Episode: Ready to get exegetical? We had so much fun discussing Jason Staples's important new book, Paul and the Resurrection of Israel, that we couldn't resist a second episode. Episode one focused on the theology and broader message of the book. This second episode exposes how the book's theology emerges from a close reading of Paul's letters. Co…

Episode: When the Spirit blows over the bones, flesh forms, and they rattle back to life. But the bones are Israel, all twelve tribes. Did the partial return of several tribes from Babylon satisfy God's promises for all Israel? Or was a broader return expected? In his important and influential new book, Paul and the Resurrection of Israel, Jason St…

Episode: What might Scripture have to contribute to contemporary discussions about criminal justice (esp. as practiced in the United States)? In this episode, Matt Lynch speaks with trial lawyer and author Matthew T. Martens about ways that the Bible can shape our thinking about criminal justice today. Topics range from biblical-theological princip…

Episode: Has the quest for the historical Jesus been plagued by an anti-liturgical sentiment? Michael Barber joins OnScript to discuss the historical Jesus, best method, and Jesus's mysterious engagement with the temple and its system. Cohosted by Matthew Bates and Chris Tilling. The Book: Michael Patrick Barber, The Historical Jesus and the Temple…

Episode: Fighting statues? Mystery cults? Roman religion was strange. Yet in many ways Christianity was even stranger. Nijay Gupta's Strange Religion explores how Christianity was oddly attractive to Romans. If we "keep it weird," Christianity can remain compelling today. Co-hosted by Matthew Bates. The Book: Nijay K. Gupta, Strange Religion: How t…

Episode: Strawn argues that keeping secrets makes us sick, and the Old Testament offers a way to speak honestly about the BIG things like sin, suffering, and violence. Guest: Brent Strawn is D. Moody Smith Distinguished Professor of Old Testament and Law at Duke Divinity and Duke University. He’s the author of numerous books, including The Old Test…

Episode: In this episode, Dru Johnson talks with Garrick Allen about how paratexts (i.e., all the things around and between the biblical texts) have shaped our notions of canon, Gospel, and our reading practices of the biblical literature. His forthcoming Eerdmans book—Words Are Not Enough: Paratexts, Manuscripts, and the Real New Testament—argues …

Episode: Back for the 7th time, Prof. Dr. Ervine Sheblazm is here to speak the hard truth about tuff questions. What happens when culture fails to address its own insidious tendencies? How do we move forward when culture reaches a dead end? What lies around the corner for those of us living on the crusted-over remains of modernity and its evil chil…

Episode: Beginning with Jesus's kingship, Tom Wright and Michael Bird speak to about the potentials and perils of contemporary politics. Discover a Christian vision for government not as an overbearing nanny or a terrifying bully but as God's servant. Cohosted by Matthew Bates. The Book: Tom Wright and Michael F. Bird, Jesus and the Powers: Christi…

Episode (Trigger Warning): David Tombs lays out his case for the crucifixion of Jesus as a form of state-sponsored sexual violence and considers the theological and pastoral implications of his case in a discussion of his newest book, The Crucifixion of Jesus: Torture, Sexual Abuse, and the Scandal of the Cross (Routledge, 2023). The episode includ…

Episode: Nathan MacDonald argues that four versions of the Tabernacle can be traced through ancient versions of the Old Testament. This episode explores those versions, the significance of Aaron's garments, the significance of the wild Nadab and Abihu account, and much more from Nathan MacDonald's new book The Making of the Tabernacle and the Const…

Episode: In this three-part series - Chris and Kyle discuss the year’s top ten archaeological discoveries and stories related to the Bible. Part 1 discusses the most important finds related to the Bronze Age. We talk Hittites, the location and identification of Sinai, and much more! This is a re-release from our Biblical World podcast. Hosts: Chris…

Episode: Recorded live in San Antonio at the Little Rhein Prost Haus with Sandra Glahn, Dru and Erin discuss the cult of Artemis in Ephesus and the way it transforms our reading of key NT passages. Crucially, Glahn's analysis of the Artemis cult helps us better understand Paul's statement in 1 Tim 2:15 that the woman/women "will be saved through ch…

Episode: Lynn Cohick speaks with Jason Staples about concepts of Israel, Judaism, and Jewishness that emerged in the Second Temple period, and their implications for understanding the early Judaism. Staples challenges prevailing ideas about Jewish identity around the turn of the Common Era. (Re-release from an earlier Biblical World ep). Guest: Jas…

Episode: Matt speaks with Carmen about her latest book Being God's Image, why "being" (not necessarily "bearing") matters to this subject, what we often misunderstand about the Image of God, and what the Image of God means for today. Guest: Dr. Carmen Imes is associate professor of Old Testament at Biola University. She received her Ph.D. at Wheato…

Episode: What do we know about children in ancient Israel, about who they were, the lives they led, and the people in their lives? Kristine Garroway is at the forefront of a new interest in the lives of children, and she draws on insights from comparative Ancient Near Eastern literature, archaeology, and the biblical text to help us get to know the…

