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Endurance in Non-Retaliation with Darian Lockett: 1 Peter 3:23

To hear the podcast (12 min) click here.

1 Peter 2:23 is translated in the NIV as, “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats.” Close attention to the Greek grammar can illuminate that Christ’s non-retaliation was an enduring one, outlasting the repeated attacks made on him. Dr. Darian Lockett is Professor of New Testament at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, and a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America.

Among his publications are, Letters for the Church: Reading James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, and Jude as Canon and Letters from the Pillar Apostles: The Formation of the Catholic Epistles as a Canonical Collection.

Check out related programs at Wheaton College:

B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3yeGTfX 

M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4d6MGmV 

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A Singular Seed, An Ancient Interpretation

with Christian Brady

To hear the podcast click here.

In Galatians 3, Paul makes the grammatically singular form of the noun “seed” (σπέρμα) load bearing for his argument. But the singular form of that word doesn’t necessarily denote one individual. Paul is employing contemporary Jewish exegetical practices, and the understanding of that and Paul’s wider aims can be helpful here. Dr. Christian Brady is T. W. Lewis Dean of the Lewis Honors College and Professor of Ancient Hebrew and Jewish Literature at the University of Kentucky. He completed an M.A. degree in Biblical and Theological Studies at Wheaton College (1994), before earning his Ph.D. from the University of Oxford (2000). His publications include The Proselyte and the Prophet: Character Development in Targum Ruth and Beautiful and Terrible Things: A Christian Struggle with Suffering, Grief, and Hope.

Check out related programs at Wheaton College:

B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3Wc2vms

M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3W9AFr1

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Christ as Image and Reconciler with Dan Treier

Colossians 1:15-20, which many think was an early Christian hymn, is one of the uniquely rich and intense expressions of the identity and work of Christ. Daniel J. Treier models a wise union of exegetical care and theological sophistication while reading this passage. Prof. Treier is the Gunther H. Knoedler Professor of Theology and Director of the Ph.D. Program at Wheaton College & Graduate School. His most recent publication is Lord Jesus Christ (New Studies in Dogmatics).

Check out related programs at Wheaton College:

B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3tlYW1e

To hear the podcast (8 minutes) click here.

For an M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3Tvez18

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Christ among the Messiahs with Matt Novenson

Matthew Novenson joined David Capes on The Stone Chapel Podcasts to talk about his important book, Christ among the Messiahs: Christ Language in Paul and Messiah Language in Ancient Judaism (Oxford University Press).

The book has made a big contribution to the study of Christology in the earliest years of the Jesus movement.  Though it has been out ten years, it is worth sharing with a new audience. 

Who is Matthew Novenson? 

Matthew is originally from Tennessee.  He now serves as the Professor of Biblical Criticism and Biblical Antiquities at the University of Edinburgh. 

Christ among the Messiahs 

For many years some scholars have regarded the word “Christ” as just another name for Jesus in the earliest writings of the New Testament, namely, the letters of Paul.  But Matthew makes a convincing case that the word “Christ” in Paul means “Messiah.”   

This may seem to some only natural, but it is a momentous thing.  It involves a whole new reassessment of Paul’s language and his Jewishness.  

We find messiah language in various places like the Old Testament, Paul’s letters, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and other second temple Jewish texts. 

Novenson often employs the word “honorific” as a noun to discuss Paul’s use of “Christ” in his letters.  It comes from the discipline of “classics,” namely, the study of the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. 

Honorifics are like titles in a way but they were intended to magnify the name of the person. The most famous is Caesar “Augustus.” 

The idea that “Christos” as it referred to Jesus is not limited to name or title.  There is a third way, an honorific.

Novenson has done a great deal to shape the field of New Testament studies with this and other books.  

Other Books by Matt Novenson

Paul: Then and Now (Eerdmans)

The Grammar of Messianism: An Ancient Jewish Political Idiom and Its Users(Oxford UP)

For a transcript of this podcast, click here.

More resources

Want more Stone Chapel Podcasts on some great topics. Just click here.

To hear the podcast (22 min) click here.

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From Grammar to Christlikeness with Steve Runge, Philippians 2:1-11

Dr. Steven Runge is Professor of Biblical Languages at Grace School of Theology in Houston and Senior Research Associate at the John W. Wevers Institute for Septuagint Studies at Trinity Western University. Among other things, he has authored, Discourse Grammar of the Greek New Testament: A Practical Introduction for Teaching and Exegesis, and he is General Editor of the Lexham Discourse Greek New Testament. In this episode he helps us notice the linguistic clues in Phil. 2:1-11 leading us to Paul’s main concern: that we should have the mindset that was operative in Christ’s self-giving, self-lowering, obedient service.

To hear the podcast click here.

“Exegetically Speaking” is a weekly podcast of the friends and faculty of Wheaton College, IL and The Lanier Theological Library. Hosted by Dr. David Capes, it features language experts who discuss the importance of learning the biblical languages—Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek—and show how reading the Bible in the original languages “pays off.” Each podcast lasts between seven and eleven minutes and covers a different topic for those who want to read the Bible for all it is worth.

If you’re interested in going deeper, learn more about Wheaton’s undergraduate degree in Classical Languages (Greek, Hebrew, and Latin) and our MA in Biblical Exegesis. 

You can hear Exegetically Speaking on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. If you have questions or comments, please contact us at exegetically.speaking@wheaton.edu. And keep listening.