Bible is Lit

This is the final episode in our Jesus + Torah unit. This episode traces the connections between the narrative of the life of Jesus and Israel under Moses’ leadership.Topics Covered:​5 major movements = five worlds = five soul layers​Connections to Egypt​The two Joseph’s and their dreams​Wandering and wilderness​Temptations and tests​Crucifixion and healing​Ascension ​5 loaves, 2 fishes = 5 secrets, two witnesses

In this episodes we look at the connections between the Sermon on the Mount and Moses receiving the 10 Commandments on Mount Sinai.Topics Covered:​Mountains/high places and their symbolism​The archetype of the sage/wise man​10 commandments, 10 blessings, 10 divine characteristics​Hebrew mysticism—The Sefirot and connection to “the fruits of The Spirit”​How the blessings in the Beatitudes correspond to deeper layers of the 10 Commandments​Connections to 1st creation​Types of souls, the evolution of the soul

The Torah is an essential text to world culture. Regardless of religious affiliation, it has influenced the formation of law and community life across a variety of peoples since it's conception. The Torah is also a masterwork of literature. In this episode, we unpack the 10 Commandments as an essential piece in the plot of The Bible as a work of literature.Topics Covered: Mountains as ArchetypesAnimal sacrifices as transmutationMoses' two trips up and down the mountainShattering of the tables of stoneTikkun--rectification and gathering of divine characteristics10 commandments=10 divine characteristics=10 fruits of the spirit.5 loaves and 2 fish=5 worlds and 2 witnessesThe 5 worlds: Assiyah, Yetzirah, Beriyah, Atzilut, Adam KadmonThe 5 corresponding souls: Nefesh, Ruah, Neshama, Yechida, ChayaHow each command requires 5 layers of revelation and application

In this unit we explore the connections to The Torah and Jesus. Topics Covered:-Historical Origins-The TaNaK, The Christian Bible-Torah specifically and as a general term for teachings-Oral traditions-Influence on major religions and interpretations of major religions.-Chiasmus, Chiasm, Chiastic structure-The Gospels as Torah reinterpreted -Why Jesus is controversial-Who is Messiah

In this episode we look at some juicy questions submitted by listeners and students.Topics Covered:​-What is Heaven?​-Western Folk Religion​-Ancient cosmology​-Merging of Heaven and earth​-Motifs of Heaven and earth ​-Apocalyptic literature connections to dystopian literature ​-John of Patmos, not the same as the Apostle.​-Literal but not literal but also archetypal​-Blind obedience v. Relationship​-Abraham’s sacrifices and connections to Cain​-Mercy v. Sacrifice

In Q and A episode, we delve into some heavy hitters like: -Is Heaven real? If so, what's it like? -Why does Jacob wrestle with God. -Hell, Sheol, Hades, and everlasting punishment. -Why does God destroy Sodom and Gomorrah? -Why is the woman with an issue of blood such a prominent story?

This Q and A episode was developed from listener and student-generated questions regarding a previous episode on Destruction and Rebirth of Israel in Egyptian captivity. You can listen to that ⁠episode here⁠ if you need to get caught up. Just click the link or scroll. Topics Covered: Why did Pharoah treat the Israelites so poorly. A brief history of how Israel ended up in Egypt. How long was Israel supposed to remain in Egypt? What's the deal with all these plagues? Did Moses ever see his family again? Moses as Cain redeemed.

The final section of our Tragic Heroes unit examines the life of Solomon. As with most tragic heroes, Solomon proves to be a controversial character. The semi-bastard son of King David, Solomon is both the son of magnificent promise, but also is one who subverts the traditional order in the world of the narrative. Topics Covered: How Solomon subverts the order of tradition. Birthright motifs. Meta-narrative of God blessing those "outside" of societal traditions Solomon's fame. Narrative structure, and how the it predicts Solomon's downfall. Fame. Money. Where do we get wisdom?

As we delve deeper into Tragic Hero narratives in The Bible, this episode we take a look at Samson. As you could probably guess, this story is much deeper, and much more nuanced than the typical Sunday-school treatment it gets. In fact, it could be said, that his story is a miniature history and foretelling of the fates and fortunes of Israel. Topics Covered: Samson's family history Divine/miracle birth The Nazirite's vow The Riddle The betrayal Samson's retribution and the question of holy violence How many times does Samson break his vow? Symbolism behind burning vineyards, wheat fields, and olive groves Samson's lack of having a sword Discernment, sight and blindness Betrayal trauma Relying on one's own "giftedness"

Continuing our study on Tragic Hero narratives in The Bible, this episode breaks down the story of Jonah. Listen to our background episode and that of King Saul here. Jonah, as a story in the greater context of The Bible, almost defies classification. As such, the narrative becomes a type of satire and a mirror in which the reader has to wrestle with some tough questions about the nature of God. Topics Covered: Jonah as Satire "The Man of God" as a type of nobility The fatal flaw of self-righteousness The dangers of "Choseness" and "Giftedness" Ironies, Ironies and more Ironies Tiamat and Sumerian creation narratives. The Chaos waters Who is more powerful: Marduk-the violent warrior, or YHWH who speaks and the seamonster obeys? Jonah as the older brother in The Prodigal Son The tree and the worm, the tree and the serpent

