OnScript

Matthias Henze - Mind the Gap (Jewish Writings Between the OT & NT)

Episode: Anyone who has read sequentially from the Old Testament to the New has a bit of a shock when they arrive at the gospels. New ideas and creatures populate the landscape of Galilee and Jerusalem. Things such as rabbis and synagogues (A Greek term for an "assembly"!) snuck into the center of Jewish life from somewhere off-stage. So too did demons and resurrection of the dead. Though some would argue that we get glimpses of these in the Hebrew Bible, where did these full-figured notions about the spirit realm and afterlife come from? In this episode, Matthias Henze maps out how people approaching the biblical texts from the NT lens can hop into the world of Hellenistic Judaism to better understand the NT literature. Enjoy the episode, and find yourself a copy of Mind the Gap (Fortress Press, 2018).

Guest: Matthias Henze holds the Watt J. and Lilly G. Jackson Chair in Biblical Studies at Rice University. He has written numerous books and scholarly articles in early Jewish and biblical studies. He edited Biblical Interpretation at Qumran (2005), A Companion to Biblical Interpretation in Early Judaism (2012), and authored Jewish Apocalypticism in Late First-Century Israel (2011), and is preparing the Hermeneia commentary on 2 Baruch.

The Book: (from the publisher's website) Do you want to understand Jesus of Nazareth, his apostles, and the rise of early Christianity? Reading the Old Testament is not enough, writes Matthias Henze in this slender volume aimed at the student of the Bible. To understand the Jews of the Second Temple period, it’s essential to read what they wrote—and what Jesus and his followers might have read—beyond the Hebrew scriptures. Henze introduces the four-century gap between the Old and New Testaments and some of the writings produced during this period (different Old Testaments, the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, the Dead Sea Scrolls); discusses how these texts have been read from the Reformation to the present, emphasizing the importance of the discovery of Qumran; guides the student’s encounter with select texts from each collection; and then introduces key ideas found in specific New Testament texts that simply can’t be understood without these early Jewish “intertestamental” writings—the Messiah, angels and demons, the law, and the resurrection of the dead. Finally, he discusses the role of these writings in the “parting of the ways” between Judaism and Christianity. Mind the Gap broadens curious students’ perspectives on early Judaism and early Christianity and welcomes them to deeper study.

Help Support OnScript: Click through one of the links above to purchase Matthias's book (or others, while you're in there) and the OnScript Podcast gets a whopping 2.5% or so (at no loss to you). Each bit helps us keep this operation going. Or visit our Donate Page if you want to join the big leagues and become a regular donor. Don't let us stop you from doing both.

Mary Katherine Hom - The Characterization of an Empire

Episode: Dr. Mary Hom returns to the show to talk about her soon-to-be-released book The Characterization of an Empire: The Portrayal of the Assyrians in Kings and Chronicles (Wipf & Stock, 2018). But as is normally the case, conversation goes well beyond her recent scholarship ...

Guest: Mary Katherine Hom is a freelance Old Testament scholar currently residing in Sacramento, CA. In addition to The Characterization of an Empire (available for pre-order, see below), she is the author of The Characterization of the Assyrians in Isaiah (Bloomsbury, 2014). Formerly an Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at Ambrose University (College), Dr. Hom has since explored more integrative approaches between Biblical Studies and the Christian life, from an in-depth exploration of the charismatic movement at Bethel Church to backpacking southern Africa to volunteering alongside anti-trafficking NGOs in Asia to—most personally humbling and profound for her—caring for her mother at home. Her 'business' card (discussed in the episode) speaks to these varied aspects of her life.

Book: ***To pre-order this book at a 20% discount off retail, please contact Wipf and Stock Publishers Customer Service Department by phone at +1-541-344-1528 or by email at orders@wipfandstock.com*** 'Biblical scholars usually treat Assyria as a 'background' issue that sheds light elsewhere. Mary Hom brings Assyria into the spotlight as a biblical character in its own right, and with true insight and sagacity. Her literary analysis of Assyria in Kings and Chronicles attends to ways that biblical authors personalize, caricature, and re-interpret the empire in relation to the rise and fall of Israel and Judah. This study complements her earlier study of Assyria in Isaiah, bringing the mighty and alluring empire into literary and theological life. Narrative critics of the Bible--take note!' - M Lynch

Help Support OnScript: Visit our Donate Page if you want to join the big leagues and become a regular donor. Don’t let us stop you from doing both.

