch Tik-Tok, Habibi.

Thankfully, the God of Scripture is not mocked in his syntax.

What is written cannot be undone—for those who have ears. The canonical syntax of the original, consonantal Hebrew text is a fact unless you want to go back and dream about your facts while sleeping with the New York Times.

Sleep well. Make-believe stories—even the scary ones—are for children.

Lexicography, on the other hand, is the transmission of facts. Facts are common and accessible to all—they stare back at you from the page—just like canonical syntax.

As Fr. Paul has said for decades, Biblical-Semitic consonants are situated on the scroll, like the organs of your body. No NATO narratives are required.

So before launching into the exciting developments I mentioned last week, Fr. Paul will spend some time explaining, once and for all, why the syntax of the Hebrew canon—and not the Septuagint—is our canonical reference for word study in the Biblical text.

(Episode 315)

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In Time and Out of Time Feb 20, 2024

This week, Fr. Paul refers to the Apostle Paul’s letter to Timothy, noting a disciple’s duty to take every single opportunity at every moment to channel the content of Scripture at every turn, in time and out of time, using every chance afforded to share what you received, not from the teacher, but directly from the text. In this vein, Fr. Paul reiterates a point from his most recent presentation in Lebanon, noting the lexicographical significance of the word Qur’an for Christians, which is functional with the Hebrew triliteral *qof-resh-alef.* (Episode 314)

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Scripture is its Own Interpreter Feb 15, 2024

“Scripture,” Fr. Paul wrote years ago, “is its own interpreter.”

“The sermon,” he continued,“…is at best an invitation to hear and obey the text.”

“An invitation card has no value whatsoever when it comes to the dinner itself; the guests are fed by the dinner, not by the invitation or its phrasing (Luke 14:16-24; Matthew 22:1-14).”

This study of the Gospel of Luke began with a command that the priest (which has nothing to do with the institutional priesthood in any of our churches, let alone historical Judaism) become silent.

I have heard Fr. Paul teach this for as long as I can remember and have taken it literally and seriously.

But how does one teach and preach without speaking?

At first, by simply accepting one’s hypocrisy, which most cannot.

Or perhaps they can but then find themselves shocked that a wanton hypocrite like myself remains unmoved and zealous in my preaching.

I was sitting on the steps outside St. Elizabeth this past summer, and an older woman walked by with a sweatshirt that read, “West Side Against Everybody.”

“Keep the faith, Padre,” she said.

“Always,” I replied.

So how does a hypocrite, as younger colleagues put it, “Let the text speak?”

The answer is not a big stupid group hug.

If that’s what you want, stick with CNN. Your educated, inclusive, culturally sensitive group hug is now on full display in Gaza.

It, too, is a hypocrite—it even has eyes—but it can’t see—it is totally blind to its own hypocrisy.

Honest to God, it really believes that planting a rainbow flag in northern Gaza will liberate the oppressed.

“Blind as a bat,” your expression goes.

So, I have a suggestion. If you want to understand how your sensitive, relationship-driven, evolved culture works in 2024, watch “Killers of the Flower Moon.” The spirit of William King Hale is alive and well in the United States. He sits on your school boards and still holds government office. He has “dear” friends in Gaza for whom he cares “dearly.” His nephew even married “one.” He speaks Arabic fluently, and he really understands “them.”

I’ll tell you what I understand.

If you want to understand Paul, open your ears:

“For each one will bear his own load.” (Galatians 6:5)

Teaching is not about speaking, let alone learning; it is about carrying your weight.

People do not learn; they are taught, meaning a teacher has to pick up a shovel and do work with their own hands.

The answer is not one’s ideas, knowledge, opinions, input, or explanations, let alone hermeneutics or theology.

(May God protect us from the blasphemous seduction of reception history, in which the Academy, once and for all, is working harder than ever to replace the Scriptural God with its own ego.)

Our duty is word study and lexicography: grammar and functionality in the text of the Bible.

The role of the preacher is not to give a disciple something to hear but to equip a disciple so that they can hear the text on their own dime.

It is embarrassing that Western scholarship treats *re’shit *and *ro’š* as different words. Far worse, however, is the fact that so many Eastern clergy who grew up hearing the liturgy in Arabic—even if they themselves do not speak Arabic—fall into the same trap.

This is not about identity. People of all colors, genders, religions, and identities are fully on board with the military-industrial hate parade in Washington and London. Still, Scripture is not against them. It is against you.

And that’s the point.

When are *you* going to do something?

Didn’t you hear what she said?

“I’m so scared. Please come. Please call someone to come and take me.”

“OK, Habbibti, I will come and take you.”

But no one came except God. He always comes through, especially when you don’t.

He took them all.

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

This week’s episode is an excursus on the term Amalek. (Episode 520)

After ten years of programming, The Bible as Literature Podcast will take a sabbatical, starting mid-February and extending until after Pascha in May, following the Eastern calendar.

This sabbatical will provide an opportunity for me to concentrate on Fr. Paul’s work and some exciting developments planned for his weekly podcast. Rest assured, while The Bible as Literature is on temporary hiatus, I will continue to produce Fr. Paul’s program, “Tarazi Tuesdays,” on a weekly basis.

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Poor Josiah Feb 13, 2024

This week, Fr. Paul notes the function of the two versions of the Ten Commandments in Exodus and Numbers and the futility of the so-called “Deuteronomic Reform.” (Episode 313)

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Uncle Saleḥ Feb 08, 2024

In view of current events, I am convinced that people who continue to insist upon the language of post-modernism are guilty of murder.

A bullet is not a narrative. A cylindrical projectile launched from a chamber through the rapid expansion of gas induced by combustion is a fact.

Just ask a nursing mother. She will tell you.

A bullet is not a narrative.

It is a sin.

ḥet-ṭet-aleph

It can be tallied—unless you work for the Washington Post. In that case, it can be explained,

“ad excusandas excusationes in peccatis”

“to make excuses for excuses in sins.”

Your brother is not a competing narrative. He is a man—an earth mammal—standing next to you in the land.

He is your neighbor.

Syntax.

If you are a man of Scripture, there is no such thing as a competing narrative, let alone silly descriptors like “deeply tragic.”

The occidental expression “competing narratives” reigns supreme among all lies ever sown by the makers of bullets because it allows them to masquerade as arbiters of righteousness.

But I say to you:

“Put not your trust in the makers of bullets, ‘in princes and sons of men, in whom there is no salvation.’”

Such men are evil, through and through—“ravenous wolves,” Jesus warns, “who come to you in sheep’s clothing.”

There are no

“narratives”

“stories,”

“contexts,” or

“meanings.”

Just animals, vegetation, fish in the sea, and birds in the air—“and his righteousness endures forever.”

There is also the ground—the adamah—facts upon it and consonants over it—the rule of Elohim—“and his righteousness endures forever.”

Those who submit to his righteousness are his to deem righteous, and those who do not are also his—“and his righteousness endures forever.”

Those wicked who talk about “narratives,” “stories,” “meanings,” and “competing narratives” are the “makers” and “sellers” of snake oil—pundits, journalists, artisans, and apologists—uncle “Thomas Friedmans“ who fashion idols in their own image to set themselves above God and his “Animal Kingdom”:

“Another shapes wood; he extends a measuring line; he outlines it with red chalk. He works it with planes and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a human, like the beauty of the human form, so that it may sit in a house. Surely, he cuts cedars for himself and takes a cypress or an oak and raises it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain makes it grow. Then it becomes something for a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also makes a fire to bake bread. He also makes a god and worships it; he makes it a graven image and falls down before it. Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, ‘Aha! I am warm. I have seen the fire.’ But the rest of it he makes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships it; he also prays to it and says, ‘Deliver me, for you are my god.’” (Isaiah 44:13–17)

But I say to you:

There is no god but Elohim, and we are all animals in his Kingdom, “and his righteousness endures forever.”

This week’s episode covers Luke 5:32. (Episode 519)

After ten years of programming, The Bible as Literature Podcast will take a sabbatical, starting mid-February and extending until after Pascha in May, following the Eastern calendar.

This sabbatical will provide an opportunity for me to concentrate on Fr. Paul’s work and some exciting developments planned for his weekly podcast. Rest assured, while The Bible as Literature is on temporary hiatus, I will continue to produce Fr. Paul’s program, “Tarazi Tuesdays,” on a weekly basis.

I still have one more episode of this program recorded and ready for release next week. So, stay tuned!

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The Anti-Kingly Stance Feb 06, 2024

This week, Fr. Paul highlights several key features—not only of the Book of Numbers—but also of the Pentateuch. Most notably, he points out that in all five books, God is never referred to as the “King of Israel.” This fact, he explains, is the main bone of contention in the confrontation between the people and God the Lord in 1 Samuel. (Episode 312)

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I Reject Your Gods Feb 01, 2024

With all the silly memes floating around the internet about how to “live” your best life or how to live a “good” life, it was inevitable that people would talk about using Scripture to “live a good” life.

It’s an old lie, actually, and it was unavoidable that it would reappear.

Oh, come on, Fr. Marc. You know what they mean.

Unfortunately, no. I do not. I do not speak Plato. I do not know what they “mean.”

I do, however, study what is written.

If you are studying, hearing, listening, or otherwise memorizing Scripture in order to “live” a “good” life, you are on the wrong track.

No one, Jesus said, is good.

We submit to what is written because “it” is good, and we are not.

We can never be “good.” That is why we submit and why I refuse to say, “I know what you mean.”

I have no desire to know your gods because they validate your lies—like the fantasy that you can live a “good life” by following Scripture.

Show me a man who is perfect like his heavenly Father, and I’ll introduce you to the depravity of your “rules-based” order.

Psalm 78, Habibi.

Free Palestine.

Allahu Akbar.

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Practical Examples Jan 30, 2024

For years, Fr. Paul has stressed that the only way to teach Scripture is by giving practical examples. Scripture is practical knowledge. From an early age, he explains, children can hear the text only if you relay its content with common sense examples, unlike complex theological theories that confuse children and betray the text, deactivating its functions. (Episode 311)

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Respect Jan 25, 2024

A prophet gathered people to do difficult, painful, and dangerous work, which was to be carried out according to specific instructions.

He said, “I am going to do this work, no matter what the cost, no matter how long it takes, according to the instructions given to me.”

When his tribe heard the instructions, they said, “That’s your choice; we want nothing to do with you.”

When his friends heard it, they agreed that it was a good idea but counseled him, “If you do it as instructed, you will end up alone.”

Several years passed, and the prophet did as he was instructed. It was indeed difficult, painful, and exceedingly dangerous—but he survived.

Many people watched the prophet and advised the prophet, and some tried to do things for him, but in all that time, no one was willing to join the prophet in doing what he did, as he was instructed, which was indeed difficult, painful, and exceedingly dangerous.

Some tried to convince him to alter the instructions, subtract, or add to them. When he would not listen, they became frustrated or angry, in part because he would not listen but mostly because they did not like the instructions, and his stubbornness was embarrassing.

“That’s your choice,” they cowered, shunning prophetic instruction with empty platitudes, “everyone is free to do what they want.”

Apparently so.

No shame and no game.

Then, there were those who demanded the lie of equality—but how could they demand equality from their slave?

The prophet who was doing difficult, painful, and exceedingly dangerous work all those years and barely managed to survive while others were “saving” him from the sidelines?

You can’t watch Jordan score 60 points from your seat on the bench and then bitch that you are his equal because you know more about a game that you are not playing.

You can’t watch a janitor clean all the toilets in the building and then demand equality from him while criticizing his work while you are sitting on it.

You can’t watch a secretary do all the administrative work for everyone, including you, and then demand that he is not treating you as his equal because in doing what he did as he was instructed, the instructions offended you.

You are not helping, and when you help, your help is not the same as doing. Chipping in is not “all in.”

What is it that they used to say in Sunday School? Church is not a “social club?”

When it comes to the Pearl, it’s all or nothing, Habibi.

If you are still talking about equality, you are not on the bench; you are fast asleep, dreaming. Equality is not a thing to be grasped because equality is a fallacy.

I am talking about respect.

It is true that respect cannot be demanded. It is an absolute lie that respect can be earned.

A prophet is not without honor, except among those without honor.

Respect is sown.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Richard and I discuss Luke 5:27-28. (Episode 517)

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The Hebrew Names Jan 23, 2024

This week, Fr. Paul moves from his discussion of Leviticus to the book of Numbers, but not before a brief excursus to unpack the original Hebrew names of the books of the Law, which stress “speaking aloud” and “spoken words,” reflecting the content of the books themselves. (Episode 310)

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We, the Dummies Jan 18, 2024

Speak, be silent, have your discourse, hold your discourse, mansplain, or be ever so polite and attentive. Gossip, hold your tongue, roll it around seven times seventy, or run it. Psychoanalyze your neighbor or choose wisely not to judge others.

Who cares?

Rehear Ecclesiastes: You are nothing new under the sun.

You are not a judge, the judge, or anyone’s judge.

Look down on yourself as hard as you can while you still can. No one cares if you are impressed or disgusted. Your compliments are a pat on your own back. Your critique means nothing. Your praise is empty. Your assessment of the situation is your own reflection—a phantom’s shadow. Your sage advice is Satanic. You are not God. You are not a reference. I do not believe in you. Believe me, I do not trust you.

“I don’t care” and “we don’t care.” If Jeremiah were alive today, he would shout it three times: this is not “the temple of the Lord.”

Wait, they did shout it three times, and so did he:

“We don’t care.”

About what? Your deceptive and lying words uttered at the gate. No one said you were a dummy. That’s the problem.

Knowledge, like incense, stinks.

The power of the Lord has been entrusted to you, and you, O Dialogions, like the Pharisees and the Law teachers, talk amongst yourselves. You talk to yourselves, for yourselves, about yourselves, about what one of you said about yourselves when you thought you were talking about a god. In fact, you were talking about your gods all along. Like the song says, Habibi, it was you, only you.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, O American, is your permanent teenage identity crisis.

A guy is lying there on the ground, paralyzed. Kids are under the rubble; Their limbs are being amputated without anesthesia; children are afflicted by heart attacks from sleep deprivation and stress; pregnant mothers, the sign of God’s promise in Isaiah, are targeted.

And you, O Pharisee, want to converse? You, who call yourself a Law teacher, want to talk about what? Your “knowledge?” Your “value?” Your “institution?” Your “title?” Your “building?”

You trust in lying words to no avail. You utter deceptive words. “No wonder,” Paul says. “For even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”

What lies did Herod spin this week for the New York Times? Enlighten us so we can expand our syllabi, build our temples, and lead more of God’s children astray. If only women were in charge, you explain to Mustafa, then Hillary and Nikki would save the children.

Keep dreaming, Homelander.

As for bumpkins like me, we are here not just to talk but to walk the power of the Lord, and its consonants, which any punk can submit to with time and pressure, and, in doing so, communicate it to others.

We, the dummies, preach Christ crucified.

We know you are intelligent. We are just waiting for you—even hoping—that you will become dumb, like us.

Richard and I discuss Luke 5:25-26. (Episode 516)

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Give the Land a Break Jan 16, 2024

This week, Fr. Paul explains that God learned his lesson in Leviticus, where the land is not cursed, as it was in Genesis, but granted rest to enjoy its sabbaths—a rest it does not have when men dwell up on it. (Episode 309)

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I Have No Value Jan 11, 2024

Ah, the occidental trap. The neurosis. The spiral of death. Dante’s hell. An eternal maze of nonsensical self-preoccupation. “What is my value?” Which boils down to, well, “nothing.”

Then you “build” a philosophy department and “create” an entire field of study to “examine,” well, “nothing.” You even give it a fancy Latin name so that none of you look useless when interacting with engineers and medical doctors. You know, people who actually do “something.”

You call it “nihilism.” Wow, cool. “Deep.”

That’s “my value,” you exclaim. I can label stuff that no one cares about and sound smart at parties. I can pout, become indignant, and smirk at working-class people who tell me that I do not make sense. I can pressure corporate boards to fire people who do not use my fake terminology because “I have value.”

Well, unlike you, I do not have value. I am nothing. I have nothing. I bring nothing, and nothing you have to offer is of value to me. I bore you.

Yawn.

But like Paul, I do not trust you, and more importantly, I do not trust myself. I’m just a bumpkin from the West Side—a punk who did not attend a fancy school.

One thing I do know is that if an idiot jumps in front of a moving bus, he will get smashed. Sadly, I am absolutely certain that in your dream world, this fact is up for debate. Good luck. Because, once again, I do not trust you.

You hear Scripture dismantle me, and you cheer. You hear Scripture dismantle your imaginary “value,” and you mourn.

Why?

Because you not only assume that your supposed “value” is valuable, you believe that your “value” is “you.”

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, O American, is your permanent teenage identity crisis.

Like a teenager trapped in endless rebellion, you defend your identity by reducing Scripture to “just another book,” like one of your occidental toys. A “great work” of your boring literature. As if you, O man, have a right to assess it. You deal with it like a trinket on the shelf of your civilization—one that attacks a starving people for being willing to stand up against a genocide you alone have the power to stop.

Well, maybe not you. You say you are “free,” but even as your rulers commit genocide, your votes mean nothing. You are not free. You are just the slave of the wrong master—only your owner happens to be wealthy. Shame on you.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Picture this. (I know you can “picture it” because you are an idolater.)

You are your own reference. You stand for yourself and your own “prosperity.” You refer not to Scripture but to yourself as your reference. You assess your pantheon of ideas (your gods)—which for you “include” Scripture (how noble of you)—and then you refer back to yourself for your decision. Everything on the “menu” in your dream world is “equal” except you. You are above everything and everyone, including me.

You sound like Jordan Peterson, who builds his edifice on Scripture—building up what Scripture destroys—because he seeks to build himself up.

Scripture does not hold a special place in your occidental library. It is not a great work of Western civilization. It is not your “foundation.” You are not “Bible-based.” It burns your libraries down, and it burns you.

Are you an anti-intellectual Fr. Marc? No. Scripture is anti-intellectual because the intellect it assesses is human. Scripture is anti-human and thus anti-humanities.

Or do you really believe that Mustafa Barghouti is a sexist? Of course, you do. He is a Palestinian medical doctor, and you are a student of the liberal arts—a faithful postmodernist. You have the power to jump in front of moving buses and live. Who needs medical doctors? Let alone Palestinians?

You really are Homelander.

Scripture is your permanent identity crisis—and it will remain so until you accept that no human being has any value before God. Only then will you finally grow up and (maybe) become of some actual value to your Father, who is in the heavens.

Or, you can stay in Egypt.

Up to you, Habibi.

Allahu Akbar.

Richard and I discuss Luke 5:21-24. (Episode 515)

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He Blesses and He Curses Jan 09, 2024

This week, by the simple act of reading the text of Leviticus 26 aloud, Fr. Paul demonstrates the extreme poverty of Judeo-Christianism, its frailty, what this means for the widow and the orphan, and, painfully, what the subject of all his verbs has in store for those who do not heed his words, directly. (Episode 308)

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Your Knowledge is a Sin Jan 04, 2024

Occidental scholarship is a fraud. It comes with its own knowledge, the way a guest comes to a potluck meal with his own communion bread. By definition, if you bring it, it is not the Eucharist—it is a McDonald’s Happy Meal. It feels good—like a cheap date—but after you are done, all that’s left are empty calories, with a portion of your proceeds donated to the military-industrial complex.

It does not matter what you know or where you studied. It does not matter what religion you are. Your titles, degrees, institutions, fields, backgrounds, religions, and affiliations are all useless and pointless.

Harvard is not your reference. Shake them off, habibti, and recite Genesis 11:4 in Hebrew.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Still, you are not getting the point. Why? Because you “love God,” so you say, as long as he leaves some room on his throne (with all due respect) for you and your impressive body of human knowledge.

No thanks, O “son of man,” says everything else that has breath “under the sun.”

All that matters is what is found in the text—and guess what, anyone can find what is found, with no need whatsoever of your wide-ranging liberal arts, your think tanks (the imaginary ones, and the ones that come pre-loaded with projectiles), your humanities, your thought leaders, your thought followers, your influencers, your systems of thought, your sophistries, your pundits, and your corrupt apologists.

The so-called “gray area” of Western self-infatuation is a trap set by those foolish enough to seat themselves on the dread throne of the Judge, as though they have the authority, let alone the ability to separate the wheat from the chaff. Alas, they do not, and they cannot. Thus, Paul condemns their sophistry to the dustbin of congressional hearings in 1 Corinthians.

“Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?”

Do not answer that question. Not even to yourself.

As disciples, we have but one task. Not to answer human questions but to deal solely with what is written: the commandments of God and to do them.

Those who supplant God—not only to examine but to relish the supposed gray area—lapse into something far worse than self-righteousness:

Inaction.

In the end, they may do something, but whatever it is, it has nothing to do with the artifacts found in the text.

Their “doings” pertain to what they “bring” from their “body” of “human knowledge.” In other words, such fools sit themselves on their own throne, issuing their own commands according to their own preferences, ignoring what has been commanded by God in the text.

I know, I know. This is the point in the homily where someone incapable of hearing will raise their hand on behalf of Descartes to ask, what do you mean by “what is found,” as if upon seeing five dollars on the sidewalk, they would not pick it up.

The only thing worse than a liar is the one who lies to himself.

For, indeed, the New York Times looks for excuses, and universities search for complexity, but we preach unvocalized consonants.

To the New York Times, a stumbling block; and to academics foolishness, but to those who are called, Christ the power of God:

Under a Bedouin tent.

Christ the wisdom of God: A cup of Turkish coffee and sweets, far away from the stupidity of institutional cruelty and the insanity of human boasting.

For, “as it is written, ‘LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.’”

Richard and I discuss Luke 5:19-20. (Episode 514)

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You Shall Not Rule Jan 02, 2024

This week, Fr. Paul highlights the folly of all modern hearers of the Bible, who, through their theologies, divest and disrobe themselves of the “fear” of God under cover of their “approach” to the Bible.

There is a word for this: it’s called impiety.

This leads to the transgression of God’s commandment:

“You shall not rule over him with harshness, but are to fear your God.”(Leviticus 25:43)

“For the people of Israel are MY slaves; they are MY slaves whom I brought out from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 25:55)

(Episode 307)

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In One of the Days Dec 28, 2023

Ask the Native Americans Dec 26, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul calls to mind an example from his latest book, where he invites Native Americans to hear Scripture in the original language so that (with respect to the land) they can tap white Anglo-Saxons on the shoulder and say, “Hey, friend, that’s your Bible, not mine.” (306)

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Narcissism Dec 21, 2023

Everything we treasure must be dismantled in our minds. Even the phrase “Bible Study” has been exploited, contorted, twisted, and distorted into a micro-narrative of occidental religion and philosophy. When I say the word “Bible,” it is nothing but an idea formed in your narcissistic mind with Anglo-Saxon letters—a romanticized memory of a self-centered gathering with friends for self-serving discussion. Shocking as it may be in the West if everyone in the room is talking about themselves, everyone present is a narcissist.

When I was a kid, Americans thought everyone was jealous of them. Some still do. Now, Americans think everyone is a narcissist. I’ll leave it to the psychologists to unpack that puzzle for you.

With respect to the Bible, we do not study “it.” Nor do we study its “story” or, God forbid, its “narrative.” We deal with a text and the archeology of words—of biblical terminology and, especially in the case of Semitic languages (but also Greek), we deal with roots and their functionality.

When you deal with scriptural terminology, your ability to form a picture in your mind is mitigated by the text. Moreover, whatever you are left with—because, as a human being, let’s face it, you are a natural narcissist/idolater, you are left with something—so whatever you are left with is formed with the letters of biblical languages, which mitigate your voice.

In such a meeting, people do not gather to “study” the Bible. They gather in silence to be taught by one voice, who transmits—not its meaning—but its terminology to them.

The French existentialists hated that, and so do you.

Like the song says, “I feel fine.”

Richard and I discuss Luke 5:15-16. (Episode 512)

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Take it Back Home or Leave it Outside Dec 19, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul gives an example—one of his famous asides—an anecdote shared in class about a student’s old-school Greek uncle and his unsettling biblical attitude about what guests can do with their gifts when invited to his table. (305)

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The Jubilee Year Dec 12, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul reminds us that according to Scripture, anything we take with our hands is what someone else hands us. (Episode 304)

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What Was Lost Has Been Found Dec 07, 2023

You are probably waiting for me to move on from these painful monologues about ignorance, cultural chauvinism, settler colonialism, and the ultra-nationalistic tendencies of Western Universalism, which wraps its bombs in the values of the Enlightenment—in precisely the same manner that Constantine cloaked his war chariots in the sign of the precious and life-sustaining teaching of the Cross.

Well, keep waiting…because I am a Palestinian…I, too, am waiting. But I am not waiting for you.

My hope is in the teaching of the Lord.

In my life, I have seen immigrants of many backgrounds deny, suppress, distort, or turn from their history, language, culture, and identity. I have seen the vapidity of Western Universalism in all its forms—personal, institutional, religious, and systemic—colonize people’s personal and collective lives: their marriages, their children, their extended families, their churches, and their neighborhoods.

It ridicules, shames, invalidates, patronizes, ignores, slanders, co-opts, condemns, and ultimately disappears their connection to the past and to each other to facilitate human commoditization.

“Beauty, grief, death, the struggle with our own mortality,” Chris Hedges explains, and “the search for a life of meaning, love, the capacity for transformation—those forces are ones that make us stop and become introspective and think and look within ourselves to see who we are and where we’re going and that’s what any totalitarian state seeks to crush, and yet we kind of blissfully have checked out…the cult of the self is, in biblical terms, a form of idolatry. Everything is about you. Whether it’s the worship of power or money, it all goes back to the self; it all goes back to creating little monuments to yourself.”

“All investment into a particular goal of self-aggrandizement is a kind of pathetic attempt at self-exaltation in a kind of—maybe even a subconscious way at immortality. We have replicated the patterns that past civilizations in collapse underwent: An elite that is no longer connected with the real.”

Hedges, Chris, “American Psychosis.” www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp3gCeAI0ds

Thanks be to God, dear American; everything is not about you. You are not God. You are but a sheep in his flock, on his land. What Fr. Paul taught us years ago, in his book Land and Covenant, is now being shouted from the rooftops by Palestinian clergy and scholars: The land belongs to God, not to any nation or religion.

It is you in the United States who have much to learn from the Palestinian people, not the other way around.

Not only the Native Americans. Not only the African slaves. But each and every immigrant who steps on these shores undergoes a process of being colonized: of a systematic erasure of history that disconnects all of us from the answer to what ills us. Everyone knows it, beginning with your children, whom you cynically label “Gen Z” so that you can exploit them in your marketing plans.

But I have news for you. Rejoice with me. Your children are no longer Gen Z, for what was lost has been found by God:

Your children are Generation Palestine.

“Because as long as you don’t talk about it,” Hedges continues, “you’ll believe that you’re the only one. Your friends are doing okay. There is something wrong with you—not something wrong with the system.”

Hedges, Chris, “American Psychosis.” www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp3gCeAI0ds

Something is definitely wrong with the system.

I am a Palestinian Christian. No one may tell me otherwise. I exist to resist, and Scripture is my shield and my buckler.

Richard and I discuss Luke 5:12-14. (Episode 511)

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Listen to the Torah Dec 05, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul explains that the Hebrew text underscores the fact that the Lord deb-ber unto Moses in order that Moses would deb-berunto the children of Israel, in order that the hearer of the Hebrew text would be prepared for the beginning of Deuteronomy, where deb-beris linked with debarim and is linked with midbar. (Episode 303)

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It All Belongs to God Nov 30, 2023

Some time ago, on his Tuesday program, Fr. Paul observed how Western scholars, whom I now refer to with little affection as “Western Universalists,” often misread Genesis 34 (see Tarazi Tuesdays, Episode 274) emphasizing the rape of Dinah as the parable’s main point.

Why wouldn’t they?

Trapped, as Edward Said wrote, by a “vision of reality whose structure promoted the difference between the familiar (Europe, the West, ‘us’) and the strange (the Orient, the East, ‘them’),” such scholars are bound, not to submit, but to abuse the very Bible they claim to revere.

It must be strange, trying to read a Semitic text from within the prison of an institutional structure in which, borrowing, again, from Said, “a relationship of power, of domination, of varying degrees of a complex hegemony,” corrupts everything Western scholarship has written and continues to say about the Middle East, let alone God’s holy text.

Again, it is God’s text. It belongs to him, and he alone is our Shepherd.

Dinah, from the Hebrew root Din, means judgment or law. The same root in Arabic means faith or religion. Hence the famous name, Saleh Al-Din, which means, “righteousness of the faith.”

In Genesis 34, Dinah is God’s judgment, not against “Shechem the son of Hamor,” but against the sons Jacob, who used Dinah’s rape as a pretext to break the covenant of circumcision—the covenant of brotherhood—in order to commit mass murder. One can almost hear Simeon and Levi running through the camp behind their father’s back, angrily cajoling their brothers, “Do you condemn the rape of Dinah?”

Yes, Dinah is the Lord’s judgment, but not in the way that Western moralists imagine.

In a recent article in the Guardian, an American woman expressed her curiosity about a people in travail:

“I wanted,” she said, “to talk about the faith of Palestinian people, how it’s so strong, and they still find room to make it a priority to thank God, even when they have everything taken away from them.”
It’s the question, not the silly comments of a Western newspaper, that caught my attention.

The answer comes out of the text itself, which is all they have left. The God of Abraham is not mocked, and they know it with all their heart.

All they have to do is wait for him.

Richard and I discuss Luke 5:10-11. (Episode 510)

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Meetings Proclaimed by God Nov 28, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul notes that the one who reads Scripture reads aloud so that all would hear God speak directly. (Episode 302)

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Let’s Talk About the Amalekites Nov 23, 2023

In recent weeks, I have stressed the fact that each time you hear biblical Hebrew or see a Semitic triliteral in the Bible, like it or not, you are hearing or seeing a cross of the many Semitic languages extant at the time of the Bible’s writing.

Like it or not, each time you hear or see biblical Hebrew, you are also hearing and seeing Arabic.

The word “extant” is derived from the Latin, extans, which means “to stand out.” In English, it has come to mean “still in existence” or “surviving,” like the teaching of Scripture under the boot of Hellenism, written in a concoction of the many Semitic languages that the proto-colonial, Alexander the “small,” tried to “unhouse” in his conquest of everyone.

So why all this talk about the Amalekites in biblical literature when one need look only to human history, to Alexander, to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or for that matter, current events, to learn about Cain’s building project and its legacy of “unhousing?”

The literature—the text—not the history of Scripture, is instruction, a “cautionary tale,” an exhortation. All of us must teach this fact. We must teach it to our fundamentalist Christian friends—those who built a wall in my mom’s hometown, in Bethlehem of Palestine—in defiance of St. Paul, who said:

“For he himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall.” (Ephesians 2:14)

In the parable of Scripture, the Amalekites, the enemies of the literary characters Israel and Judah, are the descendants of the characterEsau (Genesis 36:12, 16). As Fr. Paul explains in his most recent book, Decoding Genesis 1-11:

“Early in Genesis, we hear the author using the appellation of sadeh,that is, the earth as life supporting (2:5, 19, 20), and then applying it to the living area of the Amalekites, well before the story of Ephron the Hittite (Genesis 23) and the story of the two brothers Esau and Jacob (Genesis 25, 27). In other words, early on in chapter 14, the author magisterially preempts the hearers from concluding that the special story about their ancestor, Abram, and his superman feats, makes them different from other peoples, especially their sworn adversaries.” (Tarazi, p. 197)

So why does God command the annihilation of the Amalekites? (1 Samuel 15:2-3)

‘Amaleq, is an interesting word in Hebrew. Don’t waste time looking it up in a colonial dictionary; you will not find anything useful. melek, in both Arabic and Hebrew, is the triliteral MLK and means “king.” Did you catch my nonviolent irony? I hope so. In any case, the biblical character ‘Amaleq, which begins with the letter ‘ain, has the same root as melek. In Arabic, the word for “giant” is ‘amlaq.

So, in the story, these powerful giants are introduced through Samuel as Saul’s first test of obedience.

There is a parallel tale about Joshua and the Amalekites in Exodus. It’s a parable. A mashal. A dark saying. A riddle. It’s a metaphoric text contained within an epic storyline, not an historical instruction manual. Pretend you are watching Avengers Endgame. When you leave the movie theatre, ask yourself, is the moral of this story an advisory on how to become Thanos and kill half of all inhabitants in the land?

This is not a trick question.

Who, pray tell, is the King of Glory, Saul?

Who rescued you from Egypt when you could not fight? Who overcame Agag, king of the giants, a people whose strength was beyond your might? Who saved Joshua and Moses in Exodus?

Who is the King of Israel, Saul?

Again, this is not a trick question.

“Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,” taking the spoils of a victory that you did not win, and claiming things that do not belong to you, the Lord “has rejected you from being king.” (1 Samuel 15:23)

“Then Saul said to Samuel, ‘I have sinned; I have indeed transgressed the command of the Lord and your words because I feared the people and listened to their voice.” (1 Samuel 15:24)

Of course, you did, Saul, because the people demand spoils, security, barriers, and dividing walls in the land—the land—which, like the spoils you took, does not belong to you; it is the property of the Lord.

In total view of the biblical epic, long before the story of Ephron the Hittite, (let alone Saul or Joshua), Abraham came from the same sadeh as the Amalekites—from the same earth as life supporting.

We human beings refuse to accept our fate as ‘afar,—as people taken from and returning to the dust. This fate, Fr. Paul explains:

“Will be unexpectedly redressed in Genesis 23 via 'ephron, (Ephron) the (outsider) Hittite who will prove to be the Lord God’s medium for establishing ḥebron, the place of brotherhood, the gathering place of Abraham’s descendants, which ironically will end as the inheritance, not of Joshua, but of Caleb, “the (outsider) dog” (keleb, KLB, Arabic, kalb), in the Book of Joshua (14:13-15).” (Tarazi, p. 174)

Caleb, the triliteral KLB. In Arabic, kalb, the dog, the barbarian, the unclean thing—the standard bearer for brotherhood in the Book of Life.

Let’s hope so.

Richard and I discuss Luke 5:8-9. (Episode 509)

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Justice in the Marketplace Nov 21, 2023

This week Fr. Paul explains that although Molech refers to a specific god, it can refer to any deity that is the owner of its people—a connection lost in the English language, which is unable to render the consonantal functionality of the Semitic triliteral. (Episode 301)

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Choose a Side! Nov 16, 2023

If you are still trying to figure out what to do with your life, you are the property of Satan. You are trapped. You are caught in a snare because it is not your life.

You have already heard the gospel. You know what you have to do. You have to choose a side. There is no middle ground. There is no twilight between light and dark. Neoplatonic expressions like “both-sideism” and “moral equivalency” are Satanic—a lie of the Devil.

You have to choose a side.

As I speak, every 10 minutes, a child’s murder is justified by an egotistical 19th-century European theology born out of a settler-colonial King James translation of the biblical text. It is a settler-colonial text rendered in Anglo-Saxon by the court of a settler-colonial king who sought to justify the theft, dispossession, exploitation, and murder of Native Americans.

Previously, European theology resulted in the barbaric and brutal persecution of our beloved Jewish brothers and sisters for centuries.

These are facts.

For those who are baptized into Jesus Christ, there is only one side—the judgment of God our Father—which is against you and against me. This God—the God of Scripture—does not speak Anglo-Saxon or write with vowels.

In view of these facts, YOU must choose a side.

YOU must TAKE A STAND—on the content of the biblical text!
YOU must WRITE A BOOK—dealing with the content of the biblical text!
YOU must START A PODCAST—reading aloud the content of the biblical text!
YOU must WRITE AN ARTICLE—exegeting the content of the biblical text!

This has nothing to do with your career choices, life goals, dreams, or what you do for a living. When you talk this way, you sound like a navel-gazing, self-serving, money-loving settler-colonial.

What of the children in Sudan? Do they have dreams? Or is Sudan only a tourist stop on a checklist for impressive Ivy-League resumes?

“Each one of us will give an account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:12)

“Each one will bear his own load.” (Galatians 6:5)

Each one of us must pick up our own shovel.

I am speaking to each and every individual person who hears this podcast. This is a personal message to you. Take it personally. Be angry with me if you must. Your programs, activities, groups, mailing lists, ideals, altruisms, associations, parties, clubs, nonprofits, whatever—all of it—is vanity.

Are you objectively teaching and spreading the objective content of the biblical text against anthropocentrism, ignorance, fundamentalism, fanaticism, political and religious ideology, philosophy, theology, colonialism, and greed? Or are you promoting your own version of the same (in other words, are you promoting yourself) by building your resume?

Are you teaching the content of Scripture? Are you writing? Are you going through Scripture verse by verse? Are you studying biblical languages? Are you teaching biblical languages?

What are you doing?

At this hour, plenty of people are expending a ton of energy and wealth to propagandize hate. Worse, they are expending even more energy and wealth to co-opt SCRIPTURE to propagandize genocide.

Rightly did St. Paul speak of those who have received knowledge but refuse to work when he proclaimed, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” (Romans 2:24)

Because of those who know but do not teach:

- 1,200 children have died in the past 5 months in Sudan, and at least 5.8 million people have been displaced since April due to civil war.
- More than 500 children have been killed and 1,000 injured in Ukraine since the start of the war, and 11 million Ukrainians were displaced.
- At the time of this recording, 5000 children that we know of have been killed in Gaza, almost 9000 were injured, and 1.4 million (70% of all Palestinians living in Gaza) have been displaced.

Meanwhile, the US Congress, universities, colleges, and public institutions (and the majority of the European powers) continue to debate whether or not it is “racist” to call for a ceasefire.

Those of you who listen to this podcast know better. Forget politics. You know what Scripture teaches. What are you doing to spread the content of God’s teaching? Not to give your feedback on how it could be done better, what other people should do, or what your priest should do.

What are you doing with your own hands?

Richard and I discuss Luke 5:7. (Episode 508)

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Common Sense Nov 14, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul explains that when your mother puts a sign on the cabinet door that says “no,” she does not need to explain why. No means no. (Episode 300)

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Wait for the Lord Nov 09, 2023

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the justice of all who are oppressed. Speak up and judge righteously; defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.” (Proverbs 31:8-9)

“Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of my judgment and withhold my justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless." (Isaiah 10:1-2)

“Come now, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and your silver have rusted, and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.” (James 5:1-6)

“For I know your transgressions are many, and your sins are great, you who distress the righteous and accept bribes and turn aside the poor in the gate.” (Amos 5:12)

“By justice, a king gives a country stability, but those who are greedy for bribes tear it down.” (Proverbs 29:4)

“So Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to the people who had asked of him a king.” (Samuel 8:10)

“You will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

“Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said,

“No, but there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” (Samuel 8:18–20)

A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. “Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley; Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

A voice says, “Call out.” Then he answered, “What shall I call out?”

All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, When the breath of the Lord blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever. (Isaiah 40:3–8)

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He it is who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless. Scarcely have they been planted, Scarcely have they been sown, Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And the storm carries them away like stubble. “To whom then will you liken Me That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing.

Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”?

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly,

Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. (Isaiah 40:21–31)

Richard and I discuss Luke 5:4-6. (Episode 507)

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You May Not Apply Two Rules Nov 07, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul explains that you may not apply two rules in the land: one for insiders and one for outsiders. (Episode 299)

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It Is Neither “Complex” nor “Sensitive” Nov 02, 2023

Thanks be to the Scriptural God who spoke long ago—once and for all time—in the Syrian wilderness, long before the occupying powers of the modern world. Once again, when he spoke, he did not speak English. This point is well worth repeating at this very moment in history since this God spoke biblical Semitic specifically “to prick, sting, incite, and goad” those who are glorious upon the earth. To be fair, at the time he spoke, no one spoke English, so technically, he was not making fun of English. English didn’t matter to him. Nor did French or German. Now, that is a fact, and facts are useful.

At that time, the same God taught our forefathers, who were not faithful, that the matter at hand—his dabar—is not complex. We need only hear and follow his voice. Following his voice is not a sensitive matter because, in his story of the generations of the heavens and the earth, the human being is of less importance to him than the fish in the sea. More than that, in all the wonder of God’s creation, the human being is only a small insignificant part.

“There is a deep sentiment in the Middle East and [among] Arabs,” Bassem Yousef explained recently, “that the West [does] not look at us as equal[s].”

Yousef asked Chat GPT a simple question:

“Do Israelis deserve to be free?”

The machine replied, “Yes.”

He then rephrased the question, “Do Palestinians deserve to be free?”

The machine, created by human hands, a theology of human artistry fashioned after the image of English-speaking settler colonials, replied:

“It’s complex.”

Beloved in Christ, it is neither complex nor sensitive. For those who hear the voice of the Shepherd—the voice of one crying out in the wilderness—the answer to both questions is simple and straightforward:

The answer is NO.

No one “deserves” to be free because all of us treat each other like shit. There is only one God. He alone is our King, our provider, and the possessor of the land.

“See now that I, I am he, and there is no god besides me; It is I who put to death and I who give life. I have wounded, and it is I who heal, and there is no one who can deliver from my hand.” (Deuteronomy 32:39)
“For there is none like you, [O God] nor is there any God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.” (2 Samuel 7:22; 1 Chronicles 17:20)

To God be the victory. In the God of Scripture, I place all my hope against hope for the sake of the poor.

Because, like you, Bassem, my dad came here from Egypt. I know that look in your eyes when you are trying to reason with stupid. I recognize the frustration that will eventually turn into dismay and, God forbid, pain. Believe me, brother, no matter how much sense you make or how hard you argue logically and intelligently for peace, it ain’t gonna work.

Pierce and his ilk are for war, and they don’t even see it.

Richard and I discuss Luke 5:2-3. (Episode 506)

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Adam Has No Clothes Oct 31, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul explains that in Hebrew, the shame of nakedness is linked to exile, for example, when a soldier is put to shame and flees, stripped of his armor. Notably, the same word, when vocalized differently, can mean crafty. Sounds crafty, indeed. (Episode 298)

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We Are All Elohim’s Human Animals Oct 26, 2023

The colonials have sunk so low that it is no longer possible to argue with them, nor is it necessary. All one needs to do is record what they are saying right now on their news programs. As I explain in Dark Sayings, they play with human labels. They “apply identity as a powerful tool for social organization.” They invent new ways of labeling people. It’s propaganda. A rebranded form of self-divinization. Neoplatonism. Theosis in disguise. Whether you label me or you label yourself or program your children to label themselves, you are nothing more than what is found in your mother’s womb. You are from the ground. You are a land mammal from a colonial society whose language is not found in Scripture. Any word you add to me or to yourself that is not found in the text (never mind that you are also bound to use that word according to its use in the text) is under condemnation.

You imagine it is harmless to make words up in your post-modern fantasy island until an entire colonial civilization lifts itself up in 2023 to perpetuate the last ghetto of World War II—with your tax dollars. Post-modernism is the new theology of atheists, a self-manifested complexity, human artistry projected as a smoke screen of self-importance and imposed by the West as violence, authoritarianism, and censorship.

Or maybe the Germans should ban a public meeting to discuss peace in the Middle East. Tell me, does censorship make the pain go away? Are your sins forgiven? How many more of Elohim’s earth mammals have to die?

Maybe that's why the proponents of reception history want to keep the Canon open—so that they can find new Christs to crucify.

In the brightly shining light of the Torah’s wrath, the problem is your colonial map. You have no right to draw one. The land and everything in it belongs to Yahweh, our Elohim.

“Whether Greek conquerors or modern Americans, community builders depend on philosophical identity because the nature of their colonial project is to overrun and control locality. Philosophical identity is the cause of all man-made suffering.” (Dark Sayings, p. 25)

Please stop telling me who you are, who we are, or who they are. As Paul says, you are nothing. You are dust. We are all God’s animals, but the human being, uniquely, is less than this. He is dust from dust scattered to the four winds, only to break bread with the gentile dogs in Hebron. That is a technical comment, not hyperbole. Read Scripture.

“Under the Ottoman Empire, you could travel from Cairo to Istanbul to Baghdad without a Visa. It's just one complicated Community. If you were a Greek in Beirut you had the Greek community where you run your affairs, but you get along fine with the other communities next door. Well, is that possible? I think so. In fact, I think we should aim to go beyond bi-nationalism. We should erode the borders in the Middle East that were imposed by British and French imperialism for their own interests. They had nothing to do with the interests of the people there. They break up people who are of the same communities in ugly, vicious ways.” (Noam Chomsky, University of California, Riverside, May 22, 2023)

Maybe that’s why, in Genesis, God prefers the fish in the sea over the land mammals. Even now, with all our might, it is practically impossible for man to control or impose colonial borders at sea.

That’s why Jesus, in Luke, likes to preach there.

Richard and I discuss Luke 5:2-3. (Episode 505)

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The Blood is the Nephesh Oct 24, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul explains what is impossible for Neoplatonists and Greco-Romans to hear and endorse, let alone submit to. In Leviticus, the nephesh of the flesh—meaning all living things—is its blood and not in the blood. (Episode 297)

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In Memory of Fr. Daniel Simon Oct 19, 2023

Whether the soil in the parable of the sower, the earth itself (over which colonials love to impose the illusion of control), the movement of Jesus in Luke (imposed upon by the crowds), or our insistence upon active listening in lieu of a passive hearing, the pattern is evident. We not only imagine that we are something when we are nothing, but we go to great lengths to prove we are something, even if it means driving poor people off a cliff into a genocidal war that will result in nothing except more war.

Do you think there is a difference between your views about whatever it is you think about whatever you say because when you speak, you are for peace, but then whatever you say, you are for war?

I have news for you. It is not good news. It is not bad news. It is just news, plain and simple. Your premise, whoever you are, whatever it is, more than ignorant, is invalid.

Yes, you are wrong. How can you say that, Fr. Marc? Because I read the Bible, and I know exactly what I am. Do you know exactly what you are?

Don’t interrupt. Oh wait, I’m a text. You have no control over me or my premise, which is not your premise. All you can do is ignore me or ridicule me, but you can’t shut me up because I am written. From my perspective, you are nothing more than a pair of ears—and if you have ears, you have no choice but to hear. Which means you are under judgment:

“The priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. When Jeremiah finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, “You must die!”(Jeremiah 26:7–8)

Yep. The thing is, it’s not rocket science. Whether we are talking about Eastern Europe or the Middle East—stop defending your land because it does not belong to you.

We have one Father in the heavens, and his Kingdom rules over all. We human beings (all of us) are his children together with the animals, the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, and the vegetation.

Many in the media have referred to some of us as “human animals.” We are all God's creatures, his animals, the families of the earth—those of us who know what we are sit in a circle each day, holding hands, sharing everything. To paraphrase John Lennon, I hope one day everyone will join us.

Each time you defend yourself, you attack Jeremiah and throw him in the stocks. Brothers and sisters, the God of Scripture does not abandon his prophets. There will be a reckoning.

I know for a fact you can hear me. Whether or not you listen is your problem.

This week’s episode is in loving memory of Fr. Daniel Simon, who was assistant and then head pastor in the refugee church of my youth. Like the towns and villages its founders left behind, this church is erased from the historical record but not forgotten. Likewise, Fr. Daniel’s commitment to the gospel is committed to God’s eternal memory for the sake of the generation yet to come. So we keep our hand to the plow with Fr. Daniel, as commanded by the Lord, who said:

“No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)

Richard and I discuss Luke 5:1. (Episode 504)

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Yom Kippur Oct 17, 2023

This week, before explaining the centrality of atonement for the people, the high priest, and even the earth, Fr. Paul highlights the Bible’s emphasis that God is the owner of all life, and life itself is linked to blood and the seed. (Episode 296)

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MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN Oct 12, 2023

What does it mean to worship power?

You imagine there is another question, but your art, politics, theology, television programs, pet social issues, news media, blogs, family squabbles, and even your benign internet posts—especially the ones where you post personal pictures—are all about your power. When you express sympathy about any grievance, how hard you work, how much you or they suffered, how terrible that tragedy is, how barbaric they are—you are wielding your power. So the wheels of this power, which look like the current state of affairs in the world, keep on turnin’.

Against you and me, the only teaching that systematically undermines the stench of your power rises in power out of the biblical text.

The only valid response to war and violence is the teaching of the Cross. The West loves to preach about this when other people suffer under their boot. By other, I mean those “whom you do not see.” (1 John 4:20) But when those whom you do see suffer an unbearable trauma, you see them only because you see yourself in them. You see people who look like you. Brothers and sisters, this is not empathy. It is idolatry—of the worst kind.

The prophet David said: “They have eyes, but they cannot see!” (Psalm 115:5-6)

To have empathy is not to assert power or to take revenge. It is to feel broken with those who have been broken—and if you are a follower of Jesus, which, de facto, we are not, is to be broken with them.

You cannot be sad about human suffering and call for more suffering with lust in your eyes. Friends, wake up. Something is wrong. We are on the wrong path.

I won’t catalog the lengthy litany of injustices we have committed against the little children of those “whom you do not see.” Nor will I capitulate to the premise of the Western media, which—universally—celebrates any violence that legitimizes its colonial premise, which is an affront to God.

My reference is the Scriptural God. Him alone do I serve. He is against me, against you, and against them too. I’ll take him as my master any day over anyone.

Before you open your mouth to argue with me, look up and take a look around. How are Western individualism, solipsism, and market worship turning out for everyone?

Be honest. How are things turning out?

Richard and I discuss Luke 4:42-44. (Episode 503)

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The Cancellation of the Priests Oct 10, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul shows that from the beginning, the text of Leviticus imposes on its addressees that one must not place their trust or their hope in the priests, the priesthood, or the temple. (Episode 295)

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‘abd allah Oct 05, 2023

Reception history is a big fat joke.

What? Were you expecting subtlety from a West Sider whose dad grew up in the Egypt of Gamal Abel Nasser? Ok. Let me start over.

Reception history is the last breath of a dying school of the humanities desperately trying to prove its value from within a colonial framework of self-importance that was already headed to the dustbin of history the moment Aristotle penned his first memo to Alexander, whom the small decided to call great, because, well, every fool imagines they are better than their parents.

Look how that turned out.

I am not a big deal. You are not a big deal. Moreover, our modern civilization is not a big deal. It is not a factor, cannot be factored in, and is not within the purview of Scripture.

I hate to scandalize all the self-loving postmodernists out there pontificating about the intersection between their ego and the text, but the Bible was written before you, existed and still exists without you and your personal narrative, and when humanity is long gone, could easily be read by space aliens, and, who knows, some other form of intelligence—and probably will be. You and I are not needed—and any meaning we supposedly “create” or try to add to it is not from Scripture and, therefore, has nothing to with the God of Scripture. So all this talk about your history, which is about you and your reception of it, is worse than vain talk. It is blasphemy. You are taking something irrelevant—something that is not a subject matter, and using it to supplant the God of Scripture as the premise of Scripture.

To all who hear these words, be it known to you, we are not interested in worshiping you, your gods, your narratives, or your empty human histories.

According to Paul, Psalm 78, and the Biblical story itself, your ancestors are evil. So why are you talking about them or how they received the Bible? We know why. Because, ultimately, you want to talk about yourself. But your ancestors clearly had no clue, which is why, as Paul thundered, “God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.”

“These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you do not fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to the human race. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.” (1 Corinthian 10:11-14)

Richard and I discuss Luke 4:40-41. (Episode 502)

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Last Words Oct 03, 2023

On his eightieth birthday, Fr. Paul takes a step back from his regular weekly address to deliver a special farewell message to his students over the years—and all those with ears to hear. The biblical story is a message of entrapment, “as though there is no hope, and yet it is presented to you as the words of hope.”

“In hope, he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, ‘So shall your offspring be.’” (Romans 4:18)

(Episode 294)

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The Function Little Crow Sep 28, 2023

The West Side is a haven for immigrant communities arriving in St. Paul, Minnesota. Historically, it has included people of German, Roma, Polish, Swedish, Irish, Jewish (fleeing Russian pogroms), Latin American, Middle Eastern (among them after 1948, Palestinians), and African heritage. It is a place where different languages, religions, and cultures coexist in the womb of God’s earth without colonial integration, though not free from its ire. The latter is felt in the absence of the native Mdewakanton Dakota people, who sojourned locally along the river in a seasonal encampment under a succession of chiefs known as “Little Crow.” After Minnesota became a territory in 1849, colonial merchants were eager to “expand” and “build” bigger “barns.” (Luke 12:16-21) So, by 1851, the nomadic tribes of God were driven out of nearly all of Elohim’s earth in Minnesota and eastern Dakota in the Traverse des Sioux and Mendota treaties.

The same colonial resentments resurfaced first in the suppression of the German language by the “Minnesota Commission of Public Safety,” and later in the 1930s during the Great Depression, when, in several attempts to address the “Mexican problem,” Ramsey County officials repatriated no less than 15% of the Mexican population, many of whom were U.S. citizens. “This was the West Side Flats, and for about a hundred years, from the 1850s to the 1960s, life bloomed there. A unique neighborhood in Minnesota and the wider U.S., the Flats were dense, low-income, polyglot, striving, unpaved, and unpainted.” In this sense, despite its material (and at times extreme) poverty and because of its mix of languages under constant outside pressure, it is reminiscent of al-Andalus, the fleeting memory of a golden age of tolerance, cultural exchange, and common sense.

Despite regular flooding in the old neighborhood, city officials did nothing to address the issue or assist West Side residents. Only after the demolition of the Flats and the deportation (integration into the Melting Pot) of its residents in 1963 did the “community builders” of Ramsey County install flood control mechanisms on the Riverfront. “What they did to the Mexicans down on the old West Side—to make them move like that, and not compensate them, and give them the bare minimum. What they did to destroy a community like that is wrong.” —George Avaloz

Richard and I discuss Luke 4:38-39. (Episode 501)

Today's introduction is an excerpt from Fr. Marc’s new book, Dark Sayings: Diary of an American Priest (OCABS Press, 2023). Available on amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and many of your favorite online booksellers. Check the show notes or visit ocabspress.org to learn more.

References:
www.mnopedia.org/place/west-side-flats-st-paul
www.nps.gov/miss/planyourvisit/kapoindi.htm
www.wsco.org/westsidehistory
www.nchsmn.org/1851-treaty-of-traverse-des-sioux
minnpost.com/mnopedia/2016/01/during-world-war-i-minnesota-nativists-waged-all-out-war-german-culture-state/
Roethke, Leigh. Latino Minnesota. Minnesota Historical Society, 2009, pp. 40-41.

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What is Being Offered Sep 26, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul explains that the book of Leviticus begins with what is being offered in order to belittle the priests, in contrast with our attitude and that of all religions, which begin with the functionary, the human being, as their reference. (Episode 293)

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The Staff of Levi Sep 21, 2023

The biblical text is epic, expansive, and integrated in specific and articulate ways. After 500 episodes (over 800, if you add in Tarazi Tuesdays), I am convinced that the biblical genre’s complexity is far beyond the reach of contemporary literature and artistic expression. This is not intended as hyperbole. People get excited about modern literature because we always seek “new” ideas. But there are no new ideas. Just old ideas repackaged and half-baked. The well-written old ideas repackaged in some of the new books are useful, but they are still limited with respect to what matters most because, in the end, they all share the same premise as the tired opinions the average person posts online. So you read, hunt for useful knowledge, and test it against your reference, but you are selective with respect to where you place your trust.

It is one’s reference that counts.

The Bible, too, is old. But it is more than that. It stands out from the crowd in how it has disagreed with all of us, our ideas, and the things we fashion from days of old.

In his essay “The False Promise of ChatGPT,” Noam Chomsky explains that the inability of machine learning to go beyond description and prediction to provide an explanation of “what is not the case and what could and could not be” the case “exhibits something like the banality of evil: plagiarism and apathy and obviation. It summarizes the standard arguments in the literature by a kind of super-autocomplete, refuses to take a stand on anything, pleads not merely ignorance but lack of intelligence, and ultimately offers a ‘just following orders’ defense, shifting responsibility to its creators.”

Chomsky is describing machine learning. From my perspective, his words describe a culture that has fashioned something digital in its own image. Impressive? Maybe. Useful, profitable? Sure. Entertaining? Yes. Intelligent? No. Wise? No comment. Hopeful? Definitely not.

What does Levi have to do with Luke?

(And please, don't ask ChatGPT until after it's had a chance to plagiarize my brief essay.)
In epic literature, it’s a long journey from Genesis, where we first hear about Melchizedek, to Numbers, where we are told about the staff of Levi, from among twelve staffs, from all the leaders of the households of Israel to Deuteronomy, where we hear twice, “Levi does not have a portion or inheritance with his brothers; the Lord is his inheritance.” (Deuteronomy 10:9;18:1, Numbers 18:20, Joshua 13:33, Ezekiel 44:28)

The same statement pops up In Numbers, Joshua, and, of all places, Ezekiel. The word Is “epic.” It is epic literature. You have to hear the whole story.

Likewise, in Luke, Jesus does not have a portion or inheritance with his brothers in Nazareth. “You are my beloved Son, in you I am well-pleased.” (Luke 3:22)

But as Paul explains in Hebrews, Jesus is beyond even Levi, for Levi “was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.” (Hebrews 7:10)

You had better believe Jesus speaks with authority.

Richard and I discuss Luke 4:36-37. (Episode 500)

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The Ecclesia is Moving Sep 19, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul explains the interconnection between the Hebrew term qahal and the Greek ecclesia, from the verb kaleo—to call out—not to be confused with ʿedah, which corresponds to the Greek synagōgē. (Episode 292)

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To Muzzle, Dominate, and Overhelm Sep 14, 2023

In 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul, with all authority, does not speak on human authority, “for it is written in the law of Moses, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.’ Is it for oxen that God is concerned? … but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ…woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission.”

In the same manner, in the Gospel of Luke, the Lord Jesus Christ, with all authority, enters into Capernaum under orders from his Father to muzzle, dominate, and overwhelm all opponents of the gospel, exercising absolute divine authority over them, silencing the false teachers, the demons found in the village of grace, akin to Paul’s opponents, the “false brethren” in Galatians and the outside authorities in 1 Corinthians who work against the Lord’s gospel to increase their glory on the backs of the weak, for whom Christ died.

