To this point in our series on Paul’s use of the Old Testament we’ve focused on Paul’s “storied reading” of the Old Testament—specifically, how the Old Testament profile of messiah emerges. In the last episode we talked about how Malachi sets up Romans in terms of Israel’s covenant failure and the expectation of a divine messiah. In this episode we look at how the theme of Israel’s elective vocation is reconfigured by Paul to focus on the work of Christ and the resurrection. In Romans 1-3, this ...
Apr 04, 2022•1 hr 9 min
The book of Malachi closes our English Old Testament. Because of its position and status as one of the “minor prophets,” this book is one of the more neglected in the Bible. What possible relevance could it have for the messianic profile discussed in preceding episodes of this series? How does it relate to Paul? Surprisingly, Malachi is the perfect set up for what Paul does with the Old Testament in his writings. Listen to find out how!
Mar 27, 2022•1 hr 13 min
Like the previous episode, this discussion with Dr. Matt Halstead takes us to Daniel 9, a passage that uses mashiach (“anointed one”) twice, as well as the verb mashach (“to anoint”). The passage has historical fulfilment roots in the second century B.C., but also is referenced later by Jesus as something awaiting fulfillment. In this episode we consider what Daniel 9’s contribution to the messianic profile we’ve been building in this series.
Mar 19, 2022•57 min
In the previous episodes with Dr. Matt Halsted, we discussed how trying to articulate the Old Testament’s messiah merely by appeal to passages that contain that word (Hebrew, mashiach) was fundamentally misguided. To this point, we’ve explored reading the Bible as story, understanding prophecy as “act, then re-enactment,” and a series of motifs that provide us with elements of a messianic resume (Davidic dynasty language, sonship, the seed/offspring, “branch” language, and servanthood themes fro...
Mar 13, 2022•58 min
In the previous episodes with Dr. Matt Halsted, we discussed how trying to articulate the Old Testament’s messiah merely by appeal to passages that contain that word (Hebrew, mashiach) was fundamentally misguided. In the previous episode with Dr. Halsted, we took a look at the merging of “messiah language” (various story elements and motifs) with “David language” (motifs about his dynasty and catch phrases like “branch” and “servant”). This episode continues that discussion with specific concent...
Mar 06, 2022•1 hr 3 min
In the previous episodes with Dr. Matt Halsted, we discussed how trying to articulate the Old Testament’s messiah merely by appeal to passages that contain that word (Hebrew, mashiach) was fundamentally misguided. What was needed, we concluded, was a “storied approach” to the Old Testament. We begin that journey in episode 413. In this episode, we take a look at the merging of “messiah language” (various story elements and motifs) with “David language” (motifs about his dynasty and catch phrases...
Feb 28, 2022•1 hr 18 min
In the previous episode with Dr. Matt Halsted, we discussed how trying to articulate the Old Testament’s messiah merely by appeal to passages that contain that word (Hebrew, mashiach) was fundamentally misguided. What was needed, we concluded, was a “storied approach” to the Old Testament. We begin that journey in this episode, considering not only why it is important to approach the Old Testament as a story (as opposed to a textbook or reference work), but how doing so reveals important motifs ...
Feb 21, 2022•1 hr 19 min
Many Bible students would be shocked by the fact that many scholars, including a number in evangelical ranks, believe the New Testament portrayal of Jesus as Messiah is basically foreign, or goes creatively beyond, what the Old Testament says about Messiah (Hebrew: mashiach ). In this episode, Dr. Heiser and Dr. Matt Halsted chat about the problem of building a messianic profile on just the word mashiach. Though problematic, this strategy is at the heart of the notion that the Old Testament mess...
Feb 13, 2022•52 min
Many Bible students are unaware of the controversy surrounding how Paul (and other New Testament writers) cite the Old Testament. This is not only a question of taking the time to notice how Paul’s citations alter Old Testament verses, but also because of how we are conditioned to think about hermeneutics, the science and art of biblical interpretation. In this episode, the first of a series on the subject with guest scholar Dr. Matt Halsted, we survey why the issue is important and the sorts of...
