Scripture with the Fathers

Why the genealogy of Joseph although he was not the Father of Jesus? Augustine discusses the virginal birth, the Incarnation of the Divine Person and refutes certain Heresies that came up in the early history of the Church. We also begin the discussion of betrothal of Mary to Joseph.

Isaac follows in his father Abraham's footsteps and is blessed by God for the sake of Abraham his father and is blessed abundantly. Esau's carnal character is further displayed.

We explore the genealogy of Jesus according to Matthew and the message conveyed by Matthew recalling the audience to whom he is writing. Within this listing of names beginning with Abraham and specifically noting David as one of Jesus' forefathers, Matthew is affirming that Jesus is in fact the long awaited messiah.

What's the big deal with a birthright? Why would Jacob desire this such that he would be willing to purchase it with an oath from his brother. St. Augustine comments on the superstition of astrology, St. Cyril of Alexandria comments on the meaning of Esau being of the earth and Jacob being spiritual.

The structure of the Gospel according to Matthew shows how Jesus is the long promised prophet that Moses promised, Jesus is the New Moses and also the son of David the rightful king. The genealogy of Jesus is not just a list of names, but rather the bone fides to prove that Jesus is the rightful heir to the kingdom of David.

In this episode we hear from St. Augustine, St. John Chrysostom, St. Cyril of Alexandria and a special excerpt from Venerable Fulton J. Sheen. We get St. Augustine's take on the "Zodiac Signs" (yes, they had that back in the fifth century too.) And the Fathers answer the question of the significance of the barren women of the Old Testament.

This first episode of the Gospel According to Matthew discusses Who, When, Where, and What of the Gospel. We discuss the language and the genre of the Gospel as well.

Chapter 25 makes the transition from the time of Abraham to Isaac the son of the promise. Isaac prays for his barren wife for 20 years and she has two sons, Jacob and Esau who from the time in their mothers womb struggle. This struggle is played out in history in the immediate with them, again with David subjecting the Edomites and in the end with Christ and His Church and the heretics and non-chr...

The virtues of Rebekah as the typological virtues modeled for the Church for the Bride of Christ. In this episode we complete Chapter 24 and St. Cyril and Chrysostom give us the type of Jesus the eternal bridegroom to His Church as Isaac is to Rebekah. Her virtues are extolled by St. John Chrysostom and St. Cyril gives us the spiritual typology of this event to Christ and his Church. We learn a li...

Isaac is the initial and the typological Christ of the Old Testament. We explore some of those typological connections both using other Old Testament texts and that of the New Testament. We consider this foreshadowing as it relates to Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom.

Sarah Dies and Abraham purchases a burial plot and then sends his chief servant to find a bride for his son Isaac among his own kinsmen in the land of his Father, and stops at a well. Is there a theme of bridegrooms, brides and wells in Scripture or is this just a one off?

In this episode we give an overview of the sojourn of Abram/Abraham and how the Scriptures in this history of the Patriarch foreshadows the epic ultimate selfless love of God the Father for his children as the Son for His human brothers. Abraham is truly our father in faith. We hear from St. Cyril of Alexandria how Abraham and Isaac mirror the Father and the Son.

Father Abraham binds Isaac who is willing, at his Father's will to be sacrificed to God. The promise becomes a covenantal blessing to all nations through the descendant of Abraham. We get a excerpt from St. Augustine and St. John Chrysostom.

We continue with the exegesis of Dr. Bergsma and Dr. Pitre and then with St. John Chrysostom.

Hagar's Blindness, Covenant between Abraham and Abimelech and the Binding of Isaac in Genesis 22. God caring for Hagar and Ishmael, covenant making and the completeness of seven. Abraham binds Isaac to sacrifice as a burnt offering: How then will God keep his promise to make of Abraham the father of many nations, that great kings will come from him and that his descendants will be a universal...

We hear from St. John Chrysostom and Cyril of Alexandria regarding the son of the promise and the son of the flesh. The older son is sent away, but not without provision, and the younger is the one to inherit the priestly blessing from the Father. Abel the just, Abraham our Father in Faith and the High Priest are invoked in the Roman Canon at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, remembering the priestl...

Finally the son long promised to Abraham is born of Sarah and the family tensions reach a breaking point. Why this discord between Sarah and Hagar and Ishmael and Isaac? We look to St. Augustine and St. Paul for the answer and explore archeological evidence for the historicity of the Genesis narrative.

In unpacking Chapter 20 of Genesis we find Abraham's faith well founded, God's designation of Abraham as a prophet, what it means to be a prophet, Abimelech's sin and how he is restored and blessed. Why was it ok for Abraham to be wed to his half sister?

The epilogue of Chapter 19 of Genesis and the immoral generation of two enemies of Israel, the Moabites and Ammonites. Woman, fruit, sin; seems to be a theme. In Chapter 20, we travel with Abraham to Gerar and meet Abimelech.

Sodom and Gomorrah experience Divine judgment as a result of their wickedness. Archaeological evidence is clear that the description in Genesis is accurately describing a historical event that destroyed the city in the middle bronze age, about 2100 B.C., the time that is congruent with the Biblical Account.

What were the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah? Was it inhospitality? Was it homosexual activity? Was it something else? Was Sodom and Gomorrah actual places? Is it just myth to instill a moral standard against homosexuality?

Unpacking Augustine's commentary of the "Three Men whom Abraham hosts. Later Abraham negotiates with God for the sake of Sodom and Gomorrah. We begin to see generally the general nature of Sodom and Gomorrah.

The Trinity is revealed is a veiled form and we look at commentary from Sts. Athanasius, Ambrose and Augustine. We explore the "three men" and the one Lord. But there is sooo much more to uncover in this Chapter.

Abram's errors is an echo of Adam's error of listening to his wife, and not that of God. The correction from God, "Walk before me and be blameless." Abram, by the suggestion of his wife, fails to trust in God's providence and takes matters into his own hands. The result is 430 years of his descendants into slavery.

Abram listens to his wife and takes matters into his own hands to bring about the covenantal promise to have descendants in a natural way by taking Sari's maid-servant to wife. God recalls Abram to "walk before me, and be blameless." God renames Abram, Abraham and Sari, Sarah.