Richard and I discuss Luke 4:31-35. (Episode 499)

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Let the People Hear It Sep 12, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul notes the distinction between sin and guilt in the original text of Leviticus, lamenting the unwillingness of English translators to let the people hear the text. (Episode 291)

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The Semitic Triliteral Sep 07, 2023

To understand the power of the Semitic triliteral root, consider the grammatical, functional, empirical, and, thus, anti-Platonic literary interconnection between DaBaR (word), keDoBRam (pasture), yaDBeR (subdued), watteDaBBeR (destroyed), beDaBBeRo (at his speaking), miDBaRek (your mouth), and miDBaR (wilderness). Only in the original Semitic do we hear and see the consonantal link between the shepherd’s pasture, the utterances of God, the wilderness, and the subduing—even the destruction—of those who hear his words. “His dabar,” Fr. Paul Tarazi writes, “is administered in the wilderness and proceeds from his shepherd’s mouth while the sheep’s dilemma lies in that the utterly non-Platonic, non-Shakespearian ‘to obey or not to obey’ is not even the question. It does not matter whether a ‘baa’ is emitted or not. Obeying maintains the life that the sheep is already enjoying, while disobedience posits the same sheep as ’obed (unto destruction) as an Aramean by himself in the wilderness.”; Tarazi, Paul Nadim. The Rise of Scripture. OCABS Press, 2017, p. 296.

Richard and I discuss Luke 4:28-30. (Episode 498)

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A Portion for the Priest Sep 05, 2023

This week, while explaining the terms qurbano and minha, Fr. Paul calls to mind the admonition of Metropolitan Philip to his priests in the U.S., that when offered a gift from someone for priestly service, be they rich or poor, take it and use it for your children. “It is your due, by command of the Most High.” Do not give freely. Only the Apostle gives freely, and you are not an Apostle. (Episode 290)

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Keep Your Hands Off Aug 31, 2023

The same Hebrew word, shebet, refers both to the staff of a shepherd and the tribe. It is the exact same word. The staff of God is the premise, the reference, and the totality, not the community. In the land of Scripture, which is not your land, does not speak your language, does not conform to your norms, does not eat your food, and does not care about your values, there is no such thing as a flock, let alone a community. There is a shepherd-of-flock, in Hebrew, ro‘eh ṣon, who carries a staff.

In Luke 4, when God uses the mouth of Jesus to proffer his grace in Nazareth, the people of his own tribe turn their backs. They do so because they imagine that Jesus belongs to their tribe and is the son of their Joseph. Yet, from the moment Jesus said “no” to the Devil, God put his hand on him to control him “by the power of the Spirit…to preach the gospel to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, and to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

But the people from his own tribe were not satisfied because he did not speak by their hand, and it was not by the authority of their staff, under their control, for the benefit of the home team.

Truly, Truly I say to you, only a blinking idiot would pick a fight with the almighty, terrifying, and terrible God of Scripture over who owns the Lord Jesus Christ and who controls what comes out of his mouth.

Don’t laugh. People do it all the time.

Richard and I discuss Luke 4:20-27. (Episode 497)

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The Meaning of Terms Aug 29, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul explains the functional meaning of the term holocaust, deferring to the original Semitic and consonantal Hebrew text, noting both the utility and shortcomings of the Septuagint. (Episode 289)

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God Does Not Speak English Aug 24, 2023

A listener wrote us this week to share a passage from Letter 57 of Jerome that captures (with respect to the terrorism of translations) what we said recently about Semitic languages in opposition to Hellenism and what we explain in today’s episode about Semiticized Greek in opposition to imperial Latin:

“Time would fail me were I to unfold the testimonies of all who have translated only according to the sense. It is sufficient for the present to name Hilary the confessor who has turned some homilies on Job and several treatises on the Psalms from Greek into Latin; yet has not bound himself to the drowsiness of the letter or fettered himself by the stale literalism of inadequate culture. Like a conqueror, he has led away captive into his own tongue the meaning of his originals.”

“Like a conqueror, he has led away captive into his own tongue the meaning of his originals.”

The spoken language of a people reflects a practical reality, meaning the way things work in daily life out of what God himself forms in the womb. Spoken language is not manufactured; it is found.

In Semitic languages, this is especially powerful because of the phenomenon of the triliteral root. The special value of a sacred written text, specifically the consonantal Hebrew of the Bible and the Arabic Quran, is that the practical reality of its language at the time of its writing is fixed. To the extent that the biblical text itself concocts its scriptural Hebrew as “a cross of the different (extant) Semitic languages,” it is not so much the Hebrew language as it is the Semitic language of God encoded in the Bible. In other words, the Bible, and ultimately, even the New Testament, is written in God’s Semitic debarim. Combined with the living tradition of spoken Arabic, whose functionality is preserved in the fixed text of the Quran, this fact makes the everyday spoken Arabic of simple people of more value in the study of consonantal biblical Hebrew than the most expensive theological degrees from the fanciest schools. If you do not believe me, just listen to a secular teacher of Arabic from the land—as Jerome said, “led away captive,” explain lexicology and grammar as she teaches Arabic. Even if she is not interested in the Bible or the Quran, she cannot help but teach the Bible and the Quran more effectively than modern religious scholars because of what is found in the etymology of the language, which is itself sacred.

“Translation,” Robert Carrol explains, is a “transformation” that “wrenches the text from its home in the ancient cultures and languages, deports that text, and exiles it in foreign languages and cultures.”

Richard and I discuss Luke 4:16-19. (Episode 496)

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Music and War Aug 22, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul notes the diabolical link between the bards and troubadours, those who go from town to town, building the stories of cities, playing music on instruments of bronze and iron, in Scripture, the things that make for war. (Episode 288)

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Abjad Languages Aug 17, 2023

In his 1990 article, “Fundamentals of Grammatology,” Peter T. Daniels proposed the Arabic term “abjad” to describe a type of Semitic script “that denotes individual consonants only.” Such languages force the reader to infer vowel sounds as they read the text.

The term abjad is derived from the original (pre-Islamic) order of the first four letters of the Arabic alphabet (ʾalif, bāʾ, jīm, dāl), which correspond to other Semitic languages, notably, “Hebrew and Semitic proto-alphabets: specifically, aleph, bet, gimel, and dalet.”

For most, when discussing the Hebrew text of the Bible, the Masoretic text is an assumed reference point. However, insofar as the Masoretic was vocalized by someone else, its fidelity to the original is as much an interpretation as any English translation.

The answer is not a better translation. The solution—rather, the challenge—is for modern disciples of the Bible to submit to the original, unvocalized Hebrew text. This means learning to read Hebrew texts without vowels in the same way that modern Arabs read the morning newspaper, which is printed without vowels.

Only then will students of the Bible be liberated from the tyranny of the tower builders of Genesis 11, who impose control through their interpretations, part and parcel of their imperial languages.

Richard and I discuss Luke 4:14-15. (Episode 495)

Wikipedia contributors. “Abjad.” *Wikipedia*, July 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abjad#cite_note-4.; Daniels, Peter T. "Fundamentals of Grammatology." *Journal of the American Oriental Society*, 1990, https://doi.org/602899. Accessed 18 Aug. 2023, pp. 727-731.

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Do Not Pray Aug 15, 2023

In today's episode, Fr. Paul reiterates difficult words that few acknowledge. Plain words, even when rendered by translators: “As for you, do not pray for this people, and do not lift up cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with me; for I do not hear you.” Jeremiah 7:16 (Episode 287)

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Jesus Says, "No!" Aug 10, 2023

Christians love to talk about glory and victory because we are all Roman imperialists in our secret hearts—in the thoughts that we imagine God cannot hear. We lust after victory. We want to conquer and control. We are the colonial occupiers. We plan and strategize on how to spread our dung piles around. What is especially ugly about our brand of empire is that we do it in the name of the one who was hung in shame, naked on the Cross—the preferred implement of imperial terror in late antiquity.

As such, the storyline of the New Testament is a rejection of both us and Roman imperialism. Jesus rejects all of it, which is not good news for you and me. In Luke 4, the Devil, who avails himself of a kairos under the purview of God the Father, offers it to Jesus, and Jesus says, “No.”
Jesus rejects it. He says no to victory, no to glory, no to achieving heights, no to standing out, no to self-importance. No to all of it. No to everything that we strive for and treasure. Listen carefully to what I’m saying. No, to triumph and no triumphalism. All the things that we love to chant about. Yes, those ugly Roman things that Julias put on a pedestal after he crossed the Rubicon. Jesus says, “No!”

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 4:13 (Episode 494)

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Right in the Eyes of the Lord Aug 08, 2023

In today's episode, Fr. Paul highlights the stark dissonance between what humans perceive as right and what is deemed right in the eyes of the Scriptural God. (Episode 286)

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The Most High is Your Dwelling Aug 03, 2023

In Luke 4, it is striking that the text refers to the opponent of Jesus, not as Satan, the “obstacle” or “roadblock” of the gospel, but as the deceiver, the Devil. It’s easy to dismiss this as poetic license or other such nonsense, but that is the point in the discussion when your English teacher (if she was worth her salt) would have dismissed you as lazy.

The Devil is not trying to block Jesus. He is trying to help him evolve into something greater. He wants to help Jesus achieve that for which every human being pines. He wants Jesus to grasp equality with God; achieve heights; seize power; to attain glory. So he tells Jesus a lie:
It is not Elohim who provides shelter for you, but you who shelters him.

Luckily, Jesus is not a member of your Parish Council. Nor does he host symposiums on Temple growth, development, and expansion. He just places his trust in “the shelter of the Most High,” abiding “in the shadow of the Almighty,” Elohim, the only God whom he trusts.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 4:9-12 (Episode 493)

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Love Those Shiny Buttons Aug 01, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul highlights the presence of the teraphim, hidden in plain sight on Aaron’s vestments, daftly woven by Scripture as a test for those of us who love shiny buttons. (Episode 285)

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The Colonial Plague Jul 27, 2023

Everyone’s shit stinks. To your “civilized” ears, this sounds like a high-minded critique. It’s not. It’s just an observation about mammalian life.
All animal life makes dung piles, yes. But eventually, the wind blows, rain falls, and our dung piles disappear. It may stink for a bit, but sooner or later, it is gone, and the place thereof knows it no more. As all farmers know, our dung fertilizes the ground as God intended, and something beautiful grows in its place, for example, the lilies of the field Matthew’s Gospel.

But in the storyline of Luke, the “kingdoms of the world,” cut from stone by Solomon’s hand, are glorious up the earth and impressive to your “civilized” eyes but obnoxious in God’s.

Yes, everyone’s shit does stink. But what really smells is the campaign to make something impressive out of your dung pile. To scale it. To build it up. To spread it around. To impose it on others. Such is the plague of Alexander the Great, Julias Caesar, and their colonial heirs, who love making something out of nothing and saying, “Look what I built.”

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 4:5-8 (Episode 492)

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Statutes of Your Fathers Jul 25, 2023

In this week’s program, Fr. Paul begins his discussion of Leviticus, drawing on passages from Ezekiel and Numbers to illustrate how characters in the story twist the command of God. (Episode 284)

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Bread and Stone Jul 20, 2023

The interplay between the terms bayt and heykal in biblical Hebrew is simple. So simple that it can be explained to a child. A heykal is a building made of stone that serves as both a temple and a palace for the king. The writers of the old TV series Stargate SG1 got the basic premise correct: people are fooled into worshiping their leaders as gods—and the bloody Pharaohs didn’t even have to be aliens. Just ordinary humans. That’s how gullible we are. Wear some flashy gold bling; execute a few poor people; build a shiny tower with your name on it, and everyone thinks you are the bomb.

In contrast, the term bayt can refer either to a constructed house or a household, as in the biblical bayt ab, the Father’s house, filled with flesh-and-blood sons and daughters. In Ezekiel and Isaiah, instead of having land and a capital city with a building constructed by men, Yahweh, your Elohim posits himself as the only point of reference for his household, the bayt ab, which looks nothing like anything of human construction, let alone the houses we build.

It is so simple. Yet we persist in pushing against it. It is so simple, yet we still insist on our own agendas and human dynasties because deep down inside, we love Pharaoh and want to be like him.

“Here’s the church, and here’s the steeple. Open the door and see all the people.”

It’s the people, not the steeple. Even your Anglo-Saxon nursery rhymes are more honest than your false teachings and your lying teachers.
Thank God that Scripture cannot hear you. Thank God that in the story of Scripture, Jesus did not listen to the Devil.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 4:3-4 (Episode 491)

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The Utterances of God Jul 18, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul concludes his discussion of the Exodus. (Episode 283)

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In the Wilderness Jul 13, 2023

Imagine searching for guidance on the best way to live life. You have the chance to speak with two advisors. The first lifts your spirits. After listening carefully to you, he explains that you have value, possess unique insights, and have something to say and contribute. He argues that your needs and feelings must come first, that everything will work out, and that what matters most is what you want; your life, experiences, and goals count. He provides valuable advice on working diligently, saving wisely, planning strategically, building steadily, establishing, thriving, loving, and relishing a life well-lived, enriched by the company of family, community, friends, children, and grandchildren. He expresses affection, even nostalgia for the person you are, what your shared humanity represents, and who you will become—then you turn to the second advisor.

His name is Paul.

He is not interested in what you have to say. He can’t hear you; even if he could, he would not listen. Moreover, to make sure that you know, beyond the shadow of any doubt, that nothing of value can ever come from you, as the guest in your home, he ridicules and invalidates your family tree. He explains that you are nothing and have no value as a husband or a father. You are a tool to be used for a purpose until you are broken and eventually set aside, like a used-up oblation. He admits that this goes against your nature because no man is truly capable of hating his own flesh, but that’s his point; he is giving you a dark saying from Psalm 78; he is hitting you with the painful imposition of the words of Genesis, sealed in the content of his teaching of the Cross in 1 Corinthians: it is not your life. There is no such thing as “your” life. It is life, of which human beings are only a small part.

Your plans are not God’s plan. The things that you build—your dynasties and eternity projects—offend God. You want to please others, to be surrounded by friends and family, because you want to please yourself. But this is not love. You will not become anything. You are temporary, taken from dust and returning to dust. Like all men, your days are like grass, and the place where you once lived will not remember you. The only thing that stands is the Torah, which was here before you, does not come from you and will be here after you are long gone. As my student Luke now explains, there is a chance, after the cancellation of the kings and princes of Israel, that this Torah can be found again in the wilderness, in the arms of the Lamb of God, who will be slain for your sake. So, keep your mouth shut and listen to him.

Be honest. Which advice would take? You don’t have to answer today, but, believe me, you will have to answer.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 4:1-2 (Episode 490)

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Even AI Cannot Depict This Jul 11, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul notes the grammatical interconnection between Exodus and Revelation, which highlights the iconoclastic function of the Tent of Meeting, in which the Tabernacle, covered by the Tent, covers the Tabernacle, a warning that you are to live in the open wilderness, and not as the nations do, in temples of stone. (Episode 282)

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Epilogue: You Are Not Elohim Jul 06, 2023

Yes, the Bible is about the propagation of God’s seed. Unfortunately, ignorant of biblical Hebrew, Christians of all kinds fall into the trap of Neoplatonism, mishearing Genesis and Galatians by saying, “Oh well then, it's not really about making babies; it’s about making disciples.”
No. Definitely not. You are not an eternal god. You cannot “make” anything. Moreover, Jesus warns, when you make disciples, “you make them twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.” (Matthew 23:15)

You are flesh and blood creatures born of a mother. You have no choice in the matter, and that is the genius of the Bible. As commanded by Elohim in Genesis, you must multiply sexually like any other mammal. In every generation, you “will die…and fall like any prince.” (Psalm 82) Cain desperately tried, but you cannot get around this through your foolish dynasties, dedicating your children to cities and monuments.
It is the words of Elohim—his seed—not your silly eternity projects, that stand forever:

A voice says, “Call out.” Then he answered, “What shall I call out?” All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; The people are indeed grass! The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. (Isaiah 40:6-9)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 3:23-38 (Episode 489)

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The Ultimate Covenant Jul 04, 2023

In this week’s program, Fr. Paul explains that we are paying a high price for the false teaching of theologians who cannot hear or understand Scripture because they are too busy defending their own theology, which emasculates the throne of the Judge, resulting in violence. (Episode 281)

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The Toledot of Elohim Jun 29, 2023

From the beginning, the Scriptural God commanded biological reproduction—be fruitful and multiply. Reproduce biologically because the generation yet unborn cannot be created by studying or preaching the Torah. But remember that God is King, and they are his children, not yours.

But the human beings did not listen. Cain multiplied himself, raising offspring to his own dynasty, dedicating Encoch and his seed—not to God’s commandments—but to buildings of stone. This situation did not last very long.

After the flood, God established the oneness of the human race through Noah’s sons, demonstrating his intention that the nations live alongside each other under his rule. Among them was Shem, the forbear of Abraham, “by whom” God said, “all the families of the earth” shall be blessed. All.

From the sons of Noah to the settlement in Canaan, the Israelites were destined to live alongside the Gentiles already dwelling in Canaan, yes, Canaan, the term artificially doubled by Luke at the climax of his genealogy.

The stage was set from the beginning. Israel was never special or exceptional. They were one nation among many honored by Elohim with the special gift of his teaching. In the same way, the “prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee” (Matthew 21:11) had a special duty when God sent him to complete the work begun by Jonah of sharing this teaching.

From Genesis to Revelation—the Bible is not Adam’s story, Noah’s, Abraham’s, or Shem’s, let alone Israel’s; even David needed reminding when the Lord struck down his child by Bathsheba: Elohim is King and Judge. It is his dynasty, and they are his children, not yours.

In obedience to Elohim, Jesus, the unremarkable human being, refused the throne. Jesus, the Lord, with no army, property, children, or toledot. Jesus, the last of the prophets, who rejected everything Herod represents and went on to die a loser, in total shame, with no value in human terms.
The Lukan genealogy is what the Bible always was, the toledot of Elohim, and such a genealogy begins as it ends, bookended by the uncontested reign of our Heavenly King, who rules from age to age over all the nations.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 3:37-38 (Episode 488)

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The Five Fingers Jun 27, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul underscores the centrality of shepherd life over city life in the Book of Exodus, specifically in its presentation of the Tent of Meeting. He also notes how the story emphasizes God rather than Moses as its author. (Episode 280)

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Glorify the Canaanites so That You May Live Long in the Land Jun 22, 2023

After expending significant effort to construct a genealogy—almost from scratch, only now, as he approaches his knockout punch, "Son of Man (ben adam), Son of God,” Luke draws upon pre-existing material to finalize his inverted dynasty.

Climbing past an excerpt borrowed from Matthew detailing Abraham’s line, we now stumble across another collection of names, this time from Genesis 11:10-26. The focus, of course, is shepherdism.

Human beings want to distinguish themselves as individuals while simultaneously criticizing exceptionalism in others.

We revel in tearing down heroes and authority figures while singing songs about heroism, congratulating ourselves about ourselves. Our politics, literature, and media celebrate this freedom. Unfortunately, some people confuse this with what Scripture is doing.

In making the line of Arpachshad under Shem functional in his genealogy, Luke proposes an alternative to sitcom ideology, which tries to be clever in its cultural critique but fails.

You cannot ridicule sin unless you yourself preach as one condemned. Otherwise, you glorify sin.

Approaching the end of chapter 3, Luke ridicules both the sin and the sinner, preaching the story of Genesis 11, in which all human beings are sheep under one Shepherd.

Sheep do not speak. Sheep are in no way exceptional or in a position to criticize unless, like Luke, the Shepherd gives them something to say.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 3:35-36 (Episode 487)

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People Do Not Change Jun 20, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul resumes his discussion of Exodus, noting that the story was written to test God’s people, taking their failure into consideration from the very beginning. (Episode 279)

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Arise, O God, Judge the Earth Jun 15, 2023

Thus far in Luke’s genealogy, the writer has emphasized two critical points within the broader storyline of the New Testament. First, after paralleling Matthew’s dismissal of Joseph’s patrimony, Luke builds on Matthew’s handling of Hebrew terminology in Genesis, pushing the biblical tension between the positive, godly expression, “Son of Man,” and the pejorative worldly title, “Son of God.” Pejorative, according to the Bible’s lexicon, but not in the uncircumcised minds of those hearing the New Testament. It is this sin that Matthew, Mark, and now Luke hope to correct—or reformat—in our hearing. Only now will Luke use the expression “Son of God”—only the second time in his gospel, and even now, only within the tedious syntax of his genealogy: “Son of Man (ben adam), Son of God.”

Perhaps later, when we hear John, we will finally understand why Jesus was accused of treason. For now, in Luke’s gospel, we need only recognize why Jesus kept telling people to keep their mouths shut in Mark. It is not because he was shy or humble. It is because they did not know what they were talking about and, therefore, should not be allowed to preach. At least, not yet.

In Psalm 82, we find everything we need to know about the Bible’s use of these terms. Calling specifically upon Elohim (not Yahweh, not the Messiah) to judge the earth, along the lines of Ezekiel and Isaiah, David calls upon Elohim to rise above all the other gods as the only King upon the earth.

All these gods, the “sons of the Most High,” who exercise power on earth, are hoaxes. From generation to generation and age to age, they are a fraud. They will “die like the sons of men and fall like any of the princes” because they themselves are sons of men, just like you and me. They will pass away, but our God, Elohim, is in the heavens, unseen and untouchable. He does not die, and his words will abide forever.

Elohim alone is the Judge who subdues unjust rulers, those who show partiality to the wicked. Elohim alone is the Judge who vindicates the weak and the fatherless, who cares for the afflicted and the destitute. Elsewhere David proclaims:

“Put not your trust in princes, in sons of men, in whom there is no salvation.” (Psalm 146:3)

When Luke carrying the torch for Matthew and Mark is finally ready to shout from the rooftops what Mark was certain you did not understand, he hopes that you will finally realize the value of Jesus Christ, that, unlike the princes and rulers who will condemn him in the story, he was not glorious upon the earth. Instead, he was obedient to his Father—the only Judge—and that is why Elohim will arise to vindicate him, standing in the midst of his council as Judge.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 3:32-34 (Episode 486)

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A Process of Judgment Jun 13, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul continues his exegesis of Ezekiel as a background for his comprehensive study of Exodus, taking time to explain that the parabolic admonition of Jesus in Matthew can only be understood against the back backdrop of the Hebrew terminology of the Mosaic Law. (Episode 278)

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No Security Blankets Jun 08, 2023

When a person experiences cognitive dissonance, that is, when they find themselves in a situation where exposure to conflicting ideas and information becomes too stressful or mentally uncomfortable, their natural inclination is to seek security in the safety of consonance.

Humans naturally avoid, discredit, belittle, and delegitimize the ideas or people that cause them to experience dissonance.

Today’s most common reaction to natural dissonance, especially given the avalanche of information overload, is to bury one’s head in the fantasy of suburban bliss. The rise in random acts of public violence is making this much harder, but the white picket fence crowd still manages to hold on to its illusions.

Whether one buries their head in the sand to find peace or seeks out new beliefs or ideas that fit nicely with their own — when you reject dissonance, you seek to place your trust in something comforting: a person or a group of people that looks and sounds like you. You trust those who reflect your values and attitudes—whatever makes you feel safe and secure.

You know exactly what we call that in Scripture. You know what they are and what happens to those who trust in them.

On the other hand, Scripture itself is divine dissonance. God challenges you to go against the grain of human thought by trusting his words, knowing full well you have no control over what comes out of his mouth. He will not say what you want, nor will his words or actions reflect your values or attitudes. He will often say exactly what you do not want to hear as if he knows how to betray and embarrass you personally. Pretty cool for a book written by people who did not know you and were not thinking about you and could not possibly have conceived of the modern world when they wrote it.

Like all of Scripture, Luke liberates you from the fantasy of suburban bliss where Herod’s boot is firmly planted on your neck. He challenges you to unplug yourself from the Matrix and accept life in the wilderness, out of your control, but in the palm of God’s hand.

Or, in verse 30, you could run from God’s beloved Shepherd toward Israel’s beloved king.

Good luck with that.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 3:30 (Episode 485)

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I Gave Them Statutes That Were Not Good Jun 06, 2023

In today’s program, Fr. Paul reads from the text of Ezekiel to illustrate how hearers of the Bible misconstrue the Book of Exodus. (Episode 277)

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Heritage is Not Ancestral Jun 01, 2023

As in the story of Genesis, for each generation of Luke’s genealogy, the functional names outline the literary framework of a recurring biblical dilemma: without God’s perpetual intervention, life from age to age is impossible.

In science and engineering, numerous terms are used to describe similar mechanisms. In physics and thermodynamics, it is referred to as “external energy input” or “external work.” In biological systems, which require food, water, and other resources, it is called “homeostasis.” Even artificial intelligence requires external input in order to work correctly—though the analogy is not precise—you get the point. In these examples, external input is necessary to prevent catastrophic failure.

In the literary reality of the Bible, like a plant without light or water or an iPhone sitting on the shelf in 1905, each generation of human beings degrades and fails rapidly, to the extent that without God’s intervention, there is no possibility of life. In the most obvious of all biblical examples, God intervenes to make a baby when Abraham’s seed fails. As far as the Bible is concerned, nothing helpful is passed down from Adam or Abraham, let alone your grandparents or parents. This also means that you, like your forebears, have nothing valuable of yourself to pass on. Why? Because “your origin and your birth are from the land of the Canaanite; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.” (Ezekiel 16:3)

So if the heritage that gets us out from under the boot of Herod does not come from your family, and the inheritance in question is not from your line, where is it, what is it, where does it come from, and who is its beneficiary?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 3:30 (Episode 484)

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Set Free From You May 30, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul explains that rest is assigned by God on the Sabbath and in the Sabbatical and Jubilee years, not for the sake of man but for the benefit of the adamah, the animals who do most of the work, the foreigner, and the needy neighbor. (Episode 276)

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Understanding Irrelevance May 25, 2023

When we set out to start a business, a project, a book, or an endeavor of any kind, most of us begin by asking ourselves, who is my audience, and how can I make my work relevant to them? Outside the arena of biblical preaching, these are normal, practical - even necessary - questions. However, for a priest, this line of thinking is inevitably toxic - good for the material well-being of the church but incompatible with the preaching of the biblical story, entrusted part and parcel with the consecrated Lamb placed in your human hands on the day of your ordination.

I can’t tell you how often people have reacted to the gospel’s content by saying, “That’s all fine and good, Father, and I agree, but no one today is interested.”

This statement reveals two truths: one, that the person who made it is not studying Scripture, and two, that Scripture itself is again fulfilled because, according to Scripture, no generation is, was, or will ever be interested in Scripture. (I explained last week that no one, let alone the preacher, can agree with or is on the side of Scripture, so I’ll leave that point aside.)

Irrelevance is the cornerstone of the biblical genre. I dare say that the mercy of the Scriptural God is that he would pause from his laughter to explain to the human race why he is laughing.

His reason unfolds as the content of Scripture:

“A generation goes, and a generation comes…
That which has been is that which will be,
And that which has been done is that which will be done.
So there is nothing new under the sun.”
(Ecclesiastes 1:4,9)

The genealogy in Luke, akin to Ecclesiastes and indeed all biblical anti-history, is shared with humanity to help us comprehend our irrelevance. Only when we understand what is irrelevant can we devote ourselves to the one genuinely relevant thing.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 3:29 (Episode 483)

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For I Am Compassionate May 23, 2023

This week Fr. Paul explains that those who are called sons and daughters of God — the insiders, so to speak — are special. Yes, you heard me correctly. You are special, but not as it is portrayed in our various theologies or, for that matter, any number of religious websites, where special means better than others or “object of God’s compassion.” Only the God of Exodus could make compassion a word to be feared. (Episode 275)

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A Mental Vacancy May 18, 2023

For years on this program, in homilies and personal discussions with parishioners, family, and friends — I have explained that there is no such thing as progress. That you can’t earn anything. That nothing you have belongs to you. No one owes you anything, and even what you seem to have will be taken away, so give it away now because you owe God and your neighbor a debt you can never repay. That you are not a victim - on the contrary - you are the abuser, and you should not keep tabs when you help others because your life does not belong to you.

I have insisted that Scripture is the Pearl of Great Price. The only treasure of value. It is so precious that any time spent talking about anything else is wasted breath. That is why people are sometimes nervous around me during coffee hour, let alone family gatherings.

In recent years I have directed my parish council not to use words like “progress,” “success,” “legacy,” “build,” or “engagement“ during meetings or in printed materials and notes.

I have doggedly acted out Pharisaism publicly so that with each breath when I preach the judgment forcefully, everyone present is certain that I am a hypocrite so that on the off chance that anyone submits to the biblical commandment, they are absolutely clear that it is the righteous commandment that guides their steps and not my example.

I have ridiculed the abuse, criticism, and disrespect of parents (evangelized by popular culture and Disney children’s sitcoms) not because our parents are good (no one, according to Jesus, is good) but because, as the Good Book proclaims, whatever we are, we are no better, if not worse, than what came before us. I have ridiculed parents, too, because I am a Pharisee, and my job is to preach Psalm 78, like it or not.

Richard and I have dismantled our culture, politics, identity, and ideologies of every flavor on this podcast - and still, people want to say, “I agree with you, Father…”

Beloved, in Christ, you can’t possibly agree with me. Even I disagree with me.

Only the dead agree with Scripture.

One day, God willing, Richard and I will have a chance to read the Book of Revelation on this program - a book that handles the function of the martyrs elegantly. In the meantime, with respect to our inability to agree with Scripture, we’ll continue our discussion of the genealogy in Luke 3:28. (Episode 482)

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First and Foremost May 16, 2023

This week Fr. Paul notes that the subject of the biblical text is determined by the story’s content and not by the sensibilities of those hearing the story. In Genesis 34, the rape of Dinah, typically emphasized in contemporary Western scholarship, is not the main point of the chapter, which instead condemns her brother’s abuse of the covenant of circumcision as an implement of mass murder. (Episode 274)

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I Believe in One God May 11, 2023

According to the rule of the Lukan genealogy, the recent coronation of the English king was uncanny in its egregious assault on the biblical proclamation of the Resurrection.

On the one hand, those who have stayed with this podcast over the years have (hopefully) come to understand that Scripture is a system of cancellation encoded in literary form. It is a divine story given to undermine everything wrought by the hand of humans, shutting down all that we say and do.

We want Scriptural wisdom to be pro-human, but it’s satirical. It makes fun of us. It criticizes us. We want to make the case that it does so for our sake. But it won’t let us. Instead, it insists upon its rule for the sake of the entire creation, of which we humans are but a small part.

In the teaching of the Resurrection, following the line of Isaiah, only God’s instruction is allowed to stand out upon the earth. No human being - least of all a king may stand out - hence the crucifixion of Jesus.

With this in mind, if you are trying to avoid transgressing St. Paul’s teaching of the anti-Christ, let me give you some helpful advice:

Don’t make yourself stand out above all others on international screens with costly pomp and flare. Whatever you do, don’t invite your subjects to swear fealty to you. Don’t publish articles defending meaningless pageantry. Likewise, don’t write a book complaining that you don’t stand out. Don’t do it. And for God’s sake:

If you have to be coronated, please do it quietly and not during the Paschal season, when we are warned repeatedly that there is only One whom the Father has anointed to stand out upon the earth.

“And he shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom shall have no end.”

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 3:27 (Episode 481)

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You May Not Sin Toward the Ox or the Ass May 09, 2023

This week Fr. Paul highlights examples from the biblical text that deal with humans and animals on the same level, noting that animals are also called to repentance. (Episode 273)

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Cowardice May 04, 2023

If you are fortunate to live under the pressure of the Gospel, sooner or later, your life will be reduced to a showdown with the Scriptural God. You will have the opportunity to be embarrassed, admit your failure, lose face, and look foolish in front of the person who preached the word of God to you. The problem is that you, like your teacher (along with everyone else), are no different than King Herod, his Hasmonean predecessors, or the cowards who worshipped them. You are terrified of losing control. Better to hold on and defend yourself. Everything is fine. You are in the right. You are justified. It is you who are the victim. It is others who should be held to account. I’m the boss of me, right? What’s playing on Disney tonight?

I just described the primary mechanism of the point of no return for every potential disciple. Each must face such a moment if we are serious about hearing Scripture. Not once, not twice, but over and over again. The first time, however, is the most critical. It is a kind of make-it-or-break opportunity along the lines of the Parable of the Sower. Why? Because cowardice and self-righteousness are evil twins. You fear the pain of the Bible’s piercing critique, so you choose the comfort and self-assuredness of being in the right and build massive defenses. Some people (actually, a ton of people, unfortunately) build entire religions. They imagine that these religions are “Bible-based” when, in truth, they are “Bible-reactions.” How else could you look forward to the cataclysmic judgment and doom of the Scriptural Kingdom as though it were an upcoming trip to a members-only version of Disney Land?

Thankfully, from generation to generation, the Lukan genealogy tells a different story - one that does not bode well for Herod, the Hasmoneans, and all those who are like them, everyone who trusts in them.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 3:26 (Episode 480)

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God is the Only Melech May 02, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul explains that in the Bible, God is the only King and the owner of his children, not his children the owners one of another. (Episode 272)

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Sin is Crouching at the Door Apr 27, 2023

Nothing is more painful than watching young parents explain their intention to raise their children differently than their parents or observing young mothers hovering over grandmothers, micro-managing their every move, scolding, correcting, worrying, overprotecting, and gossiping, all based on advice from their therapist or some silly blog post about the "right" way to parent according to the latest study.

It’s not that the grandparents are any better than their idiotic children or that their example should be followed. God forbid. I mean, look at what the grandparents produced. According to Scripture, the unfixable root of the problem is that the grandparents, their children, and the grandchildren are all human beings. Let me repeat; according to the Bible, human beings are the problem. (I know, I know. This will never air on PBS.)

The hubris of the human being and the naive optimism of young couples that somehow things will be different on their watch is the last laugh of the Scriptural God. Well, not the last laugh, because God gets to keep laughing, again and again, as the Byzantine hymn says, at “every generation…” that dares to bring its dirge before the gospel of his Christ.

What we learn from this teaching, in Luke’s account of the genealogy, is that over and over again, in each generation, no matter how hopeful God’s intervention through his instruction, we prove ourselves to be the children, not of God, but of oppression. Worse, we become the progenitors of oppression.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 3:24 (Episode 479)

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Fear the Judge Apr 25, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul stresses the importance of fearing God not as an awesome or impressive character but in his function as judge. (Episode 271)

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King, Priest, and Oppression Apr 20, 2023

When hearing the Lukan genealogy of Jesus in English, it's easy for people to adopt anti-scriptural notions of "king" and "priest,” developing incorrect expectations for how Jesus Christ will rule in the coming kingdom. But, as always, the key to hearing the author’s story lies in the meaning of the names.

Between two Josephs, who fail miserably at continuing what only God himself can sustain through his teaching, lies a squandered gift and a failed hope of men who claim that Elohim is their God but look instead to the line of priests and kings—institutional functionaries of the very Temple Luke destroyed at the outset of his story. These false teachers and rulers repeatedly lead—not only the sons of Israel—but all of God’s children astray into oppression and slavery. Now, through God’s intervention, their line and the cycle of oppression are finally disrupted with the birth of Jesus Christ.

It sounds nice, like something Rich and I made up, but every last bit comes from the functional meaning of the names in the first two verses of the Lukan genealogy and their interaction with Genesis.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 3:23 (Episode 478)

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The Disrespect of God Apr 18, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul explains how the practice of honoring all mothers or all fathers, as we do on national holidays, undermines the biblical admonition that each person, even if they happen to be parents, is under pressure by Scripture to honor, specifically, the father and mother from whom they originate. (Episode 270)

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Son of Man, Son of David Apr 13, 2023

The New Testament storyline places considerable emphasis and tension on the question of Jesus's title. The Gospel of Matthew stresses that Jesus is an ordinary Ben Adam (Son of Man), while the Gospel of Mark shows him repeatedly insisting that people not reveal his identity as the Messiah because of their ignorance of his teaching.

Throughout the gospels, the biblical writers are careful not to let their audience, like the characters in the story, confuse Jesus with a military or political figure of triumph, highlighting instead the shame, defeat, and humiliation of Isaiah’s suffering servant, emphasizing the weakness of an ordinary “son of man,” in order to elevate the teaching of the crucifixion, in opposition to human kingship.

Only in the Gospel of Luke, after having been deprogrammed by the gospels of Matthew and Mark, are the New Testament writers willing to unite the titles Son of Man and Son of David in the storyline. But have we been deprogrammed? To answer that question, we need only look to history to discover how many kings and presidents have painted or still brandish a cross on their flag or a mere “God bless you” on their lips before marching off to war. How many have twisted the meaning of the gospel into an icon of Jesus with a weapon in his hand?

Either the Cross means something, or it doesn’t.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 3:23 (Episode 477)

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Into Nothingness Apr 11, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul explains that the prohibition, “you may not take the name of God in vain,” is a warning that you may not speak of God as though he exists only as a statue. (Episode 269)

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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Apr 06, 2023

In the first chapters of Luke, just as the Spirit moves from womb to womb, beginning with the angel Gabriel, the commandment moves from person to person, ensuring that God’s eudokia (his goodwill) is fulfilled—in the spirit of term—to his complete satisfaction.

From Zacharias and Elizabeth to Mary and Joseph, and notably, the Shepherds of Israel, the commandment and the Spirit are the main actors in Luke, working overtime to ensure that the will of the Father is fulfilled in the story. As each roadblock falls: the temple, the priesthood, the seeking after signs, the ignorance of the Torah, there remains one final obstacle to the Father’s objective: tribe and king. Along these lines, Herod stands out in the Lukan parade as one who does not receive the Spirit and openly rejects the commandment, shunning the Lord’s prophet and locking him in prison.

Has the Father been thwarted? With John out of the way, how can the command established in the beginning by the mouth of the Angel Gabriel be carried forward? Herod, the imposter. Herod, the builder of buildings. Herod, the trifler, who thought he could steal the inheritance of the Kingdom of the Gospel from the Lord’s Christ by sealing John the Baptist up in a cage.

To borrow a beautiful title from a beautiful woman, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 3:21-22 (Episode 476)

“Now the Hosts of Heaven,” First Mode (Tetraphonic) was chanted by Nicholas Wesche on April 5, 2023, at St. Elizabeth Orthodox Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.

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Steadfast Love Apr 04, 2023

This week Fr. Paul laments the way we shortchange the biblical function “steadfast love” in which the scriptural God, a jealous God, who visits the iniquity of the fathers upon children, the compassionate and gracious God, listening to prayers but not necessarily answering them, is the faithful judge whose steadfast love endures from age to age in the heaviness of his words. (Episode 268)

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The Ties That Corrupt Mar 30, 2023

Sorting out one's personal priorities is the most difficult aspect of committing to anything of value. Well, let’s qualify that statement. Committing to your priorities is easy when you measure value using money or self-interest. Everyone happily, readily, half-consciously, and with much pomp, fanfare, and self-justification explains how busy they are pursuing money, a career, and their jam-packed calendar at the expense of the community and the common good. In a country where a majority of Americans, roughly 55%, spend up to four hours a day watching their favorite programs, and another 22% of the country spends more than four hours doing the same thing, it’s no wonder everyone feels overwhelmed.

So, for this podcast, when I speak of “commitment to anything of value,” I refer to the Gospel as the only thing of value. Any listener, for example, a soldier who has fully committed themselves to their cause does not require further explanation.

Herod falls into the first camp. With much pomp and fanfare, he is fully committed to what works best for Herod. He knows what his occupiers want. He knows what his family wants. He knows what the Temple wants. More important than all of this, he knows exactly what is written in the Law of Moses, which means he knows that he is accountable to the words of John the Baptist.

But for “all the wicked things which Herod had done, he added this to them all: he locked John up in prison.”

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 3:19-20 (Episode 475)

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Ten Statements Mar 28, 2023

In today’s episode, Fr. Paul offers a practical tip to pastors and teachers: as in the case of the specific example of the Decalogue, when someone says, “I know what the Bible says,” ask them to recite it. (Episode 267)

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Judgment As Hope Mar 23, 2023

When Christians emphasize the deep spiritual meaning or transformative power of human suffering, they unwittingly transgress the authority of the scriptural God. Yes, you heard correctly—no need to rewind the tape. For those baptized into the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Lord’s instruction, not human experience, must serve as our only reference point for understanding the world.

Unlike so many human traditions filled with stories of heroes both victorious and tragic, uniquely, the biblical tale collects a group of anti-heroes around their unseen God, a protagonist who is repeatedly abused, ignored, defied, betrayed, cheated on, used, taken for granted, and acted against with extreme prejudice and violence, culminating in the execution of his son.

In a world of human stories preoccupied with human suffering, human victims, and human heroes—the Bible presents an epic saga across the ages in which human beings, without exception, are the villains, and the invisible God of Scripture is repeatedly the only victim. When we accept this teaching, its judgment provides hope because it opens our eyes to the true nature of our relationship with those around us.

Richard and I discuss Luke 3:15-18 (Episode 474)

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Unto the Age Mar 21, 2023

This week Fr. Paul calls out the standard error of rendering “unto the age” as “eternal” in English translations of the Bible. (Episode 266)

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Bow or Walk Away Mar 16, 2023

Theologians love to philosophize about the darkness in the world because, like politicians, they fancy the work of their own hands as a city of light set upon a hill. They see themselves as the administrators of light in a world gone astray. Nothing could be further from the story of the Bible, which shines its powerful light to expose the darkness in each of us, unimpeded by our crafty designs on self-importance.

When we are personally touched by the pain-filled light of Scripture, we find ourselves grappling with something we refuse to see—a darkness that fills everything we say, do, create, maintain and defend. In the case of Luke, the latter is represented by the Temple in Jerusalem. However, for the average listener who likes to complain about the hypocrisy of the local priest, ask yourself, how much do you spend on your house, your car, your entertainment, or your savings vs. the poor? How are your household, your family, or your friends any different than the Temple in Luke or any other institution? To the extent that any of these draw a line between you and the beggar, they’re not.

At this point, a flood of justifications and rationalizations enter your mind. If this were a sermon, you might take the message personally and lash out in some way. Why? Not because you love money and security, per se, or because you are sick of hearing the same message. You are, of course, but this is not the main issue. The real concern is: 1. You want to be right with God, or at least, you want to be right in general, and 2. The part of you that is honest knows that you are going to keep your house, buy the things that you want to buy, and you have no plans to invite a beggar to sleep in your spare room. So you are stuck. You either have to lie to yourself about the words of Scripture or accept your place among the brood of vipers hailed by John the Baptist in Luke 3. Another option, of course, is to complain that the Bible does not make sense—but this also is a lie. It does make sense, you just don’t like what it says because the truth is, you can’t do it. Few of us can—except the rare birds who give their life for the teaching, which presently excludes all of us. In the end, if you are an honest person, you can either bow down to Scripture, confess your sins, and learn from them, or you can walk away feeling justified. The choice, as they say, is up to you.

Richard and I discuss Luke 3:10-14 (Episode 473)

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The Sinai Covenant Mar 14, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul emphasizes from Exodus what the Apostle Paul underscores in Galatians and people of all religions systematically ignore: “if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession among all the peoples.” (Exodus 19:5), (Episode 265)

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Ruling Your Illusions Mar 09, 2023

When coming across a word, a phrase, or a passage in the Bible, our natural tendency as modern disciples is to interrogate a text and then assign meaning to it. If we can pin a piece of text down, it’s like having a part of the puzzle solved in our heads once and for all. The inconvenient idea that a text’s value and usage can change—that its meaning depends on where and how it is placed in a story—troubles us because it thwarts any hope we have of gaining control over the author.

We naturally prefer an assigned, fixed meaning over context, functionality, and syntax because assigned meaning addresses a deep psychological insecurity. Humans desperately want to feel safe and in control. When we assign meaning to something, we become its maker and master. It settles in as part of our creation narrative, and we ascend in glory as the gods of our own illusions. Fast forward to the digital age full of echo chambers and majority illusions. Why not rule in hell if you hold the power to control its meaning?

When we assign meaning, we imagine we are pinning something down in the text when, in fact, we are chasing ghosts of our own making: mental abstractions disconnected from what is written on the page. So when you come across a familiar quote of John the Baptist, you must not ask, what does John mean? The correct question is, how do John’s words function in this gospel at this point in the canon? How were they used in previous books? Based on their usage here, what is the author saying in this gospel, in this situation, at this point in the New Testament?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 3:7-9 (Episode 472)

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You Have it in the Text Mar 07, 2023

This week Fr. Paul deftly points out that in the story of the Bible, the personal and singular primacy of Moses is the individual and singular primacy of the five books of the Law. (Episode 264)

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Compassion is Personal Mar 02, 2023

The use of Isaiah 40 in all four gospels underscores the centrality of the wilderness as God’s base of operations for preaching the gospel outside of and in opposition to the things that human beings construct both mentally and physically.

Still, this fact does not give us a license to claim an abstract understanding of the meaning of Isaiah 40 or what it implies for the writers of the New Testament. A word, phrase or even a passage from a biblical text holds no meaning in abstraction. Even when placed in context, words extracted from Scripture are powerless when stripped of their canonical syntax and literary function.

While the systematic use of Isaiah 40 highlights the significance of the midbar and shepherdism in all four gospels, Mark’s gospel applies Isaiah 40 to the conspiracy against St. Paul’s teaching, emphasizing Paul’s function as the voice of the Lord in the wilderness. In contrast, faced with a gentile audience already evangelized by St. Paul, Luke is much more interested in demonstrating how the Lord goes about flattening, smoothing, and straightening the crooked places of Rome and Jerusalem.

In each text, the where, when, how, and why of Isaiah 40 are made functional along with the way its language is employed to drive home the author’s specific point. To make the mistake of generalizing or glossing over the value of each appearance is as misguided as ignoring or dismissing the Bible’s endless repetition of certain passages because we heard them, and we think we know them. Arrogance may look good on God, but it looks like ignorance on the rest of us.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 3:3-6 (Episode 471)

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Hearing the Story Feb 28, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul explains that, unlike adults, children between the ages of six and ten, upon hearing the story of the battle with Amalek in the book of Exodus, will immediately understand that despite the weariness of Moses, it is God, not Moses, who is leading the battle. (Episode 263)

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Lysanias Feb 23, 2023

What’s in a name? When Richard and I began this week’s episode, we were struck by the wealth of information packed into two verses. Through the simple arrangement of people and places, Luke leaves a trail of names, like breadcrumbs, along a path that moves all through the Bible, well beyond his gospel. In this sense, the beginning of chapter 3 is like an easter egg, a road sign that pops up along the way and screams, “hey you,” keep hearing the story because there is a bigger story in motion.

There are plenty of functional names to unpack at the beginning of Luke 3. But one stands out among the pack: Lysanias. It appears only once, which indicates its significance. In translation, it means the release of sorrow. However, what’s far more curious, especially in the passage’s context (and something we did not know at the time of recording), is that Lysanias was also a general of Alexander the Great, mentioned at least twice in Arrian's Anabasis of Alexander.

Sometimes it’s worth paying attention to the details.

Richard and I discuss Luke 3:1-2. (Episode 470)

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Imagine Moving With Tents Feb 21, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul explains that Shepard culture has no settlements because there is no settling and, therefore, no buildings. (Expose 262)

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Even Jesus Had to Wait Feb 16, 2023

“Let the canon of our and holy God-bearing Fathers be confirmed in this particular also; that a presbyter is not ordained before he is thirty years of age, even if he is a very worthy man, let him be kept back. Our Lord Jesus Christ was baptized and began teaching when he was thirty. In like manner, let no deacon be ordained before he is twenty-five, nor a deaconess before she is forty.” - Canon 14, Council in Trullo (692 AD)

This canon, patterned after Scripture, reflects the common sense of Luke’s gospel—an attitude that would become pervasive in early Christian traditions—it is good for a person to wait. Just as Jesus had no say in his name, like any human child, no matter how talented, wise, or knowledgeable—he was accountable to God to honor and obey his parents—to submit to instruction at home, and to wait until the appointed time to begin his ministry.

So strict is the hearing of this teaching in the Coptic church that a man is forbidden to seek ordination of his own free will. A candidate for the priesthood is only a candidate if he is called, in a very literal sense, if his bishop contacts him and says, I would like you to be ordained a priest. In this tradition, from the candidate’s perspective, everything—the time and even the opportunity to serve—is totally in God’s hands.

In a preview of what he will write in the Acts of the Apostles, Luke proclaims an increase in the wisdom of the child Jesus under the Law of the Lord. Jesus, at the age of twelve, is not the same man who will begin his teaching ministry at thirty. As Luke keeps stressing, the child, Jesus, continues to grow. In Luke, it is the Law of the that Lord imparts grace, and every person, including Jesus, must submit to it, even if it ends in crucifixion.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 2:41-52

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Manna and Quail Feb 14, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul reminds us that because the biblical manna comes from heaven, it is a gift over which we have no control. (Episode 261)

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Grace and Obedience Feb 09, 2023

Western philosophy is obsessed with (dare I say, oppressed by) the illusion of choice. Let’s paraphrase a helpful example from Luis Elizondo to illustrate this point:

Imagine you were given the power to build anything you want using your chosen materials. Your goal is to build something that can withstand the test of time, at least as long as the planet’s lifespan. Remember that the oldest structures we know of have only been around a few thousand years and are already fast decaying. In comparison, the earth is estimated to be older than 4.5 billion years. What could you possibly make, using what materials, that would not be overtaken by natural processes, which erode, erase, compress, and melt everything over and over again for millions, nay, billions of years?

Natural processes will eventually destroy even the junk we put in orbit. Do we know what was ever built on this planet, save the few stone scraps we call historical ruins? In a few million years, will anyone even know that we were here?

We imagine that we have a choice. To build. To prosper. To thrive. To grow. To live life as we see fit. However, life comes down, not to choice, but to Simeon, the one “who hears” and bears witness to the teaching, and Anna, the one filled with the “grace” of the teaching. Unlike the Temple of stone, or anything made by human hands, this teaching—the Law of the Lord—given to safeguard human life, cannot be destroyed by natural processes. The seed of this teaching, like the seed of life itself, continues from generation to generation.

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35)

Richard and I discuss the gospel of Luke2: 39-40.

This week's episode is dedicated to the loving memory of Fr. Daniel Rentel and to all those who perished in the earthquake and Türkiye and Syria.

May their memory be eternal.

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From Oasis to Oasis Feb 07, 2023

In today’s program, Fr. Paul explains that a prophet is an individual put in their position by God to speak God’s words according to his own divine will. (Episode 260)

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Ransomed from Captivity Feb 02, 2023

In the natural world, as observed through the lens of the scientific method, when counting a person’s age, we measure their lifespan against the time it takes for our planet to revolve around the sun. We observe and measure phenomena. But we do not observe or measure phenomena in literature—perhaps especially in biblical literature. Instead, when dealing with a written text, we operate in an artificial environment architected by the hand of the author.

The age, lineage, occupation, situation—even the name of the Prophetess Anna, as she appears in the story of Luke’s Gospel, all have a functional meaning. To observe her age in the story is not to measure her lifespan using our planet’s cyclical orbit or to ponder how a woman could live so long in those times. To observe her age in the story is to ask why the author chose the number 84 or mentioned any number at all in the first place.

To note an observable artifact in literature is to ask “why” concerning every choice the author makes inside the universe of their artificial environment. In Luke 2, this type of questioning leads to a curious possibility. Maybe it’s Anna herself who desperately needs to be ransomed by Christ inside the Temple of stone in Jerusalem.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 2:36-38. (Episode 467)

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The Pasture of Your Holiness Jan 31, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul highlights Hebrew terminology in Moses’ Song of Victory that underscores the centrality of shepherdism in Scripture. (Episode 259)

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God's New Deal Jan 26, 2023

In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul explains that God’s people are held up as an example of sin, not so that sin is excused or justified, but as a cautionary tale, codified in the story of Scripture, an example to all peoples of how not to behave. The parallel teaching, also found in St. Paul’s exegesis of the Old Testament, is the non-example of Abraham’s trust in God’s commandment. Not in his righteous deeds, ideas, or words about God--Paul points instead specifically to his trust in God’s directive, as the Apostle says, his faith.

Abraham trusted, and it was added to him as righteousness. Likewise, Simeon trusted the command of his master and remained faithful to the end, according to the Word of the Lord. By imitating the obedience of Abraham, Simeon was shown to be a true child of the same father, through whom the Torah, not Israel, was lifted up as a light to enlighten the Gentiles. Luke explains that this Light is the true glory of Israel. Much to Mary’s sorrow, it looks nothing like human glory and comes at a high cost.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 2: 27-32. (Episode 466)

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One Text and the Beginning of Wisdom Jan 24, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul notes that the commonly used expression “the original text” is misleading since there is only one text, which, in fact, is the original. (Episode 258)

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Stand Your Ground Jan 19, 2023

Scripture is clever. When Simeon stands in the temple waiting, he does so at the pleasure of his master. He has no agency, control, or personal expectations, yet he has a duty. As his very name suggests, he is to hear and obey the words of God until his death, trusting that God will fulfill his promise to achieve salvation, carrying those words in victory over the nations. He has no right to insist on an outcome and, at the same time, no right to lose hope. So what was Simeon’s job? What is a man with no agency supposed to do?

The Prophet David said: “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forever.” (Psalm 125)

Moses said to the people: “Do not be afraid! Stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today, you will never see again, forever. The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.” (Exodus 14:13-14)

Stand firm. Stand your ground. Hear and obey. Trust in the words of Scripture. Stay the course--each person in that state in which he was called.

It’s not that a person of duty does not have agency. On the contrary, such a person transfers agency to their allegiance. They still have work to do. The literary metaphor of Simeon standing firm at his post reflects such work, which defers all agency to the commandments of God. Standing firm in anticipation of a great war with no hope of victory and trusting in God for salvation to the point of death is hardly standing still. On the contrary, it’s frightening, challenging, and--as the story goes--honorable and breathtaking.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 2:27-32. (Episode 465)

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The Hand of God Jan 17, 2023

This Week, Fr. Paul notes the importance of the hiphil and how English translations of Exodus fall short in rendering its functional meaning. (Episode 257)

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Simon or Simeon Jan 12, 2023

Universities, schools, and centers of faith are giving up on knowledge and selling out. What happened this past week at Hamline University indicates a trend in which an agenda other than the mission to impart knowledge controls what is permissible in the classroom.

Knowledge is not a popularity contest. A teacher does not share information to offend or pacify feelings. A teacher imparts whatever they learn; they share whatever they discover and pass it on--be it historical, natural, or, if it concerns faith, Scriptural. Whatever they have uncovered remains, no matter what the students say, feel, or believe. That is why it does not matter when a disciple turns away from instruction. Like a 14th-century painting, the knowledge in question was there before them and will remain long after they return to the dust from which they were taken.
The Gentiles who seek to grow their universities have betrayed a sacred trust. In the Book of Acts, the second half of the Lukan diptych, the evangelist does not allow us to speak about growing the church. Instead, he forces us to surrender to St. Paul's gospel, hoping, against hope, that the word of the Lord, not the community, will grow and prevail mightily. (Acts 19:20) So long as our universities need students--or our churches need parishioners--there is no hope for growth in the knowledge of God, let alone basic instruction in art history.

This week's episode is dedicated to the few and the proud--the teachers committed to teaching in the service of knowledge, not personal gain. Beginning with Professor Prater, you know who you are. May God lift you up and embolden you for the sake of the needy. Remember the words of the Lord's prophet. It's not you they hate.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 2:25-26. (Episode 464)

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A Sign is Not a Miracle Jan 10, 2023

This week, Fr. Paul explains that a sign in the Bible is distinct from a miracle and is used to assign a function or meaning to something within the story. (Episode 256)

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Opener of the Womb Jan 05, 2023

Lies are comfortable. We lie to soothe feelings. To make agendas appealing, to sell things. We find lies so attractive that we bend our terminology to accommodate them. Instead of analyzing information, we discuss “narratives.” Instead of taking responsibility for our actions and their outcomes, we rush to share our stories and our vision. “The visionary,” Friedrich Nietzsche wrote, “lies to himself, the liar only to others.” How is it then that we, a society made-up of personal narratives and visionary thinkers, are surprised when the newest politician lies about almost everything?

The crisis is not moral. It begins with a false premise accepted long ago that a person can extract meaning from a text. We adopt the fantasy that we understand a text or any complex data set without knowing the actual content of the text. What we then call meaning is almost always the lie we tell ourselves to fill in the blank spaces left over by the work we’ve not done--this is the actual definition of the infamous personal narrative.

To understand Luke’s meaning, we must force ourselves to strip away the lies of translation, cultural bias, and centuries of third-party narratives and visions imposed on the biblical text to finally hear the meaning grammatically embedded in the connective tissue of Luke itself.

So much ado about the word firstborn in the many theologies of English speakers, and it doesn’t even appear in Luke 2:23.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 2:22-24. (Episode 463)

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Inspiring Teaser by Rafael Krux
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/5672-inspiring-teaser
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Consecrate to Me Jan 03, 2023

This week Fr. Paul begins his discussion of Exodus 13. (Episode 255)

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Your Thirst Dec 29, 2022

Suppose you ask an American what's wrong with the culture and have enough patience to wade through people's anger and cheap sound bites. You'll find surprising agreement across all ideological boundaries: something is broken. Even those hell-bent on defending American exceptionalism will eventually contradict themselves and blame someone for why things are not as great as they should be. People feel a sense of loss.

Whatever they believe, no matter how they answer, underneath it all is a deep sadness (often masked by anger) that few can put their finger on. Life is not our property. It does not belong to us. Yet we persist in behaving otherwise. The belief that we are its proprietors controls our treatment of each other and the natural world. It thrusts the insanity upon us that everything exists for us. This belief is empirically insane, yet we accept it and then act confused as the damage around us accelerates.

This sin of modern man, who demands obedience from life, was codified in 1996 in the marketing slogan, "obey your thirst." It's unclear whether the saying influenced the culture or expressed what we had already become. In my experience as a priest, when modern Christians talk about obedience, they unwittingly reference this Coca-Cola slogan, not Scripture. "Humbly," they obey their thirst, channeling water away from the oasis to the city, fulfilling their selfish purpose. In God's eyes, on this point, the English language is broken. It is the human being, not the so-called wilderness, that is "wild." It is the will of the human being that must submit to life, not the other way around.