King Saul is one of the most intriguing figures in the Bible Story. While showing much potential, the first political king of Israel just can't seem to get it right. In this episode we dive into the structure of a Tragic Hero narrative and pull out details from the story which have been forcing readers for generations to consider the following question: Was King Saul doomed to failure from the start? Listen to find out. Topics Covered: The Structure of a Tragic Hero Narrative Saul's Nobility Fatal Flaws, Woundedness What Saul and Walter White have in common Embracing the wound as transformation Overcoming the wound as a separator between a hero and a tragic hero. Saul and Zoolander--both ridiculously good-looking The symbolism of Saul's sword The symbolism of Saul's death

This episodes traces similarities between the award-winning film WALL-E stories from The Biblical canon. Topics Explored: The themes of destruction and rebirth Symbolism of Names WALL-E as a Noah type figure The Axiom as a type of Egyptian captivity "To till and to Tend" Different manifestations of AI AI's "Otto" as Pharoah Law versus life The law of life Does humanity really desire comfort?

The Book of Job may prove to be the most interestingly complex works in the collections of The Bible. Part frame tale, part poetic masterpiece, part critique of neighboring Ancient Near-Eastern philosophies, this book has been inviting readers for over 1000 years to wrestle with some of life's toughest questions. We also have a strange moment where God and The Devil have a conversation. Topics Covered: Frame story Abundance and fruitfulness Decreation and destruction The well-meaning advice without God's discernment Similarities between Garden of Eden and Noah stories. Is God just? Does God run the universe on justice? Does God punish the bad and reward the good? How can suffering be explained?

In this episode we look at the motif of creation, decreation, destruction, and rebirth and how it applies to a nation. As we have seen, this Bible story flips the attempt to commit evil upon an entire nation on its head, and uses the circumstance to give birth to a new culture entirely. Topics Covered: Tie ins--the end of Genesis as a frame for beginning of Exodus Why is genocide a theme throughout the Bible? Representations of water Be fruitful and multiply--the reverse of Eve's "curse". Moses' role. Catch up on Moses' background here. Representations of the Garden of Eden, 1st creation and the overlapping of Heaven and Earth.

Continuing in a study of destruction and rebirth, this episode examines the pattern and motif and how it plays out in the story of Noah and The Flood. Source text Genesis 6:1-9:4. Topics Covered: Divine beings having offspring with human women Conspiracy theories Ancient aliens Connections between divine beings and The Serpent Adam and Eve episode recommendation. The flood as a re-creation of first creation God and wind God and waters Waters above and waters below The Raqia Ancient Near-Eastern "God of the Oceans" interpretations...

As a whole, The Bible operates in movements of Creation and Destruction, Destruction and Rebirth, ultimately leading us the the stunning conclusion than Heaven and Earth are always desiring to meet and become one spectacular place. In the midst of all of this, a character named "YHWH" or "God" is always trying to bring order to the chaos the created world brings into paradise. In this episode, we look at the origin of Heaven and Earth overlapping and in The Garden of Eden, along with the implications and patterns that follow. Topics Covered: Literary units The importance of a literary frame The literary frames for Gen 2:4-4:2 Biblical Repetition and ordering in Ancient Near-Eastern Literature The Serpent as a Heavenly being The Serpent as a archetype of chaos Adam/Adan as the meeting of Heaven and Earth in a body The Garden of Eden as a realm where Heaven and Earth Meet Temples and Tabernacles and Churches and Christ Water motifs throughout The Bible Story Who is cursed? Eve? Was she a dream of Adam's or was she taken from his rib, literally?

We delve into some heavy-hitting student and listener questions on this fun, quick, Q and A episode. Topics Covered: Literary perspectives on creation and evolution The Bible Canon Most referenced book of the Bible Archetypes Who wrote The Bible? Preservation of Culture The TaNaK Old Testament and New Testament Listen to the background episode to get caught up.

This episode completes our study of The Monomyth or Hero's Journey as termed by Joseph Campbell. We take a detailed look at the life of Jesus of Nazareth, and the similarities and differences between his narrative and the stories of Abraham, Moses and David. Topics Covered: Jesus' birth and it's nods to Moses The motif of the miraculous birth Representations of the rural and the urban in Ancient Literature Being born during a genocide Why "there was no room at the inn" More similarities to Moses and David at birth Jesus' temptation in the wilderness as a reinterpretation of Israel in Sinai Jesus' 1st miracle as call to adventure, and why he did it when he did it. Jesus preaching to lost souls in the Underworld... Similarities between Jesus' and Moses' "Return Home". *** Texts: Luke 2, Matthew 4, John 2:1-11, Matthew 20:17-34, Isaiah 53:3-12, John 19, I Peter 3:19, Mark 16:14-20

In this episode we look at David's narrative arc and how it lines up with The Monomyth or Hero's Journey. Topics Covered: The farm boy beginnings motif Connections to Luke Skywalker Samuel the Prophet and "Right seeing" David as a political figure David as a vulnerable human David's tests David's fall David as a man of war Connections to Moses, and Abraham.

