OnScript

Episode: Dru suggests that biblical law is something to think with and not just about. Matt and Dru discuss this idea and its many implications that were articulated in Dru's recent book Understanding Biblical Law: Skills for Thinking With and Through Torah (Baker, 2025). And as a throw-back to an old OnScript interview practice, Dru and Matt cold-call another guest. Guest: Dr. Dru Johnson is the Templeton senior research fellow at Wycliffe Hall (University of Oxford), adjunct professor of religion at Hope College in Holland, MI (previously a professor at The King’s College in New York City),  director of the Abrahamic Theistic Origins Project, director of the Center for Hebraic Thought, editor at The Biblical Mind, host of The Biblical Mind podcast, and co-host of the OnScript Podcast. He’s written a bunch of books, including Human Rites, Knowledge By Ritual, Scripture's Knowing, and What Hath Darwin to do with Scripture? Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to join the big leagues and become a regular donor.

Episode: In this episode Chris Tilling interviews Cor Bennema about his new book, Imitation in Early Christianity: Mimesis and Religious-Ethical Formation (Eerdmans, 2023). What does it mean to say that early Christians imitated God, Christ, Paul, and even one another? Cor takes us on a tour through the world of Jewish and Greco-Roman antiquity, then shows how imitation became a central—if often overlooked—thread running through the New Testament and into the Apostolic Fathers. Along the way we talk Synoptics, John, Paul, Hebrews, martyrdom, character formation, and the role of the Spirit. This is a book that manages to be both comprehensive and illuminating, offering a conceptual framework that will change how you think about discipleship, ethics, and participation in the life of God. Guest: Cor Bennema teaches New Testament and heads the research department at London School of Theology. Prior to this he taught for 11 years in India. His research focuses on the Johannine writings, the canonical Gospels, character in biblical narrative, and early Christian ethics. He has published widely for both the church and the academy. Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to join the big leagues and become a regular donor.

Episode: With a biblical poem that shifts imagery (Ps 23), and another (Robert Hayden's "Those Winter Sundays") that provides perspective, Brent Strawn takes us into an "uber-famous" biblical poem-this "nightingale of the Psalms" (Henry Ward Beecher)-that needs to be heard again. Themes of life, death, and asylum redound. Enjoy this last episode of Season 1 of our podcast In Parallel. Poem Attribution: “Those Winter Sundays,” Copyright © 1966 by Robert Hayden. From COLLECTED POEMS OF ROBERT HAYDEN by Robert Hayden, edited by Frederick Glaysher. Used by permission of Liveright Publishing Company. Strawn also discusses Sharon Olds' poem "The Preparing" from her 2002 collection Balladz. About: In Parallel is a new podcast that explores biblical and contemporary poetry. Please subscribe wherever you listen (Apple Podcasts, Spotify). For more information about the podcast, see HERE and to learn more about Brent, see HERE. Help Support In Parallel: Visit our Donate Page if you want to support this show.

Episode: At a live event at Wycliffe Hall, Erin once again sat down with Matthew Novenson to discuss his latest monograph: Paul and Judaism at the End of History (Cambridge University Press, 2024). Matt and Erin discuss Paul's particular brand of eschatological Judaism, which is manifested in Paul's peculiar ethnic map, his view of the Torah, and his understanding of the resurrection, among other things! We also let Chat GPT come up with a Paul-themed speed round. Thanks to all who came to hear this conversation live. Guest: Matthew Novenson is the Helen H.P. Manson Professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary and an honorary fellow of the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh. In addition to his latest offering, Dr. Novenson has authored several other influential monographs including Christ among the Messiahs (Oxford University Press, 2012), The Grammar of Messianism (Oxford University Press, 2017), Paul, Then and Now (Eerdmans, 2022). This is Matt's third time on the podcast, and you can check out his other Onscript episodes on The Grammar of Messianism and Paul, Then and Now. Book (from the publisher's website): The apostle Paul was a Jew. He was born, lived, undertook his apostolic work, and died within the milieu of ancient Judaism. And yet, many readers have found, and continue to find, Paul's thought so radical, so Christian, even so anti-Jewish – despite the fact that it, too, is Jewish through and through. This paradox, and the question how we are to explain it, are the foci of Matthew Novenson's groundbreaking book. The solution, says the author, lies in Paul's particular understanding of time. This too is altogether Jewish, with the twist that Paul sees the end of history as present, not future. In the wake of Christ's resurrection, Jews are perfected in righteousness and – like the angels – enabled to live forever, in fulfilment of God's ancient promises to the patriarchs. What is more, gentiles are included in the same pneumatic existence promised to the Jews. This peculiar combination of ethnicity and eschatology yields something that looks not quite like Judaism or Christianity as we are used to thinking of them. Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to help OnScript continue by becoming a regular donor.

