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Naked Bible 029: The Bible’s Literary Context: Prophecy and Apocalyptic
23 januari 2015 · 15 min
In this episode, we’re going to talk about two genres: prophecy and apocalyptic. The reason for doubling up will become apparent as we proceed, but basically we need to talk about these two genres because most modern Bible students don’t realize there are clear differences between the two. That is, most people assume that “prophecy” has something to do with predicting the end times – but it actually doesn’t – that’s the apocalyptic genre. Lees meer
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Naked Bible 028: The Bible’s Literary Context: The Comedic Genre and the New Testament
23 januari 2015 · 21 min
This episode of the Naked Bible podcast features Dr. Heiser's interview with his friend Dr. Sam Lamerson about the use of the comedic genre in the New Testament. Dr. Lamerson is Professor of New Testament at Knox Theological Seminary in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He has a specific research interest in the comedic genre in ancient Greek literature. Lees meer
The book referenced by Dr. Sam Lamerson in his interview with Mike was Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale, by Frederick Buechner.
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Naked Bible 027: The Bible’s Literary Context: What is a Proverb?
23 januari 2015 · 12 min
In the last podcast episode we continued our series on studying the Bible in light of its various types of literature – its literary genres. We looked at parables and offered some guidelines for interpreting them. In this episode, we’re going to briefly look at another familiar type of biblical literature that is at times badly misunderstood: the proverb. Lees meer
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Naked Bible 026: The Bible’s Literary Context: Parables
23 januari 2015 · 15 min
In the last podcast episode we continued our series on studying the Bible in light of its various types of literature – its literary genres. We looked at an example related to the New Testament – how the literary features of Greco-Roman phantom tales and “post-mortem appearances” of the dead inform our reading of NT resurrection accounts. In this episode, we’re going to focus on a type of literature that appears in both testaments, but which is most familiar in the New Testament: the parable. Lees meer
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Naked Bible 025: The Bible’s Literary Context: Greco-Roman Ghost Stories and the Gospels
23 januari 2015 · 14 min
In the last podcast episode we continued our series on studying the Bible in light of its various types of literature – its literary genres. We’re going to continue that effort in this episode and shift gears into the New Testament. Lees meer
I want to look today at two familiar episodes in the life of Jesus: the incident where he walks on the water and his disciples think they are seeing a ghost, and his appearances to the disciples after his resurrection. It may sound surprising, but the ancient world of which the NT was part actually had many stories about ghosts and what scholars call “post-mortem appearances” of the dead. New Testament scholars have investigated how the New Testament writers both utilized and subverted these genres in their attempts to communicate what it was they experienced and believed about Jesus.
Jason Robert Combs, “A Ghost on the Water? Understanding an Absurdity in Mark 6:49–50,” JBL 127:2 (2008): 345-358
Deborah Thompson Prince, “The ‘Ghost’ of Jesus: Luke 24 in Light of Ancient Narratives of Post-Mortem Apparitions,” JSNT 29:3 (2007): 287-301
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Naked Bible 024: The Bible’s Literary Context: The Military-Historical Annal Genre
23 januari 2015 · 18 min
In the last podcast episode we continued our series on studying the Bible in a way that amounts to more than reading by taking a look at the legal genre in Old Testament books. Today we’re focusing on another genre – military annals. I think the best way of illustrating how this genre can matter for interpretation is to begin with a problem that it solves, one that biblical scholars have grappled with for centuries. More specifically, I’m speaking of the problem of the unrealistically large numbers in the exodus and wilderness journey of Israel. In this episode of the Naked Bible podcast, I’ll illustrate this problem from the biblical material, mention a commonly proposed solution, and then introduce you to what I think is a better solution—one that derives from the type of literature we’re dealing with in the exodus, wilderness, and conquest narratives. Lees meer
David L. Fouts, “A Defense of the Hyperbolic Interpretation of Large Numbers in the Old Testament,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 40 (1997): 377-387
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Naked Bible 023: The Bible’s Literary Context: The Legal Genre
23 januari 2015 · 16 min
In the last episode of our series on studying the Bible, we transitioned to an important area of study: learning to read the Bible in terms of the various types of literature found in its pages. Our first example concerned reading narrative, where I recommended reading biblical stories like fiction — like you would read a novel. In this episode we focus on the legal genre of the Bible using a controversial example from Exodus 21. Lees meer
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Naked Bible 022: Introducing Genres and Reading Bible Stories Like Fiction
23 januari 2015 · 24 min
In the past few episodes of the podcast series on learning how to really study your Bible, I’ve focused on the issue of how critical it is to take the Bible in its own context, not a context that is familiar to us, like modern evangelicalism or the Reformation. I want to transition now to another important area of study: learning to read the Bible in terms of the various types of literature found in its pages. Lees meer
In this episode, we’ll talk about how to read narrative intelligently. I recommend reading it like fiction — like you would read a novel. The problem is that we read the Bible like we read a textbook. That kills inquisitiveness. Read it like a novel; read it like the writer had an agenda or a plan – because he did.