This episode takes a look at archetypal connections between Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and narrative arcs in The Bible with a specific focus on Campbell's "Monomyth" aka The Hero's Journey. Topics Covered: Star Wars Background Why Star Wars and The Bible connect Hero's Journey Recap Hero's Journey in The Bible Parallels: Luke Skywalker and King David Parallels: God and The Force Obi-Wan Kenobi as a Christ Figure Darth Vader--a tragic Hero? Subversion and inversion of established order Wielding power without wisdom Name changes and their significance

In this episode, we examine the narrative arc of Moses. Is this a true hero's journey, or is there more to it? Moses, in one sense could be the first epic hero in history. But what if he is something entirely different? Topics Covered: The Torah as a literary "chiasm" Mirror stories Similarities between Moses' story and Jesus' story Moses as Cain reinterpreted Moses as an exile The need for refuge cities The difference between the wilderness and the city Mountains versus Towers Symbolism of Moses' death

This episode looks at The Hero's Journey in The Abraham Story from Genesis. Topics Covered: The Call to adventure Failure to launch syndrome is not new Patterns of sacrifice Why does Abram fight? Why does Abram not fight? When is the proper time to fight? Who is Melchizedek? The tests of Abraham Name changes Numerology and maturation Human sacrifice Can you mess up God's promise?

The Hero's Journey is a pattern of storytelling, identified by scholar, Joseph Campbell, and popularized in film and culture in works such as Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter. Although The Bible predates the identification of this pattern and technique, there remain several versions of "The Hero's Journey" in The Bible Story. This episode examines the background and components of the pattern, along with what Bible stories we will cover. Topics Covered: Joseph Campbell and connections to pop culture The components of The Hero's Journey Representations of The Hero's Journey Recognizing the patterns in literature Recognizing the patterns in life Ovid's Metamorphosis Name changes in The Bible Abraham's hero arc Moses' hero arc David's hero arc Jesus' hero arc

Concluding our unit of Twin Stories and Sibling Rivalries, this episode covers one of the most famous stories of all time--"The Prodigal Son". Topics Covered: The importance of ordering and sequencing in Ancient Narratives Jesus' reinterpretation of familiar stories How repetition works in wisdom literature Connections to Cain and Abel Connections to Isaac and Ishmael Connections to Jacob and Esau Narrative inversion, narrative conversion The Father as the main character 1 prodigal or 2 prodigals? *** Click the link to access questions for further study.

Continuing our study of sibling rivalries and "Twin Stories", this episode takes a look at the narrative arc of Jacob and Esau, their feud, and reconciliation. Topics Covered: -Framework/impact of a narrative frame -Prophecy and patterns of prophecy -The motif of the barren woman -The inverted birthright -"Dwelling in tents" v. "Roaming the wilderness" -Jacob as "the heel grabber" -Connections to Adam and Eve -Isaac's role -The effects of unhealed trauma on future generations *** Click the link to access study questions to enhance your experience.

Continuing in our study of Twin Stories and sibling rivalries, this episode focuses on the conception of Isaac and Ishmael, and the patterns this narrative establishes for unfolding of The Bible Story. Topics Covered: -Significance of "birthright". -What is a "Child of Promise". -The position of women in ancient Near-Eastern Cultures -Economic opportunities for women in these cultures -Is Abraham a good father? -Connections to Cain and Abel -Connections to Adam and Eve in The Garden of Eden *** Click here for questions for further study.

Continuing our study on Twin Stories and sibling rivalries, this episode takes a nuanced look at the story of Cain and Abel from Genesis 4. Topics Covered: -Twins Stories, sibling rivalries review of background. -Importance of patterns in theme. -What is wisdom literature? -Why did God reject Cain's sacrifice? -Repetition as a literary technique in ancient narratives. -The test, and human choices. -Dichotomy of mercy and justice. -The origins of violence. *** Click here to download questions for further study and discussion.

This episode begins a study on Twin representations within The Bible Story. Twins and sibling stories are found all throughout The Bible. This episode looks at twins through the lens of archetypes as a springboard into these four Bible Stories: Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, and The Prodigal Sons. Topics Covered: -Polarties in The Bible -The purposeful use of contrast and repetition in ancient literature -Twins as archetypes. -Twin stories in history and pop-culture. -Harry Potter -Gilgamesh -Thor and Loki -Tupac and Biggie as a twin archetypes -Jesus' reinterpretation of ancient twin narratives. **** Here is the link to the background notes and other resources for this study.

The Bible is a book of books. It is a story comprised of many stories. In this introductory episode we examine some key components of Biblical history, psychology, myth, and literary techniques that will aid us in deepening our understanding in not only The Bible, but ourselves, our world, and the people around us. Topics Covered: -Biblical Origins -The Jewish Bible -The TaNaK, The Nevi'm, The Kethuvim -The Christian Bible -Terminology -Carl Jung -Joseph Campbell -Archetypes, Motifs, Symbols *** Click here for a link to background slides and notes