The Bible as Literature

For all you lost souls, reading books about how to be a better parent; For all you disciples of neoliberalism, believers in the new fascism, the elitist colonialism repackaged in a delusion tailor-made for people lured by the flattery of progress, fooled by a “new world” where the enlightened trample on the dead, comforted by the lie that they know better than all those who have ever lived, I have...

When a student plays teacher with an earthen vessel, there comes a moment in their imaginary dialogue when the trust they thought they had is broken. It's not broken, of course, because the dialogue itself was platonic. It's akin to the crisis of faith a student has when they hear the Bible clearly for the first time and realize the Jesus they heard about in Sunday school is not the Jesus of the g...

Once you hear the biblical text and understand that the Bible satirizes and dismantles the arrogance and foolishness of war, political schemes, government powers, and the absurdity of any ruling authority, you can’t hear the Old Testament without bursting into laughter, the way that God laughs at us.  The gift of biblical satire—with all its fury—is true freedom from the historical tyranny of the...

Why is there violence in the Bible? Why did the authors of Deuteronomy present parables of genocide?  Why did the gospel writers posit a story about tribal, religious, and political betrayals, acts of treason, and violent acts by the hand of God?  Why do both Testaments deal with war, cruelty, violence, and the threat of God's wrath?  The New Testament is not new in its content. It is the same old...

This week, Fr. Paul emphasizes that the hearing of scripture is a literary battleground where various traditions compete for control over its meaning. He critiques how translations like the Septuagint and later Christian adaptations have altered the original intent of the Hebrew consonantal text, arguing that figures such as Philo and Josephus Flavius laid the groundwork for this betrayal. ★ Suppo...

The word “آية” ( āyah ) in Arabic refers to a “verse” in Scripture. It can also mean a “sign” or “miracle.” Its root in Semitic is ء-ي-ي ( hamza-ya-ya ) or ء-ي-ن ( hamza-ya-nun ), depending on the classical derivation one follows. The equivalent of “آية” ( āyah ) in biblical Hebrew is אוֹת ( ’ot ), which means “sign,” "proof," or “mark.” “And He said, ‘Certainly I will be with you, and this shall...

It’s difficult to be part of any relationship, at an individual or group level, without attempting to exert control. We rationalize to ourselves that we don’t want control, but it's not true. If you carefully examine your relationships in life, the level of control you attempt to exert is commensurate with your level of investment, which, in a culture of excess, precedes your commitment. In a Roma...

This week, Fr. Paul examines later additions to biblical manuscripts, such as Greek breathing marks and the differentiation between uppercase and lowercase letters, which were not in the original texts. He criticizes poor translation choices, like rendering the Hebrew "yarash" as "possess" instead of "inherit." He also discusses Kamal Salibi’s original discovery that the Hebrew consonants for "rav...

If you accept the Bedouin axiom, “The tree begins with a seed”, you have taken your first step to joining the human race; to accepting that pragmatism is the currency of facts. Admit to yourself that it’s a dog-eat-dog world and operate on that basis, or lie to yourself that you aspire to a higher ideal as you continue to operate in a dog-eat-dog fashion, with blinders on.  In both cases, you are...

Am I humble? Am I arrogant? Am I pious? Am I blasphemous? Am I cruel? Am I kind? Who is the judge? Search me. Who can tell? There is only one who can tell. Any attempt to test, judge, discover, search, or discern is human folly. You can’t tell. You can’t even discover yourself. It’s a lost cause. Your best effort is to study ( darash ) God’s scroll, and in doing so, discover that it is God who stu...

Subscribe: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2350896.rss All of us, like Job, “go about in darkness ( qoder ), without comfort;” we “stand up in the assembly and cry for help.” (Job 30:28) That is what I did, under the cloud of darkness ( qoder ), in which God found me. I made a call, as I do each week in the assembly: you must do the work, in that state in which you have been found, because there is w...

This week, Fr. Paul condemns the Masoretes for stamping vowels on the Hebrew consonantal text, arguing that it served as a method of control over the Bible and its later interpretation by theologians. He explains that this imposition corrupted the biblical dabar , twisting it into the Platonic logos of Greek philosophy, ultimately undermining the authority of the Torah.  ★ Support this podcast on...

