OnScript

Charles Halton - A Human-Shaped God

Episode: Charles Halton joins to discuss divine embodiment and its theological implications. We discuss the role of tensions and diversity in Scripture, Old Testament antecedents to the incarnation, theological method, and much more!

Guest: Charles is an Episcopal priest currently serving as Associate Rector of Christ Church Cathedral in Lexington, Kentucky. He taught Old Testament and Semitic languages for almost ten years at the seminary and college levels and earned a PhD in Bible and ancient Near East with an emphasis in cuneiform languages from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is External Affiliate at the Centre of the Social-Scientific Study of the Bible at St. Mary's University, Twickenham. He's also a founder, managing editor, and director of media for The Marginalia Review of Books, which is part of the LA Review of Books. He edited Genesis: History, Fiction, or Neither? (Zondervan, 2015) and is coauthor, editor, and translator (with Saana Svärd) of Women's Writing of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Anthology of the Earliest Female Authors (Cambridge, 2017). Finally, he's the author of the book discussed in this episode, A Human-Shaped God: Theology of an Embodied God (WJK 2021). He translated the cuneiform collection of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh.

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Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer - The History and Archaeology of Christmas (Part 1)

Episode: Biblical World hosts Chris and Kyle talk about the archaeology and historical context of Christmas. They try not to be Grinches. This is part 1 of a two part series. For part 2, keep your eyes on the Biblical World podcast feed.

Hosts: Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer.

Give: Help support OnScript’s Biblical World HERE. Thanks to all of you who have supported us!

Image by by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Vince Bantu - A Multitude of All Peoples (Live in San Antonio)

Episode: Erin and Matt L. join Vince Bantu for a live recording in San Antonio. At this IVP Academic event, we cover all things early Christianity as it took root and developed in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. We talk about the (often) untold stories of early Christianity, the weaponization of doctrine, Miaphysite and Diaphysite controversies, Vince's Old Nubian studies, and much more from his book A Multitude of All Peoples: Engaging Ancient Christianity’s Global Identity (IVP 2020)!

Guest: Rev. Dr. Vince Bantu is Assistant Professor of Church History and Black Church Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary. He’s the author of Gospel Haymanot: A Constructive Theology and Critical Reflection on African and Diasporic Christianity (2020), and the book discussed in this episode, A Multitude of All Peoples: Engaging Ancient Christianity’s Global Identity (IVP 2020). Vince is also the founder and director of the Meachum School of Haymanot (Haymanot is Ge’ez, or Ethiopic for faith), which exists to bring biblical, grad-level theological education to African-American, ethnic minority and low-income communities in a contextualized and affordable manner.

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Mentioned in this Episode: J. Edward Walters, Eastern Christianity: A Reader (Eerdmans).

Thanks again to our sponsor for this event, IVP Academic! Check out their catalogue HERE.

Carol Newsom - The Spirit Within Me

Episode: Carol Newsom returns to OnScript to discuss her wide-ranging interests in anthropology, cognitive science, early Judaism, and the Old Testament. The discussion focuses on her recent research on developing conceptions of the person, including self and moral agency, in ancient Israel and early Judaism. We also go off script to discuss recent books of interest, the inferiority complex in academia, and much more. Our conversation relates to her recent book The Spirit Within Me (Yale University Press).

Guest:  Dr. Carol Newsom is Charles Howard Candler Professor Emerita of Old Testament at Candler School of Theology. She’s written quite a few books, including Job: A Contest of Moral Imaginations, the OTL commentary on Daniel, and the book we’re discussing today called The Spirit Within Me: Self and Agency in Ancient Israel and Second Temple Judaism (Yale UP). She edited several books, including the acclaimed Women’s Bible Commentary (Westminster John Knox, 3rd ed., 2012), now in its third edition. She has translated and published some of the Dead Sea Scrolls, including The Hodayot and the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice. She was president of the Society of Biblical Literature, and was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

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If you enjoyed this episode ... listen to our earlier episode with Carol Newsom, and our episode with Brent Strawn where he called her "the smartest person in the room."

Thomas McCall - Analytic Christology and the Theological Interpretation of the New Testament

Episode: If you like conversations that sit on the awkward fence between systematic theology and biblical studies, this episode is for you. Tom McCall's wide-ranging expertise clarifies the limits of an apocalyptic reading of Galatians 2:20 ("I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live..."), the pistis Christou debate, social trinitarianism, and discussions in scholarship sparked by Karl Barth pertaining to the incarnation. Co-hosted by Matt Bates and Chris Tilling.

