In the resurrection narrative of John’s Gospel, Mary Magdelene is asked by angels within the empty tomb why she is crying. Turning from them she finds a man whom she supposes to be the gardener, but is in fact Jesus himself. This apparently mistaken understanding may in fact be pointing us to another garden and Gardener. Dr. Ruben Zimmermann is Professor of New Testament Studies at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz in Germany. His research spans such areas as ethics, hermeneutics, parables...

2 Timothy 3:16 is commonly translated, “All Scripture is inspired” or “God-breathed.” Apart from what that metaphorical language on its own might suggest to the English reader, what observations can be made about the recorded history of God’s speech as it proceeds from God’s utterance to written Scripture? Dr. Brent Sandy taught New Testament and Greek at Wheaton College and chaired the Department of Religious Studies at Grace College, Indiana. His most recent book is Hear Ye the Word of the...

In the first lines of Paul’s letter to the Philippian church he says he is praying in joy because of their “partnership in the gospel” (NIV). From the end of the same letter we learn what this means (material support of Paul’s mission) and its implications. Rev. Dr. John Dickson is Jean Kvamme Distinguished Professor of Biblical Studies and Public Christianity at Wheaton College. He previously taught at Macquarie University, University of Sydney, and Ridley Theological College, Melbourne....

The Church Father, Ignatius (likely died within the first two decades of the 2nd century), in his Letter to the Philadelphians, uses wording that suggests dependence on the Gospel of John (likely written in the last decade of the 1st century), and also reveals something of Ignatius’ own dependence on the Spirit in his preaching. Dr. Jonathon Lookadoo is Assistant Professor at Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary, Seoul, South Korea. His publications include The Epistle of...

In Gal. 3, Paul makes the grammatically singular form of the noun “seed” (σπέρμα) load bearing for his argument. But the singular form of that word doesn’t necessarily denote one individual. Paul is employing contemporary Jewish exegetical practices, and the understanding of that and Paul’s wider aims can be helpful here. Dr. Christian Brady is T. W. Lewis Dean of the Lewis Honors College and Professor of Ancient Hebrew and Jewish Literature at the University of Kentucky. He completed an ...

Isaiah 7:14 is quoted by Matthew (1:23) in application to Mary’s pregnancy: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son.” But is Isaiah’s reference to a young woman (עַלְמָה) or a virgin (παρθένος)? The former is the Hebrew of Isaiah, and the latter is the Greek of the Septuagint and Matthew’s citation. Can Genesis 24 shed some light on this question? Dr. Emanuel Tov is the J. L. Magnes Professor of Bible Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Among his roles, he was one of the...

For the first several chapters in the book of Acts, the author, Luke, consistently speaks of one Saul, but at 13:9 Luke begins referring to him as Paul, which is also the name that this apostle uses in all his letters. Where do these two names come from? What does each mean? Why this switch in which name is used? Dr. Steve Walton is Senior Research Fellow in New Testament at Trinity College in Bristol, U.K., and former Secretary of the British New Testament Society. His many publications...

Dr. Steven Jones is the co-author of Acquiring Medical Language(McGraw Hill), a widely used textbook in medical schools for instruction in medical terminology and rooted directly in his education in Classical Greek and Latin. He makes a case for translating this terminology so that patients can understand it, but also so that the human and ethical aspects of medicine are brought out of the shadows of obscure technical language. Dr. Jones is the Teaching & Training Pastor at Kingsland...

In I John 2:5 the apostle writes, “Whoever keeps his word, truly in this one the love of God is completed.” The Greek phrase translated “the love of God” (ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ) could be understood as God’s love for us or our love for God. Dr. Elizabeth Mburu explains the grammar, the context, and the reasoning behind her conclusion. Dr. Mburu is Associate Professor of New Testament and Greek at Africa International University, Nairobi, Kenya, and is the regional coordinator for Anglophone...

In writing to the “rich in this present world,” Paul stirs together a related adjective (πλούσιος), noun (πλοῦτος), adverb (πλουσίως), and infinitive (πλουτεῖν), pastorally building up to his point: understanding the true source of wealth and how to use it richly.  Dr. Phil Ryken, who has been a regular on our podcast, is the President of Wheaton College, 8th in the college’s history. His most recent book is Beauty Is Your Destiny: How the Promise of Splendor Changes Everything. You can...

James 5:11 refers to the “patience of Job” (KJV). If we take a detour through the book of Job and notice how the Greek vocabulary of perseverance (the KJV’s “patience”) is used in James’ letter, we gain insight into human suffering as something properly to lament. Dr. Grant Flynn is Visiting Assistant Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College. His Ph.D. (Wheaton Graduate School) dealt with lament in the Epistle of James. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical...

The act of “calling out,” either to pagans or to the Lord, forms a thread through the story of Jonah, which was challenging to Jonah, and can remain challenging for modern readers. Dr. Andrew Abernethy is Professor of Old Testament and Director of the M.A. in Biblical Exegesis at Wheaton Graduate School. He co-edited the newly published The Prophets and the Apostolic Witness: Reading Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel as Christian Scripture. Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A....

