OnScript

Michael J. Gorman – Becoming the Gospel

Guest:  Professor Michael J. Gorman holds the Raymond E. Brown Chair in Biblical Studies and Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Baltimore, Maryland.  A renowned New Testament scholar, he has written numerous books, including Apostle of the Crucified Lord; Cruciformity; Inhabiting the Cruciform God; Reading Revelation Responsibly; and Elements of Biblical Exegesis.

Episode Details:  St. Francis of Assisi is sometimes remembered as having said, “Preach the gospel at all times; use words if necessary.”  Does this mean that the best way to proclaim the gospel is simply to live it?  Or is an explicit verbal proclamation of the gospel the best way forward?  In this episode, hosted by Matthew Bates, drawing from his new book, Becoming the Gospel, Mike Gorman pushes beyond a simplistic either/or answer.  Reading the Apostle Paul from the vantage point of “missional hermeneutics,” Mike shows the absolute inseparability of proclaiming the gospel and embodying the gospel.  To enter into the saving story of Jesus Christ means to be transformed into the image of Jesus, which is to also become like God–all of which is frequently termed “theosis.”  Be prepared to rethink how categories foundational to the Christian tradition, such as justification and social justice, are inextricably intertwined.  Mike helps us all reconsider how today’s church might more thoroughly enter into the saving mission of God.

Book Details:  Michael J. Gorman, Becoming the Gospel: Paul, Participation, and Mission (Eerdmans, 2015).  The first detailed exegetical treatment of Paul’s letters from the emerging discipline of missional hermeneutics, Michael Gorman’s Becoming the Gospel argues that Paul’s letters invite Christian communities both then and now to not merely believe the gospel but to become the gospel and, in doing so, to participate in the life and mission of God.  Showing that Pauline churches were active public participants in and witnesses to the gospel, Gorman reveals the missional significance of various themes in Paul’s letters. He also identifies select contemporary examples of mission in the spirit of Paul, inviting all Christians to practice Paul-inspired imagination in their own contexts.

David A. Lambert – How Repentance Became Biblical

 

Guest: David Lambert is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He received his Ph.D., M.A., and A.B. from Harvard University. In addition to articles in leading journals in the field of biblical studies, Judaism, and religion, he has recently published How Repentance Became Biblical: Judaism, Christianity, and the Interpretation of Scripture (Oxford University Press, 2016), which we discuss in this podcast.

Episode Details: In this interview with Matt L., David discusses the way that this book formed him as a scholar, how the book came into being, and the ways biblical scholars might move beyond what he calls a ‘colonizing mode of interpretation’. This colonizing mode of interpretation insists that below the surface of the phenomena represented in the text (e.g., mourning, fasting, or appeal) lies a deeper interior reality (often, repentance). Lambert argues that the oft-noted biblical emphasis on repentance tells us more about us as readers than it does about the biblical text. The interview covers the three major portions of Lambert’s book, and of course, some side paths as well.

The Book: How Repentance Became Biblical: Judaism, Christianity, and the Interpretation of Scripture. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016. **For a discount code, click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the document**

We’ll let Carol Newsom’s endorsement, drawn from the OUP website, speak for itself: ‘How Repentance Became Biblical is an intellectually disturbing book in the best sense of the term. In this careful work of intellectual and cultural history Lambert demonstrates the extent to which readers, including scholars, have misunderstood critical aspects of the biblical worldview, culture, and practices by reading the concept of repentance into texts where it is not present. Biblical studies will be grappling with the implications of this transformative work for a long time.’ – Carol Newsom, Emory University

**We are grateful to Oxford University Press for a free interview copy of How Repentance Became Biblical**

Joshua Jipp – Christ is King

 

