Biblical commentaries
Misunderstandings over the "eye for an eye" principle
“I hear frequently from Christians that Jews promote the retributive violence of an eye for an eye whereas Jesus teaches the restorative justice of turning the other cheek. This interpretation misunderstands both Jesus and Judaism. Jesus is speaking about humiliation, not mutilation. The Jewish tradition does not promote retributive…
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Law, Prophets, iota – we need to examine the context to understand the meaning of Jesus’ words
"A text without context creates a pretext", I once heard from a priest, a Bible scholar. I fully agree with this statement, especially in reference to Scripture, both the Old and New Testament. The text of the Bible was being penned for over a millennium by a few dozen…
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What do salt, light and the city on a mountain mean to us?
Like salt, we as Christians are to give God's flavor to the lives of others. Like light, we are to give hope to others in the darkness of everyday life. Like the city on the mountain - Jerusalem - our lives are to be a witness and lead others…
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Why did the disciples, becoming "fishers of men" abandon their nets?
In today's Gospel, the disciples become "fishers of men." But if we think a little more deeply, this image becomes somewhat disturbing. Fish pulled out of the water quickly perish, they have no chance of survival. So why did Jesus call his disciples "fishers of men"? Why do the…
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Hebrew commentary on the Epiphany Sunday
Political ChallengeMatthew chapter 2 opens with the phrase, “In the time of King Herod.” That word “king” asks readers to make a choice: to follow “King Herod,” Rome’s agent who ruled by violence, or to follow the new king, introduced in chapter 1 as the “son of David.”When the…
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Hebrew commentary on the first Sunday of the New Year Gospel
The Gospel for the first day of the Year 2023, the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, seems to have two scenes. The first scene is about the shepherds who heard from the angels that the Messiah was born in Bethlehem. They wanted to see…
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Jewish commentary on the Christmas Gospel
How do we react at difficult moments, how do we behave at periods which seem darker in our life? On Adam and Eve's first winter on Earth the days turned shorter and shorter. The sages in the Babylon Talmud tell us that when Adam, the first man saw that the day…
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Hebrew commentary on the Gospel for the Fourth Sunday of Advent
Jesus (Hebrew: Yeshua) is a shortened version of the name "Yehoshua" (Lord saves), Emmanuel (Hebrew: immanu El) means "God with us" - two Hebrew names that contain the essence and function of the announced Messiah, writes biblical scholar Fr. Prof. Dr. Miroslaw Wróbel, director of the Abraham J. Heschel…
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Hebrew commentary on the Gospel for the Third Sunday of Advent
The announcement of the Messiah, who comes and heals His people and is willing to suffer for them. Jesus used this and other concepts because he knew that his listeners were well familiar with them and he wanted them to read the events of his time in this light…
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Jewish commentary on the Gospel for the First Sunday of Advent
Why does Jesus use the comparison to a thief? - asks Dr. Faydra Shapiro, director of the Israel Center for Jewish-Christian Relations, in a commentary for the Heschel Center of the Catholic University of Lublin. The key is the Law of Moses relating to theft. This context provides a…
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