The Bible as Literature

According to the Preacher, no matter what you do, you are doomed to the one fate that awaits everyone. Are you a righteous man? Are you wicked? Can you, by your actions, determine the outcome of your life? Since all share the same fate, does it matter? For the author of Ecclesiastes, it does matter, but not in the way that you imagine and not in a way that makes sense—unless you accept that all de...

When a human judge seeks meaning in the abuses of the wicked or in the misfortunes of the righteous, if he is as honest with himself as the Preacher in Jerusalem, his pursuit of wisdom leads nowhere. As each door closes in his face and each path turns to vanity, he comes to a realization: every possibility he considers is judged by God. "Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may lengthen...

If, for the sake of wisdom, death is better than birth, sorrow is better than laughter and mourning is better than feasting, what hope has the wise man of escaping ruin? Is such wisdom truly wise, or is it better to grasp righteousness without abandoning wickedness? God, the Preacher explains, has made the one as well as the other; the person who embraces this contradiction is the one who fears th...

What would happen if God gave you honor, riches and wealth such that nothing you desired was beyond your reach? What if he then invited foreigners to enjoy this wealth in your place? What does this mean? Is the foreigner wrong to partake of your treasure? Is he now better off than you? Would you be right to condemn him? How can anyone reconcile God’s generosity with such terrible affliction? For t...

In a culture that loves money and values everyone’s input, Ecclesiastes 5 is a bitter pill. Human speech, cries the Preacher, is the sacrifice of idiots and the gathering of wealth a grievous evil under the sun. Let your words be few. Shun the acquisition of wealth. Delight in your work and in the few years that God has given you. Sleep on an empty stomach. Fear God and trust in his judgment, even...

Who is worse off, the oppressor or the oppressed? Is the power wielded by kings and empires real? Is a king of humble origins better than an old fool on the throne? What does Ecclesiastes have to do with Judas Iscariot or New Testament questions dealing with works of the Law and grace? Is there any way to salvage the vanity of man’s striving after wind? What does all this have to do with the inven...

There is a time for every season under heaven: A time to be silent and a time to speak; A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace: For many, these words call to mind a beautiful ballad lamenting the futility of war. However, for the Preacher in Jerusalem, the list of dichotomies presented in Ecclesiastes 3 speak to something far more difficult: inasmuch as war is as ce...

Is there a difference between a fool and a wise man? Does a man who acts correctly gain advantage over one who stumbles? What has the Preacher in Jerusalem to do with the suburbs in Minnesota? Richard and Fr. Marc continue their discussion of Ecclesiastes. This week’s episode is dedicated to Paul Boulos, who died on May 29, 2015. (Episode 72; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature)...

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; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature) ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 other cultures but never at the Bible's int...

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 reminder that biblical knowledge can only be received at the expense of the...

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 receive and to share knowledge, and the actions we take based on knowledge. In r...

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 in both traditions, the Antiochians looked...

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 feelings; Don't follow your heart; Turn off the Disney chann...

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 dis...

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 (or any biblical text) is read in light of the prophetic tradition,...

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 only be bestowed? Were the other disciples right to upbraid James and John? What is the real sin bei...

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 the boy's impairment? What does all this have to do with angels, weather forecasts, and narcissism? Trust the Lord, because on...

Why does Mark associate prophetic concepts of abundance with the commandment to take up the cross? In what way do popular concepts of carrying the cross, associated with hardship, fall short of the commandment's meaning? How does the crucifixion in Mark test our trust in God's generosity? This week's episode is in memory of Fr. Thomas Hopko. (Episode 61) ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Much of Ezekiel is spent emphasizing God's anti-locality, namely, that there is no structure or land to which the biblical God is chained. In Ezekiel, God moves freely upon the earth, outside the control of his subjects. With this in mind, the book's closing verse is a kind of literary surprise. What does Ezekiel mean when he says the name of the city shall be called "the Lord is there?" What are...

Given the Bible's persistent emphasis on the problem of idolatry, why suddenly, in John, are we confronted with the phrase, "Come and see?" This seems especially odd, since the opening verses of John deliberately limit the reader’s purview to the divine word, which begins with the inscription "in the beginning," referring to Genesis. Obviously, Philip is calling Nathaniel to go out and meet Jesus,...

In a biblical narrative that is overwhelmingly anti-kingly, how can one make sense of Paul’s apparent endorsement of governing authorities in Romans 13? Why would Paul ask the church to submit to ruling authorities in a setting where those authorities pose a real and present danger? What implications does Paul’s admonition have for civil disobedience and non-violent resistance? Dust off that vinyl...

How should the Bible’s addressees understand the parable of the wise and foolish virgins at the outset of Matthew 25? In what way does the metaphor of lamp oil relate to the story of the foolish stewards? How does the marketplace, first mentioned in chapter 20, frame our understanding of the final judgement and the commandment to care for the weaker neighbor? This week's discussion challenges popu...

What is the purpose of ritual sacrifice in the Bible? Why is so much emphasis placed on blood sacrifice as a means of expiation? Why would Ezekiel incorporate blood sacrifice in his depiction of the heavenly Jerusalem? In a continuation of last week’s theme, Richard and Fr. Marc discuss the importance of sticking with difficult or confusing texts, even when you're not sure what to make of them. A...

Why do chapters 41 and 42 of Ezekiel spend so much time talking about the monotonous details of temple architecture? Why would these details matter in a book like Ezekiel, which undermines the temple cult in Jerusalem? Are the design schematics outlined in Ezekiel applicable to real world construction? Even if they were, why list these lengthy, boring details as part of the biblical storyline? Ric...