The Biblical Unitarian Podcast

Was the significance of Jesus' humanity under attack by the opponents in 1 John? This episode looks at the arguments of two prominent scholars who make this case. We first look at Raymond Brown, who proposes a high christology that didn't value very much the assumed humanity of Jesus. We also hear the reconstruction of Urban Von Wahlde, who suggests that the opponents ignored the importance of the...

Is 1 John written to combat the heresies of Cerinthus, the heretic of the late first century CE? This week's episode examines the arguments in favor of 1 John being written against Cerinthus and his followers--those who taught that the human Jesus was a different person from the divine Christ who descended upon Jesus as his baptism, only to separate from him right before his death. After hearing t...

Are the opponents of 1 John docetic Christians, namely, those who taught that Jesus only seemed to be a human being who suffered and died? This week's episode looks at the evidence in favor of identifying the opponents in 1 John as docetists. After defining the term and reading several examples of what believers in docetism taught, we listen to the critiques that some scholars have brought forth a...

Were the secessionists in 1 John Gnostics? This episode looks at the arguments in favor of identifying the opponents in 1 John as adherents to Gnosticism. We also look at the arguments against identifying the opponents as Gnostics. In the end, you the listener can decide which side gives the most persuasive case. Please consider supporting this Podcast and future projects by donating at: https://w...

What is the identity of the opponents mentioned in 1 John? Answer: we are not entirely sure. This week's episode introduces 1 John and the ways in which the author corrects the christology of the opponents. We discuss the three passages that scholars have pointed to in their attempts to determine the identity and beliefs of the opponents. We also briefly sketch out the various proposals for who th...

What is Gnosticism and who were the Gnostic Christians? While some listeners might have a vague idea of what beliefs define Gnostics, this episode dives deep into the problems with attempts to summarize their teachings. We focus on Ptolemy (student of Valentinus), Justin the Gnostic, and the Apocryphon of John. We also offer some alternative ways to characterize these varied Christian sects. Pleas...

Could human beings in Judaism and early Christianity say the phrase "I am he" and mean something other than "I am Yahweh, the only true God of Israel?" This episode explores ten human figures who said, in various languages, "I am he." In each instance, it is clear and self-evident that these speakers were making ordinary, casual, self-referential claims. Furthermore, there is no indication that ot...

This episode examines the meaning of the phrase "I am He" (Greek: "ego eimi") in John chapters 9-21. Within these five instances, four belong to Jesus and one belongs to a blind beggar, which brings some nuance to our study. Is the person who says "I am He" claiming to be the only true God within the Gospel of John? Or are there better answers based on the available evidence and context? This week...

In John chapter 8, Jesus makes the claim "I am He" four times, with the final claim resulting in the Jews attempting to stone him to death. This week's episode will closely examine the dialogue between Jesus and the Jews in order to better understand what he meant by the claim "I am He" (Greek: ego eimi). Is Jesus claiming in this chapter to be Yahweh, the only true God, or is he claiming to be Go...

This week's episode begins looking through all the occurrences of "ego eimi" ("I am He") within the Fourth Gospel, the Gospel according to John. After noting how the narrative regularly distinguishes God and Jesus as two separate beings, we examine the first four instances of "ego eimi," two of which are uttered by John the Baptist and two by Jesus himself. The results indicate that Jesus was not...

In this week's episode, we explore every single occurrence of the phrase "I am he" (Greek: "ego eimi") in the Gospel of Luke in order to see if any of the speakers who utter the phrase are making a claim to be Yahweh, the God of Israel. We also explore the many ways in which the Lukan Jesus is distinguished from God in ways that never suggest that the two figures have collapsed into a single being...

This week's episode examines all the instances of people saying "I am He" in the Gospel according to Matthew. We note that Jesus makes this self-declaration (Greek: "ego eimi") twice and each of his disciples also utters the phrase. Do those who say "I am He" mean that they are identifying as Yahweh, the God of Israel? Or is the claim a casual, self-reference that has nothing to do with what God m...

This week's episode examines all the occurrences within the Gospel of Mark where Jesus says "I am he" (Greek: "ego eimi"). We begin by examining whether the narrator distinguishes God and Jesus or whether the two are collapsed into a single being. From there, we set each of the instances where the Markan Jesus declares "I am he" in its context in order to see whether he is claiming to be Yahweh, t...

