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In this episode of the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on the origins of the Bible, we discuss the beginning of the production of Christian Bibles. In the first few centuries C.E., early Christian communities played a vital role in the preservation and promotion of the Bible. The Greek version of the Old Testament offered early Christians readings of the Old Testament that comported naturally with the Greco-Roman context of the Christians. The early Christian biblical manuscripts of the first few centuries of the Christian movement are mere fragments. Nevertheless, the Christianization of the Roman Empire in the fourth century C.E. ultimately led to the generation of several biblical codices by imperial sponsorship, which played a vital role in the preservation of Greek versions of the Bible today. In this podcast, we discuss: The cultural and religious heritage of biblical Greek words Conceptual differences between the Hebrew and Greek versions of the Old Testament Reference to God as “Lord” The significance of P52 New Testament manuscript fragments Contexts of early Christian gatherings Constantine’s sponsorship of the production of biblical texts Constantine’s unification of Christianity through the uniformity of biblical texts We would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or comments about this podcast, please let us know. We’ll do our best to promptly respond to them. The purpose of this podcast is to make the benefits of biblical scholarship accessible. If you have suggestions of how we can help enhance your Bible study experience, please let us know. If you enjoy this podcast, please share it with your friends and family. Also, if you want to make sure not to miss anything in the future, be sure to Subscribe to the Bible Study and the Christian Life newsletter. Also, follow the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on iTunes. Finally, we want to thank you. We know that your time is the most valuable thing that you have. So we really appreciate you choosing to spend some time with us! All the best, Craig & Matt

In this episode of the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on the origins of the Bible, we interview Old Testament professor and ancient biblical manuscript specialist, Dr. William Yarchin, as we continue to discuss the Greek Old Testament manuscript traditions. Although the Hebrew biblical text started to standardize fairly early, the Greek Old Testament manuscripts reflect a more complex textual tradition. By the first centuries C.E., we find evidence attesting to multiple families of Greek Old Testament manuscripts. Each of these traditions of Greek Old Testament manuscripts provide important pieces to the puzzle of reconstructing the Old Testament. In this podcast, we discuss: Revision of Greek manuscripts towards Hebrew manuscripts Septuagint vs. Old Greek The nature and purpose of Origen’s Hexapla Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotian Early Christian divine claims regarding the Septaugint Kaige texts Lucianic texts The relationship between early Jewish communities and the Greek Bible We would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or comments about this podcast, please let us know. We’ll do our best to promptly respond to them. The purpose of this podcast is to make the benefits of biblical scholarship accessible. If you have suggestions of how we can help enhance your Bible study experience, please let us know. If you enjoy this podcast, please share it with your friends and family. Also, if you want to make sure not to miss anything in the future, be sure to Subscribe to the Bible Study and the Christian Life newsletter. Also, follow the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on iTunes. Finally, we want to thank you. We know that your time is the most valuable thing that you have. So we really appreciate you choosing to spend some time with us! All the best, Craig & Matt

In this episode of the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on the origins of the Bible, we interview Old Testament professor and ancient biblical manuscript specialist, Dr. William Yarchin, as we begin to discuss the Greek Old Testament textual traditions. Today we routinely derive translations of the Old Testament into English and other languages principally from the Hebrew Old Testament texts. Nevertheless, in the last centuries of the first millennium B.C.E., scribes began to translate the Hebrew Bible into Greek. This was the beginning of a long process that eventually yielded the complex family of Greek textual traditions that serve as another major group of textual witnesses for the Old Testament. In this podcast, we discuss: Diplomatic texts versus eclectic texts The account in the Letter of Aristeas of the Alexandrian translation The cultural need for a Greek translation of the Old Testament The purpose of the Letter of Aristeas The gradual process of translating the Old Testament from Hebrew to Greek The “Old Greek” versus the “Septuagint” Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotian, and Kaige revisions We would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or comments about this podcast, please let us know. We’ll do our best to promptly respond to them. The purpose of this podcast is to make the benefits of biblical scholarship accessible. If you have suggestions of how we can help enhance your Bible study experience, please let us know. If you enjoy this podcast, please share it with your friends and family. Also, if you want to make sure not to miss anything in the future, be sure to Subscribe to the Bible Study and the Christian Life newsletter. Also, follow the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on iTunes. Finally, we want to thank you. We know that your time is the most valuable thing that you have. So we really appreciate you choosing to spend some time with us! All the best, Craig & Matt

