The first tenet of the Jewish Principle of Agency is that the agent fully represents the sender. This episode examines the evidence for this concept within the Hebrew Bible, the Mishnah, the Babylonian Talmud, and the New Testament. We also explore some of the most noteworthy agents of Yahweh in the Bible, including heavenly angels, prophets, kings, judges, and Jesus himself. Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my new book Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John: https://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Chri...
May 09, 2024•38 min•Ep. 330
Scholars have long noted the similarities between the regular depiction of God sending prophets, messengers, and even the Messiah, with the Jewish principle of agency. This episode introduces the Jewish principle of agency and offers an overview of its six major tenets. Over the next six episodes, we will examine evidence for each of the tenets of Jewish understandings of agency within the biblical texts of Scripture. Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my new book Wisdom Christology in the Gospel ...
May 02, 2024•26 min•Ep. 329
My book, Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John, is now available. In this week's episode, I talk about why I wrote it, how I organized the material, and what you can expect in each chapter. If you are on the fence about buying it, or if you want to know more about how I organized the material, then this episode is for you. Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my new book Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John: https://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Christology-Gospel-Dustin-Smith Please consider support...
Apr 25, 2024•33 min•Ep. 328
As we continue working through Alan Segal's arguments in favor of early Christian views of the Two Powers in Heaven heresy, we come to the Gospel of John. We explore the texts that Segal points to as evidence for the belief in Two Powers. In doing so, we interact with his arguments, weigh them for persuasiveness, and consider some of the much-needed evidence concerning monotheism that Segal conveniently neglects from his assessment of the Gospel of John. The resulting assessment is that the Gosp...
Apr 18, 2024•33 min•Ep. 327
Did the Apostle Paul teach something resembling the heresy of Two Powers in Heaven that the later Jewish rabbis rejected? This episode interacts with Alan Segal's interpretation of three key Pauline texts where Paul may (or may not) be guilty of promoting Jesus as the second power in heaven. After dialoguing with Segal's reading of Paul, we offer a summary of what Paul did in fact teach about God's oneness, Jesus' humanity, and Jesus' subordination to the one God. Please consider supporting this...
Apr 11, 2024•34 min•Ep. 326
Did Philo, the first-century Jew, believe and teach that there were actually two Gods in heaven? What does Philo mean when he talks about the "two powers" of God? This week's episode explores the complex theology of this prolific first-century theologian in order to better understand how Jewish monotheism was conveyed through the lens of a Middle Platonist. We interact with Alan Segal's book Two Powers in Heaven and assess his conclusions about the early dating of this heretical view. Please con...
Apr 04, 2024•35 min•Ep. 325
The seminal work by Alan Segal, Two Powers in Heaven, has made a demonstrable impact on how interpreters understand Jewish monotheism and early Christian views of the exalted Jesus. This episode introduces the topic of the Two Powers heresy. We examine three passages from rabbinical literature in order to better understand this peculiar heresy, who might have been promoting it, and what sort of passages were being cited in support of it. We also look closely at the Jewish scriptural response to ...
Mar 28, 2024•33 min•Ep. 324
This episode interacts with a recently published article in the journal Novum Testamentum 66 (2024) entitled "Jesus’s Solidarity with Human Mortality and Perfection of Sonship in the Epistle to the Hebrews." The author draws attention to an overlooked argument in Hebrews, specifically in the manner in which the mortality of Jesus--the son of God--is set in parallel to the mortality of the original recipients of Hebrews. Both the son of God and the readers have joy set before them, submit to righ...
Mar 21, 2024•28 min•Ep. 323
Deuteronomy 18:22 indicates that a presumptuous prophet is not to be feared. How does the theme of fear relate to those who hear Jesus’ prophetic preaching in the Gospel of John? Is Jesus feared, and if not, who is feared, and for what reason? Instead of ignoring Jesus as a presumably false prophet, why do some criticize him and his hometown anyway? And how are those who call for Jesus to be put to death for speaking presumptuously portrayed when it comes to their pious practices towards the God...
Mar 14, 2024•25 min•Ep. 322
If Deut. 18:21-22 gives a litmus test to determine the legitimacy of a prophet's status, how does the Gospel of John frame the portrayal of Jesus in a manner that both anticipates this test and answers it? This week's episode demonstrates how Jesus' status as the prophet like Moses in whom Yahweh has placed his words is true. By examining the testimony of John the Baptist, the emphasis on the fulfillment of the Hebrew Bible, the things said by Jesus that come true, and the ironic statements by C...