From the beginning of Luke, the calling of Jesus is beyond the reach of what our Lord might want from life, what may motivate him (none of which is a topic in Scripture) or what he might choose to do, given a chance. On the contrary, the calling of Jesus is expressed as it is for all human beings, in the assignment of his name, over which he has no control and to which, like Zacharias, he is forced to submit.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 2:21
Episode 462; Luke 2:21

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To Raise the Face Dec 27, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul explains from Biblical Hebrew the technical link between a full prostration and the immutable requirement that a judge adjudicates a case, not a person. (Episode 254)

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The Age of Wisdom Dec 20, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul explains that seven is the age of wisdom. (Episode 253)

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No Issues Please Dec 15, 2022

During the Christmas season, when we use the expression “peace on earth,” we reduce it to a platitude, an absurd, utopian ideal where one day everyone will magically hold hands and get along—and then we congratulate ourselves for endorsing our correct view of how the world should work. We do this all the time with all our pet political issues. In doing so, we find ourselves, not on the side of God, but on the side of the Caesars, standing in the line of an endless procession of philosopher tyrants who imagine all the people a certain way and then march on them to impose their will.

When the angels in Luke shout peace on earth, they have no such issue. They are at peace because they have taken themselves out of the equation, and, as I just said, neither they nor the shepherds have any issues. No ideals. No agendas. Nothing of themselves to impose. Just something of themselves to give to the cause of their’s Master’s command, which puts everything in order, silences every voice, and establishes peace on earth. In the Gospel of Luke, it’s the exact same mechanism of peace as Caesar's, with a much different outcome.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 2:15-20
Episode 460; Luke 2:15-20

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The Lord’s Passover Dec 13, 2022

In today’s program, Fr. Paul explains the technical scriptural understanding of the assembly as being something to which the people are called, not a place at which they decide to gather. (Episode 252)

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Mashallah Dec 08, 2022

The Arabic expression *mashallah* which means "what God wills" or "what God desires has happened," may be the best chance English speakers have at unlocking the spirit of Luke's use of the Greek term, *eudokia*. The latter also pertains to the completion of God's will, what God desires by fiat, and his good pleasure in the biblical story, in opposition to the will of Caesar.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 2:8-14
Episode 460; Luke 2:8-14

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Signs of the Spoil Dec 06, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul notes the mistranslation of the term Passover in English, which refers to the feast of salvation from Egypt. (Episode 251)

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The Fallacy of Identity Dec 01, 2022

A thousand years before the birth of Greek philosophy, the forbears of the biblical authors inhabited a world in which the families of the earth coexisted in the land with different languages and cultures. In the story of Luke, as with the rest of the Bible, the author’s focus is not on identity, but locality, the place where you are found.

Using the lens of language, food, skin color, beliefs, music, and other passing characteristics, community builders apply identity as a powerful tool for social organization. From the conquering Greeks of history to Caesar Augustus in Luke, to the social engineers of our age, community builders depend on philosophical identity because the nature of their anti-eucharistic project is to overrun and control locality.

Thanks be to God, who sent his son to show us the way back to neighborly fellowship with all creatures that live and dwell in our locality under the heavens, in the watchful care of the biblical shepherds of Israel.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 2:4-7
Episode 459; Luke 2:4-7

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The Green Nov 29, 2022

What is Fr. Paul’s thing? Sometimes a thing is not a thing, especially when there is no thing in Hebrew, just a green. (Episode 250)

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Dividing the Flock Nov 24, 2022

“Each tree,” Luke will soon explain, “is known by its own fruit.” (Luke 6:44) When Gabriel speaks the command of God, a prophet is born of Elizabeth to “turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.” (Luke 1:16) Likewise, at Gabriel’s command, the Messiah is conceived in Mary’s womb, to “reign over the house of Jacob forever.” (Luke 1:33)

The words of God bear good fruit, ushering in life, hope, liberation from bondage, and the Kingdom of the heavens without end.

And then there’s the decree of Caesar Augustus: as the words of a shepherd gather his sheep, the words of Caesar divide them, sending “each to his own city “to be sorted, counted, and prepped to devour one another for the glory of Romulus.

“For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush.” (Luke 6:44)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 2:3
Episode 458; Luke 2:3

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Sleight of Hand Nov 22, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul notes a clever “sleight of hand” employed by the author in the use of Moses’ staff in Exodus 9:23. (Episode 249)

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Anti-History, Anti-Romulus Nov 17, 2022

When a character from Roman history appears in Luke, the worst thing any of us could ever do is go back to accounts of Roman history to try to piece together a timeline or historical framework against which we read the gospel text. On the contrary, when a familiar character appears, you can be sure Luke is using the character's backstory to turn Roman history on its head. Was the character well known to the original addresses? In what region or territory did the character live? What did he do, and how does it connect with the agenda of the author? Does his name have a functional value? Here, it's worth mentioning that Quirinus was the name of an ancient Roman god of war associated with Romulus.

When Luke picks a fight with Roman history, he does not hold back.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 2:2
Episode 457; Luke 2:2

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The Ten Plagues Nov 15, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul notes the significance of the term blood in the symbolism of the ten plagues in the story of Exodus. (Episode 248)

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Grudge Match Nov 10, 2022

At the beginning of Luke 2, the author sets up an artificial parallel between the Lukan “things accomplished among us” and Caesar’s “decree that a census be taken.” Insofar as both attempts at setting the record straight take place under the authorship of the evangelist himself, far from an account of Roman history, the census set forth by Augustus is part of Luke’s clever anti-history of the Roman Empire.

Sadly, centuries later, it’s hard to believe that the Kings James Bible’s translators captured this irony since errors in their translation continue to betray a severe bias for their human master, who bears a striking resemblance to Luke’s villain.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 2:81
Episode 456; Luke 2:81

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Let My People Go Nov 08, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul explains that the turning of the Nile into blood in Exodus is figurative, denoting destruction. (Episode 247)

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Which Spirit? Nov 03, 2022

When biblical interpreters decide on capitalization when translating Greek or Hebrew to a modern language, they impose two layers of subjectivity. First, they impose their assumption about a word’s elevated or discounted importance, shutting readers out of the text and preventing them from hearing the author’s voice. Second, they create a distinction between words that does not exist in the original text. If there is a difference between the words “spirit,” “spirit,” and “spirit” as they appear in Luke 1, the original text did not use our modern system of capitalization to differentiate between them.

Syntax, context, and function are crucial to unlocking a biblical term. In Luke 1:80, an interesting functional connection to the Book of Acts helps shed some light on the importance of John the Baptist and the spirit in which he grows.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:80
Episode 455; Luke 1:80

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Listen, Don’t Read Nov 01, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul observes that the best audience for the book of Exodus is made up of children, because they appreciate and are able to follow a good story. (Episode 246)

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Tender Mercies Oct 27, 2022

What do you get when you combine a cloud service provider outage, one co-host recovering from illness, and the other recording from a parked car somewhere with only two bars on a mobile device? Not only a perfect setting for a discussion of tender mercies in Luke 1, but an excellent commercial for a return to shepherd life—not just for our sake, but as Zacharias proclaims with the sunrise, for the sake of the land.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:78-79
Episode 454; Luke 1:78-79

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Speak My Word Oct 25, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul explains the irresistibility of the Scriptural God, who executes his will despite the stand of Pharaoh, unlike the other gods, who disappear with the crumbling of their statues. (Episode 245)

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Amnesty and Accountability Oct 20, 2022

In the Gospel of Luke, the news of the forgiveness of sins is the knowledge that John the Baptist was born and commissioned to share with absolute urgency. It is the declaration of the King, meant to be circulated as widely as possible for anyone willing to listen. The news of this forgiveness, contained within the teaching of Scripture, is a spectacular victory in the ears of those it reaches. Still, for those who follow the storyline of Scripture, it's also a warning and call to accountability. In the Bible, forgiveness may be given free of charge, but always with a charge.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:76-77
Episode 452; Luke 1:76-77

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God From God Oct 18, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul reminds us, once again, that unless you hear the original consonantal text, you are hearing not Scripture but your own narrative. (Episode 244)

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Be Neighborly Oct 13, 2022

Throughout the story of Scripture, it is the Lord who delivers his people from their enemies. This deliverance is not about victory in the conventional sense, where one group of human beings claims victory against another. On the contrary, it is God, in his unparalleled position of strength, who puts down all sides, leaving everyone, under the pressure of his might, free from conflict with each other—delivered from the hands of their enemies.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:74-75
Episode 452; Luke 1:74-75

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God Speaks Biblical Hebrew Oct 11, 2022

This week Fr. Paul explains that even if God understands your language he will only answer you in the Biblical Hebrew he wrote. (Episode 243)

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The Command of God Oct 04, 2022

This week Fr. Paul explains that the command of God in Genesis is interconnected with his command to Moses in Exodus and, ultimately, his command in the letter to the Romans. (Episode 242)

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Romulus Was a Thug and a Criminal Sep 29, 2022

In tribal experience, as in American mythology, life originates with the forefather. How often on this program have we mentioned the blasphemous depiction of George Washington seated in glory, riding upon the clouds, flanked by the angelic hosts? In this sense, the Capital Rotunda is a kind of Platonic Fold: an event horizon where the crisp, clean philosophical constructs inside our brains collide with the messy and often painful complexities of the real world. Are you sure that we are different than the other nations?

“‘Whose image is this? And whose inscription?’” (Mark 12:16)

For all our talk of “universal values,” we like the Romans, worship our tribal patriarchs etched in the stones of our eternal city. Not as pretty as the one in Italy, but the same thing.

Thank God, our only Father, and Patriarch, not for Zacharias, but for God’s willingness to put his mouth on the lips of Zacharias for our sake as he did with the prophets of old. Much prettier to my Semitic ears than a building with a painting of George, Romulus, or anyone else.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:70-73
Episode 451; Luke 1:70-73

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You Should Not Enjoy Scripture Sep 28, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul explains that you should not enjoy scripture but rather hear it and obey. (Episode 241)

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Quiet, Zacharias is Speaking Sep 22, 2022

Self-styled students of the Bible often impose personal arguments on their study of the text. In some cases, this problem is obvious, for example, when religious thinkers take sides on either side of the culture wars or when political thinkers assume their ideological conviction or political stance is somehow “scriptural.” It gets nastier when our religious ideas shut us out of the gospel because our theology is in literal contradiction with what is written. But the worst of all is, unfortunately, the hardest to see. That’s when the coolaid is so sweet, so culturally ambient, so assumed that you don’t know you’ve been drinking it, and you can’t see when you are serving it.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:68-69
Episode 450; Luke 1:68-69

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Dabar, Voice, Staff Sep 20, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul relies on grammatical functionality to explain how the shepherd leads his flock in Scripture with the biblical dabar. (Episode 240)

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It Was Zacharias Sep 15, 2022

Zacharias was silenced for speaking his own words. Words that build defend and secure the things that serve Herod’s agenda: a thriving community centered by a bountiful temple life.

Everyone believes in and worships this agenda as much as, if not more, than the Romans prayed to their emperors. In reality, the two idols are in symbiosis. A happy mob, a happy emperor, vice versa, etc., etc.

So the silencing of Zacharias becomes more curious, more deafening: a genuine threat to Herod’s temple life.

But then something odd happens. Zacharias starts speaking again. What could he say that could be riskier than silence? Why did it have to be him? Why couldn’t anyone else speak the words?

It could not have been anyone else. And it wasn’t.

It was Zacharias.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:67
Episode 449; Luke 1:67

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The Wilderness Sep 14, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul reminds us that the wilderness in Scripture is like a visit from God, it can be good news, or it can be bad news. (Episode 239)

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Fierce Loyalty Sep 08, 2022

Institutional thinking has no comprehension of personal loyalty. Fierce loyalty. The kind you don’t get to choose. The kind you are born under. Like someone in Luke born under the authority of Zacharias. That someone doesn’t get to choose another priest any more than a sheep could a shepherd; or a slave their patrician; or a Bedouin their sheikh. But in the institutionalized west, the community is a structure built around the idea that fierce personal loyalty to a tribal chief is dysfunctional.

If the word community is supposed to have any connection to the biblical function “flock,” then our so-called communities are no communities because there is no possibility of a flock without a shepherd. Moreover, if the sheep are not fiercely loyal to that shepherd, they cease functioning as a flock.

In Luke 1, that fierce loyalty remains necessary for the biblical function “shepherd-of-flock” with a tiny adjustment; when Zacharias opens his mouth to speak, someone else calls the shots.

That, my friends, is the meaning of John’s name.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:64-66
Episode 448; Luke 1: 64-66

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The Domain of God Sep 06, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul explains the technical link between the blood of birth-giving and the blood of circumcision in the story of the Bible. (Episode (238)

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Just Burp, Again Sep 01, 2022

Regurgitate. To throw up or vomit; to eject what has previously been swallowed. To repeat verbatim. ([https://www.synonyms.com/synonym/Regurgitate]) Unless you happen to be Jonah, it’s not an exciting prospect, and even then, not preferable—but, beginning with the Ezekiel, the Father of Sctipture, it’s the DNA of the biblical text:

“Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.’” (Ezekiel 3:1)

He did not say, “Son of man, ignore what I just told you, go outside and make hand gestures to the people.”

Sorry Zacharias. You reap what you sow.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:59-63
Episode 447; Luke 1: 59-63

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Immerse Yourself Aug 30, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul explains that zera’ is the same, whether it’s a plant, or a tree, or a fish, or an animal, or a human being. (Episode 237)

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Neighbors and Relatives Aug 25, 2022

When Americans think of a “neighborhood,” the first thing that comes to mind is “value.” What type of homes are in the area? What size? How old? What amenities? What facilities are nearby? Notice that we have taken a term that refers to the generational fellowship of a community of human families and repurposed it to refer to buildings.

Without realizing it, you drive past an empty development and refer to it as a new “neighborhood” even though no one has moved in yet. The love of money and the pursuit of happiness have taken us to a world where an empty box with amenities is our reference for “neighbor.”

Not so in Luke, where Elizabeth still receives God’s great mercy among neighbors and relatives who rejoice with her, and it has nothing to do with “property” or “value.”

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:57-58
Episode 446; Luke 1: 57-58

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Midian Aug 23, 2022

This week Fr. Paul explains that Midian is practically the Arabian desert, highlighting the importance of shepherdism as the setting for the biblical storyline. (Episode 236)

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Don’t Be Lame Aug 18, 2022

When Mary proclaims the Lord’s help toward his servant Israel, it’s easy to reduce her prayer to yet another platitude about mercy from our perspective, elevating Israel in human terms. We like to do this because—let’s face it—we identify with Israel. Oddly enough, in Scripture, we should identify with them, but not how you think.

As we’ve said many times over the years on this program, there are no good guys in the Bible save God himself. There are only bad guys who sometimes act correctly because of the fear of God’s commandments. The Magnificat is Mary’s sad news that Israel is just another one of those bad guys. If you can accept this, please, go ahead and identify with Israel, and hope that God remembers his mercy, namely, the instruction he gave to your fathers that made it possible for a few bad guys to sometimes act correctly.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:54-56
Episode 445; Luke 1: 54-56

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Just Burp Aug 16, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul continues his discussion of Exodus, stressing the importance of submitting to and not circumscribing the biblical text. (Episode 235)

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It’s Just News Aug 11, 2022

The difficult teaching of Ecclesiastes warns us that all people share the same fate. This wisdom is pervasive in Scripture, from the violent imagery found in Deuteronomy to the razor’s edge of Paul’s argument in Romans. There is no difference between Jew and Greek; between the wise man and the fool; between the righteous and the wicked—all men share one fate. All things rest in the palm of God’s hand.

Are you mighty? You will be brought low. Are you humiliated? Sure, you may be lifted up, but then what? Have you heard Deuteronomy? What about Paul’s teaching? Yes, you were brought into God’s household, but now what? Are you better off than those who went before you?

All things rest in the palm of God’s hand. He brought you in, and he can take you out. Yes, he can fill you with good things, but he can also send you away empty.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:51-53
Episode 444; Luke 1: 51-53

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Either/Or Aug 09, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul stresses that in Hebrew and Greek the word house reflects the meaning of both house and household. (Episode 234)

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Mercy and Fear Aug 04, 2022

Having established that God—not herself—is her only reference, Mary moves to the next logical step from Scripture’s perspective: the proclamation of the fear of God.

The terrible might of God; that the mere mention of his name strikes fear and brings the hope of mercy: mercy to those once enslaved and humiliated like Mary.

In our fake philosophical systems of human mercy and institutional compassion, we pretend that mercy and fear are alien to each other. That’s because wealthy, comfortable westerners cannot understand the perspective of a humiliated Roman slave, rescued by a God mightier and much more to be feared than her Roman taskmasters.

Given the state of things in 2022, maybe we should heed Mary’s warning.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:49-50
Episode 443; Luke 1:49-50

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Like a Woman in Travail Aug 02, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul explains that God is in travail in Scripture and gives birth to children through his teaching. (Episode 233)

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Magnify the Lord Jul 28, 2022

When someone of authority speaks, it is only natural for people of lessor status to use his words to establish their position. Politicians do it, corporate underlings do it, and Christians do it in their mishandling of the Bible.

When God speaks in Scripture, his words come down from above. We plagiarize. We want to use his words in our story. We act as though God has a part to play in our life when the reverse is true.

Scripture does not play a part in any human endeavor; on the contrary, it is a self-described shelter that surrounds us and covers us from above. Far from being a part of anything we set out to do or make, God is the premise of his own story.

Unlike us, Mary—who represents the Pauline church in Luke—understands her place before God. Her point of reference as an enslaved person redeemed from bondage is not herself but the exaltation of her new Roman patrician.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:46-48.
Episode 442; Luke 1: 46-48

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Four Verbs Jul 26, 2022

In today’s program Fr. Paul discusses four verbs in Hebrew: be fruitful, multiply as fish, became many, and became great in status. (Episode 232)

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The Sound of a Greeting Jul 21, 2022

As the Spirit moves through chapter one of the Gospel of Luke, it exhibits its power as a mechanism of destruction but also as an implement of God’s control—prompting one to submit, teaching another to bless, and causing the Lord’s prophet to rejoice, even from his mother’s womb.

The first to be filled with the Holy Spirit in the Gospel of Luke, John recognized Mary’s voice as she who trusted what had been spoken to her by the Lord. Now, her greeting is Good News in Elizabeth’s ears, heralding the arrival of the Lord’s words to the Jerusalemite church and the victory of Paul’s gospel.

You’d better believe the kid did a little victory dance.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:44-45.
Episode 441; Luke 1:44-45

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Dance House 2 by Frank Schröter
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/9525-dance-house-2
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Hear Me Out Jul 19, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul proceeds with his discussion of Exodus emphasizing the importance of hearing Scripture with the entire story in view. (Episode 231)

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The Itinerary of the Spirit Jul 14, 2022

The Scriptural God is not the God of a statue, a temple, a city, or a mountain, but the God of a story. For those who submit to this God as their heavenly Father, it is forbidden to stray outside his narrative in any thought, word, or deed that pertains to him. In life, this means we follow his precepts without adding our words to his or using his words to justify ours; in the act of hearing his story, it means hearing carefully and literally, free of outside influences.

Inside the confines of Luke chapter one, you might be surprised where the Spirit takes you.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:42-43.
Episode 440; Luke 1:42-43

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Funny by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/6388-funny
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These Are the Names Jul 12, 2022

This week Fr. Paul transitions from Genesis to Exodus, showing the interconnection between the books of the Pentateuch. (Episode 230)

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I Know Jesus and I Know Paul Jul 07, 2022

Normally, people don’t say much about the role of the Holy Spirit in the birth of John the Baptist—mainly because contemporary Mariology blinds them to the actual content of Luke’s gospel. But even for those who pay close attention, few people notice the discrepancy between the first visit of the Spirit to Jerusalem, pertaining specifically to John the Baptist (himself a reference to the Apostle Paul), and the second visit, pertaining not to the Pauline church, but the Jerusalemite community represented by Elizabeth.

Sometimes a visit is not just a visit.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:39-41.

Episode 439 Luke 1:39-41

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Smooth Criminal by John Bartmann
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/9483-smooth-criminal
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Against Humanity Jul 05, 2022

In today’s program, Fr. Paul reminds us of the Bible’s painful and relentless campaign against the human ego. (Episode 229)

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Three Things Jun 30, 2022

When we read a text in translation, we imagine we hear what the author wrote because we believe that meaning can be taken separately from the words on the page. But if you can conceive of meaning, it needs must be part and parcel with a series of words. If not the words of the original text, then the alternative words of a translation, or worse, the self-referential words in your head. There is no meaning without words, and each set of words represents a different meaning.

Three words appear in chapter one of Luke: pragma, logos, and rema; all interconnected, all critical to Luke’s thesis, all washed away in translation. If you have never heard these three words as they appear in Luke, then you have never heard Luke.

And that’s the point.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:36-38.

Episode 438 Luke 1:36-38

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Finding the Balance by Kevin MacLeod
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/3755-finding-the-balance
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No One Is Special Jun 28, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul explains that the mission of Joseph was to combine Israel and the nations to the extent that his progeny was called—not the fullness of Israel—but the fullness of all the nations. (Episode 228)

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Birth Pangs Jun 23, 2022

In the Old Testament, human patriarchy is portrayed cynically and satirically as bumbling and insecure in its competition with motherhood. Men cannot give birth. In Scripture and life, they compensate by building cities, erecting monuments, and making war. Mothers, on the other hand--not necessarily women--but the function mother can give birth. As Luke continues down the path of undermining the things that men build (the Temple) and, of course, Zacharias himself, his gospel story turns toward two women--Mary and Elizabeth--who become mothers through the direct intervention of the Most High God.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:34-35.

Episode 437 Luke 1:34-35; Music:

Energetic Upbeat by WinnieTheMoog
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6033-energetic-upbeat
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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The Journey of Jacob Israel Jun 21, 2022

In today's episode, Fr. Paul reiterates a basic premise of Scripture, that we are not to follow the example of our fathers, but of the teaching, noting the specific case of Jesus and Paul in the New Testament. (Episode 227)

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Bow to the Chair Jun 16, 2022

The problem with all contemporary churches is that we treat the term Scripture as though it were a noun. We gossip about the Bible like a difficult relative nobody wants to visit, but everyone loves to discuss. We comfort ourselves with lullabies about its importance. We mostly ignore it unless we need a good quote to make our point. We have ideas, feelings, and opinions about it. We argue about who owns it and what good or evil it has caused. It operates as an abstraction in our mind, like a teenage crush or nemesis. We hold it up at rallies. We use it to blame each other. We do and say everything with it but the one thing necessary for it to work.

We refuse to read, hear, and study it daily until the seed does what the seed does. Scripture is not a noun; it is a verb.

The Cross, the destruction of the city, condemnation, enduring God's blessing and curse under the constant pressure of judgment--none of this is theoretical if you submit to the burden of Scriptural study. Every step in life takes on new meaning in the terrible hands of the Scriptural God.

Put that in your marketing campaign.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:31-33

Episode 436 Luke 1:31-33; Music:

Unanswered Questions by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4560-unanswered-questions
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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The Sheep Are Not a Flock Jun 14, 2022

This week Fr. Paul stresses the critical distinction between sheep and flock in Hebrew, giving biblical and contemporary examples. (Episode 226)

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The Preacher Jun 09, 2022

Everyone has something to say. If you operate on a human premise, this is perfectly acceptable, admirable--even a thing to be encouraged. It is the empty fuel that makes dead things look alive, an entertaining distraction that makes emptiness feel meaningful.

Not so in Scripture.

In the wilderness of God's scroll, there is only one voice. One source of life. One pedagogy set forth in letters divinely inscribed. Make that your premise, and it will silence all the voices in the room, beginning with yours. Unlike the false consolation of many voices, it will take you to lonely places where that one needful voice can be heard more clearly.

When that painful voice becomes your premise; when you truly have nothing to say; then, finally, you can teach Scripture. Then, like the Preacher in Jerusalem, you will find yourself exclaiming, "All is vanity!" Everything is vanity.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:25-30

Episode 435 Luke 1:25-30; Music:

Peace of Mind by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4199-peace-of-mind
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Ephraim and Manasseh Jun 07, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul touches on the literary function of Ephraim and Manasseh, who become the kernel of the northern kingdom in the story of the biblical Israel. (Episode 225)

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Anti-History, Anti-Patriarchy Jun 02, 2022

How can Luke ensure that his addressees get the point? Wisdom does not come from you. Life does not come from you. The baby in Elizabeth's womb does not come from you.

It's not your story, Zacharias.

You still don't believe me? You still believe the child is yours? Do you still have something to say?

“Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord God,
“When I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water,
But rather for hearing the words of the Lord. (Amos 8:11)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:21-24

Episode 434 Luke 1:21-24; Music:

Gothamlicious by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5741-gothamlicious
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Back to Joseph May 31, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul begins his discussion of Genesis 39, reiterating the calamity of the mistranslation of the Hebrew word masleah. (Episode 224)

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Power and Control May 26, 2022

The Holy Spirit is not about inspiration but power and control in the Bible. The power of the story is that it exerts control expressly to silence our voice. This facet of the biblical teaching has been the most challenging of my priestly ministry. In human terms, Scripture is a recipe for failure. It's terrible news for our projects but good news in Luke because the things we succeed in creating separate us from the love of God.

Gabriel, the functional presence of Elohim to Zacharias, channeled this power and control, but Zacharias did not believe Gabriel's words. If Gabriel had conveyed the words of Zeus or Athena, Zacharias would have a point.

Zacharias does not have a point:

And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time." (Luke 1:18-20)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:18-20

Episode 433 Luke 1:18-20; Music:

Virtutes Instrumenti by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4590-virtutes-instrumenti
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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About Judah May 24, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul reminds us of the harlotry of the children of Jacob who used the covenant of circumcision--a covenant of brotherhood--to kill their brothers. (Episode 223)

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Nobody Else But You May 19, 2022

When Scripture deconstructs a human proposition by forcing an opposing position (which we have repeatedly described as functional judgment, meaning Scripture has no stake in the argument itself, only in opposing the human being), it is only natural to argue for or against the point in question. Do you agree or disagree? Be careful. It's a trick question. After all these years, do really you think we are for or against anything on this podcast other than the words of Scripture?

Scripture judges you and nobody else but you. You may not judge anyone else and you cannot dedicate the things you build to God, because they lead to judgment. You, and nobody else but you, have only to hear and obey the voice of the Lord crying out to you, and nobody else but you, from the wilderness of Scripture.

Whatever you believe, whatever position you take, and whatever you do is a projection of your ego. It has nothing to do with the biblical God. So when you argue with your neighbor for or against God's functional stance against you in (or through) Scripture, you are engaging in an argument that publically portrays your embarrassment of the Cross. To baptize, in Greek, is to sink a ship. The cancellation of our many human gods through the Gospel of Jesus Christ is total. If you are still arguing, your ship is still afloat.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:14-17

Episode 432 Luke 1:14-17; Music:

Motherlode by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4083-motherlode
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Person, Persona, Prosopon, Mask May 17, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul reminds us that the term person is the translation of persona which is mask in Latin which is the translation of prosopon in Greek, which also means mask, in both cases, the mask worn by actors in the theater. (Episode222)

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Nothing Good Comes From Us May 12, 2022

What does the destruction of the Temple mean? What does it mean not to be anything? Not to have an identity? Not to be a part of anything? Not to believe in anything?

No bumper stickers.
No slogans.
No rousing speeches.
There is no applause--no trust in anything or anyone other than what Luke has written out in consecutive order.

Why I ask you, would Luke begin his gospel by trying to convince his addressees not to trust in Jerusalem?

If anything can be understood about the Orthodox war in Europe, we must hear it through the voice of instruction crying out to us from the wilderness of Scripture. This voice tirelessly scolds us for believing in false gods, be they religious, political, ideological, moral, institutional, personal, intellectual, ethical, cultural, pragmatic, progressive, conservative, romantic, nationalistic, legal, libertarian, democratic, or fascist.

None of these gods have any bearing on the Crucifixion of Jesus other than their gleeful participation in it. Likewise, none can prevent the proclamation of the Resurrection other than to distract us from it.

Thus, David, the shepherd, cries aloud:

"Those who make them will become like them, everyone who trusts in them." (Psalm 115:8)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:5-7

Episode 431 Luke 1:8-13; Music:

Walking Along by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4603-walking-along
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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The Cycle of Joseph, Ad Nauseam May 10, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul highlights the importance of Joseph's story: he and his kin were Hebrews and shepherds in the epitome of civilization, the land of the pharaohs and the pyramids, where, as a Hebrew slave, Joseph wound up saving Egypt from famine. (Episode 221)

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The Jerusalem Above Is Free May 05, 2022

Time and again, we have explained the tension in Scripture between the things human beings construct, which cannot create life, and a mother's natural womb--the grammatical and factual expression of God's life-giving mercy in the Bible. Now, in the opening verses of Luke, we find Herod's building project in Jerusalem totally defunct and sterilizing, even for those who follow God's teaching. What can be done? Is all hope lost? Fear not, as our old pal Matthew said, “do not be worried...ye of little faith!”

The Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother. For it is written, “Rejoice, barren woman who does not bear; break forth and shout, you who are not in labor; for more numerous are the children of the desolate than of the one who has a husband.”(Galatians 4:26-27)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:5-7

Episode 429 Luke 1:5-7; Music:

Truth of the Legend by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4551-truth-of-the-legend
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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The Oasis Is Not Yours May 03, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul explains that the story of Jacob is in the story of his children, noting, in his words, "the silliness" of individualism. (Episode 220)

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You Are Not Doing Anything Apr 28, 2022

The novelty of Scripture lies in its multi-faceted handling of anthropocentrism. It deconstructs and breaks apart our institutions and smashes our egos, re-positing us as individuals set free to hear and do the commandments of God. In no uncertain terms, the Apostle Paul proclaims:

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)

As sheep in the Lord’s flock, we are free to assume our natural state among the other living things on earth, not as masters but as adherents of God’s instruction. Again, Paul says:

“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” (Galatian 5:13-14)

As scripturalized sheep, we do what God commands with a nagging and painful reminder that we have done nothing good upon the earth. Honestly, in an epic story written to emasculate anthropocentrism, no human being will ever get any credit for anything.

Thus we find ourselves at the start of Luke’s gospel: As lovers of God, following the voice of his Shepherd in the wilderness, hearing in silence, frantically taking notes while the master gives instruction.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 1:1-4

Episode 429 Luke 1:1-4; Music:

Finding Movement by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3754-finding-movement
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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You Are Done With Apr 26, 2022

In this week's episode, Fr. Paul reminds us that the hope in Scripture is not for us but for the following generations. (Episode 219)

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Fire and Blood Apr 19, 2022

This week Fr. Paul explains what theology does not want to accept: that God is one and he is the judge. He is neither good nor bad; he is the just judge. (Episode 218)

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The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness Apr 14, 2022

The power of Semitic poetry stems, literally, from the functionality of its consonantal roots. With but three consonants, a long series of words, used in a specific way, set in a specific pattern, according to an ordained order and rhythm, can be carefully arranged so that even the sound of the words can be manipulated to conform to the author's design. Classical Arabic and Hebrew poets have so much power to create this kind of literary structure, that the structure itself conveys meaning.

Once you understand Semitic functionality, the only obvious question is, "why wouldn't the arrangement of biblical books work the same way?"

We struggle with this because we are Hellenists. Someone asks our opinion and we start talking about the words we form in our mind, which are based on other words in our mind. We converse with ourselves about our own philosophical abstractions and marvel at the imaginary connections we invent within our artificial systems. We make stuff up. The fancy word for that in academia is "interpretation." If you really want to sound smart at coffee hour, call it, "hermeneutics."

That's why we are all naturally dubious about the significance of the order of books. Because everybody knows that interpretation is dubious. But functionality is not interpretation. What a functional element means can be discussed and debated, but the consonants and the structure itself are right there, alongside the earth mammals and the vegetation. No interpretation required.

Richard and Fr. Marc revisit Mark 1.

Episode 428 Mark 1; Music:

Tiki Bar Mixer by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/6836-tiki-bar-mixer
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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A Tree, a Garden, and an Oasis Apr 12, 2022

With a bit of common knowledge and an uncommon familiarity with the original text of the Bible Fr. Paul reminds us why scholarship isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Could someone please pass the almonds? (Episode 217)

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The Kingdom Under the Heavens Apr 07, 2022

When Christians talk about evangelization, they do so along the lines of the historical King Herod, who twisted biblical circumcision into a trademark of the temple cult, a stigma with which to brand people living outside of Judea as Jews, in order to extract wealth from them in the name of scripture—you guessed it—to build his temple.

But Matthew ends outside of Jerusalem in the green pastures of Galilee, with the destruction of Herod’s enterprise, under the blue skies of the heavens. In Matthew’s proposition, the families of the earth roam together, guided by the Shepherd’s voice in the wilderness, under the broad and generous expense of the heavens.

And “[Jesus] opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’” (Matthew 5:2-3)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 28:16-20.

Episode 427 Matthew 28:16-20; Music:

To the Ends by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4532-to-the-ends

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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The City of False Religion Apr 05, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul notes that the story of Jacob and his sons in the Bible continued through the story of the scriptural Jacob or Israel. (Episode 216)

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It’s Ok to Laugh Mar 31, 2022

The behavior of the chief priests after the resurrection of Jesus in Matthew 28 is so cynical, so unredeemable, and so pathetic that the only bearable quality of the story is that in the victory of Jesus, the author gives us a little space to laugh.

But here’s the rub, if you’ve been listening carefully, especially those of you who are like me—a priest and a religious leader—you should take care to laugh heartily because the joke is on you.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 28:12-15.

Episode 426 Matthew 28:12-15; Music:

Evil Plan by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3725-evil-plan

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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The Spirit of the Animal Mar 29, 2022

This week Fr. Paul explains how the names Shechem and Bethel function against the will of God. (Episode 215)

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Break it Up Mar 24, 2022

In Genesis, God is interested in the oneness of humans in the land, so much so that from a modern perspective, you might say that the Scriptural God is not only anti-institution but anti-family values.

Not only Jerusalem, not only the Temple, not only Religious leaders and government, but even Jesus’ family is broken up in the hope of the coming Kingdom, wherein all the families of the earth will dwell together. In that new situation, the brothers of Jesus are any human beings who hear the words of his Father and keep them.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 28:12-15.

Episode 425 Matthew 28:12-15; Music:

Devonshire Waltz Moderato by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/7916-devonshire-waltz-moderato

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Mark This Verse Mar 22, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul explains that the book of Genesis is so complete that once you’ve finished it, technically, you don’t need to hear the rest of the Bible, except for points of clarification. (Episode 214)

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Jesus Has Left the Building Mar 17, 2022

Human institutions operate under the assumption that they are justified. I was going to say human communities, but let’s be honest, we no longer have communities. We have institutions. Thanks to Plato (and the US Supreme court), there is even such a thing as “corporate personhood.” So, according to American law, institutions are people too.

Listening to the biblical writers ridicule cities filled with artificial and lifeless statues—an old version of modern cynicism about cheap plastic products—it's hard not to shudder at the idea of assigning a personality to the gods that men fashion with their own hands:

They have mouths, but they do not speak;
They have eyes, but they do not see;

They have ears, but they do not hear,
Nor is there any breath at all in their mouths.

Those who make them will become like them,
Yes, everyone who trusts in them.

(Psalm 135:16-18)

Thankfully, in Matthew, Jesus has left the building.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 28:9-11.

Episode 424 Matthew 28:9-11; Music:

SCP-x6x (Hopes) by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/6736-scp-x6x-hopes-

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Against Bethel Mar 15, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul reminds us that the scriptural God is a judge who decides to behave as a loving father, but is not essentially “father”. (Episode 213)

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The Liberation of the Gospel Mar 10, 2022

When we approach Scripture with human presuppositions, we inevitably and systematically mishear the topic of a given book, dislocating God’s agency in the story and silencing his voice in our ears. If your premise is you, the tale distorts and twists itself into a parable about you. If your premise is your king (in the end, just another version of you), then the story becomes a lie about the importance of your human city and its people. However, if your premise is submission to the story’s premise—no matter how painful that premise is and no matter where it may lead—then there is hope that the Gospel’s escape into the wilderness in Matthew could also mean freedom for you.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 28:1-8.

Episode 423 Matthew 28:1-8; Music:

Take the Lead by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4458-take-the-lead

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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A Mark of Weakness Mar 08, 2022

In this week’s episode, Fr. Paul begins his discussion of Genesis 32, noting the Bible’s tendency to belittle the main protagonist to the glory of God. (Episode 212)

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Cathedrals and Bombs Mar 03, 2022

When someone does something terrible, and you step in to clean up their mess, and then you explain what went wrong, and then you show them how to avoid making the same mistake in the future, and then they proclaim their immense gratitude and undying loyalty to you, and then they do the same thing, over and over again, what would you do?

“For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.” (2 Peter 2:20)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 27:57-66.

Episode 422 Matthew 27:57-66; Music:

Dark Walk by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3612-dark-walk

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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The Terror and the Glory Mar 02, 2022

This week Fr. Paul explains what theology cannot accept: that terror and glory function in the same way in scripture.

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A Tower and a Rock, At a Distance Feb 24, 2022

“Hear my cry, O God; Give heed to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been a refuge for me, A tower of strength against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever; Let me take refuge in the shelter of your wings.“ (Psalm 61:1-4)

I trust you so much, Lord, that I’ll just hang out back here, at a distance, while the enemy does his thing. Good luck with that, Lord.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 27:55-56.

Episode 421 Matthew 27:55-56; Music:

Darkest Child by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3615-darkest-child
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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A Small Stone and a Big Pyramid Feb 22, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul continues his discussion of Genesis 31 noting the significance of the Hebrew word teraphim. (Episode 210)

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The Cowardly Centurian Feb 17, 2022

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments;”

“How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, Who greatly delights in His commandments.” (Psalms 111:10 - 112:1)

“The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom; before honor comes humility.”(Proverbs 15:33)

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7)

You know, fools and cowards, like the Centurion in Matthew 27.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 27:54.

Episode 420 Matthew 27:54; Music:

Modern Vibes by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4070-modern-vibes

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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A Stone is a Stone is a Stone Feb 15, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul begins a discussion of Genesis 31. (Episode 209)

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The Return of the Remnant Feb 10, 2022

In the book of Genesis, the sons of Cain seek divine status and an artificial life forged in everlasting stone. In Matthew, Jesus, like the sons of Adam in Genesis 5, is humanized and weakened on the Cross. The line of Cain ends in the abomination of human kingship; in the Crucifixion, Jesus is humiliated in front of everyone to make it clear that no human being may sit on his Father’s throne. At that moment, God looked upon the Suffering Servant, his anointed, and proclaimed, “Son of Adam, say to the house of Israel:”

“Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel.” (Ezekiel 37:12)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 27:51-53.

Episode 419 Matthew 27:51-53; Music:

String Impromptu Number 1 by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4425-string-impromptu-number-1

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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The Missing Link Feb 08, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul explains that when something is mentioned only once in Scripture it’s a good indication that we should pay attention. (Episode 208)

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Please Don’t Find Yourself Feb 03, 2022

We modern folk like to think we invented confusion, but human beings have always been easily confused. We hear and see whatever we want, ignoring everything only to marvel at a phantom we mistake for our reflection.

In Matthew 27, this behavior exposes the characters’ folly in the story. The bystanders are listening for something other than the content of what is preached from the cross. Like us, they find what they are listening for and miss everything. You might say it’s a Matthean critique of pre-modern post-modernism. Or maybe they’re just confused.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 27:47-50.

Episode 416 Matthew 27:47-50; Music:

Dirt Rhodes by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3650-dirt-rhodes

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Jacob’s Sons Feb 01, 2022

In today’s program Fr. Paul begins his discussion of Genesis 30. (Episode 207)

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No Confusion Jan 27, 2022

Self-appointed apologists are quick to explain that God may allow “bad things” to happen, but he in no way causes them. So the apologist assesses God’s will from a human point of view and then decides that it is wrong, concluding that God obviously could not have meant what he said and did in the story. This way of thinking not only sidelines God in Scripture but stretches the “self” in self-appointed to encompass the bald-faced idolatry of self-referentiality. “Does the clay ask the potter, ‘What are you making?’” (Isaiah 45:9) On what basis can any human being question God’s judgment?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 27:45-46.

Episode 417 Matthew 27:45-46; Music:

Sweeter Vermouth by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4450-sweeter-vermouth

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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With the Lord Jan 25, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul continues his discussion of Genesis 29, touching on the significance of Rachel’s barrenness. (Episode 206)

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Sticking it to the Man Jan 20, 2022

Everybody loves to quote Scripture—I’m not sure why—because no matter the text, the minute you open your mouth to pronounce what it says, it condemns you. Sometimes in obvious ways, but more often in subtle ways that betray the depth of your ignorance—like the chief priests in Matthew’s gospel.

My advice, skip the Bible memes on your profile and avoid empty words about how much you love your personal god because all of it will count against you on that day. You are better off hearing it, reciting it, and doing it, but please, don’t quote it.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 27:41-44.

Episode 416 Matthew 27:41-44; Music:

Circus Of Freaks by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5740-circus-of-freaks

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Not Your Connections Jan 18, 2022

In today’s program Fr. Paul stresses that it is the text itself, not the person hearing it, that makes connections within the story. (Episode 205)

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Thou Shalt Not Speak for Jesus Jan 13, 2022

There is no such thing as an oral tradition. By its very definition, “the rule” of the Gospel is written down. It’s called a rule because God issued and inscribed a ruling, shared publicly as an objective reference and standard for all to follow. The Gospel of Matthew itself demonstrates the importance of this mechanism by showing us what happens when religious and political authorities ignore this rule and instead speak on behalf of Jesus. Inevitably, they put words in his mouth that serve their agenda at his expense.

Sound familiar?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 27:38-40.

Episode 415 Matthew 27:38-40; Music:

Volatile Reaction by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5014-volatile-reaction

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Against the Temple Jan 11, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul concludes his discussion of Genesis 28 with an excerpt from Acts 7. (Episode 204)

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A King Like Stalin? Jan 06, 2022

We like to pretend that giving people a choice is essential. Mostly, we use the American ideology of choice to extract profit, to distract from what’s really going on, or worst of all, to avoid personal accountability. How often have we passively watched another person suffer because they did not ask for help? In Scripture, the action of love is not controlled by an individual’s call for help. On the contrary, it is God’s commandment that illuminates the need—and the need itself demands the action assigned by God. Neither the one who gives nor the one who receives has a choice in the matter. The baptized do not ask if help is needed, but hear Scripture and take action without hesitation, like conscripted soldiers, “pressed into service.”

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 27:32-37.

Episode 414 Matthew 27:32-37; Music:

Laid Back Guitars by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3964-laid-back-guitars

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Matstsebah Jan 04, 2022

This week, Fr. Paul reminds us that we cannot understand the meaning of a word until we hear how that word is used throughout the entire story. (Episode 203)

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The Lost Sheep Dec 30, 2021

When we hear the teaching of Matthew, “judge not that you may not be judged,” it’s easy to overlook the obvious: when you teach the words of Elohim, you personally are not the judge, but you personally, definitely function as divine judge. In Matthew, Jesus judges no one before the time but teaches everyone the words of God’s judgment—and now the world judges him.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 27:27-31.

Episode 413 Matthew 27:27-31; Music:

Lost Time by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4005-lost-time
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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You’re Making Up Your Own Story Dec 28, 2021

This week, Fr. Paul continues his discussion of Genesis 28. (Episode 202)

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The Rejection of Yahweh Dec 23, 2021

“A mob,” James Baldwin wrote, “is not autonomous: it executes the real will of the people who rule the state. The slaughter in Birmingham, Alabama, for example, was not merely the action of a mob.” (Baldwin, Dark Days)

The crowds in Matthew choose their champion because Pilate demands victory. Pilate, in turn, wants what the people want because, like his wife, he grasps desperately for what Caesar has to offer. In the end, everyone wants what Caesar wants: the Lord’s execution. So Baldwin was right: the mob carries out the will of the state. In Matthew, the will of the state is expressed in the person of Pilate, who executes the Lord to secure Caesar’s place on the seat of Elohim. Dumb move, Caesar. Really dumb.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 27:19-23.

Episode 412 Matthew 27:19-23; Music:

Crowd Hammer by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4983-crowd-hammer

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Anti-Civilization Dec 21, 2021

This week, Fr. Paul continues his discussion of Genesis 28, drawing attention to our commonly held anti-scriptural premise that perceives civilization and anything “civilized” as something positive. (Episode 201)

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Which Son, Pilate? Dec 16, 2021

The rise of Scripture against the classical and Hellenistic world pit the voice of the Shepherd—spoken in his idiosyncratic language—against the language of human institution: be dominated by civilization, its gods, its rulers, and their institutions, or follow me and obey my voice in the wilderness. Obey the staff of the Lord, your Elohim, and live, or suffer the bondage of a temple and palace made of stone.

Having destroyed Jerusalem in our mind’s eye and shamed her rulers and teachers, Matthew now turns his wrath toward Rome. Which son of the Father, Pilate? What is your judgment? How do you judge? Dare you speak? It would be better for you to close your lips, study Hebrew, forsake Rome, flee the palace and seek out the God of Abraham to hear his distinctive voice in the Syrian Wilderness.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 27:15-18.

Episode 411 Matthew 27:15-18; Music:

Tempting Secrets by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5005-tempting-secrets

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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The Children of Abraham Dec 14, 2021

In today’s program, Fr. Paul explains that it is God who makes his own house and his own children, noting the absurdity of religious debates about legitimacy and pedigree. (Episode 200)

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Announcing "Tell Me the Story" Dec 12, 2021

Welcome to our podcast, Tell me the Story, where we take a deep dive into the scripture, parsing out the original languages, in hopes to come to a greater understanding of the total story being told.

Produced in association with the Ephesus School Network.

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You Said It Dec 09, 2021

For the one who answers only to the will of God, written in Scripture, the words people speak and the judgments they make are immaterial. More than that, in Matthew, the one who hears the commandment with a pure heart carries it out like a Roman soldier, willing to say—or not say—or do whatever it takes to deliver the mission. God forbid your self-righteous, enlightened, ethical and moral judgment of his means interfere with an end willed by God himself.

Like the man said:

“Judge not, that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and by your standard of measure, it shall be measured to you again.” Matthew 7:1-2

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 27:11-14.

Episode 410 Matthew 27:11-14; Music:

No Frills Cumbia by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3571-no-frills-cumbia

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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The Platonic “We” Dec 07, 2021

This week, Fr. Paul presents a brief introduction to his discussion of Genesis 28, noting the false assumption of a perceived hero in scripture. (Episode 199)

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The Worthless Shepherd Dec 02, 2021

“Thus says the Lord my God, “Pasture the flock doomed to slaughter. Those who buy them slay them and go unpunished, and each of those who sell them says, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for I have become rich!’

They got me at a magnificent discount! (Zechariah 11:13) It must have been Giving Tuesday, or was it Black Friday? No it was their day of Thanks, in which they bless the Lord saying, “I have become rich!”

Their own shepherds have no pity on them.” (Zechariah 11:4-5)

“Behold, I will cause them to fall, each into another’s power and into the power of his king; and they will strike the land, and I will not deliver them from their power.” (Zechariah 11:6)

And their own shepherds have no pity on them.” (Zechariah 11:4-5)

“Woe to the worthless shepherd who leaves the flock!” (Zechariah 11:17)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 27:6-10.

Episode 409 Matthew 27:6-10; Music:

Just As Soon by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3947-just-as-soon

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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God and Lord God Nov 30, 2021

This week, Fr. Paul takes follow-up questions on Genesis 27, noting his remarkable discovery about the dialogue between Eve and the serpent in Genesis 3. (Episode 198)

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Give Them Something to Eat Nov 25, 2021

In Matthew 14, Jesus commands his disciples to feed the people with the bread of his Father’s instruction, the five loaves of life-giving bread, representing the fives books of Moses. Sharing that bread is the “chief” and only duty of Peter—the “chief” of the apostles—and it is the “chief” responsibility of the “chief” priests and the elders of the people for the sake of the people of Judea, whom Judas represents in Matthew 27—

And how did the assembly of “chiefs” and “elders” respond in the peoples’ hour of need?

“What is that to us?”

And where was Peter?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 27:1-5.

Episode 408 Matthew 27:1-5; Music:

Waltz Primordial (feat. Alexander Nakarada) by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/7929-waltz-primordial

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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If You Don’t Like It, Shove Off Nov 23, 2021

This week, Fr. Paul exposes the origin and absurdity of the “fallacious dilemma of endless philosophical discussions concerning whether the foreknowledge of God is to be equated with his will.” (Episode 197)

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Empty Tears Nov 18, 2021

Much is made of the importance of Peter's tears because for those who can’t face their own sins, much is riding on them.

But that’s not how the story works.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 26:69-75.

Episode 407 Matthew 26:69-75; Music:

SCP-x7x (6th Floor) by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/6737-scp-x7x-6th-floor-
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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In the Arms of a Hittite Nov 16, 2021

In today’s episode, Fr. Paul begins his discussion of Genesis 27 and also tries his hand at poetry. (Episode 196)

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Ideological Impurity Nov 11, 2021

The easiest way to relieve your conscience is to console yourself that you are on the right side of history, the right side of the law, the right side of justice, and the right side of the moral argument. Then, all you need do is condemn people on the wrong side.

Rare is the teacher who accepts the judgment on his head through his teaching. Unique is Scripture in its systematic and ruthless condemnation of everything and everyone, beginning with the writers themselves.

We are accountable for our own sins. In Matthew’s gospel, we cannot afford not to be merciful.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 26:65-67.

Episode 406 Matthew 26:65-67; Music:

Folk Round by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3770-folk-round

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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It’s That Serious Nov 09, 2021

In this week’s program, Fr. Paul wraps up his question and answer session on Genesis 26. (Episode 195)

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On the Record Nov 04, 2021

In human affairs, it is always important to document our statements. Was something promised? Make sure to find the original email. Did something problematic come up in a discussion thread? Save the chat log. Did someone go on the record during a meeting? If there is no recording, be sure to take notes because hereafter, there will be an accounting for every word we mumble.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 26:59-64.

Episode 405 Matthew 26:59-64; Music:

Tango de Manzana by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4460-tango-de-manzana

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Leave Eden to God Nov 02, 2021

In today’s program, Fr. Paul notes the connection between Ezekiel, Genesis, and the Gospel of Matthew. (Episode 194)

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It Might Be a Duck Oct 28, 2021

Just as an argument’s value can be assessed by examining its premise, in Scripture (and in life) an individual character’s action or statement can be understood by identifying its reference. By reference, we mean, literally, the thing you refer to as the basis of your authority to speak and take action.

When Jesus teaches in the temple, what is his reference? When the crowds threaten him, what is their reference? When all the disciples left Jesus and fled, what was their reference? When Peter entered in and sat down with the Lord’s enemies, what was his reference?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 26:55-58.

Episode 404 Matthew 26:55-58; Music:

The Endless by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4492-the-endless

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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It’s Not That Simple Oct 26, 2021

This week, Fr. Paul reminds us that the way we speak and the way that Scripture works are not the same thing, and the Bible is trickier than we think. (Episode 193)

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Put Away the Sword Oct 21, 2021

A committed person is hard to find in 2021. Well, let me rephrase. All of us—every last one of us—are committed to ourselves, and we organize the time allotted to us as such. Few of us, less than a few, are committed to something that does not directly benefit us or someone for whom we care.

In Matthew, Jesus is committed to the teaching of the Father. Even though his disciples are hopeless, the situation is stark, and his end, as per his Father, is unavoidable, Jesus continues to teach. Why? Because he is committed to his Father’s will, to the bitter end.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 26:51-54.

Episode 403 Matthew 26:51-54; Music:

Anamalie by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4980-anamalie

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Isaac Obeyed Oct 19, 2021

In today’s program, Fr. Paul continues his discussion of Genesis 26, reiterating the unique role of Isaac in the story while highlighting critical Hebrew wordplay that is simply untranslatable. (Episode 192)

An Offer You Can’t Refuse Oct 14, 2021

Trapped by the Reformation and endless reactions against it, it’s difficult for contemporary Christians to escape ongoing and silly theological debates about grace and salvation. Everyone cheapens the Master’s grace by treating it either as a free pass or as some mystical force that controls their lightsaber. The only way to understand grace is the way the writers of the New Testament use it—as the currency of the Pater Familias, who approaches his underlings with an offer they can’t refuse—a gift free of charge, with a charge.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 26:47-50.

Episode 402 Matthew 26:47-50; Music:

Trio for Piano Violin and Viola by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4546-trio-for-piano-violin-and-viola

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Because Abraham Obeyed My Voice Oct 12, 2021

Fr. Paul begins his reading of Genesis 26 by pointing out what so many miss and thus misread Paul: you are blessed not only because Abraham trusted God but because he obeyed his voice. (Episode 191)

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Failed Watchmen Oct 07, 2021

We scratch our heads when the Bible repeats a boring statement over and over again, but what should puzzle us is the odd moment when the Bible seems to take shortcuts like the rest of us. Why, after enumerating the words of Jesus twice, does Matthew summarize the third prayer to the Father by saying, he said “the same thing once more”?

The answer reflects the Lord’s exasperation with his watchmen, who, as it turns out, are not very good at their job.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 26:43-46.

Episode 401 Matthew 26:43-46; Music:

Gearhead by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3799-gearhead

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Salama, Aslama, Salam Oct 05, 2021

In today’s program, Fr. Paul wraps up his Q and A session with Richard and Fr. Marc on Genesis 25. (Episode 190)

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The Problem With Peter Sep 30, 2021

When English speakers co-opt the Matthean expression, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,” they inevitably de-scripturalize them. They twist the words of Jesus as though they refer to an inner psychological struggle or matter of conscience: “I want to do the right thing, but my nature fights against it.”

After 400 episodes of the Bible as Literature podcast, do you still need us to spell it out for you? On what basis do you assume that the spirit which opposes Peter’s flesh has anything to do with Peter, let alone your make-believe inner struggle?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 26:40-42.

This week’s episode is presented in loving memory of Saleh Canavati.

Episode 400 Matthew 26:40-42; Music:

Vision of Persistence by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4592-vision-of-persistence

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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You Hear the Text Sep 28, 2021

This week, Fr. Paul takes follow-up questions on Genesis 25. (Episode 189)

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Not As I Will Sep 23, 2021

We naturally want Jesus to be invulnerable, and the thought of him feeling anxiety or, as Matthew writes, extreme grief about his predicament presents an uncomfortable picture of God’s messiah. We prefer a version of Jesus that manifests perfection and stoic implacability because we believe in this possibility for ourselves. But that’s not what Matthew is saying. On the contrary, in the entire situation, the only reliable, invulnerable, perfect thing is the commandment of God the Father, upon which even Jesus depends.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 26:36-39.

Episode 399 Matthew 26:36-39; Music:

Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3787-funk-game-loop

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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No! No! You Have to Know! Sep 21, 2021

In this week’s discussion of Genesis, Fr. Paul recalls a personal example, reflecting on the criticality of memorization for the study of Scripture. (Episode 188)

The Bitter Pill Sep 16, 2021

Just as human biology is inevitable, so too are human words about development and growth. We talk about building and sustaining to defend and survive, and we talk about supporting and protecting for deeply selfish reasons tied to our biology.

In Matthew, Peter’s zeal when he proclaims, “I will not deny you,” is not for God’s teaching or even his teacher’s life. All he cares for is the victory of his tribe and the defense of his city against all enemies. All he cares about is himself, defending the very community that Jesus proclaims must be broken and scattered for the remission of sins.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 26:30-35.

Episode 397 Matthew 26:30-35; Music:

Shaving Mirror by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4344-shaving-mirror

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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The More You Know Scripture Sep 14, 2021

This week, Fr. Paul continues his discussion of Genesis 25. (Episode 187)

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Pink Floyd and Mr. Rogers Sep 09, 2021

When Jesus uses the word “body” in Matthew’s gospel, unless you abandon all assumptions, transporting yourself to first-century Roman society, it is impossible to hear—let alone understand—what the Lord is saying during his Last Supper.

The disciples may be concerned with tribe and city, eager to wave their flags and pledge their allegiances, but Jesus Christ has a different mission. The difficult work he is about to do is a public matter, but it has nothing to do with their silly flags and allegiances—it pertains to the entire commonwealth—on behalf of all and for all.

In the letters of St. Paul, the Lord’s body are the people in your neighborhood, and all we are, brothers and sisters, are just bricks in the wall.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 26:26-29.

Episode 397 Matthew 26:26-29; Music:

Griphop by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3830-griphop

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Another Wife Sep 07, 2021

In today’s program, Fr. Paul begins his discussion of Genesis 25. (Episode 186)

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It’s All About You! Sep 02, 2021

We Americans love it when it’s about us. We just love it.

Until we are sitting with Jesus in the Middle East, eating with our hands, and Jesus says, “it’s the guy sitting with me, eating with his hands.”

“Which guy, Jesus?”

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 26:20-25.

Photo Credit:

“The Last Supper,” by Sliman Mansour

Episode 395 Matthew 26:20-25; Music:

Narcissus by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4113-narcissus

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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It Can Be Done Aug 31, 2021

This week, Fr. Paul takes questions regarding his analysis of Genesis 24. (Episode 185)

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You Are Not Ancient Aug 26, 2021

We imagine an historical connection between the peoples of the biblical story and the peoples living in the modern world because our premise in 2021 is our identity. Who are you? To what group do you belong? What are your beliefs? On whose side are you?

The moment you mistakenly answer these questions (almost always, using the pronoun “we” even though you are a single individual), inevitably, you refer to a modern institution or group. It has to be modern because you are talking about yourself, and you live now, today, in the present hour.

It is a present-day thing with a clearly defined identity, membership, platform, and borders. When you refer to it, you sound like a politician—like the princes and sons of men in the Bible, in whom there is no salvation. Then you tint your glasses with your present-day identity and use it to lead Bible Study. Then you are confused when everyone, including you, sees the words on the page, but no one can hear them.

On that day, it will be too late for lens wipes.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 26:17-19.

Episode 395 Matthew 26:17-19; Music:

Organic Grunge by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4176-organic-grunge

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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How Many Ships? Aug 24, 2021

This week, Fr. Paul concludes his reading of Genesis 24, noting the importance of paying close attention to even the smallest detail of every verse. (Episode 184)

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Judas Iscariot Aug 19, 2021

Tribe, nation, city, patrimony, heritage, religion, flags and bumper stickers—Judas Iscariot.

Value, opportunity, market, profit, commerce, civilization, exploitation and slavery—Judas Iscariot.

Judas Iscariot, “man of the city.”

Judas Iscariot, “tribe and city.”

Judas Iscariot, securing his future by the throwing “the ordinary man” under the bus.

Nothing changes under the sun.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 26:14-16.

