Thinking Biblically… and Beyond

Justin Paley
  • 5.0 (3)
  • CHRISTIANITY
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

In each episode of the Thinking Biblically and Beyond podcast, we will tackle scholarly and secular issues related to a specific topic or text and explore the complex and fascinating history of the biblical corpus!

  1. 08/04/2025

    The Third Letter of John: Historical Enigma

    Though it’s the shortest book in the New Testament, the Third Letter of John is a fascinating enigma that gives us a little peek into early Christian conflict over hospitality and missionary work. In this episode, we’ll explore some of the major scholarly approaches to Third John, why they’re flawed in many ways, and how, by approaching the text with a Jewish perspective, we may be able to better understand Third John and read the text on its own terms.

    57 min

  2. 09/10/2024

    Who Was Paul of Tarsus?

    A long awaited episode... We'll be diving into an overview of some of what we can, and can't, know about the historical Paul and try to unravel some of the mystery around Paul as a (utterly and endlessly fascinating) historical figure. Should be a good one!

    48 min

  3. 08/26/2024

    How Were Paul's Letters Collected?

    In this episode, we'll cover the main theories that scholars propose for how Paul's letters may have been collected. Hint: It's complicated!

    29 min

  4. 08/23/2024

    The Earliest “Christian” Text

    Join us as we dive into the earliest document of the New Testament, Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians (~50 CE). In this episode, we will survey some of the big historical issues in the letter and explore some modern-day parallels.

    46 min

  5. 08/15/2024

    Did Slaves Write the New Testament?

    When we think about the authorship and production of the New Testament corpus, we often don't think about the people who were actually tasked with first writing down the text itself. Taking inspiration from the recent work done by Candida Moss on the subject (see her newly published 2024 book, "God's Ghostwriters"), this episode will explore the possibility that enslaved people were the ones who, by and large, were responsible for these monumental tasks.

    32 min

  6. 08/13/2024

    The Gospel of John and the ‘Johannine Community’

    The Gospel and Letters of John are some of the most unique and interesting texts in the New Testament. Join us as we explore the idea of a ‘Johannine community’ and take a deeper look at the texts that have come to form what scholars call the Johannine corpus (the Gospel of John + the 3 letters of John).

    39 min

  7. 04/18/2024

    What is the Gospel of Mark?

    In this episode, we’ll touch on some interesting features of Mark’s gospel and attempt to situate this fascinating text within its larger historical context.

    32 min

  8. 01/31/2024

    Academia, Public Policy and Public Opinion: How Do We Move Forward

    In part two of this mini-series on academic fraud, we explore how academia interacts with and influence public policy and opinion. This episode presents some important questions that academics of any field (and those not in academia) need to ask and think about in order to have more nuanced public discussion about the increasing influence of academic research in wider society, for better or for worse.

    29 min
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In each episode of the Thinking Biblically and Beyond podcast, we will tackle scholarly and secular issues related to a specific topic or text and explore the complex and fascinating history of the biblical corpus!

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