perspective (2020/02/02)

perspective (2020/02/02)

christian life, divine violence, form criticism, gospel, history, Nat Ritmeyer, podcast, poetry, prayer, science, second temple judaism, source criticism, text

The plague narrative is our jumping-off point for the epic that is Exodus, as our friend Nat Ritmeyer returns to 4QS to talk about how (and how not) to read it. We spend our time discussing how to let Exodus be Exodus, and not bring its towering theology crashing back down to a mundane level. There's just some much story to explore.

Transcript coming soon!

binding (2020/01/12)

binding (2020/01/12)

ethics, form criticism, hermeneutics, podcast, reading, socio-rhetorical interpretation, wisdom

Well, this week's episode started out as a short look at Genesis 22 and the Binding of Isaac, known in Jewish tradition as the "Akedah" ("binding", from Genesis 22:9). It kind of grew legs, though, and it turns out to be an incredible passage to talk about some really important stuff when it comes to biblical narrative and interpretation.

Transcript coming soon!

wisdom (2020/01/05)

wisdom (2020/01/05)

Becky Lewis, christian life, creation, form criticism, gospel, podcast, poetry, politics, wisdom

Happy new year from myself and Becky Lewis, my first co-host on four cubits in 2020! The Genesis segment comes to you in a slightly different format this week: Genesis 9 is Becky's jumping-off point for an overview of the themes in the whole book. It works really well as a reader's guide to the book, which will be very helpful as we read through it this month. I already have more co-hosts lined up to tackle some other books in a similar way this year, so get ready to hear new and familiar voices on the podcast soon!

Transcript coming soon!

proclaim (2019/11/23)

proclaim (2019/11/23)

form criticism, gospel, pastoral epistles, podcast, priesthood, prophecy, social justice, source criticism

Looking at how a biblical text is written can help us focus on the right things when we're reading it. That's what we're looking at in Nehemiah and 2 Timothy this week: how the message is proclaimed and why it matters. On the other hand there's also Amos, who takes a prophetic flamethrower to his people in a scathing indictment of a religious piety devoid of social justice.

Don't forget, you can now register for the Living Faith Study Day 2019 on EventBrite! It's a gathering for those exploring their relationship to faith, the Bible, and community. There'll be four thought-provoking topics packaged in short talks, with ample time for questions and discussion. I'll be giving one of those talks, "Christian Ethics and Social Justice: The Gospel of the Human Jesus". It's going to be a great day for building faith, and for taking the Bible seriously - both in its ancient context, and in the present day.

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prophet (2019/11/17)

prophet (2019/11/17)

form criticism, gospel, history, literary theory, podcast, prayer, prophecy

We're back with Nehemiah this week, one of my favourite Bible characters. He's an early governor of post-exilic Jerusalem, but here we see him exercising his prophetic voice. After a few minutes in Hosea to look at the theme of reversal we dive into an extended NT segment in Acts, where the narrative is in transition to the final act of the book's story.

Don't forget, you can now register for the Living Faith Study Day 2019 on EventBrite! It's a gathering for those exploring their relationship to faith, the Bible, and community. There'll be four thought-provoking topics packaged in short talks, with ample time for questions and discussion. I'll be giving one of those talks, "Christian Ethics and Social Justice: The Gospel of the Human Jesus". It's going to be a great day for building faith, and for taking the Bible seriously - both in its ancient context, and in the present day.

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lovers and martyrs (2019/05/05)

lovers and martyrs (2019/05/05)

early church, form criticism, law, mission, podcast, poetry, sexuality

This week's episode is super-late because I've been ill, but here it is anyway. There's plenty of material in this week's readings to make everybody uncomfortable, and that's without the stuff that I cut for length. Sometimes the Bible does that.

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rhetoric (2019/04/28)

rhetoric (2019/04/28)

divine violence, early church, eschatology, form criticism, law, podcast, wisdom

This week on the podcast we're returning to the seventh-year remission laws from last month, and the fascinating character (and book) of Koheleth from last year. We're also facing up to one of the rare "texts of terror" in the New Testament: the execution of Ananias and Sapphira.

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origin and honey (2019/04/14)

origin and honey (2019/04/14)

Christology, form criticism, gospel, history, podcast, source criticism, wisdom

What was the route of the exodus journey, and why does it matter? Can we really learn profound lessons about the Bible by reading a list of place names? (Spoiler alert: we can.) We move away from pithy one-versers in Proverbs, and take on the Jesus/cannibalism sayings in John.

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hubris and lordship (2019/01/06)

hubris and lordship (2019/01/06)

form criticism, gospel, history, podcast, poetry, redaction, source criticism, synoptic studies, text

Happy new first full podcast of the new year! We dive right in with the iconic Babel story, which reaches forwards and backwards across the narrative of early Genesis, and seems written to resonate particularly with exile-era Israel. Add to that a few psalms, and Jesus as Lord and servant in Matthew's gospel, and we're off!

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minicast: Compilation of the Psalter

minicast: Compilation of the Psalter

dss, form criticism, minicast, podcast, redaction, text

OK, so I did an intro to the book of Psalms while recording episode #45, and... well, you can probably guess. So here it is in minicast #2! Psalms might have an even more interesting textual history than Torah, but we'll almost certainly never be able to figure it out. What we can do is bear it in mind as we read and interpret the Psalms - both individually, and as an integrated book.

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judgment and responsibility (2018/09/16)

judgment and responsibility (2018/09/16)

form criticism, gospel, history, podcast, prophecy, synoptic studies, text

Continuing our recent theme of the relationship between the Bible and history, King Josiah is front and center for the Deuteronomist this week - though God's response is objectively surprising (if literarily inevitable). Ezekiel is doing his Masterpiece Theatre thing again, and Luke cuts short a quotation to throw wide the doors of God's mercy.

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fate and faithfulness (2018/09/09)

fate and faithfulness (2018/09/09)

form criticism, gospel, history, podcast, prophecy, text

The two Hebrew Bible readings this week are both narratives of fatalism: Kings looks back to the inevitable fall of Israel from the Judean captivity, and Ezekiel looks forward to the inevitable fall of Jerusalem from the Israelite captivity. And Mary, mother of Jesus, preaches up a storm in Luke's gospel.

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