Show Notes
A daily note from the team at OCABS.ORG, drawing on the published works of Fr. Paul Nadim Tarazi, with citations to his books and lectures.
Readings: Luke 9:23-27.
Fr. Paul reads the call to "deny himself, take up his cross" as deliberately open-ended: Luke alone adds "every day," because life in the Roman Empire offers no fixed ground, only the daily teaching one must keep living out. Bearing the cross is metaphorical, not literal, extending even to being put to shame for this teaching. His Romans commentary makes the same point about Paul's "living sacrifice," a phrase that only makes sense metaphorically, just as Luke's command to take up the cross daily must be taken metaphorically rather than as a factual, daily killing [1,3,4].
The question of gaining the world and losing oneself touches scripture's whole view of the human being. Fr. Paul links it to a consumerist mode of existence that is, he says, "the mirror opposite of living scripturally." His Philippians commentary adds that the shameful death on the cross named here "was glossed over, if not totally lost" by classical theology, which speaks only of extra suffering and empathy rather than the real challenge of accepting utter shame for the crucified Son of Man [6,2].
Being ashamed of Jesus and "of my words" draws Fr. Paul's image of a defense attorney ashamed of his own client: there is then no case. He notes Luke's distinctive term "words," used repeatedly, is Luke's own name for his book. The promise that some will not taste death before seeing the kingdom leads directly into Luke's transfiguration account, which he reads as reworked from Mark, folding in elements of Gethsemane so that the passion is already anticipated there [1,3,12].
The root pair of the day · ע-מ-ד ʿayin–mem–dalet, עָמַד ʿamad · ع–م–د ʿayn–mīm–dāl, عَمَد ʿamad · take one's stand; stand; be in a standing attitude. The nefeš and nafs pair names the self Jesus says is gained or lost in Luke's teaching. Greek psuche carries this same range, as in Mark 8:37's question, what will a man give in exchange for his life, which echoes Luke's warning about losing one's own self. The note's consumerist self, the mirror opposite of living scripturally, is exactly this nefeš at stake.
cf. The Consolation of Consonants Sources: Orthodox Audio Bible Commentary, Luke (vol. 42), part 1, at 3:23:36; Tarazi, Philippians: A Commentary, p. 124; Orthodox Audio Bible Commentary, Luke (vol. 42), part 1, at 3:25:45; Tarazi, Romans: A Commentary, p. 227; Tarazi, The Rise of Scripture, p. 24; Orthodox Audio Bible Commentary, Luke (vol. 42), part 1, at 3:36:40.
Opening music: Taksim Arbi, Bichi Slama, oud (Tunis, Archives de la Parole, 1930s), public domain. Source: gallica.bnf.fr / BnF.
The digital voice Fāṭima (فَاطِمَة) is named in honor of the learned women of al-Andalus, particularly Fāṭima bint Yaḥyā al-Maghāmī, Fāṭima al-Sharrāṭ, and Fāṭima bint al-Muthannā, whose legacies embody the Andalusian traditions of scriptural scholarship, jurisprudence, education, and wisdom.
What is On the Lectionary?
A daily note from the team at OCABS.ORG, drawing on the published works of Fr. Paul Nadim Tarazi, with citations to his books and lectures.
Every day: the readings of the Orthodox lectionary read in full, a short note on them, and a root pair from the Consolation of Consonants, Hebrew and Arabic, chosen for the day’s readings. About five minutes a day, from OCABS on the Ephesus School Network. Read each note, with its citations, at ocabs.org.