Shimeon bar-Efrat, Narrative Art in the Bible [Understanding the Bible and Its World
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Naked Bible 021: Taking the Bible’s Own Context Seriously, Part 6: Books for 2nd Temple & NT Study
23 januari 2015 · 26 min
In the last podcast, I recommended the best books and reference sources for understanding the religion and culture of the ANE for OT study. This episode wraps up my overview of taking the Bible’s own context seriously by immersing oneself into the intellectual worldview of the biblical writers by taking a look at books dealing with the literature of the Second Temple period for NT study. Scholars who are steeped in this material have produced fine material for explaining how the Second Temple period worldview contributes to NT interpretation. My goal in this episode is to direct you to the some of the best reference works and monographs in that regard to enrich your NT study. Lees meer
Books and Reference Works on Second Temple Texts and Worldview
Most Recommended Reference Works for NT Study in the Context of both the Old Testament and Second Temple Judaism
Green, Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series)
digital version
Hawthorne (ed.), Dictionary of Paul and His Letters (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series)
digital version
Laansma (ed.), Dictionary of the Later New Testament & Its Developments (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series)
digital version
Evans (ed.), Dictionary of New Testament Background (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series)
digital version
van der Toorn, Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, Second Edition
digital version
Levine (ed.), The Jewish Annotated New Testament
Simmons, Peoples of the New Testament World: An Illustrated Guide
Monographs
General Works on Second Temple Context
Skarsaune, Jewish Believers in Jesus: The Early Centuries
Skarsaune, In the Shadow of the Temple: Jewish Influences on Early Christianity
digital version
Flusser, Judaism of the Second Temple Period: Volume 1, Qumran and Apocalypticism
digital version
Flusser, Judaism of the Second Temple Period: Sages and Literature, vol. 2
Evans, The World of Jesus and the Early Church: Identity and Interpretation in Early Communities of Faith
Inte…
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Naked Bible 020: Taking the Bible’s Own Context Seriously, Part 5: Books for ANE and OT Study
23 januari 2015 · 24 min
We’ve talked in previous episodes about how the best way to understood the original context of the biblical writers is to immerse yourself in the worldview of the civilizations with which the biblical writers had regular contact. We’ve already spent several episodes on my recommendations for accessing the texts of the ancient Near East and Second Temple period – the intellectual output of the civilizations and cultures that form the original contexts of the Old and New Testaments. In this episode and the next, I want to recommend the best books and reference sources for understanding the religion and culture of the ANE and Second Temple period. Scholars who are steeped in this material have produced many essays explaining the worldview of these civilizations and how that worldview matters for biblical study and interpretation. My goal is to direct you to the best of those resources. As is our pattern, we’ll devote this episode to the ANE, the context for the OT, before moving to the Second Temple period, the context for the NT, in the next episode of the podcast. Lees meer
Books and Reference Works on Ancient Near Eastern Texts and Worldview
Most Recommended Reference Works for OT Study in Ancient Near Eastern Context
Sasson (ed.), Civilizations of the Ancient Near East/4 Volumes Bound in 2 Books (v. 1 & 2)
Baker (ed.), Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series)
digital version
Williamson (ed.), Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series)
digital version
Enns (ed.), Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series)
Boda (ed.), Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets (IVP Bible Dictionary)
van der Toorn, Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, Second Edition
digital version
Monographs
Ancient Near East
History and Culture:
Hoerth, Mattingly, Yamauchi (eds), Peoples of the Old Testament World
White, Everyday Life in Ancient Egypt
von S…
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Naked Bible 019: Taking the Bible’s Own Context Seriously, Part 4: 2nd Temple Texts in Translation
23 januari 2015 · 24 min
The series on Bible study continues with the emphasis on interpreting the Bible in its own context. The context we’re discussing is the world of the ancient Near East (with respect to the OT) and the Second Temple period with respect to the NT. Interpreting the Bible in these contexts means thinking like a person living at these times. The best way to do that is to immerse yourself in the worldview of the civilizations of these eras with which the biblical writers had regular contact. That is accomplished by immersion in the written sources of these civilizations. The last episode of the podcast dealt with the need to tap into the written material of the ANE since that is the context for the OT. In this episode we’ll turn attention to the NT context, the Second temple period (6th century BC-1st century AD). As in the last episode, all print and online sources I mention in the podcast are found (with links) at the “Bibliography and Resources” tab here on the podcast website. Lees meer