Episode 394 Matthew 26:14-16; Music:

Protofunk by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4247-protofunk

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Live Long and ṣālēaḥ Aug 17, 2021

In today’s program, Fr. Paul explains how the term “prosper,” used in English translations of the Bible, does not reflect the meaning of the original Hebrew term, yiṣlēaḥ, which means to make thing go correctly, according to the words of instruction. (Episode 183)

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A Poverty of Instruction Aug 12, 2021

In so far as the “daily bread” of the Lord’s prayer is the daily reading by which the disciples should be fed, in Matthew’s gospel, poverty is the consequence of refusing to receive and distribute the Lord’s heavenly bread. In the plainest and most obvious meaning of Matthew’s metaphor, if the people living in your house are poor, it’s because you are not feeding them. You have no one to blame but yourself.

You will always have poor instruction, but there is only one written gospel.

Exit Peter. Enter Timothy.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 26:6-13.

Episode 393 Matthew 26:6-13; Music:

With Regards by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4636-with-regards

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Debarim Aug 10, 2021

This week, Fr. Paul critiques the biblical priests as the first platonists who sought control by making out of the many words of God’s instruction a platonic oneness—“the teaching,” so to speak—which they refer to as “the Torah.” (Episode 182)

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An Ordinary Guy Aug 05, 2021

Sometimes we want so desperately for Jesus to be a super hero that we willfully ignore what is written before our eyes. Faced with powerful religious chiefs and elders—men whose position and power in Israel depends on the approval of the very people they mistreat—we ourselves are blinded by titles and want to make the phrase “son of man” into a title of equal or greater value. But it’s not, because Matthew is critiquing titles and the trail of lies and abuse that follows them.

In biblical terms, son of man means “ordinary human being.” In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus stands before the supposed rulers of the people as an ordinary child of Adam, just like you and me. He has no one to impress, no need to please, and no reason to fear. His only concern is his Father’s desire, that he take every situation, including his impending death, as an opportunity to teach Scripture.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 26:1-.5

Episode 392 Matthew 26:1-5; Music:

Grand Dark Waltz Allegretto by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/7920-grand-dark-waltz-allegretto
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Abraham and Isaac Aug 03, 2021

This week, Fr. Paul introduces his presentation of Genesis 24 touching on Isaac’s role and the significance of what he terms the prolegomena of the story. (Episode 181)

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There Will Be No Flags in the Kingdom Jul 29, 2021

Whatever term we use to describe it, be it “worldly,” “earthly,” “materialistic,” or the more precise biblical phrase, “of the flesh,” the fact is, the way we think and speak is dominated and controlled by our fears and desires. We fear judgment, so our hands bend the commandment into a cultural bludgeon. We desire comfort, so our minds twist the written gospel into an amorphous oral tradition, accessible over a cup of coffee without disciplined study or memorization. As such, we find ourselves safe and sound inside our borders, under our flags, while others burn. The exact opposite of St. Paul in 1 Corinthians, we are comfortable and cozy while others hunger and thirst. In light of Matthew 25, it’s no wonder we believe that wrought memorization is a waste of time.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 25:41-46.

Episode 391 Matthew 25:41-46; Music:

Feral Angel Waltz (feat. Alexander Nakarada) by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/7915-feral-angel-waltz

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Let’s Make it Functional Jul 28, 2021

This week Fr. Paul takes questions and discussion on the meaning and usage of Hebrew terminology in Genesis. (Episode 180)

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Repeat These Words Jul 22, 2021

Repetition is the foundation of knowledge. A student repeats vocabulary. An athlete repeats a physical movement. An apprentice repeats a task. A reporter repeats what someone else said so that it can be heard. Whether memorizing, practicing, recounting, drilling, or mastering, repetition is a common denominator of all forms of education. More than this, in Scripture, repetition represents an attention to detail intent on telling a story as it unfolds, literally, with no allowance for assumptions.

Scripture does not talk about a story; Scripture is the story!

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 25:34-40.

Episode 390 Matthew 25:34-40; Music:

Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Hebron Jul 20, 2021

In this week’s episode, Fr. Paul explains Hebron’s significance in Genesis 23 as the place of fraternity when human beings return to the adamah. (Episode 179)

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Flash-forward, Be Afraid Jul 15, 2021

The opening verses of the Judgment in Matthew 25 establish what the Bible repeatedly proclaims on every page, within every paragraph, and in every single verse. There is one power, one judge, and one authority in the Bible. On the precipice of the Crucifixion, Matthew reminds us that the weakling sheep whom we are about to pierce is also God’s anointed. You know, the God of Abraham, of whom Paul said, “do not be deceived, God is not mocked.” That God. Matthew thought it would be a good idea to give you a preview of his throne before his son’s execution, just in case you missed that verse.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 25:31-33.

Episode 389 Matthew 25:31-33; Music:

Crossing the Chasm by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3562-crossing-the-chasm
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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The People of the Land Jul 13, 2021

In today’s episode Fr. Paul continues his discussion of Genesis 23. (Episode 178)

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Wisdom Jul 08, 2021

The human being approaches every situation with the satanic question, “What’s in it for me?” From there, we establish goals, define measurements, and declare success when we hit our numbers. This works great in the boardroom but hasn’t helped much with school shootings and truly, has no place in the Kingdom of the Heavens.

In the parable of the talents, the Master’s investment is measured, not in mammon, but as wisdom. In this sense, it can’t be counted like a membership roll or photographed like a tomb of stone—sorry—did I say tomb, I meant building project. Whether you have one person or one thousand in church on Sunday, there is only one Judge who can assess whether or not his investment has paid off, and it has nothing to with numbers or stones.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 25:28-30.

Episode 388 Matthew 25:28-30; Music:

Evening Fall (Harp) by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3720-evening-fall-harp-
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Non-Owners Jul 06, 2021

In this week’s episode, Fr. Paul begins his discussion of Genesis 23. (Episode 177)

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Not Our Mercy Jul 01, 2021

To modern students of the Bible, it seems unfair that the least capable servant—to whom the least was given—was treated the most harshly by the Lord. Fortunately, for those in need, the Lord’s mercy is not our mercy. Truly, from the twisted perspective of our backward understanding of mercy and justice, the Lord is definitely unfair.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 25:24-27.

Episode 387 Matthew 25:24-27; Music:

Burn The World Waltz by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/7912-burn-the-world-waltz
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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The Blessing Jun 29, 2021

This week, Fr. Paul wraps up and extended Q and A session following his reading of Genesis 22. (Episode 176)

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The Merchant Class? Jun 24, 2021

The parable of the Talents must be heard in the context of Matthew’s storyline. Jerusalem is about to fall. Jesus has repeatedly warned everyone to make ready for the end. In American terms, the market is about to crash forever. The makers of widgets and the economy that supports them are doomed. In this context, only a fool (or someone who has not read Matthew—is that a tautology?) would take the Parable of the Talents as advice on how to engage people to build a better marketing plan.

Quite the opposite, Matthew’s story is a cautionary tale against trusting in mammon, which is of little use in light of chapter 24. So why do we repeatedly blaspheme Matthew’s teaching by using his parable to talk about material things like stewardship and building programs? For the same reason our society belittles teachers and worships the merchant class: because given a choice between God and mammon, we choose mammon.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 25:19-23.

Episode 386 Matthew 25:19-23; Music:

A Successful Company by MusicLFiles
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7966-a-successful-company
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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It’s a Big Deal Jun 22, 2021

In Scripture, Fr. Paul explains, when a word can be removed without being missed, it’s usually an indication of the term’s significance in the broader storyline. (Episode 175)

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Take It and Work It Jun 17, 2021

The Parable of the Talents is a story about work assignments. How much work can each person do? How will each person—from the least to the greatest—be judged for the results of their work? Everyone is accountable for doing this work. What is the work assignment in Matthew? Obviously (for those who have ears to hear), to do the will of the Father of Jesus. In the Parable of the Talents, to work God’s field with the heavy investment of his ordinances until he returns. Not to bury it, but to work it and expand it to all nations and the four corners of the earth.

Richard and Fr. Marc work Matthew 25:16-18.

Episode 385 Matthew 25:16-18; Music:

Round Drums by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4308-round-drums
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Interlocked Jun 15, 2021

In today's program, Fr. Paul notes the unmissable parallel between Genesis 22 and 26. As always, it's only unmissable, he explains, when you hear Genesis in the original Hebrew. (Episode 174)

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In the Fear of God Jun 10, 2021

No parable is more widely abused than the Parable of the Talents. On the heels of a series of Matthean stories that warn of destruction and judgment, the Master assigns a duty to each of his slaves in anticipation, yet again, of the coming judgment. He does not want their money. He has no interest in their stewardship plans or building programs. Nowhere is their talk of parish growth or volunteer sign-up sheets. Lastly, and most importantly, when Matthew uses the word “talents,” he is not talking about our special, unique gifts from God. He is talking about the content of St. Paul’s teaching.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 25:14-15.

Episode 384 Matthew 25:14-15; Music:

As I Figure by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3383-as-i-figure
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Abraham’s Obedience Jun 08, 2021

In this week’s episode Fr. Paul’s explains Abraham’s obedience and its functions in the content of the Pauline epistles. (Episode 173)

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The Jury is Still Out Jun 03, 2021

People who live comfortably look to religion as a source of comfort and stability. They construct their religious worldview as the Pharaohs of old built pyramids of stone: to maintain a self-serving status quo.

Nobody living in comfort wants their situation to change. Nobody wants to answer for their sins. Nobody wants to stand before the terrible and dread judgment seat of Christ. That’s why nobody wants to hear what the gospel of Matthew is saying. But whether you hear it or not, truly, truly, I say to you: it still applies.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 25:10-13.

Episode 383 Matthew 25:10-13; Music:

Anguish by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3373-anguish
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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One of a Kind Jun 01, 2021

Today, Fr. Paul begins his discussion of Genesis 22, correcting the common mistranslation “only son” while noting the passage’s interconnection with the servant poems of Isaiah, and later, the New Testament. (Episode 172)

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Bread and Oil May 27, 2021

For those who impose a triumphalist or sectarian premise on the Bible, it is impossible to hear the Parable of the Ten Virgins. Even if they accept Matthew’s warning that the church will be judged—even if they understand that the virgins represent churches—they immediately assume that their church is numbered among the prudent. But the very fact of a Matthean reckoning implies that the jury is still out for all of us. So, the question is, is the body of our church prepared for the arrival of the Bridegroom? Since all ten virgins (representing all the churches of the earth) were found sleeping at the wheel, how did some manage to survive? What should your church be doing to scrape by on that day, despite itself?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 25:5-9.

Episode 382 Matthew 25:5-9; Music:

Pulse by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4250-pulse
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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The Scriptural Premise May 25, 2021

This week Fr. Paul explains that the God of Scripture controls life and death, noting the advantage of using extreme examples when teaching. (Episode 171)

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Epilogue: Create in Me a Clean Heart May 25, 2021

Fr. Marc and Richard reflect on their editorial decision regarding Fr. Fouad Saba’s speech in Chicago on May 20, 2021.

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Create in Me a Clean Heart May 23, 2021

Fr. Fouad Saba, Chicago, May 20, 2021.

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Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth May 20, 2021

The Lord’s warning in Matthew 10, “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword,” (10:34) is often abused as a justification for militarism. In truth, as with so much biblical imagery, this verse exemplifies the Bible’s Ezekielian appropriation of the kingly symbols of power. The sword, the destruction of cities, exile, the decimation of populations by half, violent retribution against wicked leaders, and now, in Matthew 25, the casting out of the imprudent, all point back to the division heralded by Jesus in Matthew 10.

Wherever the Torah is preached, the Lord brings division: “one will be taken,” he proclaims, “and one will be left.” (24:40-41)

Therefore, Paul warns Timothy:

“Study, to present yourself approved to God, as a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 24:1-4.

Episode 381 Matthew 25:1-4; Music:

Twisted by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4552-twisted
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Not Before the Time May 18, 2021

This week Fr. Paul explains that God himself will assess our function concerning our brother on the last day, based on the content of the Torah. (Episode 170)

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“But,” Not “So” May 13, 2021

The challenge of hearing Scripture has never been more difficult. Each of us is trained to hear what we want to hear. We decide what we think about God before we crack the first page. Then, when God says or does something that does not confirm or conform to the graven image in our mind, we tighten our blinders, adjust our earplugs, and fine-tune our theology to work around what is written. We excuse and defend our well-fashioned idol when we should be feeding our brothers and sisters with the bread of the gospel, as instructed.

“Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.”

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 24:45-51.

Episode 380 Matthew 24:45-51; Music:

Cool Rock by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3552-cool-rock
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Scripture Unedited May 11, 2021

This week Fr. Paul discusses the implications of the creation of human beings out of the dust of the ground. (Episode 169)

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Grigoreo! May 06, 2021

Names have functional meaning. Students of this podcast know that our ability to hear a name spoken in the original language can unlock the meaning of a sentence, within a paragraph, within a story. In some cases, a common word taken from the story, like γρηγορέω, enters spoken language as a proper noun, unlocking the story’s meaning in everyday situations.

In 2021, I’m rooting for εμβολιάζω.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 24:42-44.

Episode 379 Matthew 24:42-44; Music:

Carpe Diem by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3478-carpe-diem

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Curse and Destruction May 04, 2021

This week Fr. Paul explains the importance of the parallel between the Hebrew words Tohu wa-bohu and ʻâphâr in Genesis. (Episode 168)

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Christ is Risen! May 01, 2021

Paschal Greetings from the Bible as Literature Podcast.

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Vexed! May 01, 2021

In the inaugural episode of Vexed, Andrea explains the meaning of the program's title.

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Doulos: It is Vexed! May 01, 2021

The Paschal Homily of St. John Chrysostom rallies excitement among Orthodox Christians every Easter. We are called to "rejoice together – rich and poor, sober and slothful" – a poignant reminder for those who quibble over divisions among us today.

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But of That Day Apr 29, 2021

In the film Avengers: Infinity War, the story’s arch-villain, Thanos, destroys one-half of humanity with the snap of a finger. In the Book of Genesis, and later, in the Gospel of Matthew, one-half of humanity is threatened, not by an arch-villain, but by God himself. This mechanism, in which God undermines instead of lifting up, in which heroes fall instead of rising, is the Bible’s literary bulwark against the machinations of imperialism. Unfortunately for Jerusalem and Rome—unlike the Marvel Cinematic Universe—if the Lord snaps his fingers in the Bible, it can’t be undone.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 24:36-41.

Episode 378 Matthew 24:36-41; Music:

Take a Chance by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4457-take-a-chance
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Strength Of The Titans by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5744-strength-of-the-titans
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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ṣaddîq and yāḵaḥ Apr 27, 2021

This week, Fr. Paul takes the opportunity of our questions to stress the difference between the Hebrew terms ṣaddîq and yāḵaḥ. (Episode 167)

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These Words Are Permanent Apr 22, 2021

It’s been nearly two millennia since Matthew’s Gospel was written—that’s roughly 80 generations. Every 25 years, for the last 2000 years, every generation has been warned about the end, but the end has not yet come.

So what does Jesus mean when he says, “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place”?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 24:32-35.

Episode 376 Matthew 24:32-34; Music:

Cinematic Suspense Series Episode 008 by Sascha Ende®
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7669-cinematic-suspense-series-episode-008
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Progeny and Lies Apr 20, 2021

In the Bible, Fr. Paul explains, Abe is not honest, the nations look good, and (sorry Plato) life is not about you. (Episode 166)

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The Things Which God Destroys Apr 15, 2021

As Matthew 24 consolidates the fall of Jerusalem (and therefore, the fall of Rome) the centrality of St. Paul’s teaching of the Cross comes clearly into view. The glory of God’s Kingdom can only be present to us through the destruction of human infrastructure and might.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 24:29-31.

Episode 376 Matthew 24:29-31; Music:

Edm Detection Mode by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4987-edm-detection-mode
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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The Roman Household Apr 13, 2021

Today, Fr. Paul begins his discussion of Genesis 20, noting functional parallels with the Roman household in the New Testament. (Episode 165)

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The Truth is Not Out There Apr 08, 2021

In Matthew’s gospel, it’s the teaching you follow that controls how you understand what you see. So when “false Christs and false prophets arise and show great signs and wonders,” your only hope is to hear what Jesus told you in advance: the truth is not out there. “On the contrary, the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may follow it.” (Deuteronomy 30:14)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 24:23-28.

Episode 375 Matthew 24:23-28; Music:

March of the Spoons by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4021-march-of-the-spoons
License

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A Human Being is a Human Being Apr 06, 2021

In this week’s program, Fr. Paul takes questions on Genesis 19 dealing with the action of Lot’s daughters and the trap of reading in translation. (Episode 164)

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Escape from Jerusalem Apr 02, 2021

It is human instinct to nest before giving birth, pack before a trip, and plan around bad weather. Safety, supplies, and comfort are the hallmarks of city life—or so we tell ourselves. But what to do when destruction comes? When human nesting instincts can’t save a nursing mother, and you don’t have time to grab your supplies? Leave the city, Matthew exclaims, and follow Jesus into the wilderness.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 24:19-22.

Episode 374 Matthew 24:19-22; Music:

Take the Lead by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4458-take-the-lead
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Grace is for Free Mar 30, 2021

In today’s program, Fr. Paul notes the interplay between Genesis and Ezekiel and the remembrance of God’s promise to Abraham. (Episode 163)

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Fear is the Enemy Mar 25, 2021

Power and ideology are joined at the hip. There’s no point in saying “religious” ideology since (and let’s be honest with ourselves) all ideology in all its forms—secular or otherwise—is religion predicated on fear. Will we have enough? Will we be safe? Will we suffer?

In Matthew, the answer is clear: God will provide what you need, you may not be safe, and you will likely suffer. Your fear of these things, encoded in your ideologies, is what gives power to those who oppress you and you the power to oppress.

So stop being a coward and start trusting in the voice of the Shepherd, contained in his scroll.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 24:15-19.

Episode 373 Matthew 24:15-19; Music:

Ethernight Club by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/7612-ethernight-club
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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The Just Judge Mar 23, 2021

This week, Fr. Paul begins his discussion of Genesis 19, explaining God’s just judgment in the story. (Episode 162)

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The Bible Interprets Itself Mar 18, 2021

When we refer to an interpretation or discuss interpretation theories, we do so to claim authority over the text or to avoid accountability. A written text in any language says what it says. You need only see with your eyes what is written on the pages. Note the use of the plural: “pages.” You have to take it all in, over and over again, paying close attention to the original languages. The act of searching the text is not theory. It is an action. Either you search the text or you don’t. We like to debate interpretations and theories of interpretation because it is much, much easier than spending the rest of our lives pouring over and hearing the words on the page. Unfortunately, the only way to hear what someone is saying is to actually listen to what they say. If we are not doing this, everything we say about the Bible is vain talk.

So don’t ask what a word means. Instead, search the Bible from cover to cover and learn how the Bible itself interprets that word. In Matthew’s gospel, you’ll quickly discover that Matthew is talking about Matthew’s gospel.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 24:9-14.

Episode 372 Matthew 24:9-14; Music:

Thatched Villagers by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4481-thatched-villagers
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Put in His Place Mar 16, 2021

This week, Fr. Paul concludes Genesis 18 noting the self-righteousness of Abraham. (Episode 161)

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Inscribed on Your Brain Mar 11, 2021

It’s tempting to think that the study of literature—the discipline of hearing and understanding the written word—is more accessible than the so-called “hard sciences.” Our collective laziness bolsters this ill-conceived but commonly held view. Unlike Semitic languages, anyone can pronounce English words correctly without analyzing grammar or syntax. This basic fact enables an army of post-modern charlatans to ramble endlessly about “what the Bible means to them.”

A written text in any language says what it says. In the Bible’s case, the text was written before us and existed without us for millennia. To the extent we factor ourselves into its meaning, we are incapable of hearing what the author presented to another audience long before we were born.

Don’t be misled, Jesus warns. You can’t read the signs until the Bible rewrites you.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 24:4-8

Episode 371 Matthew 24:4-8; Music:

Hitman by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3880-hitman
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Broken Hearts Mar 09, 2021

In this week’s episode Fr. Paul begins his reading of Genesis 18. (Episode 160)

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A Whirling Graveyard Mar 04, 2021

It is practically impossible for human beings to consider any question without worrying about what’s in it for them. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for us, the Lord’s teaching in Matthew disallows this question. Jesus blows past the many anxious and self-involved human questions to posit the post-apocalyptic, divine premise of Genesis: everything created is already returning to the dust. Based on this premise, there is only one question: is there anything that does not pass away?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 24:1-3.

Episode 370 Matthew 24:1-3; Music:

Darkest Child by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3615-darkest-child
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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The Scriptural Canaan Mar 02, 2021

This week, Fr. Paul concludes his discussion of Genesis 17. (Episode 159)

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A Desolate House Feb 25, 2021

Heralding his Father’s Kingdom, Jesus bookends the conquest of Jerusalem in Matthew with the same words that announced his entrance: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Ending this section with a warning: “from now on you will not see me until you say” Matthew’s gospel extends God’s mercy to Jerusalem one last time. All of us have one final chance to confess our unrighteousness; One last opportunity to seek shelter under God’s wings instead of security wrought by the work of our own hands.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 23:37-39.

Episode 369 Matthew 23:37-39; Music:

Big Drumming by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/7524-big-drumming
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Inclusive, Not Exclusive Feb 23, 2021

In today’s program, Fr. Paul explains that circumcision was given to undermine Hellenistic culture. (Episode 158)

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The Avenger Feb 18, 2021

Whether fighting for your values or fighting for justice, Matthew’s gospel begs the question: who are you fighting? In human narratives—egotistical by nature—you are the good guy, fighting your enemy. This compelling personal narrative, born of ego and shaped by your experience, is a rejection of God. In Scripture, you, yourself, are the Lord’s enemy.

Instead of trying to bring the Bible to your life—to make it relevant for today—so that you can judge your neighbor, you must transport yourself into the Bible’s world, where you are judged, where you are the hypocrite of Matthew 23.

To borrow a line from Brian Morton: “We’d all be better readers if we realized that it isn’t the writer who’s the time traveler. It’s the reader.”

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 23:33-36.

Episode 368 Matthew 23:33-36; Music:

Heroic Age by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3870-heroic-age
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Circumcision of the Heart Feb 16, 2021

This week, Fr. Paul begins his discussion of Genesis 17, noting the significance of name changes in the Bible. (Episode 157)

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A Light to the Nations Feb 11, 2021

Ancestor worship is as old as dirt. Whether we lift up our ancestors or condemn them, our true concern is how others see us and what our children will think of us. We pontificate about being on “the right side of history” because we want to be right, even as the Prophets announce the condemnation of history and the Law proclaims that all of us are wrong.

In Matthew, Jesus exposes the whole conversation as a big scam. The question is not which ancestor was right. On the contrary, the point is that all humans are unrighteous and no better than those who went before us.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 23:29-32.

Episode 367 Matthew 23:29-32; Music:

Trouble With Tribals by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/6427-trouble-with-tribals
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Beer-lahai-roi Feb 09, 2021

In this weeks episode, Fr. Paul concludes his discussion of Genesis 16, noting the appearance and subsequent itinerary of Beer-lahai-roi. (Episode 156)

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False Prophets Feb 04, 2021

In Ezekiel 13, the prophet warns against those who speak their own words, the inspiration of their own thoughts, from their own heart. Such prophets, Ezekiel warns, spread lies and build whitewashed walls; the Lord is against them, he warns, and the work of their hands will surely fall.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 23:25-28.

Episode 366 Matthew 23:25-28; Music:

Unnatural Situation by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4567-unnatural-situation
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Hagar Feb 02, 2021

Elucidating the Hebrew scripture by means of his knowledge of Arabic and drawing upon the Latin text, this week Fr. Paul discusses the mistreatment of Hagar and the interesting play on Exodus in Genesis 16. (Episode 155)

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Blind Guides Jan 28, 2021

The benefit of following a lectionary is that it forces those in church to hear the assigned reading with no regard for who is present, how they sin, or what they prefer to hear. If they are present, the judgment of the reading applies to them. Period. Full stop.

When we deceive ourselves, picking and choosing the reading or the verse; when we attempt to discern what should be emphasized or what we think applies to us; we imagine that we are something, when we are nothing. We make ourselves a god.

In the Bible, the only thing worse than a city-builder is a city-builder with a god complex.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 23:23-24.

Episode 365 Matthew 23:23-24; Music:

Gearhead by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3799-gearhead
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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This is What Sheep Do Jan 26, 2021

This week Fr. Paul reiterates that scripture calls all the nations to live in their cities as though they were sheep in the wilderness. (Episode 154)

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Above the Heavens Jan 21, 2021

Be they religious or philosophical, human systems of thought seek to discern what is good and what is evil. The Gospel of Matthew dynamites this approach by usurping human power structures and dismantling human ethics, replacing both with God’s divine judgment, firmly seated outside our control and beyond our understanding.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 23:16-22.

Episode 364 Matthew 23:16-22; Music:

MTA by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4009-mta
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Covenant with Abram Jan 19, 2021

In today’s episode, Fr. Paul begins his discussion of Genesis 15 and the covenant with Abram. (Episode 153)

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Do Not Become Like Us Jan 14, 2021

Following the Old Testament’s line, which sets Israel apart to demonstrate that Israel is no better, Matthew’s condemnation of the Scribes and Pharisees consolidates the Bible’s rejection of exceptionalism.

Where nations, religions, institutions, social groupings, and even families scramble to proclaim, “become like us,” resoundingly, the biblical writers warn everyone, “do not become like us!”

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 23:13-15.

Episode 363 Matthew 23:13-15; Music:

Eastern Thought by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3692-eastern-thought
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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King of Salem Jan 12, 2021

This week, Fr. Paul concludes his discussion of Genesis 14, noting the special meaning of Melchizedek’s name and the significance of the rare designation, priest of God Most High. (Episode 152)

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Humiliation Jan 07, 2021

While American Christians fight for social relevance in the culture wars, the writers of the New Testament cancel themselves.

Enough said.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 23:5-12.

Episode 362 Matthew 23:5-12; Music:

Terminal by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4478-terminal
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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We Are Not It Jan 05, 2021

In today’s episode, Fr. Paul kicks off the new year with a discussion of Genesis 14, noting that the people do not return to the so-called land of Canaan but to the heavenly Zion. (Episode 151)

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Do Not Lead by Example Dec 31, 2020

Blinded by extreme solipsism, it is practically impossible for Americans to recognize—let alone obey—correct words spoken on the lips of people we consider wrong or evil.

Where God uses the hypocrisy of his followers to enlighten the world, we use the same to destroy it. Like childish teenagers reveling in stupidity and empty rebellion, we use the hypocrisy of others to avoid accountability for our own. We embrace destruction to prove that we don’t have to listen.

Thankfully, Jesus addressed this sin long before there was a United States, and his words will stand long after we are gone:

"The scribes and the Pharisees are seated on the chair of Moses; so practice and observe whatever they tell you...” (Matthew 23:2-3)

If ever there were a New Year’s pledge that could save the country, this is it.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 23:1-4.

Episode 361 Matthew 23:1-4; Music:

Jackhammer by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4065-jackhammer
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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Shepherd Lingo Dec 29, 2020

In this week’s episode, Fr. Paul explains that Genesis 13 provides the lexicon for the rest of the story. (Episode 150)

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Whose Son is He? Dec 24, 2020

On this Christmas Eve, it is important to remember that the birth of Jesus is good news for the poor and the oppressed because it heralds the ascendancy of God’s Law over the tyranny of human authorities.

Beginning with David and then Caesar, even now, Jesus the Christ tramples underfoot every pretender to his Father’s throne.

“For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet; and the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” (1 Corinthians 15:25-26)

May the birth of Jesus Christ put to death all human claims on power; may the poor eat and be satisfied; and may those whoa are proud upon the earth be scattered in the imagination of their hearts.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 22:41-46.

Episode 360 Matthew 22:41-46; Music:

Ignosi by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3899-ignosi
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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In Spite of Abraham Dec 22, 2020

In today’s program Fr. Paul notes that God continues his promise in spite of Abram, touching briefly on the Epistle for the Sunday before Christmas from St. Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews. (Episode 149)

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Pecking Order Dec 17, 2020

If any human ability can be said to manifest the power of God, it is our ability to speak. When we speak words, there are only two possibilities: 1. That we are saying something informed and useful, meaning we teach something, or, 2. That our speech is uninformed and unhelpful, and therefore, destructive. For the biblical tradition, there is no middle ground on this point. When you speak, you are responsible for teaching; moreover, in the sight of God, when you teach, you had better know what you are talking about.

That is why, in Mathew, the love of God’s law precedes the love of neighbor.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 22:34-40.

Episode 359 Matthew 22:34-40; Music:

Greko (Sketch) by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3826-greko-sketch-
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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The Covenant of Circumcision Dec 15, 2020

In today’s program, Fr. Paul concludes his discussion of Abram by touching on the covenant of circumcision. (Episode 148)

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All Earthly Cares Dec 10, 2020

It is genuinely tragic that religion, intended to set our minds on heavenly things, is repeatedly debased by the preoccupation of religious people with worldly things. The biblical story calls us to look past human transience to the things that are eternal—“the things,” Jesus teaches, that pertain “to God.”

Meanwhile, the fundamentalists in Matthew are debating property rights.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 22:29-33.

Episode 358 Matthew 22:29-33; Music:

Sunday Dub by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4435-sunday-dub
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Chosen But Not Special Dec 08, 2020

This week Fr. Paul explains that Israel is chosen in Scripture, not because it is special, but in order to demonstrate that all the nations, including Israel, are the same. (Episode 147)

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Of Course They Say That Dec 03, 2020

If you are happy with the way things are—if you own property, if your business is thriving, if existing social and religious institutions work in your favor, the last thing you want in your town is a prophet. A prophet brings news that God will bring an end to the current situation. A prophet warns of God’s wrath and judgment. In fulfillment of the prophets, Jesus proclaims this judgment in the Resurrection and the coming Kingdom.

Of course the Sadducees say there is no Resurrection.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 22:23-28.

Episode 357 Matthew 22:23-28; Music:

Beach Party by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3429-beach-party
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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An Ominous Joke Dec 01, 2020

Today, Fr. Paul concludes his discussion of the oaks, emphasizing the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.(Episode 146)

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They Still Don’t Get It Nov 26, 2020

In a parable seemingly written for our present historical moment, this week’s reading from Matthew dynamites any and all claims made by any and all people on social, moral, economic, civic, legal, or cultural dominance. Pharisees and Herodians—the would-be government of Jerusalem—want to take control away from Caesar's sitting government, itself a religion organized around a self-proclaimed “Son of God.” Each party wants control of the Temple-Palace complex. That last bit is critical. The Temple and the Palace were a single institution in the ancient world. That’s why the Pharisees dragged the Herodians into the debate. In Matthew, this debate is not between church and state, as is often and cheaply claimed, but between two human religious factions, Jews and Gentiles, each self-organized around the lust for power.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 22:15-22.

May the Lord bless your Thanksgiving table with gratitude for his bounty, heaped generously upon our unkindness toward one another, and may he have mercy upon us.

Episode 356 Matthew 22:15-22; Music:

I Feel You by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3894-i-feel-you
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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The Oaks Nov 24, 2020

In today’s program, Fr. Paul reminds us that the Bible is a totality, with all its stories written together, in tandem. (Episode 145)

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Jesus Doesn’t Need Friends Nov 19, 2020

In the year of our Lord 2020, Matthew’s warning that we are not to judge our neighbor draws a scowl from those who hear it, even as Christians themselves dismiss it. No sooner do we give lip service to this teaching than we scramble to find self-justifying theories that separate us from others. We want to know that we are right; that we are safe; that we can protect and control what we have: we want assurances that God has chosen us.

We want to be called his friends.

Friend, in Matthew’s gospel, that is not good news.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 22:8-14.

Episode 355 Matthew 22:8-14; Music:

Longing and Concern by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3999-longing-and-concern
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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The Story of Abram Nov 17, 2020

In today’s program Fr. Paul touches on the importance of God’s blessings and curses at the beginning of Genesis 12. (Episode 144)

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We Are All Guests Nov 12, 2020

In Matthew’s gospel, the notion of a guest is a useful metaphor. A guest owns nothing, controls nothing, provides nothing, and can do nothing when the host asks them to leave. If you hate being at the mercy of another, the best way to deal with their invitation is to throw it in the trash.

Unfortunately for those who shun God’s invite in Matthew, the Lord is not from Minnesota, and, as such, his aggression against them is definitely not passive.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 22:1-7.

Episode 354 Matthew 22:1-7; Music:

Stormfront by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Nahor Nov 10, 2020

In today’s program, Fr. Paul returns to his general commentary on the book of Genesis with a discussion of the literary hinge or turning point at the end of Genesis 11, which serves as a jumping off point to the so called “scriptural story” of Abraham. (Episode 143)

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Hope in Destruction Nov 05, 2020

When human beings seek security and safety, they base their defense on brick and mortar buttressed by a fierce criticism of those they deem unrighteous. What to do when that criticism bounces back like a missile, and your only defense is the stone of instruction, which you rejected?

21:25 women are going to have children

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 21:40-45.

Episode 353 Matthew 21:40-45; Music:

Poofy Reel by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4228-poofy-reel
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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He Does Whatever He Pleases Nov 03, 2020

This week, Fr. Paul concludes his series on the Itinerant word in Genesis 1-11 noting the centrality of divine judgment and the folly of human ethics. (Episode 142)

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Running Out of Chances Oct 29, 2020

When Matthew—or any other gospel—applies a text from the Old Testament, that’s exactly what it is: an application of something old to a new situation. The original teaching itself is static, but the way it is used depends on the new situation presented by the author. In the case of Isaiah 5, we know that the Lord is frustrated with worseless fruit, something Matthew addressed earlier in the curse of the fig tree, so why does Matthew bring up the parable of the vineyard?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 21:33-39.

Episode 352 Matthew 21:33-39; Music:

Trio for Piano, Cello, and Clarinet by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4547-trio-for-piano-cello-and-clarinet
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Decoding Genesis 1-11 Oct 27, 2020

Exactly fifty years ago on Monday, October 26 1970, Fr. Paul gave his first lecture at Balamand Seminary in Lebanon, marking the beginning of his incredible academic career. This week, on Monday, October 26, 2020, OCAB Press announced the publication of his latest book, Decoding Genesis 1-11. Touching on themes from this book, in today’s program Fr. Paul explains that Psalms 7, 8 and 9 are meant to be heard together as a trilogy. (Episode 141)

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Talk Is Cheap Oct 22, 2020

When anyone gathers to accomplish a task, there are plenty of people who express a willingness to help and no shortage of expert opinions about the work itself and how it should be completed. Great. With all this amazing expertise and positive thinking, there should be no trouble completing the task, right? Guess again.

One way to solve this problem is to pay people and hold them accountable if they do not deliver. This is the most effective way.

Another approach might be to tap peoples’ motivations, play on their emotions, or otherwise employ psychology to feed their ego in some way. In the field of social media, this is called a “free service.” You get to use a bunch of “free” technology that feels great, so long as you let it suck your soul, monetize your personal life, waste your time, and accelerate the demise of your civilization. In this approach, you don’t tell someone to do something because it is necessary or correct. You lie to them in order to get what you want. Some people refer to this as success.n

The third option is called, “the cause.” If someone is committed to the cause, even when they do not want to do the work, get nothing from it and take no pleasure in it—even when they protest—they get it done. Only when someone does the work under this pressure—against their will—can the Lord be certain that their praise is not empty lip service.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 21:28-32.

Episode 351 Matthew 21:28-32; Music:

Faster Does It by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3741-faster-does-it
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Thou Hast Diminished Him Oct 20, 2020

This week, Fr. Paul begins his discussion of Psalm 82 and Psalm 8 as they relate to Genesis 1-11. (Episode 140)

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Consigned to Ignorance Oct 15, 2020

In Matthew 13, Jesus invokes the prophecy of Isaiah against those unable to grasp his teaching because of their ignorance of Scripture:

“Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says:

‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; for the heart of this people has become dull, with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes, otherwise they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and i would heal them.’

Perhaps that’s why, after having cursed the fig tree, Jesus consigns the chief priests and the elders of the people to wallow in their ignorance.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 21:23-27.

Episode 350 Matthew 21:23-27; Music:

Blown Away - No Percussion by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3447-blown-away---no-percussion
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/g

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It Has to Be Real Oct 13, 2020

This week Fr. Paul concludes his discussion of the term field, revisiting critical themes from previous episodes, and challenging the common practice of defining words. (Episode 139)

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An Expiration on Grace Oct 08, 2020

Critics of the Bible puzzle over cursed fig trees and bristle at violence in the Old Testament, all the while ambivalent to modern atrocities carried out in the name of civil society. One need look no further than the forgotten children of Syria, the devastation in Yemen, or the violence committed against migrant children in this country to understand why biblical metaphor employs the currency of violence.

We are shocked by biblical violence because we are blind to the violence already in our hearts. The lesson of the fig tree is a warning to those who dwell in cities built by violence: there is an expiration date on God’s patience with the cruelty of human hands.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 21:18-22.

Episode 349 Matthew 21:18-22; Music:

Unnatural Situation by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4567-unnatural-situation
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Meaning, Connotation, and Function Oct 06, 2020

In today’s program Fr. Paul continues his discussion of the word “field” in Genesis, noting that the term has a meaning, a connotation, and a function in the Bible. (Episode 138)

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True Worship Oct 01, 2020

When human beings think of worship, our natural inclination is to understand prayer as a bargain with God: if I praise you, Lord, this will happen for me. If we praise you correctly, we will prosper. If we praise you, our “righteous” goals will be achieved. From this idolatrous and self-serving fundamentalism proceeds all manner of evil: People who engage in wickedness imagine that they are pure; they approach God in prayer thinking not of their sins but of others; by way of a delusional self-portrait of cultic purity, such worshippers impose their will on their neighbor, often with violence. In Matthew, Jesus pushes back against these lies, showing us, instead, that true worship must be offered from a position of weakness.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 21:12-17.

Episode 348 Matthew 21:12-17; Music:

Highlight Reel by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3876-highlight-reel
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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The Spirit of God Sep 29, 2020

This Week, before entering into a discussion of the word “field”, Fr. Paul takes a question from Richard regarding the Spirit of God in Scripture. (Episode 137)

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Victory March Sep 24, 2020

In the triumphant entry into Jerusalem portrayed in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is adorned with the standard symbols of a Roman procession: the crowds, evoking bread and circuses; the donkey, a mockery of Caesar Augustus who elevated his stallion to the rank of consul; the gossip in the city, “who is this,” evoking the image of a rising star, a general returning to Rome in victory, suddenly thrust onto center stage.

But unlike other generals, Jesus did not enter the city to win its favor, but to destroy it through his defeat, transferring all power and victory to the throne of his Father.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 21:6-11.

Episode 347 Matthew 21:6-11; Music:

The Path of the Goblin King by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4503-the-path-of-the-goblin-king
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Through the Nostrils Sep 22, 2020

This week, Fr. Paul notes that the phrase "spiritual life" is nowhere to be found in the Bible, which speaks instead of life bestowed by the Spirit. (Episode 136)

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A Plan in Motion Sep 17, 2020

In battle, the US Marine Corps trains their soldiers to “adapt, improvise, and overcome” in carrying out the mission. Leading up to Matthew 21, Jesus has been making plans to carry out his mission with little help from his followers. Only now, on the eve of battle, does he find two able recruits—two blind men—willing to listen. So Jesus adapts and improvises. In place of James and John, he sends two scruffy blind militia ahead to scout the terrain. As to whether or not Jesus overcomes, you may have to re-read St. Paul’s letters a few hundred times before you can hear Matthew’s answer. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 21:1-5.

Episode 346 Matthew 21:1-5; Music:

Darkling by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3616-darkling
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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ḥorbah, ḥarabah, yabbašah Sep 15, 2020

In today’s program, Fr. Paul explains that in Scripture, the same item or reality can be either life-giving or disastrous, according to the will of God. (Episode 135)

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What Do You Will? Sep 10, 2020

In Matthew, the question of faith or “trust” in the Lord is not a matter of confession, but action. In chapter 9, two blind men proclaimed their trust in Jesus only to disobey him. In chapter 20, we find the same template—two bling men; but now, with Jerusalem just around the corner, the stakes are much higher. Instead of questioning their trust, Jesus cuts directly to the chase, asking whether or not they submit their will to the will of his Father. Where James and John failed, can two blind beggars fill-in?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 20:29-34.

Episode 345 Matthew 20:29-34; Music:

The Second Coming Instrumental by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4507-the-second-coming-instrumental
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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The Sea Animals Sep 08, 2020

This week, Fr. Paul explains that in Genesis, with respect to their behavior, human beings must follow the lead of the sea animals. (Episode 134)

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To Serve as a Slave Sep 03, 2020

Unlike human philosophy, which re-imagines the world in its image, imposing the ruthless and violent ego of liberal and conservative idealism, Scripture takes the world as it is—with unparalleled attention to facts on the ground—co-opting social structures to serve its agenda. The first produces violence against the other side; the latter calls all of us to crucifixion for our enemies' sake.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 20:24-28.

Episode 344 Matthew 20:24-28; Music:

Eighties Action by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3703-eighties-action
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Instruments of God’s Will Sep 01, 2020

This week, Fr. Paul explains that in Genesis, the sun and the moon are emasculated by the author and the heavens—looked upon as the realm of the of the gods—are brought down to the level of the earth. (Episode 133)

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Not Mine to Give Aug 27, 2020

The difficulty for Christians who aspire to positions of influence and power, is that the top person within the framework they inhabit became the lowest person in the eyes of the world. What can a Christian aspire to if the crown of their leader’s ministry is failure and defeat? What does the mother of the sons of Zebedee expect Jesus to offer her sons, beyond the Cross?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 20:20-23.

Episode 343 Matthew 20:20-23; Music:

Iron Bacon by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3925-iron-bacon
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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The Dry One Aug 25, 2020

This week, Fr. Paul explains that, according to the text, the heavenly waters and the earthly waters are one element that had to be separated into two functional entities. (Episode 132)

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The Anti-Imperial Throne Aug 20, 2020

As Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way he said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and will hand him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify him, and on the third day he will be raised up.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 20:17-19.

Episode 342 Matthew 20:17-19; Music:

Opium by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4172-opium
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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The Day is Defined by God Aug 18, 2020

In this week’s episode, Fr. Paul refers to 1 Thessalonians 5 to help illustrate the reality of Genesis 1, in which darkness and the waters function negatively. (Episode 131)

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The Marketplace of Humanity Aug 13, 2020

As contemporary society struggles with questions of equity and power, all of us would do well to consider the radical proposition of Scripture, which demotes everyone to the lowest level, assigns some to exercise an unequal authority for its purposes, and then demotes the latter along with everyone else, leaving them in a worse position.

“So the last shall be first, and the first last.” (Matthew 20:16)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 20:1-16.

Episode 341 Matthew 20:1-16; Music:

Sonatina in C Minor by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4393-sonatina-in-c-minor
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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The Big Deal with Hibdil Aug 11, 2020

This week, Fr. Paul explains how the verb hibdil in Genesis holds one day, day two, and day four together, defining the functionality of the heavens in conjunction with the earth. (Episode 130)

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The First Will Be Last Aug 06, 2020

When Peter approaches Jesus to ask, “what then will there be for us,” (Matthew 19:27) his question betrays two sins: first, his belief that he has done the right thing, and, second, his expectation that he deserves a reward for his actions.

In his response, Jesus tests both Peter and the addressee of Matthew’s Gospel: is it a reward to be seated in power?

“But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.” (Matthew 19:30)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 19:27-30.

Episode 340 Matthew 19:27-30; Music:
Pilot Error by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4216-pilot-error
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Darkness and Waters Aug 04, 2020

In today’s program, Fr. Paul explains the “organic and not emotionally poetic oneness of the heavens and the earth” noting that the second creation narrative begins again with the mention of the waters. (Episode 129)

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No Good Thing Jul 30, 2020

Among the disastrous consequences of the Synoptic thesis of the gospels is the erasure of each individual author’s intent. Is there a generalized parable of the Rich Man that happens to appear in Matthew, or is there a teaching of Matthew that retools the parable to say something different than the other gospels? If we assume a generalized parable, we blind ourselves, and shut our ears to Matthew’s account of the teaching of Jesus Christ. God forbid!

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 19:16-23.

Episode 339 Matthew 19:16-23; Music:

Enter the Party by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3713-enter-the-party
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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The Heavens and the Earth Jul 28, 2020

This week, Fr. Paul highlights the function of the heavens’ priority within the purview of the author, reminding us that the pairing of the heavens and the earth signifies an encompassing reality, a totality.(Episode 128)

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Mic Drop Jul 23, 2020

Then the word of the Lord came to Zechariah saying, “Thus has the Lord of hosts said, ‘Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother; and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.’ But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing. They made their hearts like flint so that they could not hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the Lord of hosts. And just as He called and they would not listen, so they called and I would not listen,” says the Lord of hosts.(Zechariah 7:8–13)

And after hearing all that Jesus said in Matthew 18, the disciples scolded the little children and told them to go away.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 19:13–15.

Episode 338 Matthew 19:13–15; Music:

Virtutes Instrumenti by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4590-virtutes-instrumenti
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Part of the Whole Jul 21, 2020

In today’s program, Fr. Paul explains that Genesis, like all other books of the Bible, is part of a whole, and cannot be understood until all the pieces are brought together. (Episode 127)

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Mission Priority Jul 16, 2020

Nothing irritates a person of responsibility more than someone or something that distracts from the issue at hand. Faced with distraction, a wise manager acts quickly to get the team back on track. Whatever the disturbance, the manager’s goal is to settle the matter soon so that the team can stay on task to complete the mission. That’s what St. Paul does in 1 Corinthians 7, and that’s exactly what Matthew picks up on in chapter 19 of his gospel.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 19:10-12.

Episode 337 Matthew 19:10-12; Music:

Lamentation by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3965-lamentation

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Is That for Real? Jul 14, 2020

This week, Fr. Paul conintues his discussion of functionality and the meaning of words revisiting the biblical verb bara. (Episode 126)

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Certificate of Divorce? Jul 09, 2020

When children argue, they lobby their parents to choose a side. An unwise parent intervenes to solve the conflict, deciding who is right and who is wrong. This parent is unwise, because no matter how well-reasoned the discussion, the intervention teaches the child a horrible lesson: when you have a dispute with another person, instead of humbling yourself and negotiating a compromise, appeal to a higher authority. If the authority sides with you, you have the power to impose your will on your neighbor. In contrast, a wise parent intervenes only when circumstances demand action—and if they intervene—it is to hold both parties accountable. Under the care of a wise parent, nobody wins the argument. Instead, each child looks to their own mistakes and embraces their sibling in friendship.

Acting like children, adults try to use the law the same way children use their parents: “If I can just get the law on my side, then I can impose my will on others.” That’s exactly why the Pharisees ask Jesus about divorce. Like a wise parent, Jesus turns the question against the accuser.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 19:1-9.

Episode 336 Matthew 19:1-9; Music:

Misuse by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4062-misuse

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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New Podcast on ESN: The Way Jul 08, 2020

Fr. Dustin explores how scripture frees us from the Pharoah's of our day so that we can walk The Way in obedience to the scriptural God. (Episode 1)

Subscribe: https://feeds.transistor.fm/the-way

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Out of the Rubble Jul 07, 2020

Cautioning against the preconceived meaning of words, Fr. Paul explains that our understanding of a term’s meaning must conform to that term’s usage in the text, in context. (Episode 125)

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The Sword of Damocles Jul 02, 2020

The meaning of Scripture is plain and straightforward. It is intricate and detailed, yes. It takes time and effort to digest, yes. It presents arguments that demand intellectual engagement, yes. But all this must never be confused with complexity. As we often say on the podcast, you do not need a seminary degree to understand the Bible.

You may need help from someone who knows languages, or another who is familiar with history, only because so much time has passed since the Bible was written. But the original audience did not need the help of scholars to get the message. The average Joe heard and immediately understood. Why else would the Romans have been so terrified of St. Paul’s Gospel?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 18:23-35.

Episode 335 Matthew 18:23-35; Music:

Miami Viceroy by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4046-miami-viceroy

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Reshith Jun 30, 2020

Walking us through the author’s use of the Hebrew word reshith in Genesis, Fr. Paul exposes the deficiency of biblical translations. (Episode 124)

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On the Hook Jun 25, 2020

People love rules for two reasons. First, they want clear guidelines on what they need to do to be in good standing, and therefore, off the hook. Second, as rule followers, they want a high perch from which to look down and criticize others who, by their measure, do not follow the rules.

In Matthew, Jesus teaches that God provides his rules in the Torah because of the hardness of men's hearts. Such laws are not the measure of success, but a minimum requirement from a God who demands perfection of his followers.

So Peter—please—do not quote Leviticus to get yourself off the hook for your duty to the Gentiles.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 18:21-22.

Episode 334 Matthew 18:21-22; Music:

Bama Country by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3417-bama-country

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Nothing New Under the Sun Jun 23, 2020

In today’s program, Fr. Paul demonstrates the importance of submitting to the order of the Hebrew canon in lieu of historicization. (Episode 123)

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If Your Brother Sins Jun 18, 2020

When Jesus said to Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,” it is usually misunderstood as the gift of personal power, as though Peter is himself invested with divine authority. (Matthew 16:19) This is an incorrect reading. The keys entrusted to Peter are the words handed down to the church in the content of Paul’s gospel—the teaching Peter betrayed in Galatians. These keys do not belong to Peter. They are entrusted to him and to the other disciples to preach, teach, and discern the path of righteousness for the Lord’s flock. Neither the keys nor the flock belongs to Peter. It is the teaching itself, not Peter, that bears God’s authority, holding sway over all of the disciples for the sake of the weaker brother.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 18:15-19.

This week’s episode was presented live at the 2020 Symposium of the Orthodox Center for the Advancement of Biblical Studies, in honor of the Jubilee year if Fr. Paul Tarazi’s teaching ministry.

Episode 333 Matthew 18:15-19; Music:

Achaidh Cheide by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3338-achaidh-cheide

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Asah and Bara Jun 16, 2020

This week, Fr. Paul explains how the biblical author uses the Hebrew terms Asah and Bara to establish the finality of God’s work. (Episode 122)

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The Boot of Caesar Jun 11, 2020

When you see George Floyd under the boot of Caesar, you must hear the words of Scripture:

“You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?” (Galatians 3:1)

All of you were, “standing at a distance, seeing these things.” (Luke 23:49)

Do you not know that, “God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong”? ( 1 Corinthians 1:27)

Have you not heard, that “If you cause the weaker brother harm, “it would be better for [you] to have a heavy millstone hung around [your] neck, and to be drowned in the of the sea”? (Matthew 18:6)

This week’s show is dedicated to the eternal memory of George Floyd.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 18:12-14.

Episode 332 Matthew 18:12-14; Music:

Heartbreaking by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3863-heartbreaking

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Ingenious, Indeed Jun 09, 2020

This week, Fr. Paul revisits the biblical author’s use of toledot, noting that Genesis 1:1 and 2:4 form a diptych, the first part as the title for the entirety of scripture and the second as the first section of the Bible dealing with the whole of creation. (Episode 121)

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One of These Things Is Not like the Other Jun 04, 2020

The word scandal or stumbling block frequently occurs in Matthew—it’s as important for his book as the word “immediately” is in the Gospel of Mark. In light of the prohibition against causing others to stumble in chapter 18, those not following the original Greek text often assume that “to scandalize” is taboo. But throughout the story, Jesus himself repeatedly causes scandal. So what’s a good scandal? How can you tell it apart from the kind of scandal Jesus condemns in chapter 18?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 18:7-10.

Episode 331 Matthew 18:7-10; Music:

Danger Storm by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4985-danger-storm

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Period, Comma? Jun 02, 2020

In this week's program, Fr. Paul explains that the biblical author intended Genesis 1:1-2:4 as a totality on its own and an expansion of Genesis 1:1. (Episode 120)

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Turn Like a Child May 28, 2020

In the original Greek text of Matthew, when Jesus warns his disciples “unless you are converted and become like children,” his statement calls to mind the Lord’s desire in Ezekiel, “that the wicked [man] turn from his path and live.” (Ezekiel 33:11) In Ezekiel and Matthew, the Lord, who takes “no pleasure in the death of the wicked,” wants his disciples to “turn back” from their evil path. In Matthew, specifically, the evil path is any action that asserts power over others or causes harm, in any way, to the weaker brother. So “turn” Jesus exclaims, and become powerless “like children.”

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 18:1-6.

Episode 330 Matthew 18:1-6; Music: Adding The Sun by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5708-adding-the-sun

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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A New Thesis May 26, 2020

This week, Fr. Paul introduces a new thesis that the scriptural story's entire message is coded in the first creation account in Genesis 1:1-2:4. (Episode 119)

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The Law of Love May 21, 2020

In Romans 13, St. Paul dismantles the authority of Caesar by reframing Caesar’s value. Caesar is not important because of his station or the might of Rome. He is useful, however, because his station can be used by God to further the cause of the gospel. In other words, Caesar is God’s pawn. So when Christians are confronted by a tyrant, they must assume that they are dealing, not with the tyrant himself, but with the one who is using the tyrant. So, when faced with taxation under the boot of Caesar, in Matthew 17, Peter need only ask one question: how can I use the opportunity of this tax to further the cause of the gospel?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 17:24-27.

Episode 328 Matthew 17:24-27; Music: Five Armies by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3762-five-armies

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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By Their Families May 19, 2020

This week, Fr. Paul explains that, in the Bible, Israel is chosen by the flip of a coin, demonstrating that it is no different than the other nations. The story shows that any one of the nations, like Israel, would have made the same mistakes. (Episode 118)

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The Will to Teach May 14, 2020

God’s teaching is his will, and his will is the content of his teaching. The speaking and the carrying out of this will has the power to correct our steps, imprinting itself on our heart and replacing human thoughts with, you guessed it, God’s will. For several chapters in Matthew, Jesus himself has repeated his Father’s will that the disciples share the same with those in need: “The harvest is plentiful,” he laments, “but the workers are few.” (Matthew 9:37)

One can only imagine his frustration when Jesus receives the complaint: I brought a sick person to your disciples, “and they could not cure him.” (Matthew 17:16)

All that was asked of the disciples was to do what Jesus repeatedly taught them to say. Even just a tiny bit.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 17:14-22.

Episode 328 Matthew 17:14-22; Music: Faster Does It by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3741-faster-does-it

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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The First Three Letters May 12, 2020

In today’s program, Fr. Paul explains the importance of not only hearing but seeing consonantal Hebrew roots and their interconnection in the original text. (Episode 117)

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Son of Man May 07, 2020

The title “Son of Man” is a literal translation of the Hebrew phrase ben-adam. In Hebrew, the name Adam means “man.” As such, the biblical expression, son of man, like the modern phrase, human being, applies to anyone and everyone. C.S. Lewis captures this beautifully in the Chronicles of Narnia, where he refers to human beings as the sons of Adam and the daughters of Eve.

But if everyone is an ordinary son of Adam, why does Matthew elevate “Son of Man” as a unique title for Jesus?

The answer lies in examining biblical parallels that are part and parcel with Matthew’s proclamation of the Kingdom: the elevation of the title “shepherd” to a kingly status, of weakness to a sign of God’s might, and the crucifixion to a symbol of victory.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 17:9-13.

Episode 327 Matthew 17:9-13; Music: Pilot Error by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4216-pilot-error

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Seeding Seed May 05, 2020

In this week’s program, Fr. Paul highlights the way in which the original Hebrew terminology of Genesis creates an important and recurring connection to Genesis 1. (Episode 116)

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Son of God Apr 30, 2020

Meaning controls understanding and shapes behavior. When a parent names a child, wittingly, or unwittingly, they assign a meaning to their child. In this sense, the modern practice of choosing a meaningless name that sounds nice should give one pause.

In the Gospel of Matthew, the Father controls our understanding of the role of Jesus by controlling when and how Jesus is named Son of God. As a result, we are left with a notion of “king” and “messiah” that dismantles everything we think we understand about divine power.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 17:1-8.

Episode 326 Matthew 17:1-8; Music: Darkness is Coming by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3618-darkness-is-coming

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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The Command of Yahweh Elohim Apr 28, 2020

This week, Fr. Paul explains the way in which the serpent twists the command of God in Genesis. Shifting to the New Testament, he continues that it is the command of Yahweh Elohim, not theology, that is central to St. Paul’s letters. These letters address the problem of human behavior, not the correct phraseology of human words. (Episode 115)

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Accountability for the Cross Apr 23, 2020

In the New Testament, the proclamation of the death of Christ is inextricably bound to the proclamation of his Resurrection. Typical explanations of this link cheapen it by expounding on the psychology of hope, as if the Resurrection is proclaimed as an antidote for the emotional burden of the Cross. On the contrary, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep, is a biblical sign of the coming Kingdom, in which God will hold each of us to account for the Crucifixion. You better believe they’re linked.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 16:24-28.

Episode 325 Matthew 16:24-28; Music: Dead Drop by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3624-dead-drop

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Kyrios O Theos Apr 21, 2020

In today’s program, Fr. Paul explains how the critical distinction between Elohim and Yahweh Elohim in the Old Testament informs our understanding of the title Kyrios as it is applied to Jesus in the New Testament. (Episode 114)

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Don’t Pick a Side Apr 16, 2020

Human beings are tribal. Even in the United States, where community has evaporated, we find a way to pick sides. Driven by primal instinct, we worship, unflinchingly, the twin gods of ideology and brand, allowing fear and greed to control our fate. The Apostle Peter is no different. He too wanted to pick a side. Peter’s confession—rather, the teaching that God put into Peter to confess—rightly proclaimed Jesus as God’s earthly representative and the king of all the nations. On the face of it, this seems like a great idea, until Peter realizes that his side may be in opposition to Jesus’ rule, and that being the Son of Abraham’s God will not lead to the victory Peter desires.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 16:21-23.

The Ephesus School Network is expanding. We now have four podcasts released each week. Our newest addition, Tewahido Bible Study is released on Mondays, followed by Tarazi Tuesdays, Teach Me Thy Statutes on Wednesday, and our flagship program, the Bible as Literature podcast, on Thursdays. More programming is planned in the near future. Our goal is to help you meditate on the precepts of the Lord every day of the week. Please visit ephesusschool.org to learn more and subscribe.