Feb 07, 2022•54 min
Dr. Heiser answers your questions. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SHOW HERE ON PATREON OR HERE ON PAYPAL
Jan 31, 2022•28 min
Dr. Heiser answers your questions. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SHOW HERE ON PATREON OR HERE ON PAYPAL
Jan 22, 2022•27 min
Jesus and the Old Testament with Chad Bird Naked Bible Podcast listeners are familiar with concepts like Hebrew word studies and the centrality of Christ in the biblical storyline. Two recent tools for the layperson in both these areas have recently emerged to help Bible students begin working in both areas for personal Bible study. Both have been produced by our guest on today’s episode, Chad Bird, who podcasts and teaches regularly on biblical studies, particularly the Old Testament. Join us a...
Jan 17, 2022•1 hr 2 min
Exodus Old and New with L. Michael Morales Listeners to the podcast are no strangers to the book of Exodus. Our series on that book of the Torah took almost a year. In this episode of the podcast we welcome Old Testament scholar Dr. L. Michael Morales to the podcast to revisit the exodus event in biblical-theological history. Rather than looking at the exodus in granular detail, this time we’re taking a wide-angle perspective, toward how the content of that Old Testament book informs the way the...
Jan 10, 2022•1 hr 7 min
The podcast brings the year to a close with a special guest and resource for listeners, and with a look to the future of the podcast. Join us as we chat with Johnna McKinnon about Live In Context , a small group content resource that focuses on the supernatural worldview of the Bible Dr. Heiser writes about in many of this books. In addition, find out what’s next on the podcast in 2022. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SHOW HERE ON PATREON OR HERE ON PAYPAL...
Jan 03, 2022•46 min
Dr. Heiser answers your questions about Revelation. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SHOW HERE ON PATREON OR HERE ON PAYPAL
Dec 25, 2021•49 min
Dr. Heiser answers your questions about Revelation. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SHOW HERE ON PATREON OR HERE ON PAYPAL
Dec 19, 2021•52 min
Dr. Heiser answers your questions about Revelation. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SHOW HERE ON PATREON OR HERE ON PAYPAL
Dec 11, 2021•52 min
Dr. Heiser answers your questions about Revelation. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SHOW HERE ON PATREON OR HERE ON PAYPAL NEW BOOKS AVAILABLE NOW: Who Is Like You, among the Gods?: A Prayer Digest Based on the Original Biblical Languages John's Use of the Old Testament in the Book of Revelation: Notes from the Naked Bible Podcast...
Dec 04, 2021•59 min
Dr. Heiser answers your questions about Revelation. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SHOW HERE ON PATREON OR HERE ON PAYPAL
Nov 27, 2021•1 hr 8 min
HAPPY 400TH!! Dr. Heiser answers your questions about Revelation. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SHOW HERE ON PATREON OR HERE ON PAYPAL
Nov 20, 2021•1 hr 6 min
Miracles Today with Dr. Craig Keener Do the sorts of miracles we read about in the book of Acts and the New Testament epistles happen today? Is there any reliable source material for documenting such miracles? Why does it seem miracles happen less in the modern world than earlier eras? Does the culture have something to do with it? Or are miracles today an unreasonable expectation? In this episode of the podcast we talk with the scholar who has devoted more time and attention to miracles than an...
Nov 13, 2021•1 hr 6 min
Beginner Guides to New Testament Studies with Dr. Nijay Gupta For those who love to study Scripture, it is easy to discern rather quickly that to really move into in-depth Bible study takes serious tools and some mentoring. How does one go about choosing the best tools for Bible study? What are the most significant debates among scholars who spend their whole lives studying Scripture? Why do those debates exist? What are the interpretive sides and rationales adopted by scholars? In this episode ...