In the greeting of his letter to Philemon (v. 2), Paul calls Archippus a “fellow soldier.” Roman soldiers were often involved in the capturing and returning of runaway slaves, a function that may explain why Paul characterizes Archippus like so in this letter. Dr. Seth Ehorn is guest faculty at Wheaton College currently teaching Greek. His publications include 2 Maccabees 1-7: A Handbook on the Greek Text and 2 Maccabees 8-15: A Handbook on the Greek Text. Check out related programs at...

Peter, along with other NT writers, uses a term (ὑποτάσσω, hypotasso) which related to the idea of subordination, or being sub-ordered, whether in the society, household, church, or in cosmic terms. While Peter calls Christians to live out the faith under the hierarchies or “orders” of ancient Roman society, may the church be an agent in society which helps change the “orders”? In this episode, Dr. Green refers to Mark Noll’s book The Civil War as a Theological Crisis which describes how...

The very first words of the Hebrew Bible, usually translated as “In the beginning God created…”  can also be translated, “In the beginning when God created . . . God said . . . .” What is the basis for this rendition? Dr. Emanuel Tov, the J. L. Magnes Professor of Bible Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, recounts his learning of the biblical languages and illustrates the importance of that learning for interpretation. Among his earlier roles, he was one of the editors of the...

The Hebrew term yehudim in modern Hebrew can be straightforwardly translated as “Jews,” but when it occurs in the Hebrew Bible this is not the best translation. Remarkably, more than half the occurrences in the OT are in one book: Esther. The question can be extended into the NT as well. Rabbi Steven Bob, who has contributed several episodes to this podcast series, is Rabbi Emeritus at Congregation Etz Chaim in Lombard, Il and guest faculty at Wheaton College. He is currently working on a...

In Acts 2:33 there is a completely new thing: Whereas in the OT and everywhere in Judaism it is God, Yahweh, who sends the Holy Spirit, in Acts 2 Jesus has ascended to the right hand of God, received the Spirit from his Father, and himself performs the act of pouring out the Spirit. This should provoke reflection on both Jesus and the Spirit. Dr. Steve Walton is Senior Research Fellow in New Testament at Trinity College in Bristol, U.K., and former Secretary of the British New Testament...

In his lecture to philosophers in Acts 17, Paul declares that God has so ordered human history that people “would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us” (NIV). The verb translated “reach out for” (ψηλαφάω) can be illuminated by the blinded Cyclops in Homer’s Odyssey or by the biblical Isaac trying to identify which of his sons was talking to him. Dr. Jones is the Teaching & Training Pastor at Kingsland Baptist Church, Katy, TX, a...

The spiritual gift of “tongues” in 1 Cor. 12-14 was evidently by itself unintelligible, requiring that someone render what was being said in plain Greek if the Corinthian church was to benefit from it. When discussing the negative effect the utterance would have if left unintelligible, Paul calls a part of the audience the ἰδιῶται (idiotai). Are these believers, unbelievers, Christian catechumens, or what? Jon C. Laansma is the Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament Greek and Exegesis...

The Greek of the New Testament writers is known as Koiné Greek. What did it sound like? Some recent research has aided our hearing. Dr. Alexander Loney is Associate Professor of Classical Languages and the Coordinator of the Classical Languages program at Wheaton College. His publications include The Ethics of Revenge and the Meanings of the Odyssey and (co-editor) The Oxford Handbook of Hesiod. In this conversation, Dr. Loney makes reference to the book of Benjamin Kantor, The...

We’ve heard of biblical literacy, but if we don’t know what to do with the Bible once we’ve read it, we might be suffering from hermeneutical illiteracy. The lack can be especially apparent in approaches to the Old Testament. Dr. John Walton, Old Testament Professor Emeritus at Wheaton Graduate School, is a frequent contributor to this podcast. One of his most recent publications is Wisdom for Faithful Reading: Principles and Practices for Old Testament Interpretation. An earlier but related...

It has been the contention of Dr. John Walton that the authority of Scripture is located in the intention of the human authors as represented in what they wrote. In this conversation he explains what he means, in part by contrasting it with some other possible models. John Walton, Old Testament Professor Emeritus at Wheaton Graduate School, is a frequent contributor to this podcast. One of his most recent publications is Wisdom for Faithful Reading: Principles and Practices for Old Testament...

Colossians 1:15-20, which many think was an early Christian hymn, is one of the uniquely rich and intense expressions of the identity and work of Christ. Daniel J. Treier models a wise union of exegetical care and theological sophistication while reading this passage. Prof. Treier is the Gunther H. Knoedler Professor of Theology and Director of the Ph.D. Program at Wheaton College & Graduate School. His most recent publication is Lord Jesus Christ (New Studies in Dogmatics). Check out...

In Gal. 1:16 Paul uses the arrestive phrasing that God had revealed his Son “in me.” Taken together with other expressions used by Paul in Galatians, it looks as if one of the ways Paul thought of the gospel was through a pregnancy/maternal metaphor. Amy Peeler is the Kenneth T. Wessner Chair of Biblical Studies Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College. One of her most recent publications is Women and the Gender of God and she is presently working on Paul’s Letter to the Galatians. ...

Dr. Ben Witherington III argues passionately against burnishing the nativity stories of Luke and Matthew with unfounded speculation and mistranslations. He gives particular attention to the story of Jesus’ birth in Luke 2:7. Prof. Witherington is the Jean R. Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary and is an emeritus professor of New Testament at St. Andrews University, Scotland. He has published widely including commentaries on every book of the New...