What did Jews think of the phrase “I am he” and how was it used in normal, everyday life? This episode lays out the context for upcoming studies of the four NT Gospels by exploring how the phrase “I am he” was understood, both as a self-declaration of Yahweh to be the only true God and as an increasingly casual self-designation in dialogues between learned Jewish rabbis. Please consider supporting...

As we continue our study of Yahweh's famous self-declaration "I am He," we turn to examine the phrase in the Book of Isaiah. This episode will look closely at eight Isaiah passages to better understand what Yahweh means when he repeatedly claims to be "I am He." We also look at how the Jews rendered these Isaiah passages into the Greek of the LXX in order to learn from their translation choices an...

What does Yahweh mean when he claims the self-designation "I am he" within the Hebrew Bible? This episode begins a series that aims to explore what the phrase "I am he" means on the lips of Yahweh in order that we might better make sense of what Jesus means when he makes a similar declaration. We examine the first-person reference ("I am he") as well as evidence for the second-person designation (...

In Revelation 1:4-5, we encounter our last attempt at the supposedly-biblical Triune God being referenced in the Bible. However, there is a problem with the designation "seven spirits who are before his throne." While some interpreters desperately argue that this is actually a reference to the Holy Spirit, the evidence suggests that these are seven angels. We examine the Book of Revelation anyways...

Within the small Epistle of Jude, there exists another triadic passage (Jude 1:20-21). However, this passage actually speaks about God, Jesus, and the Spirit--not quite the definition of the triune God eager interpreters often seek. This episode explores what Jude had to say about God, Jesus, and the Spirit. We even briefly touch on the controversial verses like 1:4 and 1:5.   Please consider supp...

The opening sentence of 1 Peter mentions the Father, Son, and Spirit together. Is this an implicit declaration of the doctrine of the Trinity or is the Father the God of Jesus? This week's episode explores this triadic statement by placing it in its context to determine what 1 Peter has to say about God, Jesus, and the Spirit. We observe that the Father alone is God, Jesus is the highly exalted hu...

Hebrews 9:14 contains another triadic reference to God, Jesus, and the Spirit. Is this evidence of the doctrine of the Trinity? We examine this passage and observe that it actually speaks about Jesus offering himself to the one true God in sacrificial terms, mediated by God's Spirit. We also explore how this triadic passage fit within the theology of the Book of Hebrews as a whole.  Please conside...

In this week's episode, we explore the prayer language in Ephesians involving the Father, Son, and Spirit. Is this prayer a subtle reference to the triune God or is the God addressed here the Father alone--the God of Jesus? We explore Ephesians and discover that the latter option is true.  Please consider supporting this Podcast and future projects by donating at: https://www.paypal.me/10mintrutht...

In this week's episode, we explore what Paul means in the triadic mention of God, the Son, and the Spirit in Gal. 4:4-6. Is this a reference to the triune God or is Paul reaffirming his Jewish monotheistic stance? We strive to set Gal. 4:4-6 within the context of the Letter to the Galatians in order to responsibly and charitably interpret what Paul meant for his original readers to understand with...

This week's episode explores the triad present in the final verse of 2 Corinthians. Since the triad does not fit the Trinity's own definition of God and the three persons, we explore what Paul has to say about God, Jesus, and the Spirit throughout the epistle in order to set the final verse responsibly in its overall context.  Please consider supporting this Podcast and future projects by donating...

Our study of the triad passages within the New Testament leads us to 1 Cor. 12:4-6, where the Apostle Paul speaks of the same Spirit, the same Lord, and the same God. While some eager interpreters jump on this reference and claim that Paul was teaching the Trinity to the Corinthians, this episode argues that the meaning of the passage is far more nuanced. Paul instead clearly indicates that God is...

As we continue to explore the various "triads" in the New Testament, we come across Romans 15:30 in this week's episode. What does Paul mean with this call to prayer involving God, Jesus, and the Spirit? Is Paul teaching that the Romans should pray to the Triune God or is there something else going on here? This episode explores this triad and aims to set it in its context within the Book of Roman...