Ancient Texts in English Translation: Second Temple Period of Judaism (5th century BC – 1st century AD)
Books:
Old Testament Apocrypha
King James Version of the Apocrypha
digital version
The New Oxford Annotated Apocrypha: New Revised Standard Version
digital version
R.H. Charles’ edition: The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament: Apocrypha
digital version (Logos has Charles’ Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha in one set)
New Testament Apocrypha (less relevant, as these come from after the apostolic period):
one-volume edition of M. R. James: The New Testament Apocrypha
two-volume scholarly compendium by Schneemelcher
New Testament Apocrypha, Vol. 1: Gospels and Related Writings Revised Edition
New Testament Apocrypha, Vol. 2: Writings Relating to the Apostles Apocalypses and Related Subjects
Old Testament Pseudepigrapha
H. Charles’ edition: The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, Pseudepigrapha
digital version (Logos has Charles’ Apocrypha and Pseudepigrap…
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Naked Bible 018: Taking the Bible’s Own Context Seriously, Part 3: ANE Texts in Translation
23 januari 2015 · 18 min
The last episode of the podcast dealt with the need to tap into the intellectual output of the ancient Mediterranean world — the Bible’s own context – in order to start thinking the thoughts of the biblical writers. This episode takes this recommendation further by directing listeners to the best volumes and websites for English translations of ancient literature pertinent to biblical studies. The episode focuses on the civilizations that give the OT its context – the civilizations of the ancient Near East (ANE). Dr. Heiser recommends books (whether hard copy or digital form) as well as websites for tapping into ANE literature. Lees meer
Ancient Texts in English Translation: Ancient Near East
Books: General Collections
The Context of Scripture (COS); 3 volumes
digital version
Ancient Near Eastern Texts (ANET) by Pritchard (one volume hardcover; split into two volumes paperback; vol. 1 and vol. 2)
digital version
Writings from the Ancient World set (amazon link to volumes in the series)
digital version
Egyptian Literature:
Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature (3 vols)
digital version
Foster, Ancient Egyptian Literature
The Literature of Ancient Egypt: An Anthology of Stories, Instructions, Stelae, Autobiographies, and Poetry; Third Edition by Professor William Kelley Simpson, Professor Robert K. Ritner, The Reverent Dr. Vincent A. Tobin and Professor Edward Wente Jr.
Moran, The Amarna Letters
digital version
Mesopotamia (Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian)
Foster, Before the Muses: An Anthology of Akkadian Literature
Foster, From Distant Days: Myths, Tales, and Poetry of Ancient Mesopotamia
Dalley, Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others
Jacobsen, The Harps that Once … Sumerian Poetry in Translation
Ugaritic Texts:
Wyatt, Religious Texts from Ugarit
digital version
Gibson, Canaanite Myths and Legends
digital version
Coogan and M. Smith, Stories from Ancient Canaan
Websites
ETANA (Electronic Tools Ancient Near East Ar…
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Naked Bible 017: Taking the Bible’s Own Context Seriously
23 januari 2015 · 28 min
In this second episode of the series on Bible study, Dr. Heiser discusses what interpreting the Bible “in context” really means — taking the Bible’s own primitive context seriously. Rather than filter the Bible through creeds dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, or even the period of early Christianity, the Bible’s actual context is the one that produced the biblical books — the era stretching from the 2nd millennium BC to the first century AD. All other contexts are foreign to the Bible, no matter how persuasive they are in denominational traditions. The student of the Bible must make all foreign contexts subservient to the Bible’s own context. That means replacing our own worldview with that of the biblical writer living during this ancient time span in the ancient Near East and eastern Mediterranean. The way to do that is to immerse ourselves in the intellectual output of those cultures in which the biblical Israelite and later Hellenistic Jews lived when God moved them to write Scripture. The episode ends with suggestions about resources for familiarizing oneself with the literature of all these cultures. These guides are the first step, and set the stage for a discussion of where to find these texts in English translation, as well as informed discussion of that material for enriching Bible study. Lees meer
Guides to the Literature of the Biblical Context and Worldview:
Old Testament (informed by the Literature of the Ancient Near East)
John Walton, Ancient Israelite Literature in its Cultural Context
Victor Matthews, Old Testament Parallels: Laws And Stories from the Ancient Near East
Kenton Sparks, Ancient Texts for the Study of the Hebrew Bible: A Guide to the Background Literature
New Testament (informed by the literature of Second Temple / “Intertestamental” Judaism)
Larry Helyer, Exploring Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period: A Guide for New Testament Students (Christian Classics Bible Studies)