Douglas Campbell - Paul: An Apostle's Journey

Episode: It was half an hour before coffee and cake with the Campbell family, so Chris sits down with Douglas Campbell to interview him on his new book on the Apostle Paul, a particularly racy, fast-paced and electrifying book which Douglas Harink has described as “The best book on Paul since Acts”! Douglas Campbell is one of the leading Pauline scholars in the world, but this new and more popular level book reads very differently from his previous, more technical, works. Paul: An Apostle’s Journey (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2018).

Guest: (from the Duke Divinity School webpage) Professor Campbell's main research interest is the life and theology of the apostle Paul, with particular reference to an understanding of salvation informed by apocalyptic as against justification or salvation-history. However, he is interested in methodological contributions to Paul's analysis from any disciplinary angle, ancient or modern, whether Greco-Roman epistolary and rhetorical theory, or insights into human networking and conflict-resolution discovered by sociologists. His recent book-length publications include Paul: An Apostle's Journey (Eerdmans, 2018), Framing Paul: An Epistolary Biography (Eerdmans, 2014), The Deliverance of God: An Apocalyptic Rereading of Justification in Paul (Eerdmans, 2009), and The Quest for Paul's Gospel: A Suggested Strategy (T & T Clark, 2005). A book of essays has been published analyzing his critical approach to justification: Beyond Old and New Perspectives on Paul: Reflections on the Work of Douglas Campbell (ed. Chris Tilling, Wipf & Stock, 2014).

Book: Paul: An Apostle’s Journey (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2018). In this short but spirited book Campbell presents Paul in terms of his life and activities. Biography, theology, and Pauline scholarship are all rolled together into a potent mix, with special emphasis on how Paul might challenge us afresh today. Readers, as the book description states, are invited to “relive the story of Paul’s action-packed ministry, and follow the development of Paul’s thought throughout both his physical and his spiritual travels”. This is a dramatic and rather unique book, and will appeal to a wide audience.

Help Support OnScript: Click through one of the links above to purchase one of Campbell's books (or others, while you’re there) and the OnScript Podcast gets a whopping 2.5% or so (at no loss to you). Each bit helps us keep this operation going. Or visit our Donate Page if you want to join the big leagues and become a regular donor. Don’t let us stop you from doing both.

Christian Hofreiter - Making Sense of OT Genocide

Episode: Matt interviews Christian Hofreiter (RZIM) on one of the most vexed issues in biblical studies ... genocide in the Old Testament. Christian Hofreiter has been pondering this question for a long time, and has written a groundbreaking work on the subject - Making Sense of Old Testament Genocide: Christian Interpretations of Herem Passages (Oxford University Press, 2018).

Guest: (from the RZIM site) The Revd Dr Christian Hofreiter is Director of RZIM Austria, Germany and Switzerland, the Zacharias Institut für Wissenschaft, Kultur und Glaube, a Research Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, and, most recently, the author of Making Sense of Old Testament Genocide: Christian Interpretations of Herem Passages (Oxford University Press, 2018). A native of Austria, he has studied, lived and worked in Innsbruck, Brussels, London, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, and Oxford, and now lives with his family in Vienna, Austria.

From 2008-2012, Christian served with the Oxford Pastorate as a chaplain to the graduate student body at Oxford University, working closely with senior academics, leaders of various churches, and a broad variety of students. An ordained Anglican minister, he was also a member of the leadership team at St Aldates Church, Oxford.

In addition, Christian studied theology at Oxford University, earning three degrees (MA, MSt, DPhil), winning several prizes and scholarships, and gaining the top first class award in 2008. His doctoral research focused on the Christian interpretation of “genocide texts” in the Old Testament.

Before arriving in Oxford, Christian worked in a government relations firm in Washington, DC, which represented the interests of foreign governments and other clients to the United States Congress and Administration, and also served as deacon at the Church of the Resurrection on Capitol Hill.

