x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

A Light to the Nations - Scripture Analysis Podcast

The Ephesus School

A Light to the Nations is a bi-weekly podcast examining all parts of the biblical story from a functional perspective. Instead of asking what words means, we consider instead their function, i. e., how they are used in other parts of the Bible. In each episode will discuss the functionality of words and how that allows us hear the teaching.

education christianity

All Episodes

12:59

The Next Generation.

A Light to the Nations - Scripture Analysis Podcast ·

2026/04/18

The Next Generation.In Scripture, the mercy of God is expressed in his extending life to the next generation. We hear this demonstrated in two parallel stories in the Gospel of Mark: one in the raising of Jairus’ daughter in chapter 5, and the other in the healing of the man’s son with a mute spirit in chapter 9. In both of these, we hear the same terminology, presented in the same sequence, found later in the New Testament when Paul speaks of Jesus being raised from the dead and then

en

8:01

St. Anger.

A Light to the Nations - Scripture Analysis Podcast ·

2026/03/27

Don’t Try This At Home.If you were to ask someone if Jesus ever got angry, they would probably say yes and refer to the story where he overturns the tables of the money changers. But that’s not accurate. All four of the gospels include a passage about Jesus overturning tables but in none of them does it say anything about his being angry. The noun ὀργῆς (orgēs),anger, appears in Mark 3:5, and it’s a unique example of this word being applied to Jesus. When we are accustomed to understanding

en

8:37

The House Of God.

A Light to the Nations - Scripture Analysis Podcast ·

2026/03/25

Photo by Peter Dyllong: https://www.pexels.com/photo/intricate-stained-glass-angel-with-open-book-35869933/“Koran” performed by Delirium.

en

10:30

Abba, Father.

A Light to the Nations - Scripture Analysis Podcast ·

2026/03/13

Episode 80 - Abba/Father.Your Status Has Changed But Your Behavior Cannot. Although the Lord’s Prayer does not appear in the Gospel of Mark, key elements of it are found in the passage where Jesus is praying In Gethsemane. One of these is the expression “Abba/Father,” a combination of Aramaic and Greek. Paul uses it in Galatians chapter 4 in his teaching on Christ as the son and heir of God. Using the example of adoption in the Roman regal system, he shows that those who receive the Spirit

en

13:49

Porneia.

A Light to the Nations - Scripture Analysis Podcast ·

2026/02/27

It is what you think it is. But it is not only that.In the New Testament, the Greek word πορνεία (porneia) is commonly translated as “sexual immorality.” This term appears frequently in I Corinthians, and it becomes a central point in Paul’s teaching to his Gentile churches. Unfortunately, due to the influence of Puritanism and because of the different ways this word is rendered in English - fornication, licentiousness, lewdness - our understanding of porneia is usually restricted to

en

10:55

The Spiritual Gifts.

A Light to the Nations - Scripture Analysis Podcast ·

2026/02/13

1 Corinthians 12:27-13:7.In his discussion of the spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12, St. Paul uses the expression χαρισμάτων (charismaton).The root of this word is χάρισ (charis), grace. That means, as gifts, they are technically the property of the benefactor and are expected to be used by the recipient in accordance with the will of the benefactor. It is the spirit, that is God, who gives the gifts. And his will is summarized basically in the command to love. That is why Paul’s

en

7:42

Are You Talking To Me?

A Light to the Nations - Scripture Analysis Podcast ·

2026/01/30

Are You Talking To Me?The real conflict in the story of Zacchaeus is between the ones who murmur that Jesus is going to be the guest of one who is a sinner and Jesus’ declaration that he is also a son of Abraham. That Zacchaeus received Jesus‘s invitation with joy and immediately made haste and came down from the tree should not surprise anyone who has been paying attention to Luke. We had heard, earlier in Luke, that Jesus’ mission was not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance

en

12:13

A Rational And Bloodless Worship.

A Light to the Nations - Scripture Analysis Podcast ·

2026/01/25

He did this once for all when he offered up himself.In chapter 8 of Hebrews, Jesus is called the high priest who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens. He is then called the minister/or, more literally the “liturgist” of the sanctuary, that is, the holy place, which is called “the true tent pitched not by man but by the Lord.” There are two emphases in this part of Hebrews and they are related: one is on Jesus’ high priestly sacrifice being made in the

en

8:43

It Is Written.

A Light to the Nations - Scripture Analysis Podcast ·

2026/01/11

After his baptism and before the start of his preaching, Jesus is led by the spirit into the wilderness and is tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11). He doesn’t wage a war with the tempter, nor does he argue. His only defense is “the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:16). To each temptation Jesus references what is written. All his responses are taken from Deuteronomy, which is the second giving of the Law; that is to say, the definitive expression of God’s will

en

11:22

Inclusio.

A Light to the Nations - Scripture Analysis Podcast ·

2025/12/21

A Light 66.Inclusio.“Isn’t this where…we came in?”If you’ve ever listened to Pink Floyd’s the Wall, you will notice that the album closes with the same piece of music that it opens with. Similarly, another Pink Floyd album, Dark Side of the Moon, begins and ends with the sound of a heartbeat. In literature, when a word or motif appears at the beginning and at the end of a work, scholars call it inclusio (a Latin phrase meaning “enclosure”). The evangelist Mark employs this literary device

en

18:44

Andrew The First Called.

