The Bible as Literature

This week, Fr. Paul concludes his discussion of Genesis 28 with an excerpt from Acts 7. (Episode 204) ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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...

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) ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 Mat...

This week, Fr. Paul continues his discussion of Genesis 28. (Episode 202)  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

“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...

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)  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 ma...

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) ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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. Intro and outro music Copyright © Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA, used by permission. All rights reserved. ★ Support this podcas...

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...

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) ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

“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...

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) ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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...

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) ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 ★ Su...

In today’s episode, Fr. Paul begins his discussion of Genesis 27 and also tries his hand at poetry. (Episode 196) ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 conde...

In this week’s program, Fr. Paul wraps up his question and answer session on Genesis 26. (Episode 195) ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 dis...

In today’s program, Fr. Paul notes the connection between Ezekiel, Genesis, and the Gospel of Matthew. (Episode 194) ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 i...

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) ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 s...