In this episode of the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on the Book of Jonah, we discuss Jonah and the worm. After Jonah prophesies in Nineveh, the Assyrians repent. Jonah then leaves Nineveh and sits and waits to see what will happen to the city. While he waits, God creates a plant to give Jonah shade from the heat. Then God sends a worm to eat the plant. This angers Jonah, resulting in a conversation about value systems represented by Jonah and the worm that brings the meaning of the whole book into focus. In this podcast, we discuss: The complexity of truth The manner in which the Bible comports with the postmodern world The anger of Jonah Discomfort of worshiping a god of compassion Jonah’s value system The innocence of the Assyrians God’s questions for Jonah The problem of a sense of entitlement Theodicy in the Book of Jonah The implications of God’s attentiveness to repentance Themes of the Book of Jonah We would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or comments about this podcast, please let us know. We’ll do our best to promptly respond to them. The purpose of this podcast is to make the benefits of biblical scholarship accessible. If you have suggestions of how we can help enhance your Bible study experience, please let us know. If you enjoy this podcast, please share it with your friends and family. Also, if you want to make sure not to miss anything in the future, be sure to Subscribe to the Bible Study and the Christian Life newsletter. Also, follow the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on iTunes. Finally, we want to thank you. We know that your time is the most valuable thing that you have. So we really appreciate you choosing to spend some time with us! All the best, Craig & Matt

In this episode of the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on the Book of Jonah, we discuss how God changes His mind in the Book of Jonah. Upon Jonah giving his message to Nineveh, the people of Nineveh repent. In response to this repentance, Jonah 3:10 states that God changes His mind concerning the destruction that He had planned for them. This is one of several instances in which God changes His mind in the Old Testament. Each of these instances raises the profound question addressing the implications of the concept that God changes His mind for an understanding of the knowledge and activity of God. In this podcast, we discuss: A parallel between the Book of Jonah and the story of the Good Samaritan The problem of judging the "Other" Human limitation and the need for humility Occurrences in which God changes His mind in the Bible The attentiveness of God The relationship of God changing His mind and the knowledge of God The question of whether or not the future can be known The unpredictability of Nineveh’s repentance We would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or comments about this podcast, please let us know. We’ll do our best to promptly respond to them. The purpose of this podcast is to make the benefits of biblical scholarship accessible. If you have suggestions of how we can help enhance your Bible study experience, please let us know. If you enjoy this podcast, please share it with your friends and family. Also, if you want to make sure not to miss anything in the future, be sure to Subscribe to the Bible Study and the Christian Life newsletter. Also, follow the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on iTunes. Finally, we want to thank you. We know that your time is the most valuable thing that you have. So we really appreciate you choosing to spend some time with us! All the best, Craig & Matt