Episode: For our sixth live event at Nashotah House, Wisconsin, Matt sat down with his teacher and friend, Gary Schnittjer, to discuss his fascinating new co-authored book, How To Study the Bible's Use of the Bible (Zondervan). We discuss the ways the OT was already interpreting itself (long before the NT), the "already and not yet" dynamics in the OT, whether we should interpret Scripture like the Bible, and much more. There's even a reverse speed-round! Thanks to Nashotah House for hosting, and to all who came. Guest: Dr. Gary E. Schnittjer is Distinguished Professor of Old Testament at Cairn University in Philadelphia. He's the author of several books, including Torah Story (now in its 2nd ed.), Old Testament Narrative Books: The Israel Story, Old Testament Use of Old Testament, and he has a major commentary forthcoming on Ezra-Nehemiah with Baker Academic. He's also the author of the book How to Study the Bible's Use of the Bible: Seven Hermeneutical Choices for the Old and New Testaments, which he co-authored with Matt Harmon. Gary is also a frequent podcast guest, and he hosts a Substack that you can check out called Carpenter's Student (sign up for free!). Give: Visit our Donate Page if you would like to support OnScript’s work. Sign up to Carpenter's Student, Gary's Free Substack HERE

Episode: Biblical World host Chris McKinny has been researching the Ark of the Covenant for years now. He discusses the hunt for the ark, its ancient Egyptian predecessors, its biblical significance, and more. Enjoy this conversation about one of the most significant yet elusive artifacts from ancient Israel. Guest: Chris McKinny is Associate Professor of Biblical Archaeology at Lipscomb University. He is a host on the Biblical World podcast. Most recently, he was Director of Research at Gesher media, where he helped produce a documentary on the Ark of the Covenant. Passionate about the archaeology, history, and geography of the Biblical world, he has written extensively on these subjects in both academic and popular publications. Chris is a senior staff member at the Tel Burna Archaeological project and regularly leads study tours to the lands of the Bible. He is the author of My People as Your People: A Textual and Archaeological Analysis of the Reign of Jehoshaphat (Peter Lang, 2016), and has co-edited several volumes, including The Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Ages of Southern Canaan (De Gruyter, 2018) and Tell it in Gath: Studies in the History and Archaeology of Israel: Essays in Honor of Aren M. Maeir on the Occasion of his Sixtieth Birthday (Zaphon, 2018). He teaches regularly at Jerusalem University College. Give: Visit our Donate Page if you would like to support OnScript’s work. Image Attribution:  Charles K. Wilkinson | Festival Scene, Tomb of Amenmose | New Kingdom, Ramesside | The Metropolitan Museum of Art ca. 1295–1213 B.C. 

Episode: Gregory Lee talks with Amy Brown Hughes about one of the more well-known but little-understood books in theology, Augustine's The City of God! This episode covers everything from political theology, loving angels as your neighbors, and the fall of Rome to demons, Augustine's view of women, and God as father and mother. A perfect episode and book for those who've long wanted to grapple with this central theological tome! Guest: Gregory Lee is Associate Professor of Theology and Urban Studies at Wheaton College. He's the author of Today When Your Hear His Voice: Scripture, the Covenants, and the People of God (Eerdmans, 2016) and The Essential 'City of God' (Baker, 2025), covered in this episode. He's also the co-editor of Christian Political Witness (IVP, 2014). Give: Visit our Donate Page if you would like to support OnScript’s work.

Join us for a live recording with Dr. Gary Schnittjer at Nashotah House Theological Seminary, WI. When? Thurs, July 24 (2025), 7:15-9:15pm CST (optional dinner at 6:30pm) Where? Nashotah House Theological Seminary - 2777 Mission Rd, Nashotah, WI 53058, United States What? Live recording with Gary about his co-authored book, How to Study the Bible's Use of the Bible (Zondervan) Free drinks, snacks, book giveaways, and a chance to connect. Optional dinner for $20 at 6:30pm. Registration: Sign up for the free event and optional $20 dinner HERE.    