Mar 07, 2024•33 min•Ep. 321
Although the Gospel of John paints a thorough picture of Jesus as the prophet like Moses (Deut. 18:15-19), many of those who rejected Jesus regarded him as a false prophet who spoke presumptuously in the name of Yahweh (Deut. 18:20). This episode traces the many ways in which the narrative of the Gospel of John is framed around the warning in Deut 18:20, focusing specifically on what Jesus said that led so many to consider him a messianic pretender, resulting in being put to death. Please consid...
Feb 29, 2024•28 min•Ep. 320
In our ongoing series that seeks to understand how Deut. 18:15-22 has shaped the depiction of Jesus in the Gospel of John, we focus this week on 18:19. This passage threatens the judgment of God upon those who do not heed the prophet in whom Yahweh has placed his authoritative words and commands. We demonstrate three ways in which those who refuse to listen to the prophet Jesus are called to account in the Fourth Gospel. Please consider supporting this Podcast and future projects by donating at:...
Feb 22, 2024•25 min•Ep. 319
As we continue our deep dive into the many ways that the Gospel of John displays Jesus as the prophet like Moses from Deut. 18:15-22, we focus this week on how Jesus speaks all that Yahweh has commanded him. We give attention to the insistence that Jesus' words are actually his Father's words spoken through him, the portrayal of Jesus as the agent who comes in the name of his Father, and the authority bound up in Jesus' name (which his followers can utilize). Please consider supporting this Podc...
Feb 15, 2024•29 min•Ep. 318
As we continue our exploration into the many ways that Deut. 18:15-22 has shaped the christological portrayal of Jesus in the Gospel of John, we focus this week on the phrase "I will put my words in his mouth" from Deut. 18:18a. We note the frequency in which Jesus openly admits that his words are not his own, rather they belong to the God who commissioned him. We also look at several witnesses in the Gospel of John who attest to Jesus' prophetic activity. Lastly, we observe how those who accept...
Feb 08, 2024•30 min•Ep. 317
This week's episode continues exploring how the Gospel of John portrays Jesus as the prophet mentioned in Deut 18:15-22. Having already observed how Moses anticipates the Johannine Jesus, how Jesus is explicitly described with the title "Prophet," and the insistence that Jesus is a fellow human member of the people of Israel, we can turn our attention to the second half of Deut 18:15 where people are commanded to listen to this prophetic figure. This episode explores the many ways in which the r...
Feb 01, 2024•27 min•Ep. 316
This week’s episode begins our exploration of the many ways in which the Gospel of John draws upon Deut. 18:15-22 in order to portray Jesus as the prophet like Moses. First, we note how Jesus is frequently introduced as a figure like Moses in John. Second, we take note of the motif where the crowds discover that Jesus is ”the prophet.” Third, we observe how the Johannine Jesus fulfills the requirement of being a member of Moses’ Israelite countrymen--a human being who is a member of Israel. Plea...
Jan 25, 2024•27 min•Ep. 315
The Didache is an early collection of the teachings of Jesus, aimed at making disciples. This week's episode will explore what the Didachist--the author of the Didache--taught about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We explore the ways in which the Didache portrays the relationship between God and Jesus, as well as the meaning of the baptismal reference from the end of Matthew. Please consider supporting this Podcast and future projects by donating at: https://www.paypal.me/10mintruthtalks To vi...
Jan 18, 2024•39 min•Ep. 314
Clement of Rome is a very important witness to the character of early Christianity, particularly because he is the earliest extrabiblical Christian author whose writings have survived. What did Clement of Rome believe and teach about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? This episode combs the Greek text of 1 Clement in order to provide answers to these very important questions. Please consider supporting this Podcast and future projects by donating at: https://www.paypal.me/10mintruthtalks To view ...
Jan 11, 2024•47 min•Ep. 313
Most translations describe the Lamb of God as the "Root of David" in the Book of Revelation. A root, however, is something that comes before the tree. Does the title "Root of David" prove that Jesus preexisted David? This episode explores this overlooked title and attempts to make sense of what John the Revelator intended to convey to his original audience. Please consider supporting this Podcast and future projects by donating at: https://www.paypal.me/10mintruthtalks To view the notes from thi...
Jan 04, 2024•30 min•Ep. 312
Did Jesus have to be Yahweh, the God of Israel, in order for his death to completely deal with the sins of all humanity? Many have been led to believe so, but what does the New Testament teach? This episode explores the intersection of christology and atonement taught by eight different authors of the New Testament to determine if only God could atone for the transgressions of the human race on the cross. Please consider supporting this Podcast and future projects by donating at: https://www.pay...
