Hat tip to Stephen Huebscher for this one! Here's a link to an interesting short essay on this topic. The author argues (with some justification) that rather than Christians adapting a pagan holiday to their sacred calendar, pagans co-opted December 25 from...
Naked Bible Podcast
Reflections on ETS, SBL, and Other Stuff
Well, I'm home after three weeks on the road (PA, Providence RI, Boston, and you can throw in NY, Connecticut, and New Jersey in if you count the driving). To say I'm glad would be quite an understatement. Of course I had fun, saw friends and family, and met new...
Naked Bible Podcast Episodes 187 and 188: Evangelical Theological Society Conference Interviews
It’s that time of year – a new round of interviews with scholars and professors at the annual meetings of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS). Here are the two episodes into which those interviews were grouped. Stay tuned for interviews from the SBL Meetings as...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 184: Hebrews 5:11-6:20
Our series on the book of Hebrews continues the writer’s emphasis on the faithful priesthood of Christ – this time as the basis for turning away from a theology of dead works and clinging to faith. The centrality of not turning from the true gospel of faith in the...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 182: Hebrews 4:1-13
Hebrews 4:1-13 continues an important theme introduced in Hebrews 3—holding fast to faith so as to enter into God’s rest (i.e., inherit the promise of eternal life). The writer strikes an analogy between the rest of God, earlier related to entrance (or not) into the...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 180: Continuing the NAR Discussion with Dr. Michael L. Brown
This episode continues our discussion of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) from the previous episode. Our guest on this episode is Dr. Michael L. Brown, biblical scholar and host of the well-known radio show, Line of Fire. Dr. Brown has long been part of the...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 179: Interview with Holly Pivec: What is the New Apostolic Reformation?
The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) seems to quite clearly justify labeling it a movement or denomination. Millions of people around the world are part of its network of churches. However, many NAR leaders and advocates deny that it’s a denomination or movement. Many...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 176: Hebrews 1:5-14
The writer of Hebrews builds on his assertions that the particular son of God (Jesus) who was the agent of creation, eternal wisdom, and the essence of God, by comparing him to other supernatural sons of God (angels). But what does a phrase like “You are my son, today...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 175: Hebrews 1:1-4
Hebrews 1:1-4 sets the tone for the entire epistle. The writer asserts that the revelation given by God through one particular son—Jesus Christ—is superior to Torah. It is Christ who is the full expression of God’s wisdom, and the actual, essential being of God...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 172: Melchizedek Q & A
The episode is now live. In this follow-up to the multi-part Melchizedek series, Dr. Michael Heiser answers listener questions exploring the deeper and often speculative traditions about the mysterious priest-king of Genesis 14. This Q&A episode touches not only...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 169: Surviving and Thriving in Seminary: Conversation with Danny Zacharias and Ben Forrest
Ever thought about taking a seminary class? Getting a degree in biblical studies? Even if you haven’t and just want good advice on how to do biblical research on your own, you’ll want to listen in on this conversation. This episode of the podcast focuses on the book...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 168: Melchizedek, Part 2: Second Temple Jewish Literature
In the previous two episodes on Melchizedek (1a, 1b) we covered the Old Testament data on this enigmatic figure. Jewish writers and readers in the Second Temple Period (ca. 500 BC – 70 AD) naturally had ideas on who Melchizedek was and how to understand him as a...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 167: Melchizedek, Part 1B: Old Testament Continued
Melchizedek is one of the more enigmatic figures in the Bible. Mentioned in only two passages in the Old Testament (Gen 14:17-24; Psalm 110), he nevertheless drew a lot of attention during the Second Temple Period and the New Testament. Thousands of pages of scholarly...
Lengthy Interview on Unseen Realm by Frank Viola on the Patheos Blog
I'm grateful to Frank Viola (the author, not the MLB pitcher!) for the time he invested into reading (studying, really) my book, The Unseen Realm. Frank is a best-selling author in the wider evangelical world, as well as a blogger and speaker. He gets the content of...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 166: Melchizedek in the Old Testament: Part 1A
Melchizedek is such a complicated subject we're going to end up doing four episodes on him: Old Testament, Part 1A Old Testament, Part 1B 2nd Temple Judaism New Testament 1A is now live! Melchizedek remains one of the most enigmatic figures in the Bible. In Episode...