Bible Backgrounds: Recent Episodes
Defenders Media
Prolific New Testament scholar Craig Keener shares his knowledge of the Scriptures and his heart for sharing the Gospel.
In this final episode, Dr. Keener works through a variety of questions from Dr. Jaros on the Asbury College revival, Jesus' expectations of the timing of his return in Mark 13, Paul's advice to be single in 1 Corinthians 7, and finally which Church Fathers Dr. Keener appreciates most.
To purchase Dr. Keener's courses on Logos: http://www.logos.com/craig-keener
In this episode, Dr. Keener works through practical applications of transformed thinking in the context of ministry especially when dealing with conflict, counseling, and developing fellow Christian's worldview.
Then Dr. Keener takes up THREE questions from online about which bible translation(s) he recommends, the reliability of the New Testament's witness to Christ, and a fun question about nicknames Dr. Keener has had!
To purchase Dr. Keener's courses on Logos: http://www.logos.com/craig-keener
In this episode, Dr. Keener works through Colossians 3 and the ideas of setting our minds on heavenly things, putting to death the old ways, and putting on a new way of life in Christ. Dr. Keener draws on both Jewish and Greco-Roman concepts to give historic depth to these ideas.
Then Dr. Keener takes up a question from online about what it looks like practically to begin to live in the Kingdom today.
To purchase Dr. Keener's courses on Logos: http://www.logos.com/craig-keener
In this episode, Dr. Keener works through Philippians addressing the difference between Christian joy and the ancient idea of Eudemonia or the good life. He also addresses the role of prayer in worry and how thinking with the mind of Christ can impact the trajectory of our lives before finally addressing what it means that we are citizens of heaven.
Then Dr. Keener takes up a question from online about why God allowed the serpent in the garden in the first place.
To purchase Dr. Keener's courses on Logos: http://www.logos.com/craig-keener
In this episode, Dr. Keener addresses the question: "How do we understand the Spirit's role in revealing the wisdom of the cross?" reflecting on 1 Corinthians 2. Dr. Keener also discusses the different ancient ideas of becoming or participating in the divine, highlighting the major differences of the Christian perspective.
Then Dr. Keener takes up a question from online about the healing offered through Christ in Matthew 8:17 (and Isaiah 53): "This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases."
To purchase Dr. Keener's courses on Logos: http://www.logos.com/craig-keener
In this Episode Dr. Keener continues to explore the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. He tackles the subject of the wisdom of the age verses the wisdom "not of this age" which the Spirit offers those of us in Christ. And as always, Dr. Keener addresses different ideas the early philosophers had contrasted with the ideas of Paul.
Then Dr. Keener addresses a question submitted online about how Paul engaged the Epicurean and Stoics addressed by Paul in Acts 17.
To purchase Dr. Keener's courses on Logos: http://www.logos.com/craig-keener
In this Episode Dr. Keener explores the question of what Paul means when in Romans 12 he says we ought to offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and please to God. He addresses some translation issues in this passage, and explores how the cultural and biblical background give some understanding to what it means to have a transformed or renewed mind.
Finally, Dr. Keener shares his thoughts on Dr. Michael Heiser's work regarding the Divine Counsel in response to a user submitted question online.
To purchase Dr. Keener's courses on Logos: http://www.logos.com/craig-keener
In this Episode Dr. Keener moves on from Romans 7 to explore what it means for a person to be lead and filled with the Holy Spirit. What is the "mind of the Spirit" and how is it different from the "mind of the flesh?" Drawing from the rest of the biblical text and Paul's cultural context, Dr. Keener draws further understanding from this incredible passage.
Finally, Dr. Keener and host Dr. Kurt Jaros take a question about how we are to handle Genesis 1 & 2 - are they polemical or literal and how does Dr. Keener square his understanding of those texts with Jesus and Paul's use of them?
To purchase Dr. Keener's courses on Logos: http://www.logos.com/craig-keener
In this Episode Dr. Keener explores how understanding Paul's Christian, Greco-Roman, and faithful Jewish background sheds light on how we should think of Romans 7 drawing insights from each historical context.
Dr. Keener then takes on a fascinating question dealing with the question of salvation for those faithful Jews living around the time of Jesus who simply hadn't heard the gospel message yet. What became of those people in eternity?
