Tell Me The Story

02/08/2023

The 12 Tribes of Israel: The sons of Reuben Hanoch dedicatedPallu wonder/marvelousHezron settlement/ villageCarmi my vineyard The sons of Simeon Jemuel Day of ElJamin Right HandOhad Joined TogetherJachin He will establish Zohar Whiteness Shaul Asked for The sons of Levi Gershon Outcast/...

26/07/2023

This week, we continue our recitation and discussion of the book of Genesis with an emphasis on the Semitic understanding of "peace" as it relates to Joseph's reunion with his brothers. Intro and outro music Copyright © Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA, used by permission. All rights.....

05/04/2023

In the process of reuniting with his brothers, Joseph celebrates the occasion by inviting them to a common meal. Not only does he order them according to the order of their birth, he also serves the youngest brother the biggest portion. In other words, the last shall be first. Join Rowdy and I as...

05/04/2023

Continuing our recitation and commentary on the book of Genesis, we point out interesting similarities between Joseph and Cyrus. When it comes to the messiah, everybody expects a homegrown King David, but such a king is never to be found because the iniquity comes from inside the group, not...

05/04/2023

An in-depth look at the broad Biblical narrative ranging from the Old Testament (Torah, Prophets, and Writings) to the New Testament. Intro and outro music Copyright © Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA, used by permission. All rights reserved.

01/03/2023

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Welcome to another episode of Tell Me the Story! Today, we will be looking at Paul’s letter to Philemon, which is the last of the so-called pastoral letters and the penultimate letter traditionally attributed to Paul. The next book in the canon of course is the monumental letter to the Hebrews,...

16/01/2023

In the pericope of Joseph’s story, we have the seemingly odd narrative choice to insert a story about Judah before returning to Joseph. When taken as a totality however, it is clear that the Biblical authors are making a comparison between these two characters and their behavior. Joseph is forced ...

29/12/2022

In today's episode, we begin the story of Joseph. This is the climactic and lengthy finale to the book of Genesis where all of the themes introduced thus far finally come at a head in Joseph's betrayal by his older brothers and his exile to Egypt. Let us be attentive! Intro and outro music Copyright...

30/11/2022

Jacob's short-lived WrestleMania results in a shameful title, that of Israel. However, in his arrogance, he wears it like a championship belt all unaware of the reasoning behind his circumstances. Now, in this chapter, God himself calls Jacob Israel, but for what purpose? What is different about this renaming from the previous one? Come and see...

Jacob's short-lived WrestleMania results in a shameful title, that of Israel. However, in his arrogance, he wears it like a championship belt all unaware of the reasoning behind his circumstances. Now, in this chapter, God himself calls Jacob Israel, but for what purpose? What is different about thi...

23/11/2022

In chapter 34 of Genesis, we have an abuse of the covenant of circumcision. Certain characters will impose circumcision upon their enemies, using that as a weapon to weaken them, and then slaughter them in that compromised state. And it just so happens these characters are the progenitors of Israel’s priestly class. In other words, the upper echelon of society. Yikes. Let’s hear the story.

Back in chapter 17, the covenant of circumcision was imposed upon Abraham and everyone in his household. This was done in order to emasculate the males under the covenant in order to emphasize God’s authority and ownership over the progeny. So circumcision then is an invitation to God’s communit...

10/11/2022

A short and sweet episode for a short and sweet chapter. Esau shows Jacob mercy and forgiveness, taking Jacob and the hearers by surprise!

The man Jacob wrestled with was a foreshadowing of his expected battle with Esau, the brother who swore to kill Jacob 20 years prior. However, Jacob sees that he is outmatched this time, so instead of squaring up for a fight, he falls to the ground in humility, fully expecting his brother's wrath. T...

03/11/2022

Genesis is the key to understanding the entire scriptural story and the function of Israel is one of the most critical to understand. To be an Israelite is to be constantly reminded that your forefathers acted against the will of God and acted violently against men. That’s a tough pill to swallow, but that’s scripture.

Genesis is the key to understanding the entire scriptural story and the function of Israel is one of the most critical to understand. To be an Israelite is to be constantly reminded that your forefathers acted against the will of God and acted violently against men. That’s a tough pill to swallow,...

