Scripture In Four Parts.In the Torah, when the Lord delivers Israel out of Egypt, he gives commandments and statutes which they are required to keep; this Law is understood to be the expression of his will, instructions on how to live if the Lord is indeed your God. (and since it is he who delivered them from the hand of Pharaoh and is bringing them into a land of promise to serve him; how could it be otherwise?). In the Latter Prophets, in which Israel is again in captivity, the message sounds like this: the Lord will come and deliver you, but it was in fact the same Lord who sent your enemy to carry you away in the first place…as punishment because you sinned against the Lord. The hearers are hit with this message of hope, coupled with a reminder that the cause of their condition was their own sin. And because they were not completely destroyed, the Babylonian captivity is understood as a punishment unto instruction. And since this time the Lord decided to be merciful, they had better take the instruction seriously and change their ways. The next time, he may not come back to deliver them. This is, in nutshell, the teaching at the heart of scripture. And the commandments and statutes of the Lord, his Torah, by which his people fail repeatedly to abide, is the reference point in all three parts: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings.  Even in the New Testament, in which the Mosaic Law is fulfilled in the Law of Christ (Galatians 6:2), the sole reference remains the will of God.Notes:περιπατοῦσιν - walkingφρονοῦσιν - mind (verb)ὑπακοὴν - obedienceIsaiah 49:10;24Malachi 4:4Psalms 119:1; 12; 105Matthew 22:40Luke 10:25-37; 24:27; 44-45Romans 1:1-5; 8:2; 4-5Galatians 6:2The Slow Bible Study Episode 11: Friends of Enmity https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-slow-bible-study/id1743711322?i=1000671273103Rhumeta performed by 3rd Eye Girl.Photo by cottonbro studio.

A single, passing word is easily overlooked in translation. You could pontificate about it in abstraction, but can you observe its importance, its technicality? Of course, you can’t—not in English. No way. Not in a thousand years.What does the word “luxury” have to do with the book of Genesis? Can you tell me how or where it connects to Genesis? What does “luxury” have to do with a dog’s vomit? Can you figure it out? Perhaps you could look up “dog’s vomit” and try to put it all back together from that hint. But by simply hearing Luke in English, you wouldn’t stand a chance. You have no hope of finding these connections. No hope, for example, of hearing what the writer is telling you about the Four Rivers in Genesis. About the difference between a tree and a human being.Could you, in English, hear by hearing the word “luxury” what Luke is proposing? No—you would simply pontificate about the problem of “ living in luxury” because you’re not interested in lexicography. You’re interested in context, in narrative, in interpretation. The best you could do is theologize about Paradise (or your 401K savings; they are functionally the same), which puts you in league with those condemned in 2 Peter 2.Your only way out of this dilemma is to hear Luke in the original Greek—but even that’s not enough. You will never hear what Luke is saying if you deal solely with the Greek manuscript.You have to hear Luke in triliteral Semitic.Can you discern from the word “luxury” in Luke 7 that you were never supposed to congregate in the first place? That there is a problem with “congregating?” That you’re supposed to spread out, to disperse? That you shouldn’t be here, safe and sound “inside?” You should be spreading out all over the earth—not gathering here in your synagogue, in your “ecclesia,” and settling down.According to Luke, the proof of your ignorance is found in your dress and your place of habitation. The place of luxury of which God speaks does not require soft clothing, let alone fancy suburban houses.This week, I discuss Luke 7:20-25.Show Notesق-ن-ى (qāf-nūn-yāʾ) / ק-נ-ה (qof-nun-he)קָנֶה (qāneh) in biblical Hebrew refers to a “reed,” “stalk,” or “cane. " It is often associated with plants that grow near water, such as the reeds along the Nile or Jordan River.As “calamus” or “sweet cane”“Take also for yourself the finest of spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, two hundred and fifty, and of fragrant cane (קָנֶה־בֹשֶׂם, qāneh-bōśem) two hundred and fifty,” (Exodus 30:23)“Nard and saffron, calamus (קָנֶה, qāneh) and cinnamon, with all the trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, along with all the finest spices.” (Song of Solomon 4:14).