October 16 - The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke.

The Apostle Luke the Evangelist is commonly identified as “the beloved physician” who is mentioned in St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians (4:14). In this episode, we look at evidence from the text of Luke’s gospel - his emphasis on healing - to mitigate for his being known as the physician. This emphasis is not unique to Luke, but it permeates his book more so than Matthew, Mark and John. Between Luke and Acts of the Apostles, we find at least 36 occurrences of the verb “to heal” or the noun “healing,” which is overwhelming to say the least!

Notes:
θεραπείας (translated “household” in Luke 12:42)
οἰκετείας (also translated “household” in Matthew’s parallel text - 24:45
Acts 16
Colossians 4:14
Revelation 22:1

Megalynaria is performed by *Ncense from the album More Spacious Than The Heavens.

Acts 17:22-31.
The Apostle Paul, in Athens, takes the opportunity to preach in the Areopagus. One man, Dionysius, is among those who hear and join him. Athens is named after the goddess Athena. Its name is grammatically plural (detectable in the final “s” - “Athens”), reflecting the many statues and temples erected to the goddess in the city. This was common in the ancient world. Anyone visiting Athens would immediately know to whom the city pertained. Such convention sheds light on an otherwise puzzling fact: in the Bible, “God” in Hebrew (“Elohim”) is grammatically plural. Why is that so? And how is the God that Paul preached unlike the other deities, known and unknown, that were worshipped in the ancient world?

This is Episode 88 of A Light to the Nations, a production of the Ephesus School Network.

Notes:
Genesis 1:1
אֱלֹהִ֑ים (Elohim)

“Sing A New Song” composed and performed by Raphael Shaheen.

The Son Of Man.

When Jesus refers to himself in the Gospels, it is almost exclusively as “Son of Man;” that is to say, not “Son of God” as in “a king.” Moreover, Jesus is systematically referred to as “a teacher” in the Gospels more than any other appellation. In both of these aspects - Son of Man and teacher - the Gospels are following the lead of both Ezekiel and Isaiah, respectively. In Ezekiel, the title is a belittling of the kings of Judah and Israel who were supposed to be the representatives of God. Because of their disobedience, God makes a mere Son of Man (ben-Adam) his plenipotentiary. In Isaiah, we hear that the servant of the Lord is assigned to restore not only the redeemed of Israel, but is also given as a light to the nations, “so that the salvation of the Lord might reach to the end of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6). This servant is struck by the will of the Lord, after which his progeny is raised via the word, the seed of instruction. Thus, he is a teacher.

Enter in the Gospels Jesus, the Son of Man, the Teacher…

Notes
Genesis 3:5
Isaiah 49:6;53:6,10-11
Ezekiel 3:1-2
Psalm 45:6-7;82:4,6-7
Matthew 21:23;25:31-33
Philippians 2:5-11

Crystal Ball rehearsal and Bobbi Jo performed by Prince.