Episode 324 Matthew 16:21-23; Music: Funeral March for Brass by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3785-funeral-march-for-brass

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Yahweh Elohim Apr 14, 2020

This week Fr. Paul discusses the movement in Genesis from Elohim to Yahweh Elohim, reminding us that the itinerary of biblical words forces us to be patient as the story unfolds. (Episode 113)

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Simon, Bar Jonah Apr 09, 2020

Over the years, we’ve insisted on the biblical principle that the integrity of the teacher is irrelevant to their function. To illustrate this point, God repeatedly chooses sinners, like the Prophet Jonah, to spread his word. Insofar as they repeat the words of Scripture, the one who teaches Scripture has no bearing on the mission. It’s like in fantasy movies, when a ghost or an alien takes over someone’s body and controls their speech. Everyone watching the program knows that it is not they who are speaking. Likewise, when a priest stands up to read the Gospel aloud in the assembly, it is not he who is speaking.

In Matthew, when Peter speaks correctly about the Christ, it is only because God, through his Spirit, put the correct words in Peter’s mouth. Whether he himself lives up to these words is an entirely different matter.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 16:17-20

Please join Richard and Fr. Marc for a free webinar series on Ephesians 4, sponsored by the Orthodox Christian Leadership Inititivative on April 11 and 25 at 8am PST / 11am EST. To register for the webinar, please visit orthodoxservantleaders.com and click “events.”

Episode 323 Matthew 16:17-20; Music: Night Vigil by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5746-night-vigil

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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The Moon and the Sun Apr 07, 2020

In today’s program, Fr. Paul continues his discussion of the plural Elohim as it relates to the Moon and the Sun in Genesis 1, noting that modern addressees are too far removed from the historical setting to easily grasp the author’s intent. (Episode 112)

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It’s Time to Take a Stand Apr 02, 2020

Beginning with the genealogy in chapter 1, the Gospel of Matthew challenges its addressees to rethink their understanding of the words “king” and “kingdom.” Now, in chapter 16, as they enter a city named after Philip of Macedon, the chips are down. If Peter truly understands the lesson of the bread and can discern the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, can he tell the difference between the Son of Man and the Son of the gods?

It’s time for Peter to take a stand.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 16:13-16

Please join Richard and Fr. Marc for a free 3-week webinar series on Ephesians 4, sponsored by the Orthodox Christian Leadership Inititivative on April 4, 11, and 25 at 8am PST / 11am EST. To register for the webinar, please visit orthodoxservantleaders.com and click “events.”

Episode 322 Matthew 16:13-16; Music: Devastation and Revenge by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3644-devastation-and-revenge

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Why the Plural? Mar 31, 2020

This week, Fr. Paul unpacks the power of the grammatically plural noun, Elohim, explaining how it functions to supplant all other deities in the Bible. (Episode 111)

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The Bread of the Gospel Mar 26, 2020

Faced with stubborn teenagers, a wise parent is steadfast and repetitive. Nothing under the heavens—save the feet of those that preach the gospel—is more beautiful than a parent who disciplines through repetition. By patiently and stubbornly repeating a wise statement, the parent inscribes wisdom in such a way that it can never be erased. Maybe that’s why the topic of bread keeps reappearing in Matthew.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 16:5-12.

Episode 321 Matthew 16:5-12; Music: Study And Relax by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5764-study-and-relax

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Factual is the Opposite of Real Mar 24, 2020

In today’s program, Fr. Paul explains the difference between factual and real, and ends with a subtle observation about the deception of the serpent in Genesis. (Episode 110)

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A Sign From Heaven Mar 19, 2020

In good times and bad, in peace and at moments of crisis, an evil generation seeks a sign. We want a sign that the good times will keep rolling. We want assurances that the crisis of this moment will come to an end. That’s why we’re “an evil generation”—because we look for signs in the world that satisfy our appetite for comfort and security. Such signs—the projection of our fears—are most certainly evil. The only valid sign in God’s eyes is the sign post he plants in our eyes through the hearing of his instruction. That’s why no sign will be given to us, “except the sign of Jonah.” (Matthew 16:4)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 16:1-4.

Episode 320 Matthew 16:1-4; Music: Air Prelude by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3346-air-prelude

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Real and Realistic Mar 17, 2020

This week, Fr. Paul expands on the problem of projecting into the biblical text or it’s actual setting—whether historical or geographic. (Episode 109)

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On the Way Mar 12, 2020

Whenever we encounter a repeat of any biblical parable, the first and most important question is to ask why the author is repeating this story here, and secondly, how they have have changed certain elements of the story in order to make their specific point. This question is even more curious when the repetion happens within the same book.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 15:32-39.

Episode 319 Matthew 15:32-39; Music: Painful Disorientation by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4191-painful-disorientation

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Elohim Mar 10, 2020

This week, Fr. Paul tackles the versatility of the Hebrew word elohim, exposing the frailty and reductive tendencies of English translations. (Episode 108)

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Up on the Mountain Mar 05, 2020

When Scripture deals with the question of healing, it’s tempting to think of modern medicine, which places its focus on the wellbeing of an individual body. But the very nature of the physical body is what makes it so useful for making the Bible’s point: just as a human body is made up of several parts that all work together, so too is a human community; moreover, just as a physical body is restored by medical therapy, so too a body politic—made up of a group (or groups) of people—is restored by a very specific and narrowly defined therapy found only in the content of the Bible.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 15:29-31.

Episode 318 Matthew 15:29-31; Music from: “Sinfonia No. 3 in D Major - BWV 789” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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The Author’s Intent Mar 03, 2020

In today’s episode, Fr. Paul explains how the assumptions we make about the meaning of words obscures the author’s intent. (Episode 107)

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If I Were a Rich Man Feb 27, 2020

Some people have to work two jobs or more to make ends meet. They can’t afford childcare or healthcare. Each day, they battle the same frustrations and emotions that each of us carry inside, with the added misery of poverty and disadvantage.

The working poor live among us, hidden in plain sight. Yet, those of us who have time to read the New York Times, to browse the web, or listen to podcasts—those of us with time and access—often complain that we don’t have time. This complaint echoes the cry of the disciples in Matthew, who repeatedly beg Jesus to send the needy away.

The Syrophoenician woman in Matthew is Lord’s answer to this complaint. Like that of the disciples, her cry is persistent, but it reflects a different kind of thinking, one born out of need.

“If I were rich man,” the famed Tevya exclaimed, “I would discuss the holy books with learned men seven hours every day. That would be the sweetest thing of all.” (Fiddler on the Roof)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 15:21-28.

Episode 317 Matthew 15:21-28; Music from: “Jewish Blues” by The Art of Seven (jamendo.com) License: CC BY (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Bereshit Bara Elohim Feb 25, 2020

This week, Fr. Paul explains how the first three words of the Bible are practically unintelligible without a working knowledge of the Hebrew text of the Old Testament. (Episode 106)

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Thank You, God of the Universe Feb 20, 2020

The way students are formed in the contemporary West makes it difficult for our minds to accept the empirical truth of functionality. There are many reasons for this, none more insidious than our desire to control the world through our assessment of it. In doing so, we can’t but enshrine something wicked as our good thing, good tradition, good person, or worst of all, good ruler. Why? Because in the folly of our own judgment, we believe that we are good.

In Scripture, there is only one who is good, not because we recognize him as such, but because he has said so. Until you come to terms with this fact and the meaning of functionality in all its facets, you will never truly be set free from the tyranny of Hellenism, and you will never understand the Bible.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 15:10-14.

Episode 316 Matthew 15:10-14; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Shades of Spring” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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There is No “Is” Feb 18, 2020

This week, Fr. Paul continues his discussion of itinerant words with a review of the particulars of Hebrew. (Episode 105)

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The Problem of Fundamentalism Feb 13, 2020

When the scribes and the Pharisees complain that the Lord’s disciples do not wash their hands, even if they are referring to Exodus 30, their understanding of the washing of hands is rooted in ignorance and fundamentalism.

When the Lord deals with the question of clean and unclean in the Bible, do we really think he’s talking about hygiene? Is that what God’s teaching is telling us? Please wash up before you eat? Really? So does that mean that if you don’t get sick from bread handled by dirty hands you are righteous? Really? What spirit has disabled your brain such that you really believe that food contaminated from dirty hands is the measure of clean and unclean in the eyes of God?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 15:10-14.

Episode 315 Matthew 15:10-14; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Severe Tire Damage” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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The Itinerant Word Feb 11, 2020

This week, Fr. Paul begins a second reading of Genesis 1-11. (Episode 104)

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Dirty Hands Feb 06, 2020

There is nothing—nothing—that justifies disobedience or disregard for the commandments of God. Nothing. In Galatians, St. Paul exclaims that no one, none of the other apostles, not even an angel from heaven—no one—can contradict the teaching of God. In the Gospel of Matthew, no human words can even be presented as though they are a teaching. It is only the written words of God that can be our true elders, teaching us how to treat the human elders in our life and showing us the true meaning of clean and unclean hands.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 15:1-9.

Episode 314 Matthew 15:1-9; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Five Armies” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Nahor Feb 04, 2020

In today’s episode, Fr. Paul concludes his reading of Genesis 11, continuing his discussion of the Toledot of Terah, noting the importance of the name Nahor. Fr. Paul illuminates his reading of chapter 11 by taking time to review examples of equestrian imagery from the Book of Job and Psalms. Over the past one hundred or so episodes, Fr. Paul has repeatedly emphasized the importance, first, of Genesis 1-4, and later Genesis 1-11. With this in mind. before we move on to chapter 12, Richard and I thought it would be helpful for Fr. Paul to take a pause and revisit these these texts from a different angle. We’ll say a bit more about this in our introduction to this program next week, so stay tuned. (Episode 103)

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Who’s Afraid of Ghosts? Jan 30, 2020

People doubt the Bible. They make excuses for difficult verses and express concern about biblical metaphors that fall out of step with cultural norms. Instead of placing trust in the teaching, maybe they trust in their own words about the teaching. Maybe they co-opt the Bible to serve their political ideology or their religion, placing trust—not in God—but in princes and sons of men.

We say we want God to command us, but not really. “All men,” David proclaims, “are liars.” (Psalm 116:11) We lie to ourselves and we we lie to God. When the going gets tough, we do not want to teach what we are commanded to teach, and we definitely do not want to walk according to its precepts. We think it’s too hard, too risky, or too out of step.

“O ye, of little faith.” (Matthew 14:31)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 14:22-34.

Episode 313 Matthew 14:22-34; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Night in Venice” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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The Missing Toledot Jan 28, 2020

This week, Fr. Paul continues his discussion of the Toledot of Shem, noting that Abraham does not have a Toledot in Scripture but is instead placed within the Toledot of Terah. (Episode 102)

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The Daily Bread Jan 23, 2020

When Jesus commissioned his disciples in Matthew 10, he admonished them, saying: “Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support.” (Matthew 10:9-10) In giving this order, Jesus reflected his Father’s instruction in Deuteronomy: “The word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.” (Deuteronomy 30:14) If the word is near you, in Matthew, it means that you already have what you need for the journey. If the word is near you, you do not need a city or a village in order to survive.

“I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it.” (Deuteronomy 30:15-16)

If the disciples have everything that they need to live and multiply, why do they doubt Jesus? Why do they want to send the people away?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 14:13-21.

Episode 312 Matthew 14:13-21; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Aquarium” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Toledot of Shem Jan 21, 2020

In this week’s program, Fr. Paul continues his discussion of Genesis 11, turning to the toledot of Shem. (Episode 101)

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The Coalition of the Blind Jan 16, 2020

It’s hard to believe, but, yes, it’s possible. There can be an argument in which all points of view are categorically wrong. There can be a situation in which everyone is absolutely certain, and at the same time, have absolutely no idea what they are doing. It’s not only possible, but typical of human power structures.

The King is blind. His mistress is blind. Her daughter is blind. The mob, who fancy themselves admirers of the Lord’s prophet, are blind. The king’s dinner guests are blind. Together, these buffoons form a government of the people, by the people, and for the king, in opposition to the Kingdom of God.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 14:6-12.

Episode 311 Matthew 14:6-12; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “The Entertainer” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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To Moisten Jan 14, 2020

Today marks the 100th episode of Tarazi Tuesdays on the Bible as Literature. Three years ago, Fr. Paul, Richard, and I began a journey, gathering online for early morning recording sessions on themes carefully selected from Fr. Paul's opus, The Rise of Scripture. A year later, on February 13, 2018, we released the first episode to the public, appropriately titled, The Rise of Scripture. Since then, it has been a marathon and an avalanche of knowledge all at once. Each week, Richard and I listen intently to Fr. Paul as he unpacks the text with exquisite discipline and attention to detail. No doubt, we have both grown from the experience, as have you, the listeners—or as Fr. Paul would say, the "hearers." Congratulations to Fr. Paul on his 100th episode. May God grant him many years, and may today's program be the first of many such milestones in this series. (Episode 100)

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This Is John the Baptist and These Are His Enemies Jan 09, 2020

The classic tension between king and prophet in the Bible can only be understood in light of a third, malevolent character. Like the king, this character stands in opposition to God, even when it proclaims its love for the prophet. The mob, as we’ve said for weeks, has a part to play in human tyranny. In Matthew 14, Herod’s fear of this third party leads him into direct conflict with God’s law.

It really doesn't matter that the crowd reveres John the Baptist. Their perverse relationship with Herod, motivated by their own fears, can't but lead to destruction. As the Jesus said, "From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force." Matthew 11:12

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 14:1-5.

Episode 310 Matthew 14:1-5; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Limit 70” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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One Language Jan 07, 2020

This week, Fr. Paul begins his discussion of Genesis 11 by explaining the significance in the story of the peoples of the earth speaking the “same language.” He notes that the story of the Tower of Babel, like Scripture itself, is anti-imperial. (Episode 99)

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Merry Christmas Dec 26, 2019

Christmas greetings from the Bible as Literature.

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The Children of Eber Dec 24, 2019

This week, Richard follows-up Fr. Paul’s discussion of chapter 10 with a question about the significance of Eber and the children of Eber as they relate to Shem. (Episode 98)

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Wisdom is My Tribe Dec 19, 2019

When Dr. King famously proclaimed “content of character” over skin color, his words were a reflection of the teaching of the Bible, which proclaims its content at the expense of our identity. The Bible strips us of identity and agency, so that its content may be shared without inhibition or limitation, by anyone in any situation at any anytime to anyone who is willing to hear.

If the person speaking happens to be someone you knew before they knew the Gospel—someone you towered over in their childhood; if you can’t hear the content of God’s wisdom from this person, the only one losing out is you.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 13:53-58.

Episode 309 Matthew 13:53-58; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Upbeat Forever” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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These Are the Families Dec 17, 2019

This week, Fr. Paul explains how Scripture defines its own terminology in the way that words are used and when they are used in the text. If you hear Genesis 10 in context of the previous chapter, the first appearance of the Hebrew word for families, mishpahhot, emphasizes the human being as one of the many mammals spread upon the earth. In this way, Fr. Paul argues, social life in the Bible does not refer to artificial cities made by the hand of man, but to animal life, which does not have a civilization, and instead lives through procreation, as God commanded. (Episode 97)

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Taught Into the Kingdom Dec 12, 2019

Christians—who should be concerned with following God’s commandments—are more often preoccupied with explaining why their church or denomination is the “true pearl.” At a time when our country is itself devolving into tribal factions, the consequence of this hubris is keenly felt. Fortunately, in the parables of the Kingdom found in Matthew’s gospel, the one who presumes that he is from the “right tribe” soon learns that he himself must be read into the Kingdom through instruction, so that the people of all tribes, both old and new, may dwell together, under the Lord’s tent.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 13:49-52.

Episode 308 Matthew 13:49-52; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Krampuss Workshop” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Under the Tent of Shem Dec 10, 2019

This week, Fr. Paul discusses the meaning of the names Shem, Ham, and Japheth, explaining that the verb “to dwell” in Hebrew pertains specifically to tent dwelling—another notable breadcrumb reflecting his broader thesis about shepherdism in the Bible. He concludes by taking our questions on the first appearance of the word covenant in the Bible, and the link between the nakedness of the progenitor and the life blood in Genesis. (Episode 96)

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It’s Not for Sale Dec 05, 2019

We live in a society whose standard of value has created broken communities, a generational increase in mid-life suicides, and a steady supply of ideological violence. Yes. The love of money is indeed the root of all evils and we Americans are living proof. And please, no platitudes about how money is fine if you don’t love it. Show me someone who does not love money. Even the great hermits and stylites of old loved money—that’s why they chose to flee the world in the first place—to escape the madness we now embrace.

Thanks be to God, the parables of the Kinging in Matthew set forth a new standard of value, one measured not by the acquisition of wealth—but of biblical wisdom. Praise the Lord in the heavens! Praise him in the heights, that this wisdom is definitely not marketable and not for sale.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 13:44-48.

Episode 307 Matthew 13:44-48; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Cryptic Sorrow” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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The Noahic Covenant Dec 03, 2019

This week, Fr. Paul discusses the significance of the rainbow as a heavenly sign beyond the control of human beings. This “bow” or “arch” in the heavens, he explains, indicates the distinction between the Abrahamic and Noahic covenants in the Bible. (Episode 95)

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It’s All About the Wheat Nov 28, 2019

When the disciples turn to Jesus to explain the parable of the wheat and the tares, they make the terrible mistake of reducing the Lord’s teaching to “the parable of the tares of the field,” omitting any reference to the wheat in verse 36. This omission betrays their misplaced focus: The parable is all about wheat production, but the disciples remain preoccupied with the tares, ignoring the imperative of the parable.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 13:36-43.

Episode 306 Matthew 13:36-43; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Frost Waltz” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Life Blood Nov 26, 2019

This week, Fr. Paul explains that only God has dominion over life and death in the Bible, and subsequently, the blood of earth mammals—including human beings—is strictly his domain. (Episode 94)

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Hidden in Plain Sight Nov 21, 2019

We human beings foolishly trust in our own eyes. We look at other people and assume that we understand what we see and then we make judgments. But is it really possible to see? When you look at a field freshly planted, can you point out which seed will be most productive? Of course, you can see the field, and you may even know where the seeds are planted, but you have no clue what’s going to happen. The result is in the seeds, but this result is hidden from you in plain sight, from the foundation of the world.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 13:31-35.

Episode 305 Matthew 13:31-35; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Magic Forest” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Everything That Swarms Nov 19, 2019

This week Fr. Paul critiques the commonplace human assumption that the animals are “like us,” noting that in Scripture it is the human beings who are like all the other animals. As with the New Testament, where the oikonomos is no different than the other slaves in the household, so too in Genesis, man’s appointed responsibility does make him different than any of the other earth mammals.

(Episode 93)

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There Are No Good Guys Nov 14, 2019

When we hear a story of judgement in the Bible, our natural tendency is to try to identify the good guys vs. the bad guys so that we can make ourselves one of the good guys. In this sense, we’re no different than the slaves in the parable of the wheat and the tares. We want to be on the right side so that we can remove the ones whom we decide are on the wrong side. However, in the parable, the Lord and Master of his slaves prevents us from doing so in order to protect his wheat. As a result, both the wheat and the tares are forced to live together in God‘s field until the time of the harvest. In the meantime, no one is aloud judge anyone or to separate one kind of person from another.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 13:24-30.

Episode 304 Matthew 13:24-30; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Skye Cuillin” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Upon Ararat Nov 12, 2019

Fr. Paul begins his discussion of Genesis 8 by emphasizing the Scriptural priority of the animals, differentiating between the creatures of the sea, the creatures of the ground and the birds of the air—the latter being of special importance. He also touches again briefly on the mention of Ararat, which, he explains, appears in the story as a clear indication of the Syrian desert.

(Episode 92)

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Roots Not Fruits Nov 07, 2019

Whether dealing with cultural or historical themes, or emphasizing biblical languages, we talk a lot about historical context on the podcast. So let me be blunt, the popular notion that teachers should “make the Bible relevant today” or “make the Bible relatable,” is absolutely wrong. It’s not only wrong, it’s unforgivable, because when you engage in such nonsense, you shut your students out of the Kingdom.

In order to understand what someone is saying, you need to learn their language and understand their situation—you need to relate to them. This applies not just to history and language, but also to physical and geographic context.

On the other hand, you could try to make the the whole world relate to you, see everything and hear everyone from your perspective and filter everything through the lens of your thoughts, feelings and experiences...please let us know how that works out for western civilization.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 13:17-23.

Episode 303 Matthew 13:17-23; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Hotrock” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Out of Control Nov 05, 2019

In today’s program, Fr. Paul explains how the scriptural God acts according to his own good pleasure, disrupting the expectations of the story’s addressees. Do the waters besiege the land? Does the land encroach upon the waters? Can anyone know how God will act or control what he will do? Of course not. All we can do is hear what comes next in the story.

(Episode 91)

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Ignorance and Blindness Oct 31, 2019

In Matthew’s account of the parable of the sower, Jesus demonstrates the meaning of three critical Matthean teachings: 1) “Seek and ye shall find,” 2) “The eye is the lamp of the body,” and 3) “Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven.”

The last warning baffles modern Christians for whom religion is a pursuit of happiness vis-à-vis emotional and psychological consolation. Matthew’s Gospel dynamites this illusion in it’s proclamation and application of Isaiah, where the showdown between God and his people makes it very clear that some sins are definitely unforgivable.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 13:14-16.

Episode 302 Matthew 13:14-16; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Come Play With Me” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Let Every Breath Oct 29, 2019

This week, Fr. Paul continues his discussion of Genesis 7 highlighting the difference between soul and spirit in the original Hebrew. Even for English speakers familiar with the distinction between these terms, without a solid grounding in the actual text of Genesis, we are bound, Fr. Paul explains, to conflate their meaning.

(Episode 90)

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Seek and Ye Shall Find Oct 24, 2019

Over the centuries, so much of Scripture has been taken out of context that it’s sometimes difficult to hear the obvious in the text. In the Gospel of Matthew, the characters in the story are themselves blind to the obvious meaning of Scripture for the very same reason. In the absence of study, repetition, and familiarity with the written teaching, the obvious becomes hidden to us in plain sight—the obvious appears to us to be a mystery.

“Seek,” the Matthean Jesus warns us, “and ye shall find.” (Matthew 7:7)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 13:10-13.

Episode 301 Matthew 13:10-13; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Fast Talkin” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Two by Two Oct 22, 2019

In today’s program Fr. Paul begins his discussion of Genesis 7, reading the Hebrew text alongside the KJV and RSV versions of the English text. In doing so, he exposes the limits of translation and the gross over simplification—even disregard—for the author’s original work.

(Episode 89)

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The Seed Does What the Seed Does Oct 17, 2019

Today’s program marks the 300th episode of the Bible as Literature. Years ago, Fr. Marc and Richard’s wife, Hollie, were going back and forth on a title for the education program at St. Elizabeth—eventually, they opted for “The Ephesus School”—a name inspired by a paper Fr. Paul had recently presented. With the Benton’s move to Minnesota, Fr. Marc had been thinking about ideas for a podcast, something like “The Priest and the Professor” and Hollie, always in earshot of Fr. Marc’s and Richard’s discussions about the Bible, insisted that they record their conversations, “so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.” (John 4:36) With her encouragement, the project became a reality.

It is providential that the 300th episode of the podcast falls on the parable of the sower in Matthew.

“He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:9)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 13:1-9.

Episode 300 Matthew 13:1-9; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Autumn Day” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Birds, Kings, and Shepherds Oct 15, 2019

This week, Fr. Paul wraps up his discussion of Genesis 6, giving Richard and Fr. Marc an opportunity to ask questions. As always, Richard opened Q&A with an insightful discussion of the original Hebrew, which lead to an excellent overview of kings, shepherds, and functionality in the Bible.

(Episode 88)

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A New Tribe Oct 10, 2019

In a culture that places family first, the Lord’s ambivalence toward his mother and his brothers in the Gospel of Matthew is confusing, if not utterly scandalous. Why would Jesus ignore his close relatives and leave them standing outside? The answer presented in the text is straightforward: the disciples are the Lord’s true relatives, because it is the Father’s teaching—not human blood ties—that serves as the organizing principle for the tribe of Jesus. This new definition of family reflects the teaching of adoption found in St. Paul’s letters: those who submit to the teaching of the Father are adopted into the Lord’s family.

“Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule, upon the Israel of God.” (Galatians 6:16)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 12:46-50.

Episode 299 Matthew 12:46-50; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Acid Trumpet” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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It’s an “Ark” Not an “Ark” Oct 08, 2019

This week Fr. Paul highlights the connection between Genesis 6 and the story of Moses in Exodus. As always, this connection is impossible to discern in English—but this time there’s a twist. The English word “ark” in Genesis 6 sounds deceptively like the word “ark” in Exodus 25. In fact, they are totally unrelated; and as you’ll soon discover, the the real connection to Exodus in the original Hebrew is far more interesting. (Episode 87)

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Mitzvah! Oct 03, 2019

The ability to read biblical signs—which comes from hearing, reciting, and doing the commandments of Scripture—protects us from being fooled by false prophets. Is something a righteous act? What’s the difference between an exorcism performed by Jesus and one conducted by a son of the Pharisees? In the Gospel of Matthew, the answer to this question is twofold: 1) do you recognize the commandment of God at work in the action, and, 2) what outcome did the action produce?

You will know a tree by its fruit.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 12:43-45.

Episode 298 Matthew 12:43-45; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Walking Along” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Why Do You Call Me Lord? Oct 02, 2019

In today's episode we discuss why faith is better translated as trust. We also highlight how faith is not an intellectual concept, but a deep trust that is rooted in the firm belief in God's promises and His coming Kingdom. With respect to the argument of "faith vs. works," the audience will be encouraged to re-frame their thinking of salvation as an inheritance: something that can never be earned, but can be lost. Finally, Fr Aaron shared a saying from Fr Paul Tarazi that we all would do well to remember: "Salvation is free of charge, but with a charge."

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The Nephilim Oct 01, 2019

Drawing, as always, on the original Hebrew and his knowledge of Arabic, Fr. Paul explains the folly of the Nephilim who assume their own mightiness, but are, in Fr. Paul’s words, “unto fallenness.” English versions of the Bible refer to the Nephilim as “men of renown,” but this translation ignores the writer’s use of the technical phrase, ha shem, “the name,” which pertains to the biblical God, who is himself referred to as “the name” in Leviticus. (Episode 86)

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Read the Signs Sep 26, 2019

When human beings seek a sign from the Lord, the problem is two-fold. First, we think of a sign as proof, making our trust in God’s wisdom conditional. Second, because we do not trust this wisdom, the signs we desire in the world become a reflection of our own vanity. Remember, this is the Gospel of Matthew. The eye is the lamp of the body. If the light in your eye is idolatry, you will find amazement in wickedness and scoff at righteousness; but if the lamp of your eye is filled with the light of Torah, you will see things correctly—the way Scripture wants you to see them—and you will be able to read the signs.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 12:38-42.

Episode 297 Matthew 12:38-42; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Danse Macabre” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Third Time’s Not a Charm Sep 24, 2019

After its use of the word ‘adam’ in chapter 5, the text of Genesis returns to the words ‘ha adam’ in chapter 6, referring to humanity in its entirety. This shift, Fr. Paul explains, also points to God’s provision of a third chance for human beings. By now, everyone who tunes in to this podcast knows that in Scripture, the third time is not a charm.

(Episode 85)

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You Know a Tree by It’s Fruit Sep 19, 2019

We human beings do not take responsibility for what we teach. We speak careless words motivated by self-interest and look the other way when our words—directly or indirectly—cause suffering in the world. It feels good to pretend that we are puzzled by gun violence in the United States, but we all know the truth. If we want to understand American violence, we need only look in the mirror: the teachings we feed our children are utterly corrupt and produce morally repugnant outcomes.

In Scripture, the problem is easily resolved when we replace our words with the written words of God’s instruction. This is how we are made righteous in the Pauline gospel. When we say what we are commanded to say and it produces what God desires, then there is a chance that God, on that day, will decide that we are good (despite our wickedness) because we produced good out of the good treasure of his written wisdom.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 12:33-37.

Episode 296 Matthew 12:33-37; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Lost Time” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Be Patient and Submit Sep 17, 2019

Noting that biblical names appear and reappear purposefully in Genesis, this week, Fr. Paul emphasizes the importance of having patience with the scriptural God who operates on his own time table. (Episode 84)

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The Ultimate Sin Sep 12, 2019

Scripture is written to supplant human words and thwart human agency, so that its wisdom might govern the affairs of men in the place of human self-interest. When we sit at home, when we go out, when we lie down to sleep and when we wake up, we are commanded to recite God’s instruction in the place of empty human words. But what happens when vain talk consumes our thoughts? What happens when we are no longer able to hear, let alone recite God’s wisdom?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss the Matthew 12:30-32.

Episode 295 Matthew 12:30-32.Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Lotus” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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There is No New Humanity Sep 10, 2019

Following his discussion of the Toledot of Adam in Genesis 5, Fr. Paul explains how God manages to continue his plan and salvage humanity despite the people’s disobedience. (Episode 83)

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Binding the Strong Man Sep 05, 2019

When the Pharisees accuse Jesus of being in league with Beelzebul, Jesus slams them by exposing a fatal contradiction in their logic: if the only way I am able to’ cast out demons is by Beelzebul, how are your sons able to do it? I’ll tell you how. If you are right and I am in league with Satan, then so are your sons; but if I am in league with God, then the Kingdom of this God is upon you, and you have chosen the wrong side. Truly I say to you, I will not relent until your strong man is bound in chains and your house has been plundered.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 12:22-29.

Episode 294 Matthew 12:22-29. Music from https://filmmusic.io: “The Descent” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Son of Man Sep 03, 2019

This week, Richard and Fr. Marc had the chance to follow-up Fr. Paul’s discussion of Genesis 5 with questions, leading to an important discussion of the anti-kingly tradition of the Bible and it’s connection with the phrase, ‘son of man.’ (Episode 82)

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Teach and Move Aug 29, 2019

Internet comment culture invites useless and emotionally charged conflict that accomplishes nothing, except to inflame everyone’s self-serving sentiments. That’s why, in Matthew, Jesus refuses to engage in any argument with the Pharisees. To do so, Matthew teaches, is to squander what is holy.

In keeping with the teaching of Isaiah, Jesus refuses to quarrel with anyone so that nothing and no one (including Jesus himself) stands out upon the earth, except the judgment of his Father, “who will not give his glory to another.” (Isaiah 42:8) It is the judgment of the Father that brings divine justice and victory, which Matthew proclaims as hope for the Gentiles.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss the Matthew 12:14-21.

Episode 293 Matthew 12:14-21. Subscribe: feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Sneaky Snitch” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Ha Adam Aug 27, 2019

This week, Fr. Paul uses his own family tree to help explain the tree of Adam in Genesis 5. Following verse 2, in which God “created them male and female, and he blessed them and named them man,” whether directly, as Seth or indirectly, as the followers of Seth, the main actor, Fr. explains, is Adam, through his tenth son Noah. (Episode 81)

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The Lord of the Sabbath Aug 22, 2019

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female slave or your cattle or your immigrant who stays with you.” (Exodus 20:8-10)

This commandment, which joins the needs of the vulnerable—of the immigrant and the lowly creatures in your care—with the needs of your sons and daughters, captures the truth of the Sabbath’s purpose: to supplant the empty work we do each day in the service of greed with the substantive work of hearing and doing the teaching of Scripture. It is no coincidence that encoded within this instruction we find the very thing that saves us.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss the Matthew 12:9-13.

Episode 292 Matthew 12:9-13 Subscribe: feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Whisky on the Mississippi” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Ha Adam or Adam? Aug 20, 2019

This week Fr. Paul touches on the importance of the author’s purposeful use of the word Adam in some places and the words Ha Adam elsewhere. The various connections between biblical words, he explains, hinge not on philosophical premises, but the author’s use of these terms within the flow of the narrative. (Episode 80)

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God Doesn’t Need Our Bread Aug 15, 2019

When the Pharisees complain about the disciples picking and eating grain on the sabbath, they betray both their ignorance of Torah, and their desire to control the consecrated bread of God’s instruction to consolidate their power. But God, Matthew teaches, does not need our bread. After-all, whatever we offer him already belongs to him. What he desires is knowledge of and obedience to his Law: that we are to love our neighbor, showing mercy and compassion on one another. This is the sacrifice that God demands in Hosea, one precluded by the Pharisees’ ignorance of his Torah.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss the Matthew 12:1-8.

Episode 291 Matthew 12:1-8 Subscribe: feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Investigations” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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When Men Begin Aug 13, 2019

Dismantling the mistranslation found in Genesis 4:26, “at that time men began,” Fr. Paul explains that in the Hebrew, in the passive God merely allows—literally, it was allowed—to call on the name of the Lord. The action is initiated by God, without even mentioning human beings. This distinction is critical, since throughout Scripture, whenever men begin something, it is always negative. (Episode 79)

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The Father Aug 08, 2019

In a society that consumerizes rebellion against parents both as entertainment and an axiom of pop-psychology, the basic premise of the New Testament—that the Son is disempowered because all glory and all power belong to his Father—is practically impossible to accept.

In Matthew, when Jesus praises his Father, in the very content of his prayer, he underscores that his God is the Lord both of the heavens and the earth, a span that imposes total dominion, stripping Jesus, and therefore, all human beings of power, in fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah.

Still, in language reminiscent of 1 Corinthians, in Matthew 11, we hear that all things are handed over to Jesus—but what does that power look like? What is the power that Jesus brought to Chorazin and Bethsaida if the outcome of his life is abject failure and defeat? How is this an easy yolk?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss the Matthew 11:25-30.

Episode 290 Matthew 11:25-30 Subscribe: feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Modern Jazz Samba” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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In Spite of Cain Aug 06, 2019

This week, Fr. Paul continues to unpack the story of the new seed given to replace Abel, in spite of his murderous brother, Cain. Pointing to the Hebrew, where an ish posits an ish, Fr. Paul notes the actualization of God’s blessing in Genesis 1. The human being produces another human being, and another, remaining alive throughout time and history. (Episode 78)

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It’s Worse for Us Aug 01, 2019

One of the strangest characteristics of religious psychology is the commonly held belief that those who have received instruction are better than those left untaught. We don’t phrase it that way, but the implication of consumerized evangelism is that others need what we have so that they can become like us. It is precisely this arrogant mentality that is condemend in Matthew’s gospel. What the others truly need is not us but what we were given despite our wickedness to save them from becoming as evil as we are. Moreover, our wickedness knows no bounds, not only for having passed judgment on them, but for refusing to bear fruit for their sake through instruction.

Truly, “it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment” than it will be for us. (Matthew 11:24)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss the Matthew 11:20-24.

Episode 289 Matthew 11:20-24 Subscribe: feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Big Rock” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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A New Seed Jul 30, 2019

This week, Fr. Paul continues his discussion of Genesis 4, explaining how the RSV’s mistranslation of the Hebrew not only misleads but betrays and deconstructs the biblical text. Unlike the birth of Cain, the subject of Eve’s action, Seth is received by the wife of Adam as the gift of the Lord. Notably, Fr. Paul explain’s, Eve’s name disappears from the text with Cain’s in Genesis 4:1 and is not mentioned again until the New Testament. (Episode 77)

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Ideology is Idolatry Jul 25, 2019

When we choose an ideological framework, we employ a system of ideas and ideals to bolster our self-styled morality. We want so desperately to have power over others that we create a false reality in which we are always right, always the victim, always justified, and always able to find the culprit. Instead of child abuse at the border, we see criminals getting what they deserve; if a lie suits us, we call it true; if a person challenges us, we argue, on the basis of self-styled ideals, that they are evil. Up is down, black is white, John the Baptist has a demon and Jesus is a drunkard—we say whatever we want based on whatever we believe because we worship our owns thoughts. There’s a word for that in the Bible. It’s called idolatry and the Gospel of Matthew was written to smash it.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss the Matthew 11:11-19.

A quick shout out to Fr. Dustin Lyon, a regular listener who suggested that “a reed shaken in the wind” (11:7) from last week’s episode, may refer to a symbol printed on Herodian coins. A point, Fr. Lyon explains, which may enhance our reading of the text.

Episode 288 Matthew 11:11-19 Subscribe: feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Scheming Weasel” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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What He Undertakes Jul 23, 2019

In today’s program, Fr. Paul explores the functionality of biblical names in the genealogy presented in Genesis 4. (Episode 76)

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More Than a Prophet Jul 18, 2019

When we look at the world, intuitively, we betray Matthew’s admonition against judgment, assessing and interpreting people and texts based on our presuppositions. Instead of seeing everything through the lens of God’s teaching, we trust the lamp of our human eyes, which presents the world to us in darkness.

Thankfully, the preaching of John the Baptist—made up entirely of God’s words—can’t be seen. So no matter how flawed your vision, as long as you open your ears, there is hope. In this sense, the Lord’s refrain, “what did you go out to see,” is ominous: you were called to hear, why do you still trust your eyes?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 11:7-10

Episode 287 Matthew 11:7-10 Subscribe: feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Fuzzball Parade” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Name and Function Jul 16, 2019

This week, Fr. Paul notes the significance of Cain’s construction and subsequent naming of a city after his son, Enoch, the significance of the name Lamech as a metathesis of Melek, and the problem of civilization connected with the city as the production of man. (Episode 75)

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Immigration Letter Jul 13, 2019

“The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either—but right through every human heart.” —Alexander Solzhenitsyn

The letter read in today’s program quotes the following article in the last paragraph: Sonia Nazario, “How to Secure the Border,” Los Angeles Times, April 23, 2017.

Music performed by the West Side Riverview Choir, St. Paul, Minnesota.

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The Kingdom of the Heavens Jul 11, 2019

In Matthew 11, we discover that John the Baptist, who earlier preached the Kingdom of God in the wilderness, is now imprisoned. At this point in story, we do not know how John ended up in prison. All we know is that he preached the Kingdom.

Looking a few verses ahead, we learn from Jesus that this very Kingdom “suffers violence” at the hands of violent men. (Matthew 11:12) It is Caesar, the antichrist, and Herod, the traitor—a false king who pertains to his Roman master—who, in Matthew, struggle to take the Kingdom of God by force. Later, in chapter 14, we learn of Herod’s petty role in John’s imprisonment.

All the same, hearing news of the works of Jesus Christ, an imprisoned John found hope, against hope, and sent word to his rightful King, who proclaimed:

“The blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who does not take offense at me.” (Matthew 11:5-6)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 11:1-6

Episode 286 Matthew 1:1-6 Subscribe: feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Dark Times” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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The Only Avenger Jul 09, 2019

This week Fr. Paul explains that in murdering Abel, Cain is responsible for his own sin and may not blame his forefather. Individual responsibility for sin, Fr. Paul explains, is a main feature of the chapter. The fact that Cain ends up in the same situation as Adam (ha adam) cannot obscure this point, which is unmissable in the original Hebrew. (Episode 74)

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To These Little Ones Jul 04, 2019

Today is July 4, a holiday in the United States. As is the custom of our church, over the centuries, many such holidays have been coopted to serve the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In this spirit, on this day, we at The Bible as Literature remember all those in peril—the many refugees fleeing poverty and violence and their fallen brothers and sisters. We implore God on their behalf to grant them shelter and refuge through his teaching, in fulfillment of his promise, that, “whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:42)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 10:40-42

Episode 285 Matthew 10:40-42 Subscribe: feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Sardana” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Cain and Abel Jul 02, 2019

In today’s program, Fr. Paul begins his discussion of Cain and Abel, explaining the famous phrase, “sin is couching at the door.” He also reiterates the importance of the Hebrew word, yalad, noting that it can only be used in conjunction with the woman—an important point lost in translation. (Episode 73)

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Bringer of the Sword Jun 27, 2019

Bewitched by the lie of acquisition and consumerism, we have become of society of people whose actions proclaim the vulgar creed, “me first.” With supposed possessions in hand, we emerge as a nation of cowards, so terrified of losing what we think we have that we elevate our cravenness with ugly platitudes: family first, religion first, and nation first.

But in our cowardice, we run afoul of the Lord warning in Matthew: “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:39)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 10:32-39.

Episode 284 Matthew 10:32-39 Subscribe: feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Funkorama” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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East of the Garden Jun 25, 2019

This week Fr. Paul concludes his discussion of Genesis 3 with the expulsion of Adam from the garden, away from the Tree of Life. As always, he highlights critical connections in the Hebrew, in this case, technical terms that pertain to the keeping of God’s Law. (Episode 72)

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Fear Wisdom Jun 20, 2019

People claim to be members of God’s household—to be followers of his teaching—but in the Roman Empire, your master determines your household, and in the Bible, your fears reveal your true master.

Insofar as our fears control us, the Matthean metaphor of the Roman household contextualizes this dynamic perfectly, as a kind of slavery. If human beings are controlled by their fears, why not transfer this power to a Master who truly cares for us—not a Roman patrician, but a teacher—the one who gives us wisdom for the sake of the common good.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 10:24-31.

Episode Matthew 10:24-31 Subscribe: feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Tyrant” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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The Curse Jun 18, 2019

In today’s program, Fr. Paul explains how the dust of the ground is the curse, and uncovers a parallel in the text between Adam in the story and the kings that oppress God’s city city, a reading that hinges on the versatility of the Hebrew word marshal.(Episode 71)

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Daniel Anthony del Castillo Jun 15, 2019

This homily was delivered on June 8, 2019 at St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in loving memory of Daniel Anthony del Castillo. May his memory be eternal.

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How the Gospel Uses Fear Jun 13, 2019

Critics of the Bible often complain about its violent stories. How could the Bible be considered sacred, they ask, when it is full of so much cruelty and abuse? The answer—of course—is that it is human civilization that is overflowing with cruelty and violence, and the Bible holds this fact up to our face. Almost always, those who cringe at its stories are those who can’t face the truth about themselves. But the Bible does more than present the reality of our ugliness; its stories coopt human cruelty, transforming it into something beautiful.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 10:21-23.

Episode 282 Matthew 10:21-23 Subscribe: feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; Music from https://filmmusic.io: “Urban Gauntlet” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Nahash Jun 11, 2019

This week, Fr. Paul continues his discussion of Genesis 3, highlighting the functional connection between nahash and idolatry, and concluding with a review of the Bible’s critique of Plato. (Episode 70)

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Are You Worthy? Jun 06, 2019

So often, we hear Scripture in translation and assume a meaning for its words based on how we use those words in our modern language. When we do this, we make three mistakes. First, we forget that the way words are used can change over time; second, we disregard the problem of translation; third, and most importantly, we ignore the author's use of the term, which may part ways even with the way that word is understood in his historical context.

In Scripture, to understand a word, you have to look at its usage throughout the text. Fortunately, in the case of the term, "worthy," Matthew leaves plenty of breadcrumbs.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 10:11-20.

Episode 281 Matthew 10:11-20. Subscribe: feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Darkling” 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 Serpent Jun 04, 2019

This week, Fr. Paul explains the Hebrew word play in Genesis 3, underscoring, as always, the criticality of the original languages. While he has often emphasized that Genesis 1-4 contains the entire message of the Bible, he is quick to point out that this message is found in the hearing of the original Hebrew words, which reappear later in the biblical canon, and not in the understandings in our minds. (Episode 69)

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Do Not Muzzle the Ox May 30, 2019

The famous Negro Spiritual, “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize,” captures the spirit of Matthew 10. The hymn calls to mind an array of Scriptural passages to encourage and enjoin the faithful to run the race set before them.

In its famous verse: “Keep your hand on the Gospel plow; Won't take nothing for my journey now;” the hymn’s anonymous authors understand that in the work the Bible demands of us, we are fed only by the commandment that sends us.

“For Scripture says, ‘Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain.’ and ‘The worker deserves his wages.’”(1 Timothy 5:18)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 10:5-10.

Episode 280 Matthew 10:5-10. Subscribe: feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Fearless First” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Man and Woman May 28, 2019

This week, Fr. Paul expands on his discussion of the creation of woman, noting the introduction of two new words to define ha adam—ish and ishah—terms that twist the original intention of God in the story. (Episode 68)

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The One Who Betrayed Him May 23, 2019

Insofar as Matthew’s Genealogy in chapter 1 dismantles and ridicules the patrilineal line of David, it provides context for our understanding of the names of the Twelve in chapter 10. Where the name Matthew looks ahead, offering the hope of his gospel for Israel, the names that come after foreshadow a gift—a “Matthan”—already rejected. These names, which should mark hope and a return from exile, instead point backward, to the human kings and men of violence who first led God’s people astray. In this sense, the name Matthew in chapter 10 is a line in the sand—a last chance—and there’s no going back.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 10:3-4.

Episode 279 Matthew 10:3-4. Subscribe: feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Malicious” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Out of the Man May 21, 2019

In this week’s episode Fr. Paul continues his discussion of Genesis 2 highlighting its interconnection with Genesis 3. Beginning with verse 16 and the Lord God’s commandment than man not partake of the tree of knowledge, Fr. Paul will explain how death as punishment in the biblical story is not the same as natural death. He will also talk about his famous reading, that the creation of woman, who was “built out of the man” is a clever play on the biblical critique of the things men build with their own hands. (Episode 67)

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First Things Last May 16, 2019

As in the case of the Matthean Genealogy, our understanding of the summoning of the Twelve Apostles in Matthew 10 depends heavily upon the meaning of names. Not only their meaning, but their placement within Matthew’s list and their language of origin, taken in context of the broader narrative—all of which is amplified by the importance of the number twelve as a metaphor for the tribes of Israel.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 10:1-2.

Episode 278 Matthew 10:1-2. Subscribe: feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Silver Flame” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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To Serve and To Keep May 14, 2019

In this week’s episode Fr. Paul explains how verse 15 of Genesis 2, literally impossible to hear in translation, serves as a powerful hinge for the entire Bible. (Episode 66)

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The Lord of the Harvest May 09, 2019

Among the many themes emphasized in the Gospel of Matthew, none are more ominous than the admonitions given to those who would teach. It is the teachers of the people who must protect what is sacred; it is the teachers, above all others, who must not judge; it is the teachers who are responsible for the wellbeing of the flock; and, in Matthew 9, it is these teachers, entrusted with knowledge and the duty to share it, who have abandoned the people, as sheep without a shepherd. “Therefore,” Jesus warns, “beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:38)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 9:36-38.

This week’s episode is dedicated in loving memory of Daniel del Castillo, a man of duty, who served his country faithfully. May his memory and the legacy of his efforts for the sake of the common good be eternal.

Episode 277 Matthew 9:36-38. Subscribe: feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Dark Fog” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Toward the East May 07, 2019

In this week’s episode, Fr. Paul continues his discussion of Genesis 2 with the importance of rain, breath, and the garden of Eden, located toward the east in the Syrian desert, a critical point in his book, the Rise of Scripture. (Episode 65)

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Don’t Address the Critics May 02, 2019

Of the many attributes of a society in decline, none are more despicable than the degradation of speech. The inability to listen, the intent to smear and demonize so that others are not heard, the ideological delusion that leads us to believe such smears, born of our lies and marketing spin—all of this—is extremely dangerous and the epitome of evil because it erodes our ability to form community. In the end, our only hope is community, expressed in the New Testament through the metaphor of Table Fellowship with the people we fear and despise. In Matthew, when confronted with this type of speech, Jesus demonstrates the only correct response.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 9:32-35.

Episode 276 Matthew 9:32-35. Subscribe: feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Envision” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Elleh Toledot Apr 30, 2019

Fr. Paul explains the interplay between Genesis 1:1 and 2:4. (Episode 64)

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Two Blind Men Apr 25, 2019

Instead of teaching Hebrew and Greek (to empower others to read Scripture) modern Christians talk about how wonderful Jesus is, how much he has done for them, and how much they love him. Instead of leading Bible study, they “testify” to miracles in their life and why others should “believe.” The problem with this approach is that it is in direct disobedience to Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss the Gospel of Matthew 9:27-31.

Episode 275 Matthew 9:27-31. Subscribe: feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Midnight Tale” 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 Seventh Day Apr 23, 2019

This week, Fr. Paul begins his discussion of Genesis 2. (Episode 63)

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Clean and Unclean Apr 18, 2019

Ritual purity, which depends on the Temple and its customs to relieve people of their burdens, falls short of the cleaness demanded in the Bible. Does touching something really make you unclean, or was the Law given to show that you are not clean and you cannot make yourself clean? At this point, whether or not we got the point is a mute point, since the Temple has been destroyed.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss the Gospel of Matthew 9:18-26.

Episode 274 Matthew 9:18-16. Subscribe: feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Envison” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Male and Female Apr 16, 2019

In this week’s episode Fr. Paul explains the significance of the phrase “male and female he created them.” (Episode 62)

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The Bridegroom Apr 11, 2019

When the disciples of John ask why the disciples of Jesus do not fast, they betray their disregard for the Lord’s unique station as the Messiah and earthly representative of the Father. Jesus is their king who brings the Law of the Kingdom. As the Bridegroom, he is the head of the feast and the reason for the gathering. He is also the only person able to do what that Law requires. As such, the only reason to mourn in his presence is if you do not like what he has to say.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss the Gospel of Matthew 9:14-17.

Episode 273 Matthew 9:14-17 Subscribe: feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Leaving Home” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Image and Likeness Apr 09, 2019

The first part of Fr. Paul's concluding remarks on Genesis 1, (Episode 61)

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The Tax Collector Apr 04, 2019

By reason of his profession, Matthew, like Paul (who persecuted the church), was sent to preach the gospel as one despised by his addressees. How could a Jew who collaborates with Roman authorities approach his fellow Jews to collect taxes for their occupier? Worse, how could the Lord send such a person to preach his Gospel?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss the Gospel of Matthew 9:9-13.

Episode 272 Matthew 9:9-13; Subscribe: feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Industrial Cinematic” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Ish and Isha Apr 02, 2019

Fr. Paul discusses the Hebrew terms ish and isha in Isaiah 2 as they relate to Genesis. (Episode 60)

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The Forgiveness of Sins Mar 28, 2019

Students of the Bible often wrongly emphasize the sins of individuals over and above the forgiveness of sins as a general proclamation of the King. When this proclamation is contextualized in the New Testament, it pertains to redemption—literally, ones purchase in the marketplace—and the paying off, or “forgiveness” of former debts. The news of this forgiveness is a warning: yes, your debts have been covered, but now, you are in debt to a new Master, duty bound to follow the rules of his household.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 9:1-8.

Episode 271 Matthew 9:1-8; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Metalmania” Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Living Breath Mar 26, 2019

Fr. Paul discusses the belittling of man in Genesis 1. (Episode 59)

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On Caesar’s Turf Mar 21, 2019

When Jesus crosses the Roman sea in Matthew, he brings the good news of the Matthean genology—of the liberation of God’s people from captivity—to the gentiles living under the control of Caesar. The Gadarene exorcism consolidates a pattern in Matthew: those whom we assume to be wrong are the very ones who obey the command of the Master.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 8:28-34.

Episode 270 Matthew 8:28-34; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Nightdreams” Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Eretz and Adamah Mar 19, 2019

Fr. Paul revisits the term eretz in his exposition of Genesis 1. (Episode 58)

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Pressure and Order Mar 14, 2019

In the face of situational chaos, all of us appreciate strong leadership. We value the clear and confident voice of the one who knows what to do—we value their knowledge—and we listen to what they say. Leadership provides clarity, order, and the pressure necessary to help all of us do what must be done. But there are plenty of examples where placing this kind of trust in a human leader has led to disaster. That’s why the Gospel of Matthew won’t ascribe such authority to anyone, not even Jesus. It is the teaching that Jesus carries—the word that he speaks—to which we look for direction. This word was handed down from above as the immutable will of God our Father, the Patrician of all, whose authority brings order to the household of the nations.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 8:23-27.

Thanks to all of our listeners for supporting this live recording of the podcast. It was great to see many of you at this year’s symposium. If you’re looking for a cutting-edge appliance repair school run by industry experts, one of our listeners can help! Visit https://mastersamuraitech.com for more information.

Episode 269 Matthew 8:23-27; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “The Show Must Be Go” Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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The Dry Land Mar 12, 2019

Fr. Paul continues his analysis of Genesis 1. (Episode 57)

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Leave the Dead Mar 07, 2019

At the start of the New Testament, the Matthean Geneology remedies an incorrect understanding of Abraham’s line by belittling of the kings of Judah, highlighting the failure of tribal lines. Thus, Matthew reorients his readers to the original intent of Abraham’s household as a mechanism of adoption into the Lord’s fold, through his teaching. To claim Abraham as a tribal or national banner is to diminish the Lord’s promise, making Abraham’s seed just like any other human line.

In Matthew, as in Genesis, the Lord is forced to intervene to ensure that the folly of David’s seed does not jeopardize God’s promise of life to Abraham and his descendants. All human lines are dust to dust. Thus, the Matthean Jesus challenges loyalty to tribe and clan with a stern warning: ”Leave the dead to bury their dead.”

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 8:18-22.

Episode 268 Matthew 8:18-22; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Cold Sober” Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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The Second Day Mar 05, 2019

Fr. Paul discusses Geneis 1:6-9. (Episode 56)

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Peter’s Household Feb 28, 2019

The head of the household, in biblical terms, is the one responsible for leading with the teaching of Scripture. Where civil characterizations of this role emphasize the acquisition of wealth, the Bible stresses obedience to God’s instruction as the chief duty of both the Biblical Patriarch and the Roman Patrician. A true parent is the one who provides instruction along with bread and shelter. That is why in the Orthodox and Catholic traditions, the one responsible for teaching is called, “Father.”

But what happens when the head of the household is himself disobedient? What if that person, who is responsible for the wellbeing of everyone, allows a member of his family to suffer because of a failure to teach?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 8:14-17.

Episode 267 Matthew 8:14-17; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Onion Capers” Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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One Day Feb 26, 2019

Fr. Paul continues his discussion of Genesis 1. (Episode 55)

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The Roman Household Feb 21, 2019

Too often, students of Scripture dismiss difficult texts by separating the culture of the biblical era from what they consider the real ”message” of the biblical story—but this is a fallacy. Empirically, the text—the letters and words inscribed on the page—are the message. The rule of Matthew precludes the addition or subtraction of anything from this inscription.

If the message in your head does not recount every letter of Hebrew and Greek in the entire Bible, it's not the biblical message. So when Scripture deals with Roman culture, like it or not, Roman culture is part of the package. When we attempt to sift it out, the Gospel becomes unintelligible.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 8:5-13.

Episode 266 Matthew 8:5-13; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Crusade - Heavy Industry” Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Light and Darkness Feb 19, 2019

Fr. Paul resumes his reading of Genesis with a discussion of light and darkness in 1:3-5. (Episode 54)

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The Witness of the Leper Feb 14, 2019

In the Gospel of Matthew, knowledge of Scripture determines the value of a Levitical priest. What are the specific rules of Leviticus and what do they mean? What is the priest commanded to do when he encounters a leper? What does the Levitical sign of skin disease teach the priest about the household of Abraham?

In the story of the leper’s healing in Matthew 8, Jesus demonstrates the answer to these questions through his obedience to the rule of Leviticus, placing accountability for the plight of the outcast squarely on the shoulders of “Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests.” (Leviticus 13:2)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 8:1-4.

Episode 265 Matthew 8:1-4; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Cottages” Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Grammatical Functionality Feb 12, 2019

Fr. Paul concludes his discussion of functionality in Scripture. (Episode 53)

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These Words Feb 07, 2019

As teachers and students, we delude ourselves with abstraction. How many of us, instead of teaching the words of the Bible, offer a cheap summary or moral extraction to get at (what we call) the gist of the story? How often have you heard someone talk and talk and talk about God for hours without following the storyline of Scripture, in English, let alone the original languages? How often? The King James Bible contains 783,137 words. There is no gist. There are only “these words.”

“Everyone,” Jesus explains, “who hears these words of mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.” (Matthew 7:26)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 7:24-29.

Episode 264 Matthew 7:24-29; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Dream Catcher” Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Biblical Function Feb 05, 2019

Fr. Paul discusses the central importance of functionality in Scripture. (Episode 52)

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Not Everyone Who Says, “Lord, Lord” Jan 31, 2019

It’s unclear how or when the phrase “I love you” became the sacrosanct rubric of America’s devolving mating rituals, but it did. In the place of duty, honor, and commitment, we peddle the fake importance of a self-involved, emotionally insecure obsession with three words that represent a hormonal response. Even if you think you disagree, you know its true. Your spouse can say, “I love you” until they’re blue in the face. It is meaningless if their behavior says otherwise. Enter Matthew 7. Jesus does not care if you say, “I love you.” The world does not stop spinning and it is not an apocalyptic sign that now you are truly his disciple. No way. Human words are cheap. You are only his disciple when you act like it.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 7:21-23. Today’s episode begins with a reading of Deuteronomy 13:1-3.

Episode 263 Matthew 7:21-23; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Hackbeat” Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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The Waters Jan 29, 2019

Fr. Paul explains the function of the waters in Genesis 1:2. (Episode 51)

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Beware of False Prophets Jan 24, 2019

Priorities control a person's speech. If a pastor’s goal is to share the words of the Bible, he will speak the words of the Bible. If his goal is to grow his parish, he will add to (or subtract from) the words of Scripture to appeal to his target audience, ignoring the Lord’s warning in Matthew 7:6 to protect what is holy. In Matthew, this kind of teacher is singled out as a false prophet, easily identifiable, Jesus explains, by the content of what is taught and by its outcome.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 7:15-20.

Episode 262 Matthew 7:15-20; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “That’s a Wrap” Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Tohu wa-bohu Jan 22, 2019

Fr. Paul continues his reading of Genesis with an analysis of the words tohu wa-bohu in 1:2. (Episode 50)

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The Narrow Path Jan 17, 2019

In the modern Internet of Consumers, everyone is treated as a profit center. Content, images, and themes are all engineered to attract the widest audience possible. If everyone likes your message, it must be good, right? This profit centered model has corrupted our media institutions and undermines our trust in each other. In 2018, everyone is in sales—even our universities—and it’s a catastrophe.

While the Bible was indeed written in such a way that the widest possible audience could understand it’s content, it was not written to be accepted by a broad audience. It was written to say what it has to say with no regard for its appeal. That is what it means to teach and the biblical teaching in Matthew is itself the narrow path of which Jesus speaks.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 7:13-14.

Episode 261 Matthew 7:13-14; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Just Nasty” Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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The Title of Scripture Jan 15, 2019

In the fourth part of his introduction to the Book of Genesis, Fr. Paul discusses the importance of the Hebrew words bereshit bara. (Episode 49)

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Ask, Seek, and Knock Jan 10, 2019

Too often, the Lord’s promise in Matthew 7:7, that those who ask will receive, and those who seek will find, is reframed by a consumer mindset, as though prayer is the adult version of writing a letter to Santa Claus. But if we hear this verse in the context of Matthew, we’re stuck with a different reality: God’s will is immutable and dominant, he already knows what we need, and we are not allowed to ask for stuff when we pray. So why and what are we suddenly asking for and seeking in verse 7?