“The waters from the sea will dry up, and the river will be parched and dry. The canals will emit a stench, the streams of Egypt will thin out and dry up; the reeds and rushes (קָנֶה וָסוּף, qāneh wāsūf) will rot away.” (Isaiah 19:5-6).“The scorched land will become a pool and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, its resting place, grass becomes reeds and rushes (קָנֶה וָסוּף, qāneh wāsūf).” (Isaiah 35:7).“You have bought Me not sweet cane (קָנֶה, qāneh) with money, nor have you filled Me with the fat of your sacrifices; rather you have burdened Me with your sins, you have wearied Me with your iniquities.” (Isaiah 43:24).As “reed” or “measuring rod”“Behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze, with a line of flax and a measuring rod (קָנֶה הַמִּדָּה, qāneh ham-middāh) in his hand; and he was standing in the gateway.” (Ezekiel 40:3).“And behold, there was a wall on the outside of the temple all around, and in the man’s hand was a measuring rod (קָנֶה הַמִּדָּה, qāneh ham-middāh) of six cubits, each of which was a cubit and a handbreadth. So he measured the thickness of the wall, one rod; and the height, one rod.” (Ezekiel 40:5).“He measured on the east side with the measuring rod (קָנֶה הַמִּדָּה, qāneh ham-middāh) five hundred rods by the measuring rod.” (Ezekiel 42:16).The Arabic term قَنًى (qanā), which refers to a reed or stalk, is from the same root as the Hebrew קָנֶה (qaneh), and is associated with “acquiring,” “creating,” or “possessing. However, in the context of plants, it refers to reeds or stalks as slender, hollow structures.قَنًى (qanā): A reed or stalk, similar to the Hebrew קָנֶה (qāneh).قِنِيَة (qinīyah): Related to possession or acquiring, aligning with ק-נ-ה, which can also mean “to acquire” or “possess.”قَنِيَ (qaniya): The verb form meaning “to acquire” or “to obtain.”وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ أَغْنَى وَأَقْنَى (wa-annahu huwa aghnā wa-aqnā) “And that it is he who enriches and satisfies (or makes content).” Surah Al-Najim 53:48)τρυφή / ع-د-ن (‘ayin-dal-nun) / ע-ד-נ (‘ayin-dalet-nun)Luke employs the term tryphē as a sociopolitical statement, contrasting the immorality of his opponents—condemned in 2 Peter 2 for emulating the Roman “palace”—with the gentleness of John, who is associated with the Lord God’s Eden.The term עֵ֫דֶן (‘ēḏen) refers to the “place of delight,” “fertility,” or “pleasure.” In Hebrew, עֵ֫דֶן emphasizes delight and lushness, tied to a specific place, the Garden of Eden. In Arabic, عدن (‘adn) pertains to permanence and bliss, the abode of reward, جنة عد (jannat ‘adn), the “Garden of Eternity” or paradise. This function corresponds to τρυφή tryphē in Luke 7:25.

The Odyssey narrates Odysseus’s ten-year journey as the king of Ithaca, during which he attempts to return home after the fall of Troy. Virgil’s Aeneid chronicles the journey of Aeneas, a Trojan hero and son of the goddess Venus. Aeneas escapes the fallen city of Troy and embarks on a quest to start a settler-colonial project in Italy. Virgil wrote a work of total fiction, and then as if by witchcraft, Augustus traced his (and Rome’s) historical origins back to Aeneas.In Jewish Antiquities, Josephus Flavius followed the line of Augustus, adulterating the Bible to appease the ego of his settler-colonial abuser, adopting the same Greco-Roman “literary-historicizing” framework. This may not have resonated with the Jews of the time, but man, would-be Christian imperial colonizers loved his historicizing of epic literature to “build” their apotheosis.What good is Star Wars if lightsabers are not real, if you are not the heir of Luke Skywalker,  and the Republic is not rightfully yours to “possess?”So, thanks to Josephus Flavius, the (sellout, Uncle Tom) closet Hasmonean, and his oversized case of Bible-wrecking Stockholm Syndrome, by now, we’ve had to deal with two millennia of Hellenized theologians who really believe that Jesus picked up where Venus and Augustus left off. If you want to understand the socio-political consequences of this approach, consider watching independent news media on YouTube.If you want to be set free from the tyranny of Augustus and Josephus, hear the Gospel of Luke. This week, I discuss Luke 7:17-19.Show Notes ἔρχομαι (erchomai) ب-و-ء (bā-wāw-hamza)/ ב-ו-א (bet-waw-alef)The Hebrew verb בוא (bo) and the Arabic verb بَاءَ (bā’a) “he returned” are cognates that trace back to a common Semitic root related to movement toward a point—be it coming or returning. This root corresponds to ἐρχόμενος (erchomoenos) in Luke 7:19, the one who is expected.