Episode: What happens if you read Ruth and Judges together? What might Ruth say to the violence against women in Judges? Jenny Matheny discusses these questions and more (like how not to go hiking in Waco). Guest: Dr. Jenny Matheny is Associate Professor of Christian Studies at Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University. Jenny has wide-rangin…

Episode: Lisa Powell discusses the Trinity and eschatological body through the lens of disability. The episode discusses insights from her book The Disabled God Revisited (T&T Clark). Guest: Lisa Powell is Professor of Theology at St. Ambrose University, and is the author of The Disabled God Revisited: Trinity, Christology, and Liberation (T&T Clar…

Episode: In this episode, co-host Amy Hughes speaks with Erin Raffety about her ethnographic and practical theological research into what it looks like for congregations to move away from an "inclusion" model for people with disabilities to a "justice" model with people with disabilities. Guest: Dr. Erin Raffety is a cultural anthropologist, a Pres…

Episode: Erin sits down with Matthew Novenson for a lively conversation on the weirdness of Paul, theological and historical approaches, first-century Judaism, and a range of other topics covered in Matt's new book of collected essays, Paul, Then and Now (Eerdmans, 2022). This is Matt's second appearance on OnScript. You can also tune-in to an earl…

Episode: Gruner's work explores the lives of ordinary Jewish people who lived in Nazi Germany and resisted persecution. From defacing Nazi symbols to bold defiance Gruner explores the complex and fraught nature of Jewish opposition to Nazi policies, attacks, and hatred, and draws insights from the 12 years of archival research behind his book Resis…

Episode: Chris Tilling talks with Matt Lynch about Old Testament violence. They take a deep dive into ... the flood story in Genesis then traverse the Promised Land to consider the plight of the Canaanites. Matt argues that the complex problem of violence needs to meet with a nuanced reading of the Old Testament, all while holding onto the Bible's …

Episode: Who is this man? Questions about Jesus are fascinating and perennial. Stanley Porter and Bryan Dyer team up to explore how the New Testament deployed diverse traditions--Jesus as passover lamb, savior, prophet, last Adam, messiah, and many others--in order to answer foundational questions about Jesus. Discover how background studies can en…

Episode: "We're in the midst of an unraveling". So argues Ted Smith about the shift in the ways that people relate and the end of theological education as it's typically conceived. Smith traces the historical roots of this social shift and the ways that education, institutions, and church ministry are changing. This is not a time for despair, howev…

Episode: Revelation is a mysterious book, shrouded in symbol and rich in Old Testament allusions. What does it mean for our present and future? And more importantly, what does it teach us about God and God's unfolding rule? Brandon Smith shows us that, surprisingly, Revelation has much to teach us about the Trinity. And once we discover the Trinity…

Episode: Biblical World co-host Kyle Keimer discusses his research on King Hezekiah's preparations for the Assyrian attack in 701 BCE. How do archaeologists determine the nature and extent of Hezekiah's defensive network? Did the Judeans use fire signals? How did the king prepare for war (and pay for it)? Listen in for a fascinating discussion of K…

Episode: Is it anachronistic to call Jesus a refugee? Does the story of Jesus' family fleeing persecution carry modern political relevance? Would the holy family receive protection in modern society? Listen in as Glenn Butner discusses his work on these questions with OnScript co-host Jules Martínez. Guest: Dr. Glenn Butner is Assistant Professor o…

Episode: In this episode, Erin sits down with David Moffitt and a live audience at Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford to talk about David's latest book on the atonement. This was a wide-ranging and thought-provoking conversation on atonement, sacrifice, ascension, resurrection, and why, according to Moffitt, the death of Jesus is not enough, theme…

Episode: In this episode Chris Tilling interviews Jonathan Lyonhart about his new book, MonoThreeism: An Absurdly Arrogant Attempt to Answer All the Problems of the Last 2000 Years in One Night at a Pub. This is one unique book! By using the genre of a script with stage performance cues and three main protagonists, Lyonhart presents an elegant, wit…

Episode: Brent Strawn is back for the 4th time, to discuss his new book The Incomparable God. This book is rich, rangey, and full of biblical-theological insight. The discussion is also rangey, and designed to give you a taste of Brent's work over the years. Guest: Brent Strawn is D. Moody Smith Distinguished Professor of Old Testament and Law at D…

Episode: This episode covers a wide swathe of the Torah's terrain, including reading the Torah as a story (even Leviticus), reading laws that come into conflict with each other, The Cat in the Hat, extended echo effect (literary patterning), what makes the Bible such great literature, the importance of Judah for reading Genesis, the danger of holin…

Episode: This wide-ranging conversation follows this wide-ranging book, covering topics such as the "is God the same as Allah" question to Filipino views of reciprocity to Thai philosophical views informing aniconism. From the publisher: "Christianity is often viewed in Asia as a Western imposition. Challenging this, Dr. Jerry Hwang examines the Ol…

Episode: This episode is part two of the three-part series on the archaeology of Passion Week. Chris and Kyle take a detailed look at how archaeological finds in Jerusalem can help us better situate and understand the events of this fateful week. They delve into the Gospel of John, the Last Supper, and Jesus’ trials. (republished from 2021) Hosts: …

