Best The Ephesus School Podcasts (2024)

1
A Mouth And Wisdom. 9:58

10h ago9:58

9:58

Chapter 21 of Luke parallels the mini-apocalypse in Mark 13. Whereas Mark warns his hearers against joining in the revolt and against putting their hope in the earthly Jerusalem, Luke is writing at a time when the city had already collapsed to Rome. Still, the Lord will continue to instruct his people with words out of his own mouth. When they put …

1
David Chase: You may not go on, but the universe goes on and on... 12:37

20h ago12:37

12:37

“Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos” is a new HBO documentary. In it, show creator David Chase and his creative team reflect on “The Sopranos” and how they came up with and developed certain themes. There are striking parallels between the crafting of the show & the themes explored and those we find in the Bible. Andrea discusses man’s imperman…

1
The Hand That Gives 34:34

2d ago34:34

34:34

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 f…

1
The Finger Of God. 13:24

7d ago13:24

13:24

In the Gospels, miracles and marvelous works are not signs in and of themselves. They must be based on something else. Jesus’ opponents even accuse him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub, and how would one know this wasn’t the case unless what was done was in fulfillment of Scripture? Jesus systematically affirms that Scripture- that w…

1
You Have Been Found 34:37

15d ago34:37

34:37

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, …

1
Announcing: The Slow Bible Study 8:39

17d ago8:39

8:39

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…

1
The Aleph is Not the Alpha 16:52

17d ago16:52

16:52

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 au…

1
The Prophetic Command 19:16

24d ago19:16

19:16

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 o…

1
No Breathing Room. 12:09

28d ago12:09

12:09

Was Jesus A Carpenter’s Son? The word tekton, translated “carpenter,” appears first in the Gospel of Mark. Its only other occurrence in the New Testament is in the parallel text from Matthew, and both times it is said of Jesus.* In the former he is referred to as “the carpenter” and in the latter, “the carpenter’s son.” This change may be attribute…

1
Observe the Faithful Swoon 31:42

29d ago31:42

31:42

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. Assai…

1
The Only One Who Loves 29:25

1M ago29:25

29:25

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 huma…

1
Power Referential 31:16

1M ago31:16

31:16

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 o…

1
We Are the Evil 25:16

2M ago25:16

25:16

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 …

1
Necessity, the Mother of Obligation 30:11

2M ago30:11

30:11

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 Adeno…

1
One of These Things 26:46

2M ago26:46

26:46

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 templat…

1
Scripture In Nutshell. 16:21

2M ago16:21

16:21

Scripture In Nutshell. Each of the synoptic gospels handles the choosing and sending out of Jesus’ twelve disciples differently. Matthew, the last of the four gospels to be produced, takes a unique approach: he combines the calling of the twelve and the sending out in one section. His gospel also includes the following instruction: “Go nowhere amon…

1
Needy Teachers 23:47

2M ago23:47

23:47

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…

1
If You Love Me 32:49

3M ago32:49

32:49

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 t…

1
The Nativity Of The Forerunner. 15:17

3M ago15:17

15:17

Emasculation of the Priesthood. In the Orthodox Church on the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist and Forerunner, the gospel reading is complied from Luke. It includes the first 25 verses of chapter 1, plus a selection of additional verses dealing specifically with John. Despite offering an abridged version of the first chapter of Luke, t…

1
Extrospection 41:04

3M ago41:04

41:04

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 wom…

1
Excursus: Freedom in Christ 22:59

3M ago22:59

22:59

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 disc…

1
E40. One Hundredfold 8:06

3M ago8:06

8:06

Romans 6:5-11 This podcast is a production of the Ephesus School Network: ephesusschool.org Join me as I explore the book of Romans in a simple but insightful manner. While each episode is short and easy to digest, I recommend setting aside time with the biblical text in front of you and no other distractions. The text is available for you to read …

1
E39. Walk in the Newness of Life 2:34

3M ago2:34

2:34

Romans 6:1-4 This podcast is a production of the Ephesus School Network: ephesusschool.org Join me as I explore the book of Romans in a simple but insightful manner. While each episode is short and easy to digest, I recommend setting aside time with the biblical text in front of you and no other distractions. The text is available for you to read a…

1
E38. Made to Stand 9:50

4M ago9:50

9:50

Romans 5:18-21 This podcast is a production of the Ephesus School Network: ephesusschool.org Join me as I explore the book of Romans in a simple but insightful manner. While each episode is short and easy to digest, I recommend setting aside time with the biblical text in front of you and no other distractions. The text is available for you to read…