“‘Behold, I am going to send my messenger, and he will clear the way before me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come (יָבוֹא, yāḇôʾ) to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, he is coming,’ says the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 3:1)“The Lord God has sworn by his holiness, ‘Behold, the days are coming (בָּאִ֣ים, bā’îm) upon you when they will take you away with meat hooks, and the last of you with fish hooks.’” (Amos 4:2)Related functions in Arabic:بَاءَ (bā’a) To return, to incur, to be burdened with, to bring upon oneself.بَاءُوا بِغَضَبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ (bā’ū bi-ghaḍabin mina allāh)“They have incurred wrath from God.”(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:61) بَوَّأَ (bawwa’a) To settle someone, to provide lodging, to assign a place.مُتَبَوَّأ (mutabawa’a) A dwelling place. Arabic Lexicon, Hawramani, https://arabiclexicon.hawramani.com/?p=1617&book=50#9b0b27وَلَقَدْ بَوَّأْنَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ مُبَوَّأَ صِدْقٍ (wa laqad bawwa’nā banī isrā’īla mubawwa’a ṣidqin)“And we settled the Children of Israel in a good dwelling-place.”(Surah Yunus 10:93)تَبَاوَأَ (tabāwa’a) Used in literature to describe competition and contention between characters. The verb carries a negative connotation that implies equality. To be equal with each other. Equality in sin or punishment: state of being equally guilty. القتيلان فِي الْقصاص تعادلا (al-qatīlāni fī al-qiṣāsi ta‘ādalā) “Two dead, in retribution, were tied.” “بَوَاءٌ” Arabic Lexicon, Hawramani, https://arabiclexicon.hawramani.com/?p=63888#dbd19f

This week, Fr. Paul reiterates the importance of hearing Scripture within its historical and sociopolitical context. Beginning with Alexander the Great’s quest for divinity, he illustrates this with references to subsequent events, like the Maccabean Revolt and the resulting Roman domination of Judah. In contrast, he critiques the folly of philosophy in biblical studies, arguing that theology, under the influence of its namesake, Alexander the Great, continues the Macedonian's quest for divinity, recounting the tale of how Aristotle's pupil once halted a battle to embark on a “spiritual journey” into the desert, seeking to understand himself as an incarnate god.

Naked Deception! part 2: Nothing New Under The Sun.Recently my son, who is 10, was asking about God - does he love us and does he punish us? I said yes, both of those are true. I reminded him of the story of Noah and the flood. Then he asked, how could God love us if he wanted to wipe us out from the face of the earth? But son, I asked, don’t you see? You and I are still here. Did God send a flood to wipe us out from the face of the earth? Clearly he did not. But precisely because he loves us he gave us instead the story of the flood as an instruction. That’s how the biblical story works for us. Since the teaching is written and since we are its recipients, whenever we hear the instruction as a punishment, it is still grace. Because we are given yet another opportunity to go forward and correct our behavior. In part one of this episode, we discussed the functionality of some terms in the original Hebrew of Genesis chapter 3, particularly how the play on arum (naked) and arum (subtil/crafty) literarily underscores the susceptibility of Adam and his wife to the deception of the serpent. In the story, the consequence of that deception was a series of curses issued by the Lord God. In this episode, part 2, we will look at how some of the same terminology re-appears in chapter 27 of Genesis. Indeed, “that which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).Notessadeh - field hereb - sword Genesis 6:5-6; 27:1-17; 39-40Decoding Genesis 1-11 by Paul Nadim Tarazi (OCBS, 2020)Music: “Brand New Orleans” performed by PrinceArtwork: “Isaac Blessing Jacob” by Assereto