32. Beverly R. Gaventa, "The Cosmic Power of Sin in Paul's Letter to the Romans"

32.  Beverly R. Gaventa, "The Cosmic Power of Sin in Paul's Letter to the Romans"

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What is "sin" in Romans? Is it an abstraction for bad things people do or a cosmic force? Why does it matter? A discussion of Beverly Gaventa's "The Cosmic Power of Sin in Paul's Letter to the Romans: Toward a Widescreen Edition."

Beverly R. Gaventa, "The Cosmic Power of Sin in Paul's Letter to the Romans: Toward a Widescreen Edition" Interpretation 58.3 (2004). 

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

31. Donald Senior, "The Death of Jesus and the Resurrection of the Holy Ones"

31. Donald Senior, "The Death of Jesus and the Resurrection of the Holy Ones"

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Why does Matthew have "zombies" at Jesus' crucifixion? A discussion of Donald Senior's "The Death of Jesus and the Resurrection of the Holy Ones."

Donald Senior, "The Death of Jesus and the Resurrection of the Holy Ones" Catholic Biblical Quarterly 38.3 (1976): 312-329.

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

30. Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ

30. Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ

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How do historians treat sources, build arguments, and evaluate explanatory claims? How is that different from apologetics? A discussion of Lee Strobel's The Case for Christ.

Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan 1998). 

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

Coronavirus Call-In

Coronavirus Call-In


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We're social distanced and self-quarantining... and that's just to finish our dissertations! Also, there's a pandemic. We asked you to tell us about your favorite pieces of New Testament scholarship. 

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

29. Michael Williams, Rethinking Gnosticism

29. Michael Williams, Rethinking Gnosticism


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What is "Gnosticism"? A discussion of Michael Williams' Rethinking Gnosticism along with scholarship by Karen King, Christoph Markschies, and David Brakke.

Michael Williams, Rethinking "Gnosticism" An Argument for Dismantling a Dubious Category (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1999).

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

28. Margaret Mitchell, "New Testament Envoys in the Context of Diplomatic & Epistolary Conventions"

28. Margaret Mitchell, "New Testament Envoys in the Context of Diplomatic & Epistolary Conventions"

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What role did envoys and emissaries play in Paul's ministry? What cultural conventions influenced early Christian talk about envoys? A discussion of Margaret M Mitchell's 1992 essay, "New Testament Envoys in the Context of Greco-Roman Diplomatic and Epistolary Conventions."

Margaret M. Mitchell, "New Testament Envoys in the Context of Greco-Roman Diplomatic and Epistolary Conventions: The Example of Timothy and Titus" Journal of Biblical Literature 111.4 (1992): 641-662.

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

27. Raymond Brown, The Birth of the Messiah (Part 2)

27. Raymond Brown, The Birth of the Messiah (Part 2)


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Our second annual Christmas episode! Who was Quirinius? Was there a census? Where is Joseph from? Discussing Luke's nativity with Raymond Brown's The Birth of the Messiah. For Part 1 see Episode 15.  

Raymond Brown, The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999).

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

25. Richard Hays, "Psalm 143 and the Logic of Romans 3"

25. Richard Hays, "Psalm 143 and the Logic of Romans 3"


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What is the "Righteousness of God" in Romans? A discussion of Richard Hay's 1980 article "Psalm 143 and the Logic of Romans 3" with Jon Depue.


Richard Hays, "Psalm 143 and the Logic of Romans 3" Journal of Biblical Literature 99.1 (1980): 107-115.

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

26. Walter Bauer, Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest Christianity

26. Walter Bauer, Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest Christianity


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Are heresies always and everywhere secondary and subsidiary? How did the mainstream church of the fourth century achieve dominance? A discussion of Walter Bauer's Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest Christianity.


Walter Bauer, Rechtgläubigkeit und Ketzerei im ältesten Christentum (Tubingen: Mohr-Siebeck, 1934).

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

Ian N Mills, "Pagan Readers of Christian Scripture"

 Ian N Mills, "Pagan Readers of Christian Scripture"


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Did pagans read Christian scripture? A discussion of Ian Mills' first peer-reviewed publication.


Ian N Mills, "Pagan Readers of Christian Scripture: the Role of Books in Early Autobiographical Conversion Narratives" Vigiliae Christianae 73.5 (2019): 481-506.

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

24. Judith Perkins, The Suffering Self

 24. Judith Perkins, The Suffering Self


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How did early Christians understand suffering -- their own and others? A discussion of Judith Perkins, The Suffering Self.


Judith Perkins, The Suffering Self: Pain and Narrative Representation in the Early Christian Era (London: Routledge, 1995).

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

23. Richard Bauckham, "For Whom Were Gospels Written?"

 23. Richard Bauckham, "For Whom Were Gospels Written?"


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For whom were Gospels written? A discussion of gospel audiences in light of Richard Bauckham's important article

Richard Bauckham, "For whom were Gospels written?" HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 55.4 (1999): 865-882.

