The Two Testaments

Episode on Job’s “Redeemer” is Live Join us as Scott C. Jones (Covenant College) helps us “mine” the depths of the marvelous and mysterious wisdom poem in Job 28. We discuss a number of things, including: the speaker of the poem, its challenge to human self-confidence, its ancient Near Eastern background, the difficulty of translating its imagery (and translating in general), and its connections with the Epic of Gilgamesh (and space exploration).Enter the Giveaway to Win a Free BookThis post contains affiliate linksJones wrote the article on Job in The Oxford Handbook of Wisdom and the Bible (ed. Will Kynes. Oxford University Press, 2021), so this week, thanks to Oxford University Press, we’re giving away a copy of the whole handbook (a $150 value).To enter this giveaway, look out for the giveaway posts on social media: follow us and retweet the giveaway post on Twitter, or share the giveaway post on Facebook or on Instagram. Giveaway closes Sunday, January 16 at 11:59 pm. USA and international entries welcome (thanks, OUP!).Relevant work by Scott JonesThis post contains affiliate links* Rumors of Wisdom: Job 28 as Poetry. Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 398. De Gruyter, 2009.* “Job.” In The Oxford Handbook of Wisdom and the Bible, ed. Will Kynes. Oxford University Press, 2021.* “Job 28 and Modern Theories of Knowledge.” Theology Today 69 (2013): 486–96.This Week’s BlurbsIn this episode, Scott Jones recommends:* George, Andrew. The Epic of Gilgamesh. Penguin, 2003.* Greenstein, Edward. Job: A New Translation. Yale University Press, 2020.* Erickson, Amy. Jonah. Illuminations. Eerdmans, 2021.Other Books and Articles Mentioned in This Episode* Fox, Michael V. “The Speaker in Job 28.” Pages 21-38 in “When the Morning Stars Sang”: Essays in Honor of Choon Leong Seow on the Occasion of His Sixty-Fifth Birthday. Edited by Scott C. Jones and Christine Roy Yoder. De Gruyter, 2018. * Lo, Alison. Job 28 as Rhetoric: An Analysis of Job 28 in the Context of Job 22-31. Brill, 2003. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thetwotestaments.substack.com

Episode on Job 6–7 is LiveJoin us as Dr. Susan Eastman (Duke Divinity School) talks to us about Romans 7:1–8:17. We discuss a number of things including: the law, the infamous “I”, and Sin’s agency.Enter the Giveaway to Win a Free BookThis post contains affiliate linksThis week we are giving away a copy of Susan Eastman’s book (thanks to Eerdmans):* Paul and the Person: Reframing Paul’s Anthropology. Eerdmans, 2017.To enter this giveaway, look out for the giveaway posts on social media: follow us and retweet the giveaway post on Twitter, or share the giveaway post on Facebook or on Instagram. Giveaway closes Sunday, December 19 at 11:59 pm. USA only.This Week’s BlurbsIn this episode, Susan Eastman recommends:* Beverly Roberts Gaventa. “The Shape of the ‘I’: The Psalter, the Gospel, and the Speaker in Romans 7.” Pages 77–92 in Apocalyptic Paul: Cosmos and Anthropos in Romans 5–8. Edited by Beverly Roberts Gaventa. Baylor University Press, 2019.Other Books and Articles Mentioned in This Episode* Simon Gathercole. “Sin in God’s Economy: Agencies in Romans 1 and 7.” Pages 158–172 in Divine and Human Agency in Paul and His Cultural Environment. Edited by John Barclay and Simon Gathercole. T&T Clark, 2008.Visit our website at thetwotestaments.com, where you can subscribe, see our release schedule, and meet our guides through Romans.Sign up now so you don’t miss an episode. Find us on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Vurbl, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts.You can also watch us on Youtube. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thetwotestaments.substack.com

Brennan Breed, a biblical interpretation scholar from Columbia Theological Seminary, dives deep into the concept of Job’s ‘Redeemer’ found in Job 9, 16, and 19. He unravels the rich meanings behind Job 19:25-27, discussing its historical context and literary significance. The conversation touches on Job's profound grappling with suffering, the duality of despair and hope, and the quest for divine understanding. Breed also explores the theme of redemption and its resonance with New Testament insights, emphasizing the need for a mediator in times of trial.

