Grafted: Jewish Roots of Christianity

Stephanie Pavlantos
  • 5.0 (14)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

Are you a Christian who wants to go deeper into the roots of your faith? In this weekly podcast, your host Stephanie Pavlantos will explore the Hebraic significance of Scripture with teachers and scholars while providing a deeper understanding of Jesus, the Torah, and the Old and New Testaments. We will help you understand Scripture’s meaning through the Hebrew language, culture, and history.

  1. Exploring Biblical Womanhood and Equality with Kinsey Joy Largen

    6d ago

    Exploring Biblical Womanhood and Equality with Kinsey Joy Largen

    Welcome to Grafted: Jewish Roots of Christianity! My guest is Kinsey Joy Langen. Host Stephanie Pavlantos interviews TikTok creator, author, and teacher Kinsey Largen about studying Scripture in its original languages through a Torah-rooted, Hebraic framework and challenging teachings that silence women. Largen argues that Paul’s letters must be read with their historical context (e.g., Ephesus, Roman household codes) and linguistic details (including the Greek “submit” vs. “obey,” and mutual submission in Ephesians), portraying Paul as countercultural and supportive of women such as Phoebe, Junia, and Priscilla. They discuss how misuse of “authority” enabled abuse, emphasize marriage as partnership under the Holy Spirit rather than “power over,” and explore Genesis language for male and female roles (zakar, neqevah, ezer kenegdo) as complementary equality. Largen also stresses Hebrew love as action, boundaries as freedom, and creating space for critical thinking and disagreement. Kinsey's Links Solo.to/liveoutloudjoy (all her links can be found here) liveoutloudjoy (@liveoutloudjoy) | TikTok Stephanie's Links Discovering Our Hebrew Roots | Facebook stephanie🐾 (@stephanie_dianne) | TikTok Stephanie Pavlantos – YouTube

  2. Understanding the Scriptures: Torah Perspectives with Matthew Janzen

    Jun 10

    Understanding the Scriptures: Torah Perspectives with Matthew Janzen

    Welcome to Grafted: Jewish Roots of Christianity! My guest is Matthew Janzen. Host Stephanie Pavlantos interviews Georgia pastor-teacher Matthew Janssen of Ministers of the New Covenant about his testimony and Torah observance. Raised Pentecostal, Janssen began learning Torah through his father-in-law in the sacred name movement, adopting dietary laws, Sabbath-keeping, and using the Creator and Messiah’s Hebrew names; he later took over and grew a small assembly. He argues believers must trust Yeshua’s saving work yet practice his teachings, emphasizing “Torah and grace” together. Focusing on Matthew 5:17–20, he explains “abolish” versus “fulfill” as first-century rabbinic terms, saying Torah remains until heaven and earth pass away, and verse nineteen defines abolishing as “relaxing” commandments. He distinguishes weightier and lesser commandments, stresses heart-level righteousness, repentance, and answers objections by urging Christians to imitate Jesus’ Torah-observant life. Matthew's Links Facebook Ministers of the New Covenant - YouTube MINISTERS OF THE NEW COVENANT - Home Stephanie's Links Discovering Our Hebrew Roots | Facebook stephanie🐾 (@stephanie_dianne) | TikTok Stephanie Pavlantos – YouTube

    52 min
  3. Engaging the Past: How Constantine and the Church Fathers Shaped Christian Doctrine with Angie Sickler

    Jun 3

    Engaging the Past: How Constantine and the Church Fathers Shaped Christian Doctrine with Angie Sickler

