On Tuesdays, Fr. Paul Tarazi presents an in-depth analysis of the biblical text in the original languages.
Simon, Bar Jonah
Over the years, we’ve insisted on the biblical principle that the integrity of the teacher is irrelevant to their function. To illustrate this point, God repeatedly chooses sinners, like the Prophet Jonah, to spread his word. Insofar as they repeat the words of Scripture, the one who teaches Scripture has no bearing on the mission. It’s like in fantasy movies, when a ghost or an alien takes over someone’s body and controls their speech. Everyone watching the program knows that it is not they who are speaking. Likewise, when a priest stands up to read the Gospel aloud in the assembly, it is not he who is speaking. In Matthew, when Peter speaks correctly about the Christ, it is only because God, through his Spirit, put the correct words in Peter’s mouth. Whether he himself lives up to these words is an entirely different matter. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 16:17-20 Please join Richard and Fr. Marc for a free webinar series on Ephesians 4, sponsored by the Orthodox Christian Leadership Inititivative on April 11 and 25 at 8am PST / 11am EST. To register for the webinar, please visit orthodoxservantleaders.com and click “events.” Episode 323 Matthew 16:17-20; Music: Night Vigil by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5746-night-vigil License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The Moon and the Sun
In today’s program, Fr. Paul continues his discussion of the plural Elohim as it relates to the Moon and the Sun in Genesis 1, noting that modern addressees are too far removed from the historical setting to easily grasp the author’s intent. (Episode 112)