The Biblical Unitarian Podcast

Several conservative Christians have argued or suggested that Jesus was the fourth figure who rescued the three Jewish boys from the furnace of fire in Daniel chapter 3. This episode explores the passage, identifying the unnamed figure as a heavenly angel that is described as "a son of the gods" (but not the messianic Son of God).    To view the video version of this episode, go here: https://yout...

1 Timothy 3:16 is a well-known example of a scribal change that transformed a reference to Jesus into a reference to God. We explore this text and discuss how later scribes changed the passage, resulting in a much higher Christology than the author originally intended.   To view the video version of this episode, go here: https://youtu.be/OaZmZR9Pm_8         Visit Amazon to buy your copy of A Syst...

Acts 2:22-23 offers an undiluted christology that best represents the beliefs of the New Testament authors. Peter proclaims that Christ was a real human being, whom God empowered to perform miraculous works. The passage also illustrates Jesus as preexisting in God's foreknowledge and predetermined plan, rather than consciously existing in heaven before his birth.    To view the video version of th...

John 20:17 is a straightforward passage in which the resurrected Jesus explicitly identifies that he has a God. Jesus was a unitarian, so he believed and taught his followers that his God was only one person, the Father alone. This episode examines John 20:17, demonstrating that it is incompatible with the doctrine of the Trinity.   To view the video version of this episode, go here: https://youtu...

A 3rd-century Christian hymn was discovered among the Oxyrhynchus papyri, and the hymn contains worship offered to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This episode explores the Greek hymn, examines how it illustrates the one God, and demonstrates why it is not evidence for belief in the Trinity during the late 200s. Instead, the hymn appears to best fit a modalistic understanding of God.   To view t...

Gabriel's announcement to Mary contains several simple christological truths. This week's episode unpacks the exchange between the angel and Jesus' mother, examining the promised titles of Jesus, his role as the climax of the Davidic Covenant, Jesus' relationship with the Most High, and how the Holy Spirit brings Jesus into existence in Mary's womb. The Gospel of Luke produces a christology of a f...

Athenagoras of Athens was a second-century Christian convert who wrote a famous apology in which he defends his understanding of God against claims of atheism. This week's episode explores what he believed about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The resulting conclusion is that Athenagoras was a Logos theologian with a unitarian understanding of God.   To view the video version of this episode, go...

This episode unpacks Jesus' place in Matthew's genealogy and birth narrative and, in the process, draws attention to how Jesus was brought into existence in Mary's womb. The begetting of Jesus, in other words, rules out any manner of conscious preexistence.   To view the video version of this episode, go here: https://youtu.be/7LsU_rZJZz8   Visit Amazon to buy your copy of A Systematic Theology of...

3rd Corinthians is a second-century Christian document that was written in Paul's name. The work offers a glimpse into the unknown author's thoughts on the creator God, Jesus' birth, and the Holy Spirit, while also detailing the doctrines the author deemed heretical. The resulting portrayal is an overlooked example of biblical unitarianism in the second century.   To view the video version of this...

This episode examines and discusses all of the christologically relevant textual changes in the new edition of the Greek New Testament (UBS6).     To view the video version of this episode, go here: https://youtu.be/GjfFB7IIp9A   Visit Amazon to buy your copy of A Systematic Theology of the Early Church: https://amzn.to/47jldOc    Visit Amazon to buy your copy of Wisdom Christology in the Gospel o...

This episode previews all of the chapters concerning Theology, Christology, and Pneumatology in my latest book, A Systematic Theology of the Early Church. The book is now available on Amazon.   To view the video version of this episode, go here: https://youtu.be/ZCXgPDmAeO0   Purchase A Systematic Theology of the Early Church:   https://amzn.to/47jldOc    Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my book,...

This episode will serve as an audiobook of sorts as I read Chapter 2 from my new book, A Systematic Theology of the Early Church. This chapter is titled, "The Only True God." The book is available on Amazon in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle formats.    To view the video version of this episode, go here: https://youtu.be/RqmWpeQudYo   Purchase A Systematic Theology of the Early Church: https://am...