The Book: Thomas H. McCall, Analytic Christology and the Theological Interpretation of the New Testament (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021). This study draws upon the resources of both contemporary analytic theology and the theological interpretation of the New Testament in order to investigate a set of important issues in Christology. It is the first work in analytic Christology to draw upon both recent scholarship in biblical studies and recent contributions to analytic philosophy and theology. Thomas H. McCall explores the themes of union with Christ and the faith of Christ as these are developed by the "apocalyptic" and "New Perspective" interpreters of Pauline theology. The volume offers a careful analysis of recent dogmatic proposals about the identity of Christ and the doctrine of election, and provides an examination of debates over the subordination of the Son in Hebrews. It also probes the relationship of the incarnate Son to his Father in Johannine theology. McCall presents an exegetically-grounded theological engagement with recent work on the place of logic in the doctrine of the incarnation. (publisher's description).

Guest: Tom McCall is the Timothy C. and Julie M. Tennent Chair of Theology at Asbury Theological Seminary. Ph.D., Systematic Theology, Calvin Theological Seminary (2004). Prior to his appointment at Asbury, Tom served for sixteen years as Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology at TEDS, where he was also the Director of the Carl F. H. Henry Center for Theological Understanding. During this same time, he held an appointment as Professorial Fellow in Exegetical and Analytic Theology at the University of St. Andrews. He is author of numerous books, including with Keith D. Stanglin, After Arminius: A Historical Introduction to Arminian Theology (Oxford University Press, 2020); Against God and Nature: The Doctrine of Sin (Crossway, 2019); An Invitation to Analytic Christian Theology (IVP Academic, 2015); Forsaken: The Trinity and the Cross, and Why It Matters (IVP Academic, 2012); Jacob Arminius: Theologian of Grace (OUP, 2012).

OnScript's Review: "With razor sharp precision, Thomas McCall carves out a productive new space for theological conversation. He brings clarity to fraught topics such as apocalyptic discourse in Paul's letters, the pistis Christou debate, social trinitarianism, and Karl Barth's proposals about the incarnation. Highly recommended." -- Matthew W. Bates, author of The Birth of the Trinity and associate professor of theology at Quincy University

Two Updates

Join us in San Antonio for a live event with Dr. Vince Bantu in San Antonio, sponsored by IVP!

When? Nov 22nd (2021), 8pm.
Where? Little Rhein Prost Haus –https://www.littlerheinprosthaus.com/
What? Live recording with Vince about his book, A Multitude of All Peoples (IVP), free food, a chance to connect.
Registration: Sign up for the free event HERE.

OnScript's new podcast In Parallel, launches in January. You can subscribe now wherever you listen.

Help Support OnScript: Visit our Donate Page if you want to join the big leagues and become a regular donor.

Gary Schnittjer - Old Testament Use of the Old Testament

Episode: Matt Lynch speaks with his former professor and friend Gary Schnittjer about his massive new book on the Old Testament's use of the Old Testament. They talk about exegetical updates to earlier texts, the rich networks of quotation and re-use that cluster around certain texts, and the ways that Gary's work on the OT use of the OT shapes his understanding of what the New Testament is doing.

Guest: Gary is Professor of Old Testament at Cairn University in Philadelphia, and is the author of two major works on the Old Testament, The Torah Story (Zondervan) and Old Testament Use of the Old Testament: A Book-By-Book Guide (Zondervan). Gary also hosts Hebrewdaybyday, which offers a short explanation of a Hebrew text each day. Subscribe to on Twitter or Youtube.  

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Events: Join us for a live OnScript event with Vince Bantu on Nov 22nd in San Antonio. Free food! https://onscript.study/events/

Halloween OnCrypt Special! Death in Ancient Israel with Matt Suriano

Episode: In this special Halloween OnCrypt Biblical World episode Chris and Kyle speak with Matt Suriano about Israelite mortuary belief along with Matt’s work on the Jerusalem necropolis in Silwan (east, southeast of the Old City). Matt discusses elite and royal burial customs in ancient Israel as he articulates why ancestors were important and what this means in biblical literature.  This is cross-published from our other podcast, Biblical World. 

Guest: Matthew Suriano: https://jewishstudies.umd.edu/directory/matthew-suriano

Hosts: Chris and Kyle 
Topics Covered: Matt, Chris, and Kyle discuss the following topics: monumental burials in Jerusalem; ancestor traditions in the Bible; elite and royal burial customs in ancient Israel.
Resources: Suriano, Matthew 2018 A History of Death in the Hebrew Bible (Oxford University Press).
-- The Politics of Dead Kings: Dynastic Ancestors in the Book of Kings and Ancient Israel (Mohr Siebeck, 2010).

