Episode: In this episode, Dru Johnson explores Arthur Keefer's comparative work between wisdom and philosophical traditions. The Book of Proverbs and Virtue Ethics (Cambridge University Press) examines Proverbs alongside later Greek virtue development in moral philosophy, including recent iterations of virtue ethics. His most recent work—Ecclesiastes and the Meaning of Life in the Ancient World (CUP)—takes a similar tack by asking questions from contemporary and ancient "meaning of life" philosophies and seeing how Qohelet answers those quandaries (or doesn't). Guest: (modified from Keefer's Academia.edu site) Dr. Arthur Keefer is Adjunct Research Fellow at the University of Notre Dame Australia and Honorary Research Associate at the University of Divinity (Trinity College, Melbourne) in the field of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. He also serves as a Presbyterian Minister at The Scots' Church, Melbourne. His research focuses on the interpretation of the HB/OT within its ancient Near Eastern context and in its relation to ancient and contemporary philosophy. He's the author of The Book of Proverbs and Virtue Ethics (Cambridge University Press, 2020), Ecclesiastes and the Meaning of Life in the Ancient World (Cambridge University Press, 2022), and Proverbs 1-9 as an Introduction to the Book of Proverbs (Bloomsbury, 2020). He co-edited The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Wisdom Literature  (Cambridge, 2022) and serves as Book Review Editor for the Journal of Theological Studies. He is currently producing long-term projects on OT ethics and the ethics of narrative. Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to join the big leagues and become a regular donor.

Episode: Michael Rhodes joins Matt L and Dru to discuss the Bible's justice-oriented discipleship and its significance for the church today. We explore the importance of Deuteronomy for understanding biblical concepts of justice, including the triennial tithe, 7th year release of debts and slaves, and formative feasting. Discussion also takes us into places like the books of Leviticus, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Qoheleth, and the Gospel of John. And, of course, we get a first-hand report from an American in New Zealand. Listen in and pick up a copy of Just Discipleship (IVP Academic). Guest: Dr. Michael Rhodes is Lecturer in Old Testament at Carey Baptist College in New Zealand. He's the author of Formative Feasting (Peter Lang), Practicing the King's Economy (Baker; co-authored with Robby Holt),  and the book we're discussing today, Just Discipleship: Biblical Justice in an Unjust World (IVP Academic). He also co-edited a book called Reparations and the Theological Disciplines (Lexington) and has another book called Justice Unto Victory under contract with IVP. For more on Michael's writing and interests, see his faculty page. Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to join the big leagues and become a regular donor.

Episode: How did Paul understand time? Was it an adaptation of the "two ages" of Judaism? Is there really an "already-not-yet" in Paul's letters? To the last two questions, Ann Jervis answers an emphatic "no." Join Erin and Ann Jervis for a conversation about Ann's groundbreaking book, Paul and Time,  to hear Ann's unique take on how Christ relates to time in Paul's letters, and how those in Christ thus relate to time. by virtue of being joined together with him. Guest (from the publisher's website): L. Ann Jervis (ThD, Wycliffe College) is emerita professor of New Testament at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto, in Toronto, Canada. She is a member of the Centre for Ethics at Trinity College, University of Toronto, and a member of the Center of Theological Inquiry in Princeton, New Jersey. She has served on various editorial boards, including Journal of Biblical Literature and New Testament Studies. Jervis is author of The Heart of the Gospel, The Purpose of Romans, a commentary on Galatians, and Paul and Time (Baker Academic). She is also a priest in the Anglican Church of Canada. Book (from the Baker Academic website): Standard interpretations are that Paul modified his inherited Jewish apocalyptic sequential two-age temporality. Paul solved the conundrum of Christ’s resurrection occurring without the resurrection of the righteous by asserting that the ages are not sequential but rather that they overlap. Believers live in already-not yet temporality. In this groundbreaking book, Ann Jervis instead proposes that Paul thought not in terms of two ages but in terms of life in this age or life in Christ. Humans apart from Christ live in this age, whereas believers live entirely in the temporality of Christ. Christ’s temporality, like God’s, is time in which change occurs, at least between Christ and God and creation. Their temporality is tensed, but the tenses are nonsequential. The past is in their present, as is the future. However, this is not a changeless now but a now in which change occurs (though not in the way that human chronological time perceives change). Those joined to Christ live Christ’s temporality while also living chronological time. In clear writing, Jervis engages both philosophical and traditional biblical understandings of time. Her inquiry is motivated and informed by the long-standing recognition of the centrality of union with Christ for Paul. Jervis points out that union with Christ has significant temporal implications. Living Christ’s time transforms believers’ suffering, sinning, and physical dying. While in the present evil age these are instruments purposed for destruction, in Christ they are transformed in service of God’s life. Living Christ’s time also changes the significance of the eschaton. It is less important to those in Christ than it is for creation, for those joined to the One over whom death has no dominion are already released from bondage to corruption. Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to join the big leagues and become a regular donor.

