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)
Category: The Bible as Literature
Because You Have Rejected Knowledge
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…
Choosing the Better Portion
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…
It’s Not Who You Know
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…
What Has Athens To Do With Jerusalem?
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…
Your Feelings Are Immaterial
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…
Be It Known to You O King
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…
The Truth is Your Neighbor
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…
Ignorance is Not Bliss
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…
What is a Spirit?
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…