Book: Making Sense of Old Testament Genocide: Christian Interpretations of Herem Passages (Oxford University Press, 2018) takes an historical look at how Christians through the centuries have addressed, wrestled with, and re-interpreted the 'herem' passages in the Old Testament. Herem is the practice of devoting people or objects to destruction (or removing them from use) at the behest of a deity. Hofreiter provides a critically rich and illuminating tour of the history of Christian engagement with these challenging biblical passages.

Help Support OnScript: Click through one of the links above to purchase Christian's book (or others, while you're in there) and the OnScript Podcast gets a whopping 2.5% or so (at no loss to you). Each bit helps us keep this operation going. Or visit our Donate Page if you want to join the big leagues and become a regular donor. Don't let us stop you from doing both.

Shawn Flynn - Children in Ancient Israel

Episode:  In this episode, we discuss the Mesopotamian texts about matters of children to deity relations, families roles, abandonment, child death, and more for the sake of understanding some of the texts of the Hebrew Bible. There exists a clear set of practices in the ancient Near East that show the value of children outside of their utility, which creates the question: Did Israelites feel the same? If so, do these shared presumptions about children explain biblical texts that cover the same social geographies?

Guest: Shawn Flynn is an Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible the Academic Dean at St. Joseph's College (University of Alberta). He is the author of two books: Yhwh Is King: The Development of Divine Kingship in Ancient Israel, Brill 2013 and the book we’re discussing in this episode, Children in Ancient Israel: The Hebrew Bible and Mesopotamia in Comparative Perspective (OUP, 2018). Dr. Flynn studied English Literature at Univ. of Northern British Columbia, Biblical Studies at Trinity Western University, and began doctoral work at Trinity College Dublin, completing a PhD at the University of Toronto in the department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations.

The Book: (from the publisher's website) Flynn contributes to the emerging field of childhood studies in the Hebrew Bible by isolating stages of a child's life, and through a comparative perspective, studies the place of children in the domestic cult and their relationship to the deity in that cult. The study gathers data relevant to different stages of a child's life from a plethora of Mesopotamian materials (prayers, myths, medical texts, rituals), and uses that data as an interpretive lens for Israelite texts about children at similar stages such as: pre-born children, the birth stage, breast feeding, adoption, slavery, children's death and burial rituals, childhood delinquency. This analysis presses the questions of value and violence, the importance of the domestic cult for expressing the child's value beyond economic value, and how children were valued in cultures with high infant mortality rates. From the earliest stages to the moments when children die, and to the children's responsibilities in the domestic cult later in life, this study demonstrates that a child is uniquely wrapped up in the domestic cult, and in particular, is connected with the deity. The domestic-cultic value of children forms the much broader understanding of children in the ancient world, through which other more problematic representations can be tested. Throughout the study, it becomes apparent that children's value in the domestic cult is an intentional catalyst for the social promotion of YHWHism.

Help Support OnScript: Click through one of the links above to purchase Shawn's Book (or others, while you're in there) and the OnScript Podcast gets a whopping 2.5% or so (at no loss to you). Each bit helps us keep this operation going. Or visit our Donate Page if you want to join the big leagues and become a regular donor. Don't let us stop you from doing both.

Cynthia Long Westfall - Paul and Gender

Episode:  In this episode, Cynthia Long Westfall talks with Erin about her new book on gender in Paul's letters, which emphatically is not just a conversation about women's issues in Paul's letters. Tune in as Cindy and Erin discuss veiling, masculine and feminine stereotypes, what it's like to be a woman in the academy, and the superiority of Minnesota hockey.

Guest: (from the publisher's website) Cynthia Long Westfall (PhD, University of Surrey) is assistant professor of New Testament at McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario. She is the author of A Discourse Analysis of the Letter to the Hebrews: The Relationship between Form and Meaning and has coedited several volumes, including The Bible and Social Justice. Westfall is currently on several steering committees: the SBL Biblical Greek Language and Linguistics section, the ETS Evangelicals and Gender section, and the ETS Hebrews section. She is also a member of the editorial board for the Common English Bible.