1
E37. The Operation of Grace 9:01

4M ago9:01

9:01

Romans 5:15-17 This podcast is a production of the Ephesus School Network: ephesusschool.org Join me as I explore the book of Romans in a simple but insightful manner. While each episode is short and easy to digest, I recommend setting aside time with the biblical text in front of you and no other distractions. The text is available for you to read…

1
How Could Architecture be Christian? 13:57

4M ago13:57

13:57

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…

1
E36. The Pattern 8:06

4M ago8:06

8:06

Romans 5:12-14 This podcast is a production of the Ephesus School Network: ephesusschool.org Join me as I explore the book of Romans in a simple but insightful manner. While each episode is short and easy to digest, I recommend setting aside time with the biblical text in front of you and no other distractions. The text is available for you to read…

1
Paul Warned Us 15:25

4M ago15:25

15:25

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 th…

1
E35. Without Strength 8:30

4M ago8:30

8:30

Romans 5:6-11 This podcast is a production of the Ephesus School Network: ephesusschool.org Join me as I explore the book of Romans in a simple but insightful manner. While each episode is short and easy to digest, I recommend setting aside time with the biblical text in front of you and no other distractions. The text is available for you to read …

1
Origen Was a Monster 16:52

5M ago16:52

16:52

Imagine a monster whose primary interest is to embrace philosophy and then power—Roman power, Greco-Roman power, and Greek philosophy, in other words, human power. Origen. You know what he loved. The ugliest, most vile, sinister, and self-serving sin, zealously and passionately preached by everyone I know. The worship of state, ethnicity, family, r…

1
E34. The Weight of God 8:38

5M ago8:38

8:38

Romans 5:1-5 This podcast is a production of the Ephesus School Network: ephesusschool.org Join me as I explore the book of Romans in a simple but insightful manner. While each episode is short and easy to digest, I recommend setting aside time with the biblical text in front of you and no other distractions. The text is available for you to read a…

1
The Gospel Never Ends. 13:27

5M ago13:27

13:27

In his gospel, Mark presents an alternative to armed revolt: submission to the one God of both Jews and Gentiles. Thus for him, Jesus is both Christ and the Son of God in a very specific way: according to the Gospel preached by the Apostle Paul, which is itself the fulfillment of what was written in the prophets, the second part of Scripture. Here …

1
E33. The Putting to Death of Sarah’s Womb 8:47

5M ago8:47

8:47

Romans 4:19-25 This podcast is a production of the Ephesus School Network: ephesusschool.org Join me as I explore the book of Romans in a simple but insightful manner. While each episode is short and easy to digest, I recommend setting aside time with the biblical text in front of you and no other distractions. The text is available for you to read…

1
If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Resist 15:07

5M ago15:07

15:07

No statement more fully captures the anti-scriptural sadism of colonial solipsism than the American expression, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” Unless, of course, the “em” is a shepherd standing at the midbar, reciting the written command of the Scriptural, inexistent, invisible, unseen, indomitable God who has no egregious, obscene, man-made st…

1
E32. The Announcement 7:32

5M ago7:32

7:32

Romans 4:13-18 This podcast is a production of the Ephesus School Network: ephesusschool.org Join me as I explore the book of Romans in a simple but insightful manner. While each episode is short and easy to digest, I recommend setting aside time with the biblical text in front of you and no other distractions. The text is available for you to read…

1
Stop Preaching Your Gods 15:17

5M ago15:17

15:17

It gets so old—your universal declarations, your philosophies, your ideologies, your heightened sensibilities, your values, your propaganda, your Kool-Aid. Your gods. Hearing Fr. Paul teach, it hit me like a ton of your rubble. When people hear the words of the biblical Prophet, they can’t help but respond by preaching their civilization. It’s an o…

1
Rahab The Harlot. 18:57

5M ago18:57

18:57

The story of Rahab the harlot takes up the bulk of chapter 2 of the Book of Joshua. In Scripture, “playing the harlot” is typically a stand-in for following after foreign gods. Her prevalence here can be understood as an invitation to biblical Israel not to commit “Scriptural harlotry.” She is the example for them to follow if they wish to ensure t…

1
Blaise Webster 1:18:14

5M ago1:18:14

1:18:14

Blaise Webster of Tell Me The Story, another production of the Ephesus School Network, joins me to talk: Old Greek, Arabic(s), and Biblical (Consonantal) Hebrew. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★By The Ephesus School

