BibleProject

The New Testament letters can be difficult to follow, but the right tools can help us unpack their rich meaning. In this episode, Tim and Jon look at 1st century letter templates, Greco-Roman rhetoric, and argument tracing. Learn more in this week’s podcast episode.

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Timestamps 

• Part one (0:00–15:50)
• Part two (15:50–37:30)
• Part three (37:30–55:45)
• Part four (55:45–63:40)
• Part five (63:40–end)

Additional Resources 

• John Lee White, Light from Ancient Letters
• Randolph Richards, Paul and First-Century Letter Writing: Secretaries, Composition and Collection
• Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, O.P., Paul the Letter-Writer: His World, His Options, His Skills

Show Music 

• Defender Instrumental by Tents
• Day and Night EP by Aiguille

Show produced by Dan Gummel and Camden McAfee. 

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Writing a letter in Paul’s day wasn’t as simple as grabbing a pen and paper and placing the finished letter in a mailbox. In this episode, Tim and Jon explore the world of 1st century letter writing, including “cosenders,” letter drafts, the cost of production, and delivery. Listen in on this fascinating conversation.

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Timestamps 

• Part one (0:00–19:40)
• Part two (19:40–29:15)
• Part three (29:15–44:30)
• Part four (44:30–57:30)
• Part five (57:30–end)

Additional Resources 

• Randolph Richards, Paul and First-Century Letter Writing: Secretaries, Composition and Collection
• Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, O.P., Paul the Letter-Writer: His World, His Options, His Skills

Show Music 

• Defender Instrumental by Tents
• Scream Pilots by Moby
• Little Spirit by Delayde

Show produced by Dan Gummel and Camden McAfee. 

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Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Do we have to follow all the commands in the New Testament? Did Paul know his words were inspired? And why doesn’t the Bible condemn slavery? Tim and Jon respond to these questions and more in this week’s Question and Response episode.

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Timestamps 

• Could it be beneficial to memorize and perform New Testament letters? (00:36)
• Did Paul craft his letters as meditation literature? (03:17)
• What was included when Paul said “all Scripture” was God-breathed? (10:11)
• What about 1 Enoch? (15:54)
• Did Paul know his letters were inspired? (19:45)
• Are the letters wisdom or commands? (33:10)
• Why doesn’t the Bible condemn owning slaves? (39:58)
• What does it mean to submit to government authorities? (48:20)

Additional Resources 

• Scot McKnight, The Blue Parakeet
• Scot McKnight, The Letter to Philemon (The New International Commentary on the New Testament) 
• Esau McCaulley, Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope

Show Music 

• Defender Instrumental by Tents

Show produced by Dan Gummel and Camden McAfee. Audience questions collected by Christopher Maier.

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Did Paul actually say that? In this week’s podcast episode, Tim and Jon talk about how to wisely read the New Testament letters by asking key questions about Paul’s context. This practice, known as mirror reading, can help us read and apply these letters to our lives responsibly.

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Timestamps 

• Part one (0:00–14:00)
• Part two (14:00–25:00)
• Part three (25:00–39:30)
• Part four (39:30–59:30)
• Part five (59:30–end)

Additional Resources 

• John M. G. Barclay, Obeying the Truth: Paul's Ethics in Galatians
• Scot McKnight, Reading Romans Backwards: A Gospel of Peace in the Midst of Empire
• Nijay Gupta, “Mirror-Reading Moral Issues in Paul’s Letters,” in Journal for the Study of the New Testament, vol. 34 (2012), pp. 361-381.
• Robert Jewett, Romans: A Commentary, 59.

Show Music 

• Defender Instrumental by Tents
• Playa by Mauro Somm
• Bubble by KV
• Pale Horses by Moby
• A Case for Shame by Moby

Show produced by Dan Gummel and Camden McAfee. 

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Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The New Testament letters were written to address specific situations among specific groups of people. In this episode, Tim and Jon discuss how to discern situational context, what to do when information is missing, and how context helps us apply the wisdom of the letters today.