The Book: Cynthia Long Westfall, Paul and Gender: Reclaiming the Apostle's Vision for Men and Women in Christ (Baker Academic, 2016). Publisher's Description: In this volume, respected New Testament scholar Cynthia Long Westfall offers a coherent Pauline theology of gender. Westfall interprets passages on women and men together and places those passages in the context of the Pauline corpus as a whole. Her inclusion of the entire Pauline canon enables her to address the issues effectively, and she reads the texts in light of their own claims of authorship, recipient, and circumstances. She also gleans new insights by making sense of the passages in the context of the Greco-Roman culture.

Paul and Gender includes fresh perspectives on the most controverted texts, offering viable alternatives for some notorious interpretive problems in certain Pauline passages. The author reframes gender issues in a way that stimulates thinking, promotes discussion, and moves the conversation forward. As Westfall explores the significance of Paul's teaching on both genders, she seeks to support and equip males and females to serve in their area of gifting, regardless of social status, race, or gender.

Help Support OnScript: Click through one of the links above to purchase one of Cynthia's books (or others, while you're in there) and the OnScript Podcast gets a whopping 2.5% or so (at no loss to you). Each bit helps us keep this operation going. Or visit our Donate Page if you want to join the big leagues and become a regular donor. Don't let us stop you from doing both.

Ervine Sheblatzm - Paul, Multiverse Theory, & the Inner Soul

Episode: Brace yourself for a celestial journey through the letters of Paul, the Multiverse, and the inner soul. Prof Ervine Sheblatzm sits down with OnScript host Matt Lynch to discuss his recent book The Apostle Paul, Multiverse Theory, and the Journey of the Inner Soul (2018). If you enjoy science, biblical studies, or both, and want to learn how they all fit together in what Prof Sheblatzm calls 'the eternal conglomeration,' this episode is for you! As Ervine is so fond of saying, 'The way to your soul's song is in the givenness of multiversality, and no one understood this better than Paul.'

Guest: According to his website, Prof Sheblatzm holds doctorates in Physics and Theology from 'recognized institutions,' and has won awards of various sorts. He runs a research facility in the Lakes District in the UK with his friend Dave (and his cats), and caries out extensive research online. His primary areas of research include multiverse theory and the epistles of Paul, but he also conducts research in paleo-archaeology, cosmology, and metaphorism. He lists 'life coaching' and 'people watching' among his various hobbies.

Book: Prof Sheblatzm's recent publication The Apostle Paul, Multiverse Theory, and the Journey of the Inner Soul (2018) explores Paul's reference to 'the third heaven' (2 Cor 12:2), Multiverse Theory, and the 'inner human landscape.' His theory is at once simple and complex, and as he puts it, 'dazzles and delights' both 'scientist and theologist.' The book includes a number of endorsements.

Contributions: Special thanks to Ed Hatke for producing this episode, to Carl Palmer* for his creative contributions, and to Douglas Horch and Teegla for introducing us to Prof Sheblatzm. Thanks also to Tommy Moehlman for marketing and media assistance.

Donate: If, after ingesting and digesting this episode you wish to give to OnScript, more power to ya. Visit our Donate Page if you want to join the big leagues and become a regular donor. Don't let us stop you from doing both.

*Carl Palmer played Prof Sheblatzm for this April Fools' Day episode.

Listener Q&D

Episode: We've got another Q&D comin' at'cha. These are your questions, so there are no reasons not to listen. And it gets even better, we've got Chris Tilling joining us as a co-host, and he's here to stay, we think. 

Hosts: You can find all the info HERE, but since Chris isn't yet on the page, here's a bit more about him: r Chris Tilling is Graduate Tutor and Senior Lecturer in New Testament Studies at St Mellitus College. He is also a visiting Lecturer in Theology at King’s College London. Chris co-authored 'How God Became Jesus' (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2014) with Michael Bird (ed.), Craig Evans, Simon Gathercole, and Charles Hill. He is also the editor of 'Beyond Old and New Perspectives on Paul' (Eugene, Or: Cascade, 2014). Chris’s first book, the critically acclaimed 'Paul’s Divine Christology' (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2012), is now republished with multiple endorsements and a new Foreword, by Eerdmans (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2015). Chris has also published numerous articles on topics relating to the Apostle Paul, “Christology”, “justification”, the “historical Jesus” and the theology of Hans Küng. He is the New Testament editor for the exciting journal, 'Syndicate', and he has appeared as a DVD media figure for Biologos, GCI and HTB’s School of Theology. He is the author of a popular theology blog site entitled 'Chrisendom'. He is married to Anja with two kids, and he enjoys playing golf and chess. (from the St. Mellitus site). 

