The Biblical Unitarian Podcast

Mark is able to tell us about his high Christology by using healing stories of Jesus. We first look at the exorcism of the daughter of the Syrophoenician woman, who offers worship to Jesus and calls him "Lord." We then look at the first of two two-stage healing stories to see how Mark frames miracles by involving multiple steps. Just as the first stage of healing was not enough to fully restore si...

This episode explores the Christology portrayed in Mark chapter six. We first look at Jesus' hometown rejection, where he outright claims to be a prophetic figure. Next, we examine Jesus' claim to be the shepherd of the sheep. Third, we ask about the Christological portrayal of Jesus when he miraculously divides the loaves and the fish. Lastly, we ask what sort of thing is Jesus saying when he spe...

As we continue to work through the high christological statements in the Gospel of Mark, we come across three fascinating stories. First, Jesus demonstrates authority over the wind and the seas, something regularly attributed to Yahweh. Second, Jesus receives worship from the demonized man. Lastly, Jesus calls himself "the Lord." This episode explores how these exalted things describing Jesus make...

As we continue our study in the Gospel of Mark to understand better the highest and most exalted things said of Jesus, we come across some interesting passages. Jesus claims to be the Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus also renames disciples and commissions them in ministry. Furthermore, Jesus redefines the family structure. And yet, Jesus performs all these feats while remaining a human being, a highly a...

Too often, interpreters interested in Christology gravitate to their favorite verses while ignoring passages used by their opponents. This episode begins a study that examines Mark's Gospel to wrestle with the most challenging things it has to say for the Biblical Unitarian position. We focus on the highest, most exalted claims of Jesus. The goal is to understand better and become more comfortable...

The hymn of worship in Revelation 19 is the only occurrence where the proper name of God, Yahweh, is brought forth into the New Testament within the phrase "Hallelujah." This episode explores this hymn to see what it says about Yahweh, his worshippers, and his righteous acts. We also examine the implications for monotheism as we look at how Yahweh is portrayed in this hymn.  Please consider suppor...

The hymn of worship in Revelation chapter 15 depicts the ideal readers as conquering persons combined with exodus imagery. We examine how worship serves as a means of faithful behavior and why the true God is praised as righteous, holy, and sovereign. Furthermore, we discuss how the Lord God's praise fits within a monotheistic context to gain a deeper understanding of what the early Christians tho...

The fifth worship hymn within the Book of Revelation celebrates the inauguration of God's kingdom and the authority of Jesus. Furthermore, the hymn praises the behavior of the faithful people of God in three specific ways. Since the people of God are thoroughly described in this hymn, it raises the question regarding the intended application of worship. Lastly, we examine the nature of monotheism...

At the return of Jesus to consummate the kingdom of God, a hymn breaks out within the narrative of the Book of Revelation. This episode examines the contents of the call-and-response hymn (in Rev. 11), exploring how it serves as praise within the context of suffering and how those praised in the hymn would have been understood within early Christian monotheism.  Please consider supporting this Pod...

This episode explores the call-and-response hymn in Revelation chapter 7. In doing so, we notice that Revelation's ideal readers are offering worship to both God and Jesus within a single hymn. We discuss the implications of worshipping the Lamb alongside the only true God and suggest that God's identity is not threatened within this worship practice. Please consider supporting this Podcast and fu...

In Revelation chapter 5, the ideal readers initiate a worship hymn to Jesus. In doing so, they detail the reasons for Jesus' worthiness, giving attentive readers a better understanding of why hymnic praise can (and should) be offered to a highly exalted human being. This episode explores the hymn offered to Jesus and encourages its listeners to become participants rather than mere readers. Please...

The Book of Revelation offers seven hymns that tell us much about the worship practices of the early church. This episode looks at Revelation's first hymn, located in chapter 4. The object is seated upon the throne, which is repeatedly expressed with singular pronouns and verbs. We also look at how the ideal readers of Revelation are invited to participate in this hymn through active worship pract...