Nov 06, 2021•1 hr 8 min
Revelation 21-22 is John’s climactic vision of the new Jerusalem and new earth. In Part 1 we looked at how Israelites thought about the concept of “temple” and how that concept led John to conflate the expectation of a new temple and see fulfillment of that expectation in a city (the new Jerusalem) and restoration of the cosmos in a new Eden. In this episode we walk through Rev 21-22 with an eye toward discerning specific Old Testament contexts behind the content of a range of items in these cha...
Oct 30, 2021•1 hr 22 min
Revelation 21-22 is John’s climactic vision of the new Jerusalem and new earth. Not unexpectedly, there are deep Old Testament roots underlying his vision. But it is often a surprise to note that John specifically informs us that his end of days vision about the new, forever presence of God on earth does not include a new temple (Rev 21:22). What do we make of this absence give the Old Testament expectation of a new temple after the exile of Israel has been completed? This episode focuses on the...
Oct 24, 2021•1 hr 23 min
The New Perspective on Paul, with Dr. Kent Yinger The “new perspective on Paul” (NPP) has been one of the most talked-about and debated topics within New Testament studies for the last forty years. But while the topic title is familiar to many, identifying what the NPP is (and is not) presents more of challenge to Bible students. In this episode, Dr. Kent Yinger, the author of a well-written and accessible introduction to the NPP, helps us navigate what NPP is, why it’s important, and how it bri...
Oct 10, 2021•54 min
Since the time of the Protestant Reformation, interpreters of Paul’s writings have struggled to resolve the tension of the apostle’s statements that we are saved by grace solely through faith (Eph 2:8-9) and also “to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life” (Rom 2:7). If we do not receive eternal life, Paul asserts “there will be wrath and fury” (Rom 2:8). How are these ideas to be resolved? Is Paul self-contradictory or confused? We ...
Oct 03, 2021•1 hr 4 min
In the previous episode (Rev 19, Part 2) we looked at how John’s use of the Old Testament, especially Ezekiel 38-39, more or less proves that Revelation 16-20 cannot be read as a linear sequence of events, but as a series of cycles that describe the same series of events leading to the return of Jesus and the destruction of the Beast. In this episode we explore one major difficult for this approach: If, as this approach validates, the “kingdom” and “thousand year” language used in the book actua...
Sep 25, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Is the battle of Armageddon in Rev 19:11-21 unique in the book of Revelation—or is it alluded to elsewhere? Of what importance is that question to how we read Revelation 16-20? Armageddon, as John tells us, is “in the Hebrew tongue” Har-Magedon (Rev 16:16). We learned in Part 1 of Revelation 19 (and in Dr. Heiser’s book, The Unseen Realm) that this term refers not to Megiddo, but to a final apocalyptic conflict for and at Zion/Jerusalem. In this episode we look at how John uses Ezekiel 38-39 (Go...
Sep 19, 2021•1 hr 21 min
The major focus of Rev 19:1-10 is the marriage supper of the Lamb (vv. 6-10). This meal, a celebration of the victory over the Beast and his followers, is the climax of an ancient Old Testament motif: the “meal with God” or communal meal in God’s house where the Lord is present with his people. Old Testament examples include Genesis 18; Exod 24:9-11, while New Testament instance run from the feeding of the 5,000, the Last Supper, and celebration of the Lord’s Table. The marriage supper of the La...
Sep 04, 2021•54 min
Revelation 17-18 overlaps a good deal with elements in preceding chapters, most notably 13-16. In those earlier chapters readers were introduced to the Beast, the symbolic representation of anti-Eden chaos drawn from Daniel 7; Babylon as a metaphor for that system and cipher for the present enemy of John’s day, the Roman Empire; and the judgment of the nations—unbelievers who have aligned themselves with the Beast and Babylon against the true God and his people. Chapters 17-18 continues these th...
Aug 27, 2021•1 hr 6 min