26/10/2022

Join us this week for our discussion of Genesis 31!

Today we look at Genesis 31, continuing the saga of the Old Testament patriarch Jacob. Intro and outro music Copyright © Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA, used by permission. All rights reserved.

05/10/2022

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Join us for today's episode where we discuss the content of Genesis 29! Let us be attentive

Remember how straightforward the story of Abraham’s servant and Rebekah was? The servant simply went to Mesopotamia, trusted God to find a wife for Isaac, was presented with Rebekah, and then the two made their way back to Canaan. Well, it’s time to throw that out of the window. At this point in...

29/09/2022

Today, Rowdy and I discuss Genesis 28 and further discuss the dangers of attempting to "contain" an uncontainable God. This appears most forcefully in scripture in the form of the Temple-Palace complex and with idolatry in general, but in the world of today's Christians it can also be found within our systems of dogmatics and theology. Let us be attentive!

All Christians today are likely familiar with the concept of being “transformed” by scripture or Christ or however you want to phrase it. This, and the idea of being a “born again Christian” which has been in vogue in evangelical circles for the last 50 years or so, speaks to a certain reali...

22/09/2022

This week is Blaise's essay on the literary connection between Genesis 15 and Luke 16! We will return to our study of Genesis next week.

This week we present one of our two papers as they were presented at the 2022 OCABS symposium. This week is Blaise's "The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus as a Retelling of Genesis 15". Intro and outro music Copyright © Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA, used by permission. All right...

16/09/2022

For the next two weeks, Rowdy and I will be sharing our papers for the 2022 OCABS Symposium! First up is Rowdy's paper on "spiritual gifts" as presented by Paul in 1 Corinthians!

This week we present one of our two papers as they were presented at the 2022 OCABS symposium. This week is Rowdy's "Ultimate Spiritual Gift's Test." Intro and outro music Copyright © Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA, used by permission. All rights reserved.

07/09/2022

Like all names in the Bible, Jacob's has a clear function which is explored in Genesis chapter 27. Let us be attentive!

Like all names in the Bible, Jacob's has a clear function which is explored in Genesis chapter 27. Let us be attentive! Intro and outro music Copyright © Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA, used by permission. All rights reserved.

31/08/2022

We’ve spent the last few months laboring in detail the often complicated and frustrating story of the patriarch Abraham in the Bible. Surprisingly, Isaac’s story is fleeting like a vanishing v***r. He shows up, and almost instantly the text seems more concerned with his son Jacob than with Isaac. But in chapter 26, we get Isaac’s only real narrative for himself and it turns out to be one of the most critical in the book of Genesis. So let’s turn our scriptural ears on and get underway with Genesis chapter 26!

We’ve spent the last few months laboring in detail the often complicated and frustrating story of the patriarch Abraham in the Bible. Surprisingly, Isaac’s story is fleeting like a vanishing v***r. He shows up, and almost instantly the text seems more concerned with his son Jacob than with Isaac...

24/08/2022

We come to scripture this week expecting to hear more about our new focal character Isaac, but we are shocked to find out that the story in Genesis 25 has already moved on to new characters: Isaac's two sons. Why the quick progression? What's the deal with Esau and his obsession with pottage? Come and see...

We come to scripture this week expecting to hear more about our new focal character Isaac, but we are shocked to find out that the story in Genesis 25 has already moved on to new characters: Isaac's two sons. Why the quick progression? What's the deal with Esau and his obsession with pottage? Come a...

17/08/2022

In today's episode, we discuss the journey of Abraham's chief servant to the family's roots in Aram Naharaim. Let us be attentive!

Today we hear the mashal of Genesis 24! Let us be attentive. Intro and outro music Copyright © Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA, used by permission. All rights reserved.

10/08/2022

In today's episode, Rowdy and I discuss the interaction between Abraham and Ephron the Hittite. There are several subtleties in the text to be explored, so let us be attentive!