In Revelation 19:13, Jesus is called "the word of God." Is this a reference to the Prologue of John's Gospel, where the Word is with God in the beginning? Or is the word of God a descriptive reference to Jesus' preaching of the gospel of the kingdom? This episode explores how the phrase "word of God" functions in the Book of Revelation, looking closely at Jesus as a faithful witness of the good ne...

The covenant is often portrayed as a marriage in both testaments of the Bible. While the Hebrew Bible regards Yahweh as the covenantal husband, the New Testament unambiguously insists that the husband is now Jesus, God's human agent. This episode explores how both testaments depict the marriage metaphor within the covenant relationship to discern the Christological implications of the husband/groo...

Biblical scholars and commentaries on the Book of Revelation often portray the three antagonists--the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet--loosely as the "unholy Trinity." The implication is that the unholy Trinity must be the evil counterpart to the "Holy Trinity." This episode explores these concepts and examines whether "trinity" is an appropriate term for the three antagonists. We also lo...

Revelation 12:1-6 depicts the cosmic struggle between the woman and the dragon. While modern readers are probably correct in interpreting these figures are the people of God and the devil, they often fail to note that this story is a retelling of an ancient mythic fable involving the woman Leto and the dragon Python. This episode explores the Leto Myth and compares it with its Christian retelling...

The Christology within the Book of Revelation portrays Jesus as both a lion and a lamb. This episode explores these images, asks about their messianic significance, and emphasizes the literary motif where the lamb further defines how Jesus conquered as a lion. The result is that Jesus is thoroughly regarded as a human ruler who descended from a long line of notable Israelite persons. Please consid...

As Jesus speaks to the Christian communities in Philadelphia and Laodicea, much can be gathered about the Christology presented in the Book of Revelation. Various titles insist that Jesus is a trustworthy and reliable speaker. Furthermore, Jesus differentiates himself from God, who is identified as Jesus' God and Jesus' Father. Moreover, we learn that God has shared his prerogatives of kingship an...

When Jesus reveals himself to the churches in Thyatira and Sardis, we learn a great deal about the Christology of the Book of Revelation. This episode explores how Jesus presents himself to these two Christian communities, paying special attention to how he frames his identity in light of the cities' histories and social contexts. Furthermore, we note that Jesus still has a God, the Father of Jesu...

The risen Jesus appeared to John of Patmos and instructed him to write what he saw to seven churches in Asia Minor. In these letters, Jesus communicates in ways that reveal much about who he is and his authority. This episode examines the first three letters to the seven churches in Revelation to uncover what we can learn about Jesus. We discover a Jesus that is most clearly understood within a hi...

In Revelation chapter 1, the exalted Jesus appears to John of Patmos. John offers readers many descriptions of Jesus that reveal much about his Christology. This episode examines seven of these characteristics from a Jewish theological perspective, a Roman imperial perspective, and a scriptural allusion perspective. We find that Jesus is a highly exalted and exceptionally authorized human being. ...

In this episode, we explore the implications of Jesus being described in terms that associate him with the Lord God. Our first test case examines the combined biblical citations of God being pierced and the Son of Man. The second test case seeks to understand the meaning of the title "Alpha and Omega," which is used by both the Lord God and Jesus. We conclude that Jesus Christ is regularly portray...

The Book of Revelation has much to say about Jesus Christ's person and identity. This episode introduces the Christology of Revelation by examining how Jesus is portrayed in the opening verses of the first chapter. We note that Revelation depicts Jesus as subordinate to God, distinguished from God, and faithful to God.  Buy Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John (paperback): https://a.co/d/iMFP9...

The Book of Revelation is known for its images and metaphors. This episode explores how Revelation reveals the person and identity of the true God. The most powerful image of God is that he is the one seated upon the throne. This image, which expresses the truth that God is in charge and he is ruling, is later employed within the narrative of Revelation to show that the exalted Jesus shares in God...

While the Hebrew concept called the "plural of majesty" described the one God with plural forms in order to heighten his excellence, what are we to make of plural forms used to describe individual human beings? This episode looks at instances in the Hebrew Bible where human individuals are portrayed with plural nouns, not unlike the plural of majesty examples. If plural forms can be used to descri...