Episode: In this episode Chris Tilling interviews Marty Folsom about his second volume in the series, Karl Barth’s Church Dogmatics for Everyone (Vol. 2 - The Doctrine of God) (Zondervan Academic). What is it about Barth’s Church Dogmatics that is considered so important? What’s the “big deal”? And how to approach such a massive set of volumes? How to navigate around the highways and byways of this text that sprawls almost 8,500 pages and 6,000,000 words? How to avoid misunderstanding? Marty Folsom has begun penning a “Church Dogmatics for Everyone”, which sets out, first in broad brush strokes and then in more detail, the first volume of Barth’s important project. Chris Tilling talks with the author about the background of this project, what Marty Folsom hopes to achieve and why the Church Dogmatics. Guest: Marty Folsom has been Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies for 30 years in New Zealand and Seattle. He is most famous for his “Face to Face” trilogy on relational theology, which emphasises “personal relationship”. Apart from authoring numerous articles, he has also been a therapist for 24 years. Today we discuss his new book, Karl Barth’s Church Dogmatics for Everyone (Vol. 2 - The Doctrine of God) (Zondervan Academic), with contributions from Chris Tilling, David Guretzki, Earl Palmer, Wyatt Houtz, Andrew Howie, James Houston, Ross Hastings, and Jeremy Begbie. This is the second volume of six. [caption id="attachment_3611" align="alignright" width="200"] Version 1.0.0[/caption] Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to join the big leagues and become a regular donor. If you enjoyed this episode ... have a listen to our interview with Marty about Volume 1.

Episode: New Biblical World co-host Jason Staples speaks with Jodi Magness, Kenan Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill about her new book, Jerusalem Through the Ages: From Its Beginnings to the Crusades (Oxford University Press, 2024), the spectacular synagogue mosaic her team discovered at Huqoq, why specializing in pottery is an advantage for archaeologists, and lots more. This episode is cross-listed from our Biblical World podcast. Guest: Dr. Jodi Magness is Kenan Distinguished Professor for Teaching Excellence in Early Judaism at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Magness’ research interests, which focus on Palestine in the Roman, Byzantine, and early Islamic periods, and Diaspora Judaism in the Roman world, include ancient pottery, ancient synagogues, Jerusalem, Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Roman army in the East. Her most recent books are Jerusalem Through the Ages: From Its Beginnings to the Crusades (New York: Oxford University, March 2024); and Ancient Synagogues in Palestine: A Reevaluation Nearly a Century After Sukenik’s Schweich Lectures. The Schweich Lectures of the British Academy 2022 (London: The British Academy/Oxford University Press, June 2024). Three of Magness’ books have won awards: Masada: From Jewish Revolt to Modern Myth (Princeton: Princeton University, 2019) was selected as a finalist for the 2019 National Jewish Book Award in the category of History, the Gerrard and Ella Berman Memorial Award; The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2002; revised edition 2021) won the 2003 Biblical Archaeology Society’s Award for Best Popular Book in Archaeology in 2001-2002 and was selected as an “Outstanding Academic Book for 2003” by Choice Magazine; and The Archaeology of the Early Islamic Settlement in Palestine (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2003) was awarded the 2006 Irene Levi-Sala Book Prize in the category of non-fiction on the archaeology of Israel. Her other books include The 2003-2007 Excavations in the Late Roman Fort at Yotvata (co-authored with G. Davies) (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2015); The Archaeology of the Holy Land from the Destruction of Solomon’s Temple to the Muslim Conquest (New York: Cambridge University, 2012); and Stone and Dung, Oil and Spit: Jewish Daily Life in the Time of Jesus (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2011). In addition, Magness has published dozens of articles in journals and edited volumes. (from the UNC website) Give: Help support OnScript and Biblical World as we grow and develop. Click HERE.