    Welcome to Grafted: Jewish Roots of Christianity! My guest today is Angie Sickler! Host Stephanie Pavlantos welcomes returning guest Angie Sickler, author of The Father’s Love Language, to discuss how Hebrew words and letters carry fuller meanings than English translations and how studying them deepens understanding of Scripture, including examples from Isaiah 11, Noah and grace, and word families connecting encampment with grace, mercy, and training. They emphasize seeking intimacy with God rather than treating faith as mere Sunday routine, warning about deception and the need to “know” Jesus. The conversation explores how Christianity became disconnected from Hebrew foundations, describing early Jewish-Gentile tensions, Peter’s Acts 10 vision, and later developments under Constantine, including anti-Jewish policies, the Council of Nicaea, and replacing Passover observance with Easter. They argue the biblical “feasts of the Lord” remain prophetic and relevant, citing Tabernacles in the millennium and ongoing Sabbath worship. Angie's Links Facebook https://youtu.be/MzdFLksu2PY?si=GjOwZk5y-WdXSjlf (Our first episode together) Home - Website The Father's Love Language - YouTube Stephanie's Links Discovering Our Hebrew Roots | Facebook stephanie🐾 (@stephanie_dianne) | TikTok Stephanie Pavlantos – YouTube

  4. Beyond the Surface: Unpacking Hebraic Roots and Christian Faith with Ken Rank

    May 27

    Beyond the Surface: Unpacking Hebraic Roots and Christian Faith with Ken Rank

    Welcome to Grafted: Jewish Roots of Christianity! Host Stephanie Pavlantos interviews Ken Rank, an elder at Beit Minorah and longtime Hebraic-leaning Christian, about reading the whole Bible with first-century Jewish context and how New Testament writers frequently draw from the Old Testament. They discuss division and toxicity in Hebrew roots and sacred-name debates, urging patience, humility, and focusing on weightier matters. Ken addresses whether Yeshua/Jesus is in the Old Testament, pointing to manifestations such as the Word (Logos/Memra), the angel of the Lord, Abraham’s visitor, the burning bush, and the fourth man in the fire, and connects New Testament claims to Old Testament passages (John the Baptist “prepare the way,” Isaiah 35, and “first and last”). They also discuss prayer, the Trinity analogy, God’s ability to take forms, the meaning of “name” as character/authority and applying knowledge through service. Ken's Links Facebook Stephanie's Links Discovering Our Hebrew Roots | Facebook stephanie🐾 (@stephanie_dianne) | TikTok Stephanie Pavlantos – YouTube

    50 min
  5. Walking the Ancient Path: Faith, Family, and Torah Teachings with Melissa Schilling Smith

    May 20

    Walking the Ancient Path: Faith, Family, and Torah Teachings with Melissa Schilling Smith

    Welcome to Grafted: Jewish Roots of Christianity! My guest is Melissa Schilling Smith! Host Stephanie Pavlantos interviews Melissa Schilling Smith (“God’s Little Hummingbird”), a Bible/Torah teacher and content creator, about her testimony and the Hebrew-roots/Torah movement. Melissa describes Levite (Cohen) family history, Jewish identity hidden through persecution, and a turning point involving severe illness after eating shellfish, followed by fasting, study in Leviticus and Jeremiah, and conviction about Sabbath, food laws, and rejecting pagan traditions like Christmas and Easter. She links a modern “Ephraim awakening” to prophecies about scattered Israel and argues Shavuot/Pentecost reflects Israel’s restoration and the Spirit enabling obedience to Torah per Ezekiel and Jeremiah’s renewed covenant. They discuss Torah as defining love and freedom, Paul and Yeshua teaching from Torah and prophets, and Melissa’s concerns in the movement, including denying Yeshua’s divinity, divisive debates, Hebrew misuse, pride, slander of Jews, and neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Melissa's Links Instagram Facebook God’s Little Hummingbird- Bible Teachings - YouTube God’s Little Hummingbird: Bible Time (Messianic ) | Podcast on Spotify Stephanie's Links Discovering Our Hebrew Roots | Facebook stephanie🐾 (@stephanie_dianne) | TikTok Stephanie Pavlantos – YouTube