A Light to the Nations - Scripture Analysis Podcast ·

2025/12/05

In the gospel of John, the call of Andrew, the apostle with the Greek name, precedes the call of Simon, whose name is derived from Aramaic. For this reason, Andrew is referred to as the “First-Called.” In the narrative, Andrew goes and tells his brother that they have found the Christ. The same pattern is repeated in the call of Phillip - a classic Greek name - who goes and finds Nathanael, who is explicitly identified as “an Israelite.” In this, John seems to be reversing the Scriptural

en

14:52

A Vessel Prepared.

A Light to the Nations - Scripture Analysis Podcast ·

2025/11/21

On November 21 in the Holy Orthodox Church the feast day of the Entrance of the Theotokos in the Temple is celebrated. The epistle reading assigned for this feast is Hebrews 9:1-7, which speaks of the regulations for worship under the first covenant and describes the two parts of the tabernacle, called the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies. In that text, the author of Hebrews emphasizes that the tabernacle had to be prepared before sacrifices could be offered. On this feast day, that

en

9:54

With A Sword In His Hand.

A Light to the Nations - Scripture Analysis Podcast ·

2025/11/08

This episode looks at the remembrance in the Orthodox Church of Archangel Michael, the Chief Commander of the Bodiless Powers, in light of the reading at Vespers from Joshua Chapter 5. The victory granted to Joshua and the children of Israel is based on their adherence to the commandments of the Lord. The sword drawn in the hand of the supreme commander of the army of the Lord is not merely an instrument of war, but something more dreadful. Scripturally speaking, it is the Lord’s judgment

en

10:41

They Seemed To Be Pillars.

A Light to the Nations - Scripture Analysis Podcast ·

2025/11/07

In the previous passage, verses 21-28, the direction of movement was out. Here, it is in - from the synagogue (representing Judaism of the diaspora) to the “house” of Simon (representing the temple, thus the Judaism of Jerusalem). And in that house, Jesus does exactly what he had done to the demon-possessed man - he brings healing through the gospel. This parallel is meant to show that the Jews in Jerusalem are in no different a position than those in diaspora: both need the gospel. Join

en

9:59

He Leads Them Out.

A Light to the Nations - Scripture Analysis Podcast ·

2025/11/01

In the Antiochian Orthodox Church, St. Raphael of Brooklyn is commemorated on the first Saturday in November. At Divine Liturgy, the assigned readings are from the gospel of John and from the epistle to Hebrews. In Chapter 10 of John, Jesus speaks of himself as the good shepherd, the one whose voice the sheep hear when he calls them by name and leads them out. The emphasis on his leading them out reflects a scriptural motif. God takes his people out of Egypt to lead them into Canaan; in

en

13:01

Moses And All The Prophets.

A Light to the Nations - Scripture Analysis Podcast ·

2025/10/31

Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets. In Chapter 3 of Galatians, St. Paul teaches an understanding of Christ that begins with the Pentateuch (the Books of Moses), via the story of Abraham, and goes ⅔ the way through the last scroll of the Latter Prophets, via Habakkuk. He literally “begins with Moses and all the Prophets” to explain all the things in Scripture concerning Jesus Christ. At the conclusion of the Gospel of Luke (24:26), Jesus does precisely the same for his

en

10:24

The Exodus Has Begun.

A Light to the Nations - Scripture Analysis Podcast ·

2025/10/24

You Don’t Find God. He Finds You.In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus enters Capernaum, a place whose name means “village of grace.” Scripturally, Jesus is bringing the news of the gospel to the people in that city as a gift. He goes into the synagogue, the place where the Jews of the diaspora gather to be taught, on the Sabbath, the day for that purpose. It is there that Jesus cleanses a man with an unclean spirit with a word of command. When it says he “entered” the synagogue, the stress is on

en

10:58

The Seed Of Instruction.

A Light to the Nations - Scripture Analysis Podcast ·

2025/10/17

A Light To The Nations - Bonus Episode The Seed Of Instruction. In the Bible, biological reproduction is simply a given, and not a matter of concern. What the Bible emphasizes is progeny through instruction, which it presents using the terminology of biological reproduction - see for example the Parable of the Sower from Mark ch. 4, Luke ch. 8, and Matthew ch. 13. This emphasis is underscored in the passage of Phillip’s encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts. A total outsder with no

en

13:04

Mending The Nets.

A Light to the Nations - Scripture Analysis Podcast ·

2025/10/10

In this passage we hear about Jesus passing by the Sea of Galilee and calling two sets of brothers. First, we encounter “Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon.” It is said that they were “casting a net” for they were fishermen. Mark’s use of the verb ἀμφιβάλλοντας is important to note here. Ballo by itself means to throw; the prefix amphi adds the sense of “around” or “on both sides.” Although there is no direct object, English translators supply “their nets” since that’s the implication

en

10:56

A Test Case.

A Light to the Nations - Scripture Analysis Podcast ·

2025/10/06

Bonus Episode - A Test Case.The value of the story in the gospel of John about Thomas’ doubt is that it’s an opportunity for teaching. The gospel proclamation comes to us in a word. We know that Jesus has been raised from the dead because it has been preached to us by the apostle. When we accept it, we do so based solely on the word of preaching. It is our sole reference. The gospel comes to us through this particular venue, which is according to Scripture, and when we submit to it we get

en

83 results

Similar Podcasts

Science Talk

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

五分钟心理学

柠檬心理

Daily Facts

Amalia Dupray and Montgomery Jones.

Les dents et dodo

BFMTV

Veterinary Clinical Podcasts

The Royal Veterinary College