Theology Unpacked
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Designed for RE teachers and open to all listeners, to explore and navigate Christian theology within the new RE curriculum directory for Catholic Schools, Academies and Colleges in England and Wales.
A podcast by Heythrop Institute in collaboration with London Jesuit Centre, hosted by Dr John Moffatt SJ.
A podcast by Heythrop Institute in collaboration with London Jesuit Centre, hosted by Dr John Moffatt SJ.
69 Episodes
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In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ follows the story to Jesus’ first trial before the high priest and the council, comparing how each Gospel narrates this moment and drawing out the theological importance of the judgment theme. Mark and Matthew present an informal trial focused on Jesus’ identity, Luke reshapes the scene to emphasise political motives, and John offers a uniquely fragmented account in which Jesus’ claims have already provoked judgment long before the hearing. Across all four versions, Jesus’ self-revelation in a moment of utter vulnerability becomes the catalyst for condemnation, while the leaders frame him as a political threat to be handed over to Rome.📧 Follow us on Substack📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ shows how all four Gospels share the same basic sequence of Jesus’ agony, betrayal and arrest, yet each narrates the garden scene with a distinct theological emphasis. Mark highlights Jesus’ fear and humanity, John presents him as taking divine initiative, Luke underscores healing and cosmic conflict, and Matthew (though less discussed) frames the moment through fulfilment of Scripture and obedient surrender. These approaches, along with shared details such as cutting of the servant’s ear and Mark’s detail of a fleeing young man, offer complementary perspectives on Jesus’ anguish, agency and mission in the garden and at his arrest.📧 Follow us on Substack📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ reflects on what the Eucharist may have meant to early Christians by beginning with Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians and then tracing Eucharistic themes across all four Gospels. It shows that the Last Supper was understood not only as a memorial of Jesus’ saving action but also as a sign of intimate union with him, expressed through themes of service, unity, and imitation, especially in John’s symbolic actions and dialogues.The post-resurrection dialogue between Jesus with Peter brings these themes to a climax, revealing the Eucharist as both the presence of the risen Christ and a call to live and love as he did in the world.📧 Follow us on Substack📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explores how the Gospel accounts structure the Last Supper within the themes of covenant, sacrifice and divine love, while also allowing for a comparative look at the three synoptic accounts and their shared institution of the Eucharist. It shows how Jesus’ actions and words are rooted in Passover, the covenant at Sinai and the prophetic promises of a renewed covenant written on transformed hearts.While Mark, Matthew and Luke each offer distinct emphases, they collectively reveal Jesus as the Passover lamb, the suffering servant and the mediator of the new covenant. John, reinforces the call to humble love.📧 Follow us on Substack📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explores how the synoptic writers narrate Jesus’ prophetic judgment speech over the Temple and the city of Jerusalem, each offering a slightly different perspective on the end time, and then places John’s Gospel in dialogue with them.While the synoptics emphasise dramatic prophecies about the Temple’s destruction and cosmic upheaval, John relocates the centre of judgment to the present response to Jesus so that he becomes the true Temple and the decisive locus of God’s saving presence, especially in the crucifixion.📧 Follow us on Substack📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ examines Jesus’ final prophetic discourse over the Temple and Jerusalem, showing how the synoptic Gospels narrate this moment differently and offer distinct perspectives on the end time: Mark emphasises imminent judgment and hope for persecuted believers, Matthew shifts the focus to long-term vigilance and compassionate action through parables such as the bridesmaids, talents, and Last Judgment, while Luke situates the prophecy more clearly after the fall of Jerusalem, highlighting historical fulfilment and ongoing faithfulness in a world where judgment has already begun to unfold.These accounts portray Jesus as prophet and Messiah announcing both historical and cosmic judgment, providing an apocalyptic backdrop to the Passion and shaping later Christian understandings of Salvation.📧 Follow us on Substack📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ moves into Jesus’ final week in Jerusalem through the synoptic Gospels, Mark, Matthew, and Luke, each shaping the narrative with distinct emphases.He centres on Jesus’ confrontations with the religious leaders in the Temple, where his teaching and authority provoke mounting tension and reveal divine judgment at work. The episode culminates with the widow’s offering, a symbol of total faithfulness that foreshadows Jesus’ own self-giving sacrifice.📧 Follow us on Substack📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ traces ideas of sin and atonement in the Jewish tradition that lie behind much of Christian language, such as the Jewish Day of Atonement with the Christian seasons of Lent and Easter, where Ash Wednesday and Good Friday recall collective repentance and Christ’s sacrifice carrying the sins of the world into the wilderness.He also reflects on the first Christian ascetics, the desert fathers, whose retreat into the wilderness embodied Lent’s call to repentance and renewal, seeing the desert not as punishment but as the place to encounter God.📧 Follow us on Substack📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explores ancient reflections on cosmic justice, reward, and punishment across Greek, Hindu, and Jewish traditions, showing how different cultures grappled with the suffering of the righteous. The stories of Plato’s philosopher, Arjuna’s divine duty, and Job’s trials reveal a shared search for meaning and vindication through encounter with the divine. These ideas provide the cultural and spiritual background for the Christian vision of salvation, where the just one is ultimately vindicated through Christ’s suffering and resurrection.📧 Follow us on Substack📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
