Episode: In this episode Chris Tilling interviews Cor Bennema about his new book, Imitation in Early Christianity: Mimesis and Religious-Ethical Formation (Eerdmans, 2023). What does it mean to say that early Christians imitated God, Christ, Paul, and even one another? Cor takes us on a tour through the world of Jewish and Greco-Roman antiquity, then shows how imitation became a central—if often overlooked—thread running through the New Testament and into the Apostolic Fathers. Along the way we talk Synoptics, John, Paul, Hebrews, martyrdom, character formation, and the role of the Spirit. This is a book that manages to be both comprehensive and illuminating, offering a conceptual framework that will change how you think about discipleship, ethics, and participation in the life of God.

Guest: Cor Bennema teaches New Testament and heads the research department at London School of Theology. Prior to this he taught for 11 years in India. His research focuses on the Johannine writings, the canonical Gospels, character in biblical narrative, and early Christian ethics. He has published widely for both the church and the academy.

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Episode: With a biblical poem that shifts imagery (Ps 23), and another (Robert Hayden's "Those Winter Sundays") that provides perspective, Brent Strawn takes us into an "uber-famous" biblical poem-this "nightingale of the Psalms" (Henry Ward Beecher)-that needs to be heard again. Themes of life, death, and asylum redound. Enjoy this last episode of Season 1 of our podcast In Parallel.

Poem Attribution: “Those Winter Sundays,” Copyright © 1966 by Robert Hayden. From COLLECTED POEMS OF ROBERT HAYDEN by Robert Hayden, edited by Frederick Glaysher. Used by permission of Liveright Publishing Company.

Strawn also discusses Sharon Olds' poem "The Preparing" from her 2002 collection Balladz.

About: In Parallel is a new podcast that explores biblical and contemporary poetry. Please subscribe wherever you listen (Apple Podcasts, Spotify). For more information about the podcast, see HERE and to learn more about Brent, see HERE.

Help Support In Parallel: Visit our Donate Page if you want to support this show.

Episode: At a live event at Wycliffe Hall, Erin once again sat down with Matthew Novenson to discuss his latest monograph: Paul and Judaism at the End of History (Cambridge University Press, 2024). Matt and Erin discuss Paul's particular brand of eschatological Judaism, which is manifested in Paul's peculiar ethnic map, his view of the Torah, and his understanding of the resurrection, among other things! We also let Chat GPT come up with a Paul-themed speed round. Thanks to all who came to hear this conversation live.

Guest: Matthew Novenson is the Helen H.P. Manson Professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary and an honorary fellow of the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh. In addition to his latest offering, Dr. Novenson has authored several other influential monographs including Christ among the Messiahs (Oxford University Press, 2012), The Grammar of Messianism (Oxford University Press, 2017), Paul, Then and Now (Eerdmans, 2022). This is Matt's third time on the podcast, and you can check out his other Onscript episodes on The Grammar of Messianism and Paul, Then and Now.

Book (from the publisher's website): The apostle Paul was a Jew. He was born, lived, undertook his apostolic work, and died within the milieu of ancient Judaism. And yet, many readers have found, and continue to find, Paul's thought so radical, so Christian, even so anti-Jewish – despite the fact that it, too, is Jewish through and through. This paradox, and the question how we are to explain it, are the foci of Matthew Novenson's groundbreaking book. The solution, says the author, lies in Paul's particular understanding of time. This too is altogether Jewish, with the twist that Paul sees the end of history as present, not future. In the wake of Christ's resurrection, Jews are perfected in righteousness and – like the angels – enabled to live forever, in fulfilment of God's ancient promises to the patriarchs. What is more, gentiles are included in the same pneumatic existence promised to the Jews. This peculiar combination of ethnicity and eschatology yields something that looks not quite like Judaism or Christianity as we are used to thinking of them.

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Episode: For our sixth live event at Nashotah House, Wisconsin, Matt sat down with his teacher and friend, Gary Schnittjer, to discuss his fascinating new co-authored book, How To Study the Bible's Use of the Bible (Zondervan). We discuss the ways the OT was already interpreting itself (long before the NT), the "already and not yet" dynamics in the OT, whether we should interpret Scripture like the Bible, and much more. There's even a reverse speed-round! Thanks to Nashotah House for hosting, and to all who came.

