By The Ephesus School
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The podcast currently has 1,151 episodes available.
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 content directed at a new audience.
The Bible is not a bunch of broken fragments from different writers patched together arbitrarily. This is a boring orientalist theory invented by German colonial scholars that nobody who knows what they are talking about takes seriously anymore.
J,E,D,P,Q. The last one is my favorite. If you can't find the source, there must be an all-powerful imaginary source called “Q.” It was such an excellent idea that Gene Roddenberry named an entire race of fictional narcissistic deities “Q.” Good job, biblical scholarship! You're so “mystical.”
For heaven's sake, pick up a copy of Tarazi and catch up.
As inconvenient as it is for Westernized (Hellenized) Christians, Paul's teaching of grace—his repurposing of Roman gratia in submission to the teaching of the Cross—was a reapplication of Deuteronomy's literary wrath against Israel's sense of self-entitlement and self-importance. A redirection of God's judgment against the latest monsters to invade and occupy Mesopotamia. Deuteronomy was something like a “directed conversation” held indirectly with all parties in which God himself warns everyone, beginning with Israel:
“The land belongs to me. It put you in, and I can talk you out. ”The New Testament repeats this warning to a new audience:
“Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” (Deuteronomy 21:22-23; Galatians 3:13)This verse or “sign” is the novelty of the prophetic self-destruction of the Temple and of the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and its sign is clear: the Emperor has no clothes.
I wish Congress understood Deuteronomy. But how could they? Even Western scholars, let alone the clergy, don’t get it.
“Yet to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear.” (Deuteronomy 29:4)Remember, the writers of the Torah, who wrote under the pen name “Moses,” were something akin to disillusioned and disaffected State Department employees.
So why did Scripture deal with violence head-on, placing all violence in the hands of the unseen and indepictable God? Let me count the ways for you. For all of you “evolved” and “enlightened” Westerners.
The following are notable genocides and massacres committed by invaders against occupied populations, starting from the Mesopotamian era through the Greek and Roman periods.
If you want to get a sense of the cruelty and horror of each of these events, read Deuteronomy!
“NOTHING CHANGES UNDER THE SUN.” 🍉
This week, I discuss Luke 6:38.
Show Notes
Here are some common Arabic words derived from this function:
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.
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 be the sign אוֹת (’ot) to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.’” (Exodus 3:12)In Exodus, God himself spoke to Moses. The fact that God spoke is itself the sign, and Moses, in turn, is his sign—living proof of God's promise: “Certainly I will be with you, and you shall worship me.”
“If they will not believe you or heed the witness of the first sign (’ot), they may believe the witness of the last sign (’ot).” (Exodus 4:8)“But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply my signs (’otot) and my wonders in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 7:3)In Exodus, Moses is living, functional proof that God himself has spoken. Moses is the ’ot elohim, the “آية الله” (āyat allāh), the “sign of God,” the ”proof of God” to Pharaoh.
But as Moses confirms in Deuteronomy, the signs in Exodus are not the miracles and wonders themselves, but rather, the verses that carry them, the āyāt that record what God has spoken. These verses serve as the true “signs,” the otot that carry God’s will and instruction to the people.
In turn, all those who proclaim these verses—for example, Jesus in Luke’s Gospel—are judged by those who shun God. Yet, in fulfillment of God’s command, even Jesus would not judge them before the time. His only purpose was to give God’s signs as proof in anticipation of the one Judge whose Kingdom rules over all.
This week, I discuss Luke 6:37.
Show Notes
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 Roman household, your level of commitment is not optional. If you are living under the pressure of your patron, you’re stuck. Whether you’re a family member or a slave, you must operate within the confines of the sheepfold in which you are found. That is your life. It’s not a question of what you choose or your level of commitment; you are committed. That’s what you do. It’s your job. Most people in the world, in day-to-day life, don’t have the opportunity to ask what entitled Americans ask. They don’t get to say, “I wonder what my purpose in life is,” or, “What is my dream job?” They just get a job if they’re fortunate and are thankful to be able to do something that provides income so that they can live.
So, if you are found in a Roman household, whatever your function or status, you are committed to do whatever you are committed to do. But if your patron has not been baptized by Paul, then your reference is not Christ; your reference is Caesar. This means that the favors your patron provides the sheepfold are not given freely. They come with a price.
Even though you are fully committed and have no power over your station, you still have to earn your spot. There is an expectation that your family gods, your patrician, the broader neighborhood (the familia, or city block under your patrician), and more importantly, your chief god, the emperor, expect an offering from you in order for the grace of Caesar’s favor through his patrician to be maintained.
But in the end, if you act correctly because you know that your gods, your father, or your neighbors are expected to act correctly or give you something in return, is that grace? Are you committed within the sheepfold, under God through Jesus Christ, or are you still somebody else’s slave?
This week I discuss Luke 6:32-36.