In a gospel that began with an overview of the Old Testament and a crash course in biblical Hebrew, Matthew is challenging us: whatever we need is already available in Scripture—so ask the Torah and seek its pages. Everything you need will be provided.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 7:7-12.

Episode 260 Matthew 7:7-12; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Club Seamus” Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Toledot Jan 08, 2019

In the third part of his introduction to the Book of Genesis, Fr. Paul revisits his discussion of the Hebrew word toledot. (Episode 48)

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Dogs, Swine, and Pearls Jan 03, 2019

Too often, teachers use Matthew 7:6 to cast aspersion on the unchurched, difficult students, or people who are not interested in what they have to say. In doing so, they twist the meaning of the Gospel to serve themselves at the expense of others. When the Lord warns his followers, “Do not give what is holy to dogs,” it is the believer, not the gentile “dog,” who is under judgment.

Those entrusted with the Gospel are responsible to abstain from defiling it with their lips. If you sit on the seat of Moses and proclaim your words in judgment and not the words of Scripture, you can’t help but be self-serving. Such words defile you and those who hear you.

Therefore, Jesus warns, don’t be surprised when the people you abuse with your lies “turn and tear you to pieces.” In that moment, Ezekiel proclaims, ”you shall know that I am the Lord,” (Ezekiel 11:12) the only Judge, whose throne is in the heavens.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 7:4-6.

Episode 259 Matthew 7:4-6; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Chillin Hard” Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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The Triliteral Root Jan 01, 2019

In the second part of his introduction to the Book of Genesis, Fr. Paul continues his discussion of the language of Scripture with an overview of triliteral roots. (Episode 47)

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Only One Opinion Counts Dec 27, 2018

Too often, we co-opt the prohibition against judgment in Matthew as a mechanism of our self-imposed fragility. We don’t want to be challenged with our sins, so when confronted, we blather, “who are you to judge?”

Fortunately, Matthew 7 renders this question totally non-functional. “Who am I?” I am exactly what you are and what St. Paul proclaims me to be: nothing, absolutely nothing. It the Lord’s teaching that is the “something” by which we are judged. Since we are nothing, I have no right not to read his judgment aloud and you have no right to cover your ears.

Make no mistake, there shall be no “safe spaces” in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 7:1-3.

Episode 258 Matthew 6:31-34; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Retrofuture Clean” 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 Language of Scripture Dec 25, 2018

In the first part of his introduction to the Book of Genesis, Fr. Paul expounds on the language of Scripture. (Episode 46)

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Sufficient for the Day Dec 20, 2018

When we step back to consider the full scope of any effort, even when the work in front of us pertains to God and not to mammon, it’s easy to become paralyzed by stress and anxiety. In Matthew, Jesus solves this problem by narrowing the scope of our worries yet further: yes, we must limit our concerns to the Master’s instruction for us, but that is not enough. We must also become far more deliberate and practical in the execution of our duties because it’s not the Master’s commandment in abstraction that we serve, but the Master’s demands of us now, at this very moment, when both the need and the task are within reach.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 6:31-34.

Episode 257 Matthew 6:31-34; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Laserpack” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Five Smooth Stones Dec 18, 2018

Fr. Paul explains 1 Samuel 17:40. (Episode 45)

“Breakdown” Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/) (http://incompetech.com/) (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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The Lilies of the Field Dec 13, 2018

Everyone loves Matthew's passage about the lilies of the field. We love it because who doesn't want to be consoled and encouraged not to worry about anything? But our enthusiasm is misplaced. We get excited about our freedom from worry in the same way that we misread our liberation from Pharaoh. In the book of Exodus, the Lord's people were not set free from Egypt so that they could be free. As the Lord said to Moses, repeatedly:

“Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.” (Exodus 8:1)

In Matthew, the followers of Jesus are not set free from worry so that we can be free from worry. On the contrary, we are warned that our worries pertain to the wrong master.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 6:22-30.

Episode 256 Matthew 6:22-30; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Lobby Time” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Adamah and Eretz Dec 11, 2018

Fr. Paul discusses the use of the Hebrew terms adamah and eretz in Ezekiel. (Episode 44)

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Treasure in Heaven Dec 06, 2018

“Those who want to become rich,” St. Paul writes, “fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. “For the love of money,” he continues, “is the root of all evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, O man of God, flee from these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.” (1 Timothy 6:9-11)

Make no mistake, when St. Paul attacks the love of money, he is attacking money—point blank—because everyone knows (even though most will never admit) that everyone loves money.

As an alternative to wealth, Paul proposes the pursuit of the righteousness that comes from God, which Matthew explains, is the “treasure in heaven.” To gain this treasure, the one who labors must attribute all credit for their deeds to the Father of Jesus and take no credit from anyone other than him. This is the only wise choice, because—according to both Paul and Matthew—since the Heavenly Father does not die, the hope of credit from him is the only worthwhile investment.

“For,” St. Paul explains, “We have brought nothing into the world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” (1 Timothy 6:7)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 6:16-21.

Episode 255 Matthew 6:16-21; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Basic Implosion” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Possess vs. Inherit Dec 04, 2018

Fr. Paul discusses the terms possess and inherit in the language of the Bible. (Episode 43)

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The Lord’s Prayer Nov 29, 2018

When Mr. Miyagi, the eighties era fictional Karate master, set out to teach his disciple, he asked him to paint a fence, wax cars, and sand a huge floor using inefficient, repetitive motions that made the work difficult and tedious. Sick of repetition and exhausted, the disciple rebelled against his master. Mr. Miyagi confronted his student with a new lesson, demonstrating that seemingly pointless directives had produced knowledge in his disciple, who, without realizing it, had mastered the basics of self-defense.

In similar fashion, the Matthean Jesus demands obedience of his disciples. When they pray, they are to pray in a specific way, using the exact words assigned by their master, day after day, until the difficult and tedious burden of biblical study and repetition produces wisdom in their actions.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 6:7-15.

For those who have not seen the eighties film, The Karate Kid, make sure to watch this youtube clip of the teaching scene: https://youtu.be/Bg21M2zwG9Q.

Episode 254 Matthew 6:7-15; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Send for the Horses” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Hypertextuality Nov 27, 2018

Fr. Paul discusses hypertextuality and the contributions of Bartosz Adamczewski to the field of Biblical Studies. (Episode 42)

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It’s Not Hyperbole Nov 22, 2018

When someone makes a statement that is difficult or unreasonable, human beings rationalize in order to ignore or moderate their words. Maybe the person didn't mean it, or maybe they have some hidden strategy that explains their otherwise irrational position. Unfortunately for deniers, what a person says is what they mean. The duty of science is to be accountable and to hold each other accountable to what is actually said, not to appeal to an imaginary “intended meaning” or purpose. Demagoguery is the bastard child of Plato, enabled by the tolerable meanings we create behind or above the stench of what is actually said.

In the case of Matthew, the difficult words of Jesus are also unbearable. Beginning with Matthew 5, the Lord presents an explanation of the Law of Moses that makes it literally impossible for anyone to claim that they are righteous. Some scholars argue that Jesus is exaggerating to make a point. Why? Because if Jesus meant what he said (a tautology for Semites) then, literally, no one is righteous. No, not one.

Jesus decimates the hope of human righteousness, even as the demagogue counts on our faith in the same. That's why the words of Jesus, unlike human words, are a sweet fragrance in the Father's nostrils.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 6:5-6.

This week's episode is offered in honor of Kathryn, an Alzheimer's patient who entered hospice this week. We give thanks with her to him who remembers us in our low estate, for his mercy endures forever.

Episode 253 Matthew 6:5-6; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “ZigZag” 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 Maccabees Nov 20, 2018

Fr. Paul discusses the significance of the Maccabees for the formation of the New Testament. (Episode 41)

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False Humility Nov 15, 2018

The expression “false pretense” is very strange. By definition, a pretense is the act of giving an appeance. In the Bible, anything that presents an apperance is already a lie, the depth and breadth of which is evident without the use of a modifier.

In Matthew, the pretense of humility amplifies human arrogance, even as the appearence of charity faciltiates selfishness. Are you humble because you look humble? Are you generous because people saw you giving alms to the poor? Since all pretense is false, it's hard to say. But Matthew, like the Apostle Paul, won't enter the debate since even humility and generosity—no matter how sincere—are rendered unrighteous by the credit your pretense earns in the sight of men:

“But to me, it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted, but the one who examines me is the Lord. Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.” (1 Corinthians 4:3-5)

For Matthew, whose teaching reflects the wisdom of Paul, the only sure fire way to avoid fueling our innate hypocrisy is to avoid appearances altogether, doing everything in secret until the Lord appears on the day of judgment.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 6:1-4.

Episode 252 Matthew 6:1-4; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Cottages” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Saul Nov 13, 2018

Fr. Paul discusses the biblical meaning and function of the Hebrew word Saul. (Episode 40)

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Be Perfect Nov 08, 2018

The United States is at a crossroads. Regrettably, all of us listened to our parents, teachers and Walt Disney, who conspired to convince us that we should believe in ourselves--and now, everyone believes in themselves. It's a disaster.

We believe in ourselves and thus believe that our ideas, preferences and personal beliefs hold universal authority. When daily life demonstrates that our beliefs are not universal, we push back--sometimes violently--to silence all those who threaten our mental perfection. Did I say mental? Yes, I did. We are mental.

The problem with mental perfection is that it's a fraud. We enshrine ourselves in a temple dedicated to self-serving ideals and declare ourselves the perfect example of the righteousness of these ideals. Religious people do it, liberals and conservatives do it, and those who seek power love it because you can ride self-righteousness like a tidal wave, all the way to the top.

The perfection that Jesus demands in the Gospel of Matthew is different. It's a perfection that shames us and strips us of power. It's a perfection that makes clear—in no uncertain terms—that we are not to believe in ourselves; that we are a fraud; that we cannot accomplish the most basic requirements of human morality, let alone the demands of the Torah. It's a perfection that can only be realized in our defeat on the cross, the symbol of a teaching that consigns all perfection to the dead.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 5:40-48.

Episode 251 Matthew 5:40-48; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Fearless First” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Biqah, Shinar, Babel Nov 06, 2018

Fr. Paul discusses the Hebrew terms biqah, shinar, and babel. (Episode 39)

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Empty Promises Nov 01, 2018

People love to talk about what they want to do, what they should do or what they believe is right. We love it. We go online to brag about it and to cajole each other. Everyone is a fake preacher. We give lip service to lofty ideals (lying to ourselves and each other) pretending to be people of great deeds, but our words, like our promises, are empty platitudes. No, they are worse than that, because when we cast our vanity on the world, we lift ourselves up at the expense of those whose suffering is actual. This is the banality of evil and we are living it.

Unlike our lofty ideals, the crisis of poverty; the vile stench of greed; the abyss of human ignorance; the plague of hatred; and the scourge of violence that now threaten our country are not theoretical. Those of us who hear the Lord's teaching must not talk about what we want to do or what should be done. We must act as we have been commanded. For the Lord said, “Do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” (Matthew 5:39)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 5:33-39.

This weeks episode is presented in loving honor of the victims of the synagogue massacre in Pittsburg. May they find rest with all the saints in the bosom of Abraham; and may their memory—in fellowship with the righteous teaching for which they died—be assuredly eternal.

Episode 250 Matthew 5:33-39; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Dreams Become Real” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/) (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Shemites Oct 30, 2018

Fr. Paul explains the significance of the word shem in the biblical tradition. (Episode 38)

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Love is Not a Feeling Oct 25, 2018

To our peril, we think about love and relationships in terms of how we feel about a person or how that person makes us feel. This attitude is understandable in children, but when adults think this way in marriage, the failure of their household becomes the failure of our neighborhoods, our communities, and, sooner or later, civil society.

In the Sermon on the Mount, the love that Jesus preaches has nothing to do with how we feel. In fact, through Jesus' strict application of Torah, the worse the commandment makes us feel—the more uncomfortable pressure it puts on us—the better our chances of learning how to love others correctly. Yes, that's right; in the Gospel of Matthew, not only is love not a feeling, but almost always, the love imposed by the Lord's commandment goes against what we feel. It is only when our feelings are overrun by this commandment that we have any chance of acting correctly toward our neighbor.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 5:27-32.

Episode 249 Matthew 5:27-32; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Hiding Your Reality” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/) (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Moses as Anti-Hero Oct 23, 2018

Fr. Paul examines the role of Moses as anti-hero. (Episode 37)

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Every Last Cent Oct 18, 2018

Christians come up with strange explanations as to the relationship between the Law of Moses and Pauline grace. Maybe, they argue, only part of the Law is valid—like the Ten Commandments—but the rest is draconian and Jesus came to rescue us from legalism. Others claim, maybe, because of grace, Jesus is saying that we can do whatever we want and trust that God will make it OK. My favorite explanation is what I call the combo platter: “You see, Fr. Marc, we need both grace and the work of our hands. It's a deep partnership with God.”

Really? Partnership? Do you really believe that? Please, help me understand the way in which the creator of the heavens and earth is dependent on you for anything. If that's true, then maybe Paul was wrong. Maybe you are something. Still, it's more likely that Paul was right: that we are nothing when we think that we are something. Maybe that's why Matthew compels us to give an account for every last minuscule detail of the Mosaic Law. Not so that we can get grace as a consolation prize (like magic pixie dust) but so that we can be humbled and broken with Jesus on the Cross into understanding that God of Moses has been graceful all along.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 5:19-26.

Episode 248 Matthew 5:19-26; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “River Fire” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/) (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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No Better Establishment Oct 16, 2018

Fr. Paul explains how the biblical story does not propose a better establishment. (Episode 36)

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Not One Iota Oct 11, 2018

“Being instructed out of the Law,” are you “confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, [and] a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth?” (Romans 2:18-21) “Are you confident,” Paul asks in Romans, “Are you sure that you are a light the blind?”

When Jesus says that “you are the salt of the earth” or “you are the light of the world” do you really believe that you are the light? The Law, in which you boast, is the light to the blind which you yourself do not heed. “You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? [Indeed] 'the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,' just as it is written.” (Romans 2:23-24) So be careful when you boast. “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter [not one iota] or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:18)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 5:15-18.

Episode 247 Matthew 5:15-18; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Miami Viceroy” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/) (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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The Purpose of the Greek Epics Oct 09, 2018

Fr. Paul explains the purpose of the Greek epics and the way in which the biblical story pushes back. (Episode 35)

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Salt of the Earth Oct 04, 2018

If an author writes the words, “red lead,” is she directing a person named Red to lead a group of people or is she referring to a lead based substance that is colored red, as in, “red lead?” If she is speaking and we cannot see the spelling of her words, is she informing her audience that she read a book about leadership, or was it an essay about lead poisoning in Flint, Michigan's water supply? You get the point. Context is paramount for understanding.

When Jesus says, “you are the salt of the earth,” and then talks about a loss of flavor, what does he mean? Actual salt cannot lose its flavor, but according to Jesus, his followers are definitely at risk of losing their flavor. If we can lose our saltiness, that means that whatever made us the “salt of the earth” was put into us. How are we to discern what this thing is and how it works? How are we to understand the phrase, “you are the salt of the earth?” The answer is context.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 5:13-14.

This week's episode is presented in honor Fr. Paul Tarazi's 75th birthday. May God grant him many years.

Episode 246 Matthew 5:13-14; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Thinking Music” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/) (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Scripture as a Totality Oct 02, 2018

Fr. Paul reviews interconnected terminology, geographic references, and narrative themes in the Bible that point to Scripture as a totality. (Episode 34)

This week's episode falls on the occasion of Fr. Paul's 75th birthday. Happy Birthday, Abouna!

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Blessings and Insults Sep 27, 2018

The suffering of others should make us feel ashamed. When we see a neighbor in need, in poor health, overcome by calamity or besieged by violence, their burden is both a call to action and a check on our ego. Honestly, what right have we to complain about anything in the face of our neighbor's misfortune? Regrettably, we routinely appropriate such shame as a means of influence. Politicians spin suffering to promote anger and a spirit of self-righteousness while victims point to misfortune as an excuse for cruelty. So what are we to make of the words of Jesus, “Blessed are you when people insult you?”

“Do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive commendation from God.” (1 Corinthians 4:5)

According to St. Paul's sternly-worded instruction, the question as to which suffering is worthy of Christ's blessing cannot be determined before the judgment. In Matthew, the criterion for this final test is not whether or not you suffered, but whether or not your suffering was for the right reason.

You may want to hold off cashing in your blessings before the time.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 5:9-12.

Episode 245 Matthew 5:9-12; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Zap Beat” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/) (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Shamar Sep 25, 2018

Fr. Paul provides an overview of the term shamar in the book Genesis. (Episode 33)

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Clarity of Purpose Sep 20, 2018

Hunger and thirst are clarifying. When you are desperate for a drink of water, or you have not eaten in days, your biological needs control your actions. In turn, your actions reorder your thoughts, and you acquire clarity of vision—you know what you want, you know it when you see it, you know what you need to do, and you see the world around you in these terms. Now imagine that your biological need for food and drink is co-opted by the obligation to hear and obey God's teaching. Your hunger and thirst for this teaching lead you to act with mercy toward others, which, in turn, organizes your mind. Your mind, now clear of distraction (a phrase usually translated as “purity of heart”) is wholly conformed to this teaching, allowing you to see God in the world around you.

“Blessed [indeed] are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 5:6-8.

Episode 244 Matthew 5:6-8; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Mystery Sax” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/) (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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The Chicken or the Egg? Sep 18, 2018

Fr. Paul explains the terms flock and sheep and the problem individualism poses for our hearing of Scripture. (Episode 32)

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The Fruit of the Spirit Sep 13, 2018

When we hear the Beatitudes for the first time, it's tempting to philosophize—about poverty, humility, sadness, etc.—as though the Beatitudes themselves are a bunch of Greek platitudes. But if you've been with our podcast from the early days, you know a couple of things: 1) that Scripture refers to itself, interprets itself, and does not look outside of itself for meaning, and 2) that Scripture is written in opposition to Greek Philosophy. To treat Jesus like a philosopher who spouts philosophical platitudes is anti-Scriptural. So what is Jesus talking about in the Beatitudes? What is he teaching? The very same thing everything in the Bible teaches and refers to: the Law of Moses.

Richard and I discuss Matthew 5:1-5.

Episode 243 Matthew 5:1-5; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Twisting” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: B.y Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Who is the Adversary of Whom? Sep 11, 2018

Fr. Paul explains the meaning of the name Job. (Episode 31)

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Direct My Footsteps Sep 06, 2018

When we talk about behavior, we imagine that a degree of separation exists between our thoughts and our actions—as the saying goes, between mind and body—but this is incorrect. Just as a muscle integrates with fat and bone, our thoughts (themselves biological) fully integrate with our behaviors. In the Bible, there is no distinction between mind and body; both are flesh. As such, Biblical healing comes not from discussion but through obedience. Like a chiropractor, the Lord's commandment corrects the position of your bone, and your muscle falls in place. That's why the priority of biblical wisdom is to correct, protect, and direct your footsteps. If you can do what the Lord instructs you to do, the rest will take care of itself.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 4:23-25.

Episode 242 Matthew 4:23-25; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Werq” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: B.y Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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The Maskilim Sep 04, 2018

Fr. Paul explains the meaning of the term maskilim in the Bible. (Episode 30)

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Nets of Our Own Making Aug 30, 2018

Man toils in his service, acts on his behalf, and slaves for personal gain. Even when he strives to gather food for his family, the human being does so selfishly—for his family—a community readily exploited to fulfill his personal needs. The act of gathering food, which should be a gesture of unselfish love toward those in need, is reduced to a selfish act ensnaring man in the net of his own making.

When Jesus approaches the Pillars (Peter, James, and John) with the addition of Andrew, he calls them to a new kind of service, one that has the power to make their labors productive for an unselfish purpose—a purpose that obliterates the distinction they draw between the needs of their family, and those of the entire human family.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 4:18-22.

Episode 241 Matthew 4:18-22; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Loopster” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: B.y Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Flip of the Coin Aug 28, 2018

Fr. Paul explains the function of chosenness in the Bible. (Episode 29)

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On the Margin Aug 23, 2018

The first three chapters of Matthew portray a confrontation between the God of Abraham and the many false gods and kings that rule the earth. Even as these kings—represented here by Herod—struggle to cling to power at the visible center, the Lord moves the center of power to the invisible margin. This move deludes the powerful, allowing them a false sense of comfort, since, in their minds, out of sight means out of mind. But the Torah is on the move in Matthew—and it moves with force—disempowering rulers both inside Jerusalem and beyond. As David proclaims in Psalm 14, “The fool says in his heart, there is no God.”

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 4:12-17.

Episode 240 Matthew 4:12-17; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Morgana Rides” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: B.y Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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To Be, or Not to Be? Aug 21, 2018

Fr. Paul discusses the biblical term exist and the problem of its conflation with the verb ”to be.” (Episode 28)

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Jesus Does Not Speak Aug 16, 2018

When a child reads a letter of St. Paul aloud in church, it does not matter if the child himself understands the reading, it only matters that he pronounce the text correctly. When the words of the letter are pronounced correctly, it is as though Paul himself is speaking to the church. It does not matter that it happens to be a child. The words of Scripture speak for themselves.

That is exactly how Jesus handles the Devil in chapter 4 of Matthew. Jesus himself does not speak, he merely recites the text of Scripture, and without ever making an argument—let alone lifting a finger—the full power of his Father’s authority is brought to bear through the written content of Deuteronomy.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 4:1-11.

Episode 239 Matthew 4:1-11; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Twisting” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: B.y Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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King David Aug 14, 2018

Fr. Paul discusses the meaning and development of King David’s character in the storyline of the Bible. (Episode 27)

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W.W.J.B.? Aug 09, 2018

To the extent that Christians believe in the power of their actions and the value of their ethics, it’s understandable why they would interpret the Bible as a set of moral guidelines, or the life of Jesus as a moral example. But this is nonsense. The Bible does not present a philosophy of life, a set of ethics, or a set of moral guidelines. Jesus is not a role model and the question “what would Jesus do” is not Scriptural. In the Bible, there is no distance between the commandment and the steps taken by the disciple. Christ does not show us how to live. On the contrary, he demonstrates who his master is by his obedience to that master. This is what we imitate in Christ—his obedience to the Torah—with no provision for moral deliberation on our part. When you deliberate, “what would Jesus do“ you’ve already missed the bus. The real question is, “who was Jesus‘s boss?“

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 3:13-17.

Episode 238 Matthew 3:13-17; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Zap Beat” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: B.y Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Eden and the Four Rivers Aug 07, 2018

Fr. Paul discusses the four rivers that flow out of biblical Eden. (Episode 26)

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The Axe is at the Root Aug 02, 2018

It’s difficult for us to wrap our minds around, but the fact is, God does not need us. He does not need our abilities, our sentiments, our help, our efforts, our offerings, our deeds, our families, or our communities. God needs nothing from us yet provides everything for us. In Scripture, he freely offers Scripture to every generation. In Matthew, if we do not submit to this gift, itself presented as a judgment against us for our sake, we are warned, ominously, by John the Baptist:

”The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 3:10)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 3:10-12.

Episode 237 Matthew 3:10-12; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Failing Defense” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: B.y Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Lost in Translation Jul 31, 2018

Fr. Paul explores the versatility of the term Eden and the loss of its literary interconnection in translation. (Episode 24)

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Subjugation of Identity Jul 26, 2018

People assert and impose an identity from their king, their nation, their city, their tribe, and their family—all of which are dismantled and repurposed in Matthew’s genealogy. Now, in chapter 3, on the lips of John the Baptist, we come face to face with this new purpose: the adoption of all nations as brothers and sisters under the headship of Abraham. Indeed, the first two chapters of Matthew are summed up nicely in St. John’s Pauline admonition, ”that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.” (Matt 3:9)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 3:1-9.

Episode 236 Matthew 3:1-9; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Decisions” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: B.y Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Shepherdism Jul 24, 2018

Fr. Paul talks about shepherdism in Greater Syria and it's significance for the Bible. (Episode 24)

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A New Branch Jul 19, 2018

When a person's behavior improves, we naturally speak of how they have grown or changed, when, what has changed is not the person, but the instruction that controls their actions. Scripture bypasses human psychology to focus strictly on commandment and behavior. The Bible relieves the burden of sin by substituting one master for another. That's it. We don't change. We don't improve. We simply remember that we were slaves in the land of Egypt, and the Lord our God brought us out by his mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; and that this same Lord has now commanded us to obey him.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 2:19-23.

Episode 235 Matthew 2:19-23; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Not As It Seems” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: B.y Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Judges 2:10-23 Jul 17, 2018

Fr. Paul discusses Judges 2:10-23. (Episode 23)

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It's Not a Fortune Cookie Jul 12, 2018

Modern students of Scripture dumb down the power of the New Testament by dealing with the Old Testament as a kind of antiquated fortune cookie. They see a connection between Matthew and Jeremiah, and exclaim, "You see! Jeremiah predicts Matthew!" Even if we suspend reality for a moment (and ignore the fact that Matthew had access to Jeremiah before he wrote his book) fortune cookie theology does something far worse: it strips the New Testament of its nuance, functionality, interconnection, and narrative continuity with the Old Testament. In other words, if your understanding of Jeremiah is that he predicts Jesus, you have already shut down the meaning of Matthew's gospel.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 2:16-18.

Episode 234 Matthew 2:16-18; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Raw” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: B.y Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Palásh Jul 10, 2018

Fr. Paul discusses the term palásh as it relates to the word Philistine. (Episode 22)

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The Liberation of Egypt Jul 05, 2018

In secular ideology, we tend to depict everything as a struggle between bad actors and (so-called) good actors; between victims and oppressors. Thankfully, this self-righteous view of the world is dismantled in the Bible, which assumes that all humans are bad actors. In Scripture, all peoples come face-to-face with God's wrath through a functional judgment that pivots constantly against anyone who will listen. This mechanism is on full display in Matthew, who not only presents Israel's oppressor in a positive light; but as a people enslaved on Israel's account; and without whom Israel can't be saved.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 2:13-15.

Episode 233 Matthew 2:13-15; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “The Forest and the Trees” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: B.y Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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In Christ Jesus Jul 03, 2018

Fr. Paul unpacks the literary function of the expression ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. (Episode 21)

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Rejoice, O Unwedded Bride Jun 28, 2018

The most difficult part of following the Bible is accepting the factuality of our powerlessness. Human beings repeatedly invent ways to sustain the illusion of control and self-importance, scheming tirelessly to defend and secure the passing fallacy of our place in the world.

According to (more accurately, as evidenced by) the written Gospel of Matthew, Scripture is written; and what is written in Scripture controls everything because it is factually correct and deals with the factuality of the world around us. Matthew's account of the Nativity amplifies this point through the sign of Mary's weakness, which highlight's the sign of Joseph's absence, and, ultimately, the helplessness and vulnerability of the child, Jesus Christ.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 2:7-12.

Episode 232 Matthew 2:7-12; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “The Death of Kings” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: B.y Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Hope As a Mindset Jun 26, 2018

Fr. Paul explains the function of hope in the biblical story. (Episode 20)

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And You, Bethlehem Jun 21, 2018

Everyone emphasizes Jerusalem. It's the big city, the important city, and the object of David's kingly ambitions—but it's not the city from which (or to which) David was called. On the contrary, it is Jerusalem's little sister, the city of Bethlehem, that is set apart as the fruit bearing house of the bread of God's instruction. It is this little town—a place of pasture for shepherds—that is by no means least among the rulers of Judah.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 2:4-6.

Episode 231 Matthew 2:4-6; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “All This” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: B.y Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Raised Jun 19, 2018

Fr. Paul discusses the usage and meaning of the term raised in the biblical canon. (Episode 19)

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The People’s Hero Jun 14, 2018

People read religious and philosophical symbols into the Bible all the time. They study other traditions or the symbols of ancient mythologies and jump to conclusions, reading biblical metaphor against a non-biblical context. Worse, they make horrific assumptions about the supposed continuity between these traditions and the biblical tradition. God forbid.

When the Bible employs such symbols from the ancient world, it does so, not to endorse, but to co-opt in order to make its own point. For the Magi, this point is clear: the truth is definitely not in our stars, but in the hand of the one who both made the stars and controls them, the Father of righteousness.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 2:1-3.

Episode 230 Matthew 2:1-3; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Pale Rider” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: B.y Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Aman Jun 12, 2018

Fr. Paul explains the importance of the term aman in the Bible. (Episode 18)

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Not From Men Jun 07, 2018

When we talk about children, spouses, siblings, parents, family, or even friends, we can't help but refer to them as our posession: “My” son, “my” wife, “my” family—we arrogantly refer to individuals the same way that we refer to property. In the biblical tradition, nothing belongs to human beings: not the land, none of the things in our care, not the people in our path--nothing--and certainly, not the children whom the Lord provides. This plays out forcefully in Genesis, where human lines fail until God comes forward to plant a seed for the present generation, which is always in peril. But that seed can only save us when we understand its teaching, namely, that the seed itself does not come from us, does not need us to produce life, and does not belong to us.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 1:18-25.

Episode 229 Matthew 1:18-25; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “I Can Feel it Coming” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: B.y Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Hebel Jun 05, 2018

Fr. Paul explains the importance of the term hebel in the Bible. (Episode 17)

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The Last Generation May 31, 2018

In the book of Leviticus, the Jubilee year is a time when everyone—even slaves—are restored to their families, their land, and their original homes. With this in mind, it is striking that Matthew draws a connection between the generation of Jesus Christ—the seventh generation in a genealogy built around multiples of seven—as the last generation before the Jubilee year. It is indeed striking, because the movement of the people, both Jew and Greek—slave and free—is not to Jerusalem, but to the wandering in the wilderness; not to the line of David, but to the King whom the people rejected when they asked for Saul: the God whose kingdom, in Matthew, is now at hand:

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. 5 Then He will speak to them in his anger And terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 “But as for me, I have installed my King Upon Zion, my holy mountain.” 7 “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to me, ‘You are my Son, Today I have begotten you. 8 ‘Ask of me, and I will surely give the nations as your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as yourself possession. (Psalm 2:4-8)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mathew 1:17.

Episode 228 Matthew 1:17; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Obliteration” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: B.y Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Denial of Cultural Superiority May 29, 2018

Fr. Paul reviews the Bible's systematic critique of cultural superiorty. (Episode 16)

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God Will Establish May 24, 2018

In the first section of the genealogy in Matthew, the story behind the names helps readers piece together the puzzle of the book's teaching; but what about the last section? What can be understood from a list of names with no backstory? If you think of names personally, yes, they are useless. On the other hand, if you think of them as functions; if you examine their Hebrew roots; if you remember that there are no capital letters in the original languages; if you read the words on the page as literature; the meaning of these names tells the story of God's victory in the Bible. In keeping with the storyline of Matthew 1, that these names appear without infrastructure is par for the course.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 1:12-16.

Episode 227 Matthew 1:12-16; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Special Spotlight” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: B.y Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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The Septuagint May 22, 2018

Fr. Paul explains the importance of the Septuagint translation of the Bible. (Episode 15)

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Perpetual Decline May 17, 2018

When human beings discuss society and culture, we do so with an unstated premise: that there is such a thing as a correct society and that such a society is attainable through correct ideas or actions. Unfortunately—and far from its own ideal—this assumption bolsters self-righteousness, perpetuates societal ills, and amplifies suffering in the world.

The genealogy in Matthew's gospel undermines and opposes this premise by recounting the perpetual decline of human kingdoms in the Bible, from generation to generation. In doing so, Matthew dismantles our dangerous belief in a utopia, paving instead a path to the Lord's kingdom: a non-utopia that gives hope in the midst of--and in opposition to--the unideal reality in which every generation finds itself.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 1:10-11.

Episode 226 Matthew 1:10-11; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Secrets of the Schoolyard” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: B.y Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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The Language of the Biblical God May 15, 2018

Fr. Paul discusses the scriptural language of the scriptural story. (Episode 14)

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The Intent of Man's Heart May 10, 2018

When a person does something questionable, almost always, defenders step forward to say, “he's a good man,” or “she has good intentions,” as if either statement can erase the outcome of a person's mistakes. Even worse, both statements openly contradict Scripture. In the biblical tradition, no one is righteous but God, and our intentions (no matter how principled) are irrelevant, since only the intention of the Lord's commandment has the power to bear fruit worthy of repentance. Whatever our intentions, the things we do and the things that we make demonstrate the truth of the Lord's wisdom in Genesis, that the “intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth up.” (Genesis 8:21)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 1:9.

Episode 225 Matthew 1:9; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “On the Shore” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: B.y Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Biblical Mashal May 08, 2018

Fr. Paul expounds on the term mashal (Hebrew: משל) and its centrality for Scripture. (Episode 13)

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Solomon the Wise? May 03, 2018

In a tradition that mocks Greek philosophy and human wisdom, it goes without saying that the wisdom afforded Solomon in the Old Testament is central to the Bible's critique of Hellenism. What's not so obvious—at least at first glance—is how this critique is expressed in the foolishness of David's son and the outcome of his life.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 1:7-8.

Episode 224 Matthew 1:7-8; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Private Eye” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: B.y Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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The Anti-Homeric Epic May 01, 2018

Fr. Paul explains the how the biblical school undermines classical Greek literature and philosophy. (Episode 12)

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The City of David? Apr 26, 2018

In a typical Disney movie, the writers present a protagonist-coming-of-age who faces adversity (usually an identity crisis, an injustice, or both) discovers who they are, overcomes their challenge, and then, finally, realizes their true destiny...as king, queen, or a special person of sorts who can change the world. These stories are popular because they soothe our ego with reassurances of our self-importance and unique value. From the perspective of Scripture, they're the worst kind of lie. In the ancient world, it was bad enough that kings and emperors believed in their unique value and special destiny. Now everyone is a Caesar in their own right. Yikes! Thankfully, the Matthean genealogy not only disbelieves David's destiny but works actively to subvert it.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 1:4-6.

Episode 223 Matthew 1:4-6; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Mistake the Getaway” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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The Imposition of Greek Apr 24, 2018

Fr. Paul explains the use of language by Alexander the Great and the reaction of the biblical school. (Episode 11)

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Breaching the High Wall Apr 19, 2018

In the ancient world, kingly genealogies, like kingly cities, were constructed to establish a monarch's credibility, divinity, authenticity, and permanence. It should come as no surprise, then, that Matthew (like Genesis) deconstructs the king's genealogy by presenting a disruptive counter-narrative. Where Judah longs to boast, Matthew ridicules. Where David seeks credibility, Matthew discredits. Where Judah strives to build a city surrounded by high walls, Matthew breaches the same, paving the way for a new kind of king, one who rules an unseen city, made without walls and without human hands.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 1:3.

Episode 222 Matthew 1:3; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Our Story Begins” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Cyrus, His Anointed Apr 17, 2018

Fr. Paul explains anti-ethnicity in the Bible and the significance of the Lord's favor towards Cyrus of Persia. (Episode 10)

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Prime Real Estate Apr 12, 2018

As the first book of the New Testament, Matthew enjoys the distinct honor of headlining and setting the tone for all of part two of the Bible. Like a carefully placed advertisement in your social media feed, every verse, every word, every letter in the opening chapter of Matthew is both strategic and precious. Given this fact, as disciples of Matthew's teaching, we must begin our study by acknowledging the prime significance of each choice made by the author: each name (included or omitted) the stories behind each name, the meaning of these names, and finally, how they are made functional in Matthew and the New Testament in general.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 1:2.

Episode 221 Matthew 1:2; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Tech Live” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Tadmor in the Wilderness Apr 10, 2018

Fr. Paul explains the significance of Tadmor, the “indomitable” city, found in 2 Chronicles 8:4. (Episode 9)

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What Kind of Messiah? Apr 05, 2018

In the very first verse of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew raises a question that looms over the entire story: Whose son is Jesus and what kind of messiah will he be? How does Jesus relate to David? Why the mention of Abraham? Will the reign of Jesus prove to be different than the reign of David? How does the genealogy of Jesus differ from other genealogies in the Old Testament?

Richard and Fr. Marc begin their discussion of the Gospel of Mathew with a review of Matthew 1:1.

Episode 220 Matthew 1:1; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Egmont Overture Finale” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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The Hellenistic Period Apr 03, 2018

Fr. Paul discusses the historical background of the content of the Old Testament, the way that its stories were written, and the critical role of Semitic languages. (Episode 8)

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A Time for Shade? Mar 29, 2018

“The lust for comfort,” wrote Khalil Gibran, is “that stealthy thing that enters the house a guest, and then becomes a host, and then a master.” Jonah, called by the word of the Lord to serve Nineveh, grapples instead with the tyranny of comfort. From the beginning, he chose the destruction of Nineveh over his own discomfort. He finds purpose and meaning in convenience for himself, but—to the extent that he is even aware of the needs of others—scoffs at their wellbeing. For Jonah, if life is not comfortable, life is not worth living. “The lust for comfort,” Gibran continues, “murders the passion of the soul, and then walks grinning in the funeral.” Not only would Jonah sacrifice his own life for this false master, but the lives of an entire city—from the least to the greatest—including the animals. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “μὴ γένοιτο, may it never be.” (Romans 6:2)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Jonah 4:6-11.

Episode 219 Jonah 4:6-11; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Sneaky Snitch” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Two Exiles Mar 27, 2018

Fr. Paul discusses the Egyptian and Mesopotamian exiles, noting the recurrence of the former and its literary significance. (Episode 7)

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Who is Wasting Whose Time? Mar 22, 2018

Everyone thinks about inconvenience in terms of how it impacts their time and their personal comfort. Rare is the individual who thinks not of personal preference, but of the needs of others. A teacher burns the candle at both ends to make time to teach and we who have done nothing check our watch twenty minutes into the lecture. A parent wakes up early in the morning to prepare food before rushing off to work, even as their child complains about the breakfast menu. People make sacrifices on our behalf every day and we do nothing but complain and criticize. We never stop to consider the burden that others bear. We experience life as though we are at its center, complaining often about what we do not like, almost never expressing gratitude.

Imagine the horror of a person who views everything through the narrow lens of his or her own perspective, individual rights, feelings, beliefs, and personal experience— one whose only priority is comfort and convenience. Yes, of course, I am talking about us. Thankfully, in the face of our self-obsessed, self-serving, neurotic, consumerized individualism, the story of Jonah shows the path out of our calamity, providing us with a perfect example. However, in order to heed the story's wise advice, we must ignore this example, clinging instead to the teaching it carries.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Jonah 4:1-5.

Episode 218 Jonah 4:1-5; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Electro Cabello” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Ur of the Chaldeans Mar 20, 2018

Fr. Paul discusses the importance of Ur of the Chaldeans and its role in the inclusion of all nations together with Abraham. (Episode 6)

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How Many Times Do I Have to Ask? Mar 15, 2018

Communities and individuals always overestimate their own importance and abilities. This illusion is reinforced by the self-serving narratives we create to bolster confidence in ourselves and in our institutions. Nations, religions, ideologies, communities, families—everyone—down to the last individual, is compromised by this dangerous lie. Jonah disobeyed the word of the Lord, yet, when questioned about his identity, he boasted, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land.” (1:9) Soon after, Jonah (who supposedly feared the Lord) had to be forced to obey the same, against his will. Did God listen to Jonah's prayer, or simply endure it? Did Jonah repent—literally, did he choose to “turn” and go in the correct direction—or was God forced to turn him around?

The story of Jonah follows the storyline of the Bible: the word of the Lord is for all nations and acts on everyone's behalf, despite ourselves. No one is exceptional. No one is good. In fact, in God's eyes, we all look the same, no matter who we are, where we are from or how we see ourselves. Is Jonah different than the Ninevites? Perhaps, in this way alone: God did not need to force the Ninevites to obey his word, and he only had to ask them once.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Jonah 3.

Episode 217 Jonah 3; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Smooth Lovin” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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The Syrian Desert Mar 13, 2018

Fr. Paul discusses the importance of the geography of the Syrian Desert as the setting for the Scriptural story. (Episode 5)

From this week's show: https://www.bassam.com/the-new-book

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The Word is in Control Mar 08, 2018

Students of the Bible typically overstate the importance of Jonah's prayer from the belly of the whale, assuming that he was vomited onto the dry land because of repentance; but a closer look at the text of the prayer tells a different story. Was Jonah vomited up because of a profound conversion from disobedience, or is something else going on? The answer to this question is only apparent when we read the Bible as literature, allowing the storyline—not our assumptions about piety—to control how we hear the words of the prophet. In Jonah, it is the Word of the Lord, not the prophet, that is in control. From the very beginning—with or without his prayers—Jonah's destination was never in question.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Jonah 2.

Episode 216 Jonah 2; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Hot Pursuit” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Genesis 1-11 Mar 06, 2018

Fr. Paul reviews critical aspects of Genesis 1-11 and how this section of the Bible “controls” the broader scriptural story. (Episode 4)

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Remedial Prophecy Mar 01, 2018

“Obey everything [your teachers] teach you, but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.” (Matthew 23:3) Like the warning, “do not judge,” (Matthew 7) this beautiful admonition is often abused to lessen the burden of our accountability as disciples. We do not want to be corrected, so we say “who are you to judge?” Likewise, we do not like the pressure a teacher places on us, so we complain about the teacher's example, “why should I listen to someone who can't follow their own advice?” But for those who submit to the biblical God, both questions are wicked and betray a latent disrespect for the Lord's authority. The admonition, “do not judge,” is not for everyone. It's for you. So too, the instruction relayed by a teacher and the pressure placed on you, are a gift, to you. The teacher is just the courier. If a letter from Almighty God, “Dear you, you may not become a mailman,” is carried to you by a mailman, would you tell God, but he's a mailman? Yes, you would, and that's your problem. You could learn a thing or two from the gentile sailors in Jonah.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Jonah 1:11-17.

Episode 215 Jonah 1:11-17; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Samba Isobel” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Saved Under the Regime Feb 27, 2018

Beginning with Exodus and Esther, Fr. Paul analyzes terminology and narrative structure to explain the biblical contrast drawn between slavery to human masters and slavery to the good and beneficent master. (Episode 3)

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The Sword of the Spirit Feb 22, 2018

When faced with a conflict between two parties, our natural tendency is to assume that there is a right side and a wrong side. Why? Because we fancy ourselves to be right, or we imagine that we can become right, and thus fail to see what is obvious in Scripture: beginning with ourselves, in the presence of the Lord, all parties are wrong. In the story of Jonah, the prophet was sent to “Nineveh the great city” in order to “cry against it,” because “their wickedness” had caught the attention of the Lord. In any other literary genre, the one sent to confront Nineveh would be understood as the protagonist—but not in the Bible. In Jonah, as throughout the biblical canon, the prophet is able to expose the sins of others because he himself is exposed by the teaching, so that, as Paul says, “no human being might boast in the presence of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:29)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Jonah 1:1-10.

Episode 214 Jonah 1:1-10; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Backbay Lounge” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Biblos Geneseos Feb 20, 2018

In this week’s episode, Fr. Paul discusses Biblos Geneseos in the Gospel of Matthew and in the greater context of Scripture. (Episode 2)

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Arise, O God, Judge the Earth Feb 15, 2018

Psalm 82

1 God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: 2 "How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? 3 Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. 4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." 5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. 6 I say, "You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; 7 nevertheless, you shall die like men, and fall like any prince."

8 Arise, O God, judge the earth; for to thee belong all the nations!

Richard and Fr. Marc conclude their discussion of Mark with a review of chapter 16:14-30.

Episode 213 Mark 16:14-30; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “RetroFuture Clean” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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The Rise of Scripture Feb 13, 2018

In the first episode of our new show, "Tarazi Tuesdays," we are re-broadcasting a lecture presented by Fr. Paul on January 12, 2018. The talk was given during a book signing at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Phoenix, Arizona. The content makes for an excellent introduction to the series. Enjoy! (Episode 1)

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Your Acceptance is Not Required Feb 08, 2018

A directive does not require understanding, agreement, or acceptance in order to be carried out. In a high performing team, once a clear decision has been handed down, people are expected to follow it--even if they disagree. Some employees may harbor distrust, but if the directive is sound, the simple act of carrying it out will foster trust and produce results. Everything hinges on adherence to the directive.

In the Gospel of Mark, when the followers of Jesus “heard that he was alive and had been seen” by Mary Magdalene, “they refused to believe it,” and when they passed the message on to others, “they did not believe them either.” This refusal to believe is the culmination of betrayal, misplaced fear, and a complete lack of trust in the Lord. Still, all hope is not lost. Despite themselves—and whatever their attitude toward the message—the followers of Jesus carried out the directive given to Mary Magdalene to share the news that the Lord is alive and going into Galilee, just as he said he would.

In other words, it's not who you are or what you believe--but what you do--that counts.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 16:9-13.

Episode 212 Mark 16:9-13; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Sunday Dub” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Do Not Be Amazed Feb 01, 2018

Throughout the Gospel of Mark, the primacy of sowing the seed of the Bible, the folly of misplaced amazement and the sin of the fear of men are all demonstrated by means of the Lord's instruction and action. Most importantly, the teaching of Christ's death and resurrection is plainly stated. Still, somehow, Mark's message did not sink in.

At the end of the story, the followers of Jesus were so afraid of what men might do to them that they betrayed and abandoned their beloved master. Failing to trust in the promise of the Lord's resurrection, they instead went searching for a body. Worst of all, when commanded to preach what Jesus had already explained in chapter 8, “They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” (Mark 16:8) Lacking trust in the Lord's teaching, they were amazed and so afraid that they refused to sow the seed of the Gospel, as commanded.

“To see what is in front of one’s nose,” George Orwell writes, “needs a constant struggle.”

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 16:1-8.

Episode 211 Mark 16:1-8; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Jet Fueled Vixen” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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You Foolish Galatians Jan 25, 2018

One of the many ways that Scripture teaches us is by testing us. In the first verse of chapter 15, Mark tells us that “the whole Council” deliberated, bound up Jesus, and delivered him to Pilate. The whole Council.

During the Crucifixion, the public portrayal of Christ’s shame is inescapable. Jesus was ridiculed, abused, and finally, taunted to “come down from the Cross.” Not only his enemies, but his supposed friends abandoned him. Even those who shared his fate derided him. At that moment, whatever you might say about Jesus, he was neither prominent nor respected—by anyone.

Then, suddenly, at the end of chapter 15, a member of the same Council that delivered him up to Pilate—no, not a just a member, a prominent member—appears to take him down from the Cross. Do you believe your eyes? Do you admire respectable prominence? Are you impressed by what a nice man he is?

Yes, this is a test.

“You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?” (Galatians 3:1)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 15:40-47.

Episode 210 Mark 15:40-47; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Miami Nights - Extended Theme” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Into the Darkness Jan 18, 2018

Students of the New Testament can’t help but impose their understanding of triumph on the story of the Crucifixion. Desperate to find hope in human strength, they rush to what they see as the happy ending in Mark, minimizing the lengthy stretch of darkness, cruelty, and ridicule endured by Jesus. Why? Because in the end, we are not interested in God’s victory, but our own. We do not trust in the Lord. We want what we want for ourselves with no regard for his mission.

When we leap to the end of the story, we fail to see the true victory in the Lord’s defeat: his steadfast proclamation of Scripture to the very end, his unshakable trust in his Father’s will, his hope against hope in his Father’s cause at his own expense, the centurion’s—and the world’s—conversion through his obedience to Torah, and finally, the overthrow of Caesar by means of the Lord’s teaching.

In the midst of the darkness, we do not trust in these victories because our first priority is to save our own skin. We want to see Jesus win in worldly terms because we want to win. We want him to come down from the Cross, not only because it is painful and embarrassing, but because we ourselves do not want to be held accountable to Scripture; because we ourselves cannot face our own death or that of our loved ones; because we ourselves are cowards. As a result, we cling to false hopes of our own making while others suffer in our place.

Hear the word of the Lord: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.”

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 15:33-39.

Episode 209 Mark 15:23-32; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Hiding Your Reality” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Trust in the Lord Jan 11, 2018

In popular American stories, defeat is used either to amplify our sense of good vs. evil or to indulge the illusion that we, the supposed underdogs, will be victorious in the end. Consumed uncritically, these stories reinforce a self-percieved victimhood, amplify our self-righteousness, and dull our minds with false consolations about suffering, death, and loss. In the Gospel of Mark, the defeat of Jesus operates in an entirely different way.

In Mark 15, the Cross is not a “jam” into which Jesus became stuck, but a stumbling-block for all those who see themselves either as victims or as the “good guys.” The defeat of Jesus is not a suspenseful plot device strategically placed to indulge our gluttony for triumph in the end. On the contrary, the Cross is our defeat. Full stop. As if to amplify this point, the biblical writer slows the story down, marking the passage of the hours to ensure that every insult is keenly felt. It is only in this state of shame and humiliating defeat, wrought by obedience, that we come to understand the difficult meaning of Psalm 22.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 15:23-32.

Episode 208 Mark 15:23-32; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Andreas Theme” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Gilgal Golgatha Jan 04, 2018

In Semitic languages, the link between various words is established, not by a term’s imagined or abstract meaning, but by its mechanical structure. Certain words contain specific consonants in a particular order, and words built around those consonants not only sound connected but have a related usage. For example, a book is something that is written, so the word “book” in Arabic, sounds like the word “write,” but also sounds like the word “office,” or “library,” or “desk,” or “clerk,” or “registration,” or the “exchange of letters”—I could go on, but you get the point. Hebrew works in exactly the same way. In the Bible, our ability to see these connections in the original language is an absolute requirement. Without them, it is impossible to understand the Bible.

In this week’s episode, before jumping into a discussion of Mark 15:22, Richard and Fr. Marc take time to discuss how they use the word “function” to help explain the Bible and how it relates to biblical grammar.

Episode 207 Mark 51:22; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Street Party” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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The Bringer of the Law Dec 28, 2017

In the discipline of Jiu Jitsu, when an opponent strikes you, his aggression is understood as an opportunity to use his power against him. A similar principle is found in the Bible, with a slight twist: throughout the Old Testament, the Lord uses the aggression of Israel’s enemies as an opportunity to use the enemies’ power against Israel for the sake of Israel’s instruction, so that through the application of this instruction, both Israel and the enemy can be saved. This template is applied forcefully in Mark 15. Even as Jesus is besieged by violence and corruption from all sides, Mark demonstrates how Israel, represented by Simon of Cyrene (the one who “hears” the Torah) is only able to walk according to its instruction when forced to do so by the Romans. Put another way, in Mark, Israel needs the Nations in order to fulfill the commandment of the Law. Sound familiar? If not, please take note, and reread all of St. Paul’s letters...several times.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 15:16-21.

Episode 206 Mark 15:16-21; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “I Can Feel it Coming” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Neither Nor Dec 21, 2017

Too often, the Bible is coopted by people who seek to advance a personal agenda. Whether laying claim to a piece of land, as in the case of Manifest Destiny, or justifying slavery in the Civil War era, we Americans have a long history of mixing apples and oranges. We hear the Lord’s promise of a homeland and assume that he is talking about Native American (or Palestinian) real-estate; we are confronted with St. Paul’s teaching—that we are slaves in God’s Roman household—and instead of bowing our heads, we twist and distort his words to justify the tyranny of our plantation system. This happens over and over again, because human beings assume that if option A is wrong, option B must be right; if God is saying submit to authority, the authority must be right; or, conversely, if God is saying that the king is an antichrist, the people must be right. We neglect the most important point about the Lord’s judgement: that it is functional. It’s not that one side is justified over another, it’s that you yourself are wrong because God happens to be looking at you. That’s why, to our face, Caesar, the biblical antichrist, is also also Caesar, the governing authority, who serves at the pleasure of God. As Paul explains in Romans:

“Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.” (Romans 13:1-2)

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus defies taxation by neither opposing nor endorsing it; likewise, in chapter 15, he defies Ceasar by neither rejecting nor supporting the authority of Pilate. He merely submits. Why? Because for him, neither the Scribes and the Pharisees, nor the people, nor the evil spirits, nor Pilate, nor Caesar hold any power. The only power that Jesus recognizes in Mark is the authority of his Father, vested in the content of Scripture. As such, the Markan Jesus owes “nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 15:6-15.

Episode 205 Mark 15:6-15; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “SONG” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Stockholm Syndrome Dec 14, 2017

To the extent that the Old Testament repeatedly hammers the worship of idols, it's understandable why so many are quick to dismiss its relevance. These days, most people understand that the many statues of the ancient gods are just statues, hunks of stone fashioned and shaped to reflect the human imagination. In Paul's own words, “We all know that there is no such thing as an idol.” (1 Corinthians 8:4) But if we all know that this is true, Paul continues, why do the Corinthians persist in the worship of idols?

In the Bible, idolatry pertains not just to power, but to the power we give ourselves through our loyalties. We choose to follow people and ideas that we believe will benefit us. When someone looks at the person or object they choose to follow, they see their needs and wants fulfilled. Likewise, when someone looks at an idol, in the absence of a written text, all they can hear is the faint echo of their own ego. For the biblical writers, to gaze affectionately at a statue is to join Narcissus by the pool, staring into the abyss of our own reflection.

So powerful and attractive is this hoax, that we eagerly give authority to people and things that are ultimately harmful. We look to a strongman and feel strong, because we trust that he will smash our enemies. We look to our captor and feel safe, because we decide that following him is our safest bet. We even delude ourselves that such a person is our friend. That's why, in the Old Testament, the people of Israel repeatedly chase after other kings and other gods. It's also why, when confronted with Jesus in the Gospel of Mark, “the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Council,” look not to Scripture, but to Caesar for justice.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 15:1-5.

Episode 204 Mark 15:1-5; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Immersed” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Peter and Judas Dec 07, 2017

When confronted with the failure of the Lord's disciples in Mark, it's tempting for hearers of the gospel to weigh and measure betrayal as a matter of degree. Why? Because while we may be willing to admit that we sometimes betray, even the best of us are reluctant to identify with the sin of Judas. As a consequence, we desperately want to believe that the sin of Peter's denial is somehow less scandalous; we excuse Peter because we want to excuse ourselves. But “All of us,” Isaiah exclaims, “like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall upon him.” (Isaiah 53:6)

And again, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” (Isaiah 64:6)

And yet again, “Our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities: Transgressing and denying the Lord, and turning away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving in and uttering from the heart lying words. Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the street, and uprightness cannot enter.” (Isaiah 59:12-14)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 14:66-72.

Episode 203 Mark 14:66-72; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Vanishing” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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How Do You Catch a Cloud? Nov 30, 2017

When we take any action—especially in rebellion—the emotional satisfaction of doing what we want whenever we want creates the illusion of freedom. But what does it mean to be free? To the extent that Scripture knows exactly how we are going to behave when we disobey its instruction, can we honestly claim that we are in control of our lives? Moreover, to what lengths will we go to maintain this illusion of control?

As if to amplify the warning of the Gerasene's bondage, in Mark 14, everyone surrounding Jesus is confronted with a choice: obey Scripture or obey your chains; submit to the Lord's teaching or commit violence against it; accept the Lord's control, which is life-giving, or embrace your chains, bound to your own destruction. How, chief priests, do you solve a problem like Jesus? You may think that you're preserving your temple by attacking him, but how can you sack a temple without walls? You desperately want to believe that you've arrested him, but how can you catch a cloud and pin it down?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 14:53-65.

Episode 202 Mark 14:53-65; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Hard Boiled” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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All Have Turned Aside Nov 23, 2017

“What then,” Paul exclaimed to the church in Rome, “Are we better than they?”

Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; as it is written:

“There is no one who is righteous, not even one; There is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is no one who does good, not even one.

“Their throat is an open grave; With their tongues they keep deceiving,” “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”; “Their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths, and the path of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be shut and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in his sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:9-19)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 14:43-52.

Episode 201 Mark 14:43-52; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Corruption” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Seeing With Your Ears Nov 16, 2017

In the Gospel of Mark, when Jesus commands his disciples to keep watch, the biblical writer is drawing upon a broader system of terminology in Scripture that stresses vigilance at all hours--even at midnight, when most are people are sleeping--through the study of Scripture:

When I remember you on my bed, I meditate on you in the night watches, for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. But those who seek my life to destroy it will go into the depths of the earth. They will be delivered over to the power of the sword; they will be a prey for foxes. (Psalm 63:6-10)

The imagery in Psalm 63, and by extension, in Mark 14, plays on the idea of keeping watch as a defense against danger, but the manner of defense is not that of a soldier standing guard at midnight, but of a studious disciple meditating upon the Lord's instruction at all times, so as to remain steadfast in the moment of truth.

And he said to Peter: “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour?” (14:37)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 14:32-42.

Episode 200 Mark 14:32-42; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Mesmerize” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Table Fellowship Nov 09, 2017

All of us know something about the worst of ourselves but all of us struggle to hide from it. Arguably, a direct correlation exists between mental illness and our inability to be honest with ourselves about ourselves. Driven by fear, we deflect criticism by criticising our own sins in other people. With very little information or context, we rush to condemn each other. Perhaps that’s why we all assume that Jesus is talking about Judas when he says, “Truly I say to you that one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.” We know that Judas cut a deal with the priests, so we assume that Jesus is talking about him and we happily join in the disciples’ the chorus, “Surely, not I?” But as you now should come to expect, in the Gospel of Mark, when anyone is sitting at table doing business with Jesus, nothing is ever as it seems. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 14:22-31.

Episode 199 Mark 14:22-31; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Hidden Past” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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We Are Judas Nov 02, 2017

When Scripture deals with any sin, our natural reaction as human beings is to look around and single out others for committing that sin. Once this happens, it’s not long before we accuse or abuse others in the name of righteousness, or worse, as in the case of World War II, accuse and shame people of a specific religious or ethic group, committing unspeakable horrors against them in the name of the Bible. This behavior continues today against many peoples and many religions, and is exactly the behavior that Mark condemns in his account of Judas’ treason.

In the Bible, it’s not about who you are or what you believe; it’s about how you choose to behave once you have been chosen to hear the Good News of God’s teaching.

Once we have received the Gospel of Mark, we have been called. If we are called and subsequently turn our back on God by mistreating others, then, truly, we are Judas and we have betrayed Jesus Christ. Given the magnitude of Judas’ mistake, this should give all of us pause; God willing, such a long pause that we would think twice before our next action. Do we welcome immigrants and foreigners with open arms? Do we zealously pursue peace in the face of violence? Do we show mercy toward those who have been accused? Most importantly, do we recognize our own sins before looking to anyone else?