Episode: Kyle Keimer joins to add insights from archaeology to an earlier episode called Misunderstanding Sacrifice (listen HERE). Dru and Matt L talk about the incomplete pictures gained from archaeology AND the Bible, and how to grapple with both.  Guest/Co-Host: Kyle Keimer is know to listeners of our Biblical World podcast, and follow THIS link to get to know him more. Give: Visit our Donate Page if you would like to support OnScript’s work.   Image Attribution: By illustrators of the 1890 Holman Bible - http://thebiblerevival.com/clipart/1890holmanbible/bw/altarofincensealtarofburnt-offeringlaver.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9424389

Episode: What is the Song of Deborah doing in the middle of the Judges narrative? Michelle Knight argues that the pom changes the way we read the story it fits within. Moreover, this potent poem address issues like sexual violence, gender dynamics, leadership cover-ups, power struggles, and the ways that military might does or doesn't cohere with God's view of the world. Listen and enjoy insights from Michelle's recent book, The Prophet's Anthem: The Song of Deborah and Barak in the Narrative of Judges (Baylor, 2024). Guest: Michelle Knight is Associate Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. She's s the author of The Prophet’s Anthem: The Song of Deborah and Barak in the Narrative of Judges (BUP, 2024). She also serves as Senior Reviewer for the Historical Books for the New Living Translation. Her current research interests include narrative criticism, theology of the Old Testament, the Former Prophets (esp. Joshua and Judges), and poetry in biblical narrative.  Give: Visit our Donate Page if you would like to support OnScript’s work.

Episode: Malka Simkovich is back on the podcast to discuss her new book Letters from Home: The Creation of Diaspora in Jewish Antiquity (PSU Press/Eisenbrauns, 2024). We talk about how early Jewish communities in the land of Israel and those outside thought about each other, tried to keep connected, and how they thought about the relationship between being Jewish and being in the land. Guest: Dr. Malka Simkovich is the Editor-in-Chief of The Jewish Publication Society and Visiting Professor at Yeshiva University’s Revel Graduate School for Jewish Studies. Before taking up the role at JPS, she was the Crown-Ryan Chair of Jewish Studies at Catholic Theological Union from 2014–2024. She’s the author of The Making of Jewish Universalism: From Exile to Alexandria (Lexington, 2016), Discovering Second Temple Literature (JPS, 2018). Her most recent book is Letters From Home: The Creation of Diaspora in Jewish Antiquity (PSU Press/Eisenbrauns, 2024), the subject of the present episode. She's also the author of many scholarly and popular articles. Give: Visit our Donate Page if you would like to support OnScript’s work.  

Episode: Back for what feels like the 100th time, Dr. Ervine Sheblazm!! You're in for a treat with this episode. Dr. Sheblazm unveils what some consider the most innovative economic approach since the advent of bartering. Sheblazm's work sent shockwaves through the stalls of Wall Street, and through the nervous system of every economic theorist battered by the prevailing winds of our culture's obsession with "getting money right." The good Dr. exposes the fatal flaws in our current system, and invites us to the economic table of 1 Tim, 1 Cor, and other New Testament giants. Listen, and then read The Cheerful Taker: A New Economics for Pauline Christians in a Changing World (Sheblazm Press, 2025). Guest: Dr. Sheblazm is an accomplished scientist and theologian, and a long-time friend of the podcast. He's the author of many works, including Faultlines in the Horizon, Feathers on the Nose, Paul's Theology of Universalism, A Life Living (A Theological Memoir), Child Rearing with the Apostle Paul, and much more, including his newest work, The Cheerful Taker: A New Economics for Pauline Christians in a Changing World, published by Sheblazm Press, 2025. Of course Dr. Shblazm has doctorates from prestigious online universities, and runs the Centre for Excellence in the Lake District of England. Give: Visit our Donate Page if you would like to support OnScript’s work.