Episode on Romans 5–6 is LiveJoin us as Dr. Beverly Gaventa (Baylor University) talks to us about Romans 5–6. We discuss a number of things including: Paul’s battle imagery; apocalyptic theology; universalism; and Sin and Death as powers.Enter the GiveawayThis week we are giving away this book by Beverly Gaventa (thanks to Baker Academic):* When in Romans: An Invitation to Linger with the Gospel According to Paul. Baker Academic, 2018.To enter the giveaway, follow us and retweet our giveaway post on Twitter, or follow, like, and share the giveaway post on Facebook or on Instagram. Giveaway closes Sunday, November 5 at 11:59 pm. US Only.Relevant books by Beverly GaventaThis post contains affiliate links* When in Romans: An Invitation to Linger with the Gospel According to Paul. Baker Academic, 2018.* Our Mother St. Paul. Westminster John Knox, 2007.This Week’s BlurbsIn this episode, Beverly Gaventa recommends:* The Freedom app.Visit our website at thetwotestaments.com, where you can subscribe, see our release schedule, and meet our guides through Romans.Sign up now so you don’t miss an episode. Find us on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Vurbl, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts.You can also watch us on Youtube. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thetwotestaments.substack.com

Episode on Job 6–7 is LiveJoin us as Dr. Tremper Longman (Westmont College) talks to us about Job 6–7. We discuss a number of things including: the translation of Job, the book’s connections with ancient Near Eastern texts, Job’s bold complaints, and the merits of lament as a response to suffering.Relevant books by Tremper LongmanThis post contains affiliate links* Job. Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms. Baker Academic, 2012.* The Fear of the Lord is Wisdom: A Theological Introduction to Wisdom in Israel. Baker Academic, 2017.This Week’s BlurbsIn this episode, Tremper Longman recommends:* Tisby, Jemar. The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism. Zondervan, 2019. * McCauley, Esau. Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope. IVP Academic, 2020.* The TV show, WandaVision, directed by Matt Shakman, starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany.Other Books and Articles Mentioned in This Episode* Walton, John and Tremper Longman III. How to Read Job. IVP Academic, 2015.Visit our website at thetwotestaments.com, where you can subscribe, see our release schedule, and meet our guides through Job.Sign up now so you don’t miss an episode. Find us on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Vurbl, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts.You can also watch us on Youtube. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thetwotestaments.substack.com

Episode on Romans 3–4 is LiveJoin us as Dr. Tom Schreiner (Southern Seminary) talks to us about Romans 3–4. We discuss a number of things including: justification by faith; Paul’s depiction of sin; the phrase “works of the law”; and the New Perspective on Paul.Relevant Books by Tom SchreinerThis post contains affiliate links* Romans, Second Edition. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Baker Academic, 2018.* Paul, Apostle of God’s Glory in Christ: A Pauline Theology. IVP Academic, 2020.This Week’s BlurbsIn this episode, Tom Schreiner recommends:* Wallace Stegner, The Big Rock Candy Mountain* John Steinbeck, East of EdenOther Books and Articles Mentioned in This EpisodeSchreiner, Thomas. “‘Works of Law’ in Paul.” Novum Testamentum 33 (1991): 217–41.Dunn, James D. G. Romans 1–8. Word Biblical Commentary. Word Books, 1988.Dunn, James D. G. Romans 9–16. Word Biblical Commentary. Word Books, 1988.Visit our website at thetwotestaments.com, where you can subscribe, see our release schedule, and meet our guides through Job.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Vurbl, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts. You can also watch us on Youtube. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thetwotestaments.substack.com

Author Patricia Vesely discusses Job's friends in the Book of Job, highlighting the significance of friendship, the friends' flawed perspectives, connections to Psalms, and their technique in relating to God. Recommendations for further reading include 'Ecce Homo' by Samuel Balentine and 'Art and Faith' by Makoto Fujimura.