In this episode of the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on the Book of Jonah, we discuss Jonah in Nineveh. After God foils Jonah’s attempt to flee, God renews his commission of Jonah, sending him to Nineveh to deliver his message. With Jonah in Nineveh, the prophet delivers his brief message of damnation. Despite the fact that Jonah’s message does not include any mention of the possibility of repentance, the Assyrians overwhelmingly repent. Once again, this raises questions pertaining to the conspicuously positive portrayal of non-Israelites in the book in contrast to the negative portrayal of the book’s only Israelite, Jonah. Overall this suggests a profound theology of inclusivism, indicating that God may have mysterious and special ways through which he relates to the "Other." In this podcast, we discuss: The brevity of Jonah’s message to Nineveh Jonah’s lack of invitation to repent The positive portrayal of non-Israelites The deliberate use of “God” and “Yahweh” for the deity Inclusivism within the Book of Jonah We would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or comments about this podcast, please let us know. We’ll do our best to promptly respond to them. The purpose of this podcast is to make the benefits of biblical scholarship accessible. If you have suggestions of how we can help enhance your Bible study experience, please let us know. If you enjoy this podcast, please share it with your friends and family. Also, if you want to make sure not to miss anything in the future, be sure to Subscribe to the Bible Study and the Christian Life newsletter. Also, follow the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on iTunes. Finally, we want to thank you. We know that your time is the most valuable thing that you have. So we really appreciate you choosing to spend some time with us! All the best, Craig & Matt

In this episode of the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on the Book of Jonah, we discuss Jonah and the whale. Once sailors throw Jonah into the sea, God sends a great fish to swallow Jonah. The iconic scene of Jonah and the whale serves as a pivotal point in the book. The prophet comes to terms with the reality of death and in response accepts his task from God. In the scene of Jonah and the whale, the prophet is ironically most vocal and eloquent in isolation, speaking only with God. Jonah’s three days in the “great” fish prepares him for his mission to a city so “great” that it takes three days to walk across it. In this podcast, we discuss: The likability of Jonah The significance of the meaning of Jonah’s name A connection between Jonah and Hosea The positive portrayal of the non-Israelite sailors The ambiguous identity of the sea creature that swallows Jonah The death motif in the Book of Jonah The vertical axis The significance of three days The ironic timing of Jonah’s eloquent speech We would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or comments about this podcast, please let us know. We’ll do our best to promptly respond to them. The purpose of this podcast is to make the benefits of biblical scholarship accessible. If you have suggestions of how we can help enhance your Bible study experience, please let us know. If you enjoy this podcast, please share it with your friends and family. Also, if you want to make sure not to miss anything in the future, be sure to Subscribe to the Bible Study and the Christian Life newsletter. Also, follow the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on iTunes. Finally, we want to thank you. We know that your time is the most valuable thing that you have. So we really appreciate you choosing to spend some time with us! All the best, Craig & Matt

In this episode of the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on the Book of Jonah, we discuss the scene in which Jonah is thrown to the sea amidst a storm that God sends. Following the opening of the book that announces Jonah’s decision to flee from God’s calling, the first major episode of the Book of Jonah features God arresting Jonah’s flight. Although the prophet boards a ship to a far away land, God prevents Jonah from reaching his destination by throwing a storm at the ship. This storm creates a life-threatening crisis that raises all kinds of issues for the characters in the story. Ultimately, what is at stake is the contrast of identities among Jonah, the sailors, and God. In this podcast, we discuss: The wind of God Verbal parallels in the story of Jonah The ties between the story of Noah and the story of Jonah The death theme in the story of Jonah Connections between Elijah and Jonah Creation theology in Jonah Jonah’s self-identification Jonah’s request that sailors throw him to the sea The contrast between Jonah and the non-Israelites We would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or comments about this podcast, please let us know. We’ll do our best to promptly respond to them. The purpose of this podcast is to make the benefits of biblical scholarship accessible. If you have suggestions of how we can help enhance your Bible study experience, please let us know. If you enjoy this podcast, please share it with your friends and family. Also, if you want to make sure not to miss anything in the future, be sure to Subscribe to the Bible Study and the Christian Life newsletter. Also, follow the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on iTunes. Finally, we want to thank you. We know that your time is the most valuable thing that you have. So we really appreciate you choosing to spend some time with us! All the best, Craig & Matt

