Episode: Malka Simkovich is back on the podcast to discuss her new book Letters from Home: The Creation of Diaspora in Jewish Antiquity (PSU Press/Eisenbrauns, 2024). We talk about how early Jewish communities in the land of Israel and those outside thought about each other, tried to keep connected, and how they thought about the relationship betwe…

Episode: Back for what feels like the 100th time, Dr. Ervine Sheblazm!! You're in for a treat with this episode. Dr. Sheblazm unveils what some consider the most innovative economic approach since the advent of bartering. Sheblazm's work sent shockwaves through the stalls of Wall Street, and through the nervous system of every economic theorist bat…

Episode: "What is love? (Baby, don't hurt me)." These song lyrics--juxtaposing love and hurt--remind us that 'love' is used so frequently and flexibily in our culture that it is in danger of losing all meaning. Enter Nijay Gupta and his new book The Affections of Christ Jesus! In this episode he helps rescue 'love' by deftly unpacking its biblical …

Episode: Timothy Brookins wants to challenge the scholarly consensus about the conflict behind the book of 1 Corinthians. Listen in as Brookins discusses with Chris Tilling the importance of Stoicism for understanding the rhetoric and message of this crucial Pauline letter! Guest: Timothy Brookins is Professor of Early Christianity at the Universit…

Episode: Artists and Christ followers walk a similar path, as those who discern the truth about the world. The artistic gift of intuitive discernment, of expressing reality with clarity and soul, relates to the Christian gospel. In this syndicated episode of the Blue Note Theology podcast, Mark explores a woven kinship between artists and Christ fo…

Episode: In this episode we welcome back Fr John Behr! Long-time listeners will be familiar with Fr John's delightful live two-part episode on Origen of Alexandria (Part 1 & Part 2). In this episode co-host Amy Hughes speaks with Fr John about his new translation of Gregory of Nyssa's On the Human Image of God (aka On the Making of Humanity). The c…

Episode: We're sharing another great podcast with you this week that we hope you'll enjoy. Blue Note Theology is hosted by Mark Glanville (visit HERE). This may be the only podcast in the world hosted from a grand piano! The Blue Note Theology podcast offers a fresh vision for the church in post-Christian neighbourhoods. Blue notes in jazz and blue…

In this episode, co-host Amy Hughes talks with Daniela Augustine about her book The Spirit of the Common Good: Shared Flourishing in the Image of God. Her work is a perfect example of theology helping us parse large, complex, and weighty issues with high stakes: How do we engage with violence in our world? How do we live with one another as neighbo…

Episode: Jesus did not claim to be God. That is the verdict delivered by the preponderance of historical Jesus scholarship. Meanwhile many scholars of early Christianity--including luminaries such as Larry Hurtado, Richard Bauckham, and N.T. Wright--have contended that the evidence overwhelming shows that Jesus was immediately worshipped as divine …

Episode: In this episode, Chris Tilling interviews Crispin Fletcher-Louis about his new book, The Divine Heartset: Paul’s Philippians Christ Hymn, Metaphysical Affections, and Civic Virtues (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2023). This work combines keen theological insight with rigorous scholarship to explore one of the most significant questions in Chr…

Episode: Dru and Shai have a wide-ranging conversation about the use of Jewish sages in theology, gratuitous suffering, Jesus's interpretation of Torah, and more on love. Shai Held's work innovatively explores non-romanticized realities of love, including the practicalities and theologies of loving the stranger. Guest: Rabbi Shai Held is a philosop…

Episode: Matt and Dru go on a myth-busting spree of Josianic proportions. The topic? Sacrifice in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and several ways that modern readers "butcher" the subject. Enjoy the host-only back-and-forth discussion of sacrifice, decoding Leviticus, ritual, Girard, law, and more! Hosts: Matthew Lynch (Ph.D., Emory University) is…

Episode: In this episode Chris Tilling interviews Jonny Rowlands about his new book, The Metaphysics of Historical Jesus Research. In many ways it builds on earlier discussions with Seth Heringer, Austine Stevenson, and others here on OnScript. We dive into his fascinating thesis and his take on some big questions in historical Jesus studies, chall…

Episode: We are culturally embedded and socially embodied, and this impacts how we interpret Scripture. Esau McCaulley and Amy Peeler, who form part of the editorial team for The New Testament in Color: A Multiethnic Bible Commentary, answer questions about the book's origins, scope, and unique features. They also anticipate possible objections to …

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—Ecclesiast…

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 in…

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 …

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…

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 specializ…

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 …

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…