Today we hear the mashal of Genesis 23 where Abraham is curiously rejecting the mercy of his enemy and seeks to buy the gift of the land as a possession for himself. Let us be attentive! Intro and outro music Copyright © Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA, used by permission. All rights ...

03/08/2022

In the binding of Isaac is essentially the litmus test to see whether Abraham not only trusts the command of God, but actually obeys that command. Scriptural faith is not about belief. You have to actually DO what was commanded of you. Let us hear the story!

In today’s episode we hear the story of Abraham being commanded by the Scriptural God to sacrifice Isaac. This is a very famous story from the Bible and is used by various different people to make various different assertions about God and the Bible, but today you will hear from us not an assertio...

27/07/2022

Isaac's birth in chapter 21 is often overlooked. The long awaited promised progeny is finally gifted to Abraham, but seemingly without his involvement at all. Not only is this implied from the book of Genesis, Paul even seems to pick up on this reading in Galatians 4:23! Reading the story of Isaac in this light not only illuminates his story, but sheds considerable context around the virgin birth narratives of Jesus in Matthew's and Luke's gospels. Let us be attentive!

This week we cover chapter 21 of Genesis. This is the story of Isaacs's birth and the surrounding events. Join us as we discuss the story and the overlooked but incredibly important detail which is Isaac's conception and birth seeming to happen without any involvement from Abraham. Intro and outro m...

20/07/2022

In today's episode of TMTS, Rowdy and I discuss the introduction of the Philistines to the scriptural narrative. Who are these people and why are they so prominent in the Old Testament? The key could be found in the translation of "Philistine" to "Allophylos" in the Septuagint. Let us be attentive!

As already discussed many times in this podcast, Abraham's story in the book of Genesis is anything but linear. For every move in obedience to God, there is a countermove in disobedience. We will see this play out for the final time in the Abraham cycle before his full character actualization in cha...

13/07/2022

In today's episode of TMTS, Rowdy and I discuss the story of S***m and Gomorrah and how it has been misrepresented by commentators and the popular culture.

Join us as we read through Genesis 19 and critique the popular reception of the story of S***m and Gomorrah. Intro and outro music Copyright © Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA, used by permission. All rights reserved.

06/07/2022

Our ideologies are our downfall. We cannot use scripture to suit our desires and our ideological premises. We cannot even come to scripture with questions. We must only seek to hear what scripture is saying. Join us today as we attempt to do just that in light of historic sociological shifts in the United States.

Our ideologies are our downfall. We cannot use scripture to suit our desires and our ideological premises. We cannot even come to scripture with questions. We must only seek to hear what scripture is saying. Join us today as we attempt to do just that in light of historic sociological shifts in the....

29/06/2022

In today's episode, we discuss Genesis 18! Among many things, we continue to note the striking choice by the authors to emphasize the "holiness" of bedouin shepherd life which was unanimously looked down upon by other contemporaneous literature. The Bible was and continues to be against the grain. It is against the so called "civilized world". Let us be attentive!

Join us this week as we hear the pericope of Abraham's hospitality toward YHWH, his master. YHWH is identified in the appearance of three men- who are these three men? Three angels? Two angels and The LORD? Three shepherds? Is it even important? Come and see... Intro and outro music Copyright © Hol...

22/06/2022

In this interlude episode, I argue that the fundamental problem with "theology" is that it reduces scriptural faith into something that is to be "believed" rather than "lived out" in obedience to a command. Let us be attentive!

In this interlude episode, I argue that the fundamental problem with "theology" is that it reduces scriptural faith into something that is to be "believed" rather than "lived out" in obedience to a command. Intro and outro music Copyright © Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA, used by per...

15/06/2022

In today's episode, Rowdy and I conclude our discussion on Genesis 17 with Sarai's name change to Sarah and the annunciation of Isaac. As noted from Isaac's name, the scandal of the human being is the mocking of God's promise. But as Proverbs 3:34 reminds us, God mocks the mockers. Let us be attentive!

Perhaps you’ve heard before that God has a sense of humor. Well, that is true but not in the way you might think. Often, if we say God has a sense of humor it is so that we can relate with God. We want him to be the father we didn’t have, the friend we need, the brother who will watch out for us...