Episode: "What is love? (Baby, don't hurt me)." These song lyrics--juxtaposing love and hurt--remind us that 'love' is used so frequently and flexibily in our culture that it is in danger of losing all meaning. Enter Nijay Gupta and his new book The Affections of Christ Jesus! In this episode he helps rescue 'love' by deftly unpacking its biblical meanings and by correcting common misunderstandings. (For example, agape love is frequently misunderstood.) In so doing Gupta shows that love--surprisingly!-- may be the best center for Paul's theology. Since God's beautiful love changes us, his work exposing that love helps bolster our flagging affections. This love-fest is cohosted by Matt Bates. The Book: Nijay Gupta, The Affections of Christ Jesus: Love at the Heart of Paul's Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2025). Pauline scholars have long debated the so-called center of Paul’s theology, focusing on themes like justification by faith, reconciliation, union with Christ, and the apocalyptic triumph of God in Christ. In this innovative study, Nijay Gupta offers a new perspective that emphasizes Paul’s understanding of love at the heart of the gospel he preached. Through careful examination of the historical, cultural, and linguistic milieu in which Paul was working, Gupta identifies what is unique and important in Paul’s theology of love. In so doing, Gupta helps readers develop a deeper appreciation for the extent to which love permeates Paul’s understanding of the triune God, the gospel, the community, and the mission and lifestyle of God’s people.. (Publisher’s description). Guest: Nijay K. Gupta (PhD, Durham) is professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary where he holds the Julius R. Mantey Chair of New Testament. He has written numerous books, including recent titles such as Tell Her Story (IVP Academic) and Galatians (The Story of God Commentary series by Zondervan Academic). He has been our guest on OnScript several times, most recently for Strange Religion (Brazos, 2024) and Paul and the Language of Faith (Eerdmans, 2020). Gupta has a substack called Engaging Scripture. OnScript’s Review: “Love is an emotional knot. Nijay Gupta disentangles love by using Scripture and other resources to tease out its beautiful strands. When we discover the quality of love that is at the heart of the gospel, not only is Paul’s theology clarified, but our affections are changed. Disciples who yearn for a greater love for God and neighbor will rejoice over The Affections of Christ Jesus.”—Matthew W. Bates, author of Beyond the Salvation Wars; professor of New Testament, Northern Seminary. Give: Visit our Donate Page if you would like to support OnScript’s work.

Episode: Timothy Brookins wants to challenge the scholarly consensus about the conflict behind the book of 1 Corinthians. Listen in as Brookins discusses with Chris Tilling the importance of Stoicism for understanding the rhetoric and message of this crucial Pauline letter! Guest: Timothy Brookins is Professor of Early Christianity at the University of St. Thomas, Houston. In addition to the book featured in this episode, Rediscovering The Wisdom of the Corinthians: Paul, Stoicism, and Spiritual Hierarchy (Eerdmans, 2024), he's the author of Ancient Rhetoric and the Style of Paul's Letters (Cascade, 2022), First and Second Thessalonians (Baker, 2021); Reading 1 Corinthians (Smyth & Helwys, 2020); 1 Corinthians: A Handbook on the Greek Text. 2 Vols (Baylor, 2016), and Corinthian Wisdom, Stoic Philosophy, and the Ancient Economy (Cambridge University Press, 2014). Give: Visit our Donate Page if you would like to support OnScript’s work.

Episode: Artists and Christ followers walk a similar path, as those who discern the truth about the world. The artistic gift of intuitive discernment, of expressing reality with clarity and soul, relates to the Christian gospel. In this syndicated episode of the Blue Note Theology podcast, Mark explores a woven kinship between artists and Christ followers while playing the grand piano. Guest Host: For more about Mark, his podcast, speaking, and writing, visit his site – https://www.markglanville.org. Check out Blue Note Theology Check out our episode with Makoto Fujimura  