Episode: This episode is the first of a three-part series on the archaeology of the Passion week. Chris and Kyle take a detailed look at how archaeological finds in Jerusalem can help us better situate and understand the events of this fateful week. (This episode is republished from our Biblical World podcast). Hosts: Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer …

What is a life living theologically? Prof. Dr. Ervine Sheblazm has walked through life with theology on his mind for over 25 years. Hear him unload a ton of theological and scientific insight from his new memoir. Scholars are heralding Sheblazm’s memoirs as one of the most riveting reflections on the theological life to come out of England in over …

Episode: In this episode Chris Tilling interviews Father Isaac Morales about his book, The Bible and Baptism: The Fountain of Salvation (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic 2022), published as part of the new series, A Catholic Biblical Theology of the Sacraments. This new book by Fr. Morales presents a biblical theology of baptism via an exploration of d…

Episode: In this episode, we discuss the god Moses. Yes, you heard that right! It's there in Exod 7:1. But what does this mean? How can we make sense of the transformation of Moses from a man of "uncircumcised lips" to a god? What happens if we read this story in its ancient Near Eastern context? How is Moses also like an idol? We explore this and …

Episode: Michael Bird turns the well-rehearsed scholarly tale about how Jesus came to be described as divine on its head. Jesus didn't become God through the application of Greek metaphysical categories in the third and fourth centuries. Rather, Jesus was depicted as divine within our earliest sources on the basis of first-century categories of ont…

Episode: Here's the full version of the convo with Collin Cornell, where we discuss Elephantine, divine aggression (beginning at 34:18), and more, including his work on divine look-alikes. If you've already listened to our short Elephantine episode with Collin, you can skip ahead to 34:18 to hear the rest of the interview here. It's a wide-ranging …

Episode: The book we’re talking about today is Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church with IVP Academic. In this episode, we explore the data about women in Scripture and antiquity including ideas such as women's leadership is an exception that relies upon the norm of male leadership, persistent myths about women …

Episode: In this episode Chris Tilling interviews Steven Nemes about his forthcoming book, Theological Authority in the Church (Eugene, Or.: Cascade, forthcoming [2023]). This new book by Steven Nemes argues, via an interpretation of the New Testament texts themselves, in favor of a “low” conception of ecclesial authority in theology. It maintains …

Episode: Erin speaks with Caryn Reeder about the Samaritan Woman, the reception history of John 4, and its impact on the experiences of women in the church today, which Caryn treats in her newest book: The Samaritan Woman's Story: Reconsidering John 4 after #ChurchToo, published by IVP Academic. Guest (adapted from Westmont's website): Dr. Reeder e…

Episode: In this episode, Dr. Malka Z. Simkovich takes us on an exciting tour of Second Temple Literature, giving us a sense of the stories, personalities, and history that shaped this remarkable and diverse body of literature. Guest: Dr. Malka Z. Simkovich is the Crown-Ryan Chair of Jewish Studies at Catholic Theological Union. She’s also the dire…

Episode: In this episode, co-host Amy Hughes talks with Han-Iuen Kantzer Komline about all things Augustine! We covered it all! Just kidding, we barely scratched the surface of everyone's favorite bishop from Hippo. We discuss her work on Augustine and the will, as well as her latest project, co-authoring the fourth edition of Turning Points with M…

Episode: Erin speaks with Rev. Dr. Andy Byers about John's Gospel, Jewish Relations, and the "sectarian hermeneutic" that dominates Johannine studies. Andy's newest book on John's Gospel, John and the Others, published by Baylor University Press in 2021, advances the bold thesis that John's Gospel gives us a model of identity and alterity, an ident…

Episode: How can the way of the kingdom be the way of the dove? How can the way of subversion come through submission? How can the way of the lion be the way of the slaughtered lamb? Drawing from his new book, Political Gospel, biblical scholar Patrick Schreiner helps Christians rethink their political framework and practices. Co-hosted by Matthew …

Episode: (Republish) Has the Chalcedonian Definition stood the test of time and theological challenge? Ian McFarland thinks so and advocates for a "Chalcedonianism without reserve" in his newest book, The Word Made Flesh: A Theology of the Incarnation (WJK, 2019). McFarland joins co-host Amy Hughes to talk about what he means by this phrase and how…

Episode: Is God more male than female? Most theologians have hastened to say 'no', but still many theologians have urged that the male analogy is more suitable in speaking about God's relationship with the world or people. But how does the conversation shift when we place the incarnation at the theological center of this conversation? That is the q…

Episode: This episode takes you to the wilds of Alaska and Florida's byways to talk about our denial of death as a species. Guest: Dr. Timothy Beal is Distinguished University Professor and Florence Harkness Professor of Religion at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. He’s the author of 16 books, including The Book of Revelation: A Bi…

Episode: Erin speaks with Dr. Katie Marcar about metaphors of divine regeneration in 1 Peter, metaphors of generation in other Jewish texts from the Second Temple period, seed metaphors, breastmilk metaphors, and how all of these topics work together to form an audience's sense of ethnic identity. Dr. Marcar is the author of the book Divine Regener…