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

22. Adolf von Harnack, Marcion: The Gospel of the Alien God

 22. Adolf von Harnack, Marcion: The Gospel of the Alien God


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Who was Marcion? How was the New Testament created? A critical discussion of Harnack's little book on Marcion.

Adolf von Harnack, Das Evangelium von Fremden Gott (Leipzig: JC Hinrichs'sche Buchhandlung 1924).

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

21. Paula Fredriksen, “Judaism, the Circumcision of Gentiles, and Apocalyptic Hope”

 21. Paula Fredriksen, “Judaism, the Circumcision of Gentiles, and Apocalyptic Hope”


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How does the Gospel of Mark end? There's more than one answer! A discussion of Burgon's The Last Twelve Verses of Mark for our Easter episode.

Paula Fredriksen, “Judaism, the Circumcision of Gentiles, and Apocalyptic Hope” The Journal of Theological Studies 42.2 (1991): 532-564.

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

Mailbag and Corrections #1

Mailbag and Corrections #1


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It's our one year anniversary! We answer your questions and offer a few corrections.

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

Joel Marcus' Retirement Lecture, "Thoughts on the Parting of the Ways"

 Joel Marcus' Retirement Lecture, "Thoughts on the Parting of the Ways"


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How did the earliest Jesus followers understand their relationship to wider Judaism? Joel Marcus delivers his retirement lecture at Duke Divinity School on the "Parting of the Ways" between Judaism and Christianity.

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

20. John Burgon, The Last Twelve Verses of the Gospel According to Mark

 20. John Burgon, The Last Twelve Verses of Mark


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How does the Gospel of Mark end? There's more than one answer! A discussion of Burgon's The Last Twelve Verses of Mark for our Easter episode.

John Burgon, The Last Twelve Verses of the Gospel According to Mark (Oxford, London: James Parker and Co., 1871).

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

19. GEM de Ste Croix, ”Why were Early Christians Persecuted?”

 19. GEM de Ste Croix, "Why Were Early Christians Persecuted?"


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Why were the Early Christians persecuted? A discussion of GEM de Ste Croix's article by the same name.

G.E.M. de Ste. Croix, "Why Were the Early Christians Persecuted?," Past & Present 26 (1963): 6-38.

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

18. FG Downing, "Towards the Rehabilitation of Q"

 18. F.G. Downing, "Towards the Rehabilitation of Q"


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Does Luke's use of Matthew require an implausible composition procedure? A discussion of Downing's influential argument for the two source theory.

F.G. Downing, "Towards the Rehabilitation of Q" (New Testament Studies, 1965): 169-181.

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

17. Loveday Alexander, The Preface to Luke's Gospel

17. Loveday Alexander, The Preface to Luke's Gospel


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Is the Gospel of Luke history? Who is Theophilus? A discussion of Loveday Alexander's The Preface to Luke's Gospel.

Loveday Alexander, The Preface to Luke's Gospel: Literary Convention and Social Context in Luke 1:1-4 and Acts 1:1 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993).

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

16. Wayne A Meeks, The First Urban Christians

16. Wayne A Meeks, The First Urban Christians


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Were early Christians poor? How did economics influence early Christianity? A discussion of Wayne A Meeks' The First Urban Christians.

Wayne A Meeks' The First Urban Christians (New Haven: Yale University Press 1983).

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

15. Raymond Brown, The Birth of the Messiah (Part 1)

15. Raymond Brown, The Birth of the Messiah (Part 1)


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What is the point of genealogies in the gospels? Are there differences? Why? A special Christmas-themed discussion of a chapter from Raymond Brown's The Birth of the Messiah. For Part 2, see Episode 27. 

Raymond Brown, The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999).

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

14. Margaret M Mitchell, "Paul's Letters to Corinth"

14. Margaret M Mitchell, "Paul's Letters to Corinth"

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How many letters did Paul write to Corinth? How many of them are in the New Testament? How did Paul offend the Corinthian church? A discussion of Margaret M Mitchell's "The Interpretive Intertwining of Literary and Historical Reconstruction."

Margaret M Mitchell, "Paul's Letter to Corinth: The Interpretive Intertwining of Literary and Historical Reconstruction," in Daniel N Schowalter and Steven J. Friesen (eds.) Urban Religion in Roman Corinth: Interdisciplinary Approaches (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2005): 306-338.

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

13. JL Martyn, History and Theology in the Fourth Gospel

13. JL Martyn, History and Theology in the Fourth Gospel

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When did Christians separate from the synagogue? Is John a "two-level drama"? A discussion of JL Martyn's History and Theology in the Fourth Gospel.

JL Martyn, History and Theology in the Fourth Gospel (New York: Harper and Row, 1968).

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

12. Wayne A Meeks, "The Man from Heaven in Johannine Sectarianism"

12. Wayne A Meeks, "The Man from Heaven in Johannine Sectarianism"


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Why is the Gospel of John so weird? A discussion of Wayne A Meeks, "The Man from Heaven in Johannine Sectarianism."

Wayne A. Meeks, "The Man from Heaven in Johannine Sectarianism" in John Ashton (ed.) The Interpretation of John  (London: SPCK, 1986): 141-73.

