Early and medieval Christian literature: Eusebius and Epiphanius Scholasticus, in their Christian histories, place Saracens east of the Gulf of Aqaba but beyond the Roman province of Arabia and mention them as Ishmaelites through Kedar; thus, they are outside the promise given to Abraham and his descendants through Isaac and also therefore, in Christian theology, beyond a privileged place in the family of nations or divine dispensation. The Jews viewed them as pagans and polytheists in ancient times and in later Christian times they became associated with cruel tyrants from early Christian history such as: Herod the Great, Herod Antipas and Agrippa I. Christian writings, such as those by Origen, viewed them as heretics who had to be brought into the orthodox fold. To the Christian Saint Jerome the Arabs, who were also considered in Christian theology as Ishmaelites, were also seen to fit the definition of Saracens; pagan tent-dwelling raiders of the lands on the eastern fringes of the Roman empire. -- The term Saracen carried the connotation of people living on the fringes of settled society, living off raids on towns and villages, and eventually became equated with both the "tent-dwelling" Bedouin as well as sedentary Arabs. Church writers of the period commonly describe Saracen raids on monasteries and their killing of monks. The term and the negative image of Saracens was in popular usage in both the Greek east as well as the Latin west throughout the Middle Ages. With the advent of Islam, in the Arabian peninsula, during the seventh century among the Arabs, the term's strong association with Arabs tied the term closely with not just race and culture, but also the religion. The rise of the Arab Empire and the ensuing hostility with the Byzantine Empire saw itself expressed as conflict between Islam and Christianity and the association of the term with Islam was further accentuated both during and after the Crusades. -- John of Damascus, in a polemical work typical of this attitude described the Saracens in the early 8th century thus: There is also the people-deceiving cult (threskeia) of the Ishmaelites, the forerunner of the Antichrist, which prevails until now. It derives from Ishmael, who was born to Abraham from Hagar, wherefore they are called Hagarenes and Ishmaelites. And they call them Saracens, inasmuch as they were sent away empty-handed by Sarah; for it was said to the angel by Hagar: "Sarah has sent me away empty-handed" (cf. Book of Genesis xxi. 10, 14).

St. Paul's letter to the Romans is critical to understanding the Gospel of Christ. In this episode, Fr. Thomas gives us a helpful overview of this letter and its central theme.

Fr. Stephen De Young introduces St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans.

Fr. Stephen De Young begins the discussion of Romans 1.

Fr. Stephen De Young speaks on Romans 1:8-17.

Fr. Stephen De Young wraps up the discussion of Romans 1.

Fr. Stephen De Young works through Romans, Chapter 2.

Fr. Stephen De Young discusses Romans 3.

Fr. Stephen De Young discusses Romans 4:1-8.

Fr. Stephen De Young discusses Romans 4:9-12.

Fr. Stephen De Young discusses Acts 4:13-25.

Fr. Stephen De Young talks about chapter 5 of the book of Romans.

Fr. Stephen De Young continues his discussion through Romans Chapter 5.

Fr. Stephen De Young wraps up Chapter 5 of Romans.

Fr. Stephen De Young dives into Chapter 6 of Romans.

Fr. Stephen De Young continues Chapter 6 of Romans and works his way through Chapter 7.

Fr. Stephen De Young begins a discussion on Romans, Chapter 8

Fr. Stephen De Young continues the discussion on Romans Chapter 8.

Fr. Stephen De Young wraps up the end of Romans Chapter 8.

Fr. Stephen De Young begins the discussion of Romans 9.

Fr. Stephen De Young discusses Romans 9:30 to 10:4.

Fr. Stephen De Young concludes the discussion of Romans 10.

Fr. Stephen De Young dives into a discussion about Romans, Chapter 11.

Fr. Stephen De Young finishes his discussion about Romans Chapter 11.

Fr. Stephen De Young discusses the shift in St. Paul's Letter to the Romans.

Fr. Stephen De Young discusses Romans 12:10-21.

Fr. Stephen De Young discusses Chapter 13 of St. Paul's Letter to the Romans.

Fr. Stephen De Young talks about Chapter 14 of the book of Romans.

Fr. Stephen De Young discusses Chapter 15 of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans.

Fr. Stephen De Young wraps up the book of Romans, covering the last bit of Chapters 15 and 16.

In his book Reflections on the Psalms, C. S. Lewis wrote a chapter on praising which began with him saying that “It is possible (and it is to be hoped) that this chapter will be unnecessary for most people”. In the same spirit, I hope that this and subsequent episodes on the topic of predestination will be unnecessary for most people.

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost (Originally given July 27, 2008)

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

The Scriptures and the Fathers have much to say about the Jewish people, and unfortunately, this view has largely been misrepresented. Fr Tom teaches us that the people of God, Israel, will always be those who love and follow the true God. (Fifth Sunday after Pentecost)

The New Testament epistles as well as the Divine Liturgy constantly encourage us to be of one mind because we are members of the Body of Christ and of one another. Fr Tom used today's epistle reading as an opportunity to encourage his parishioners to develop oneness with each other in order to achieve parish goals. (Seventh Sunday after Pentecost)

Fr. Pat explores the dynamic nature of God's word, what it means to profess the Resurrection, and the contrast between law and gospel.

Every summer, my brothers and sisters, in either late June or early July we listen to the first ten verses of Romans 10. This text appears near the middle of Paul's analysis of the dialectical structure of history, which is the subject of Romans 9-11.

Romans 5:1-11

Bible studies in Romans Chapter 7 cover The Law Of Sin And Death and Who Will Rescue Me. The questions are designed for personal or group inductive style Bible study and discussion.

The Book of Romans is a great place to get an understanding of basic doctrines of Christianity...and how they differ from modern assumptions. Each chapter study has inductive style questions designed for personal application and group discussion.

Reclining and dining in the ancient classical world

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.