Dec 28, 2023•35 min•Ep. 311
Is the figure described as "Son of Man" in the extra-biblical book of 1 Enoch the same Son of Man we read about in the New Testament gospels? This episode explores 1 Enoch and its portrayal of the "Son of Man" to ascertain its relation to Jesus' favorite title. Please consider supporting this Podcast and future projects by donating at: https://www.paypal.me/10mintruthtalks To view the notes from this episode please click the link below: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D9zBQIKrTLSVysJQ0lALJQj...
Dec 21, 2023•28 min•Ep. 310
What truths about the birth of Jesus Christ are most commonly left out of nativity scenes, Christmas plays, and Advent sermons? This week's episode explores five important truths concerning the Son of God that pastors only interested in talking about the incarnation regularly ignore. Each of these biblical truths discussed in this episode is inconsistent with the doctrine of the literal preexistence of Jesus. Please consider supporting this Podcast and future projects by donating at: https://www...
Dec 14, 2023•27 min•Ep. 309
In this week's episode, we listen to the recent paper I presented on the origins of the doctrine of incarnation within the forms of Judaisms that predated Christianity. We carefully examine the Book of Proverbs, the deuterocanonical book of Sirach, the Qumran scroll labeled 1Q20, and the works of Philo, noting how each author illustrates God's personified wisdom as becoming flesh in the lives of noteworthy human beings. It is then demonstrated that the Prologue of the Gospel of John shows depend...
Dec 07, 2023•43 min•Ep. 308
Were the opponents of 1 John Jews who gave up their confession of Jesus being the Jewish messiah, perhaps to rejoin the local synagogue? This week's episode explores this possibility. We look at the arguments in favor of the secessionists in 1 John being Jews as well as the arguments against this interpretation. Please consider supporting this Podcast and future projects by donating at: https://www.paypal.me/10mintruthtalks To view the notes from this episode please click the link below: https:/...
Nov 30, 2023•40 min•Ep. 307
Was the significance of Jesus' humanity under attack by the opponents in 1 John? This episode looks at the arguments of two prominent scholars who make this case. We first look at Raymond Brown, who proposes a high christology that didn't value very much the assumed humanity of Jesus. We also hear the reconstruction of Urban Von Wahlde, who suggests that the opponents ignored the importance of the human Jesus' accomplishments because they possessed the (far more valuable) Spirit of God. After he...
Nov 23, 2023•35 min•Ep. 306
Is 1 John written to combat the heresies of Cerinthus, the heretic of the late first century CE? This week's episode examines the arguments in favor of 1 John being written against Cerinthus and his followers--those who taught that the human Jesus was a different person from the divine Christ who descended upon Jesus as his baptism, only to separate from him right before his death. After hearing the scholarly arguments favoring Cerinthian opponents of 1 John, we listen to the arguments against t...
Nov 16, 2023•37 min•Ep. 305
Are the opponents of 1 John docetic Christians, namely, those who taught that Jesus only seemed to be a human being who suffered and died? This week's episode looks at the evidence in favor of identifying the opponents in 1 John as docetists. After defining the term and reading several examples of what believers in docetism taught, we listen to the critiques that some scholars have brought forth against interpreting the opponents as docetists. In the end, you the listener get to decide which sid...
Nov 09, 2023•42 min•Ep. 304
Were the secessionists in 1 John Gnostics? This episode looks at the arguments in favor of identifying the opponents in 1 John as adherents to Gnosticism. We also look at the arguments against identifying the opponents as Gnostics. In the end, you the listener can decide which side gives the most persuasive case. Please consider supporting this Podcast and future projects by donating at: https://www.paypal.me/10mintruthtalks To view the notes from this episode please click the link below: https:...
Nov 02, 2023•33 min•Ep. 303
What is the identity of the opponents mentioned in 1 John? Answer: we are not entirely sure. This week's episode introduces 1 John and the ways in which the author corrects the christology of the opponents. We discuss the three passages that scholars have pointed to in their attempts to determine the identity and beliefs of the opponents. We also briefly sketch out the various proposals for who the opponents might be. Lastly, we discuss how we will carry out our ongoing study of these opponents ...
Oct 26, 2023•31 min•Ep. 302
What is Gnosticism and who were the Gnostic Christians? While some listeners might have a vague idea of what beliefs define Gnostics, this episode dives deep into the problems with attempts to summarize their teachings. We focus on Ptolemy (student of Valentinus), Justin the Gnostic, and the Apocryphon of John. We also offer some alternative ways to characterize these varied Christian sects. Please consider supporting this Podcast and future projects by donating at: https://www.paypal.me/10mintr...
Oct 19, 2023•41 min•Ep. 301
