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There are several Psalms that are described as Psalms of Ascent.  These are songs that likely would have been sung on pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  To go on pilgrimage is to ascend the Mountain of God.  But other Psalms also refer to descending to the grave or to The Pit.  What is the significance of the language of descending to the underworld?  Delve into the profound symbolism of ascending and descending in the Psalms, as we unravel the mysteries of these spiritual journeys.

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Listen to The Ascent Part 2 episode

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Psalm 82 makes a veiled reference to an assembly of the gods.  Is this just poetic imagery or is a deeper mystery at play?  As it turns out, the Bible mentions a type of divine assembly throughout both the Old and New Testaments.  So what are the origins of this assembly and how are we to understand these references today? Join us in this episode for a captivating exploration of the Divine Council.

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Unearth the unseen battles within the Psalms! It might be easy to associate the Psalms with worship music and poetry.  Yet hidden beneath obscure references and our modern translations are numerous polemics against the pagan gods of other nations.  Make no mistake: when Yahweh led the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land, the surrounding deities trembled.  In this episode, we survey several of the Psalms that declare that Yahweh is the true King of glory.

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Read the Baal Cycle Text: The Baal Cycle

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When the Psalms refer to the mountain of God or God's holy hill, which mountain is it referring to?  Were these references merely poetic whispers, or do they carry deeper revelations?  By understanding what the mountain represented to the ancient mind, we are able to better understand what the Biblical writers of the Psalms meant by the many references to the mountain of God.  Let's unravel the layers of meaning woven into this imagery and gain a fresh perspective on the Psalms' profound messages.

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Read the article: The Mountain of God

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The ancient Greek philosophy of Stoicism is making a comeback in modern times.  Stoicism offers a compelling pathway to virtue, but does it tell the whole story?  As opposed to Stoicism, Christianity does tell the whole story - at least in the minds of believers.  But within that story, can Christians learn to pull out a structured path to becoming better people?  What can the two learn from each other, or are they incompatible?  In this episode, we discuss some of these ideas.

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Read the Article: Ancient Wisdom

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In modern society, we have a wealth of information at our fingertips.  We have more information at our disposal than most rulers or kings had throughout history.  But are we using that information wisely and what have we sacrificed?  In this episode, we discuss the trade-off between information and concentration, and how we can begin to recapture the ancient ability to attend to a subject for long periods of time.

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Read the article: Uncovering Ancient Wisdom

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Finishing our survey of the major themes in the New Testament book of Colossians, we discuss one phrase in Colossians 4 that is easy to overlook.  In Colossians 4:16 Paul instructs the church to share this letter with the church in Laodicea and to read the letter that was sent to them.  So what happened to the letter to Laodicea?  And what does it mean that we don't have it?  We wrap up the series discussing these questions, as well as taking a look at what happened to the church in Colossae.

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More on Colossae: Explore Colossae

Buy the book: A Journey Through Colossae

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In Colossians 3, the Apostle Paul helps the church reconnect with their faith.   He does so by symbolically walking them through their baptism ceremony.  The original hearers would have also seen the similarities between baptism and an initiation rite into a mystery religion.  The old person had died and their new life was now hidden with Christ.

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More on Colossae: Explore Colossae

Buy the book: A Journey Through Colossae

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Continuing our journey through the New Testament book of Colossians we explore chapter 2 through the lens of the original hearers.  The Apostle Paul mentions several activities as shadows compared to the reality of Christ.  To a Greco Roman audience this would have echoes of Plato and the Allegory of the Cave.  Does this background help shed light on what Paul was trying to communicate to the Colossian church?

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More on Colossae: Explore Colossae

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We begin our journey through the New Testament book of Colossians by examining the main theme of chapter 1 through the lens of the original hearers.  The Hymn to Christ is well known to readers of the Bible.  But one of the primary ways the Apostle Paul is using this hymn is to retell the creation story.  What would a creation story have meant to a Greco-Roman audience?  How do we understand this hymn as Paul was intending to utilize it?

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More on Colossae: Explore Colossae

Buy the book: A Journey Through Colossae

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