In this inaugural episode of the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast series on the Book of Jonah, we discuss the opening of the Book of Jonah in which Jonah flees from God. At only forty-eight verses long, Jonah is one of the shortest books in the Bible. Nevertheless, it features a story that is both widely recognized by modern audiences and also is profound in terms of the theological and existential questions that it raises. It begins by presenting God's call to Jonah and how Jonah flees from God in response. Jonah's flight is rooted in his nationalism. However, God will challenge Jonah to rethink the manner in which he views his own social identity in distinction to others. In this podcast, we discuss: The reasons for studying the Book of Jonah Jonah's historical context in 2 Kings 14 Jeroboam (II) ben Joash in the Bible and archaeology The significance of Ninevah Political conflict between Assyria and Israel Assyria's sack of Samaria (722 BCE), capital of Israel Jonah as a patriot Tarshish How Jonah flees from God in an opposite direction than God's commission We would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or comments about this podcast, please let us know. We’ll do our best to promptly respond to them. The purpose of this podcast is to make the benefits of biblical scholarship accessible. If you have suggestions of how we can help enhance your Bible study experience, please let us know. If you enjoy this podcast, please share it with your friends and family. Also, if you want to make sure not to miss anything in the future, be sure to Subscribe to the Bible Study and the Christian Life newsletter. Also, follow the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on iTunes. Finally, we want to thank you. We know that your time is the most valuable thing that you have. So we really appreciate you choosing to spend some time with us! All the best, Craig & Matt

In this episode of the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast series on the Book of Kings, we discuss Hadad and Rezon as God's satans. Upon Solomon's abandonment of God by Solomon worshiping the gods of his foreign wives, God pronounces judgment upon him. This leads to God raising up adversaries against Solomon, the first of which are Hadad and Rezon. Notably, the accounts of Hadad and Rezon bear conspicuous parallels to certain Israelite characters, pointing to an inversion illustrating that the leadership of Israel has become the problem from which it once fled. As our last podcast episode devoted to tracking the life of Solomon, we discuss the narrative trajectory and hermeneutic implications of the Solomon story as a whole. In this podcast, we discuss: The Hebrew term, "satan" Human satans and the divine satan The connections between Hadad and Moses The inversion in which non-Israelites are heroic The connections between Rezon and David Lack of sympathy for Solomon Kingship in the Deuteronomic History The hermeneutics of instutionalism and objectification The centrality of subtlety to the Solomon story We would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or comments about this podcast, please let us know. We’ll do our best to promptly respond to them. The purpose of this podcast is to make the benefits of biblical scholarship accessible. If you have suggestions of how we can help enhance your Bible study experience, please let us know. If you enjoy this podcast, please share it with your friends and family. Also, if you want to make sure not to miss anything in the future, be sure to Subscribe to the Bible Study and the Christian Life newsletter. Also, follow the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on iTunes. Finally, we want to thank you. We know that your time is the most valuable thing that you have. So we really appreciate you choosing to spend some time with us! All the best, Craig & Matt

In this episode of the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast series on the Book of Kings, we discuss why Solomon abandons God. From the point that Solomon establishes his reign over Israel, the beginning of the Book of Kings traces the gradual steps that lead to Solomon's abandonment of God. After describing his building projects, the book highlights Solomon's trade networks, especially emphasizing the visit by the Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 9b-10). This introduces the element of foreign female royalty, that leads into the problem of Solomon's love for his 700 foreign wives and 300 concubines. These wives and concubines function as the third of three components of the portrayal in Deuteronomy 17 of the paradigmatic bad king - the king who amasses wealth, horses, and wives. Solomon's love for these women leads him to abandon God, which sets the stage for the kingdom to unravel. In this podcast, we discuss: The subtlety of the Solomon narrative Solomon's love of God and love of foreign women The Egyptian pharoah undermining Solomon"Wisdom" in the Solomon narrative Solomon abandoning God The Temple and high places God's judgment upon Solomon We would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or comments about this podcast, please let us know. We’ll do our best to promptly respond to them. The purpose of this podcast is to make the benefits of biblical scholarship accessible. If you have suggestions of how we can help enhance your Bible study experience, please let us know. If you enjoy this podcast, please share it with your friends and family. Also, if you want to make sure not to miss anything in the future, be sure to Subscribe to the Bible Study and the Christian Life newsletter. Also, follow the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on iTunes. Finally, we want to thank you. We know that your time is the most valuable thing that you have. So we really appreciate you choosing to spend some time with us! All the best, Craig & Matt

