Exegetically Speaking

Dr. Andrew Abernethy, Associate Professor of Old Testament and Degree Coordinator for the Master of Arts in Biblical Exegesis Program, shows us how Isaiah 53:4 was interpreted and translated in the Latin Vulgate by Jerome.  He translated it that Jesus was “like a leper” stricken by God and rejected for the diseases he bore.  As a result artists and paintings from the Middle Ages depict Jesus on the cross as suffering the marks of leprosy. 

Dr. Doug Penney, Associate Professor of Classical Languages, discusses how he encourages students to read outside the canon of Scripture in order to sharpen their translation skills. Often, when students read a New Testament book in Greek, they rely on their memory to produce a translation. Reading Aesop’s Fables takes them to a text they do not know.

Dr. Philip Ryken, president of Wheaton College and Professor of Theology, draws our attention to the “scrapbook” of Jeremiah (31:31-34) to talk about the new covenant.  But, instead of focusing on the obvious, he highlights how God is the “husband” of the new covenant.

Dr. Amy Peeler, Associate Professor of New Testament, joins Dr. Capes to talk about an important Christological statement in Hebrews 12:1-2.  What does it mean that Jesus is “the author and perfector of the faith”? How does that statement pull together a variety of motifs earlier in the letter?

Dr. David Capes introduces season 2 of the popular podcast, Exegetically Speaking, featuring faculty and friends of Wheaton College (IL) discussing the importance of learning the biblical languages—Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek—and show how reading the Bible in the original languages “pays off.” 

Dr. David Capes, former Dean of Biblical and Theological Studies at Wheaton College, reflects upon moments when William Tyndale invented new words in English to capture the meaning of a Hebrew word. Transliteration only replicates the sounds of the original language, while a translation aims to capture its meaning.

Dr. Peter Davids, Professor of Christianity at Houston Baptist University, argues that a repeated Greek word in James 1:12-13 indicates that God is not responsible for the testing we experience. Instead, testing is the result of our own sinful desires.

Pablo Seguel, a graduate of Wheaton’s M.A. in Biblical Exegesis, reflects upon how his background as an architect intersects with the study of the biblical languages.

Dr. Peter Davids, Professor of Christianity at Houston Baptist University, shares about the first time he saw the benefit of learning Greek when studying 1 John 2.  Learn how the subjunctive form clarifies that we are not destined to remain perpetually in the same sinful state.

Dr. Jonathan Pennington, Associate Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, reflects upon a clause often translated as “be perfect” in Matthew 5:48. He suggests that “Be whole” is a better interpretation of the Greek.