Guest: Joshua W. Jipp is Assistant Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Josh did his Ph.D. in New Testament at Emory University, a ThM from Duke Divinity School, an MDiv from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and a BA from Northwestern College. In addition to his recent book Christ is King, he is also the author of a book that situates Luke-Acts in its Greco-Roman context: Divine Visitations and Hospitality to Strangers in Luke-Acts: An Interpretation of the Malta Episode in Acts 28:1-10 (Leiden: Brill, 2013).  He has also written numerous journal articles and chapters for edited volumes, including, “Ancient, Modern, and Future Interpretations of Romans 1:3-4: Reception History and Biblical Interpretation” in Journal of Theological Interpretation and “The Son’s Entrance into the Heavenly World: The Soteriological Necessity of the Scriptural Catena in Hebrews 1.5-14” in New Testament Studies.  Professor Jipp also won the prestigious “Paul J. Achtemeier Award” through the Society of Biblical Literature for his paper: “Christ the King as Living Law: Paul’s ‘the Law of Christ’ and Ancient Kingship.”

Episode Details: In this episode, Matthew Bates and Josh Jipp converse about Josh’s new book Christ is King.  At the heart of Josh’s book is a proposal for a paradigm shift regarding the controlling metaphor in Paul’s Christology–namely, that Jesus was regarded by Paul above all else as a king, a Son of David and the enthroned Son of God.  Together Josh and Matt explore the implications of Josh’s proposal for key topics in Paul’s theology, such as justification, law, proper expressions of praise, and ruling alongside the king.  Expanding beyond the book itself, Josh answers questions regarding his motivation for writing Christ is King and his methodology.  Josh also begins to outline why his proposal is significant not just for scholarship, but for church and world–topics we certainly hope to hear more about from Josh in the future.

Book Details: Christ is King: Paul’s Royal Ideology (Fortress, 2015). Until recently, many scholars have read Paul’s use of the word Christos as more of a proper name (“Jesus Christ”) than a title, Jesus the Messiah. One result, Jipp argues, is that important aspects of Paul’s thinking about Jesus’ messiahship have gone unrecognized. Jipp contends that kingship discourse is an important source for Paul’s christological language: Paul uses royal language to present Christ as the good king.

Munther Isaac – From Land to Lands

 

Guest: Dr. Munther Banayout Isaac is Academic Dean and Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at Bethlehem Bible College in Bethlehem, Palestine. He completed his Ph.D. at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, and has an MA from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and Bachelor of Science from Birzeit University in Civil Engineering.  He is also actively involved in Musalaha, a reconciliation ministry and he organizes the Christ at the Checkpoint conference which happens every other year, and which we’re hoping you’ll attend this coming March 7-10.

Episode Details: This inaugural OnScript episode features Dr. Munther Isaac of Bethlehem Bible College in Bethlehem, Palestine. He’s here to discuss his recent book ‘From Land to Lands, From Eden to the Renewed Earth: A Christ-Centered Biblical Theology of the Promised Land’ (Langham Monographs, 2015). I (Matt Lynch) met Munther in Bethlehem back in 2011, when we met to discuss the relationship between land in the Bible and the current strife over land in Israel/Palestine. Among the various texts we discussed, I remember him pointing me toward Ezek 47:21-23:

“So you shall divide this land among you according to the tribes of Israel. You shall allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the sojourners who reside among you and have had children among you. They shall be to you as native-born children of Israel. With you they shall be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. In whatever tribe the sojourner resides, there you shall assign him his inheritance, declares the Lord GOD.’

Emphasizing this text illustrates just one way that Palestinians have re-examined the Old Testament to bring to life those passages that have often been overlooked by those eager to legitimate a certain perspective on the land. But Isaac’s reading of land in the Bible is far more comprehensive and holistic than pinpointing such key texts, and it is well worth the read. This interview discusses his book and its relevance to the current socio-political situation in Palestine. Enjoy and pick up a copy of his book!

Book Details: The land is an important theme in the Bible through which the whole biblical history in the Old and New Testaments can be studied and analyzed. Looking at the land in the Bible right from its beginnings in the garden of Eden this book approaches the theme from three distinct perspectives – holiness, the covenant, and the kingdom. Through careful analysis the author recognizes that the land has been universalized in Christ, as anticipated in the Old Testament, and as a result promotes a missional theology of the land that underlines the social and territorial dimensions of redemption. Get your copy of his book today!

*Special thanks to Langham Monographs for giving us an interview copy of the book