New Saint Thomas Institute

1 and 2 Chronicals: A Retelling of Samuel and Kings

April 16, 2019/3 Comments/in /by Juliane Alcober

In the Hebrew Bible, Chronicles is a single book, called Dibre Ha Yamim (Hebrew: דִּבְרֵי־הַיָּמִים, “Matter of the Days” In Greek Septuagint, it’s called I and II Paralipoménon or “things left on the side” or “things left out” and refers to the fact that it covers the same event as 1 Samuel through 2 Kings but has additional information. Read More

2 Kings: Transferring to the Ministry of Elisha

April 9, 2019/5 Comments/in /by Juliane Alcober

God raised Saint John the Baptist as the forerunner to Jesus Christ. They transition from the ministry of John the Baptist to that of Christ occurred at the Jordan River. All this was foreshadowed by Elijah transferring his ministery to Elisha. We examine this important transfer and also see how it relates to the sacramental devotion of the Brown Scapular of Mount Carmel.

1 Kings: Queen Mother and Bad Kings Pointing to Mary and Jesus

April 2, 2019/7 Comments/in /by Juliane Alcober

Christ came with a Kingdom and that Kingdom needs a Queen. Today we explore the office of "Queen Mother" in 1 Kings. 1 and 2 Kings retell the slumping tragedy of evil kings, idolatry, and eventually exile of Israel and the Jews among the Assyrians and Babylonians. We realize that a future king (and queen) must arrive to restore the Kingdom of God. Before we explore this, let’s take a moment to discuss the different words: Israelite, Jewish, and Hebrew. Read More

2 Samuel: The Ark of the Covenant and Mary as New Ark

March 26, 2019/5 Comments/in /by Juliane Alcober

Many Protestants avoid the Blessed Virgin Mary until they realize that she is the Ark of the New Covenant. In Revelation 11-12, we see the "Woman" Mother as the fulfillment of the Ark of the Covenant. In this episode we study the old Ark of the Covenant in particular and how this gilded box containing the Ten Commandments points toward Mary as the Mother containing the Word Made Flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord: Read More

1 Samuel: The Messianic King Typology

March 19, 2019/3 Comments/in /by Juliane Alcober

The biblical account of the Kingship of King David from the Tribe of Judah provides one of the most crucial theological backdrops for the person and work of Our Lord Jesus Christ as "Messiah" and anointed heir of King David. Moreover, the "Kingdom of David" is the type for the Kingdom of God and the Catholic Church as "Kingdom." In this lesson we will explore the fall of King Saul and the anointing of King David and how this typology points toward Christ the King and His Kingdom of Heaven (which is the Catholic Church):

Ruth: Christ Is Our Kinsman-Redeemer

March 12, 2019/12 Comments/in /by Juliane Alcober

The Book of Ruth (Hebrew: מגילת רות, Megilath Ruth, “Scroll of Ruth") is a story of compassion for a Gentile widow (Ruth) who is incorporated into the People of Israel through "kinship-redemption" and becomes a great-grandmother of King David, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and our Lord Jesus Christ. We explore the doctrine of redemption as initiated in the Book of Ruth and apply it to our Catholic doctrine. Read More

Judges: The Warlords of Israel

March 5, 2019/7 Comments/in /by Juliane Alcober

Judges is action packed and tell the stories of Israel's warlords. It describes the chaotic life of Israel after the times of Moses and Joshua but before the glorious reign of King David. In this lesson we examine the major "judges" or warlords and how they point forward to Christ as our Warlord and Redeemer King. Read More

Deuteronomy: Christ as Successor to Moses

February 19, 2019/5 Comments/in /by Juliane Alcober

Moses explicitly foretold the coming of Jesus Christ and the New Covenant. Just as we look back in time to the Messiah. Moses and the Israelites looked forward in time for their salvation. The title of this book means "second law," from Greek deuteros + nomos. It is the second reiteration of the Law of Moses because the people's hearts have grown hard and cold toward God. We examine the outline of the book and focus on how Pope Saint Peter quoted Deuteronomy to prove that Jesus Christ is the true covenantal successor of Moses. Read More

Numbers: Christ as Manna and Water from the Rock

February 12, 2019/9 Comments/in /by Juliane Alcober

Saint Paul repeatedly refers to prefigurements of Christ from the book of Numbers. We wrongly assume that this fourth book of the Old Testament is boring because it is titled "numbers" after the census information at its beginning. In Hebrew, it is better named as "In the Wilderness." As we move beyond the numeric introduction, we find deep theology and an analogy for our life as forty years "in the wilderness." It is also the perfect book for Lenten meditation as we spend forty days "in the wilderness" with Christ. Read More

Leviticus: No Forgiveness without Blood

February 5, 2019/17 Comments/in /by Juliane Alcober

When people read the Old Testament, they usually peter out while reading Leviticus. It is a difficult book; however, we can find excitement in reading Leviticus by seeing how the book is fulfilled by the blood sacrifice of Our Lord Jesus Christ. In this lesson we examine the 5 kinds of sacrifices of Leviticus and how Christ fulfills them on the cross and in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass: Read More