Walking on Water

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? 

Friends, our Gospel for today is Matthew’s account of the calming of the storm and the walking on the water. This is an event that reached very deeply into the hearts and minds of the first Christians: we can find an account of it in all four Gospels. And the iconic representatio ... Show More

Friends, there’s something Hemingway-esque about Mark’s Gospel—something very direct and uncomplicated. But in another sense, he shows great literary sophistication, and you see it especially in this famous passage for today: the story of the daughter of Jairus, which is interrup ... Show More

Friends, on this fourth Sunday of Lent, our Gospel is one of the most magnificent stories in the Gospel of John: the healing of the man born blind. John is a theological master, of course, but also a literary master, and this story is beautifully crafted as a sort of icon of the ... Show More

Today we begin a new series examining the miracles and signs Jesus performed as chronicled in the book of John. The story of Jesus and the wedding at Cana is widely known, and it is the first miracle documented in this gospel. Jesus not only turns water into wine, but into the BE ... Show More

Friends, we come now to the marvelous Feast of Corpus Christi, of the Body and Blood of Christ. What has been on my mind a lot recently is the famous story of the feeding of the five thousand—the only miracle, with the exception of the Resurrection, recounted in all four Gospels. ... Show More

From the Series, "Gospel of Matthew." Jesus heals the sick and feeds over four thousand people. On first read, it seems as if Matthew is reiterating what he has shown about Jesus already, but as we look closer we see that there is more to this encounter and to Jesus than meets th ... Show More

Friends, this week we resume Ordinary Time, and the Church gives us this extraordinary story of the first sign of Christ’s divinity—the miracle at Cana. Why is the first of Jesus’ miracles turning water into wine at a wedding? Because Jesus himself is the marriage of heaven and e ... Show More

Our first reading for this weekend gives us a glimpse of one of the most powerful texts in the Bible—indeed, one of the truly great literary works that has come down to us from the ancient world. I’m talking about the story that we refer to as first and second Samuel. At the hear ... Show More