The Bible as Literature

Fr. Paul explains the significance of Tadmor, the “indomitable” city, found in 2 Chronicles 8:4.

In the very first verse of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew raises a question that looms over the entire story: Whose son is Jesus and what kind of messiah will he be? How does Jesus relate to David? Why the mention of Abraham? Will the reign of Jesus prove to be different than the reign of David? How does the genealogy of Jesus differ from other genealogies in the Old Testament? Richard and Fr. Marc begin their discussion of the Gospel of Mathew with a review of Matthew 1:1. Episode 220 Matthew 1:1; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Egmont Overture Finale” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

Fr. Paul discusses the historical background of the content of the Old Testament, the way that its stories were written, and the critical role of Semitic languages. (Episode 8)

“The lust for comfort,” wrote Khalil Gibran, is “that stealthy thing that enters the house a guest, and then becomes a host, and then a master.” Jonah, called by the word of the Lord to serve Nineveh, grapples instead with the tyranny of comfort. From the beginning, he chose the destruction of Nineveh over his own discomfort. He finds purpose and meaning in convenience for himself, but—to the extent that he is even aware of the needs of others—scoffs at their wellbeing. For Jonah, if life is not comfortable, life is not worth living. “The lust for comfort,” Gibran continues, “murders the passion of the soul, and then walks grinning in the funeral.” Not only would Jonah sacrifice his own life for this false master, but the lives of an entire city—from the least to the greatest—including the animals. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “μὴ γένοιτο, may it never be.” (Romans 6:2) Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Jonah 4:6-11. Episode 219 Jonah 4:6-11; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Sneaky Snitch” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

Fr. Paul discusses the Egyptian and Mesopotamian exiles, noting the recurrence of the former and its literary significance. (Episode 7)

Everyone thinks about inconvenience in terms of how it impacts their time and their personal comfort. Rare is the individual who thinks not of personal preference, but of the needs of others. A teacher burns the candle at both ends to make time to teach and we who have done nothing check our watch twenty minutes into the lecture. A parent wakes up early in the morning to prepare food before rushing off to work, even as their child complains about the breakfast menu. People make sacrifices on our behalf every day and we do nothing but complain and criticize. We never stop to consider the burden that others bear. We experience life as though we are at its center, complaining often about what we do not like, almost never expressing gratitude. Imagine the horror of a person who views everything through the narrow lens of his or her own perspective, individual rights, feelings, beliefs, and personal experience— one whose only priority is comfort and convenience. Yes, of course, I am talking about us. Thankfully, in the face of our self-obsessed, self-serving, neurotic, consumerized individualism, the story of Jonah shows the path out of our calamity, providing us with a perfect example. However, in order to heed the story's wise advice, we must ignore this example, clinging instead to the teaching it carries. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Jonah 4:1-5. Episode 218 Jonah 4:1-5; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Electro Cabello” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

Fr. Paul discusses the importance of Ur of the Chaldeans and its role in the inclusion of all nations together with Abraham. (Episode 6)

Communities and individuals always overestimate their own importance and abilities. This illusion is reinforced by the self-serving narratives we create to bolster confidence in ourselves and in our institutions. Nations, religions, ideologies, communities, families—everyone—down to the last individual, is compromised by this dangerous lie. Jonah disobeyed the word of the Lord, yet, when questioned about his identity, he boasted, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land.” (1:9) Soon after, Jonah (who supposedly feared the Lord) had to be forced to obey the same, against his will. Did God listen to Jonah's prayer, or simply endure it? Did Jonah repent—literally, did he choose to “turn” and go in the correct direction—or was God forced to turn him around? The story of Jonah follows the storyline of the Bible: the word of the Lord is for all nations and acts on everyone's behalf, despite ourselves. No one is exceptional. No one is good. In fact, in God's eyes, we all look the same, no matter who we are, where we are from or how we see ourselves. Is Jonah different than the Ninevites? Perhaps, in this way alone: God did not need to force the Ninevites to obey his word, and he only had to ask them once. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Jonah 3. Episode 217 Jonah 3; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Smooth Lovin” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

Fr. Paul discusses the importance of the geography of the Syrian Desert as the setting for the Scriptural story. (Episode 5) From this week's show: https://www.bassam.com/the-new-book

Students of the Bible typically overstate the importance of Jonah's prayer from the belly of the whale, assuming that he was vomited onto the dry land because of repentance; but a closer look at the text of the prayer tells a different story. Was Jonah vomited up because of a profound conversion from disobedience, or is something else going on? The answer to this question is only apparent when we read the Bible as literature, allowing the storyline—not our assumptions about piety—to control how we hear the words of the prophet. In Jonah, it is the Word of the Lord, not the prophet, that is in control. From the very beginning—with or without his prayers—Jonah's destination was never in question. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Jonah 2. Episode 216 Jonah 2; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Hot Pursuit” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

Fr. Paul reviews critical aspects of Genesis 1-11 and how this section of the Bible “controls” the broader scriptural story. (Episode 4)

“Obey everything [your teachers] teach you, but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.” (Matthew 23:3) Like the warning, “do not judge,” (Matthew 7) this beautiful admonition is often abused to lessen the burden of our accountability as disciples. We do not want to be corrected, so we say “who are you to judge?” Likewise, we do not like the pressure a teacher places on us, so we complain about the teacher's example, “why should I listen to someone who can't follow their own advice?” But for those who submit to the biblical God, both questions are wicked and betray a latent disrespect for the Lord's authority. The admonition, “do not judge,” is not for everyone. It's for you. So too, the instruction relayed by a teacher and the pressure placed on you, are a gift, to you. The teacher is just the courier. If a letter from Almighty God, “Dear you, you may not become a mailman,” is carried to you by a mailman, would you tell God, but he's a mailman? Yes, you would, and that's your problem. You could learn a thing or two from the gentile sailors in Jonah. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Jonah 1:11-17. Episode 215 Jonah 1:11-17; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Samba Isobel” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

Beginning with Exodus and Esther, Fr. Paul analyzes terminology and narrative structure to explain the biblical contrast drawn between slavery to human masters and slavery to the good and beneficent master. (Episode 3)

When faced with a conflict between two parties, our natural tendency is to assume that there is a right side and a wrong side. Why? Because we fancy ourselves to be right, or we imagine that we can become right, and thus fail to see what is obvious in Scripture: beginning with ourselves, in the presence of the Lord, all parties are wrong. In the story of Jonah, the prophet was sent to “Nineveh the great city” in order to “cry against it,” because “their wickedness” had caught the attention of the Lord. In any other literary genre, the one sent to confront Nineveh would be understood as the protagonist—but not in the Bible. In Jonah, as throughout the biblical canon, the prophet is able to expose the sins of others because he himself is exposed by the teaching, so that, as Paul says, “no human being might boast in the presence of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:29) Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Jonah 1:1-10. Episode 214 Jonah 1:1-10; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Backbay Lounge” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

In this week’s episode, Fr. Paul discusses Biblos Geneseos in the Gospel of Matthew and in the greater context of Scripture. (Episode 2)