In this episode of the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on the Book of Kings, we discuss the scene in which the Queen of Sheba visits Solomon. As an outgrowth of Solomon’s successful trade network, the Queen of Sheba visits Solomon. This episode plays an important role as a link in the chain that leads from Solomon building the Temple to rejecting God. Also, the scene in which the Queen of Sheba visits Solomon draws attention to many of the points of connection to Deuteronomy 17. These points show that Solomon has become the epitome of a bad king. In this podcast, we discuss: The identity of the Queen of Sheba The trade basis that the Queen of Sheba’s visits Solomon 120 talents of gold The connection between King Hiram and the Queen of Sheba The gradual descent from Solomon’s temple building to abandonment of God How the Queen of Sheba notes that Solomon’s household is happy The peculiar use of the word “wisdom” in the Solomon narrative Solomon’s violation of the instructions for kingship in Deuteronomy 17 We would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or comments about this podcast, please let us know. We’ll do our best to promptly respond to them. The purpose of this podcast is to make the benefits of biblical scholarship accessible. If you have suggestions of how we can help enhance your Bible study experience, please let us know. If you enjoy this podcast, please share it with your friends and family. Also, if you want to make sure not to miss anything in the future, be sure to Subscribe to the Bible Study and the Christian Life newsletter. Also, follow the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on iTunes. Finally, we want to thank you. We know that your time is the most valuable thing that you have. So we really appreciate you choosing to spend some time with us! All the best, Craig & Matt

In this episode of the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on the Book of Kings, we discuss the repercussions of the politics of Solomon. Twenty years have passed and the construction of the Temple is finally complete. Solomon decides to carve out Israelite land and give it back to the Canaanites, while the Pharoah in Egypt is subtly undermining the Davidic monarchy. Solomon is slowly undoing the redemptive activity of God, reversing the conquest of Joshua and the exodus from Egypt. In this podcast, we discuss: The implications of the construction of the Temple Solomon's decision to give Israelite land back to the Caananites The growing tension between Hiram and Solomon The land of "Cabul" The archeological significance of 1 Kings 9:15 (e.g., Tel Gezer) Allusions to Egypt and the Book of Exodus The subtle manipulation of Pharaoh Solomon's decision to build a fleet of ships The reversal of the conquest (i.e., the Book of Joshua) and the exodus from Egypt (i.e., the Book of Exodus) If you want to learn more about the ongoing archaeological dig at Tel Gezer, please see the Gezer Excavation Project. We would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or comments about this podcast, please let us know. We’ll do our best to promptly respond to them. The purpose of this podcast is to make the benefits of biblical scholarship accessible. If you have suggestions of how we can help enhance your Bible study experience, please let us know. If you enjoy this podcast, please share it with your friends and family. Also, if you want to make sure not to miss anything in the future, be sure to Subscribe to the Bible Study and the Christian Life newsletter. Also, follow the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on iTunes. Finally, we want to thank you. We know that your time is the most valuable thing that you have. So we really appreciate you choosing to spend some time with us! All the best, Craig & Matt

