Peter Leithart, Alastair Roberts, Jeff Meyers, and James Bejon continue their series on the book of Malachi, beginning with a reflection on the literary texture of the book - its ragged, agitated syntax and its striking use of repetition.

They then take up remaining threads from Malachi 1:6–14, with particular attention to verse 11 and its vision of pure incense offered to the Lord among the nations — exploring what this means for the dispersion of temple worship, provocation to jealousy, and the Messianic age.

The conversation moves into the opening verses of Malachi 2, where the Lord addresses the priests not merely as those who preside at sacrifice but as those entrusted with Torah on their lips — a portrait of priestly ministry that sheds light on the pastoral office in the new covenant.

GIVE TO THEOPOLIS!

theopolisinstitute.com/give/

Get the Theopolis App!

app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu

Use Code "theopolitan" to get your first month free!

Sign up for In Medias Res

mailchi.mp/0b01d726f2fe/inmediasres

James Jordan continues his walk through the Book of Revelation.

To listen to this ENTIRE series right now (with class notes!), download the Theopolis App!

Use the code "theopolitan" to get your first month for FREE.

app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu

Peter Leithart, Jeff Meyers, James Bejon, and Alastair Roberts continue their series in Malachi, working through the second half of chapter one (verses 6–14). The conversation opens by revisiting the Jacob/Esau passage and the question of whether Paul's use of Malachi in Romans 9 is a systematic proof text for election or an evocation of Malachi's broader historical context. From there the discussion moves to Israel's defiled sacrifices, the priestly failure to guard the altar, and the frightening logic of bringing an unworthy gift before a holy God.

____________

This episode is sponsored by Audio Deacon.

Audio Deacon is a curated music streaming app for families and thoughtful listeners — built around music that is good, true, and beautiful. New artists added every week.

👉 Get your first 3 months free:

https://app.audio-deacon.com/menu

Use code audiodeacon3 at checkout,

or audiofamily3 for the 3 months FREE on a family account.

Also worth exploring:

📖 Substack — album reviews, listening guides, and essays on music and the Christian life: audiodeacon.substack.com

🎙️ Podcast — new albums, artist interviews, and what it means to listen well: audiodeacon.buzzsprout.com

_______

GIVE TO THEOPOLIS!

theopolisinstitute.com/give/

Get the Theopolis App!

app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu

Use Code "theopolitan" to get your first month free!

Sign up for In Medias Res

mailchi.mp/0b01d726f2fe/inmediasres

Peter Leithart, Jeff Meyers, James Bejon, and Alastair Roberts dive into the text of Malachi itself, beginning with the book's distinctive structure — a series of dialogues in which Yahweh voices both his own declarations and Israel's skeptical objections. The team explores how this rhetorical form shapes the entire book, and how Malachi fits into the broader literary sequence of the Book of the Twelve. From there, the conversation moves into Malachi 1:2–5 and the Lord's declaration of love for Jacob over Esau — unpacking the history of Edom as a prototype nation, the nature of God's jealous love and wrath, and the famous "Jacob I loved, Esau I hated" quotation as it appears in Romans 9. The discussion raises sharp questions about predestination, the election of peoples versus individuals, and whether Paul's use of Malachi is best read as a statement about sovereign predestination or as a confirmation that God's prior choice has worked itself out in the long history of two nations.

GIVE TO THEOPOLIS!

theopolisinstitute.com/give/

Get the Theopolis App!

app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu

Use Code "theopolitan" to get your first month free!

Sign up for In Medias Res

mailchi.mp/0b01d726f2fe/inmediasres

James Jordan continues his walk through the Book of Revelation.

To listen to this ENTIRE series right now (with class notes!), download the Theopolis App!

Use the code "theopolitan" to get your first month for FREE.

app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu

Peter Leithart, Jeff Meyers, James Bejon, and Alastair Roberts kick off a new series on the book of Malachi, beginning with a wide-angle look at the restoration era in which Malachi prophesied. Rather than treating this period as a mere gap between covenants - a so-called "intertestamental" silence - the team argues it represents a distinct and dynamic phase of covenant history, with its own new arrangements for the priesthood, the temple, the city of Jerusalem, and Israel's relationship to the Gentile nations. The conversation ranges from Ezra and Nehemiah's narrative logic to the dating of Malachi, the myth of 400 years of divine silence, and the ways Malachi's concerns anticipate the New Testament world Jesus enters.