    58 min
  6. Decoding Biblical Language and Culture with Jeff A. Benner

    May 13

    Decoding Biblical Language and Culture with Jeff A. Benner

    Welcome to Grafted: Jewish Roots of Christianity! Host Stephanie Pavlantos interviews researcher, author, and Biblical Hebrew instructor Jeff Benner. Jeff is the founder of the Ancient Hebrew Research Center and the membership site Excavating the Bible, which offers tiered masterclasses from “Bible reader” to “Bible translator.” Benner argues the Bible is best understood through the language and concrete worldview of its Hebrew authors and says translations often “pave over” Hebraic nuance. He gives examples: tikva as “rope/hope,” nefesh as “creature/soul,” and a Hebrew term rendered “for” that he says literally means “under/in place of,” affecting “life for life.” He discusses word origins, gendered nouns, and re-readings of the Aaronic blessing, “name” as character, and “image” as shadow. Benner recounts lesser-known Dead Sea Scrolls history, access controversies, and how the scrolls confirm textual stability while restoring missing material such as an acrostic verse in Psalm 145. Jeff's Links The Ancient Hebrew Research Center Excavating the Bible Jeff A. Benner - YouTube Facebook Stephanie's Links Discovering Our Hebrew Roots | Facebook stephanie🐾 (@stephanie_dianne) | TikTok Stephanie Pavlantos – YouTube

    51 min
  7. Revelations of Identity: Are We Israel? With Sarah Williams

    May 6

    Revelations of Identity: Are We Israel? With Sarah Williams

    Welcome to Grafted: Jewish Roots of Christianity! Host Stephanie Pavlantos welcomes returning guest Sarah Williams of Wind of Change Torah Ministry to discuss Israel, Romans 11, and what it means to be “grafted in.” They emphasize Paul’s Jewish background and reliance on Torah, noting Romans 11 begins by rejecting the idea that God has rejected His people and includes a “straw man” argument style. Sarah traces “Israel” to Jacob’s renaming in Genesis 32 and explains the divided kingdom (House of Israel and House of Judah), the northern kingdom’s exile, and how Israel is more than “the Jews,” citing the mixed multitude in Exodus and Ruth. They connect Paul’s olive tree imagery to earlier Hebrew Scripture, warn against boasting over “natural branches,” and stress salvation by faith versus Torah as a means of justification, distinguishing justification and sanctification. They argue believers are grafted into Israel and covenant identity rather than remaining “Gentiles.” Sarah's Links Facebook Wind of Change Torah Ministry Fellowship | Facebook Stephanie's links Discovering Our Hebrew Roots | Facebook stephanie🐾 (@stephanie_dianne) | TikTok Stephanie Pavlantos – YouTube

    54 min
  8. Understanding God’s Plan: From Earthly Tent to Heavenly Body with Will Turner

    Apr 29

    Understanding God’s Plan: From Earthly Tent to Heavenly Body with Will Turner

    Welcome to Grafted Jewish Roots of Christianity! Host Stephanie Pavlantos interviews Will Turner, a Messianic content creator and plumber, about interpreting Scripture in context, focusing on common readings of 2 Corinthians 5:8 and Philippians 1:23. Will argues these passages are often used to teach immediate conscious life in heaven after death, but in context refer to the future resurrection and receiving an imperishable body, drawing on 2 Corinthians 5:1–7, 1 Corinthians 15:50–58, Philippians 3:21, Ephesians 4:22–24, and Ecclesiastes 9:5–10. They discuss how beliefs about deceased loved ones “in heaven” conflict with resurrection hope, emphasize enduring to the end, using spiritual gifts to bring others into God’s kingdom, and stress that Paul’s “all Scripture is God-breathed” originally referred to the TaNaK, underscoring the Old Testament’s importance for understanding Jesus and the New Testament. Will's Links wilwaukee - YouTube RabbiPowerBenTool (@wilwaukee) | TikTok Stephanie's Links Discovering Our Hebrew Roots | Facebook stephanie🐾 (@stephanie_dianne) | TikTok Stephanie Pavlantos – YouTube

    47 min
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5
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

Are you a Christian who wants to go deeper into the roots of your faith? In this weekly podcast, your host Stephanie Pavlantos will explore the Hebraic significance of Scripture with teachers and scholars while providing a deeper understanding of Jesus, the Torah, and the Old and New Testaments. We will help you understand Scripture’s meaning through the Hebrew language, culture, and history.

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