In this episode of the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on the Book of Kings, we discuss the scene in which God appears to King Solomon a second time as he did at Gibeon. After dedicating and consecrating the Temple, God appears to King Solomon a second time. Unlike the dream appearance of God at Gibeon (1 Kings 3:14-15), in which God chooses to give Solomon whatever he desires, in this second appearance the promise of God to King Solomon is deeply conditional and contingent upon the behavior of the king and his children. In this podcast, we discuss: The Temple as a character in the Book of Kings The problem of suffering and Deuteronomic theology The dialogical nature of the Bible (e.g., Deuteronomy vs. Daniel) The literary connection between this appearance of God and the previous appearance of God at Gibeon The significance of God choosing to hear a prayer Why does God appear directly to Solomon and not through a mediator (e.g., a prophet)? The typological connection of two dreamers in the Old Testament: Joseph and Solomon The detached nature of King Solomon throughout his reign What does it mean to "walk before me, as David your father walked"? God as a source of both fortune and misfortune in the Book of Kings We would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or comments about this podcast, please let us know. We’ll do our best to promptly respond to them. The purpose of this podcast is to make the benefits of biblical scholarship accessible. If you have suggestions of how we can help enhance your Bible study experience, please let us know. If you enjoy this podcast, please share it with your friends and family. Also, if you want to make sure not to miss anything in the future, be sure to Subscribe to the Bible Study and the Christian Life newsletter. Also, follow the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on iTunes. Finally, we want to thank you. We know that your time is the most valuable thing that you have. So we really appreciate you choosing to spend some time with us! All the best, Craig & Matt

In this episode of the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast series on the Origins of the Bible, we interview Old Testament professor and ancient biblical manuscript specialist, Dr. William Yarchin, discussing the standardization of scripture and the Leningrad Codex. The Leningrad Codex (1008 CE) is the oldest complete Hebrew Bible still in existence today. This codex is considered one of the best examples of the Masoretic Text represented by the Ben-Asher family. The Masoretic Text signals the beginning of the standardization of the Hebrew scriptures and this standardization would forever change the manner in which the scriptures would be read. In this podcast, we discuss: The Masoretes and the Masorah The meaning of the terms "Tanach" and "Talmud" The Dead Sea Scrolls as a pre-Masoretic tradition The significance of the Masoretic influence upon the pronunciation and cantillation of the Hebrew scriptures The Masoretic Text as the earliest evidence of the standardization of the Hebrew scriptures The impact of the Exile (587/6 BCE) and the Jewish revolts of the Roman period (1st-2nd centuries CE) upon the significance of scripture The difference between a Temple-centric Judaism and a Torah-centric Judaism The Masoretic Text as the authoritative text for Jewish scholarship The difference between the Babylonian Masoretic Text and the Tiberian Masoretic Text The Masoretic Text as the earliest evidence of the vowel system for the vocalization of the Hebrew scriptures The Leningrad Codex (1008 CE) as the earliest complete manuscript of the Hebrew Bible and the source for Modern English versions of the Old Testament If you want to learn more about the Leningrad Codex, see the Leningrad Codex. If you want to learn more about the Masoretes and the Masoretic Text, see Errors in the Masoretes’ “Original” Hebrew Manuscripts of the Bible? We would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or comments about this podcast, please let us know. We’ll do our best to promptly respond to them. The purpose of this podcast is to make the benefits of biblical scholarship accessible. If you have suggestions of how we can help enhance your Bible study experience, please let us know. If you enjoy this podcast, please share it with your friends and family. Also, if you want to make sure not to miss anything in the future, be sure to Subscribe to the Bible Study and t

