Father Ed Wills

Jacob gives Joseph a coat of many colors (Heb: passim) an Akkadian ornamental royal robe

Joseph has dreams that indicate his brothers will bow to him.

            Sheaves of barley

            Sun, moon, and eleven stars

Joseph’s brother conspire to kill him. Reuben (oldest) convinces them to throw him into a pit instead. He planned to return and release him. Judah saw an Ishmaelite caravan and sold him into slavery. When Reuben returned he was upset. They took his coat, covered it in blood, and gave it to Jacob, who believed Joseph had been killed.

On leaving Bethel, Rachel dies in childbirth giving birth to Jacob’s 12^th son, Benjamin.

Isaac dies and is buried in the ancestral cave.

Esau creates marriage alliances with several Canaanite tribes and becomes father of the Edomites.

In this episode of the Patriarch narrative, Jacob wrestles with an angel and comes from that encounter with a limp and a new name. He is reunited with his brother, Esau. He then returns to Bethel, the place of his dream and establishes an altar there. Fr. Ed recalls several stories about the Messiah Stone of Bethel. Was it the stone that the builders rejected that was fulfilled in Christ the Cornerstone of the true temple of the Church? Listen and decide for yourself.

This episode in the story of Jacob is a marvelous love story. He works for Rachel, the desire of his heart, and gets her sister, Leah. In the end he loves them both. An interesting side note is Rachel's relationship with her father's idols. Fr. Ed explains where idols come from and what their original purpose was. This is one of those foundational pieces that helps us understand the entire Bible. 

Jacob flees for his life to his mother's family. There he works for his uncle to acquire wives and have the sons who will become the twelve tribes of Israel.

As Isaac comes of age, it is time to get a wife for him. Abraham sends his trusted servant Eleazar of Damascus to go to the families of Akkad to find a proper wife. 

Again, this study of Abraham begins with St. Paul discussing the Promise of Abraham in his Epistle to the Galatians. It is imperative that we understand the Old Testament stories in the light of the teachings of the Apostles. In this episode Abraham is tested when he prepares to sacrifice Isaac. But God never desired the sacrifice of Isaac. Instead, he makes clear that it is his own son, Jesus, who is the sacrifice. Join Father Ed as he opens the Scriptures for us. 

This episode deals with some tough question. Why would God choose such an old couple to start a new nation? Why would God destroy innocent women and children in Sodom and Gomorrah? What did Jesus have to say about Sodom and Gomorrah? This Bible study starts with Jesus discussing the concept that the righteous are blessed and the evil are punished. Then Father Ed applies the teaching of Jesus to this ancient story of Abraham. 

This podcast begins with St. Paul's reflection on Abraham from his Epistle to the Galatians. Then Father Ed goes on to explain the great truths of the Abrahamic Covenant and how Jesus fulfilled that covenant in blood.

This Bible study begins the story of Abraham. Join Fr. Ed as he discusses the religious background of Abraham before he became the father of faith. Walk with Abraham as he journeys towards God and meets Melchizedek, the King of Righteousness and the Prince of Peace.