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Learn more about Classroom at Classroom.bible.

Timestamps 

• Part one (0:00–11:20)
• Part two (11:20–24:34)
• Part three (24:34–32:00)
• Part four (32:00–40:50)
• Part five (40:50–54:10)
• Part six (54:10–end)

Show Music 

• Defender Instrumental by Tents
• Dreams by Xander
• Cocktail Hour by Strehlow
• Acquired in Heaven by Beautiful Eulogy

Show produced by Dan Gummel and Camden McAfee. 

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Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Paul wrote his letters in the shadow of Rome. His words stood in stark contrast to Roman rule and its honor-shame culture. Join Tim and Jon in exploring the cultural context of the New Testament letters and the questions we should consider when reading these texts. 

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Timestamps 

• Part one (0:00–6:15)
• Part two (6:15–23:30)
• Part three (23:30–33:30)
• Part four (33:30–40:10)
• Part five (40:10–end)

Additional Resources 

• Michael Gorman, Apostle of the Crucified Lord

Show Music 

• Defender Instrumental by Tents
• Coastal Town by Kupla
• Clocks by Smith the Mister
• doing laundry by weird inside
• Frame by KV

Show produced by Dan Gummel and Camden McAfee. 

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Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The New Testament letters all share a core conviction that shapes how the apostles taught followers of Jesus to live in the first century. Listen in as Tim and Jon discuss the focus of the New Testament letters and how they help us live wisely today. 

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Timestamps 

• Part one (0:00–28:45)
• Part two (28:45–38:00)
• Part three (38:00–47:30)
• Part four (47:30–end)

Additional Resources 

• Scot McKnight, Reading Romans Backwards

Show Music 

• Defender Instrumental by Tents
• Far from Home by Toonorth
• doing laundry by weird inside
• Frame by KV

Show produced by Dan Gummel and Camden McAfee. 

Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How do the New Testament letters fit with the rest of the biblical story? In this second part of a live recording in Dallas, Texas, Tim and Jon talk about how the apostles saw themselves as fulfilling God’s promise to bring blessing to all nations and how this perspective transforms the way we read the letters. 

View full show notes from this episode → 

Timestamps 

• Part one (0:00–39:30)
• Part two (39:30–end)

Additional Resources 

• Bruce Longnecker, The Lost Letters of Pergamum 

Show Music 

• Defender Instrumental by Tents
• Whispering Wind by Moby

Show produced by Dan Gummel and Camden McAfee. 

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Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this live episode, Tim and Jon interact with an audience in Dallas, Texas for the launch of a new series on how to read the New Testament letters. Letters make up much of the New Testament, and knowing how to view and interpret them is essential for seeing the story of Jesus woven through the New Testament. 

View full show notes from this episode → 

Timestamps 

• Part one (0:00–35:45) 
• Part two (35:45–end) 

Show Music 

• Defender Instrumental by Tents 
• Memory Gospel by Moby 

Show produced by Dan Gummel and Camden McAfee. 

Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this special mid-week podcast episode, Tim and Jon address recent events in light of The Revelation. Listen in as they discuss the use of “word and testimony,” the meaning of Babylon, and the exposure of slavery in the book of Revelation.

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Timestamps

• Part 1 (0:13:30)
• Part 2 (13:30-28:30)
• Part 3 (28:30-39:30)
• Part 4 (39:30-47:00)
• Part 5 (47:00-end)

Additional Resources

• Richard Bauckham, “The Economic Critique of Rome in Revelation 18,” p. 370-371.
• BibleProject, Exile podcast series
• BibleProject, Way of the Exile

Show Music

• Defender Instrumental by Tents
• No Spirit: Snacks EP
• Chillhop Essentials Summer 2020
• Conquor by Beautiful Eulogy

Show produced by Dan Gummel and Camden McAfee.

Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.