Episode: In this episode, we delve into the rich and erudite book The Consciousness of the Historical Jesus by Austin Stevenson. This fine work tackles the intricate topics of epistemology, ontology, and their related historical and theological perspectives, drawing heavily on the ideas of Thomas Aquinas. In Part I of his book, Stevenson begins by emphasizing the necessity of a metaphysical framework to properly understand Jesus’s historical and divine nature. He critiques modern historical approaches that often overlook these complexities and proposes a more integrated method. In Part II, Stevenson addresses different types of knowledge, including divine, acquired, and prophetic knowledge, and explores how cognitive psychology and metaphysics relate to historical knowledge. He applies this to particular texts and offers an analysis of Mark 13:32 and the concept of the beatific vision to demonstrate his arguments concretely. His thesis is that understanding Jesus’s humanity requires integrating historical methods with theological insights. In do does he challenges both historians and theologians to reconsider their approaches. He interacts with contemporary scholars like Seth Heringer and Jonny Rowlands, carving an alternative path forward. For those interested in the intersection of history and theology in the study of Jesus, this book provides a fascinating and thought-provoking read. Guest: Dr Austin Stevenson is assistant professor of theology at Palm Beach Atlantic University and co-host of the Faith at the Frontiers podcast. Before joining the faculty at PBA, Austin was a junior research fellow at Pembroke College, Oxford. He holds an MA and ThM in theology from Regent College (Vancouver, BC), and a PhD from the University of Cambridge. His research specializes in the ressourcement of classical Christian thought in conversation with an interdisciplinary range of topics, including theological hermeneutics, New Testament studies, public health, literature, and the natural sciences. Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to join the big leagues and become a regular donor.

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. Cohosted by Matthew Bates and Erin Heim. The Book: Jason A. Staples, Paul and the Resurrection of Israel: Jews, Former Gentiles, Israelites (Cambridge University Press, 2024). The gospel promoted by Paul has for many generations stirred passionate debate. That gospel proclaimed equal salvific access to Jews and gentiles alike. But on what basis? In making sense of such a remarkable step forward in religious history, Jason Staples reexamines texts that have proven thoroughly resistant to easy comprehension. He traces Paul's inclusive theology to a hidden strand of thinking in the earlier story of Israel. Postexilic southern Judah, he argues, did not simply appropriate the identity of the fallen northern kingdom of Israel. Instead, Judah maintained a notion of 'Israel' as referring both to the north and the ongoing reality of a broad, pan-Israelite sensibility to which the descendants of both ancient kingdoms belonged. Paul's concomitant belief was that northern Israel's exile meant assimilation among the nations – effectively a people's death – and that its restoration paradoxically required gentile inclusion to resurrect a greater 'Israel' from the dead. (Publisher’s description). Guest: Jason A. Staples (Ph.D., UNC-Chapel Hill) is an author, historian, speaker, journalist, voice actor, and former American football coach. He is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at NC State University. In additon to Paul and the Resurrection of Israel, he is also the author of The Idea of Israel in Second Temple Judaism: A New Theory of People, Exile, and Israelite Identity (Cambridge University Press, 2021), as well as numerous journal articles. You can connect with him on X/Twitter (@JasonStaples). OnScript’s Review: Enormously important and theologically productive. In Paul and the Resurrection of Israel, Jason Staples shows--again and again--how seemingly isolated puzzles in Paul's letters can be explained coherently within a Second Temple framework of restoration. As the Holy Spirit transforms individuals amid the nations, the twelve tribes of Israel are being raised from the dead. An astonishing contribution. — Matthew W. Bates, author of Salvation by Allegiance Alone; professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary. Give: Visit our Donate Page if you would like to support OnScript’s work.