Guest: Dr. Gary E. Schnittjer is Distinguished Professor of Old Testament at Cairn University in Philadelphia. He's the author of several books, including Torah Story (now in its 2nd ed.), Old Testament Narrative Books: The Israel Story, Old Testament Use of Old Testament, and he has a major commentary forthcoming on Ezra-Nehemiah with Baker Academic. He's also the author of the book How to Study the Bible's Use of the Bible: Seven Hermeneutical Choices for the Old and New Testaments, which he co-authored with Matt Harmon. Gary is also a frequent podcast guest, and he hosts a Substack that you can check out called Carpenter's Student (sign up for free!).

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Sign up to Carpenter's Student, Gary's Free Substack HERE

Episode: Biblical World host Chris McKinny has been researching the Ark of the Covenant for years now. He discusses the hunt for the ark, its ancient Egyptian predecessors, its biblical significance, and more. Enjoy this conversation about one of the most significant yet elusive artifacts from ancient Israel.

Guest: Chris McKinny is Associate Professor of Biblical Archaeology at Lipscomb University. He is a host on the Biblical World podcast. Most recently, he was Director of Research at Gesher media, where he helped produce a documentary on the Ark of the Covenant. Passionate about the archaeology, history, and geography of the Biblical world, he has written extensively on these subjects in both academic and popular publications. Chris is a senior staff member at the Tel Burna Archaeological project and regularly leads study tours to the lands of the Bible. He is the author of My People as Your People: A Textual and Archaeological Analysis of the Reign of Jehoshaphat (Peter Lang, 2016), and has co-edited several volumes, including The Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Ages of Southern Canaan (De Gruyter, 2018) and Tell it in Gath: Studies in the History and Archaeology of Israel: Essays in Honor of Aren M. Maeir on the Occasion of his Sixtieth Birthday (Zaphon, 2018). He teaches regularly at Jerusalem University College.

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Image Attribution: Charles K. Wilkinson | Festival Scene, Tomb of Amenmose | New Kingdom, Ramesside | The Metropolitan Museum of Art ca. 1295–1213 B.C.

Episode: Gregory Lee talks with Amy Brown Hughes about one of the more well-known but little-understood books in theology, Augustine's The City of God! This episode covers everything from political theology, loving angels as your neighbors, and the fall of Rome to demons, Augustine's view of women, and God as father and mother. A perfect episode and book for those who've long wanted to grapple with this central theological tome!

Guest: Gregory Lee is Associate Professor of Theology and Urban Studies at Wheaton College. He's the author of Today When Your Hear His Voice: Scripture, the Covenants, and the People of God (Eerdmans, 2016) and The Essential 'City of God' (Baker, 2025), covered in this episode. He's also the co-editor of Christian Political Witness (IVP, 2014).

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Join us for a live recording with Dr. Gary Schnittjer at Nashotah House Theological Seminary, WI. When? Thurs, July 24 (2025), 7:15-9:15pm CST (optional dinner at 6:30pm) Where? Nashotah House Theological Seminary - 2777 Mission Rd, Nashotah, WI 53058, United States What? Live recording with Gary about his co-authored book, How to Study the Bible's Use of the Bible (Zondervan) Free drinks, snacks, book giveaways, and a chance to connect. Optional dinner for $20 at 6:30pm. Registration: Sign up for the free event and optional $20 dinner HERE.

Episode: Kyle Keimer joins to add insights from archaeology to an earlier episode called Misunderstanding Sacrifice (listen HERE). Dru and Matt L talk about the incomplete pictures gained from archaeology AND the Bible, and how to grapple with both.

Guest/Co-Host: Kyle Keimer is know to listeners of our Biblical World podcast, and follow THIS link to get to know him more.

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Image Attribution: By illustrators of the 1890 Holman Bible - http://thebiblerevival.com/clipart/1890holmanbible/bw/altarofincensealtarofburnt-offeringlaver.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9424389