Episode on Romans 2 is LiveThis post contains affiliate linksJoin us as Dr. Matthew Thiessen of McMaster University talks to us about Romans 2. Matt is the author of Paul and the Gentile Problem. In this episode, we discuss a number of things including: the identity of the “you”; and the importance of “good works” for Paul.(Apologies for the audio quality in some parts of this episode.)This Week’s BlurbsIn this episode, Matthew Thiessen recommends Brittany Wilson’s The Embodied God: Seeing the Divine in Luke-Acts and the Early Church.Other Books Mentioned in This EpisodeStowers, Stanley K. A Rereading of Romans: Justice, Jews, and Gentiles. Yale University Press, 1997.Thorsteinsson, Runar M. Paul’s Interlocutor in Romans 2: Function and Identity in the Context of Ancient Epistolography. Wipf & Stock, 2015.Visit our website at thetwotestaments.com, where you can subscribe, see our release schedule, and meet our guides through Romans.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Vurbl, and Pocket Casts.You can also watch us on Youtube. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thetwotestaments.substack.com

Episode on Job 3 is LiveJoin us as Dr. Jeff Leonard (Samford University) talks to us about Job 3. We discuss a number of things including: the pivotal role of Job 3 in the book, its connections with Genesis, Jeremiah, and ancient Near Eastern mythology, its rhetorical function, and its vision of the afterlife.Enter the Giveaway to Win a Free BookThis post contains affiliate linksThis week we are giving away a copy of Jeff Leonard’s book, Creation Rediscovered: Finding New Meaning in an Ancient Story, Hendrickson, 2020. (Thanks to Hendrickson Publishers for the giveaway copy.)To enter this giveaway, look out for the giveaway posts on social media: like and retweet the giveaway post on Twitter, or like and share the giveaway post on Facebook or on Instagram. Giveaway closes Sunday, Oct 31st at 11:59 pm. USA and Canada only.This Week’s BlurbsIn this episode, Jeff Leonard recommends Samuel Balentine’s Have You Considered My Servant Job? Jeff also recommends the movie, Arrival, directed by Denis Villeneuve, starring Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Forest Whitaker.Other Books and Articles Mentioned in This EpisodeFishbane, Michael. “Jeremiah IV 23–26 and Job III 3–13: A Recovered Use of the Creation Pattern.” Vetus Testamentum 21 (1971): 151–67.Leonard, Jeffery M. “Let the Day Perish: The Nexus of Personification and Mythology in Job 3.” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 43 (2018): 247-270.Visit our website at thetwotestaments.com, where you can subscribe, see our release schedule, and meet our guides through Job.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Vurbl, and Pocket Casts.You can also watch us on Youtube. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thetwotestaments.substack.com

Episode on Romans 1 is LiveJoin us as Dr. Roy Ciampa (Samford University) and Dr. Frank Thielman (Beeson Divinity School) talk to us about Romans 1. We discuss a number of things including: the meaning of “gospel”; the difficult phrase, “the righteousness of God”; Paul’s use of Habakkuk 2:4; and Paul’s lengthy discussion of “the wrath of God.”Enter the Giveaway to Win Three BooksThis post contains affiliate links.This week we are giving away three books on Romans published by Zondervan. (Thanks to Zondervan for the giveaway copies.) You can win all three books:* Frank Thielman. Romans. Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Zondervan, 2018.* Michael Bird. Romans. The Story of God Bible Commentary. Zondervan, 2016.* Ben C. Blackwell et al., eds. Reading Romans in Context: Paul and Second Temple Judaism. Zondervan, 2015.To enter this giveaway, look out for the giveaway posts on social media: like and retweet the giveaway post on Twitter, or like and share the giveaway post on Facebook or on Instagram. Giveaway closes Sunday, Oct 24th at 11:59 pm.This Week’s BlurbsIn this episode, Roy Ciampa recommends Frank Thielman’s Romans commentary and Esau McCauley’s Reading While Black.Frank Thielman recommends Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island and Daniel Block’s, Covenant: The Framework of God’s Grand Plan of Redemption.Visit our website at thetwotestaments.com, where you can subscribe, see our release schedule, and meet our guides through Job.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Vurbl and Pocket Casts.You can also watch us on Youtube. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thetwotestaments.substack.com