 

Christopher Rollston - The Alleged Isaiah Seal

(Photo Ouria Tadmor. Copyright Eilat Mazar)[/caption]

Episode: We discuss the alleged Isaiah Bulla (clay seal impression) with one of the finest epigraphers in the field. The seal was found by the Temple Mount in 2009 by Eilat Mazar, and first announced in Biblical Archaeology Review last month (February, 2018). Matt L. and Dru J. discuss the find with Prof. Christopher Rollston, who urges caution when making bold claims about the seal's link to the biblical prophet Isaiah. We also discuss our desire to make connections between archaeology and the bible, and for a material connection with the past.

Guest: Professor Rollston is Associate Professor of Northwest Semitic languages and literatures at George Washington University. Rollston works in more than a dozen ancient and modern languages, including various ancient Semitic languages (e.g., Hebrew, Phoenician, Aramaic, Palmyrene, Nabataean, Ammonite, Moabite, Edomite, Ugaritic, Akkadian), several ancient and modern Indo-European languages (e.g., Hellenistic Greek, Classical Latin; Modern German, French, Spanish, and Italian), as well as Sahidic Coptic. He is the author of Writing and Literacy in the World of Ancient Israel: Epigraphic Evidence from the Iron Age (Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2010). This volume was selected by the American Schools of Oriental Research (in November 2011) as the recipient of the prestigious “Frank Moore Cross Prize for Northwest Semitic Epigraphy,” a prize named for the late Harvard University Professor Frank Cross. He has also edited several volumes. Needless to say, he's very accomplished in his field! (adapted from the GWU website).

Help Support OnScript: Click through one of the links above to purchase Rollston's book (or others, while you're in there) and the OnScript Podcast gets a whopping 2.5% or so (at no loss to you). Each bit helps us keep this operation going. Or visit our Donate Page if you want to join the big leagues and become a regular donor. Don't let us stop you from doing both.

Paul Trebilco - Outsiders and Insiders in the New Testament

Episode: What can the language we use for “them” tell us about who “we” are? What do a group’s descriptions of outsiders tell us about the values and self-perceptions of the in-group? The New Testament uses a range of designations for outsiders and, at first blush, some of the terms, like “sinner,” “unbeliever,” and “unrighteous,” seem unusually harsh to our ears. In an age where inclusivity rules the day, the New Testament authors seem woefully out of step. Fortunately, Paul Trebilco’s new research sheds some much-needed light on this important topic. In this episode, Professor Paul Trebilco talks with Erin about outsider designations in the New Testament, New Zealand, being in a gang, jazz musicians, and more.

Guest: Paul Trebilco (PhD, University of Durham), is Professor of New Testament at the University of Otago. He has published work on the Jewish and Greco-Roman backgrounds to the New Testament, the Acts of the Apostles, the apostle Paul, early Christians in Ephesus, the relationship of Scripture and Church tradition, and the Self-designations used by the earliest Christians in the New Testament. In 2017, Paul was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand.

 The Book: Paul Trebilco, Outsider Designations and Boundary Construction in the New Testament (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017). Publisher's Description: What terms did early Christians use for outsiders? How did they refer to non-members? In this book-length investigation of these questions, Paul Trebilco explores the outsider designations that the early Christians used in the New Testament. He examines a range of terms, including unbelievers, 'outsiders', sinners, Gentiles, Jews, among others. Drawing on insights from social identity theory, sociolinguistics, and the sociology of deviance, he investigates the usage and development of these terms across the New Testament, and also examines how these outsider designations function in boundary construction across several texts. Trebilco's analysis leads to new conclusions about the identity and character of the early Christian movement, the range of relations between early Christians and outsiders, and the theology of particular New Testament authors.