In this episode we're kicking off a Summer series on Jesus films! Today we're joined by Matthew Page to talk about his new book, 100 Bible Films (published by The British Film Institute with Bloomsbury). In our conversation, Matthew talks about the history of movies according to Bible films. He highlights the ways that Bible films can teach us about cinema more broadly rather than strictly about the Bible, though he does address the topic of Bible films specifically as adaptations of literary source material. Key film discussions emerge around Darren Aronofsky's Noah (2014) and mother! (2017), Amos Gitai's Esther (1986), and the must-be-watched-to-be-believed Assassin 33 A.D. (2020), which is our pick for the worst Bible film of all time. This conversation situates Jesus films within the broader phenomenon of Bible Films and sets up the next several episodes in our series nicely, where we will dive more deeply into Jesus films. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Brandon Hurlbert. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we discuss the legacy of the famous German resource of Rabbinic parallels to the New Testament, referred to often as Strack-Billerbeck. For this we’re joined by Jacob Cerone, who is a doctoral candidate at the Friedrich Alexander Universität, in Erlagen, Germany, and General Editor and one of translators of the English translation of Strack-Billerbeck (published by Lexham Press). In our conversation, Jacob tells us about the people behind the well-known volume, both Hermann Strack and Paul Billerbeck respectively, as well as the context in which this resource was produced. Further, we discuss the legacy and reception of this resource as well as some of the critiques and concerns about it. Throughout the conversation Jacob provides helpful insights into the various ways that newcomers to Strack-Billerbeck can make use of this great resource in a careful and critical manner. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Jennifer Guo, and Dr. Logan Williams. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we discuss the relevance of empire criticism for understanding Paul’s letter to the Ephesians with Dr. Justin Winzenburg, who is Associate Professor of New Testament and Greek, and the Director of the Honors Program at Crown College (St. Bonafacious, Minnesota). Dr. Winzenburg is also the author of the forthcoming volume that we discuss in this episode, Ephesians and Empire (Mohr Siebeck). In our conversation, Dr. Winzenburg situates his study within the context of broader empire criticism and the more specific application of that broader field to the writings of Paul. Notably, Ephesians is one of the least explored letters from the Pauline corpus for this broader conversation, and we discuss some of the reasons regarding why this is the case. But aside from merely addressing a neglected letter, Dr. Winzenburg explains how his thesis also expands the analysis of empire criticism through his fascinating application of Speech Act Theory, which creates exciting new avenues of investigation. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Rev. Daniel Parham. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we're joined by Dr. Matthew Novenson, who is Senior Lecturer in New Testament at the University of Edinburgh, to talk about his new book, which is a collection of essays on Paul’s writings, entitled, Paul, Then and Now (published by Eerdmans). Dr. Novenson explains that this collection is meant to be more meta, considering the way we approach Paul hermeneutically. As part of this project, he is concerned to defamiliarize Paul for us, to make him "weird" again. Over the course of our conversation we talk about some of the things that makes Paul weird to us, particularly his eschatological anthropology, and how we should situate Paul relative to ancient Judaism and medieval  monotheism. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. Josh Carroll, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Jennifer Guo, and Dr. Logan Williams. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we debrief a recent conference on socio-scientific approaches to religious enmity that Dr. Chris Porter organized at Trinity College, Melbourne. For this conversation we are joined by two keynote speakers from the conference: Dr. Sam Perry, who is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Oklahoma, and Dr. Elizabeth Shively, who is Senior Lecturer in New Testament at St Mary’s College at the University of St Andrews (in Scotland). Each of us summarize our respective presentations from the conference, including Dr. Perry's research on White Christian Nationalism and Dr. Shively's research on how stories shape identity, with specific attention given to Jesus’ controversial interaction with the Syrophoenician woman in Mark 7. As the conversation progresses, we talk about the importance of interdisciplinary study, the benefits of social-scientific approaches to biblical studies as well as the importance of the humanities for social sciences, and the need to do interdisciplinary work in an ethical way. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Dr. Chris Porter. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we’re joined by Dr. Dennis Edwards to talk about the interpretation of Philemon. Dr. Edwards is Associate Professor of New Testament at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, and the author of Might from the Margins: The Gospel’s Power to Turn the Tables on Injustice (Herald Press) with a forthcoming book on humility coming out soon. In our conversation, Dr. Edwards talks about the possible backgrounds that occasioned the letter, and how different theories about that background changes how we read the letter (esp. if we move away from the common view that Onesimus is a runaway slave). We discuss various implications that this letter creates, including how to read and think through and even preach through this letter in the light of our contemporary setting. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities includes: Dr. Amber Bowen, Dr. Josh Carroll, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, and Rev. Daniel Parham. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we’re talking about Trauma Studies and the Gospel of John with Dr. Cory Marsh, who is Professor of New Testament at Southern California Seminary and the Director of SCS Press. Dr. Marsh recently completed a PhD thesis at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary entitled, “In This World You Have Affliction: A Johannine Theology of Christian Suffering” and has a forthcoming article in the Bulletin for Biblical Research entitled, “Moral Injury and the Suffering Basilikos of John 4.46–54.” In our conversation, Dr. Marsh explains to us what Trauma Studies are and how the concept of Moral Injury fits within that, and he tells us about how he applies this area of research to the Gospel of John and the particular characters who display various degrees of trauma and distress. Applying this area of research, Dr. Marsh contends, helps us to recognize the real human suffering in John’s Gospel instead of skipping too quickly to the healings and signs that Jesus performs. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. Josh Carroll, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, and Dr. Chris Porter.One of the articles referenced in the conversation on medical professionals and mental distress and moral injury within the field of nursing ethics can be found here:https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0969733020966776 Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we’re joined by Dr. Karen Swallow Prior to discuss Reading and Reflecting on the Classics. Dr. Karen Swallow Prior is Research Professor of English and Christianity and Culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, the host or Jesus and Jane Austen, and the editor of a series that we’re discussing today, which provide critical introductions to classic texts called Guides for Reading and Reflecting (published by B&H). In our conversation, Dr. Prior tells us about the idea behind reprinting some classic texts with her critical introductions, her broader hope that people pick up the classics and engage them, and what it means to read well. We also talk about the aesthetics of holding a well-made book, comparing the formative effects of different genres of literature, and the differences between reading printed material versus digitally-mediated content, including images in film and TV. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. Amber Bowen, Dr. Josh Carroll, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, and Stephanie Kate Judd. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we’re once more talking about the new book, Theology and Black Mirror (published by Lexington and Fortress Academic, imprints of Rowman & Littlefield), that was edited by team members from The Two Cities podcast, Dr. Amber Bowen and Dr. John Anthony Dunne. Joining us for this conversation are four additional contributors to the volume, who each discuss what they would like to see from a new season of Black Mirror (in light of the recent announcement of a forthcoming sixth season on Netflix) as well as the ideas addressed in their respective essays. Our guests are Dr. Jeremiah Bailey, who is an adjunct professor at Baylor University, Elizabeth Culhane, who is a PhD candidate in philosophy and religion at the University of Queensland (Australia) and is a tutor at Ridley College (Melbourne, Australia), Professor James F. McGrath, who is the Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University, and Dr. Nathaniel A. Warne, who is priest-in-charge at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Mishawaka, Indiana. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. Amber Bowen, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Brandon Hurlbert, and Dr. Kris Song.The essays from Amber and John’s new book, Theology and Black Mirror, discussed in this episode include the following:Chapter 10, “Re-Dos and Re-Visions: Replay and the Search for Meaning in the Shepherd of Hermas and The Entire of History of You” (by Jeremiah Bailey)Chapter 12, “Alternate Eyes: Perspective Shifting in the Samson Narrative and Black Mirror” (by Brandon Hurlbert)Chapter 13, “‘Not Some Crazy Spiritual Thing’: Rewards, Punishment, and Afterlife in Black Mirror” (by James F. McGrath)Chapter 15, “Reflecting the Infinite or the Finite? The Mirror Motif in Gregory of Nyssa and Black Mirror” (by Elizabeth Culhane)Chapter 16, “Memoria and The Entire History of You” (by Nathaniel A. Warne)Chapter 18, “Where are You? San Junipero and the Technology of Shared Space” (by Kris Song)Chapter 19, “Uploaded to the Cloud: Transhumanism and Digital Hope in Black Mirror” (by John Anthony Dunne)The book is presently available for purchase in hardcopy and as an e-book wherever you get your books (with plans to make a paperback at some point). For those interested in purchasing the book, there is a discount code for the publisher’s website (rowman.com) for 30% off (use code the discount code is LXFANDF30 at checkout). Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we’re talking about the new book, Theology and Black Mirror (published by Lexington and Fortress Academic—imprints of Rowman & Littlefield), that was edited by team members from The Two Cities podcast, Dr. Amber Bowen and Dr. John Anthony Dunne. Joining us for this conversation on our favorite technological dystopian show on Netflix are four contributors to the volume, who each tell us what they love about Black Mirror and what they wrote about for our volume. Our guests are Dr. Megan Fritts, who is assistant professor of philosophy at the College of St. Scholastica (Duluth, Minnesota), Dr. Rebekah Lamb, who is lecturer in theology and the arts at the Institute of Theology, Imagination, and the Arts at St Mary’s College at the University of St Andrews (Scotland), Dr. Joanna Leidenhag, who is lecturer in theology and liberal arts at the University of Leeds (England), and Dr. King-Ho Leung, who is senior research fellow at St Mary’s College at the University of St Andrews (Scotland). Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. Amber Bowen and Dr. John Anthony Dunne.The essays from Theology and Black Mirror that were discussed in this episode include the following:Chapter 2, “Barbarism, Boredom, and the Question Concerning: Pornography in Fifteen Million Merits” (by Amber Bowen)Chapter 6, “Arkangel and the Death of God: A Nietzschean Critique of Technology’s Soteriological Scheme” (by Amber Bowen and Megan Fritts)Chapter 7, “Seeing and Being Seen in a Black Mirror, Dimly: Phenomenology and the Dim View of White Christmas” (by King-Ho Leung and Patrick McGlinchey)Chapter 14, “Be Right Back and the Ethics of Mourning: (In)Authenticity and Resurrection in the Digital Age” (by Rebekah Lamb and Joanna Leidenhag)The book is presently available for purchase in hardcopy and as an e-book, wherever you get your books (with plans to make a paperback at some point). For those interested in purchasing the book, there is a discount code to use on the publisher’s website (rowman.com) for 30% off (use code LXFANDF30 at checkout). Otherwise, you can also request that your local library or institutional library purchase a copy (whether physical or electronic). Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.