Give: Help support OnScript’s Biblical World HERE. Thanks to all of you who have supported us!
H/T to David Schroder for the OnCrypt idea!

 

Between Doubt and Dogmatism - Joshua McNall

Episode: Tired of gurus that have all the answers? Or those so zealous for deconstruction that the have none? We need a recalibrated theological imagination that can fuel faithful loyalty. In this wide-ranging interview featuring his new book Perhaps, Joshua McNall shows us that when Scripture and great literature are allowed to resonate, we are able to move beyond rigid dogmatism and endless doubt. Co-hosted by Matt Bates.

The Book: Joshua M. McNall, Perhaps: Reclaiming the Space between Doubt and Dogmatism (IVP Academic, 2021). The Christian life requires faith. That means that believers are sometimes faced with uncertainty. But is all uncertainty bad? Theologian Joshua McNall encourages readers to reclaim the little word "perhaps" as a sacred space between the warring extremes of unchecked doubt and zealous dogmatism. To say "perhaps" on certain contested topics means exercising a hopeful imagination, asking hard questions, returning once again to Scripture, and reclaiming the place of holy speculation as we cling to a faith that stands distinct from both pervasive skepticism and abrasive certainty. In this day especially, it's time Christians learned to say "perhaps." (publisher's description).

Guest: Joshua McNall is Ambassador of Church Relations and Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology at Oklahoma Wesleyan University, where he directs the honors program. After planting a Wesleyan church near Grand Rapids, Michigan, Josh completed his PhD at the University of Manchester (UK). Since then, he has published several books, including A Free Corrector: Colin Gunton and the Legacy of Augustine (Fortress, 2015), the popular-level, Long Story Short: The Bible in Six Simple Movements (Seedbed, 2018), and The Mosaic of Atonement: An Integrated Approach to Christ's Work (Zondervan Academic, 2019). He and his wife Brianna have four small children and he blogs regularly on issues of theology and culture at www.joshuamcnall.com.

OnScript's Review: "Perhaps a meadow exists between dogmatism and skepticism, a fruitful space for cultivating beautiful truth. Perhaps Origen, Augustine, and Edwards can converse there with Flannery O'Connor and Cormac McCarthy. Perhaps instead of rehearsing or debunking information, we can foster theological imagination. Perhaps Joshua McNall's wit and wisdom has pointed the church toward a better future. Perhaps we should listen." -- Matthew W. Bates, author of Gospel Allegiance and associate professor of theology at Quincy University

Give: Help support OnScript HERE. Thanks to all of you who have supported us!

Caryn Reeder - Family Violence in the Bible

Episode: The prospect of stoning a rebellious son or adulterer, or turning over an unorthodox brother or sister for execution is revolting. But how should a Jewish or Christian believer respond to such ideas when found in their own scripture? While resisting easy answers, Caryn Reeder offers a nuanced approach to books like Deuteronomy, where many of the harshest laws appear. Deuteronomy is the epicenter of legal admonitions to 'show no pity' to one's own family if they prove disloyal to the covenant. Matt L. discusses with Caryn her journey into the world of 'constructive family violence,' how the harshest of laws might have made sense in the ancient world, and how interpreters through history have re-framed violent laws in new ways. *This is a republished episode*

Guest: Caryn Reeder is Associate Professor of New Testament at Westmont College in California. She grew up on a farm in central Illinois, and then did her B.A. at Augustana College, M.A. and M.Phil at Wheaton College, and her Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge. She is the author of The Enemy in the Household: Family Violence in Deuteronomy and Beyond (Baker Academic, 2012), and several other articles and essays on war and violence in the Old and New Testaments. Her current research focuses on the experience of women and children in war in the New Testament and its cultural environment.

Book: The Enemy in the Household: Family Violence in Deuteronomy and Beyond (Baker Academic, 2012) (From the Baker Academic Website) 'Three laws in Deuteronomy command violence against a family member--the enemy in the household - who leads others away from covenantal obligations to God. Several biblical and post-biblical narratives make use of such violence. In this fresh approach to troubling biblical texts, Caryn Reeder explores the "family violence" passages in Deuteronomy, tracing their ancient interpretation and assessing their contemporary significance. The Enemy in the Household examines such "constructive" violence carried out to protect the covenant community by investigating the reading practices of ancient Jewish and Christian interpreters of Scripture and their applications of these passages. It also provides modern readers with a model for the ethical interpretation of these difficult texts.'

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