A life committed to the teaching of Jesus Christ is a fruitful life well worth living, because it is given in service to mercy, charity, hospitality and compassion toward others for the sake of the common good.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 14:17-21

This week’s episode is followed by a special interview with Fr. Paul Nadim Tarazi about his new book, The Rise of Scripture.

Episode 198 Mark 14:17-21; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Thunderbird” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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A Scathing Self-Critique Oct 26, 2017

When any community—religious or otherwise—attempts to promote its agenda, the discussion always begins with an accounting of what makes their group special, or, alternatively, of what is wrong with all the other groups. Both approaches, whether self-praising or neighbor-bashing, represent the same lie: the deeply held human conviction that God shows partiality. In Mark, no one is good except God. In this light, the fact that Judas betrays Jesus should not come as a surprise. What is surprising, however, is who Judas represents in the story. While everyone else is running around trying to convince everyone else that they are right and everyone else should listen to them, in Mark, as in all of Scripture, the biblical writer evangelizes, not by promoting himself or his religious community, but—pointedly—by proclaiming the sin and hypocrisy of himself and his people. You might ask, “is this approach practical?” Here’s your answer: you are listening to a podcast about the self-critique the biblical writers proposed over two thousand years ago and trying to figure out how this applies to your life. Do you think their approach worked?

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 14:10-16.

Episode 197 Mark 14:10-16; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Android Sock Hop” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Opinions Are Cheap Oct 19, 2017

When people gossip, they oppose the Gospel of Jesus Christ in two ways: first, they show disregard for the biblical warning that no one is allowed to judge anyone before the time; second, they show disregard for the actions demanded by the Lord's teaching. To be clear, the one who gossips wastes precious time talking when they should be taking action. In Mark, not only do they waste time spinning empty words; but they do so by criticizing the one person besides Jesus who does take action. “But I tell you,” Jesus exclaims in Matthew, “that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.”

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 14:1-9.

Episode 196 Mark 14:1-9; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “EDM Detection Mode” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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I'll Sleep When I Die Oct 12, 2017

In the Gospel of Mark, the greatest threat—not just to humanity, but to life itself—is human behavior controlled by human perspectives. When an individual faces any question, they can't help but ask how that question impacts their life. Will they suffer? Will they survive? Will they lose? In this way, their next action—whether committed by word or by deed—can't help but be selfish. The individual thinks and acts in defense of what they believe is best for them. They do not think about the rest of humanity, let alone the totality of the Lord's Creation. Nobody says, I am going to do X because if I do not, in 500 or a 1000 years, there will be a negative outcome for a generation yet unborn. That is not how the human mind works, and that is exactly why the Bible seeks to sabotage human reason and undermine the individual. How do you get a person to act against their interests in the short term for the sake of something far more important than themselves? You remind them that the day of reckoning, which they believe is far away in the future, could, in fact, come at any moment, and not even Jesus knows when. So stay awake and keep watch, because you never know.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 13:32-37.

Episode 195 Mark 13:32-37; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Furious Freak” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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The Time is Now Oct 05, 2017

Human beings repeat two critical mistakes every day and every hour. First, we live each day of our life as though we are going to live forever; second, we make life and death decisions at every moment without having all the facts. I don’t mean the facts about our life or the narrow parameters of the decisions we think we understand. I mean the boundless fact of the Alpha and the Omega. Each day, we make careless choices about permanent things on the basis of our very temporary and limited point of view. In the Gospel of Mark, this narrow point of view leads to human complancency about the urgency of the gospel to the nations. Like a wise parent, Jesus intercedes on our behalf: my son, you do not have all the facts, so you are going to have to trust me, the time to act is now.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 13:21-31.

Episode 193 Mark 13:21-31; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Mystery Bazaar” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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He Will Teach You What to Say Sep 28, 2017

Whether a student is preparing for an exam or a professional is reviewing notes for their presentation, one thing is certain: when the hour comes, you can’t fake it. A professor knows which student worked hard all semester and which crammed the night before. A good executive recognizes who is spinning a PowerPoint and who has done the actual work and understands facts on the ground. You have to do the work; and it takes time, effort, and patience. You can’t fake it. If you think you can, it’s because no one has been decent or courageous enough to call you out. Thankfully, the biblical God is a loving and kind teacher who is not only willing, but eager to call you out. If you let him, he will defintely teach you what to say when the hour is at hand.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 13: 11-20.

Episode 193 Mark 13:11-20; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Egmont Overture” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Hurricanes, Temples and Tyrants Sep 21, 2017

Whenever something terrible happens, someone always asks, “how could a just God allow bad things to happen?” Unfortunately, the question is silly and unbearably self-entitled. Bad things happen because that’s how the world works. Sometimes people cause suffering and sometimes suffering just happens. Why? Because death and suffering are a part of life. Every human being who has ever lived has had to die, so on what basis can anyone ask, “why did this person have to die?” Death and destruction in nature are a necessary component of the natural world and ultimately contribute to the continuation of life, so on what basis can anyone call them evil? These things happen beyond the scope of human control, because, far from mastering the natural world, human beings are subject to it. We may not like it, but that is the way things are. For Scripture, it’s not a question why things happen, but of how the things that happen in the world can be coopted as teachers for the cause of the gospel; in Mark, transformed from the pain of human despair and fear into the pain of birth-giving for the life of the world.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 13: 1-10.

Episode 192 Mark 13:1-10; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Perspectives” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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All That She Had Sep 14, 2017

Whether chasing wealth or reveling in piety, people aspire to ascendency. Looking to Caesar as their frame of reference, they measure everything in terms of progression, growth, movement, or expansion. But that's not how Scripture works. The biblical God does not seek the growth of his followers. On the contrary, he desires the growth of his teaching, often at our expense. When we become weak and lose everything for the sake of his Gospel, we may fail, but his teaching grows. We may become weak, but as the prophets teach, our defeat becomes a sign of the reality of his power, because it is he, not our enemies, who is the true cause of our crucifixion. Truly, the Bible is the only teaching in human history in which a deity is considered victorious because his city is destroyed, his people are scattered, and his Temple is burned to the ground. It's no wonder, then, that in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus sits in opposition to the Temple treasury. It's no wonder that he measures a person's value, not in terms of Caesar's coinage, but by their willingness to lose everything for the sake of his victory.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 12:35-44.

Episode 191 Mark 12:35-44; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Super Power Cool Dude” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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There is Only One God Sep 07, 2017

People like to handle the Bible as though it were a mysterious or complicated story that can’t be easily explained in clear terms. We do so precisely because the content of the Bible is crystal clear, and at the same time, totally inconvenient. That’s why the Sadducees in Mark’s Gospel can’t comprehend Deuteronomy and why the Pharisees, along with the Herodians, unwittingly follow after false gods. It was a lone Scribe—a man whose only job was to make handwritten copies of Scripture—who grasped the point that Jesus has been emphasizing throughout Mark: “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord.” Not only is he is the one and only Lord, but you are not him and neither is your Caesar, your Temple, your teachings, your possessions, or your armies.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 12:28-34.

Episode 190 Mark 12:28-34; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Robobozo” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Commandment Without End Aug 31, 2017

In Deuteronomy 25:5, the commandment to marry your brother’s widow is given for one purpose: to ensure the continuation of life, so “that the firstborn whom she bears shall assume the name of his dead brother, so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.”

The purpose of the commandment is life: so that your brother’s wife will not be abandoned; so that his household will continue for the generation yet unborn; so that—in fulfillment of God’s Law—life will continue. For Jesus, this life does not come from men, but from his Heavenly Father.

When the Pharisees, the Herodians, and now, the Saducees, approach Jesus, their questions betray their personal belief, that life comes—not from God—but from men. They talk about God and they even quote his teaching, but their true god is Caesar. They do not hear Scripture in the light of Scripture, but according to the light of Caesar, which is passing away. This choice leaves them talking in circles about their theology, not only ignorant of God’s instruction, but actively working against it.

Of course the Saducees do not believe in the Resurrection. One need look no further than their mishandling of Deuteronomy to understand this fact.

“Is this not the reason you are mistaken,” explained Jesus, “that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God?” (Mark 12:24)

Indeed, they are greatly mistaken.

Be warned, O Caesar: “The Lord Jesus Christ, who is about to die, does not salute you.”

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 12:18-27.

Episode 189 Mark 12:18-27; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “The Return of the Mummy” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Ideological Entrapment Aug 24, 2017

All ideology is self-referential: it begins with a desire for self-preservation and achieves fulfillment by exercising power. Whether we wield this power ourselves or ask others to wield it for us--because it is self-referential--it is always employed at the expense of others, especially those who are weaker than us.

All ideology is self-justifying and therefore destructive, but the worst kind operates under the pretense of morality. We see this all the time in traditional and social media: If my idea is morally right, then I am right and I have the right to exercise might. So you go ahead and post that meme that shows how stupid or evil “they” are. You took a stand. You stood up for right. You feel good. Congratulations, you're a hypocrite.

When the Pharisees and the Herodians approach Jesus to entrap him, they too operate under the pretense of morality. As the prophets proclaim, you cannot serve God and at the same time seek security from worldly powers. You have to make a choice. So they accuse Jesus with a question. But their question, itself preoccupied with self-preservation, pertains neither to the Prophets nor the Law. On the contrary, their false question concerns the one from whom they seek security at the expense of God's teaching: the Emperor of Rome.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 12:13-17.

Episode 188 Mark 12:13-17; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Truth in the Stones” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Unless the Lord Builds the House Aug 17, 2017

Entitlement is the most destructive force on earth and no person, group or ideology is exempt from its barbaric cruelty. Students demand the “right” not to be offended; the wealthy contend that they've “earned” the fruit of “their” labor; and consumers “demand” access to products with righteous indignation, even as citizens grumble about public benefits. All of us believe that we are entitled to receive, earn, own, produce and/or protect whatever we want, whenever we want it. The worst part is that we all complain that everyone else is entitled, itself a sign of our own entitlement! Alas, we turn to the Prophet David for wisdom:

“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, [and] to eat the bread of painful labors; For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.” (Psalm 127:1-2)

In other words, in the Bible, human beings do not accomplish or deserve anything. Everything is a free gift. It is the Lord who offends students for their sake. It is the Lord who provides both our employment and our hard work. It is the Lord who fills the land with bounty and it is the Lord who provides and revokes benefits; yet, for some reason that is not enough; humans are not satisfied with sharing in God's generous provision. On the contrary, we want to possess it, to control it, and to hoard it for ourselves.

“Have you not even read this Scripture: ‘The stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief corner stone; this came about from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” (Mark 12:10-11)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 12:1-12.

Episode 187 Mark 12:1-12; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Industrious Ferret” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Preaching With Authority Aug 10, 2017

When we criticize others on the basis of personal experience or opinion, this criticism exposes our blindness to the truth of our own sins. In Mark, whether they realize it or not, the chief priests, the scribes and the elders question the authority of Jesus exactly because their own authority is questionable. They challenge Jesus—not because they look to God’s teaching as the only authority—but because they want to protect their own power and prestige. But these men were no match for Jesus; not because he was more clever or powerful, and not because he had the people on his side. On the contrary, their maneuver failed because throughout Mark, when Jesus speaks, he never gives his own opinion. His authority comes directly from his Father’s teaching, of which—for all their religious bluster—the leaders in Jerusalem seem to know very little. Unlike the chief priests, the scribes and the elders, when Jesus speaks, he criticizes strictly on the basis of Torah. This type of criticism exposes the blindness and sinfulness of everyone. At the same time, it ruthlessly subverts the power of the one who proclaims it—something to keep in mind as the narrative picks up its pace en route to Gol'gotha. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 11:27-33.

Episode 186 Mark 11:27-33; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Hackbeat” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Read the Signs Aug 03, 2017

Everybody sees signs. I'm not talking about street signs. I mean the things we see in life. We look at a withering tree, a flock of birds, or we experience something—painful or joyous—and we assign meaning. That’s how human beings make sense of the world. That’s why grown men put their socks on the same way before every baseball game. They assign meaning to something mundane and suddenly a pair of old socks hold power. But that's the problem. Insofar as the meaning we assign comes from the human heart, it can't help but be selfish. I mean, let's be serious, do you really believe that God (or your magical god of baseball stockings) cares about the outcome of your silly baseball game? At the same time, who has ever seen or heard of a baseball player who understands his locker room ritual as sign that we have neglected the poor or a warning that we have not obeyed God's teaching? Who among us sees a joyous sign as a stern reminder of duty, or a painful sign as a reminder of the Lord's mercy? As our friend St. Mark is wont to remind us, only those who have ears to hear. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 11:19-26.

Episode 185 Mark 11:19-26; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Poppers and Prosecco” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Nothing But Leaves Jul 27, 2017

Imagine the following. A teacher walks into class to announce the final exam: “If you do well on the test,” she explains, “it is not because of you. You are clueless. If you happen to do well, it is because I am an awesome teacher, so please do not expect a good grade. Just be thankful that I let you attend class in the first place.” She continues, “If you do poorly on the test, please be advised, it is your fault. I am an awesome teacher. As such, you have absolutely no excuse for your failure.” Finally, she concludes, “If you do very well, I may still decide to fail you. You better believe me, and you had better not mess with me, because, once again (for effect) I am an awesome teacher, and I have said so.”

It should be noted that the results of this test will determine whether or not you graduate. So you have to attend class; you have to work hard and study; but you get no credit and there are no guarantees. Being saved by grace doesn’t sound so fluffy anymore, does it? Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 11:12-18.

Episode 184 Mark 11:12-18; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Fig Leaf Times Two” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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The Boss of Me Jul 20, 2017

No one likes being told what to do. We dislike it so much that we have come to idolize rebellion as a moral good. We long for a world without authority, criticism or the pressure necessary to change how we live. When a teacher rightly judges our child, we shelter the student and malign the instructor. When our manager confronts us with a problem at work, we cringe, scrambling to show that we have already learned our lesson. Why? Because we want the criticism to stop; but a wise manager does not stop. He or she delivers the message in full, repeating it as often as necessary to help the employee change their behavior. But in order for any of this to work, the teacher, the parent, the student, the manager, and the employee must all–first and foremost–place their trust in the wisdom being offered.

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is tireless in his efforts to train the disciples to trust in the Lord’s wisdom. He does not reason with them or attempt to justify himself; nor does try to package the message in an appealing way. On the contrary, he keeps repeating and simultaneously following his Father’s commandments. The more resistance he encounters, the more persistent his message: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Hear, my son, your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching; Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head and ornaments about your neck.” (Proverbs 1:7-8) Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 11:1-11.

Episode 183 Mark 11:1-11; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Pinball Spring” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Blind Trust Jul 13, 2017

In all aspects of life, human beings would rather exercise control than risk placing trust. We treat relationships like business deals, as though marriage, family, community, and friendship are all quid pro quo, and we establish rules and policies to control these relationships. When we follow these rules and others do not, we act offended. As victims, we gain to power to accuse, influence, and control others. Worse, we do the same in our dealings with God. In the Gospel of Mark, we ask: “What must I do to inherit eternal life,” or, Lord, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” We refuse to trust in the Lord; and what we lack in commitment to his cause is replaced by self-assuredness. We distort his teaching, bending and twisting it to look like one of our lame rules. Then we place our trust in the rules that we fashion with own hands. To our own peril, we ignore the wisdom of Ray Henderson: “the best things in life are free.” Give us a word, O Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 10:46-52.

Episode 182 Mark 10:46-52; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Wallpaper” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Wisdom Bears Repeating Jul 06, 2017

Whether by instinct or experience, our minds construct a subjective model of the world around us in order to ensure our survival. In terms of risk mitigation, this system is efficient and effective. For example, if a loud noise in the dark resembles your idea of an approaching bus, even if it turns out to be something else, it is safer to assume the worst, so you step back onto the sidewalk. But what happens when our personal truths come into conflict with the common good? What if it is necessary to risk being on the road despite the perceived danger of an approaching bus? Language provides both the map and the lifeline that transcend personal truth to facilitate shared meaning.

Words allow a third party to challenge your map of reality. Even as you jump to safety, someone shouts, “child!” At first, your personal truth fights against this word, because your body has evolved to seek safety. Again, someone repeats the message, “my child is on the road!” Suddenly, their words break through your perceptions, changing your understanding of reality. Against every instinct, you step in front of the (assumed) bus to save the child.

Words bridge the immense chasm between our egos to create community. Words are the chief instrument of love. Words make wisdom possible. In the face of many personal realities and an ocean of competing words, the Word of God’s wisdom bears constant repetition. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 10:32-44.

Episode 181 Mark 10:32-44; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Skye Cuillin” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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True Wisdom is Painful Jun 29, 2017

Let me share a few quotes with you:

"Nothing is more fallacious than wealth. It is a hostile comrade, a domestic enemy." "Our money belongs to God, no matter how we have gathered it." "The love of money leaves everything corrupted and in ruin."

"The love of money is a dreadful thing; It disables both eyes and ears, and makes men worse to deal with than a wild beast, causing a person to consider neither conscience, nor friendship, nor fellowship, nor salvation."

"How long shall we love riches? For I shall not cease exclaiming against them: for they are the cause of all evils."

"Do not leave money to your children, instead, bequeath wisdom and knowledge. For if they are taught to expect money, they will disregard everything else and their abundant wealth will provide a way to mask their wickedness."

"A rich man is not someone who possesses much, but who gives much." "This is true wealth: not to have riches, but to not want riches."

"Teach children to love true wisdom and they will possess wealth and glory such that money cannot provide. If a child learns a trade, or is highly educated for a lucrative profession, it is nothing compared to the art of detachment from money. If you want to make your child wealthy, teach him that the one who is truly rich does not desire great possessions, or surround himself with wealth."

These words, a small sample taken from thousands of exegetical quotes by St. John Chrysostom, proclaim the teaching of Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Mark: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 10:23-31.

Episode 180 Mark 10:23-31; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “The Pyre” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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God is the Possessor Jun 22, 2017

In popular culture, when someone says, “don’t judge” or “who are you to judge,” what they mean is, “how dare you criticize me?” This common adulteration undermines the commandment’s original purpose, namely, to invalidate and supplant human opinion (whether critical or complimentary) with a written text:

“But to me,” St. Paul writes, “it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 4:3-4)

In 1 Corinthians, Paul warns againt passing judgment on anyone–even oneself–in order to emphazise the primacy of the written gospel:

“So that in us,” Paul continues, “you may learn not to exceed what is written, so that no one of you will become arrogant in behalf of one against the other.” (1 Corinthians 4:6)

If not even Paul will judge himself before the time, how dare any man give his opinion of Jesus Christ? Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 10:17-22.

Episode 179 Mark 10:17-22; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Basic Implosion” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Suffer the Kingdom Jun 15, 2017

The disciples in Mark's gospel struggle to understand the Bible because they refuse to surrender their ideas to it. They approach Jesus with preconceived notions—of God, his Kingdom and his Messiah—that breakdown whenever Jesus speaks or takes action. The same is true of us. We approach Mark's gospel with our ideas of its meaning and its symbols, only to flounder when our idols are smashed against the brick wall of the text. For example, what does the commandment, “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God,” actually mean? I'm willing to bet that you think you know exactly what it means, and that's why you still don't get it. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 10:13-16.

Episode 178 Mark 10:13-16; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Royal Banana” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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What Does the Law Say? Jun 08, 2017

Much of what passes for religious debate is driven by a desire to be pure or to be right. A lawyer approaches Jesus to make sure he knows how to follow the Law, so that he can be right. A rich man approaches Jesus seeking the best of both worlds—he wants to be right and keep his money. When we believe that we are right or good because we have followed the Law, we look down upon those who have not achieved the purity we imagine of ourselves. That's why the Pharisees try to trap Jesus with a question about divorce. The Lord's response to the Pharisees echoes the teaching of 1 Corinthians: you are puffed up because you think you have mastered the Law; why, then, is your “wise” teaching dividing the household? Who is worse, the victim of divorce, or the false teachers who cause it? Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 10:1-12.

Episode 177 Mark 10:1-12; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Ave Marimba” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Context, Context, Context! Jun 01, 2017

What is going on when Jesus talks to his disciples about cutting off a hand or a foot or, worse, of plucking out an eye? Too often, readers stumble over these words, ignoring, dismissing, glossing over, or worst of all, inventing an interpretation. In fact, the meaning of the Lord's warning--that it is better to cut off a stumbling appendage--is simple, straightforward and easy to understand. Its meaning is staring you in the face, plain as day. It does not require an advanced degree nor access to some special, secret knowledge. On the contrary, its only requirement is familiarity. Are you familiar with Paul's letter to the Romans? Are you familiar with 1 Corinthians? How familiar? How many times have you read these letters in the past year? He who has ears to hear, let him hear! Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 9:38-50.

Episode 176 Mark 9:38-50; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Corruption” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Selective Hearing May 25, 2017

“Don't waste your time with explanations: people only hear what they want to hear.” Insofar as Paulo Coelho's quote reflects the truth of human behavior, it also reflects the behavior of the disciples in the Gospel of Mark. Time and again, Jesus explains to his closest followers that he must fail: he must be judged, treated with contempt, made the least of all, and finally, put to death shamefully in the public square. Still, when Jesus tries to explain this, all the disciples hear is what they want to hear: that Jesus is the Lord's Messiah; that he is powerful, that he works signs and wonders, and that he will be raised in victory. But of what do the power and victory of Jesus consist? What happens when you talk about the Resurrection without the Cross? What happens to the disciples in Mark? Those who are called to serve the lowest and the least in God's household change the subject away from the dregs of the teaching to the heights of personal glory: who, the disciples ask, among their privileged ranks is the greatest? What to do, O Lord, when even divine hyperbole falls short? Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 9:30-37.

Episode 175 Mark 9:30-37; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “The Lift” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Jesus, Give Us a Word! May 18, 2017

If you want to understand someone, you need only examine their motivations. What does a person want? Why do the crowds in Mark approach Jesus? Most often, they approach because they want to save their own neck; they want something for themselves. Rarely do they approach to gather supplies in order to help others. In Mark, the example of the father of the demon possessed mute presents an interesting exception to this pattern. Yes, he asks Jesus to help his son, but the way in which he asks hints at the possibility of faith: “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief,” namely, “Lord, I trust you, give me something to trust! Give me your teaching!” Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 9:14-29. This week's episode is in loving memory of Mohsen Yacoub.

Episode 174 Mark 9:14-29-; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “The Lift” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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It's All About Priorities May 11, 2017

People like to complain. They complain that they don't have enough time; that it's too difficult to understand; that it's impossible to do; or that something else gets in the way. Worse, when they see another person do it, they heap praise, saying, “I don't know how you do it.” But that's a lie. You do know how. It's not hard at all and you know it's not hard. You just make different choices. The worst such example is when people avoid what must be done by attempting to justify the importance of something else. For those who make such excuses, the buck stops with the Bible: nothing is more important than God's teaching. Nothing. I don't mean the teaching you imagine, I am referring to the written text that Jesus keeps quoting within a written text. Nothing can replace it and nothing can convey it, except it. If you are not hearing it, doing it and sharing it in lieu of every other priority in your life, you do not belong to God. “Action,” Ghandi once said, “expresses priorities.” In the Gospel of Mark, the actions of the disciples repeatedly express their disinterest in the teaching of Jesus Christ. They are willing to heap praise on Jesus and eager to join the gossip surrounding Jesus, but they just can't get themselves to crack a book and study the content of his words. He who has ears to hear, let him hear! Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 9:9-13.

Episode 173 Mark 9:9-13; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Movement Proposition” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Listen to Him May 04, 2017

In the Gospel of Mark, the teaching of the Old Testament is the teaching of Jesus. In obedience to his Father, when the Markan Jesus speaks, his words never go beyond what is written in Scripture: most notably, Isaiah, but also Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, the Psalms, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel, Zechariah and Malachi—all these are quoted or paraphrased by Jesus. Not interpreted, but quoted, preached and applied in the story. It is no wonder that Jesus appeared with Moses and Elijah in chapter 9. Together, these three embody the purpose of Mark's gospel: to carry the Law and the Prophets to the gentiles. That is exactly what Jesus does and that is why “a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved son, listen to him!” (Mark 9:7b) Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 9:1-8.

Episode 172 Mark 9:1-8; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Spellbound” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Who is the King of Glory? Apr 27, 2017

In our culture, great emphasis is placed on the opinion of the individual. We are told that our opinion counts; that our vote matters; and that our personal preferences are relevant. We are taught to think this way because it benefits the institutions we serve. In truth, an institution asks your opinion, 1) because it wants to increase its power, or 2) because it wants to increase its profit. At the individual's level, the one thing that does matter is the very thing that institutions fear: wisdom and its associated behaviors. Wisdom cannot be exploited or manipulated. Wisdom is honest and straightforward. Wisdom is bad for business.

Unlike our institutions, in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus does not care what anyone thinks. His only desire is the knowledge of God's teaching. He wants everyone to become wise by clinging only to the words of Scripture. He demands nothing of his followers except biblical wisdom. In fact, he cares so much about this wisdom—given for the life of the world—that he is willing to give his life for its sake. This is the glory that Jesus proclaims and it has nothing to do with the glory that Peter seeks. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 8:27-38.

Episode 171 Mark 8:27-38; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Virtues Instrumenti” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Who is Testing Whom? Apr 20, 2017

When students are challenged in the classroom, their first impulse is to avoid being tested by attempting to test the teacher. Is the assignment difficult? There must be something wrong with the teacher. Is it hard to understand? It must be the teacher's fault. *Am I failing the class? *Surely, the teacher has credibility issues. I could go on, but you get the point. A student avoids responsibility for his or her failures by blaming the teacher. Worse, the same student delights in gossip about the teacher instead of delighting in the teacher's knowledge.

In the Gospel of Mark the miracles of Jesus are given not as proof of his credibility, but as a test of his students' faith: do the Pharisees and the Lord's disciples trust in the Torah? Do they delight in the Lord's precepts, or do they seek signs and wonders as proof of his credibility? “Do you not yet see or understand?” (Mark 8:17b) Twice I fed you in the wilderness and still, you refuse to get the message. Alas, no sign will be given to you except the Bread of my Father's teaching; and you had better study it, because the final exam is just around the corner. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 8:11-26.

Episode 170 Mark 8:11-26; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Long Stroll” 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 Bread of Life Apr 13, 2017

When people use the word “truth” they usually mean a worldview framed by personal experience or established by philosophy. For these ideological systems—whether personal or corporate—truth is understood as someone's abstract statement about the world. In sharp contrast, biblical truth—like scientific truth—deals with observable phenomena in the world. Where modern science discerns the mechanics of Creation, the Bible catalogs types of human behavior and their predictable outcomes, or fruit. In the case of Mark, the feeding of the multitudes presents one such truth: though counterintuitive, generosity in poverty, hospitality toward strangers, and openness to neighbors are all necessary for human survival. This is not an abstract opinion or a philosophical worldview; nor is it “a perspective.” It is an observable and repeatable fact. It was a fact before we were born and will remain a fact after we are gone. It is the Bread of the Lord's Instruction: the Bread of Life for the salvation of the human race. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 8:1-10.

Episode 169 Mark 8:1-10; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Slow Jam” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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This People Honors Me With Their Lips Apr 06, 2017

All through Mark's gospel, Jesus instructs those around him not to tell anyone about his miracles. Most dismiss this pattern as the “Messianic Secret,” an attempt by Jesus to hide his true identity. When William Wrede coined this phrase in 1901, he wrongly assumed what the Gospel of Mark rejects: the importance of identity. In Mark, Jesus deliberately dismisses identity in favor of his sole mission: preaching and teaching. The Markan Jesus does not care if or what people think about him. On the contrary, his only concern is whether or not people have heard Scripture. So why does Jesus keep asking people not to talk about him and his acts of mercy? Because, as Isaiah proclaimed: “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me. ‘But in vain do they worship me, teaching as a teaching the teachings of men.” (Mark 7:6-7) Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 7:31-37.

Episode 168 Mark 7:31-37; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Laser Groove” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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She Has Ears to Hear Mar 30, 2017

People make assumptions about each other based on appearance, personal affiliation or both. A well-dressed person is assumed the better candidate; good taste is mistaken for competence or moral credibility; worst of all, people judge each other by association, as though a person's social circle, identity, family, or organizational affiliation have any bearing on their knowledge or wisdom. For instance, one might assume that the Pharisees—Israel's learned religious teachers—would understand Jesus. One might also assume that the disciples—the closest associates of Jesus—would be the first to grasp his parables, let alone his plain explanations. But in the Gospel of Mark, it is a woman—from a nation that is neither holy nor modest—who has no trouble accepting the criticism of Jesus or her station as the lowest and the least in his presence: a gentile dog. In this way, Mark demonstrates the teaching of Paul: “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29) Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 7:24-30.

Episode 167 Mark 7:24-30; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Shaving Mirror” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Do Not Follow Your Heart Mar 23, 2017

A wise person, no matter his or her beliefs, understands that human motivations and desires are naturally selfish. We humans think and act from the shallow perspective of personal experience on behalf of our biological imperative: self-preservation. Our view of others, our understanding of the gods we create, and, most importantly, our actions in the world are corrupt because our core motivation, “me, myself and I,” is corrupt. Self-preservation and self-interest are coded in our DNA. How can anyone mitigate an elemental biological impulse? You can't. There is no ideology, philosophy, or belief system that can change human biology. So how is the Bible different? It assumes the worst. It supposes that all human beings are stubborn and that all human beings will always refuse to change. Its hope is not in humanity, but in the possibility that despite ourselves, a few people with “ears to hear” might be willing to follow a commandment that goes against our nature. In the Gospel of Mark, such a commandment is preached as widely as possible for our sake and for the sake of the common good. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 7:14-23.

Episode 166 Mark 7:14-23; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Bummin on Tremelo” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Call No Man Unclean Mar 16, 2017

Human communities fixate on self-preservation, naturally forming traditions and customs that protect them from outside threats. The problem of protectionism is amplified when a group's leaders benefit from it, turning the community against itself—even alienating children from parents—for self-gain. With this in mind, it's easy to see why religious rules often devolve into an “us against them” paradigm. In human communities, self-preservation is wrongly elevated as virtue, enabling the very behaviors the Bible warns will lead to our destruction. It's counterintuitive, but in the Torah, self-preservation works against the survival of the community. In seeking to keep the evil out, we neglect the evil within. Unfortunately, by turning away “the unclean” outsider, we cut ourselves off from the life revealed in Mark's gospel, extended to us from the wilderness, by way of the very outsiders we fear. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 6:53-7:13.

Episode 165 Mark 6:53-7:13; Subscribe: http: // feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature (http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature); “Sunday Dub” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Neither Snow, Nor Rain, Nor Heat, Nor Gloom of Night Mar 09, 2017

According to the website of the US Postal Service, their motto, “chiseled in gray granite over the entrance to the New York City Post Office on 8th Avenue,” comes from an ancient account of the Persian Wars by the Greek historian, Herodotus: “Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”

The saying lauds the fidelity of mounted Persian couriers who, during Persia's war with the Greeks, braved all manner of obstacles to ensure the delivery of royal dispatches. To borrow from St. Paul, such men clearly “have a zeal for God,” but insofar as they carry messages from the wrong king in the service of Persia's war, their zeal is “not in accordance with knowledge.” (Romans 10:2)

In the Gospel of Mark, the disciples are also called to be couriers; not of a worldly message with worldly concerns, but of Scripture. Insofar as their zeal lacks understanding, no matter how hard they row against the elements, they will never match the speed or efficacy of Jesus, who without boat or mount easily achieves “the swift completion” of his appointed rounds. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 6:45-52.

Episode 164 Mark 6:45-52; Subscribe: http: // feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature (http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature); “Crossing the Chasm” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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The Voice of the Shepherd Mar 02, 2017

When studying biblical literature, it's easy to fall into the trap of attempting to lock down the meaning of the Bible's characters and symbols. For example, students of the Bible often assume that “Egypt is evil,” or, “Assyria is evil,” ignoring contradictory evidence in the text. “Egypt and Assyria,” proclaims Isaiah, will be “a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, 'Blessed is Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.'” (Isaiah 19:24-25) It's not that any of these nations are good or evil—in the Bible, no one is good but God—it's that their value pertains strictly to the Lord's commandment. If they serve the Lord's teaching, they function as the Lord's people, as Paul explains in Galatians, “the Israel of God,” no matter their nationality.

In Mark, the crowds, like Egypt and Assyria, seem to have a negative connotation. For the better part of five chapters, the mobs fawning over Jesus have obstructed his mission to proclaim the Father's teaching; but does that mean the “crowds are evil?” On the contrary, like Egypt, Assyria AND Israel, their narrative value must be constantly reevaluated relative to the commandment. In Mark 6, the situation with the crowds may look the same, but as the Good Book teaches, human beings should never trust what they see. The only thing that counts is what they hear from the voice of the Shepherd, crying out in the wilderness. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 6:30-44.

Episode 163 Mark 6:30-44; Subscribe: http: // feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature (http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature); “Doobly Doo” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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It's Your Move, Herod Feb 23, 2017

“It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.” These words, spoken by Aung San Suu Kyi, a Burmese author and civil leader, reflect almost perfectly the biblical teaching about fear and the power of death. King Herod, a man who would sell his people's honor to appease their occupiers; King Herod, who in Matthew, would murder children to safeguard his throne; King Herod, who ordered the execution of the Lord's prophet to save face, on an oath made against that which was not his; King Herod, the last in a line of imposters who would dare to sit on God's throne in Judea. King Herod. You successfully murdered John, but you cannot stop his teaching. There is no wall, no prison, no form of execution that can help you now. Not even the power of death, which you so carelessly wield, can save you. As St. Paul, the least of the Apostles, proclaimed: The Lord, whom you murdered, is coming in power and he will put all things in subjection under his feet. “For He will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance on his adversaries, and will atone for his land and his people.” (Deuteronomy 32:43) It's your move, Herod. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 6:14-29.

Episode 162 Mark 6:14-29; Subscribe: http: // feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature (http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature); “Metalmania” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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It's Not About the Teacher Feb 16, 2017

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus repeatedly emphasizes the will of his Father in Deuteronomy, that any prophet or worker of miracles who seduces people from “the way (ὁδός) in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk,” should be ignored, or worse, put to death. Along these lines, in the story of Mark, miracles are given for the teaching; the teaching is not given for miracles. When signs and healings become the focus (as is common among contemporary Christians) we lose focus on the mission of Jesus: to walk on the path and to sow the seed of his Father's teaching, as commanded. In doing so, we obstruct the teaching, even as we fawn over the teacher, crying “Lord, Lord!” But as Jesus demonstrates and the apostles will eventually struggle to understand, it's not about the teacher. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 6:7-13.

Episode 161 Mark 6:7-13; Subscribe: http: // feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature (http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature); “Wepa” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Familiarity Breeds Contempt Feb 09, 2017

When people are taught to change their behaviors or to admit their shortcomings, they use whatever means available to transfer blame for their sins to someone else. Almost always, they lash out against the messenger, pointing to the hypocrisy of their teacher or explaining how a person's identity invalidates the message. In doing so, they shift everyone's attention away from the elephant in the room: the integrity of the message itself. Can a man accuse a woman of chauvinism? Can a German accuse a Jew of racism? Can a prophet teach his biological elders? Yes. Definitely. But we claim otherwise to avoid accountability. The problem is amplified when people believe they own the message or consider themselves familiar with its content. We've all met the Christian who “already knows” what the Bible says. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus comes face to face with this person “in his hometown, among his own relatives and in his own household.” Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 6:1-6.

Episode 160 Mark 6:1-6; Subscribe: http: // feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature (http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature); “Laser Groove” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Give Her Something to Eat Feb 02, 2017

Self-righteousness is dangerous. When people who believe they are “right” apply rules to each other, even rules that were meant to protect us become instruments of abuse, cruelty and exploitation. You need look no further than the barbarity of Twitter mobs—liberal or conservative—to understand this dynamic. For politicians, sooner or later, this lack of humility results in civil strife. For clergy and religious teachers, it leads to a kind of apostasy, in this case, an outcome of teaching that renounces the teaching of the Bible. The Torah was given to show each of us that our behaviors are unclean. Yet, somehow, we always manage to transfer this shame from our behaviors to the person (or persons) of our neighbor. Our neighbor, like the wild man exiled to the Gerasene graveyard, or the woman with a flow of blood, is eventually deemed unclean. This is the sin. This is the apostasy. This is the very thing the Law was given to correct. Have you never heard what was written? The Lord said to Peter, “What God has made clean, you must not call unclean.” (Acts 10:15) And again, what Peter himself proclaimed: “God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.” (Acts 10:28) Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 5:21-43.

Episode 159 Mark 5:21-43; Subscribe: http: // feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature (http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature); “Bittersweet” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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The First Disciple Jan 26, 2017

When Jesus permitted the unclean spirits to leave the Gerasene, he demonstrated two things: not only his ability to control a man whom no one could subdue, but his total power over Caesar's legion. You had better believe everyone was terrified by the drowning of the swine, because when you mess with Caesar's immutable power, you undermine the stability of the country. By freeing the demon possessed man, Jesus is threatening both their political security and their material wealth. It's no wonder they asked "him" to leave; but the question is, which "him?" Who asked whom to leave and who asked whom to stay and why? Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 5: 14-20.

Episode 158 Mark 5:14-20; Subscribe: http: // feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature (http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature); "Mountain Emperor" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Why Are You Bowing? Jan 19, 2017

When it comes to bowing, our culture is schizophrenic. We teach people not to bow down to others or to let others tell us what to do, yet we bow down all the time. We bow to men of wealth; we bow to people and things of beauty; we bow to eloquent speech; worst of all, we bow to power: military power, economic power, and individual power. When Jesus entered the country of the Gerasenes, he encountered a man with the same brand of schizophrenia. On the one hand, he was a man who bowed to no one; a man who could not be controlled or subdued, "not even with a chain." No one could tell the Gerasene what to do. He was exactly the kind of man our culture applauds. Yet, when Jesus stepped off the boat, this same man (rather, the unclean teaching controlling him) groveled at the feet of Jesus. Why? Not because he placed all his trust in the Lord's seed, but because--like everyone else in Mark--he was afraid of Jesus' worldly might. Like the people who marveled at Jesus' miracles; like the fearful disciples; the Gerasene was impressed with the wrong thing. So he bowed to Jesus the way a sycophant bows to Silicon Valley.

The letters of St. Paul teach us that everyone has to bow down. Even Jesus will eventually bow to Pontius Pilate. In Mark's gospel, the question is not "should I bow," but, "why are you bowing?" Do you grovel before Jesus because of the teaching he proclaims, or are you bowing to something else? Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 5:1-13.

Episode 157 Mark 5:1-13; Subscribe: http: // feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature (http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature); "March of the Spoons" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Why Are You Afraid? Jan 12, 2017

Like the prophet Jonah, Jesus was sent to sow the seed of God's teaching on other soil. Unlike Jonah, Jesus trusted God's will, carrying out his Father's instruction without hesitation or the slightest hint of rebellion. So you can imagine the Lord's frustration, when at the first hint of danger, the disciples cower from God's mission.

"The floods," David cried, "have lifted up, O Lord! The flood have lifted up their voice!"

"But thy testimonies," cower the disciples, "are not confirmed! Do you not care that we are perishing?"

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 4: 35-41.

Episode 156 Mark 4:35-41; Subscribe: http: // feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature (http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature); "Guess Who" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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Like a Mustard Seed Jan 05, 2017

A farmer sows seed because he wants security. He wants to know that he will have enough money and food in storage to secure his family until the next season. This understanding of farming is anti-Scriptural. In the Book of the Twelve, we are repeatedly warned that man's lust for security is the cause of human suffering. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus assigns new meaning to the act of sowing seed. Where a human farmer sows for himself under the illusion of control, Jesus sows for others at his own peril, under the promise of hope against all hope. Despite all the cruelty, suffering and betrayal in the world; despite the Roman occupation; despite attempts by his own community to shut him up; Jesus does not lose hope, because he places all his trust, not in the work of his own hands, but in the will of his Father, who said, "All the trees of the field will know that I am the Lord; I bring down the high tree, exalt the low tree, dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will perform it."" (Ezekiel 17:24) Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 4:26-34.

Episode 155 Mark 4:26-34; Subscribe: http: // feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature (http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature); "Zanzibar" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

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#cursed #afflicted #persecuted #amen Dec 29, 2016

In the Gospel of Mark, the Lord Jesus said, "Whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him." (Mark 4:25) In our consumer culture, this verse is almost always taken out of context and assumed to refer to worldly blessings: health, happiness, family, wellbeing and, of course, stuff. But in a passage where ignoring the Bible's obvious meaning is an unforgivable sin, "so that while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven" (Mark 4:12) our listeners are cautioned that what is "given" and what is "taken away" pertain not to worldly blessings, but to the wisdom that comes from God. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 4:13-25.

(Episode 154 Mark 4:13-25); Subscribe: http: // feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature (http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature); "Too Cool" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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It's Not About the Soil Dec 22, 2016

When hearing the parable of the sower in Mark, few people stop to consider that seeds are embryonic plants. That's right, the seeds tucked away in a box on your shelf are already pregnant. Not only does the seed contain the instructions needed to make a plant, but also an embryo which can grow into a full plant under proper conditions. In other words, the seed does what the seed does and the soil contributes nothing: it either accepts the seed or rejects it. The soil can't even control the conditions under which acceptance or rejection are cultivated. The only hope is the seed itself. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 4:1-12.

(Episode 153 Mark 4:1-12); Subscribe: http: // feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Nowhere Land" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit Dec 15, 2016

The proclamation of the forgiveness of sins is integral to the content of the gospel. After all, it was the forgiveness of sins that opened the path for gentiles to become children of the Bible. In the Gospel of Mark, the sharing of this news is the single priority of Jesus Christ--so much so, that Jesus is constantly on the move, teaching and preaching. With this in mind, it seems odd that Jesus would say, "whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness." It seems odd, that is, until you realize that Jesus is frustrated with those who willfully oppose his Father's teaching. You know, that teaching where everyone is forgiven, no matter who they are, where they pray, or who claims them as family. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 3:28-35.

(Episode 152 Mark 3:28-35); Subscribe: http: // feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Rocket Power" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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He Sent Them Out Dec 08, 2016

According to Google, to rationalize is to "attempt to explain or justify (one's own or another's behavior or attitude) with logical, plausible reasons, even if these are not true or appropriate." According to Mark, people do this all the time. Is Jesus helping someone out at your expense? Explain, with logical, plausible arguments, that he is wrong. Are you trying to stop Jesus from helping others? Explain, with logical, plausible arguments, that you are doing the right thing and Jesus must be out of his mind. Is Jesus besieged by the mob on all sides because of you? Explain, albeit, without logic, that he is working for the "ruler of demons." Remember to conveniently ignore the fact that you are the one blocking "the feet of him who brings good news, announces peace, brings glad tidings, and proclaims salvation, saying to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'" (Isaiah 52:7) After all, when you obstruct his path, you are doing the right thing, aren't you? Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 3:13-27. This week's episode commemorates the one year anniversary of the death of John Price and Jacob Flynn. May their memories be eternal.

(Episode 151; Mark 3:13-27); Subscribe: http: // feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Cortosis" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Bread and Circuses Dec 01, 2016

Human beings make decisions and take actions based on assumptions. We do so because without assumptions, we are paralyzed by complexity. In some cases, an assumption is based on data, but almost always, our presuppositions stem from innate selfishness. As Julius Caesar once said, "Men are nearly always willing to believe what they wish." Caesar himself assumed that mob sentiment would ensure his triumph. Unfortunately, most people approach Mark's gospel with Caesar's worldview. We want Jesus to be popular. We want the mob to love him and no matter how hard Jesus runs from the crowds; no matter how emphatic his desire not to win them over; we still cheer when they surround him. Why? Because in our hearts, we prefer Caesar's victory to Jesus' defeat. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss the Mark 3:7-12.

(Episode 150; Mark 3:1-6); Subscribe: http: // feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Carnivale Intrigue" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Jesus Proclaimed the Letter of the Law Nov 24, 2016

We've all heard it. On every corner. In every school. At every church. There is always somebody spouting platitudes about the "dangers" of taking the Bible literally. This is usually the same person who explains that "religion is the cause of all wars," conveniently ignoring the bloodshed of the last century committed in the name of consumerism and liberal values. ANYWAYS. If only fundamentalists did take the Bible literally! If you actually read what is written on the page--without proof texting--there is no way to end up a fundamentalist. No way. Unless, of course, you have problems with reading comprehension or are not aware of historical context. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 3:1-6.

(Episode 149; Mark 3:1-6); Subscribe: Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Lobby Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Step Forward or Step Aside Nov 17, 2016

Have you ever had a ton of work to do, only to be pulled into long meetings with people who talk endlessly to avoid action? You know that feeling when you have a simple question for customer service, but the automated attendant makes you answer fifteen pointless questions, and then, when you get to a human being, they ask the same fifteen questions over again, and then, right before you finally get to ask your question, the call drops? Frustration and agitation set in as you twirl your worry beads and shake your nervous legs under the desk. Now imagine that the whole world is trying to stop you from delivering an urgent message that is a matter of life and death. What would you do? Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 2:14-28.

(Episode 148; Mark 2:1-13); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Sunflower Dance Party" 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 Be Fooled by the Crowds Nov 10, 2016

People deal with the miracles and parables of Jesus as biblical vignettes that can be extracted from the gospels and presented on their own. Biblical scholars refer to these vignettes as "pericopes," literally, a section of the Bible that has been cut out and extracted from the narrative. The problem, of course, is that a section of the Bible, like a sentence or a single word, when taken out of context, loses its meaning. Nowhere is this more evident than in the healing of the Paralytic in Mark. If we hear the parable without the urgency and emphasis of Jesus' physical movement in chapter 1, the miracle cannot be understood correctly. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Mark 2:1-13. (Episode 147; Mark 2:1-13); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Rainbows" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Do Not Be Amazed, Be Obedient Nov 03, 2016

The fallacy of the Messianic Secret is based on a presupposition that openly contradicts the teaching of Mark's Gospel. While scholars assume that Jesus is preoccupied with his identity and secrecy, in the text of Mark, Jesus is in a big rush to preach to as many people as possible in as many places as possible and he wants his followers to do the same. He does not want them to sit around and be amazed with him and his acts of mercy. He wants them to hear the Gospel and to do the same work he is doing, immediately. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss the Gospel of Mark 1:29-45. (Episode 146; Mark 1:29-45); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Voltaic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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A New Teaching? Oct 27, 2016

Teaching is tedious work. No matter how many times you explain something, for every one person who doesn't get it, there are a thousand people you can't get to. It's even harder when the teaching itself is so counterintuitive that even people who think they get it have to keep relearning it. It's no wonder that people believe the New Testament is saying something new. But the New Testament is not new. If it sounds new, it's because you have not been paying attention and as a result, have fallen yet further behind those who came before you. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss the Gospel of Mark 1:15-28. (Episode 145; Mark 1:15-28); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Fearless First" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Pleased With Himself Oct 20, 2016

Ancient religions stood on a simple premise: find a way to please the gods or face their wrath. Are you afraid of bad weather? Make a sacrifice. Worried about your family? Make a sacrifice. Afraid of impending war or plague? Make a sacrifice. Like all people in power, the ancient gods lived off the backs of their subjects. Since such gods reflect the behavior of those who make them, it's easy to see human religion for what it is: ritual betrayal of your neighbor for the sake of your security. But what if there were a God who refused to dwell in a temple and who could not be pleased, no matter how hard his subjects tried to impress him? Richard and Fr. Marc discuss the Gospel of Mark 1:9-15. (Episode 144; Mark 1:9-15); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "DarxieLand" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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A Path in the Wilderness? Oct 13, 2016

The first few verses of Markâs gospel are packed with prophetic imagery. From the impossible concept of a path in the wilderness to the Baptistâs position outside Jerusalem, the Markan prologue heralds the victory of the Prophetsâ teaching against human cities and the imminent inclusion of those beyond the Jordan in Godâs city. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss the Gospel of Mark 1:1-8. (Episode 143; Mark 1:1-8); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Thinking Music" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Eye of the Needle Jokes Oct 06, 2016

The biblical system proposes hyperbole, scandal, and logical contradiction as a means to disassemble the statues and false gods we construct in our minds. At the same time, hearers of the Bible tend to rationalize these tensions away, explaining to themselves and others what Jesus "really" meant. Yes, the Bible is a language of metaphor, but on the whole—far from pacifying us—those metaphors are given to amplify the Bible's attack on our egos. Besides, as we'll learn from Mark, sometimes an eye of the needle is just an eye of the needle. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss the Gospel of Mark 10:13-31. (Episode 142; Mark 10:13-31); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Third Time is Not a Charm Sep 29, 2016

We Christians assume that God’s love is unconditional and that it is never too late to change our ways. Although comforting, this idea contradicts the story of the Bible. Yes, it’s true, God is patient. In fact, he is so patient in the Bible that by the time you get to the New Testament, his patience is running out. In each of his letters, St. Paul repeats a stern warning: you were given an opportunity to repent and you failed. You are now on your second chance. Be wary: the Lord is coming soon for the third and final time, and it will not be a charm. Richard and Fr. Marc conclude their reading of 2 Corinthians. (Episode 141; 2 Corinthians 13); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Drankin Song" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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It's Not a Two-way Street Sep 22, 2016

In broken families, parents complain that their children "owe" them and children delude themselves that their parents "need" them. From each perspective, the relationship devolves into extortion. A broken parent shames their child because they want repayment, "after everything [they] did for them." In stark contrast, St. Paul shames his children, not to extract worldly honor or repayment for himself, but to pressure them to become providers for the sake of others, canceling out a child's sense of entitlement and self-importance. True parents, St. Paul explains, do not need anything from their children, except that they do the commandments of God. Richard and Fr. Marc review 2 Corinthians 12:14-21. (Episode 140; 2 Corinthians 12:14-21); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Zig Zag" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Silence is Not Golden Sep 15, 2016

What good would it be if a man were to ascend to the highest heaven and return with nothing to say? Would you be impressed by him? Would you brag about him to others? If so, what would you say? If this man has nothing to say about his so called revelation, what is there to brag about? I know how some of you will answer. You will talk about his feelings and the life changing wonder of having such an experience. Unfortunately, your feelings, your experience and 50 cents will not buy me a cup of coffee. Actually, in 2016, your feelings, your experience and $2 will not buy me a cup of coffee. But I digressâ¦ (Episode 139; 2 Corinthians 12:1-13); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Super 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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Let No One Think Me Foolish Sep 08, 2016

People embrace social norms in much the same way that fundamentalists embrace religious rules: as a means of self-approval. A person feigns modesty either to win acceptance or to exemplify correctness. That's why St. Paul's disciples in 2 Corinthians are so distressed by his boasting. Not only because his behavior is socially unacceptable and grossly immodest, but because in human eyes, his cause for boasting is even more absurd than his arrogance. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 2 Corinthians 11:16-33. (Episode 138; 2 Corinthians 11:16-33); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Curse of the Scarab" 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 Corinthian Brain Hack Sep 01, 2016

How can a teacher reach someone who is set in their ways or engulfed by ideology? What if the way a person looks at the world -- their unstated assumption about everything -- is backwards? Is it possible to help them reason their way out? Can you talk someone out of their own ego? According to St. Paul, the answer is no -- "we are not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers." (2 Timothy 2:14) So how does Paul reach his disciples in Roman Corinth? Before modern computers, there was another form of dangerous malware. It was a kind of analog software, distributed by God himself, through "the hands of Moses in letters divinely inscribed." Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 2 Corinthians 11:1-15. (Episode 137; 2 Corinthians 11:1-15); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Severe Tire Damage" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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A Yo Yo for Your Sake Aug 25, 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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Which Life is Life? Jun 16, 2016

When someone sets out to do something difficult, they console themselves that their sacrifice is worth the effort because of what they will have achieved or attained. The problem, of course, is that we humans are as much aware of our own futility as we are comforted by delusions of permanence. In other words, no matter how much we lie to ourselves about life, sooner or later, everyone asks, “what’s it all for?” The answer, Paul explains, lies behind us because it was before us and mercifully, it was handed down to us. We need only honor the one who taught us by repeating it and acting on it. No matter how tough it gets or how futile our efforts seem, we have hope, because what we have received and what we now speak manifests a glory that does not die. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 2 Corinthians 4. (Episode 126; 2 Corinthians 4); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Eternity” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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From Glory to Glory Jun 09, 2016

When St. Paul contrasts tablets of stone with the human heart, or the letter inscribed in stone with the Spirit, or the Old Covenant with the New, Christians are quick to assume that the Old is incomplete without the New, or, worse, that the human heart is preferable to following the letter of the law. Strange, how people convince themselves that God would inscribe a teaching and then say, "oops," I never meant for you to actually read it or do it. Just get the gist, so that Obi Wan can teach you to reach out to me with the force. Then you can ignore the letter of my law and be free. That might work for a hollywood screenplay embedded with product placements, but it has nothing to do with the Bible. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 2 Corinthians 3. (Episode 125; 2 Corinthians 3); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Upbeat Forever” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Who is Testing Whom? Jun 02, 2016

It is common for students to judge their teachers. Worse, students today are encouraged to do so, being routinely asked to fill out teacher evaluation forms. Some have even created websites to aggregate student gossip about their teachers. In a culture that lauds greed and shames mothers, it seems that everyone has an opinion about the one who stands before them bearing gifts. Not so and not on Paul's watch, who reminds the church, it is not you who evaluates me, but I who evaluate you, "So that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things." Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 2 Corinthians 2. (Episode 124; 2 Corinthians 2; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Meatball Parade” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Wax On Wax Off May 26, 2016

According to human standards of leadership, when Paul changes course midstream, it appears to his disciples that he is vascillating between "yes" and "no," like a man who can't keep his promises. In reality, it is the church that is wavering because Paul's disciples are unwilling to place all their trust in the instruction that controls their teacher's actions. Richard and Fr. Marc discussion 2 Corinthians 1:12-24 (Episode 123; 2 Corinthians 1:12-24); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “SONG NAME” 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 Blessing and the Curse May 19, 2016

When Paul talks about comfort in 2 Corinthians, it is easy to receive his words as much needed nurturing, as though we have suffered unjustly and are in need of God's intervention. But what if God has already intervened? What if the difficulties in our life are not unjust? What if the suffering of which we complain is not evil? What if the blessings and the curses in our life come from the same source? Richard and Fr. Marc begin their discussion of 2 Corinthians. (Episode 122; 2 Corinthians 1:1-11); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Fife and Drum” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Whistling to the Flock May 12, 2016

Without realizing it, when people hear the word “church,” they usually imagine a meta institution with clear organizational or ideological boundaries, akin to a government or global corporation. Worse, in our various expressions of Christianity, one way or another, we tend to operate as such. Whether attempting to control the world through ideology, or to market ourselves for institutional gain, our understanding of church rebels against the Lord’s teaching. As disciples of Scripture, our duty, according to St. Paul, is to refresh our minds, supplanting our idolatrous notions of institution with the literary context imposed by the Bible. For Paul, who invites his addressees to hear him “according to the Scriptures,” the reference for “church” is something far less glamorous than the powerful institutions idolized by human beings. A church, in Scripture, is akin to a shepherd’s flock, and Paul himself is the slave, not of a powerful institution, but of a Shepherd who gave his life for his sheep. Richard and Fr. Marc conclude their study of 1 Corinthians. (Episode 121; 1 Corinthians 14:29-58); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Floating Cities” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Baptism for the Dead May 05, 2016

Isaiah 22:12 Therefore in that day the Lord God of hosts called you to weeping, to wailing, To shaving the head and to wearing sackcloth. 13 Instead, there is gaiety and gladness, Killing of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, Eating of meat and drinking of wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die. 14 But the Lord of hosts revealed Himself to me, “Surely this iniquity shall not be forgiven you Until you die,” says the Lord God of hosts. You guessed it: in preaching the Resurrection in 1 Corinthians, Paul is explaining and applying the judgement of Isaiah 22 to the church. However, what’s really clever is that the phrase in Isaiah, “Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we may die,” was also used by Roman gladiators on the eve of battle. Interesting, that the people of Israel, and now, the church in Corinth, share the same understanding of life and death as the Roman pagans. “Do not be deceived,” Paul explains, “Bad company corrupts good morals.” Richard and Fr. Marc conclude their discussion of 1 Corinthians 15. (Episode 120; 1 Corinthians 14:29-58); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Thief in the Night” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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According to the Scriptures Apr 28, 2016

Psalm 2:1 Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. 5 Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, 6 “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” 7 “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. 9 ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware. ’” 10 Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. 11 Worship the Lord with reverence And rejoice with trembling. 12 Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him. (NASB) Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 1 Corinthians 15.

