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 Jewish-Arab Peace Song at the end of the show, click here: http://youtu.be/5d_i2F2LlView our trailer: http://youtu.be/rYgeXJh1xKM
Category: The Bible as Literature
A Prayer For the People of the Middle East
Almighty God, everlasting King and Judge, source of all compassion: the promise of your mercy and saving help opens our hearts to the hope of your instruction. Hear the cries of the people of the Middle East; bring healing to those suffering from violence; comfort those mourning the dead; encourage, with the promise of your…
Countless Teachers?
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…
Jacob’s Folly
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…
What if it’s Us?
Richard and Fr. Marc discuss the relationship between Nebuchadnezzar the historical figure, and Nebuchadnezzar the biblical character. What role, if any, do historical events play in our understanding of the Older Testament’s narrative? How and for what purpose are events within the biblical storyline arranged relative to documentary history? What does the function, “Nebuchadnezzar,” reveal…
No Place to Lay Your Head
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…
Interview with Dr. Greg Paulson
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 upcoming project,…
Push the Text
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,…
You Say You Wanna Teach?
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…