In Mark 12:28-34, Jesus describes what he regards as the greatest commandment, and in doing so, he reinforces the famous Jewish monotheistic creed. This episode explores the interaction between Jesus and a friendly scribe that results in a reaffirmation of the crucial truth that the true God, Yahweh, is only one person.   In this video, I incorrectly state that Targum Ps. Jonathan regards the LORD...

This episode examines the writings, theology, christology, and pneumatology of the late second-century bishop, Melito of Sardis. Melito is often cited as proof of a very high christology, but did he believe in the doctrine of the Trinity? No, Melito is not a Trinitarian; instead, he appears to subscribe to the Two-Stage Logos Theology. To view the video version of this episode, go here: https://yo...

This week's episode closely examines Isaiah 44:24, a passage renowned for defining the Creator as a single person who made all things without the aid of any conscious agent. After giving attention to the nine singular references in the Hebrew text of Isaiah 44:24, we discuss the qere/ketiv reading, the interpretation of the verse in Targum Isaiah, and the implications for whether Christ served as...

The results are in from the 2025 State of Theology survey, and things are not looking good for Trinitarians. This week's episode unpacks what the survey found about what Americans believe about the Trinity, the deity of the Son, and the personhood of the Holy Spirit. We also look at the fallout among evangelicals who are embarrassed by how few understand the specifics of the doctrine of the Trinit...

On our 400th episode, we continue our ongoing exploration of the earliest Trinitarian. This week, we study the massive work written by a Roman Christian named Hermas, titled "The Shepherd." After demonstrating that Hermas believed God to be one person (the Father alone), we attempt to make sense of the work's obscure Christology and Pneumatology. Spoiler alert: the Shepherd of Hermas does not teac...

Psalm 110:1 was the go-to passage in early Christianity to describe God, Christ, the exaltation, and the promised return to defeat evil. This episode explores Psalm 110:1 in order to see what it has to say about the early Church's understanding of the one true God and his human son, Jesus the Messiah. To view the video version of this episode, go here: https://youtu.be/jegZnLoW9QI   Visit Amazon t...

Within the collection of Apostolic Fathers is the lesser-known work entitled The Epistle to Diognetus. This episode explores what this second-century AD letter has to say about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, particularly to see if the author was a trinitarian. We also explore the composite nature of this letter, noting that whoever wrote chapters 11-12 was probably a biblical unitarian. To view...

1 Timothy 2:5 is one of those simple and straightforward passages addressing the one God and the identity of Jesus Christ. This episode unpacks this verse, sets it in its context, and argues that the passage is best compatible with a biblical unitarian christology.  To view the video version of this episode, go here: https://youtu.be/LoCiNHw2Ykg   Visit Amazon to buy your copy of The AI Critical N...

Polycarp was the bishop in the Church at Smyrna, a friend of Ignatius, and an early Christian martyr. But did Polycarp believe and teach the doctrine of the Trinity? This episode examines Polycarp's Letter to the Philippians to discern his theology of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Spoiler alert: Polycarp was a unitarian.   To view the video version of this episode, go here: https://youtu.be/Qq...

It is often incorrectly assumed that the phrase "I am [he]" in Scripture is a claim to be Yahweh, the God of Israel. This presentation demonstrates that this phrase is a casual, self-declaration, and that it was uttered by God and by several human figures who were not claiming to be Yahweh himself. This topic was presented at the 2025 Unitarian Christian Alliance UK conference (July 2025).  To vie...

The writers of the New Testament gospels all cite Isaiah 40:3 ("Prepare the way of the LORD") to introduce the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus. Some have argued that this quotation proves that the Gospels believe that Jesus is Yahweh. This week's episode will examine the merits and weaknesses of this interpretation, arguing that a more charitable reading is that the son of God functions a...

The authors of the New Testament not only distinguish Jesus and God, but they also portray the relationship between the two in terms of Jesus obeying God. This episode explores Christ's obedient relationship with Yahweh, the only true God, by looking at the teachings of Jesus, the theology of Paul, and the portrayal of the son of God in Hebrews. To view the video version of this episode, go here:...

This episode explores the christology of Hebrews, 1 Peter, and Revelation, particularly as these books illustrate Christ having faith in God. The portrayal results in an early Christian understanding that Jesus relied on God, he trusted in God, and he was faithful to God. To view the video version of this episode, go here: https://youtu.be/x9ZYpxUocFc   Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my book, Wi...