Craig Evans, Ancient Texts for New Testament Stud…
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Naked Bible 016: Heiser’s Laws for Bible Study: Learning to Study the Bible, Part 1
23 januari 2015 · 17 min
This episode begins a series on learning how to engage the biblical text in ways that take you beyond merely reading the Bible. Dr. Heiser overviews a popular Naked Bible blog post (“Heiser’s Laws for Bible Study“) as an introduction. You don’t have to be a scholar to learn to engage the biblical text and move beyond just reading the Bible in English. There are tools that will help you penetrate the text, and techniques for reading more carefully. Lees meer
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Naked Bible 015: The Lord’s Supper and 1 Corinthians 8-11, Part 2
21 januari 2015 · 18 min
This episode builds on the previous one, where Dr. Heiser discussed the context of Paul’s teachings on the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11 — namely, the three chapters prior, 1 Corinthians 8-10. Those chapters show Paul laying out the “fellowship context” of the Lord’s Supper, that Paul wants believers to know that they “partake” of a meal by which they enjoy fellowship (koinoinia) with the Lord. His context for that thought is the partaking of OT priests in sacrificial meat (though not of the sacrifices for atonement or sin offering), and the demonic “fellowship” that is the result of pagan sacrifice. This episode moves into 1 Corinthians 11, where Paul describes the Lord’s Supper in relation to a fellowship meal. This context is crucial to understanding the focus of the Lord’s Supper and the admonitions of Paul in connection with observing the Lord’s Supper. Lees meer
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Naked Bible 014: The Lord’s Supper and 1 Corinthians 8-11, Part 1
21 januari 2015 · 18 min
This episode transitions the discussion of a biblical theology of the Lord’s Supper to the primary passage in the New Testament on the topic: 1 Corinthians 11. The episode focuses on the context of 1 Corinthians 8-10 for informing what Paul says about the Lord’s Supper in chapter 11. The “fellowship context” of the Lord’s Supper is shown to be important for understanding the issues Paul will get into in 1 Corinthians 11. Paul wants believers to know that they “partake” of a meal by which they enjoy fellowship (koinoinia) with the Lord. His context for that thought is the partaking of OT priests in sacrificial meat (though not of the sacrifices for atonement or sin offering), and the demonic “fellowship” that is the result of pagan sacrifice — his primary concern in the disputation over meat sacrificed to idols in 1 Cor 8-10. Lees meer
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Naked Bible 013: The Lord’s Supper and the Gospels, Part 2
21 januari 2015 · 12 min
Today's episode continues the problem of John 6, the “bread of life” passage. We explore the rest of the passage, drawing attention to two items: that the second half of the passage needs to be interpreted in light of the first half, and that John 6 is not an account of the Last Supper, which the epistles are clear was the context for the Lord's Supper or Communion. Lees meer
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Naked Bible 012: The Lord’s Supper and the Gospels, Part 1
21 januari 2015 · 15 min
When I introduced this topic and series, I said that I’m convinced that this doctrine is one of the least critically examined of all biblical doctrines. This episode gets us into some territory that illustrates the pervasive influence of assumptions about this topic. Anyone who has studied the doctrine knows that it is linked to the Last Supper. They also know about the problem of John 6, the “bread of life” passage. But did you know that John 6 isn’t in the context of the Last Supper? Most students don’t, and the observation begs the question of whether the controversial “eat my flesh and drink my blood” wording in John 6 has anything at all to do with the Lord’s Supper, despite centuries of assuming that it’s central to the topic. Lees meer
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Naked Bible 011: Introducing the Lord’s Supper Series
21 januari 2015 · 10 min
Today we begin a new topic, and with it a short series on a doctrine that most listeners will have heard of or experienced firsthand. I think it would be difficult to find anyone who has spent any time in a Christian church of any denomination who has not heard of the Lord’s Supper, also known as communion or the Lord’s Table. But while most listeners will have heard of the doctrine before, I’m willing to bet few have really thought about or, perhaps stated more precisely, have ever questioned what they’ve been taught about it in light of their own reading of the Scriptures. As familiar as you might think it is, I’m convinced that this doctrine is one of the least critically examined of all biblical doctrines. If I made a “Top Ten” list of things churches do without much thinking, this would be in the list for sure. Lees meer
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Naked Bible 010: Baptism & Problem Passages: Acts 2:38
21 januari 2015 · 12 min
Our next problem passage related to baptism is Acts 2:38. The interpretation of this passage involves the Greek preposition eis as well as the overall context of the book of Acts when it comes to repentance and baptism.
