All Episodes
The Story of Abram
In today’s program Fr. Paul touches on the importance of God’s blessings and curses at the beginning of Genesis 12. (Episode 144)
We Are All Guests
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 t...
Nahor
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...
Hope in Destruction
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 whe...
He Does Whatever He Pleases
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)
Running Out of Chances
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 tea...
Decoding Genesis 1-11
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 c...
Talk Is Cheap
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...
Thou Hast Diminished Him
This week, Fr. Paul begins his discussion of Psalm 82 and Psalm 8 as they relate to Genesis 1-11. (Episode 140)
Consigned to Ignorance
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 ...
It Has to Be Real
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...
An Expiration on Grace
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 o...
Meaning, Connotation, and Function
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. (E...
True Worship
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...
The Spirit of God
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)
Victory March
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 c...
Through the Nostrils
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)
A Plan in Motion
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 ...
ḥorbah, ḥarabah, yabbašah
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)
What Do You Will?
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...
The Sea Animals
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)
To Serve as a Slave
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 worl...
Instruments of God’s Will
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 brough...
Not Mine to Give
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 ...
The Dry One
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 entit...
The Anti-Imperial Throne
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 Day is Defined by God
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. (Episod...
The Marketplace of Humanity
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 ...