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Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent Apr 21, 2016

When reading an ancient text in translation—especially one laden with nuance—there is a high risk of misunderstanding. On the one hand, there are expressions, cultural and historical references, and terminology that are not immediately accessible to modern readers. At the same time, a statement’s meaning often seems obvious, when, in fact, the translation is misleading or the reader has assumed a context that is foreign to the narrative. The first rule of exegesis is that everything must be heard in context. Historical context, linguistic context, but most importantly, narrative context. When a phrase seems to jut out of St. Paul’s letter, such as, “women are to keep silent in the churches,” It feels jolting and chauvinist to modern readers. As jolting as it seems, rest assured, such a statement flows with the broader discussion and does not mean what your twenty first century ears think it means. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 1 Corinthians 14:20-39. (Episode 118; 1 Corinthians 14:20-39); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Anamalie” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Five Words Apr 13, 2016

Better to “speak five words” that give instruction, Paul explains, “than ten thousand words” that mean something to you but are useless for everyone else. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 1 Corinthians 14:1-19. Prompted by listener feedback, this week’s episode begins with a review of the function of sin in the Torah and its implications for Paul’s gospel. (Episode 117; 1 Corinthians 14:1-19); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Awesome Call” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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A More Excellent Way Apr 07, 2016

After spending the better part of 12 chapters putting the church’s household in order, in chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians, St. Paul crowns the power structure he established with something more excellent and of greater importance than any household station or duty: the act of love. For Scripture, how we treat others is not just a litmus test--it is the only test--of our knowledge of the commandments of God. For, “If I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” Richard and Fr. Marc continue their reading of St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. (Episode 116; 1 Corinthians 13); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Unwritten Return” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Hell Was Created Just for Me Mar 31, 2016

The key to understanding any idea, statement or position is to examine its premise. What underlying assumptions must be made for an idea to make sense? What motivations drive these assumptions? Once you are able to examine an argument in this way, even the most clever intellectuals are quickly put to shame. No matter how sophisticated the theology of the elite in Roman Corinth, because their assumptions were predicated on human principles, nothing they said could ever pass muster with Paul and everything they did caused division in the church. Why? Because from the Bible’s point of view, if it’s a human word, it is naturally selfish. So what is an apostle to do? Take a stand against all sides and do so at your own expense. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 1 Corinthians 12. (Episode 115; 1 Corinthians 12); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “East of Tunesia” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Paul's Kung Fu Mar 24, 2016

According to our friend Google, a contradiction is, “a combination of statements, ideas, or features of a situation that are opposed to one another.” According to St. Paul, this combination is a mechanism of wisdom, as in, “I will undermine power by exercising power,” or “I will create heterarchy by imposing hierarchy.” Welcome to 1 Corinthians 11. (Episode 114; 1 Corinthians 11); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Rynos Theme” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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A Tribe of One? Mar 17, 2016

What if you know something is OK, but someone else does not? What if you know something is not OK, but others think it is fine? What if someone offers you something that is OK, and they think it is OK, but someone else is confused and thinks that it is not OK? Can something be both OK and not OK at the same time? What do you do then? Most people are fine when the gospel says, “do not judge,” but what if the commandment also means allowing others to judge you? What should you do about the negative people in your life? We’ll give a little hint: St. Paul does not believe in the pursuit of your happiness, but he is is fine if others are happy because of you; even better if they are happy at your expense. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 1 Corinthians 10:14-31. (Episode 113; 1 Corinthians 10:14-31); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Fretless” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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First Among Average Mar 10, 2016

What does it mean to be chosen in the Bible? What is the purpose of having a chosen people? How does God honor his chosen? What is expected of those who hope to join the ranks of the chosen? How long is a chosen person’s tenure? Doesn’t the whole idea of being chosen go against human fellowship? When it comes to the Bible, one man’s curse is another man’s blessing, and vice versa, ad eternum. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 1 Corinthians 10:1-13. (Episode 112; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Casa Bossa Nova” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Trickle Up Economics Mar 03, 2016

Can you make yourself the least of all by insisting on your title and station? Can you sacrifice everything for the sake of others without them liking it? Are you able to repeatedly flip an argument on its head until no one is able to stake out a position? Can you use a metaphor over and over again to illustrate how you should be treated but then turn on your own use of the metaphor because, not only are you not talking about oxen, but you are not talking about food? If you answered yes, your name must be Paul, and this must be 1 Corinthians 9. (Episode 111; 1 Corinthians 9); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Spy Glass” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Not So Smart After All Feb 25, 2016

According to Wikipedia, “Illusory superiority is a cognitive bias whereby individuals overestimate their own qualities and abilities relative to others. This is evident in a variety of areas including intelligence, performance on tasks or tests, and the possession of desirable characteristics or personality traits.” This may explain why so many students believe they have something to offer their professors. It may also explain why—for all their supposed knowledge—the elite of the church in Roman Corinth were absolutely clueless about the gospel. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 1 Corinthians 8. (Episode 110; 1 Corinthians 8); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Thatched Villagers” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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How To Play Both Sides Without Waffling Feb 18, 2016

For as long as religion has been around, people have come forward with a single, destructive question: "O religious leader, what does our religion say," or, "What does our religious leader say about X?" One way or another, people eventually find someone who can provide clarity on issue X. Then everybody gives a big sigh of relief until someone comes along with a different opinion about said issue, X. By now, I'm sure our podcast listeners are asking the real question, namely, how does St. Paul solve the question of issue X? Well, he explains, "I think the answer is X, but then again, I think the answer is Y. But then again, it could be X, but, then again, if it's not, or if maybe it is, keep in mind--now, this is just my opinion--but I think Y is also fine, so long as you keep your priorities straight." Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 1 Corinthians 7:25-40. (Episode 109; 1 Corinthians 7:25-40); Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Conflicted" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Not Your Ordinary Life Coach Feb 11, 2016

When couples want marriage or divorce, they think "fairness." When people are dissatisfied with their place in life, they think "change." When people look at their own status, they think, "better" or "worse." If all this makes sense to you, then, according to 1 Corinthians, your priorities are all wrong. Instead of caring about the gospel, you are thinking about you. That may please your life coach, but it won't get you very far with St. Paul. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 1 Corinthians 7:1-24. (Episode 108; 1 Corinthians 7:1-24; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Aurea Carmina" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Égoïsme à deux Feb 04, 2016

People love to defend themselves. They defend their choices. They defend their group. They defend their rights; their property; their beliefs. Oh, yes, and people love to be right. They love it. It's like a drug. They love it so much that when something goes unavoidably wrong, they devise clever ways to blame other people. Human beings are so committed to defending themselves that in the US alone, we spend $234 billion annually on legal fees. That's enough money to stop world hunger for 8 years. Now, what if I told you about an ancient method of conflict resolution guaranteed to work in every situation, without exception. If only people knew. (Episode 107; 1 Corinthians 6; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "TV Melodrama" 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 Problem Within Jan 28, 2016

At first glance, St. Paul's admonition in 1 Corinthians 5, that the faithful are not to associate with immoral people, seems to imply that the church should safeguard its purity by avoiding association people outside the community. No interpretation of 1 Corinthians could be further from the truth. On the contrary, when Paul speaks of immoral people in chapter 5, he is referring to people within the church. To borrow a line from Mark's gospel, "there is nothing outside a man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man." (Mark 7:15) Richard and Fr. Marc continue their discussion of 1 Corinthians. (Episode 106; 1 Corinthians 5; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Open Those Bright Eyes" 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 Art of Biblical Shame Jan 21, 2016

When reading 1 Corinthians, it is easy to mistake Paul's discussion of weakness and strength as a universal condemnation of power. On the contrary, Paul presents the teaching of the cross as a way of replacing one kind of power with another. You might be tempted to let yourself off the hook by claiming that he is replacing man's power with God's power. Well, OK, but you are avoiding the tougher question: how is God's power made manifest? In abstraction? Theoretically? Intellectually? In chapter 4 of 1 Corinthians, Paul demonstrates what God's power consists of and how it is to be wielded in the church. Like the embarrassment of confession, it is neither theoretical, invisible nor mystical. You should be so lucky. (Episode 105; 1 Corinthians 4; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Cool Hard Facts" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Neither is Anything Jan 14, 2016

Scientists believe that plant life first formed on the Earth 700 million years ago and that the first fungi appeared on land 1300 million years ago. In contrast, human agriculture did not develop in the Fertile Crescent until 11,500 years ago. Now, I am not a math expert, but it seems to me that if all this is true, seeds were sown, watered and growing on Earth for millions and millions and millions...and millions of years before human beings began farming. If that's the case, why on Earth would anyone imagine that the human being who plants and the human being who waters amount to anything? Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 1 Corinthians 3. (Episode 104; 1 Corinthians 3; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Four Beers Polka" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Spiritual Authority Jan 07, 2016

How can St. Paul emphasize the importance of weakness while boasting that his own preaching is a "demonstration of the Spirit and of power?" How can he preach weakness from a position of strength? Is Paul contradicting himself? Why would someone proclaiming the crucified Christ claim to do so with power? What part does Roman culture play in the content of the gospel? That’s right. No need to clean the wax out of your ears. I did not say, "how do we separate Roman culture from the true meaning of the gospel?" I said, "what part does Roman culture play in the content of the gospel?" Richard and Fr. Marc discuss 1 Corinthians 2. (Episode 103; 1 Corinthians 2; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "OctoBlues" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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A Practical Impracticality Dec 31, 2015

What does it mean to hope in the Kingdom of God and how does this hope differ from the false promises of idealism? How is the biblical teaching, which seems impractical, ruthlessly practical in its transformation of human behavior? Why is the content of the gospel readily dismissed by both religious and secular thinkers? What opportunity does this teaching and the decline of religion in the United States present to Christians? Richard and Fr. Marc continue their discussion of chapter 1 of 1 Corinthians. (Episode 102; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Daily Beetle” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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An Appeal to Fellowship Dec 24, 2015

What is the answer to every human conflict and how is this answer sabotaged by human wisdom? What does it mean, in biblical terms, to be called by God? How does St. Paul use praise as a tool of judgment against the church in Roman Corinth? This Christmas Eve, Richard and Fr. Marc celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with the first in a series of episodes covering 1 Corinthians. May it always be pleasant for you to remember upon Christmas Day the one who made lame beggars walk and blind men see; And by your remembering, may the poor always have good news brought to them. A very Merry Christmas to you. (Episode 101; 1 Corinthians 1:1-17; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Silent Night” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Epilogue: Freeing the Dove Dec 17, 2015

In a special anniversary edition marking the 100th episode of the podcast, Richard and Fr. Marc take the opportunity to draw on themes from the show's first two years while unpacking the surprising meaning of Genesis 47. An epilogue to their six part series on Galatians, this week's episode also serves as an introduction for Walid Issa, the keynote speaker at Bethlehem 2015, an interfaith event hosted at St. Elizabeth Orthodox Church in Eagan, MN. This week’s show was recorded in front of a live audience. Walid's keynote is included at the end of the program. (Episode 100; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Christmas Rap" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/)

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Unearned Suffering: In Memory of John Price Dec 10, 2015

On December 4, 2015, John Ashton Price IV, age 18, and Jacob Flynn, age 17, were killed in an automobile accident in Lakeville, Minnesota. In concluding their six part series on the letter to the Galatians, Richard and Fr. Marc take time to reflect on the tragedy of this unbearable loss in the light of the St. Paul's teaching. This week's episode is offered on behalf of the Price family: John, Lisa and Tom, in memory of their beloved son and brother, "John John" and his dear friend, Jacob. (Episode 99; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; Cover photo: "Lined With Angels" John Price; Music: "Winter Chimes" 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 Sons of Jacob Dec 03, 2015

Hearing Galatians in translation and out of context, it’s tempting to conclude that St. Paul is arguing for some new alternative to the teaching of Old Testament; but for those who make an effort to hear the text in context, it becomes quickly clear that Paul’s letter is not only reading and explaining -- but applying -- the Torah to the church in Galatia. At the center of this wrangle is Jerusalem’s misreading of the meaning of circumcision in Genesis. In their discussion of Galatians 5, Richard and Fr. Marc compare the abuse of circumcision in Genesis 34 with it’s misuse at the hands of Peter and James. (Episode 98; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; "Pippin the Hunchback" 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 Children of Hagar Nov 26, 2015

What is the difference between a child and an heir in Roman society and what role does the Roman household play in the content of Paul’s gospel? Why does Paul use two different languages, Aramaic and Greek, to address the Father of Jesus? How could a barren woman have more children than someone capable of childbirth? Who are the children of Hagar and what is the Jerusalem above? Richard and Fr. Marc tackle Galatians 4. (Episode 97; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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Only the Dead are Perfect Nov 19, 2015

What is the purpose of the Law in Galatians and how does it relate to Abraham’s faith in God’s instruction? What is the connection between the Law of Moses and the Crucifixion of Jesus? How and why does the Torah illustrate Abraham’s wickedness while also insisting on his centrality? Does the Law contradict faith? If the works of the Law cannot attain righteousness before God, what is the point of the Law? Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Galatians 3. (Episode 96; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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Broken for the Sake of the Poor Nov 12, 2015

Why does St. Paul specify that he was away from Jerusalem for an interval of fourteen years? Does the length of time have any significance? Why did he insist on meeting privately with Peter and James during his visit? Why are Peter, James and John referred to as the Pillars? Why is the death of Jesus considered a victory and how do Paul’s opponents jeopardize this victory? Richard and Fr. Marc continue their discussion of Galatians with a review of chapter 2. (Episode 95; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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God is My Judge Nov 05, 2015

What does St. Paul mean when he explains that no one, not even an "angel from heaven," can contradict the gospel that was preached in Galatia? To what does Paul appeal in making the claim that his authority comes directly from God and not from men? How do the norms of civil law shed light on Paul's opening argument in Galatians 1? Why do fascists and dictators, who control every aspect of civil society, still seek legitimacy from their respective constitutions? What does all of this have to do with a dead guy names Hammurabi? Richard and Fr. Marc discuss St. Paul's letter to the Galatians. (Episode 94; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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No Oxygen Allowed Oct 29, 2015

Rationalize (verb): to attempt to explain or justify (one's own or another's behavior or attitude) with logical, plausible reasons, even if these are not true or appropriate. Synonyms: justify, explain, explain away, account for, defend, vindicate, or excuse, as in, "he tried to rationalize his behavior." Thanks, Google Dictionary, for providing such a lucid description of how we twist the Bible to get ourselves off the hook. Put your seat-belts on! This week, Richard and Fr. Marc revisit Lazarus and the Rich Man in the Gospel of Luke. (Episode 93; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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Bless Thine Inheritance Oct 22, 2015

What if someone wrote a book that imposed patriarchal authority at the expense of patriarchs, redeemed inheritance at the expense of wealth, upheld a patronymic without blessing the name, linked patrimony and childbirth to each other and to God’s teaching while emphasizing the commandment to care for the widow, the orphan and the foreigner, rubbed in the fact that God blesses couples, households and communities that by all rights should not be blessed, and finally, presented a vision of some future kingdom that will include the very people that everyone is trying to avoid. You don’t have to ask "what if?" We have the book in hand and will cover it’s final chapter today. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Ruth 4. (Episode 92; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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Hear, O Daughter Oct 15, 2015

At your right hand stood the Queen in vesture of gold; Hear, O daughter, and see, and incline your ear! The rich among the people shall entreat your favor and the King shall greatly desire your beauty; For he is your Lord and you shall worship him. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Ruth 3. (Episode 91; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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Waking Ned Devine Oct 08, 2015

How is the content of Ruth reflected in the teaching of St. Paul and in the gospel narratives? Why, in Ruth, does it matter who is whose relative and who is connected to whom? Why do Richard and Fr. Marc make such a big deal out of biblical names? Why does Ruth prostrate herself in front of a man? Isn’t she the one making all the big sacrifices to support Naomi? Shouldn’t everyone bow to her? Who is this mighty Boaz, anyway? Is power always evil? Only for those whose mind can’t get past the person to see God’s function in operation. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Ruth 2. (Episode 90; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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Dialogue is the Problem Oct 01, 2015

Why do discussions about race in the United States always seem to widen the gap between neighbors? How do our assumptions about race cripple our ability to recognize oppression in unfamiliar places? Is racism the main issue, or is it symptomatic of a deeper human dysfunction? In the first episode of a four part series, Richard and Fr. Marc examine the problem of identity in the Book of Ruth. As is to be expected, the Bible's wisdom on this subject will embarrass folks on both sides of the aisle. (Episode 89; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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Their Confusion is at Hand Sep 24, 2015

Why would Jesus, who warns against the sword in Matthew 26 threaten to use one in Matthew 10? Why would Jesus set a man against his father and a daughter against her mother, when in the Torah God commands that parents are to be honored? In Luke, the gospel heralds the coming of Jesus with the proclamation "peace on earth." Why, then, in Matthew, does Jesus say, "I did not come to bring peace?" If you are looking for a simple answer along the lines of "for" or "against," then turn off this podcast and watch cable news. If you hope to use Matthew 10 to support your just war theory, at best, you are being lazy. Yes, the Bible does bring a sword and it is connected to the real violence we experience in the world. The question is, on which end of the sword are the followers of Jesus expected to find themselves? (Episode 88; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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Grant Victory Against Me Sep 17, 2015

The Passion narrative in John 19 is unequivocal: the life of Jesus ended in humiliation, abuse, abject betrayal, subjugation and utter failure. You might try to comfort yourself by arguing that Jesus was treated unfairly, however, in truth, the outcome of his life was a direct result of his Father’s teaching. In other words, in the gospel story, following God’s Torah leads to absolute defeat; a fact, St. Paul explains, that confounds religious people and attracts scorn from rational thinkers. With this in mind, it comes as no surprise that from the beginning, Christians themselves have failed to embrace the gospel. That this failure is obvious, to be expected, and nothing new does not make it less painful. (Episode 87; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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Knock Yourself Out Sep 10, 2015

A recent article in Salon magazine views the ongoing decline in American religion "in part, as an inevitable result of the politicization of Christianity." Where does the temptation to infuse church with political ideology come from? What does politicized religion hope to achieve and what are its consequences? Are there examples of politicization in the Bible? Is there a biblical alternative that can avoid politics and ideology without ignoring current events? Richard and Fr. Marc reflect on these questions as they discuss 1 Samuel. American Christians, take heed: the Lord is patient and ready to give you exactly what you want; so be careful what you ask for. (Episode 86; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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The Empire Strikes Back Sep 03, 2015

Often and wrongly promoted as a biblical precept, unconditional love works against the purpose of Jesus in the New Testament. Nowhere is this point more clearly expressed than in the parable of the wicked vinedressers in Matthew 21. What does Matthew’s parable reveal about biblical grace and the problem of entitlement? Why does God allow the vinedressers to commit such violent crimes, against not only his servants, but his own son? What implication do God’s actions in the story have for human parents and teachers? As always, the pastoral wisdom gleaned from Scripture looks foolish to human eyes; but then, so too looked the stone in the eyes of the builders. (Episode 85; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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The Tower of Babel Aug 27, 2015

Of language diversity in the United States, Saul Bellow once quipped, "A melting pot, yes. A tower of Babel, no." The Nobel Laureate's comment, indicative of American norms, undermines the meaning of the parable he invokes. Where human institutions (in line with Bellow's axiom) consolidate and unify, the biblical God imposes diversity. Where powerful nations go beyond lingua franca to demand una lingua, in Genesis, the Lord deliberately confounds human speech. Proponents of institution sometimes assert that multilingualism in Genesis is a negative outcome, but this assumption falls out of step with the story's plot. In Genesis, God's victory at the Tower of Babel is part of a larger war against the strategic agendas of human empire. This week, Richard and Fr. Marc reflect on the Tower of Babel in Genesis and its implications for multilingualism in North America. (Episode 84; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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The Problem of the Justified Aug 20, 2015

A culture's moral platitudes expose the sins for which its adherents hope to atone. This tension is present in popular critiques of the biblical commandment, "an eye for an eye." But what happens when our assumed high ground amplifies the sins we want to erase? Worse, what if the people harmed by our platitudes respond to our abuse with a counter-morality? What happens when society disintegrates into a community of justified ideologues and entitled victims? Richard and Fr. Marc discuss St. Paul’s compensation in 1 Corinthians, the merciless servant in Matthew, and the problem of vengeance in the book of Judges and 1 and 2 Kings. Given the state of the world, the instruction, "an eye for an eye," may be a goal beyond our reach. (Episode 83; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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Until the Lord Comes Aug 13, 2015

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens: Lo, it is better to be patient than arrogant, for the end of something is better than its beginning--not because your toil has ended, but because the reward for patience is wisdom and understanding. So admonishes the Preacher's eulogist, who shames us with the Preacher's labours, goading us with his instruction: the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and this fear is man's duty during his brief season under the sun. Remember to keep this commandment, for God will bring every deed into judgment, whether good or evil. This week's episode brings our 12 week series on Ecclesiastes to its conclusion. But don't worry, we'll keep turning the pages with you on this podcast for as long as we can, God willing, until the Lord comes. Until then, turn, turn, turn! (Episode 82; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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Famous for Scrubbing Toilets Aug 06, 2015

Since everything you have is already passing away, why hold onto it? Since you can't control the weather, why worry about? Since everything you do is vanishing breath, why not do it? Yes, it's true, you can't add a single hour to your life span by worrying. But look a the bright side: if God cares for the prairie grass of Minnesota's rolling plains, which today is alive and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he care for you, O ye of little faith? Yes, all is still vanity for both the Preacher and the Gospel of Matthew, but don't worry. You can still become famous for scrubbing toilets. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Ecclesiastes 11. (Episode 81; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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Man Cannot Judge Jul 29, 2015

Ecclesiastes 10 presents a world in which two paths, one foolish and one wise, both lead to the same outcome. Where temporal human eyes see the benefits of wisdom, the Preacher exposes folly. Where men see failure and assume folly, the Preacher proclaims great dignity; but not always, he argues, since the reverse is often true. So how is man to judge? What is man to do? The answer, my friend, is not blowing in the wind, it’s handed down in the content Scripture, open only to those who surrender themselves to its pages. (Episode 80; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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Play the Cards You're Dealt Jul 23, 2015

According to the Preacher, no matter what you do, you are doomed to the one fate that awaits everyone. Are you a righteous man? Are you wicked? Can you, by your actions, determine the outcome of your life? Since all share the same fate, does it matter? For the author of Ecclesiastes, it does matter, but not in the way that you imagine and not in a way that makes sense—unless you accept that all deeds (and all things), both good and evil, are in the hand of God. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Ecclesiastes 9. (Episode 79; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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Judgment As Hope Jul 15, 2015

When a human judge seeks meaning in the abuses of the wicked or in the misfortunes of the righteous, if he is as honest with himself as the Preacher in Jerusalem, his pursuit of wisdom leads nowhere. As each door closes in his face and each path turns to vanity, he comes to a realization: every possibility he considers is judged by God. "Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may lengthen his life," says the Preacher, "still I know that it will be well for those who fear God, and who fear him openly." (Episode 78; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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Stick To It, Don’t Stick It To Yourself Jul 09, 2015

If, for the sake of wisdom, death is better than birth, sorrow is better than laughter and mourning is better than feasting, what hope has the wise man of escaping ruin? Is such wisdom truly wise, or is it better to grasp righteousness without abandoning wickedness? God, the Preacher explains, has made the one as well as the other; the person who embraces this contradiction is the one who fears the Lord. This week, Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Ecclesiastes 7. (Episode 77; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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Back From Greece Jul 02, 2015

What would happen if God gave you honor, riches and wealth such that nothing you desired was beyond your reach? What if he then invited foreigners to enjoy this wealth in your place? What does this mean? Is the foreigner wrong to partake of your treasure? Is he now better off than you? Would you be right to condemn him? How can anyone reconcile God’s generosity with such terrible affliction? For that matter, how can one reconcile bounty with famine; honor with obscurity; or purpose with futility? Richard and Fr. Marc explore these questions as they discuss Ecclesiastes 6. This week’s episode is produced in solidarity with the people of Greece. We love you and we are praying for you. (Episode 76; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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You Can’t Take It With You Jun 25, 2015

In a culture that loves money and values everyone’s input, Ecclesiastes 5 is a bitter pill. Human speech, cries the Preacher, is the sacrifice of idiots and the gathering of wealth a grievous evil under the sun. Let your words be few. Shun the acquisition of wealth. Delight in your work and in the few years that God has given you. Sleep on an empty stomach. Fear God and trust in his judgment, even when faced with injustice, for even an oppressor, in the palm of God’s hand, brings advantage to the land. I would pay real money to see Hollywood try to package that message in a movie trailer. (Episode 75; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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Two Are Better Than One Jun 18, 2015

Who is worse off, the oppressor or the oppressed? Is the power wielded by kings and empires real? Is a king of humble origins better than an old fool on the throne? What does Ecclesiastes have to do with Judas Iscariot or New Testament questions dealing with works of the Law and grace? Is there any way to salvage the vanity of man’s striving after wind? What does all this have to do with the invention of the automatic dish washer? For answers to these compelling questions and more, stay tuned for this week’s episode of the Bible as Literature. (Episode 74; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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Turn Turn Turn Jun 11, 2015

There is a time for every season under heaven: A time to be silent and a time to speak; A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace: For many, these words call to mind a beautiful ballad lamenting the futility of war. However, for the Preacher in Jerusalem, the list of dichotomies presented in Ecclesiastes 3 speak to something far more difficult: inasmuch as war is as certain as peace, and tears are as certain laughter, all things, even the things we hate, are a gift from God. (Episode 73; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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The Pursuit of Happiness? Jun 04, 2015

Is there a difference between a fool and a wise man? Does a man who acts correctly gain advantage over one who stumbles? What has the Preacher in Jerusalem to do with the suburbs in Minnesota? Richard and Fr. Marc continue their discussion of Ecclesiastes. This week’s episode is dedicated to Paul Boulos, who died on May 29, 2015. (Episode 72; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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A Generation Goes and a Generation Comes May 28, 2015

This past week, Fr. Marc’s dad, Paul Boulos, was transferred to a hospice facility. As Fr. Marc and Richard reflect on Paul's life and the meaning of his death, no text in the Bible brings more clarity than Ecclesiastes. (Episode 71; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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Because You Have Rejected Knowledge May 21, 2015

Fundamentalists are quick to apply biblical texts to current events, making fantastic claims about world leaders, foreign countries, and, as Matthew says, about "wars and rumors of war." (Matthew 24:6) Aside from having no real or legitimate connection to the Bible (or reality) such claims always deflect God's wrath, leveling judgment at other groups and other cultures but never at the Bible's intended audience: the person reading it. In this week's episode, Richard and Fr. Marc reflect on Hosea 4 and the insight it brings to recent examples of aberrant behavior among pre-teens. The discussion demonstrates how the Bible can and should be applied to current events without succumbing to self-righteousness or ignorance. (Episode 70; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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Choosing the Better Portion May 14, 2015

In the gospel of John, how do the actions of the Samaritan woman set her apart from the disciples of Jesus? What does it mean to be a disciple? Is discipleship only about learning and following, or is more required? Why does fundamentalism make discipleship impossible? The answer to these questions comes with the difficult reminder that biblical knowledge can only be received at the expense of the disciple's ego. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss the parable of the Samaritan woman in John 4. (Episode 69; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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It’s Not Who You Know May 07, 2015

Religious and secular ideologies share much in common, including their emphasis on personality and identity. Who are you? What are you? What group are you from? What do you believe? Are you one of us? These questions betray our fear of each other and take attention away from what really matters, namely, our ability to receive and to share knowledge, and the actions we take based on knowledge. In religion, this emphasis unfolds as idolatry under the guise of devotion to God. Instead of asking, "what does God teach," we ask, "who is God?" Instead of acting on God's teaching, we ask others about their relationship with God. Contrary to widely held assumptions about the fourth gospel, it is not God’s identity that concerns John, but knowing the teaching of the Father, the very wisdom that sent Jesus to the Gentiles. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss John 5. (Episode 68; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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What Has Athens To Do With Jerusalem? Apr 30, 2015

It's easy to allow symbols and ideas from outside the Bible to shape our understanding of the text. In contrast, serious biblical students set aside extra-biblical influences, so that only Scripture can interpret Scripture. In late antiquity, this tension was felt in the divergent schools of Antioch and Alexandria. While metaphor and allegory are present in both traditions, the Antiochians looked to the Bible as their primary source, forgoing Alexandria's affinity for Hellenistic philosophy. In this week's episode, Richard and Fr. Marc discuss the problem of biblical interpretation and the metaphor of the empty tomb in Mark 16. (Episode 67; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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Your Feelings Are Immaterial Apr 23, 2015

What do the ending of John's gospel and the first chapters of Acts teach us about the problem of human feelings? How do our assumptions about love and its relationship to emotion cripple our ability to fulfill God's instruction? Why is it destructive and idolatrous to associate the Holy Spirit with an emotional response? Don't trust your feelings; Don't follow your heart; Turn off the Disney channel and stay tuned to this podcast. You might not feel good, but we promise not to lie to you. (Episode 66; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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Be It Known to You O King Apr 16, 2015

What do the narratives of Exodus and Daniel have to do with the Resurrection of Jesus Christ? Why were these stories understood historically as penultimate readings during Easter week? What is the common thread that connects these texts with gospel accounts of Christ's Passion? If you've noticed that all of these stories feature oppressive kings, you're on the right track. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss the meaning of Pascha in light of Daniel 3:13-18. This week's episode is in loving memory of Ralph Sergi. (Episode 65; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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The Truth is Your Neighbor Apr 09, 2015

Pilate's insecurity about the trial of Jesus is often and wrongly understood as evidence that the New Testament was written to gain Rome's favor. Some have gone further, claiming that the Gospel of John is anti-Semitic. This week, Richard and Fr. Marc tackle these questions during their discussion of John 18. Once again, when John (or any biblical text) is read in light of the prophetic tradition, such claims betray a deep biblical illiteracy. (Episode 64; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)

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Ignorance is Not Bliss Apr 02, 2015

Like the other disciples in Mark 10, everyone who hears the gospel is quick to assume they understand why James and John were wrong to request positions of honor next to Jesus. Is it simply that this request is presumptuous or is something else going on? Why does Jesus insist that such an honor can only be bestowed? Were the other disciples right to upbraid James and John? What is the real sin being addressed in the story and why does everyone miss the point? In the gospel of Mark, missing the point is the point and ignorance is not bliss. (Episode 63)

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What is a Spirit? Mar 26, 2015

How is the word spirit used in the Bible? What does it mean to be possessed by an unclean spirit? Are spirits real? What does the unclean spirit in Mark 9 tell us about the disciples of Jesus? Why is the afflicted child in Mark unable to hear or speak? Who is to blame for the boy's impairment? What does all this have to do with angels, weather forecasts, and narcissism? Trust the Lord, because on that day, if you are found under the influence of an unclean spirit, you will not be able to say, "the devil made me do it." (Episode 62)

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Spend It Before You Lose It Mar 19, 2015

Why does Mark associate prophetic concepts of abundance with the commandment to take up the cross? In what way do popular concepts of carrying the cross, associated with hardship, fall short of the commandment's meaning? How does the crucifixion in Mark test our trust in God's generosity? This week's episode is in memory of Fr. Thomas Hopko. (Episode 61)

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Fat of the Land Mar 12, 2015

Much of Ezekiel is spent emphasizing God's anti-locality, namely, that there is no structure or land to which the biblical God is chained. In Ezekiel, God moves freely upon the earth, outside the control of his subjects. With this in mind, the book's closing verse is a kind of literary surprise. What does Ezekiel mean when he says the name of the city shall be called "the Lord is there?" What are the implications of the last four chapters of Ezekiel for the meaning of the entire book? How does all of this illumine our understanding of the biblical writers' perspective on history? (Episode 60)

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Come and See Mar 05, 2015

Given the Bible's persistent emphasis on the problem of idolatry, why suddenly, in John, are we confronted with the phrase, "Come and see?" This seems especially odd, since the opening verses of John deliberately limit the reader’s purview to the divine word, which begins with the inscription "in the beginning," referring to Genesis. Obviously, Philip is calling Nathaniel to go out and meet Jesus, but why the emphasis on sight? What is John inviting us to "see" when the Bible repeatedly calls us to "hear?" Is John making an about face with respect to idolatry, or is something else going on? Let’s ask John Chrysostom. (Episode 59)

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Broken Records Feb 26, 2015

In a biblical narrative that is overwhelmingly anti-kingly, how can one make sense of Paul’s apparent endorsement of governing authorities in Romans 13? Why would Paul ask the church to submit to ruling authorities in a setting where those authorities pose a real and present danger? What implications does Paul’s admonition have for civil disobedience and non-violent resistance? Dust off that vinyl, because it’s time to play a broken record, brought to you by the Pauline School. (Episode 58)

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The Marketplace Feb 19, 2015

How should the Bible’s addressees understand the parable of the wise and foolish virgins at the outset of Matthew 25? In what way does the metaphor of lamp oil relate to the story of the foolish stewards? How does the marketplace, first mentioned in chapter 20, frame our understanding of the final judgement and the commandment to care for the weaker neighbor? This week's discussion challenges popular interpretations of lenten piety and raises questions about the way in which Christians identify with current events. (Episode 57)

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Blood Sacrifice Feb 12, 2015

What is the purpose of ritual sacrifice in the Bible? Why is so much emphasis placed on blood sacrifice as a means of expiation? Why would Ezekiel incorporate blood sacrifice in his depiction of the heavenly Jerusalem? In a continuation of last week’s theme, Richard and Fr. Marc discuss the importance of sticking with difficult or confusing texts, even when you're not sure what to make of them. A review of Ezekiel 43 leads to an interesting discussion of Genesis and the sanctity of animal life. (Episode 56)

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Boring Texts Feb 05, 2015

Why do chapters 41 and 42 of Ezekiel spend so much time talking about the monotonous details of temple architecture? Why would these details matter in a book like Ezekiel, which undermines the temple cult in Jerusalem? Are the design schematics outlined in Ezekiel applicable to real world construction? Even if they were, why list these lengthy, boring details as part of the biblical storyline? Richard and Fr. Marc reflect on the usefulness of boring texts found in Ezekiel, Exodus and elsewhere in the Bible. Like all good things, the blessings of these passages come to those who are patient and willing to listen, over and over again. (Episode 55)

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Interview with Fr. Timothy Lowe Jan 29, 2015

This week, Richard and Fr. Marc interview Fr. Timothy Lowe about his paper, The Gospel of Matthew and the Law Interpreted for Jew and Gentile, one of several excellent papers presented in Phoenix, AZ at the 2015 Symposium of the Orthodox Center for the Advancement of Biblical Studies. Fr. Timothy explains how the gospel of Matthew was written, not just to carry but to impose the Torah on both Israel and the Nations.

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Wheat, Wine, and Oil Jan 22, 2015

The BBC recently reported that "the share of the world's wealth owned by the richest 1% increased from 44% in 2009 to 48%" in 2015 and that "on current trends, Oxfam...expects the wealthiest 1% to own more than 50% of the world's wealth by 2016." What must we hear from the biblical prophets in the face of this staggering trend? How should the rich and the poor relate to each other? How does scripture understand wealth and the consequences of greed? Fr. Marc and Richard reflect on these questions and the shame that God's generosity brings to those who believe that they've earned what they have.

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What’s More Important? Jan 15, 2015

What is the purpose of St. Paul’s discussion of gender and marriage in 1 Corinthians? Why is he seemingly ambivalent about the status of Roman slaves? On what basis does he chastise his disciples for airing their grievances in the Roman court system? How does his critique of 'speaking in tongues’ or his discussion of idolatry and Roman religion (summarized in his excursus on infidelity) relate to these questions? Not surprisingly, the series of pastoral issues presented in Paul's letter are systematic and interconnected with his overall argument. 1 Corinthians hinges on the question of one’s allegiance and the ruthless priority of the gospel in all things. As usual, the discussion leads Richard and Fr. Marc to some uncomfortable conclusions. (Episode 52)

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Interview with Dr. Mary Youssef Jan 08, 2015

Dr. Mary Youssef is Associate Professor of Arabic Literature in the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Studies at Binghamton University. Her research areas include Modern and Contemporary Arabic Literature, Postcolonial Studies, World Literature, Genre Studies, Migration Studies, Gender Studies, Arab Women's Writing and African Literature. She is currently working on a new book: Rethinking Difference: The Emergence of a New Consciousness in the Contemporary Egyptian Novel. Dr. Youssef describes a new development among contemporary Egyptian writers, who present Egyptian society as fundamentally heterogeneous, consisting of several diverse groups that undermine commonly held assumptions about national identity. Fr. Marc and Richard reflect on Dr. Youssef's ideas as they relate to the biblical tradition, especially her thesis on the function of "the other" in Arabic literature. The discussion leads to some surprising and helpful parallels bewtween the two genres. (Episode 51)

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Cloud of Witnesses Dec 31, 2014

Is each generation an improvement on the previous one? Are people living today the apex of human progress? In practical terms, most of us intuit the problems of western idealism. Even so, we continue to cling to assumptions about human progress that cripple our ability to hear the wisdom handed down to us in the Bible. Nowhere is this more keenly felt than in Hebrews chapters 11 and 12. Some might say we stand on the shoulders of giants. For the sake of wisdom, it may be more helpful for us to tremble in the shadow of mighty ancestors. (Episode 50)

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Who's Your Daddy? Dec 25, 2014

When people think of meaningful passages in the Bible, the many lengthy genealogies found in Genesis and elsewhere rarely, if ever, come to mind. Yet, it is exactly one such passage--the genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew--that holds significant meaning for the Christmas season. Who are the people listed in the opening verses of Matthew's gospel, and why do they matter? What is the purpose of Matthew's genealogy? Is the Messiah's pedigree relevant, or is something else going on? Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 1:1-17. (Episode 49)

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Playing All Sides Dec 18, 2014

In this week's episode, Richard explores the Lord's counter-intuitive stance in Ezekiel, in which judgement falls on all sides and no human being finds favor in God's sight. Why would the story present God as the one who brings evil against Israel? Why would he use Israel's enemies only to bring more evil against them, after the fact? The podcast explores these questions as we discuss the very passages in Ezekiel which gave rise to the expression, "fire and brimstone." (Episode 48)

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The Apostle Paul's Book Club Dec 11, 2014

Does it matter which book of the Bible you read or which testament it comes from? Where should beginners start? Are some books more important than others? What is the purpose of the New Testament? Is the concept of grace a new idea, or was it part of the story all along? How do the books of the Bible interact with each other within the context of the Bible's storyline? Richard and Fr. Marc reflect on the continuity of the Bible and the importance of--well--jumping in head first. (Episode 47)

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Society of Biblical Literature Dec 04, 2014

This week, Richard talks about his presentation at the Society of Biblical Literature gathering in San Diego, where he explored the various ways in which the study of language and poetry can enhance our understanding of the biblical text. The conversation sheds light on the broader goal of this podcast series: to hear, read and reflect on the content of the Bible as literature. (Episode 46)

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The Dead Shall Hear the Voice of God and Live Nov 27, 2014

Preachers often adapt themes from popular books and movies to make their sermons seem relevant for children and teens. But what happens when the content of the Bible is so nuanced that even C.S. Lewis can't capture it in a popular story? What happens when popular Christian themes are out of step with biblical meaning? Is the Bible still relevant? Can it still capture the attention of young adults? Of course it can--and maybe even especially--for those who have ears to hear. (Episode 45)

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Torah to the Gentiles Nov 20, 2014

Richard interviews Fr. Marc about his new book, Torah to the Gentiles. The letter to the Galatians offers a brief but demanding exposition of the teaching of the Older Testament for a gentile audience. Highlighting the Bible's struggle against idolatry, power, and human identity, St. Paul's letter exposes Jerusalem's fatal misreading of biblical circumcision: a practice given to remove social barriers had been co-opted to build the same. By imposing their religious identity and practices on the gentiles, the Pillars of Jerusalem had betrayed the Torah, offering things that pass away as though they were eternal. Worse, they had done so at the expense of the weaker brother. Having been liberated by God from the worship of Caesar, why would the Galatians now turn to another human master? (Episode 44) To learn more, visit OCABS Press: http://www.ocabspress.org/news/2014/11/11/new-commentary-on-galatians-by-fr-marc-boulos

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I, Paul Nov 12, 2014

In a culture that thrives on positive messages and expects praise from everyone for just about everything, it is easy to assume that St. Paul's use of praise in his letters is a gesture of kindness. Unfortunately for Philemon, a word of praise isn't always praise; kindness is not always kind; and useful blessings come in ways that you least expect and may not appreciate--but when they come from Paul, they are always presented as an offer you can't refuse. (Episode 43)

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Do Not Feed Thyself Nov 06, 2014

Richard and Fr. Marc continue their discussion of the biblical functions "shepherd" and "sheep," exploring these roles in context of Ezekiel 34. Ezekiel's critique exposes the corruption of Israel's shepherds, but also undermines common assumptions about the role sheep play in the life of the flock. Do sheep have a career path? I'll give you a hint. Go with the obvious answer. We are talking about sheep. (Episode 42)

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Ezekiel 33: Double or Nothing Oct 30, 2014

Do our good deeds count for anything? Is there a difference between a wicked person and a person who behaves correctly most of the time? What does it mean to be a child of Abraham? Who get's what inheritance? What is the inheritance of those who do not keep the Law? No, you guessed wrong. This week's episode is not about Paul's letter to the Galatians; it's about Ezekiel chapter 33. If only people knew. (Episode 41)

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It's All About the Shepherd Oct 23, 2014

In this week's episode, Richard and Fr. Marc discuss the parable of the Lost Sheep in Luke 15 and the importance of hearing the Bible in its proper historical context. Where modern disciples tend to impose a Hellenistic worldview on the story, this podcast invites listeners to consider the mentality of the ancient shepherd. Where Hellenism emphasizes the importance of individuals, in the Ancient Near East, a shepherd deals with his flock as a totality. The implications of this for the parable's meaning are significant. (Episode 40)

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O How the Mighty Have Fallen Oct 16, 2014

Time travel, alien tyrants, world domination, epic battles, post-apocalyptic cities, sudden drought, unnatural trees reaching above the clouds...despite what you are thinking, this week's podcast is not about Dr. Who or an old episode of Stargate SG1; it's about Ezekiel 31. Who knew the Bible could be so much fun? (Episode 39)

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Lamentations Oct 09, 2014

The book of Lamentations offers a series of poetic reflections on the destruction of Jerusalem. Abandoned by God, hungry, homeless, and bereft of hope, once a queen among the provinces, Jerusalem had become a slave. Ridiculed by enemies, cast aside by lovers and betrayed by elders and priests, the city of sacred stones had itself become unclean. Despite this misery, Jerusalem continued to place her hope in the Lord, knowing, in chapter 5, that his utter rejection of her may be forever. Where's the hope in that? (Episode 38)

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Richard Goes to OCF Oct 02, 2014

What is the purpose of campus ministry? What do we hope for our youth? What do we expect of them as they enter adulthood? In a contemporary setting, where campus ministry tends to emphasize social issues, religious identity, and topical theology, how can teachers engage college students with the serious study of the Bible? In this week's episode, Richard talks about a recent experience he had working through Hosea 6 on campus at the University of Minnesota. You will not be surprised to hear that in just 15 minutes, Richard had his students reading the Bible, taking notes and doing exegesis. His method is not complicated, but unlike popular approaches to campus ministry, it does require effort. (Episode 37)

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Whose wife or whose son? Sep 25, 2014

A parable, like a short story, has a beginning, a plot, a set of characters, a complete thought, and an ending. With such a clear, simple structure, its tempting to take these stories on their own, outside the context of the broader story. To help illustrate this point, in this week's podcast, Richard and Fr. Marc explore how their understanding of the parable of the wedding feast (from last week's episode) holds up against the broader context of Matthew 22. The discussion illuminates the continuity of the chapter and brings together key themes from Genesis. It also leads to a Star Wars reference. This was bound to happen, sooner or later. (Episode 36)

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Happily Ever After? Sep 18, 2014

In this week's episode, Richard and Fr. Marc reflect on the parable of the wedding feast in the gospel of Matthew. When the host's invitations are rejected by his would be guests--some of whom went so far as to mistreat and then murder his servants--it seems obvious why some are chosen and others are cast out. You'd think the host would be happy to call those who come to the feast his friends. You might also imagine that those who who accepted the invitation are better off than those who acted out of selfishness and spite. Unfortunately for all of us, a friend in Matthew is not a friend, the good and the bad are both on the guest list, and the dinner jacket you need is not in your closet. (Episode 35)

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Out of Egypt Sep 11, 2014

What does the nation Egypt represent in the Bible? When Scripture mentions Egypt, Assyria, or any country, is it talking about historical empires, or is something more going on? What happens when we understand the nations mentioned in the Bible as characters in a story? Is Egypt a good or a bad character? What is the significance of Hosea's proclamation, "Out of Egypt have I called my son"? (Hosea 11:1) Working through these questions, Richard and Fr. Marc consider the many ways that Christians today continue to betray the Lord, turning away from him to seek the favor of empires long gone, but still very real. (Episode 34)

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Are You Rich? Sep 04, 2014

This week, Fr. Marc and Richard reflect on the story of the rich young man in Matthew 19. Why was it wrong for the young man to call Jesus "good?" Beyond the obvious problem of greed, what does the young man's wealth reveal about the aims of false religion? Why wasn't Jesus pleased to hear that the young followed the commandments? Can the story's admonition against wealth be applied to everyone, including the poor and working class? Can the rich enter the Kingdom of God? Do you really think it's possible to squeeze an impressively large animal through a very small opening? This is not a trick question. (Episode 33)

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Live from St. Cloud Aug 28, 2014

In this week's episode, Fr. Marc and Richard discuss the way in which St. Paul uses the categories "weak" and "strong" to undermine human judgment in 1 Corinthians. This sets the stage for God to shame the church in Roman Corinth with the foolishness of Paul's weakness. It also set the stage for a lecture Fr. Marc presented later that evening on the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. This week's podcast was recorded at Holy Myrrh-bearers Orthodox Church, in St. Cloud, MN, in front of a live, inter-faith audience. (Episode 32)

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Not Before the Time Aug 21, 2014

What is the biblical response to poverty, violence and suffering in the world? How does the biblical commandment to love the neighbor differ from progressive ideas of social justice? In this week's episode, Fr. Marc and Richard explore St. Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 4 and the way in which the Bible undermines human paradigms of "right and wrong," "good and evil," and "victim and oppressor." (Episode 31) View our trailer: http://youtu.be/rYgeXJh1xKM

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Stay as You Are Aug 14, 2014

In this week’s episode, Fr. Marc and Richard discuss the painful but critical role that slavery and hierarchy play in St. Paul’s epistles. Reflecting on the same teaching in Older Testament, they explore how the freedom proposed by the Pauline articulation of the Cross differs from popular concepts of social freedom. While the gospel seeks to aggressively undermine human tyranny, it does so in a way that places as much pressure on the downtrodden as it does the oppressor—hardly the stuff of Hollywood legends. (Episode 30) View our trailer: http://youtu.be/rYgeXJh1xKM

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(#29 Republished) Our Daily Bread Aug 12, 2014

Fr. Marc interviews Richard about a sermon he recently presented on Matthew 14:14-22 and 1 Corinthians 1:10-18. Richard explains how in both readings, the American obsession with “being special,” is undermined by the Bible’s critique of the natural but deceptive human impulse to seek differentiation either through personal achievement or affiliation. (Episode 29) View our trailer: http://youtu.be/rYgeXJh1xKM

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(#28 Republished) Jesus Goes to High School Aug 12, 2014

According to a 2014 study published by the National Education Association, approximately 160,000 teens skip school every day because of bullying. In many cases, the experience of cruelty or isolation in American schools has led young people to commit suicide or worse. What are the implications of the New Testament for American high schools? How can church school teachers equip their students to confront high school life with the wisdom of Scripture? Guest speaker Thomas Drenen talks with Richard and Fr. Marc about Roman paganism, its parallels with the culture of modern high school, and the pressure that the story of Jesus Christ places on both. We encourage parents to share this week’s podcast with their teenagers. (Episode 28) View our trailer: http://youtu.be/rYgeXJh1xKM

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Our Daily Bread Aug 07, 2014

Fr. Marc interviews Richard about a sermon he recently presented on Matthew 14:14-22 and 1 Corinthians 1:10-18. Richard explains how in both readings, the American obsession with "being special," is undermined by the Bible's critique of the natural but deceptive human impulse to seek differentiation either through personal achievement or affiliation. (Episode 29) View our trailer: http://youtu.be/rYgeXJh1xKM

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Jesus Goes to High School Jul 31, 2014

According to a 2014 study published by the National Education Association, approximately 160,000 teens skip school every day because of bullying. In many cases, the experience of cruelty or isolation in American schools has led young people to commit suicide or worse. What are the implications of the New Testament for American high schools? How can church school teachers equip their students to confront high school life with the wisdom of Scripture? Guest speaker Thomas Drenen talks with Richard and Fr. Marc about Roman paganism, its parallels with the culture of modern high school, and the pressure that the story of Jesus Christ places on both. We encourage parents to share this week’s podcast with their teenagers. (Episode 28) View our trailer: http://youtu.be/rYgeXJh1xKM

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Do Not Heal Thyself Jul 24, 2014

In the gospel of Luke (4:22-30) Jesus warns his own people that "no prophet is accepted in his own country." Hearers of the story usually equate this with the demeaning American expression, "who do you think are?" In fact, Jesus' people esteem his position, coveting the benefits of his honor for themselves. Working through the storyline, Fr. Marc and Richard discover that Jesus' people were enraged simply because he illustrated, through the story of Elijah and Elisha, his loyalty to his Father's teaching over loyalty to his own people. So incensed were all those in the synagogue, that they physically threw Jesus out of the city. Why was the story of Elijah and Elisha so painful? Jesus did not recognize the difference between insider and outsider; instead, he fulfilled Isaiah, bringing good news to the poor, without distinction. (Episode 27)

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Thy Kingdom Come Jul 17, 2014

Fr. Marc and Richard lament the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in light of the biblical teaching. The episode begins with a special prayer recited by the children of Ephesus School. (Episode 26) For a translation of the The Jewish-Arab Peace Song at the end of the show, click here: http://youtu.be/5d_i2F2LlF8 View our trailer: http://youtu.be/rYgeXJh1xKM

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Countless Teachers? Jul 10, 2014

Fr. Marc and Richard reflect on the primacy of loyalty for the discipline of biblical wisdom. In a culture where information flows freely, why do we suffer from a deficit of wisdom? With our openness to the many treasured schools and traditions of human knowledge, why do we fail at wisdom and understanding? Beginning with Israel's sojourn in the wilderness, the podcast explores the practical implications of the biblical function, "harlot." In the end, the discussion uncovers a painful truth: the secret of our failure is our inability to commit to a single tradition of wisdom and our infidelity toward teachers and the authority of knowledge they hold for our children. (Episode 25) View our trailer: http://youtu.be/rYgeXJh1xKM

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Jacob's Folly Jul 03, 2014

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Hosea's reading of Genesis, exploring the biblical concept of antiheroism as expressed in Hosea's critique of the Patriarch Jacob. Along the lines of Hellenistic literature, the addresses of the Bible want to believe in its characters; they want to believe that Jacob is a good guy. Unfortunately for Jacob, and in contrast with Hellenistic literature, in the biblical tradition, there is no one who is good: there are no heroes, no champions, no protagonists and no individuals. In the Bible, there is only God and a single choice for humanity: life or death? (Episode 24)

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No Place to Lay Your Head Jun 19, 2014

In this week's episode, Fr. Marc and Richard discuss the function of circumcision in Galatians and it's implications for human identity. What is the purpose of circumcision in the Older Testament? How does it relate to Baptism in the New Testament? Fr. Marc begins the program by reviewing the social context in Palestine during late antiquity, in which the biblical teaching of circumcision had been sabotaged by a violent expression of identity politics. (Episode 22)

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Interview with Dr. Greg Paulson Jun 12, 2014

In this week’s episode, Richard and Fr. Marc interview Dr. Greg Paulson, a biblical scholar and text critic who was recently invited to work on the 29th edition of Nestle-Aland, the standard edition of the Greek New Testament used by scholars, Bible translators, professors, students, and pastors worldwide. In addition to discussing his up coming project, Dr. Paulson talks about the field of text criticism, and his own dissertation on the Gospel of Matthew. (Episode 21)

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Push the Text Jun 05, 2014

Is a paralytic just a paralytic? Why did the priest in Luke walk down from Jerusalem and not up? What is the significance of being half dead, or left for dead on the side of the road? Why are we told in Luke, not once, but twice, that functionaries of the Temple passed by, specifically, on the "other side" of the road? Are all these coincidences and casual occurrences, or is something more at stake? In this week's episode, Richard and Fr. Marc explore these questions, explaining the central role of rigorous study in a disciple's life-long quest for biblical wisdom. (Episode 20)

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You Say You Wanna Teach? May 29, 2014

In this week's episode, Richard and Fr. Marc reflect on Jesus' famous declamation against the Scribes and the Pharisees in Matthew 23. It is commonly assumed that by condemning the hypocrisy of religious teachers, Jesus is endorsing an alternative, ethically correct teacher. In reality, Matthew's beautiful and emotionally explosive woes are a universal description of flaws inescapable and endemic to human preaching and teaching. This raises important questions about the prophetic function of a teacher's sins, and how these sins are used in Matthew to expose the self-righteous attitude of disciples. (Episode 19)

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Can These Bones Live? May 22, 2014

In this week's episode, Fr. Marc and Richard review Fr. Paul Tarazi's exegesis of the healing at Bethesda, (John 5:1-15) reflecting on the function of weakness in the New Testament and the Lord's commandment to keep the Sabbath. They discuss how these concepts relate to the purpose of the Torah in Genesis and Exodus, and how this purpose is fulfilled in John's proclamation of the Resurrection. This leads to interesting observations about the location of the biblical Promised Land and the subtle interplay in John between the function "Jew" and the function "Canaanite." (Episode 18)

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Interview with Fr. Sergius Halvorsen May 15, 2014

In this week's episode, Richard and Fr. Marc interview Fr. Sergius Halvorsen, Assistant Professor of Homiletics and Rhetoric at St. Vladimir's Seminary in Crestwood, New York. In his work in the field of Homiletics, Fr. Sergius insists that his students strive to be faithful to the narrative in order that they, as he explains, might upset the equilibrium of their addressees. In this way, those who hear the sermon come face to face with the biblical story. (Episode 17)

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Shame on Who? May 08, 2014

In this week's episode, Richard and Fr. Marc contrast biblical and worldly shame, reflecting on the central role that shame plays in the biblical tradition and the various responses to shame portrayed in the characters of Matthew's gospel. In the Bible and in life, human shame can lead to alienation, mistreatment of those who are weaker, and in many cases, expiation by means of violence or suicide. Exploring these themes, the discussion sheds light on how biblical shame undermines these outcomes by redefining the object of our shame's loyalty. (Episode 16)

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Who is the King of Glory? May 01, 2014

According to a 2014 survey published by The American Bible Society, the number of people who consider the Bible just a book “written by men” has doubled in just three years. In this week’s episode, Fr. Marc and Richard examine factors contributing to this trend through the lens of John 20 and the liturgical use of Psalm 24. You may be surprised where the bread crumbs lead. (Episode 15)

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The Wrong Side of the Law Apr 23, 2014

In this week's episode, Fr. Marc and Richard reflect on John 12 and how the dialogue between Jesus and Judas illuminates an uncomfortable tension between Scripture and human systems of ethics and morality. Twisting a deconstructive prophetic mechanism (preaching on behalf of the poor against the rich) into a moral principle, Judas finds himself on the wrong side of the Law--in this case--the scroll of the Torah made flesh in the gospel narrative. This week's program concludes with a special musical performance by children from the Ephesus School. (Episode 14)

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Follow the Storyline Apr 17, 2014

In this week's episode of the Bible as Literature podcast, Richard and Fr. Marc reflect on Fr. Paul Tarazi's discussion in episode 12 of a biblical storyline, elaborating on various examples of how the Bible functions as a single story and how this understanding illuminates the text. (Episode 13)

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Interview with Fr. Paul Tarazi Apr 10, 2014

Fr. Marc and Richard welcome their teacher and professor, Fr. Paul Tarazi, who discusses his understanding of the Bible as literature and its implications for Biblical Studies. (Episode 12)

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The Merciful Father Apr 03, 2014

In this week's episode Fr. Marc and Richard discuss the parable of the Merciful Father, a story commonly (and unfortunately) known by the name of its secondary character, the Prodigal Son. Where modern hearers of the Bible expect the Father to show mercy in the face of unspeakable betrayal, Fr. Marc explains that, taken in its proper context, the Father's act of compassion is both incorrect and unjust. This raises questions about the problems of fairness and entitlement as they relate to grace and thanksgiving in the biblical tradition. The text discussed is found in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 15, verses 11-32. (Episode 11)

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Harlotry and Loyalty Mar 27, 2014

Richard elaborates on the concept of "harlotry" in the Book of the Twelve, explaining how this metaphor is used to highlight the disloyalty and ingratitude of God's people. He and Fr. Marc discuss how Israel turns their back on the Lord's generosity, repeatedly seeking self-justification and security from others. In this way, Israel insults God, not only to their own detriment, but at the expense of those in need. This week's episode concludes with a special tribute to Metropolitan Philip Saliba, who fell asleep in the Lord on March 19, 2014. (Episode 10)

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Destruction of Jerusalem Mar 20, 2014

In this week's episode, Fr. Marc and Richard discuss a dominant pattern of judgment in the Bible, sometimes referred to as the "Destruction of Jerusalem." This topic was prompted by a conversation with a friend from Nigeria, who was lamenting the problem of fundamentalism and the Muslim/Christian divide in his country. The podcast focuses on how this type of judgment works in the book of Amos, reflecting on God's unique stance against his own people in the Bible and its implications for individuals, groups, and nations--a topic relevant to the many challenges faced in Nigeria, and elsewhere. (Episode 9)

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Suffer Little Children Mar 13, 2014

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss their experiences reading Ezekiel with children and teens, dispelling the assumption that younger audiences are unable to wrestle with uncomfortable metaphors. In some cases, the children were able to intuit the story's intended meaning where adults often misread or misunderstand. (Episode 8)

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It's Functional! Mar 06, 2014

Fr. Marc and Richard discuss the concept of "function" in biblical studies; its application in word analysis, where it is used to help uncover the meaning of words, but also its implications for discernment with respect to human behavior. (Episode 7)

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Whose Interpretation? Feb 26, 2014

Fr. Marc and Richard discuss the problem of interpretation in Biblical Studies. (Episode 6)

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Pain of Victory Feb 20, 2014

Richard reflects with Fr. Marc on the implications of reading the Minor Prophets as a unified story. (Episode 5)

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Consumer or Consumed? Feb 20, 2014

Fr. Marc and Richard discuss the connection between scriptural violence in Micah and the Eucharistic meal in the New Testament. (Episode 4)

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Written on the Heart Feb 06, 2014

Fr. Marc interviews Hollie Benton, co-founder and Director of the Ephesus School. (Episode 3)

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Interview with Dr. Nicolae Roddy Jan 30, 2014

Dr. Nicolae Roddy, Professor of Older Testament at Creighton University, is co-director of the Bethsaida Excavations Project, a consortium of universities excavating Bethsaida, an important city in biblical narrative located on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. Dr. Rami Arav, professor of religion and philosophy at University of Nebraska, Omaha (UNO), re-discovered the site and identified it as Bethsaida in 1987. Since 1990, UNO has led a consortium of institutions in uncovering and studying artifacts. Their work has shed new light on the archaeology of the Bible Land and the way scholars interpret the Bible. In this interview, Dr. Roddy talks about biblical archeology and how it relates to his study of the Older Testament. (Episode 2)

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Interview with Fr. William Mills Jan 23, 2014

William C. Mills specializes in scripture, spirituality, and ministry. He holds a Ph.D. in Pastoral Theology from the Union Institute and University in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is also the author of A 30 Day Retreat as well as numerous essays, and book reviews that have appeared in America Magazine, Congregation Magazine, Cistercian Studies Quarterly, Pro Ecclesia, Logos Journal, and Theological Studies.

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