Episode: In this episode we welcome back Fr John Behr! Long-time listeners will be familiar with Fr John's delightful live two-part episode on Origen of Alexandria (Part 1 & Part 2).  In this episode co-host Amy Hughes speaks with Fr John about his new translation of Gregory of Nyssa's On the Human Image of God (aka On the Making of Humanity). The conversation ranges from discussing what it's like to work on a translation to nerding out about Gregory - for this we will not apologize! This work is the first theological anthropology where Gregory muses on the mundane (yet fascinating) like, why do humans sleep or yawn or eat. He also considers big questions about the image of God, evil, the resurrection, the body, etc. Fr Behr's translation centers this wonderful text again with its uncanny relevance for current questions and delightfully weird diversions. Guest: Fr. John Behr was appointed to the Regius Chair in Humanity at the University of Aberdeen in the summer of 2020, having taught at St Vladimir’s Seminary since 1995, serving there as Dean from 2007–17. His early work was on asceticism and anthropology, focusing on St Irenaeus of Lyons and Clement of Alexandria (OUP 2000). He is currently writing a series of books on “The Formation of Christian Theology”, two volumes of which have already appeared: vol. 1, The Way to Nicaea (SVS Press 2001) and vol. 2 The Nicene Faith (SVS Press 2003). On the basis of these two volumes, he published a synthetic work, The Mystery of Christ: Life in Death (SVS 2006). This was followed by an edition and translation of the fragments of Diodore of Tarsus and Theodore of Mopsuestia, setting them in their historical and theological context (OUP 2011). More recently he published a more poetic and meditative work entitled Becoming Human: Theological Anthropology in Word and Image (SVS Press, 2013) and a full study of St Irenaeus: St Irenaeus of Lyons: Identifying Christianity (OUP, 2013). He also completed a new critical edition and translation of Origen’s On First Principles, together with an extensive introduction, for OUP (2017), and John the Theologian and His Paschal Gospel: A Prologue to Theology (OUP 2019). Most recently, he published a new translation of Gregory of Nyssa's On the Human Image of God (aka On the Making of Humanity). (adapted from the University of Aberdeen website). Give: Visit our Donate Page if you would like to support OnScript’s work.

Episode: We're sharing another great podcast with you this week that we hope you'll enjoy. Blue Note Theology is hosted by Mark Glanville (visit HERE). This may be the only podcast in the world hosted from a grand piano! The Blue Note Theology podcast offers a fresh vision for the church in post-Christian neighbourhoods. Blue notes in jazz and blues music create tension and some of the deepest creativity is found in that space. Mark Glanville, a professional jazz musician, theologian, and author, interviews guests to imagine fresh expressions of Christian community. In this episode that we're sharing, Mark unfolds a vision for leadership in post-Christian church communities. His guest is Wynston Minckler, a top acoustic bass player. Mark and Wynston show how jazz bands are “leader-full” communities, offering a fresh and exciting pathway for church leadership. Join in, and hear what is sounds like when jazz musicians play like a bunch of alpha leaders! Host: For more about Mark, his podcast, speaking, and writing, visit his site - https://www.markglanville.org.      

In this episode, co-host Amy Hughes talks with Daniela Augustine about her book The Spirit of the Common Good: Shared Flourishing in the Image of God. Her work is a perfect example of theology helping us parse large, complex, and weighty issues with high stakes: How do we engage with violence in our world? How do we live with one another as neighbors when terrible things divide us? How do we move forward together in the Spirit as a Christian community in a broken and war-torn world? Augustine's books that show what theology – and specifically Pneumatology – is capable of. Guest: Dr. Daniela C. Augustine is Reader in World Christianity and Pentecostal Studies at the University of Birmingham (UK). She is editor with C.E.W. Green of The Politics of the Spirit: Pentecostal Reflections on Public Responsibility and the Common Good (Seymour Press, 2023), and is the author of The Spirit and the Common Good: Shared Flourishing in the Image of God (Eerdmans, 2019). Her research and publications are in the fields of theological ethics and public theology, focusing through pneumatological, anthropological and ecclesiological lenses on the subjects of social transformation, theology of economics, religion and culture, and eco-theology. Her work also engages Eastern Orthodox theology (with particular interest in Orthodox liturgical and sacramental theology), Pentecostal theology, and ecumenical studies in World Christianity, as well as continental philosophy (especially the thought of Jacques Derrida and Emmanuel Levinas). Her current projects include: an investigation of the liturgical pneumatology of Alexander Schmemann conducted in conjunction with my habilitation work at the University of Heidelberg; and a research in spirituality of urban sustainability, focusing on the intersections of building communal trust, cultivation of social capital and achieving sustainable economic growth that promotes reverent consumption and ecological stewardship in pursuit of the common good. (from her Univ of Birmingham academic page). Give: Visit our Donate Page if you would like to support OnScript’s work.