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 Staples shows that Paul believed God was raising the nation of Israel from the dead in an unexpected way. Cohosted by Matt Bates and Erin Heim. The Book: Jason A. Staples, Paul and the Resurrection of Israel: Jews, Former Gentiles, Israelites (Cambridge University Press, 2024). The gospel promoted by Paul has for many generations stirred passionate debate. That gospel proclaimed equal salvific access to Jews and gentiles alike. But on what basis? In making sense of such a remarkable step forward in religious history, Jason Staples reexamines texts that have proven thoroughly resistant to easy comprehension. He traces Paul's inclusive theology to a hidden strand of thinking in the earlier story of Israel. Postexilic southern Judah, he argues, did not simply appropriate the identity of the fallen northern kingdom of Israel. Instead, Judah maintained a notion of 'Israel' as referring both to the north and the ongoing reality of a broad, pan-Israelite sensibility to which the descendants of both ancient kingdoms belonged. Paul's concomitant belief was that northern Israel's exile meant assimilation among the nations – effectively a people's death – and that its restoration paradoxically required gentile inclusion to resurrect a greater 'Israel' from the dead. (Publisher’s description). Guest: Jason A. Staples (Ph.D., UNC-Chapel Hill) is an author, historian, speaker, journalist, voice actor, and former American football coach. He is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at NC State University. In additon to Paul and the Resurrection of Israel, he is also the author of The Idea of Israel in Second Temple Judaism: A New Theory of People, Exile, and Israelite Identity (Cambridge University Press, 2021), as well as numerous journal articles. You can connect with him on X/Twitter (@JasonStaples). OnScript’s Review: Enormously important and theologically productive. In Paul and the Resurrection of Israel, Jason Staples shows--again and again--how seemingly isolated puzzles in Paul's letters can be explained coherently within a Second Temple framework of restoration. As the Holy Spirit transforms individuals amid the nations, the twelve tribes of Israel are being raised from the dead. An astonishing contribution. — Matthew W. Bates, author of Salvation by Allegiance Alone; professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary. Give: Visit our Donate Page if you would like to support OnScript’s work.

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 principles to plea bargaining, jury selection, judges, witnesses, sentencing, the death penalty, and more, all related to his recent book Reforming Criminal Justice: A Christian Proposal (Crossway, 2023). Guest: Matthew Martens is a trial lawyer and partner at an international law firm in D.C., and has spent most of his 25+-year legal career practicing criminal law as a federal prosecutor and defense attorney. He was a law clerk to Chief Justice William Rehnquist at the U.S. Supreme court and was a political appointee in the criminal division of the US Justice Department. At his law practice website for Wilmer Hale, it says that “He is one of the few lawyers who has appeared—and won—at trial at “all four tables”: civil plaintiff, civil defendant, criminal prosecution and criminal defendant.” He’s the author of the book we’re discussing today, entitled, Reforming Criminal Justice: A Christian Proposal (Crossway, 2023). Give: Visit our Donate Page if you would like to support OnScript’s work.

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: Memory, Methodology, and the Gospel of Matthew (Cambridge University Press, 2024). In this book, Michael Patrick Barber examines the role of the Jerusalem temple in the teaching of the historical Jesus. Drawing on recent discussions about and memory research in Jesus studies, he advances a fresh approach to reconstructing Jesus' teaching. Barber argues that Jesus did not reject the temple's validity but that he likely participated in and endorsed its rites. Moreover, he locates Jesus' teaching within Jewish apocalyptic eschatology, showing that Jesus' message about the coming kingdom and his disciples' place in it likely involved important temple and priestly traditions that have been ignored by the quest. Barber also highlights new developments in scholarship on the Gospel of Matthew to show that its Jewish perspective offers valuable but overlooked clues about the kinds of concerns that would have likely shaped Jesus' outlook. A bold approach to a key topic in biblical studies, Barber's book is a pioneering contribution to Jesus scholarship. (Publisher's description). Guest: Michael Patrick Barber (PhD Fuller Theological Seminary) is Professor of Sacred Scripture and Theology at the Augustine Institute. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles and publications, including Paul, A New Covenant Jew: Rethinking Pauline Theology (Eerdmans, 2019), co-written with Brant Pitre and John Kincaid. In addition to his academic research, Dr. Barber has written public-facing works, most recently, The True Meaning of Christmas: The Birth of Jesus and the Origins of the Season. He also writes for the website, TheSacredPage.com, and can be found on Twitter (@MichaelPBarber). OnScript's Review: In this important contribution to the quest for the historical Jesus, Michael Barber shows the deree to which previous attempts have been hampered by an anti-liturgical bias. What emerges is a more thoroughly Jewish Jesus who had a complex relationship with the temple and its system. -- Matthew W. Bates, author of The Birth of the Trinity; professor of theology at Quincy University. Give: Visit our Donate Page if you would like to support OnScript’s work.