In this episode, Fr. Paul asserts that the prophetic function, particularly within the clergy, is crucial for dismantling entrenched religious practices and ideologies that contradict the proposition of the biblical text. In a provocative analysis, Fr. Paul contends that the church’s fixation on orthodoxy has overshadowed the biblical emphasis on orthopraxy—right practice—as heard in Paul’s critic...

I am a fortunate man because when I hit my twenties, I was exposed to teachers who refused to give praise or express gratitude. These were people who took their cues from the cruelty and mercy of God in the Biblical text, and that’s how I’ve conducted my ministry as a priest. In recent years, it has become more difficult in the United States. Assailed by the angst of materialism and individualism,...

One way or another, people want to control what the teacher says and what the teacher does. They want control. Every relationship, no matter what people tell themselves, is about their power. They want to purchase God online, have him delivered to their door, and display him at parties as part of their collection. The most wicked phrase in the human lexicon in any language is “I love you.” It is a...

When you hear someone say, “If we just stick together,” it is always spoken by an individual. In truth, this individual is saying, “If you just stick with me, I will provide an outcome, and ensure a benefit.” That mechanism—“stick with me and I will provide”—is, in fact, what St. Paul describes as the power of death.  It is a threat. Stick with me or else. The use of the pronoun “we” cloaks death...

There’s a riddle I’ve been working out as a pastor for many years. I’ve accepted the biblical premise that the gospel is not about growing churches or building temples. I’ve observed the scandal it creates in meetings and discussions with mission boards, parish councils, and planning committees. All of that makes sense as the institutional scandal of the crucifixion. What has been most eye-opening...

In The Republic, the Platonic school discusses the origin of the state and the nature of human justice, implying that necessity drives the creation of human invention. Years later, in 2024, Plato’s school produced Blue Anon and its twin cousin, the historical realization of President Camacho. They gave birth to a son, and they called his name Adenoid Hynkel. He appeared unto them as a guest speake...

Things are never what they seem and your eyes can deceive you. Maybe that’s why Sesame Street was so important for so many of us growing up in the seventies. In 1968, Joan Ganz Cooney introduced the show with the teaching segment, “One of These Things.” Her work, set to music by Joe Raposo, conveyed a methodology for study and a life-saving template for correct behavior. “One of these things,” bro...

When you hear a parable on the lips of the Master, the worst thing you can possibly do is try to figure out what the parable means based on your understanding of the biblical narrative or narrative context. But people do this all the time. It’s been done on this podcast—and it’s wrong. The last thing any Bible student should do is try to figure out what the text is saying based on their knowledge....

Institution and family (or tribe, or community, or friends, take your pick) are two sides of the same coin. Both mechanisms rely on ancient forms of currency to maintain control. The most obvious form of human currency is currency itself, money. But friends and family, just like big institutions and powerful kings, use other mechanisms of control to maintain what they perceive as wellbeing, safety...

What is self-righteousness?  You hear the command of God, and refuse to introspect. You do not, as Paul teaches, “look to yourself.”  You look to others.  You gossip. You nitpick. You complain. You find fault. You do everything under the sun but consider the one thing that is needful in God’s eyes: The most likely possibility.  That you, oh man (or woman)—I mean, let’s be generous—oh bipedal human...

Father Marc Boulos provides an update on upcoming episodes of “The Bible as Literature Podcast” and makes an important announcement about Father Paul’s podcast series, “Tarazi Tuesdays.” He also shares that he is relaunching “The Bible as Literature Podcast,” emphasizing functionality and language, steering away from theology and narrative. He discusses the importance of understanding sacred texts...

Years ago, when I worked in the city, I took perverse pleasure in the prophetic absurdity of a small, dilapidated, prewar brownstone jutting out against the pristine, monied plaza of the Towers, built as money does, to cover the ugliness of human sin with the vanity of majesty and looks.  It was an ugly, filthy box, with fire escapes and all. I used to look to see if I could find an old Greek woma...

The canon—not the text—of the Septuagint dates back only to the fourth century, to the area of, you guessed it, Alexandria.  The canon—not the text—of the Septuagint comes from sources like Codex Alexandrinus, Sinaiticus, and Vaticanus. The canon—not the text—because the Septuagint text, Fr. Paul explains, was rendered by the original authors (or their followers), who, unlike Philo and Origen, wer...