In this episode of the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast series on the Origins of the Bible, we interview Old Testament professor and ancient biblical manuscript specialist, Dr. William Yarchin, discussing the transmission of the Hebrew scriptures from the Dead Sea Scrolls to the Masoretic Text. The Aleppo Codex (10th century CE) and the Cairo Genizah (9th-19th centuries CE) bear witness to the changing nature of scripture from oral discourse to textual study. This shift represents a significant transition in the manner in which scripture was preserved and transmitted that would forever change the phenomenon of scripture. In this podcast, we discuss: The history of the Hebrew manuscript tradition after the Dead Sea Scrolls The significance of the Aleppo Codex (10th century CE) The technological shift from scroll to codex The difference between Jewish customs and Christian customs regarding the scriptures The difference between papyrus and parchment The changing nature of scripture from oral discourse to written discourse The emergence of the textual study of scripture The groundbreaking discovery of the Cairo Genizah (9th-19th centuries CE) in the Ben Ezra Synagogue The tradition of burying sacred scripture The earliest evidence of the Masoretic Text If you want to learn more about the Aleppo Codex, see Aleppo Codex. If you want to learn more about the Cario Genizah, see the The Friedberg Genizah Project and the The Cambridge Digital Library. On the presence of New Testament texts in the Cairo Genizah, see New Testament Texts in the Cairo Genizah by Larry Hurtado. We would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or comments about this podcast, please let us know. We’ll do our best to promptly respond to them. The purpose of this podcast is to make the benefits of biblical scholarship accessible. If you have suggestions of how we can help enhance your Bible study experience, please let us know. If you enjoy this podcast, please share it with your friends and family. Also, if you want to make sure not to miss anything in the future, be sure to Subscribe to the Bible Study and the Christian Life newsletter. Also, follow the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on iTunes. Finally, we want to thank you. We know that your time is the most valuable thing that you have. So we really appreciate you choosing to spend some time with us! All the best, C

In this episode of the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on the Origins of the Bible, we interview Old Testament professor and ancient biblical manuscript specialist, Dr. William Yarchin, discussing the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Qumran community, and the authority of scripture. The Dead Sea Scrolls are the greatest find of biblical archaeology in the past century. They have fascinated scholars since their discovery. But what are the Dead Sea Scrolls and why are they so important? And, how do they function as the earliest manuscript evidence of the authority of scripture? In this podcast, we discuss: The significance of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls for Textual Criticism The initial discovery of the great scrolls (e.g., the Isaiah Scroll, the Rule of the Community) The fragmentary nature of the vast majority of the Dead Sea Scrolls The relationship between the Dead Sea Scrolls and the nearby community of Qumran The Dead Sea Scrolls as the earliest manuscript evidence of the authority of scripture The sons of light and the sons of darkness in the War Scroll The Dead Sea Scrolls, the Essenes, and John the Baptist The fluid nature of biblical manuscripts and authoritative scripture in antiquity The significance of Isaiah, Psalms, and Deuteronomy for the Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament The redemptive vision of the Isaiah Scroll If you want to learn more about the Dead Sea Scrolls, please visit the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library. If you want to examine the Great Isaiah Scroll, the War Scroll, the Temple Scroll, the Commentary on the Habakkuk Scroll, and/or the Community Rule Scroll, see the Digital Dead Sea Scrolls. For more on the site of Qumran, see the Qumran Visualization Project. For more on the Essenes, see Josephus on the Essenes. We would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or comments about this podcast, please let us know. We’ll do our best to promptly respond to them. The purpose of this podcast is to make the benefits of biblical scholarship accessible. If you have suggestions of how we can help enhance your Bible study experience, please let us know. If you enjoy this podcast, please share it with your friends and family. Also, if you want to make sure not to miss anything in the future, be sure to Subscribe to the Bible Study and the Christian Life newsletter. Also, follow the Bible Study and the Christian Life po