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 the First Christians Were Weird, Dangerous, and Compelling (Brazos, 2024). The first Christians were weird. Just how weird is often lost on today's believers. Within Roman society, the earliest Christians stood out for the oddness of their beliefs and practices. They believed unusual things, worshiped God in strange ways, and lived a unique lifestyle. They practiced a whole new way of thinking about and doing religion that would have been seen as bizarre and dangerous when compared to Roman religion and most other religions of the ancient world. Award-winning author, blogger, speaker, and New Testament teacher Nijay Gupta traces the emerging Christian faith in its Roman context in this accessible and engaging book. Christianity would have been seen as radical in the Roman world, but some found this new religion attractive and compelling. The first Christians dared to be different, pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable, transformed how people thought about religion, and started a movement that grew like wildfire. Brought to life with numerous images, this book shows how the example of the earliest Christians can offer today's believers encouragement and hope. (Publisher's description). Guest: Nijay K. Gupta (PhD, Durham) is Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary. He has written numerous books, including recent titles such as Tell Her Story (IVP Academic), Galatians (in The Story of God Commentary series by Zondervan Academic), Galatians (in the Word Biblical themes series) and Paul and the Language of Faith (Eerdmans). Gupta blogs at www.cruxsolablog.com and can be found on X/Twitter (@NijayKGupta). OnScript's Review: Let's keep it authentically weird. Roman religion was odd: talking statues, meaningful entrails, warring gods. In Strange Religion, Nijay Gupta shows how ancient Christianity was equally weird yet oddly attractive in the Roman world. If the contemporary church can look to the earliest church's strange way of life, it will remain compellingly different today. Highly recommended. -- Matthew W. Bates, author of Why the Gospel?; professor of theology at Quincy University. Give: Visit our Donate Page if you would like to support OnScript’s work.

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 Testament is Dying (Baker) Honest to God Preaching (Fortress), The Old Testament: A Concise Introduction (Routledge), Lies My Preacher Told Me (WJK Press), and The Incomparable God: Readings in Biblical Theology (Eerdmans). He's the editor of many books and resources, including the award-winning The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Law (Oxford, 2015). He’s also hosted In Parallel, an offshoot of OnScript that looks at the resonances between biblical and modern poetry. Give: Help support OnScript as we grow and develop. Click HERE.

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 that paratexts might hold the most sway over our biblical reading, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's unavoidable. From titles of anonymous books to cross-reference systems to extensive theologically-driven study notes, the biblical literature has always been entangled with paratexts. Dru and Garrick spend some time talking about the recent "Trump Bible" (AKA Lee Greenwood's God Bless the USA Bible) and the ethical contours of paratexts. Guest: Garrick Allen is Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism (Theology & Religious Studies) at the University of Glasgow. His first book, The Book of Revelation and Early Jewish Textual Culture (Cambridge 2017), was awarded the Manfred Lautenschlaeger Award for Theological Promise 2019 and his essay "Monks, Manuscripts, Muhammad, and Digital Editions of the New Testament," published also in a chapter in his book Manuscripts of the Book of Revelation (Oxford 2020), was awarded the Paul J. Achtemeier Award for New Testament Scholarship by the Society of Biblical Literature (2018). His most recent book is Words Are Not Enough: Paratexts, Manuscripts, and the Real New Testament (Eerdmans, 2024). Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to help OnScript continue by becoming a regular donor.

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 child, post-modernity? Dr. Sheblazm has thought through each of these questions, and he has answers that left reviewers stunned. Learn about how Abraham's bosom and Pauline passages may hold the key to navigating the troubled waters we live in. Guest: Dr. Sheblazm is the best tendencies in all of us ... what we wish we were on a good day. Endorsements:  If you enjoyed this episode … why not check out the good Dr.’s other episodes, HERE, HERE, HERE,  HERE, HERE, and HERE.

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: Christian Political  Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies (SPCK/Zondervan, 2024). Should Christians be politically withdrawn, avoiding participation in politics to maintain their prophetic voice and to keep from being used as political pawns? Or should Christians be actively involved, seeking to utilize political systems to control the levers of power? In Jesus and the Powers, N. T. Wright and Michael F. Bird call Christians everywhere to discern the nature of Christian witness in fractured political environments. In an age of ascending autocracies, in a time of fear and fragmentation, amid carnage and crises, Jesus is king, and Jesus’s kingdom remains the object of the church's witness and work. (Publisher's description, abridged). Guests: N.T. Wright is Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall at Oxford University.  Mike Bird is Academic Dean, Postgraduate Coordinator, and Lecturer in Theology at Ridley College at Ridley College in Melbourne, Australia. OnScript's Review of Jesus and the Powers: The gospel is that Jesus is king. And, yes, this is a political claim. But what should that mean for our politics today? Wright and Bird make a powerful Christian case for liberal democracies as the least worst option, because they protect liberties, curb evil, and create space to love our neighbors well. Discover how Christians can participate wisely in government to help it remain God's servant. -- Matthew W. Bates, author of Why the Gospel?; professor of theology, Quincy University Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to help OnScript continue by becoming a regular donor.