To purchase Dr. Keener's courses on Logos: http://www.logos.com/craig-keener
In this Episode Dr. Keener takes on the question of how are we to understand Romans 7? How is Paul speaking about being alive apart from the law? What does this mean? How does the cultural background play into Paul's statements?
Dr. Keener also tackles a submitted question, "Did Jesus use the Septuagint? What about the Gospel writers?"
To purchase Dr. Keener's courses on Logos: http://www.logos.com/craig-keener
In this episode Dr. Keener takes on questions like: What is the mind of faith? What does it mean to have unity or union in Christ? What does it mean to be dead to sin and alive in Christ? And what insights can we gain from the beliefs and practices from antiquity?
Dr. Keener also takes a question about how those of us who are more informed about subjects can benefit in settings where maybe a study or point of view is flawed.
To purchase Dr. Keener's courses on Logos: http://www.logos.com/craig-keener
In this episode Dr. Keener works through the problem set out in the New Testament. What is wrong with us, what is our corrupted mind and what can be done about it and what can we learn from the background context to Paul's writing on the fallen man? We must first understand the problem as the New Testament sees it before we can begin to understand the solution.
To purchase Dr. Keener's courses on Logos: http://www.logos.com/craig-keener
Season 2 is HERE! Dr. Craig Keener sits down again with Dr. Kurt Jaros to discuss "The Mind of the Spirit," Dr. Keener's 2016 work on Paul's theme of thinking and the mind - an area underserved by modern scholarship.
To purchase Dr. Keener's courses on Logos: http://www.logos.com/craig-keener
On the final episode of this season of Bible Backgrounds, Dr. Craig Keener goes deep into the context of multiple New Testament passages that "quote" the Old Testament. Dr. Keener brings alive the OT allusions that appear in Matthew, Galatians and elsewhere, providing needed context and background to those works.
0:00 Intro
0:22 Quoting the OT out of context
3:30 Matthew’s use of Isaiah 7
9:55 Jesus’ quoting scripture in the wilderness
11:37 Matthew connecting Israel and Jesus
15:19 Galatians 4 and Paul
18:19 “Don’t muzzle an ox”
20:15 Modern-day bandwidth for applying new meaning to old text
26:45 Outro
Dr. Craig Keener answers listener questions in this episode. Dr. Keener offers lots of heartfelt responses to tricky theological passages as well as more personal inquiries. From the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira to the authorship of Hebrews, Dr. Keener leaves no proverbial stone unturned!
0:00 Intro
0:42 What are your devotion habits?
3:43 Do the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira have to be read literally or figuratively?
6:40 What is your view on atonement theology?
10:31 Christus Victor Model
13:30 Isaiah 9:6 | If the scripture is fulfilled in Jesus, why is he called “Eternal Father?”
17:40 Anti-Semitism amongst some theologians?
23:32 Who wrote the book of Hebrews?
25:11 Outro
Host Dr. Kurt Jaros begins today's discussion by asking for Dr. Craig Keener's take on the controversial Christian debate: Calvinism or Arminianism? In analyzing that question, Dr. Keener turns his gaze to the extremes (hyper-Calvinism and hyper-Arminianism) first, and then begins to look at the semantics of terms like "election" and "God's sovereignty". Specific Biblical passages, such as Romans 9, 11, and Ephesians 1 are all reviewed as Dr. Keener and Dr. Jaros grapple with the apostle Paul's context for writing about election and predestination (which takes Dr. Keener into brief discussions about dispensationalism and covenant theology).
Calvinism #Arminianism #Election
0:00 Intro
0:22 Introduction to Calvinism VS Arminianism
6:03 Dr. Keener’s View
9:05 The Word “Election”
11:45 Romans 11: All of Israel will be Saved
14:42 Ephesians 1: Predestination
22:06 Dr. Jaros’s View
23:18 Outro
Did the New Testament writers think that Jesus was coming back in their generation? If Paul believed that, is that what predominantly influenced his views on singleness and marriage? How should we understand Paul's writing on the topic in our modern context?
After discussing marriage, the discussion between Dr. Kurt Jaros and Dr. Craig Keener turns to the difficult topic of divorce? What's Dr. Keener's perspective on this matter? Listen and find out!
