Well, I'm on my way back home from ETS and SBL. The week is always fun (sort of my Bible geek recharge for the year), but this year it was more so because Trey was along. We took the Naked Bible Podcast on the road. We wound up interviewing nearly twenty scholars (8.5 hours of content) and holding a get-together with podcast listeners in the area -- some of whom drive more than five hours to be at the event!

We'll be posting the interviews in installments everyday this week. Trey took pictures of all the interviews and our time with listeners. You'll see those with each installment.

Here's a link to Part 1 of our conference interviews. Enjoy!

At the ETS annual meeting in San Antonio, Dr. Michael Heiser records three quick-hit conversations for Naked Bible Podcast 128. First, Dr. Carl Sanders and Thomas Hudgens explain why the traditional grammar-translation approach to Greek/Hebrew often fails real-world ministry and how a tools-first, payoff-first model front-loads exegesis (word studies and syntax) within a 12-week workflow. Next, Hudgens shares his textual-criticism research on the Complutensian Polyglot—the first printed Greek NT column—covering Vatican/INTF work and even a “lost-then-found” Library of Congress copy. Finally, Dr. Randall Price (World of the Bible) connects archaeology to interpretation, updates listeners on Qumran cave work amid looting threats, and points to resources that bring the Temple Mount to life for teaching. The through-line: methods and context that actually help you read and teach the Bible well.

Interview time stamps

00:00–00:40 — Intro @ ETS
Trey and Mike set the scene at the Evangelical Theological Society meetings and preview today’s three guests: Dr. Carl Sanders, Thomas Hudgens, and Dr. Randall Price.

00:40–~36:50 — Interview 1: Dr. Carl Sanders & Thomas Hudgens (language pedagogy that actually helps exegesis)

• Why the traditional grammar–translation model fails most learners in ministry contexts; what second-language acquisition says to do instead.

• A hybrid/tools-first approach that front-loads interpretive payoff (not just paradigms), with tech + human guidance (Tyler Cowen’s “freestyle chess” analogy).

• Aim: give laypeople real value from languages without a full degree—learn to think and ask better interpretive questions.
  (Segment opens as Mike brings both guests in and asks Carl for the “controversial paper” gist.)

~36:50–~50:30 — Interview 2: Thomas Hudgens (solo) — The Complutensian Polyglot & real TC work

• Setting the record straight: Spain’s Complutensian Polyglot printed before Erasmus; why it matters to NT text history. (You hit the 40-minute mark as this discussion is underway.)

• What the Polyglot is (OT/NT, multilingual columns) and how Thomas tracked copies (incl. a misplaced Library of Congress Volume 5). (Around the 45-minute mark.)

• Research access: Vatican Library Rare Manuscripts Room and INTF Münster; even a “why are you wasting your life?” email from a curator—illustrating attitudes toward TC. (~45:00)

• Field story: locating a Peruvian Polyglot copy that had been war-plundered and later found in a warehouse; recovered for viewing. (~50:00)
  (This solo block begins when Mike says he wants a bit more time with Thomas and pivots to his TC work.)

~50:30–~1:06:30 — Interview 3: Dr. Randall Price (World of the Bible) — Archaeology, context, and new DSS cave work

• What World of the Bible does: bring the world of the Bible to the word of the Church; why context is indispensable for interpretation. (Segment opens with Mike’s intro.)

• Qumran cave survey update: permits, rugged logistics, looting risks, and why provenience matters more than artifacts alone.

• Recent resources: Rose Guide to the Temple and a Temple Mount “Virtual Tour” filmed with hidden cameras; at ~1:05:00 they discuss the 360° experience with ~100 teaching videos.

~1:06:30–end — Wrap-up
Trey/Mike debrief: “three interviews” highlight reel (Vatican vaults → Dead Sea Scrolls), ETS/SBL as the real “who’s who” week in biblical studies, and a teaser for Part 2.