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In this live program, Presvytera and Dr. Jeannie Constantinou guides us through Holy Scripture with the eyes of the Church Fathers and answers listener questions. Live on Mondays at 7:00pm Central/8:00pm Eastern.
338 Episodes
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The number of English Versions has exploded in recent years. Why? How are they different? What should you consider and what should you avoid? We'll look at the history of the English Bible, and Dr Jeannie will share some of her personal experiences in doing translation work.
Accurate and effective translation of the Bible requires language knowledge but also other skills. What considerations must translators weigh and how does their approach affect the final version? What should readers bear in mind?
Certain translations of the Bible have played an important role in Christian and Jewish history, especially the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text. Why were they created and why are they important?
Critics of Christianity claim that the birth of Jesus is simply copied from pagan mythologies. We'll examine those claims and make a true comparison of the "other accounts" of Virgin Births in antiquity. Are they in fact similar or not?
In the first of two special lessons on the Nativity of Christ, we will look at lesser discussed details about the birth of Christ, such as how the devil was deceived and why the name of David is mentioned often in the genealogy of Christ, with the Fathers as our guides!
No two manuscripts of any biblical book are exactly alike. Why not? Does this affect the reliability of the Scriptures, and should we be concerned? What do ancient manuscripts look like?
Your neatly printed Bible is based on thousands of handwritten manuscripts. Where are they? How old are they? How were manuscripts produced in the past, and how are they analyzed today? What happens when manuscripts don't agree?
Early Christians relied on oral tradition since that was the norm in education, not only for them but for all ancient people. There were also many times when Christians intentionally did not write important things down. Is there any evidence that oral tradition is reliable?
The Bible relies heavily on oral tradition, even though it is written. Why is that the case? How did early Christians learn about Jesus? How did they interact with Scriptures, and what role did oral tradition play in the Church? Is oral tradition reliable, and if so, how?
The concept that God actually gets angry and has similar human emotions and traits is not only theologically incorrect but spiritually damaging. This week, we hear from both listeners and the Fathers as we continue to discuss biblical language when it must not be taken literally.
As we continue our discussion of why God does not get angry, jealous, or otherwise behave as a human being, we will look at some of the most famous passages of the Bible and how the Fathers explain the "behavior" of God, especially in Genesis.
Reorienting ourselves to think differently about God is a challenge, but necessary if we are to have a correct understanding of God and the Bible. Even the ancient Fathers understood that God does not get angry or jealous. Can we raise our minds to understand why?
The human language of the Bible is entirely inadequate to express truths about God. Many descriptive words cannot be understood literally, such as God becoming angry. We must accept this limitation to have correct concepts about God and a deeper understanding of the Bible.
The Fathers shared certain basic assumptions about the Bible, including the belief that every detail in the Bible had a useful spiritual purpose. Even the most ordinary passage can convey deep insights if properly interpreted.
Did God dictate the Bible word for word? That idea makes inspiration easy to understand, but is very problematic, not to mention simplistic and naive. The ancient Christian view of the Fathers was deep, sophisticated, and reflected the highest regard for the human person.
Our connection to the early Church is clearly evident in our interpretation of the Bible. Why is the Orthodox method of biblical interpretation so important? Why does it work, and how does it work? We will compare Chrysostom and Augustine as bishops and biblical interpreters.
Many methods of modern biblical interpretation have distorted the Bible, and this trend has only worsened. How did these perspectives gain a foothold in universities and society? How has Orthodoxy preserved the correct interpretation of the Bible from the early Church?
The modern era has led to advancements in biblical studies, but also to numerous controversies resulting from modern biblical criticism. What is "biblical criticism" and does it have any benefits? How does the Orthodox Church understand the Bible and its interpretation?
What makes a religious book "Scripture"? Why is the Bible sometimes hard to understand? Why is it called the "New Testament"? Why did the Fathers of the Church encourage reading of the Bible? Did people follow their advice, or did they just make excuses like we do?
Dr. Constantinou begins a new series, Introduction to the New Testament. She explains why the Bible must be seriously studied, where the word "Bible" came from, and why, according to St. John Chrysostom, it is unfortunate that the Bible even exists. So why does it exist?
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