The Biblical Mind

Since the 19th century, the term "wisdom literature" has been associated specifically with the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job. When we look for wisdom in the Bible, then, we will often turn to these books. However, to divorce these works from the larger biblical corpus may have blinded us to their fuller narrative context and prevented us from seeing wisdom in other stories, poetry, and laws of Scripture.

Will Kynes, Associate Professor of Biblical and Religious Studies at Samford University, wants to broaden and challenge our understanding of wisdom and wisdom literature in the Hebrew Bible. In this episode, he talks with Dr. Dru Johnson about the Hebrew context for wisdom in the Bible, including 1 Kings, Deuteronomy, Genesis 1–3, and even contemporary Egyptian texts. Instead of limiting ourselves to the modern definitions of wisdom, perhaps we can begin to read Scripture on its own terms and enrich our understanding of its persistent and complex wisdom tradition.

Show notes:

For more of Will Kynes's work on wisdom in the Bible, check out An Obituary for "Wisdom Literature": The Birth, Death, and Intertextual Reintegration of a Biblical Corpus.

Will Kynes's Samford University page with bio and more writings.

Show notes by Micah Long.

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As we've already discussed on The Biblical Mind podcast, the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) is more than just a bunch of old stories with some laws thrown in. Instead, it is an interwoven collection of literature, carefully crafted to shape the Israelites into the people of YHWH. However, many people still regard the the Old Testament laws as inapplicable to modern Christianity. They may see the Israelite religion as a "religion of works" while seeing Christianity as a "religion of faith."

In this episode, Dr. Carmen Imes, Associate Professor of Old Testament at Prairie College in Alberta, Canada, talks with Dr. Dru Johnson about the role of the Old Testament laws. Fulfilling individual Old Testament laws is meant to shape the wisdom and character of God's people in response to God's already accomplished work of salvation. Dr. Imes talks about biblical oath-making, the difference between ancient and modern views of law codes, and how God secures his faithfulness by swearing on Himself. If we learn to read the law as an extension of our love for God, we can see how the practices and guidance of the Torah can shape our modern life as Christians.

Show notes:

Carmen Imes's blog: Chastened Institutions

Her most recent book: Bearing God's Name: Why Sinai Still Matters

Show notes by Micah Long.

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Author and speaker Aimee Byrd believes that a close and careful reading of the biblical texts should inform the church's view on sex and gender. Instead of resorting to 21st-century (or 20th-century) Western models of gender and sex or going with our gut instincts, perhaps the church can craft a biblical theology of gender that both preserves the categories of man and women while affirming their active and necessary roles in creation.

In this episode, Aimee Byrd and Dr. Johnson discuss a theology of gender rooted in Scripture. Along the way, they examine some of the most negative assumptions about women within Protestantism, consider biblical portrayals of women, and discuss the self-sacrificial roles of both sexes. Questions answered include:

Show notes:

Learn more about Aimee Byrd and her work.

Her most recent book: Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood

Show notes by Micah Long.

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When people assume that they are already familiar with the Bible, they may fail to read it with a critical or careful eye (if at all). The truth is that Western people's imaginations are usually far more shaped by social media and the entertainment industry, or by even the Greco-Roman world, than by the structures and styles of the Bible. Hence, even faithful churchgoers often need additional guidance and practice reading Scripture to become biblically literate.

In this episode, Dr. Dru Johnson talks with Dr. Heath Thomas, President Professor of Old Testament at Oklahoma Baptist University, about how we should approach reading Scripture. Among other things, readers should consider the grammar, literary devices, motifs, and type-scenes that begin in the Torah and then unfold throughout the prophets and the New Testament. Reading Scripture well requires habituating one's imagination toward that of the authors and their conceptual worlds. When we are fully immersed in the texts, we can join the project of contextualizing and applying the Bible to the modern world.

Shownotes:

Dr. Thomas's commentary on Habakkuk.

Dr. Thomas's work with the Hobbs College Library, an accessible collection of works that help people read Scripture.

Show notes by Micah Long.

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When most Westerners think of "philosophy," they are inclined to think of Greco-Roman arguments or Anglo-American academics. "Philosophy" as approached this way is really nothing more than one culture's philosophical tradition, rather than a global, multicultural collection of thinkers, ideas, and methods. If we expand our definition of philosophy, we have the chance not only to challenge our own Western ways of thinking, but also to understand other cultures, from those of China to India to Ancient Israel.

In this episode, Dr. Dru Johnson talks to Dr. Bryan Van Norden about multicultural philosophy. Dr. Van Norden is a chair in philosophy departments at both Vassar College and Wuhan University, where he specializes in Chinese philosophy. They begin with one very difficult question: "What counts as philosophy?" From there, they discuss different definitions of philosophy, the diverse literary techniques wielded by both Eastern and Western authors, and often-overlooked philosophical texts. If people can start examining Confucius and the Hebrew Scriptures like they do Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, and Kant, their eyes will be opened to cultural traditions that are not only novel and diverse, but also equally intellectually rich and thought-provoking.