Dr. Keener explains his rationale for when he believes the Gospels were written. That explanation has much to do with the destruction in 70 AD, and so the conversation naturally flows into a conversation about the significance of the destruction and the role it plays in our eschatology. When will Jesus return? Dr. Keener assures us the answer is "soon"... but soon can be a very subjective term!
0:00 Intro
0:55 Dating of Mark & Matthew
6:18 Dating of Luke
10:03 The Temple’s Destruction
12:27 The Ending of Luke
13:14 Mark 13:30 and the Second Coming
14:51 Revelation: “I am coming soon”
23:00 Outro
In this episode of Bible Backgrounds, Dr. Keener examines the Christological views of the four Gospel writers. He answers specific questions about the language used by John and Mark, and whether or not they put words in Jesus' mouth. Dr. Keener then investigates the Gospels in light of other ancient biographical writings.
0:00 Intro
0:54 Criteria of Authenticity
1:55 Limitations of Some of the Criteria
4:47 Abuse of Dissimilarity
6:48 John: The Voice or the Words of Jesus?
14:13 Mark’s Christological View
20:46 The Historical Reliability of Ancient Bibliography
23:08 The Spectrum of the Gospels’ Historicity
29:15 A Note on Dr. Keener’s “Followers”
30:23 Outro
There are a variety of methodologies and schools of thought for examining history, ancient manuscripts, and the person of Jesus. Dr. Keener outlines many of these views and also dives into development of ancient biography.
0:00 Intro
0:33 Scholarly Conversation on Jesus of History VS the Christ of Faith
1:58 Different Perspective on Looking at History
10:03 Dispositions to New Manuscripts
11:22 Different Gospels
14:00 Form Criticism
17:37 The Development of Biography
21:03 Outro
Dr. Craig Keener shares with Dr. Kurt Jaros some of his memories from sharing the Gospel with others - including some of his most memorable ministry companions, times the Spirit led him to share with people in ways he didn't fully understand, and even occasions where he was beaten for sharing his faith. Tune in!
Dr. Craig Keener tells part of his story falling in love on campus with one of his sisters in Christ. It's a story involving a ton of miscommunication, misconceptions, and even misfortune with entire continents between them.
Dr. Craig Keener sits down with Dr. Kurt Jaros and discusses the concepts and professors he was interacting with in his early academic years at Duke University; including the nature of ancient biographies, existentialism, and apologetics. And does a specific friendship Dr. Keener had at school show signs of blossoming into romance? Find out!
0:00 Intro
0:51 Courses at Duke University
3:00 E.P. Sanders
4:10 Orville Wintermute
5:36 Butting Heads with Dan Via
8:44 Existentialism and Miracles
14:04 Humble Dialogue
15:10 Apologetics at Duke
19:31 Proto-Romance at Duke
22:59 Outro
Who is Craig Keener?
How does a new convert to Christianity become one of the most prolific New Testament scholars today? Dr. Kurt Jaros sits down with Dr. Craig Keener to track his journey. Dr. Keener describes his desire early on to cram the Bible and catch up with his peers. It also led him to discover his need to know the background of the Bible and share that knowledge with others.
How many index cards did it take for Dr. Keener to complete his doctorate?
100,000.
0:00 Intro
1:01 Cramming Christianity
4:55 The Road to College
9:06 The Need for a Bible Background
14:52 Studying the Background of Ancient Judaism
16:22 Calling the Church back to the Scriptures
17:25 Index for the Commentary
19:15 ADHD
20:20 Scripture: The way God gave it to us
22:46 Outro
Who is Craig Keener?
In this inaugural episode of Bible Backgrounds, host Dr. Kurt Jaros sits down with Dr. Craig Keener to hear his testimony. Dr. Keener began his spiritual journey as an avid atheist who found himself confounded by the writings of Plato? How did Plato and a street evangelist who believed that dinosaurs were a scheme of the devil lead to Dr. Keener's heart opening to God? Listen and find out for yourself!
0:00 Intro
1:04 Upbringing
3:48 Dr. Keener and Plato
6:20 Dr. Keener considers the Possibility of God
8:45 Dr. Keener has Christ Shared with Him
14:18 Feeling God’s Presence
17:00 Beginning in Christ
23:33 Outro