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Naked Bible 009: Baptism & Problem Passages: Acts 22:16
21 januari 2015 · 13 min
Acts 22:16 is a passage that often provokes debate due to its apparent connection between baptism and “washing away” of sins. But that idea is connected to other phrases in succession in the passage. How should Acts 22:16 be interpreted amid these other phrases and the verbal actions described? This episode takes listeners into some Greek grammar for the answer. Lees meer
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Naked Bible 008: Baptism & Problem Passages: 1 Peter 3:14-22
21 januari 2015 · 14 min
1 Peter 3:14-22 is an odd, controversial passage since it amalgamates, baptism, salvation, Noah, the ark, and Jesus’ descent to preach to spirits in the Underworld. The key to understanding the passage is to recognize that Peter embraces the worldview of non-canonical Jewish literature like 1 Enoch and seems an analogy between the events of Genesis 6-8, salvation, and baptism. Lees meer
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Naked Bible 007: The Mode of Baptism and the Biblical Text
21 januari 2015 · 16 min
How should baptism be done — immersion, sprinkling, or pouring — and can we gain any clarity about this from the biblical text? Lees meer
This episode of the Naked Bible focuses on the mode of baptism, focusing on the Greek word baptizo, frequently translated “baptize” in the New Testament. Is the meaning of this word sufficiently clear to settle the mode issue? Does it matter?
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Naked Bible 006: Applying the Baptism – Circumcision Theology to Adult or Believer’s Baptism
21 januari 2015 · 8 min
Getting the Baptism-Circumcision Relationship Right: Adult and Believer’s Baptism Lees meer
In the previous episode, we talked about how to articulate a biblically defensible doctrine of infant baptism, one that avoids the theological problems created when one fails to say only about baptism what one can say about circumcision. Getting that relationship right also helps us talk about the baptism of adults.
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Naked Bible 005: Baptism, Circumcision, and Biblical Theology
21 januari 2015 · 11 min
Getting the Baptism-Circumcision Relationship Right Lees meer
In the last few episodes, we saw how some of Christianity’s historic creeds made statements about baptism (particularly infant baptism) that muddles an otherwise clear gospel presentation. The problem is a failure to say only about baptism what one can say about circumcision. Getting that relationship right is the key to articulating a biblically defensible doctrine of infant baptism, and has implications for believers baptism as well.
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Naked Bible 004: Baptism: Contradictions in Creeds Part 3
21 januari 2015 · 14 min
Contradictions over baptism and salvation in creeds, continued (Part 3). Lees meer
In the previous episode, we saw how the Belgic Confession and Heidelberg Catechisms offered muddled, contradictory statements on salvation by grace through faith and what happens at baptism. This episode details more of the same, this time in the Westminster Confession.
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Naked Bible 003: Baptism: Contradictions in Creeds Part 2
21 januari 2015 · 19 min
Contradictions over baptism and salvation in creeds, continued (Part 2). Lees meer
In the previous episode, we saw how the Belgic Confession was, in places, clear on its articulation of the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith alone. And yet when it discussed baptism, these ideas were muddled, creating theological confusion. This episode details more of the same, this time in the Heidelberg Catechism.
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Naked Bible 002: Baptism: Contradictions in Creeds Part 1
21 januari 2015 · 12 min
In the first podcast episode on baptism, I made the comment that many well-known Christian creeds are internally contradictory when it comes to articulating the clear gospel (salvation by faith in Christ apart from any work or merit of our own) and baptism. That might seem hard to swallow, but it’s true. In this episode, I illustrate the problem via the Belgic Confession, whose clear description of the gospel turns to muddled thinking when it comes to the section on baptism. Lees meer
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Naked Bible 001: Baptism: What You Know May Not Be So
21 januari 2015 · 12 min
Inaugural Episode: Introducing the series on understanding and misunderstanding baptism. Lees meer
Everyone knows about baptism, right? What’s there to think about? Turns out quite a lot. Christian traditions all have positions on baptism, but it is rare to find a coherent articulation of the topic that doesn’t create theological dilemmas with other points of doctrine. Don’t believe that? Then you need to listen to the Naked Bible Podcast’s series on baptism, starting with this episode.