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

11. Austin Farrer, "On Dispensing with Q"

11. Austin Farrer, "On Dispensing with Q"

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Are there good reasons to think that Matthew and Luke had a common source other than Mark? A discussion of "On Dispensing with Q" by Austin Farrer.

Austin Farrer, "On Dispensing with Q" in D.E. Nineham (ed.), Studies in the Gospels: Essays in Memory of R.H. Lightfoot (Oxford: Blackwell, 1955): 55-88.

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

10. Morna Hooker, "Were There False Teachers in Colossae?"

10. Morna Hooker, "Were There False Teachers in Colossae?"


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Who were Paul's opponents in Colossae? We discuss Morna Hooker's important essay arguing that there are no false teachers addressed in Colossians.

Morna Hooker, "Were There False Teachers in Colossae" in ed. Barnabas Lindars, Christ and Spirit in the New Testament (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008): 315-332.

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

9. Graham Stanton, "Synagogue and Church"

9. Graham Stanton, "Synagogue and Church"

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What is Matthew's relationship to Judaism? A discussion of one essay from Graham Stanton's A Gospel for a New People: Studies in Matthew.

Graham Stanton, "Synagogue and Church" in A Gospel for a New People: Studies in Matthew (Louisville: Westminster John Knox 1992)

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

8. EP Sanders, Paul and Palestinian Judaism

8. EP Sanders, Paul and Palestinian Judaism

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What is the center of Paul's theology? Did Paul and the Jewish people have a problem with the law? A Discussion of EP Sander's paradigm shifting monograph, Paul and Palestinian Judaism.

E.P. Sanders, Paul and Palestinian Judaism (Minneapolis: Fortress Press 1977).

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

7. AY Collins, "Dating the Apocalypse of John"

7. AY Collins, "Dating the Apocalypse of John"

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When was Revelation written? Who wrote it? AY Collins "Dating the Apocalypse of John" guides us through the relevant considerations.

A.Y. Collins, "Dating the Apocalypse of John" Biblical Research 26 (1981): 33-45.

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

6. Richard A Burridge, What Are The Gospels?

6. Richard A Burridge, What Are The Gospels?


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Do the gospels belong to a recognizable genre of literature from antiquity? What is a genre anyways? A discussion of Richard A Burridge's What Are the Gospels?

Richard Burridge, What are the Gospels?: a comparison with Graeco-Roman biography (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1992).

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

5. JL Martyn, "A Law Observant Mission to the Gentiles"

5. JL Martyn, "A Law Observant Mission to the Gentiles"


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With whom was Paul arguing in the letter to the Galatians? How can we know? A discussion of JL Martyn's classic article "A Law Observant Mission to the Gentiles."

Martyn, J. L. "A Law Observant Mission to the Gentiles. The Background of Galatians," Scottish Journal of Theology 38 (1985): 307-324.

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

4. BH Streeter, The Four Gospels

4. B.H. Streeter, The Four Gospels



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Matthew, Mark, and Luke are suspiciously similar. Who copied from whom? Did Matthew and Luke share a source that hasn't survived? Our first synoptic problem episode featuring Ken Olson! A discussion of BH Streeter's The Four Gospels.

Burnett Hillman Streeter, The Four Gospels: A Study of Origins, Treating of the Manuscript Tradition, Sources, Authorship, & Dates (London: Macmillan 1924). 

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

Richard Hays and Joel Marcus on Approaches to New Testament Studies

Richard Hays and Joel Marcus on Approaches to New Testament Studies


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Special Episode: Richard Hays and Joel Marcus discuss literary and historical approaches to New Testament Studies and the relationship of both to Christian theology. Live recording of a discussion at Duke Divinity school.

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home." 

3. Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, In Memory of Her

3. Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, In Memory of Her



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What was the role of women in the Jesus movement, Pauline churches, and earliest Christianity? How did the men who composed and transmitted our earliest evidence shape the tradition? How does modern scholarship perpetuate their androcentrism? A discussion of Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza's In Memory of Her (1983).

Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, In Memory of Her: Feminist Theological Reconstruction of Christian Origins (New York: Crossroad, 1996).

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

2. William Wrede, The Messianic Secret

2. William Wrede, The Messianic Secret



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Why is Jesus so secretive in the gospel of Mark? How did the evangelists shape their stories of Jesus? A discussion of William Wrede's The Messianic Secret (1901).

William Wrede, Das Messiasgeheimnis in den Evangelien, (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck, 1901).

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."

1. Krister Stendahl, "The Apostle Paul and the Introspective Conscience of the West"

1. Krister Stendahl, "The Apostle Paul and the Introspective Conscience of the West"

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Did Paul struggle to keep the law? After his commission/conversion, did Paul have a sin problem? A discussion of Krister Stendahl's "Paul and the Introspective Conscience of the West" (1963) and its impact on the study of Judaism and Paul.

Krister Stendahl, "The Apostle Paul and the Introspective Conscience of the West," Harvard Theological Review  56.3 (1963): 199-215. 

Thanks to Carnegie Band for use of their song "Come Home."