Timestamps (Aproximate)

0:00 — Welcome and introduction; transitioning from Hebrews to a new series on Malachi

1:00 — Overview of the restoration era; why "intertestamental" is a misleading term

3:00 — Jim Jordan's "Through New Eyes" and the idea that Israel never goes backward in covenant history

4:30 — "Latter days" / "last days" language; the 70 Weeks of Daniel as a framework for this period

5:30 — New features of the restoration era: the elevated role of the high priest

6:30 — A new temple, new geopolitical arrangements, and Israel's changed relationship with Gentile powers

8:30 — The holiness of Jerusalem extended to the city walls; Ezekiel's vision of the sacred territory

10:30 — Continuity with the law of Moses through Ezra, Nehemiah, and Malachi

12:00 — Ezra's role as teacher of the law; rebuilding the people alongside the house

13:00 — Malachi's focus on hypocrisy and priestly failure rather than open idolatry; anticipating New Testament concerns

15:00 — The sequence in Deuteronomy 30, Jeremiah 31, and Ezekiel 36 — scattering, regathering, new covenant, outpouring of the Spirit

17:00 — A partial outpouring of the Spirit in the restoration era; Zechariah's lampstand vision

18:30 — The spread of Judaism through the diaspora as a stage in Israel's mission to the Gentiles

19:30 — Why did the exiles not bring back idolatry from Babylon and Persia?

21:30 — Exile as the moment the law became an existential lifeline for Jewish identity

23:30 — The legacy of Daniel, Esther, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as a unifying memory

25:00 — The restoration era as both the birth of the new covenant and the "thinning out" of the old

27:30 — Malachi's final word — cherem (curse of utter destruction) — and the doom hanging over the old covenant order

29:00 — The three phases of Ezra-Nehemiah — temple, people, city — as one unified project; the role of Haggai and Zechariah

37:00 — Dating Malachi: most likely during or after Nehemiah's absence from Jerusalem

40:30 — Malachi 3:1 ("I send my messenger") as potentially having a near fulfillment in Nehemiah's return

41:30 — The significance of Malachi's name meaning "my messenger"

42:30 — The chronology of Ezra-Nehemiah and the 70 Weeks; arguing for a compressed (~50-year) timeframe

45:30 — Debunking the "400 years of silence" myth — gaps in the canon are not gaps in God's speech

47:00 — 99% of God's people never witnessed a theophany; scrolls were always the ordinary means

48:30 — Daniel's visions as a prophetic bridge connecting the restoration era to the New Testament

49:30 — The rise of the synagogue and lay scriptural literacy in the diaspora; parallels to the Reformation

50:30 — Malachi 2 and the priests' neglected teaching vocation

James Jordan continues his walk through the Book of Revelation.

To listen to this ENTIRE series right now (with class notes!), download the Theopolis App!

Use the code "theopolitan" to get your first month for FREE.

app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu

In this final episode of our Hebrews series, Peter Leithart, Alastair Roberts, and James Bejon conclude their journey through the epistle by working through the closing exhortations and benediction of Hebrews 13. They explore the Church’s sacrificial life in the new covenant - marked by praise, hospitality, generosity, endurance, and faithful life together under Christ. Along the way, they reflect on the meaning of “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” and the call to go to Jesus “outside the camp.” The conversation also highlights the Eucharistic and liturgical patterns woven through the chapter. The episode concludes with reflections on Hebrews as a whole, including its use of the Psalms, its vision of perseverance in a time of upheaval, and its presentation of Christ as priest, sacrifice, shepherd, and king.

GIVE TO THEOPOLIS!

theopolisinstitute.com/give/

Get the Theopolis App!

app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu

Use Code "theopolitan" to get your first month free!

Sign up for In Medias Res

mailchi.mp/0b01d726f2fe/inmediasres

James Jordan continues his walk through the Book of Revelation.

To listen to this ENTIRE series right now (with class notes!), download the Theopolis App!

Use the code "theopolitan" to get your first month for FREE.

app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu

Peter Leithart, James Bejon and Alastair Roberts discuss Hebrews 13:1-7.

GIVE TO THEOPOLIS!

theopolisinstitute.com/give/

Get the Theopolis App!

app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu

Use Code "theopolitan" to get your first month free!

Sign up for In Medias Res

mailchi.mp/0b01d726f2fe/inmediasres