In this final episode of the "Galilee to Jerusalem" series of the “Theology Unpacked” podcast, Dr John Moffatt SJ looks at the theme of miracles, a challenge for many people shaped by today’s scientific way of thinking.He suggests that instead of seeing miracles as impossible events, we can understand them as signs of God at work in people’s lives. The Gospel stories then become invitations to notice where we too might experience God’s presence in our own lives.📧 Follow us on Substack📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ revisits how the Gospels and Paul’s letters, shaped by Jewish scripture and tradition, formed early Christian understandings of Jesus as both divine and human, laying the groundwork for later doctrines of the Trinity and Christ’s dual nature.He highlights the range of early interpretations—from those that denied Jesus’ divinity to Gnostic views that rejected his humanity—and notes that debates about Christ’s nature and meaning continue to shape Christian theology today.📧 Follow us on Substack🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit Centre📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop LibraryIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explores the different layers of text articulating expectations for those who commit to a Christian way of life, and the different models present in early Christianity itself.In time, the mark of true Christian ethics emphasis on character, intention, and the transformative power of grace over mere rule-following. 📧 Follow us on Substack📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explores key dialogues of Jesus’ encounter with Nathanael, the Jerusalem witnesses, Nicodemus, and the Samaritan woman that guide both the characters and the reader toward deeper insight into who Jesus truly is. Through symbolic language and spiritual metaphors, the Gospel of John moves its audience from surface-level misunderstandings to a transformative recognition of Jesus as Messiah and Saviour of the world. These encounters reveal that true understanding comes through faith, not literal interpretation, and invite all people into a new way of seeing and worshipping.📧 Follow us on Substack📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ outlines how John’s Gospel differs from the others by presenting Jesus’ divine identity from the very beginning and shaping the narrative around festivals, signs, places, dialogues, and meditations that all reveal him as the Son of God.Temple rituals, geography, and miracle “signs” are reinterpreted as symbols fulfilled in Jesus, while intimate dialogues and meditations invite the reader into deeper recognition and belief. The story builds toward the Passion, where unique features like the foot-washing and extended Last Supper teachings turn the Gospel into a sacred drama of revelation and glory.📧 Sign up for regular updates, including follow-up study days!📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explores how John’s Gospel differs from the Synoptics in its structure, layered composition, and extended dialogues, highlighting traditional identifications of its author with John the Apostle and his community. It presents a developed theology of Jesus as the eternal Word and Wisdom of God, drawing on Jewish scripture and Greek philosophy to portray him as both cosmic and historical. Together with John’s letters, the Gospel affirms Jesus’ full divinity and humanity, showing how authentic accounts of him arose through the Spirit’s action in scripture, community, and tradition.📧 Sign up for regular updates, including follow-up study days!📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explores how Luke shapes his Gospel in a unique way, adding stories and details that bring extra depth to Jesus’ life and teaching. Compared to Matthew and Mark, Luke focuses more on real-life encounters, a broader view of history, and the world Jesus lived in. He also offers a more balanced view of the Pharisees and highlights how powerful leaders played a role in Jesus’ death, helping us see the Gospel as rooted in Jewish tradition but reaching out to all of humanity.📧 Sign up for regular updates, including follow-up study days!📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ presents the Gospel of Luke presents a sophisticated narrative that subtly embeds prophetic references, highlighting the continuity of salvation history from the Tanach (Tanakh) to the Christian era. The Gospel of Luke emphasises the importance of the faithful 'people' who recognise God’s work in Jesus, contrasting them with resistant religious elites. Central themes include justice for the oppressed, the coming of God's kingdom, and a great reversal that uplifts the lowly.📧 Sign up for regular updates, including follow-up study days!📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explores how Matthew presents Jesus as the authoritative interpreter of the Tanach (Tanakh), offering the Sermon on the Mount as the foundation for a new, authentic way of living the covenant—centred on inner transformation, mercy, and righteousness.In a time of tension with emerging Jewish authorities after the destruction of the Temple, Jesus challenges the Pharisees while affirming the heart of the law. As judge at the end time, he calls his followers to serve the poor and live out God's will, promising his abiding presence in their community.📧 Sign up for regular updates, including follow-up study days!📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ highlights how Matthew presents Jesus as a wise teacher and fulfilment of the Torah, possibly reflecting Matthew’s self-understanding through the lens of Wisdom and Scripture. St Matthew structures Jesus’s teachings into 5 major collections and makes clear, unambiguous connections to the Tanach (Tanakh) to emphasise Jesus’s authority. His distinctive features of narrative style anticipate objections and reinforce Jesus’s role as the true interpreter of the law for a Jewish-Christian audience.📧 Sign up for regular updates, including follow-up study days!📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
In this “Theology Unpacked” episode, Dr John Moffatt SJ explores Matthew’s possible sources and key concerns. He highlights Matthew’s effort to bridge tensions between Jewish Christians and non-Christian Jews, especially through infancy narratives rich in prophetic symbolism. The Gospel of Matthew affirms the importance of Torah, yet its message remains intentionally ambiguous—upholding the law while reinterpreting it through the life and mission of Jesus.📧 Sign up for regular updates, including follow-up study days!📚 Explore the wide range of reading materials in the Heythrop Library🤓 Join online or in-person courses at the London Jesuit CentreIf you find our podcasts helpful, please consider donating to the London Jesuit Centre.
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