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 includes frank discussions of stripping of Jesus, the exposure and humiliation that victims of crucifixion experienced, and the possibility of further sexual violence during crucifixion. We want to warn listeners that the content and subject of this episode are quite difficult (but important!), but please be warned that it is not suitable for children. Guest: Professor David Tombs took up the Director role at the Centre and the Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues in January 2015. David is an Anglican lay theologian and his work focusses on contextual and liberation theologies, theologies of reconciliation, and the cross. He also writes on how churches can make better responses to spiritual and sexual abuses. His research has pioneered the study of crucifixion as a form of torture, an instrument of state terror, and an open opportunity for sexual harm. His numerous publications include Latin American Liberation Theology (Brill 2002), Explorations in Reconciliation (co-edited with Joseph Liechty, Routledge 2006), When Did We See You Naked?: Jesus as a Victim of Sexual Abuse (co-edited with Jayme Reaves and Rocío Figueroa, SCM 2021), and The Crucifixion of Jesus: Torture, Sexual Abuse, and the Scandal of the Cross (Routledge, 2023). Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to give once or join the big leagues and become a regular donor.

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 Construction of Priestly Hegemony (OUP, 2023)!  Guest: Nathan MacDonald is Professor of the Interpretation of the Old Testament at Cambridge University. He taught Old Testament previously at St. Andrews University, and was the recipient of a Sofja-Kovalevskaja Prize which enabled him to lead a research team on Early Jewish Monotheisms at Georg-August-Universität Göttingen from 2009–2014. He's the author of numerous books, including Deuteronomy and the Meaning of ‘Monotheism’ (Mohr Siebeck, 2003; 2nd edition 2012), Priestly Rule: Polemic and Biblical Interpretation in Ezekiel 44 (de Gruyter, 2015), What did the Ancient Israelites Eat? Diet in Biblical Times (Eerdmans, 2008), Not Bread Alone: The Uses of Food in the Old Testament (Oxford University Press, 2008), and the book we're discussing in this interview, The Making of the Tabernacle and the Construction of Priestly Hegemony (Oxford University Press, 2023). Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to give once or join the big leagues and become a regular donor.

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 McKinny and Kyle Keimer Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to help Biblical World continue by becoming a one-off or regular donor. Photo Attribution: The Lion Gate at Hattusa - Photo by Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany - The Lion Gate flanked by two towers, located at the southwest of the city, the lions were put at the entrance of the city to ward off evil, Hattusa, capital of the Hittite Empire, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=123588439

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 childbearing." The event was co-sponsored by IVP, who publishes Dr. Glahn's book Nobody's Mother: Artemis of the Ephesians in Antiquity and the New Testament (2023). Thanks to all who came out live for this event! Guest: Dr. Sandra Glahn is Professor of Media Arts and Worship at Dallas Theological Seminary. She's the author of over 20 books, including Vindicating the Vixens: Revisiting Sexualized, Vilified, and Marginalized Women of the Bible (Kregel, 2017), Latte with Luke (AMG, 2022), and Nobody's Mother: Artemis of the Ephesians in Antiquity and the New Testament (IVP Academic, 2023), and she is the co-editor of Sanctified Sexuality: Valuing Sex in an Oversexed World (Kregel, 2020). She has also written eleven Bible studies in the Coffee Cup Bible Study series. A regular blogger at Engage, bible.org’s site for women in Christian leadership, she is the owner of Aspire Productions, and served as editor-in-chief for Kindred Spirit from 1999 to 2016. She and her husband have one adult daughter. (adapted from the DTS website) Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to give once or join the big leagues and become a regular donor.

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: Jason Staples is Assistant Professor in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at NC State University. Jason A. Staples is a specialist in Ancient Mediterranean Religions, focusing primarily on Early Judaism and Christian Origins. He is the author of The Idea of Israel in Second Temple Judaism: A New Theory of People, Exile, and Israelite Identity​​​​​​​ (Cambridge University Press, 2021). His second book will focus on Israel in the writings of the apostle Paul. (from the NC State University site) Host: Lynn Cohick Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to join the big leagues and become a regular donor.