Shownotes:

For more information about Dr. Van Norden and his work, visit his website, where you can find his world philosophy bibliography.

Dr. Van Norden's New York Times op-ed on multicultural philosophy: "If Philosophy Won't Diversify, Let's Call it What it Is"

The ensuing book: Taking Back Philosophy: A Multicultural Manifesto

Dr. Van Norden is James Monroe Taylor Chair in Philosophy at Vassar College (USA), and Chair Professor in Philosophy in the School of Philosophy at Wuhan University (China). Van Norden has published ten books on Chinese and comparative philosophy, including Introduction to Classical Chinese Philosophy (2011) and Taking Back Philosophy: A Multicultural Manifesto (2017). A recipient of Fulbright, National Endowment for the Humanities, and Mellon fellowships, Van Norden has been honored as one of The Best 300 Professors in the U.S. by The Princeton Review.

Show notes by Micah Long.

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Many modern people, in both the church and the academy, don't believe that the early narratives of the Hebrew people reflect historical events. They might consider the exodus account to be, for example, a collection of inchoate legends, or a 5th-century B.C.E. exilic invention of the Jews.

Others simply regard the historicity of Scripture as a matter of "blind faith." Does it really matter when Exodus was written, or if the story even took place? Is there evidence from the biblical texts or ancient Near Eastern archaeology that these events occurred?

For some, the answer is a definitive "yes."

In this episode, Dr. Dru Johnson talks with Dr. James K. Hoffmeier about the history of Israel and the exodus. Dr. Hoffmeier has the distinction of being both an Egyptologist and a biblical scholar, skilled in the archaeology, culture, and history of the ancient Near East. After discussing "Egyptianisms" in Hebrew (loan-words), the etymologies of biblical names, and intersections of literature and archaeology, Dr. Hoffmeier argues that the exodus was a historical event.

This perspective, while somewhat unfashionable in contemporary scholarly debates, provides a foundation for the practices and principles of modern-day Jews and Christians.

Shownotes:

Dr. Hoffmeier's book on the historicity of the exodus is Israel in Egypt.

Show notes by Micah Long.

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How should Christians engage with the visual arts? Many forms of "Christian art" (films, children's Bibles, music) make in-your-face, moralistic claims. Other Christians condemn art because of its "bad messages." Still others believe that making art is nothing more than expressing yourself or your emotions. Ned Bustard possesses a very different perspective.

Ned is an artist and graphic designer based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He believes that provocative, visually fascinating pieces are not necessarily in tension with Scripture. Instead, they can be used to heighten biblical themes or show us parts of the text that we had not yet noticed. Ned's book Revealed: A Storybook Bible for Grown-Ups exemplifies this approach, with gritty and novel depictions of often-whitewashed or ignored passages of Scripture.

In this episode, Dr. Dru Johnson talks with Ned about a couple of the most provocative pieces in Revealed. They also discuss the tearing down of Confederate statues, how art can be used as an argument, and how making woodcuts of the Bible is actually a lot like preaching.

Show notes:

See more of Ned Bustard's work through his graphic design company, World's End Images.

Read more about the proposed cylinder around the Robert E. Lee statue.

Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA) promotes a diverse group of artists rooted in orthodox Christianity.

Show notes by Micah Long.

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Heather Cate reads "Why Poetic Imagination Is Necessary to Understand Biblical Prophecy," by Malcolm Guite, published July 22, 2020.

Prefer to listen to articles? The CHT will publish recorded readings of more its top articles in the coming weeks.

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How can Christians go beyond a "thoughts and prayers" perspective of trauma and suffering? Those who have experienced trauma, from soldiers to sexual assault survivors, often hesitate to trust members of their community. 

In this episode, Dr. Dru Johnson interviews Dr. Scott Harrower of Ridley College, a former emergency department nurse, about the biblical response to trauma. Scott explains the psychology of PTSD and how Christians should respond to psychological suffering. From there, they discuss the roots of Pauline perspectives on comfort in the Hebrew Bible. Finally, they discuss the biblical emphasis on God equipping His people to comfort the vulnerable, rather than providing sudden or supernatural solutions.

For more of Dr. Scott Harrower's work, check out God of All Comfort: A Trinitarian Response to the Horrors of This World, a work on trauma, horror, and how the doctrine of the Trinity can help address the problem of evil.

Show notes by Micah Long.

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We may uncritically assume that biblical authors think of religion, law, and belief in the same way that we do. Dr. Joshua Berman, however, notes that the ancient Hebrews didn't have the contemporary Western concepts of religion and belief, which involve individualistic intellectual assent to the right propositions. Likewise, the concept of law in the Bible isn't a clear-cut list of dos and don’ts.

In this episode, Dr. Dru Johnson talks with Dr. Berman about his new book, Ani Ma’amin: Biblical Criticism, Historical Truth, and the Thirteen Principles of Faith. 

Show notes: 

 For the nerdier version of Dr. Berman's book, check out: Inconsistency in the Torah: Ancient Literary Convention and the Limits of Source Criticism

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