One essential characteristic of the story of Jesus’ birth is that Mary was a virgin. In reading the account from the Gospel According to Luke, this truth becomes apparent, though there is on occasion some debate based on confusion about parthenos, the Greek word that’s translated as “virgin.” Opponents of the …

What does the Church mean by the phrase “economy of grace,” sometimes also referred to as the divine economy? In the Letter to the Ephesians 3:2 (NABRE), Paul writes to the early Christian community: “You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for their …

What does it mean to blaspheme or to commit blasphemy? One of the most difficult passages in the New Testament is the Gospel According to Luke 12:10 (NABRE): “Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit …

In the Gospel According to Luke 8:19 (NABRE), among other passages, we see mention of Jesus’ brothers. The exact translation of these passages is important because of the Catholic belief in the perpetual virginity of Mary. The Greek word used here is ἀδελφός (adelphos), literally meaning “from the same womb.” If …

The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians 13:4–8 (NABRE) contains Paul’s familiar description of love that is heard at weddings around the world.The passage begins with a Greek word for love, ἀγάπη (agape), followed by a number of different verbs, laying out a list of characteristics of love that show …

In the fifth chapter of the First Letter to the Corinthians (NABRE), Paul discusses the topic of sexual immorality, πορνεία (porneia) in Greek. This word appears in the First Letter to the Corinthians more than any other place in the New Testament except the book of Revelation. A proper understanding …

In the great Eucharistic discourse in the sixth chapter of the Gospel According to John (NABRE), Jesus declares “I am the bread of life.” There’s a fascinating and important tension inherent in this statement that is lost on people reading in English due to differences between Greek and English. Ancient Greek …

In the Gospel According to Matthew 12:34–35 (NABRE), Jesus contrasts good and evil treasures. This contrast is made more interesting because one of the Greek words chosen is not what might be expected in this context. The Greek word translated as “good” is ἀγαθός (agathos), the Greek adjective meaning “good.” The …

In the Gospel According to Matthew 12:22–32 (NABRE), we encounter two concepts for the devil that come from Hebrew, Satan and Be-elzebul. The word Satan comes from a Hebrew word that means “adversary.” Be-elzebul means “the Lord of the high place,” and is used as a name for various pagan …

The Gospels recount a large number of miracles and signs performed by Jesus. The Gospel According to Matthew 12:15 (NABRE) describes Jesus healing a large number of people: “When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many [people] followed him, and he cured them all.”  The Greek word translated …