Acts 23-26 These chapters cover the trials and imprisonments of Paul before setting sail for Rome to appeal to Caesar. Rather than focusing on the trial scenes, this episode of the podcast for the most part focuses on several statements of theological importance...
Paul
Naked Bible 57: Acts 22
Acts 22 In an earlier episode (#50), we asked whether Paul’s stoning at Lystra in Acts 14 was the backdrop for the heavenly visionary experience he described in 2 Corinthians 12. Did Paul in fact have an NDE? We concluded that the chronology Paul alluded to in 2...
Naked Bible 56: Acts 20 & 21
Acts 20-21 describes Paul’s last missionary trip before returning to Jerusalem where he was saved by Roman soldiers from rioting Jews who spotted him in the temple. His deliverance would ultimately result in an appeal to Caesar and subsequent journey to Rome. These...
Naked Bible 54: Acts 18 & 19
Acts 18-19 introduce three people that become part of Paul’s ministry and the storyline of his missionary journeys: Aquila, Priscilla, and Apollos. This episode discusses some of the language in Luke’s description of how the testimonies of people who embraced Jesus...
Naked Bible 52: Acts 16 & 17
Acts 16-17 In Acts 16 Timothy joins Paul and Silas. In these two chapters there are several items of interest: the Spirit forbids and directs the team, they encounter a “python spirit,” they are supernaturally delivered from prison, and Paul uses some pagan literature...
Naked Bible 51: Acts 15
Acts 15 Acts 15 is the account of the Jerusalem council, the meeting of the leadership of the church in Jerusalem, along with Paul and Barnabas, to discuss the matter of Gentile acceptance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Some Jewish believers were of the opinion that...
Naked Bible 50: Acts 14
Acts 14 Acts 14 has several items of interest related to the ancient supernatural worldview of the New Testament writers. This episode will take us into Greco-Roman beliefs about the gods, some Pauline commentary on the Deuteronomy 32 worldview, and the possible...
Naked Bible 49: Acts 13
Acts 13 Acts 13 marks the transition in the book to the ministry of Paul. That is, Paul and the mission to the Gentile nations becomes the focus, whereas the church in Jerusalem fades into the backdrop. In this episode, we’ll discuss the odd citation of Psalm 2:7 in...
Naked Bible 45: Acts 9
Acts 9 Acts 9 marks a transition in the story of the early church – the conversion of Saul, apostle to the Gentiles. That’s the part everyone knows (and it’s important, to say the least). But there are other interesting and noteworthy things going on in the chapter:...
From Jesus Mythicism to Paul Mythicism
Robert Price is one of the few (very few) credentialed scholars who doesn't think Jesus existed. His work (and work put forth by others in the same vein) has been debunked by scholars ranging from the evangelical variety to atheists. I've blogged about that before....
Thoughts on ETS / SBL / AAR 2014
Well, I'm finally home from San Diego. Lots I could talk about. This year's meeting was as hectic as always (pretty much 9-9 every day), but was one of the better ones for me in recent memory. First there was the hotel -- not the one for ETS (for those traveling to...
Paul, Israel, and the “Israel of God”
Anyone who has read my series on why the *obsession* with eschatology is a waste of time will recall that one of the big issues is what "Israel" means in the epistles -- and especially Paul's works. This issue is central to any view of eschatology. One perspective...
Naked Bible Podcast Episode 015: The Lord’s Supper in 1 Cor 11
The episode page is located here, or you can listen via iTunes or the archive. Episode 15 of the Naked Bible Podcast continues Dr. Michael Heiser’s focused exploration of the Lord’s Supper by examining 1 Corinthians 11 in light of the preceding chapters (1 Corinthians...
Perspective on the “New Perspective” on Paul
If anyone has read the comments recently, you know that I wasn't planning on taking this topic. I had been thinking about the Pentateuch authorship issue, as noted a few days ago. But, over the past couple of weeks I've had several people email me out of the blue...
Romans 5:12 and Universalism: Applying My Take on Romans 5:12 to the Problem
I'm actually surprised at how brief this one turned out to be! (I'm sure you all are as well). Here's the passage: 12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned 13 for sin indeed...