Episode: Jesus did not claim to be God. That is the verdict delivered by the preponderance of historical Jesus scholarship. Meanwhile many scholars of early Christianity--including luminaries such as Larry Hurtado, Richard Bauckham, and N.T. Wright--have contended that the evidence overwhelming shows that Jesus was immediately worshipped as divine after his death. That is, they affirm an early high Christology. How can this disconnect be explained? Renowned scholar Brant Pitre makes a innovative case from history that the most reasonable explanation is that Jesus of Nazareth did indeed claim to be God within his own historical lifetime, but that his divine claims have been neglected by previous historical Jesus scholarship because they were advanced in a distinctively Jewish "riddling" way. Cohosted by Matt Bates. The Book: Brant Pitre, Jesus and Divine Christology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2024), was the recent recipient of Nijay Gupta's "Book of the Year" award. Did Jesus see himself as divine? Since the beginning of the quest for the historical Jesus, scholars have dismissed the idea that Jesus could have identified himself as God. Such high Christology is frequently depicted as an invention of the councils of Nicaea and Chalcedon, centuries later. Yet recent research has shown that the earliest Jewish followers of Jesus already regarded him as divine. Brant Pitre tackles this paradox in his bold new monograph. Pitre challenges this widespread assumption and makes a robust case that Jesus did consider himself divine. Carefully explicating the Gospels in the context of Second Temple Judaism, Pitre shows how Jesus used riddles, questions, and scriptural allusions to reveal the apocalyptic secret of his divinity. Moreover, Pitre explains how Jesus acts as if he is divine in both the Synoptics and the Gospel of John. Carefully weighing the historical evidence, Pitre argues that the origins of early high Christology can be traced to the historical Jesus’s words and actions. Jesus and Divine Christology sheds light on long-neglected yet key evidence that the historical Jesus saw himself as divine. Scholars and students of the New Testament—and anyone curious about the Jewish context of early Christianity—will find Pitre’s argument a necessary and provocative corrective to a critically underexamined topic. (Publisher’s description). Guest: Brant Pitre (PhD, University of Notre Dame) is Distinguished Research Professor of Scripture at The Augustine Institute in St Louis. Dr. Pitre is the author of numerous titles, including Jesus and the Last Supper (Eerdmans), as well as Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary (Image, 2018), Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist (Doubleday, 2011). He has also co-authored, along with Michael Barber and John Kincaid, Paul: A New Covenant Jew (Eerdmans).. OnScript’s Review: “Finally! By showing from history that Jesus made divine claims about himself, Brant Pitre has compelled the prodigal quest for the historical Jesus to return home. This book should be received with open arms, because it is both necessary and convincing.” —Matthew W. Bates, author of The Birth of the Trinity; professor of New Testament, Northern Seminary. Give: Visit our Donate Page if you would like to support OnScript’s work.

Episode: In this episode, Chris Tilling interviews Crispin Fletcher-Louis about his new book, The Divine Heartset: Paul’s Philippians Christ Hymn, Metaphysical Affections, and Civic Virtues (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2023). This work combines keen theological insight with rigorous scholarship to explore one of the most significant questions in Christian theology—the identity of Jesus Christ. Fletcher-Louis takes us on a remarkable journey through Paul’s Christ Hymn in Philippians 2:6–11, engaging with both Greco-Roman literature and Second Temple Jewish texts to craft an entirely new reading of this key text. The book is large, but surprisingly accessible—not to mention daring, filled with one original insight after another. In our conversation, we delve into Crispin’s background, from his studies at Oxford during the heady days of E. P. Sanders, N. T. Wright, and Rowan Williams, to his teaching roles at Durham, King’s College London, and Nottingham, and his founding of Westminster Theological Centre. Now focused almost entirely on research and writing, Crispin is at the cutting edge of discussions relating to early Christology. We discuss why Philippians 2:6–11 became a thousand-page exploration, the wider textual frame of the letter, and Crispin’s navigation of Paul as a Jewish thinker within the broader Mediterranean world. Topics include Christ as a divine shape-shifter, the metaphysical implications of to einai isa theō, Paul’s innovative reworking of Greco-Roman concepts of divinity and virtue, and much more besides. Crispin’s book has a dedicated website: www.divineheartset.com. There you can buy a digital copy, find reviews and additional resources, including links to videos in which Crispin summarises the book by chapter and section.  Guest: Dr. Crispin Fletcher-Louis completed his doctoral work on angels in Luke and Acts and has taught at Durham, King’s College London, and Nottingham. As the founder of Westminster Theological Centre and a postgraduate supervisor at the University of Gloucestershire, Crispin has spent decades researching and writing early Christology, publishing numerous important books and essays. Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to join the big leagues and become a regular donor.