Ignatius and John on the Spirit

To hear the podcast (10 minutes) click here.

The Church Father, Ignatius (likely died within the first two decades of the 2nd century), in his Letter to the Philadelphians, uses wording that suggests dependence on the Gospel of John (likely written in the last decade of the 1st century), and also reveals something of Ignatius’ own dependence on the Spirit in his preaching. Dr. Jonathon Lookadoo is Assistant Professor at Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary, Seoul, South Korea. His publications include The Epistle of Barnabas: A Commentary (Apostolic Fathers Commentary Series) and The Christology of Ignatius of Antioch (Studies in Early Christology, ed. Michael Bird, David Capes, and Scott Harrower).

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/3JRocRx 

How the Synoptic Gospels Work with Darrell Bock

While the Gospel of John tells us, the readers, straight up what we’re meant to believe about Jesus, the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) tend to communicate these things indirectly. Dr. Darrell Bock isolates a few good illustrations of this method. Prof. Bock is Executive Director of Cultural Engagement and Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. His many publications include Luke (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) and Studying the Historical Jesus: A Guide to Sources and Methods. He also hosts the seminary’s Table Podcasts. We have heard from him before in the Exegetically Speaking podcast series.

To hear the podcast (8 min) click here.

Learn about related programs at Wheaton

BA in Classical Languages >

MA in Biblical Exegesis >

“To Cast the First Stone” with Tommy Wasserman

To cast the first stone is an expression in English and in Swedish.  It comes from a beloved passage in John’s Gospel (7:53—8:11). 

Tommy Wasserman talked recently with David Capes on The Stone Chapel Podcasts about a book he co-authored with Jennifer Knust.  It is entitled To Cast the First Stone: The Transmission of a Gospel Story (Princeton University Press, 2018).

Who Is Tommy Wasserman? 

Tommy Wasserman grew up in Sweden and became a follower of Jesus during his teen years. He has distinguished himself as one of the world’s top textual critics of the New Testament. 

His judgment and attention to detail sets him apart in the discipline.  His enthusiasm for textural criticism is infectious.

He is a professor of New Testament at the Örebro School of Theology in Sweden and a professor of biblical studies at the Ansgar Theological School in Norway. 

To Cast the First Stone Stories

One of the well known stories from the Gospel of John has to do with a dramatic confrontation between Jewish leaders and Jesus over a woman “caught” in the act of adultery. 

Even casual Bible readers observe a change in the type or the addition of brackets around the story.  If they read in the margins, they discover that the earliest and best manuscripts do not contain that story. 

So, it is unlikely that it was in the first version of the manuscript.  Only later did this episode enter into the tradition. 

Jennifer and Tommy take great care to trace how this account came into the early manuscripts and has become a mainstay of our own Bible tradition

What Scholars are saying about the book

Here is what Chris Keith has to say about it:

“Knust and Wasserman use the story of the adulteress to illustrate the fascinating transmission history of gospel literature and the various personalities and forces that contributed to the process. To Cast the First Stone will undoubtedly become the standard book on this story.”

Chris Keith, author ofThePericope Adulterae, the Gospel of John, and the Literacy of Jesus

To watch the panel discussion featuring Tommy Wasserman and Dan Wallace click here.

To watch David Capes’ interview with Tommy Wasserman and Dan Wallace at Biblical Literacy (Champion Forest Baptist Church) click here.  

More resources

To hear the podcast (20 min.) click here.

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

What’s more, you can get information on upcoming lectures at Lanier Theological Library. Just click here.

The Only-Begotten God with Travis Wright, John 1:18

Travis Wright is a Ph.D. candidate in Theology and Religion at Cambridge University. Today’s topic: Pairing a knowledge of Greek with the field of linguistics allows for a sharpened exposition of the crucial statement about God and the only-begotten God in John 1:18.

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 SpotifyStitcherApple Podcasts, and YouTube. If you have questions or comments, please contact us at exegetically.speaking@wheaton.edu. And keep listening. 

Disciples in a Tizzy and Present Tense Verbs with Cory Marsh

Dr. Cory Marsh, Professor of New Testament at Southern California Seminary, is passionate about restoring the “pastor-scholar” role in the church, and as such, also serves as Scholar in Residence at Revolve Bible Church in San Juan Capistrano, CA. He is a frequent conference speaker and has written A Primer for Biblical Literacy. In this conversation with David Capes, Cory explains how John’s Greek grammar draws us into the drama experienced by Jesus’ disciples as he jars them with the news of his departure.

To hear the podcast click here.