Show Notes
ח-נ-נ (ḥet-nun-nun) / ح-ن-ن (ḥāʾ-nūn-nūn)In this week’s podcast, Fr. Marc explains how Luke dismantles Rome’s system of gratia, highlighting three categories of “untouchables” in the American system, all related to control of the land.
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 "raven" and "Arab" are identical, allowing for different interpretations. Salibi's work, which questioned specific translation choices, remains unresolved, emphasizing the need to hear the text consonantally and showing that the biblical text resists modern interpretive control and should be read on its own terms. (Episode 328)
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 squarely under God’s judgment. In the second example, with the added charge, “bearing false witness.”
Whether you console yourself with your fake ideals or justify your sins with the inevitability of pragmatism, the truth is, whatever men build, create or devise, no matter their intention, it ends in moral bankruptcy. System failure is coded in your DNA.
This is why, by design, the sacrifice of Isaac confounds and mocks human ethics and morality.
There is another Bedouin proverb, Habibi, that reflects the actual pragmatism of life, the fact of the anti-philosophical fate in which you are found:
“The hand that gives is upper one.”The problem is not interpretation, absolutism, the constitution, authoritarianism, legality, or your ability to adapt to change. The problem is you. You are not and cannot be your own reference.
Learn another saying, Habibi, from the first Bedouin:
“God will provide for himself the lamb for the offering.” (Genesis 22:8)People misunderstand the admonition of Luke. Yes, you are commanded to offer the other cheek, but it is not yours to give in the first place, and it given under the pressure of his upper hand, because, as he said, you are wicked.
It is he who found you in utter darkness. In his wrath he is testing you as one in time of battle. He is pressuring you. You are under his judgment, for the sake of his honor.
It is not your enemy who strikes you, then you could bear it. It is him.
“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” (Exodus 15:11)This week I discuss Luke 6:29-31.
Show Notes - נ-כ-ה (nun-kaf-he) / ن-ك-ه (nun-kaf-he)
The Hebrew verb נָכָה (nakhah) means “to strike” or “to beat.”
In Arabic, the root نَكَى (nakā) shares a similar meaning related to causing harm, injury or damage. The noun نِكَايَة(nikāyah) refers to “the inflicting of injury.” ن-ك-ه (nun-kaf-he) is rare in the Qur’an but appears in contexts related to harm or inflicting damage, particularly in warfare.
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 studies you. Then there is a chance that you will be found wandering in your darkness (qoder), a chance that you will be found out, and then you will find hope.
You will find God’s power in your fate (qadr) and reprieve from your mourning (qoder).
If you have no control over your own fate, Habibi, why does it matter what others do? You yourself are not the judge. St. Paul will not even judge himself.
There is only one judge. It’s not that you do not understand his words when they are fed to you; you just don’t like their taste in your ears.
Why do you care what other people do?
It’s because you want control. You want to own God. You want to keep him as your pet—at least, for starters. Your true aim is to become God.
You want the throne.
You want control.
But you’re not the Shepherd, let alone the Divine “Emir” (أ-م-ر), his Father, who commanded his prophets “to speak” (א-מ-ר) the words that you can’t stomach:
“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”This week I discuss Luke 6:27-28.
My thanks to Matthew Cooper, the OCABS scholar who unlocked the inter-functionality of the Arabic word “emir” with the Hebrew verb “amar.”
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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 work to be done.
This is your fate, Habibi.
ק-ד-ר (Qof-Dalet-Resh)It is the same function in Arabic.
The expression, laylat al-qadr (ليلة القدر), refers to the command of God given to his prophet at night: in the “night of [his] decree,” the “night of [his] power.”
John Pearson was indeed attentive that night, and the result is The Slow Bible Study podcast.
As fate challenges each of us, John challenges American individualism, urging his hearers to submit to Scripture as it was originally intended—through its ancient languages, in its historical setting. By stripping away interpretations and theologies, John emphasizes the Bible’s clear, uncompromising call to bow down before the Lord. His podcast confronts the pervasive egoism of American culture, encouraging us to hear and obey Scripture as God's command in the assembly, rather than our personal interpretations, reminding us that the Bible is a call to submission, not a prop for our self-justification.
“In my distress, I cried to the Lord, and he answered me.” (Psalm 120:1)
He who has ears to hear let him hear!
I give you the premiere episode of The Slow Bible Study podcast.
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.
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 criticism of Peter for not “walking correctly” in Galatians. Fr. Paul challenges modern clergy to abandon the use of terms and practices not found in the Bible, arguing that they perpetuate a false security among believers, similar to the misguided faith in the temple criticized by Jeremiah or the misuse of scriptures such as the book of Joshua, currently unfolding in Gaza.
Through this lens, the Fr. Paul calls for a radical disruption of the church’s understanding and proclamation of the the biblical text, urging clergy to submit to the prophetic command to dismantle and deconstruct the false logic and practices that have become entrenched in the life of the modern church.
The podcast currently has 1,151 episodes available.
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