A Text without Contexts is Dumb!
This latest one is aimed at real beginners in biblical study and addresses why multiple contexts are important for reading/hearing texts, particularly the Bible.
View ArticleWhat is the Bible? (Part 1)
How do we picture Scripture? That is what is/are the (unconscious) models in our heads as we read and use the Bible? This ‘cast refers particularly to Gen 18:20ff. and Amos 7.
View ArticleBiblical Narrative: Fraught with Background: Genesis 24
Eric Auerbach’s famous quote about Biblical Narrative being “fraught with background” can sound puzzling. Here I’ll try to explain it with reference to some trivial but intriguing details in Genesis...
View ArticleBabbling about Babel: Gen 11:1-9: Part 1
Stephen suggested I do a ‘cast about the Babel story, so here it is… a first ‘cast about Babel. In this one I’ll begin with points of view and language. Since this will have to be a series we’ll follow...
View ArticleBabel 2: Gen 11 a straight up and down story
This podcast takes a second look at Babel, with a focus on the structure of the story, and its themes. It includes “homework” for which you should ideally have a photocopy of Genesis 11:1-9 (preferably...
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Typescenes and the book of Ruth
Typescene sounds like a typical technical term scholars use make Bible stories dull In this podcast I hope to show you it’s exactly the opposite and that by spending 5 minutes learning about typescenes...
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God the Midwife: a repost with new format
With mothers’ day coming up it seems a good time to reissue an old post, with a new format and somewhat cleaned up audio. I briefly remind you of some of the passages that picture God as a midwife. The...
View ArticleBridges in Biblical Narrative
Like soap-operas, and other serials, biblical narratives with several episodes often seek to bridge between two parts. These bridges are often verses that serve to link one episode to another. We’ll...
View ArticleWorking with what the Bible doesn’t say
In this post I’ll start looking at how we respond to the Bible’s silences, often there are questions we want to ask the Bible, which the Bible does not answer. What do we do then? Some of these...
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Biblical secrets of a long and happy marriage
Here’s what I would have said if they had asked me about the Bible! (Not 5 minutes but 6, but it is a big topic and here are the usual downloadable links
View ArticleBonhoeffer on Gen 3 – Conscience
Bonhoeffer has some hugely stimulating ideas in his discussion of the “fall” story in Genesis 3. Probably none are more stimulating, or easy to fail to grasp as his thought about “conscience” – at...
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Chance or Providence?
Often in biblical narrative things “just seem to happen”, rather like they do in our lives But are such “happenings” chance or divine providence at work? We’ll try to decide, using Gen 37:12ff. (read...
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