1
E31. Abram Fell on His Face 9:24

5M ago9:24

9:24

Romans 4:9-12 This podcast is a production of the Ephesus School Network: ephesusschool.org Join me as I explore the book of Romans in a simple but insightful manner. While each episode is short and easy to digest, I recommend setting aside time with the biblical text in front of you and no other distractions. The text is available for you to read …

1
E30. A Child of Destruction 7:43

6M ago7:43

7:43

This podcast is a production of the Ephesus School Network: ephesusschool.org Join me as I explore the book of Romans in a simple but insightful manner. While each episode is short and easy to digest, I recommend setting aside time with the biblical text in front of you and no other distractions. The text is available for you to read along with me …

1
You Become What You Accept 14:31

6M ago14:31

14:31

Every immigrant, every minority, and every colonized person living under a human boot faces the same dilemma: how to live without imitating or accepting the ways of the human gods that impose their glory. “We have,” a wise poet once said, “on this earth what makes life worth living.” Scripture, Fr. Paul has explained many times, forged a path for l…

1
Favor With God. 20:09

6M ago20:09

20:09

In the announcement of Jesus’ birth in the Gospel of Luke, what stands out is that God singles out Mary for favor as a sheer expression of his will. In biblical terms we can say it’s a “textbook example” of grace. In that she possesses no special prerequisite or qualifications for being chosen, Mary’s election is throughly scriptural: it parallels …

1
E29. Go Search Abraham 8:18

6M ago8:18

8:18

Romans 4:1-8 This podcast is a production of the Ephesus School Network: ephesusschool.org Join me as I explore the book of Romans in a simple but insightful manner. While each episode is short and easy to digest, I recommend setting aside time with the biblical text in front of you and no other distractions. The text is available for you to read a…

1
Against Consensus 17:01

6M ago17:01

17:01

There is nothing like a cup of Turkish Coffee. That’s not an opinion. It’s an observation of fact. The local Starbucks does not serve Turkish Coffee. That’s why I never buy Starbucks for Fr. Paul before his lectures. Why would I? Why would anyone who cares about anything important, meaning Scripture, do something so foolish? I am pretty sure there …

1
E28. Not Two Gods, But One 6:31

6M ago6:31

6:31

Romans 3:27-31 This podcast is a production of the Ephesus School Network: ephesusschool.org Join me as I explore the book of Romans in a simple but insightful manner. While each episode is short and easy to digest, I recommend setting aside time with the biblical text in front of you and no other distractions. The text is available for you to read…

1
The Bible is Making Fun of You 13:25

6M ago13:25

13:25

The Bible, Fr. Paul explains, is a holy joke. That’s a big relief. Even hopeful. Looking around, I see that the current state of affairs is an unholy joke. Truly, if the Scriptural God is not laughing at us, mocking us, and ultimately—as Fr. Paul explains—entrapping us, he is not God. He can’t be. What kind of god, what monster, would be happy with…

1
E27. God Isn’t Being Generous With Other People’s Property 11:32

6M ago11:32

11:32

Romans 3:21-26 This podcast is a production of the Ephesus School Network: ephesusschool.org Join me as I explore the book of Romans in a simple but insightful manner. While each episode is short and easy to digest, I recommend setting aside time with the biblical text in front of you and no other distractions. The text is available for you to read…

1
A Maskil 15:43

6M ago15:43

15:43

Code Pink! Code Pink! People are running around with blinders on! It appears they’ve been reading English translations of the Septuagint! Half keep referring to something called the Books of the Kingdoms, which do not appear in the Bible; the other half are enamored with some goofy Greek nonsense called “philosophical questioning.” One of them keep…

1
E26. Truth is a Technicality 9:45

7M ago9:45

9:45

Romans 3:20-23 This podcast is a production of the Ephesus School Network: ephesusschool.org Join me as I explore the book of Romans in a simple but insightful manner. While each episode is short and easy to digest, I recommend setting aside time with the biblical text in front of you and no other distractions. The text is available for you to read…

1
Lie to Yourself, Please 16:50

7M ago16:50

16:50

Scripture unmasks your illusions. Religion, family, friends, ideas, institutions, nations, individuals, “isms” of every school—all your human ideals and beliefs are a lie. Unfortunately, you can’t sleep around with your lies and remain faithful to the Master. You do, in fact, have to make a choice. Note my use of the word “fact.” So, please, step i…

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