In this episode of the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on the Book of Kings, we discuss the scene in which Solomon prays before the altar of the Temple. After addressing the assembly of Israel, Solomon turns to the altar of the Temple to offer a prayer to God. In this prayer, Solomon reminds God of the words of blessing he spoke to his father David and recognizes the Temple as a source of forgiveness and restoration from suffering. For the time being, God has chosen to sponsor the Temple, but the dual location of God underscores the conditionality of this sponsorship and foreshadows the destruction of the Temple. In this podcast, we discuss: The construction and destruction of the Temple as a literary inclusio The dual location of God in the Temple and in heaven The difference between "speaking" and "promising" in the Hebrew and in the English translation The conditions of the covenant between God and the people The interconnection of behavior and misfortune The irony of the double mention of the liberation from Egypt The celebration of the consecration of the Temple as a major pivot in the history of Israel We would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or comments about this podcast, please let us know. We’ll do our best to promptly respond to them. The purpose of this podcast is to make the benefits of biblical scholarship accessible. If you have suggestions of how we can help enhance your Bible study experience, please let us know. If you enjoy this podcast, please share it with your friends and family. Also, if you want to make sure not to miss anything in the future, be sure to Subscribe to the Bible Study and the Christian Life newsletter. Also, follow the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on iTunes. Finally, we want to thank you. We know that your time is the most valuable thing that you have. So we really appreciate you choosing to spend some time with us! All the best, Craig & Matt

In this episode of the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on the Origins of the Bible, we interview Old Testament professor and ancient biblical manuscript specialist, Dr. William Yarchin, discussing the Bible as the living Word of God. The earliest manuscript evidence that we possess of the books of the Old Testament come from centuries after the originals were composed. They are copies of copies of copies. In this interview, Dr. Yarchin discusses the process of manuscript transmission and the phenomena of the living Word of God. In this podcast, we discuss: The Babylonian Exile (587/6 BCE) as the catalyst for scripturalization The example of the prophetic words of Jeremiah The fallible nature of ancient writing materials The process of the copying of the books of the Old Testament The earliest manuscript evidence of the books of the Old Testament Manuscript errors and textual variants Manuscript family trees and text criticism The significant differences among some of the manuscripts of the books of the Old Testament "Scripture" as a communal phenomena The example of the Lord's prayer Texual variations as evidence of the Bible as the living Word of God For a more thorough introduction to text criticism, please see Sacred Words or Words about the Sacred? A Basic Introduction to the Issues of Text Criticism by Dennis Bratcher. We would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or comments about this podcast, please let us know. We’ll do our best to promptly respond to them. The purpose of this podcast is to make the benefits of biblical scholarship accessible. If you have suggestions of how we can help enhance your Bible study experience, please let us know. If you enjoy this podcast, please share it with your friends and family. Also, if you want to make sure not to miss anything in the future, be sure to Subscribe to the Bible Study and the Christian Life newsletter. Also, follow the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on iTunes. Finally, we want to thank you. We know that your time is the most valuable thing that you have. So we really appreciate you choosing to spend some time with us! All the best, Craig & Matt

In this inaugural episode of the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on the Origins of the Bible, we interview Old Testament professor and ancient biblical manuscript specialist, Dr. William Yarchin, discussing the beginnings of writing God’s Word. Due to the fact that Bibles are so widely circulated today, it can be easy to lose sight of the complicated origins of the Bible. In this interview, Dr. Yarchin discusses the writing of the Book of Isaiah. In doing so, he explains the beginning of the transition from the speaking of God’s Word to the writing of God’s Word. In this podcast, we discuss: The example of the Book of Isaiah The transition from speaking God’s Word to writing it The purpose of writing God’s Word The intended readership of Bible books The impact of the fall of Jerusalem upon writing God’s Word The value of written prophecy The process of copying manuscripts The writing materials of Bible books The significance of the length of Bible scrolls The distinction between textualization and scripturalization We would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or comments about this podcast, please let us know. We’ll do our best to promptly respond to them. The purpose of this podcast is to make the benefits of biblical scholarship accessible. If you have suggestions of how we can help enhance your Bible study experience, please let us know. If you enjoy this podcast, please share it with your friends and family. Also, if you want to make sure not to miss anything in the future, be sure to Subscribe to the Bible Study and the Christian Life newsletter. Also, follow the Bible Study and the Christian Life podcast on iTunes. Finally, we want to thank you. We know that your time is the most valuable thing that you have. So we really appreciate you choosing to spend some time with us! All the best, Craig & Matt