268 episodes

First Reading offers exegetical resources for the Old Testament Lectionary reading each week. Dr. Rachel Wrenn is Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at Trinity Lutheran Seminary (Capital University), Rosy Kandathil is a PhD candidate in Hebrew Bible at Emory University, Dr. Tim McNinch is Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible at Christian Theological Seminary, and Paul Essah is a PhD student in Hebrew Bible at Yale University. In addition to short weekly episodes, they periodically invite a leading Hebrew Bible scholar for a longer conversation about the nitty-gritty of the week's text.

First Reading Rev. Rachel Wrenn, PhD; Rosy Kandathil, JD; Paul Essah, MDiv; Tim McNinch, PhD

    • Religion & Spirituality
    • 4.7 • 22 Ratings

First Reading offers exegetical resources for the Old Testament Lectionary reading each week. Dr. Rachel Wrenn is Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at Trinity Lutheran Seminary (Capital University), Rosy Kandathil is a PhD candidate in Hebrew Bible at Emory University, Dr. Tim McNinch is Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible at Christian Theological Seminary, and Paul Essah is a PhD student in Hebrew Bible at Yale University. In addition to short weekly episodes, they periodically invite a leading Hebrew Bible scholar for a longer conversation about the nitty-gritty of the week's text.

    Esther 7:1–6, 9–10; 9:20–22, with Rosy Kandathil

    Esther 7:1–6, 9–10; 9:20–22, with Rosy Kandathil

    The "Best of" First Reading Easter Series





    Easter is a strange season in the Lectionary for us here at the "Old Testament Lectionary Podcast," because during Easter the first reading is drawn from the New Testament book of Acts. So, this year, we’ve decided to use this season to re-release some of our favorite episodes from the vault, conversations with leading scholars in the field. This week, since we just passed the Jewish holiday of Purim, we are featuring our 2021 interview with Rosy Kandathil, who (not long after this interview) became one of our regular hosts! Our conversation is centered around the book of Esther, which is the topic of Rosy’s PhD dissertation—which, by the way, she is defending this week! Go Rosy! So enjoy this “best of” FR episode!



    Esther is a rich and complex biblical story—which is why it's unfortunate that it only appears once in the 3-year lectionary cycle. But to help us make the most of this occasion, we invited Rosy Kandathil to join us for a deep dive into Esther. Rosy is a PhD candidate in Hebrew Bible at Emory University, where she is writing a dissertation on the collision of humor and violence in the book of Esther. Rosy's insights help us get to the core relevant issues of the book: how it navigates multiple identities at once, deals with the challenges of thriving in diaspora, and hosts some of our own deep questions about violence and vengeance. Buckle up for a great episode!

    • 50 min
    Isaiah 25:6–9

    Isaiah 25:6–9

    PARTY EPISODE: Easter Hope in the Middle of Chaos



    Lectionary Date: March 31, 2024 [Easter Sunday, Year B]



    Rachel, Paul, and Tim discuss the first reading for Easter in this party episode (also celebrating Rachel's birthday!). We also made a video version of this episode, which you can see on YouTube:

    • 27 min
    Psalm 118:1–2, 19–29

    Psalm 118:1–2, 19–29

    True and False Humility



    Lectionary Date: March 24, 2024 [Palm Sunday, Year B]



    Tim wrestles with the tension between humility and privilege.

    • 16 min
    Jeremiah 31:31–34

    Jeremiah 31:31–34

    I Will Inscribe It on Their Hearts



    Lectionary Date: March 17, 2024 [5th Sunday in Lent, Year B]



    Paul explores what's new about Jeremiah's "new covenant."

    • 15 min
    Numbers 21:4–9

    Numbers 21:4–9

    The Hurt Becomes the Healing



    Lectionary Date: March 10, 2024 [4th Sunday in Lent, Year B]



    Rosy explores the New Testament symbolism of an Old Testament image.

    • 16 min
    Psalm 19

    Psalm 19

    A Celebration of Torah



    Lectionary Date: March 3, 2024 [3rd Sunday in Lent, Year B]



    Tim plays with the cosmic imagery of this classic psalm.

    • 15 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
22 Ratings

22 Ratings

Serena from ohio ,

Divine Brilliance

Dr. Wrenn and Tim do a fantastic job making difficult biblical texts come to life. Their insights and attention to details often overlooked by the naked eye in scripture is a blessing.

atwiton ,

Great resource for preaching

I’ve found this podcast very helpful for preaching. My worship committee requested a summer preaching series on the prophets and these episodes have helped me prepare faithfully. Thank you!

Mr. Estrada ,

Some bright spots

For the most part it’s a decent podcast with introductory background of first reading texts. I like the brevity and I give it credit for focusing on first readings since we don’t really see many podcasts use this as a point of discussion. I also appreciate Rachel getting into some of the Hebrew.
What really turns me off at times are the presumptuous remarks by Tim. In one episode he said he would “fail Jesus for his exegesis.”

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