It Means What It Means

Episode 89: The Anti-Eschatological Elijah with David DeJong

David DeJong discusses his research on the reception history of the Hebrew Bible, particularly focusing on the Day of Adonai and the role of Elijah in eschatological thought. He introduces the concept of the 'anti-eschatological Elijah,' arguing that this figure serves to defer the Day of the Lord by establishing prerequisites for its arrival. The discussion also explores the diverse messianic expectations in Second Temple Judaism, the interpretive role of scribes, and the differences between the Hebrew text and the Septuagint. DeJong emphasizes the dynamic interplay between sociological and scriptural interpretations in ancient Judaism and early Christianity, particularly regarding the delay of eschatological expectations. Books and authors mentioned or recommended in this episode include The Reformation: A History, Seconding Sinai: The Development of Mosaic Discourse in Second Temple Judaism, Paul D Hanson, Otto Plöger, John J Collins, Anathea Portier-Young, James C VanderKam, James F McGrath, Joel Marcus, Rivka Nir, Jeremy Ott, Jocelyn McWhirter, Wolf Hall, Patrick Rothfuss, and Brandon Sanderson.
 
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Episode 88: Ancient Slavery and Its New Testament Contexts III: Enslavement in the Roman World with Javal Coleman

Javal Coleman discusses his chapter, “Enslavement in the Roman World,” from the book Ancient Slavery and Its New Testament Contexts. He highlights the story of Acte, an enslaved woman, to illustrate the nuances of manumission and the societal perceptions of enslaved people. The discussion also delves into the concept of citizenship in antiquity, the dehumanizing aspects of slavery, and the ongoing relevance of these themes in contemporary scholarship. Resources mentioned and recommended in this episode include author Saidiya Hartman, Finding Phoebe, Greek Slave Systems in the Eastern Mediterranean Context, Slavery in the Roman World, Freed Slaves and Roman Imperial Culture, Slavery and Social Death, Greek and Roman Slaves, Soul by Soul: Life Inside the Antebellum Slave Market, River of Dark Dreams: Slavery and Empire in the Cotton Kingdom, The Lord of the Rings, Fourth Wing, Sinners, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Hogwarts Legacy.
 
Follow the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Amazon/Audible, iHeartRadio, Player FM, Listen Notes, Podchaser, Boomplay. Please reach out with guest suggestions and/or feedback at itmeanswhatitmeans@gmail.com. If you would like to support the podcast financially, you can hear episodes a week early for $5 a month on Patreon. You can also get updates and promotional clips if you follow us on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Bluesky, Spoutible, Twitter, Threads, Wordpress, and Tumblr.

Episode 87: The Tyrant Philosophers with Adrian Tchaikovsky

Science fiction and fantasy writer Adrian Tchaikovsky discusses his series The Tyrant Philosophers, exploring themes of colonialism, morality, and the lives of ordinary people amidst grand historical events. He delves into character development, particularly focusing on the character Yasnic, who embodies passive resistance and moral integrity. Tchaikovsky also shares insights on world-building, the consequences of healing magic, and the complexities of power and corruption within his narratives. Other works and authors recommended or mentioned in this episode include The Revolutions Podcast, The Raven Tower, NK Jemisin, Joe Abercrombie, Small Gods, Brandon Sanderson, Babel, Piranesi, The Starless Sea, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, The Night Circus, Dominion of the Fallen, City of Stairs, Semiosis, Dark Eden Series, Gogmagog, Perdido Street Station, Jonathan L Howard, and Lives of Bitter Rain.
 
Follow the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Amazon/Audible, iHeartRadio, Player FM, Listen Notes, Podchaser, Boomplay. Please reach out with guest suggestions and/or feedback at itmeanswhatitmeans@gmail.com. If you would like to support the podcast financially, you can hear episodes a week early for $5 a month on Patreon. You can also get updates and promotional clips if you follow us on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Bluesky, Spoutible, Twitter, Threads, Wordpress, and Tumblr.

Episode 86: Scripting the Son with Kyle Hughes

Kyle Hughes discusses his work on prosopological exegesis and its significance in early Christianity. He explains how early church fathers interpreted scripture, focusing on key figures like Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Origen. The dialogue explores the challenges of reading biblical texts through an historical-critical lens and the importance of understanding the church's tradition in interpreting scripture. Hughes emphasizes the need for humility in engaging with early Christian writings and the value of prosopological exegesis in understanding the relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Learn more about prosopological exegesis from Kyle’s book Scripting the Son: Scriptural Exegesis and the Making of Early Christology. Other resources mentioned or recommended in this conversation include, Sanctified Vision: An Introduction to Early Christian Interpretation of the Bible, Against Heresies, Origen’s Homilies, Popular Patristics Series, Ancient Christian Writers Series, Fathers of the Church Series, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Father Brown Series, The Stormlight Archive, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Peter F Hamilton, Neal Stephenson, and The Scholomance Series.
 
Follow the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Amazon/Audible, iHeartRadio, Player FM, Listen Notes, Podchaser, Boomplay. Please reach out with guest suggestions and/or feedback at itmeanswhatitmeans@gmail.com. If you would like to support the podcast financially, you can hear episodes a week early for $5 a month on Patreon. You can also get updates and promotional clips if you follow us on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Bluesky, Spoutible, Twitter, Threads, Wordpress, and Tumblr.

Episode 85: Ancient Slavery and Its New Testament Contexts II: Manumission with Chance E Bonar

This conversation explores the concept of manumission in ancient Mediterranean societies, particularly during the New Testament era. Chance Bonar (a contributor to the book Ancient Slavery and its New Testament Contexts) discusses the various types of manumission, the complex relationship between freedom and manumission, and the challenges faced by enslaved individuals seeking to purchase their freedom. The dialogue also delves into biblical perspectives on slavery and the implications of these historical practices for modern understandings of freedom and anti-slavery movements. This conversation explores the complexities of slavery in antiquity, particularly focusing on the legal framework of manumission during the Roman Empire and its implications. Resources mentioned or recommended in this episode include Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic, Slaver in Early Christianity, Green Grass, Running Water, and the work of Kevin Bales. Chance Bonar ended his chapter with the following suggested reading:
Bonar, Chance E. God, Slavery, and Early Christianity: Divine Possession and Ethics in the Shepherd of Hermas. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, forthcoming.
Harrill, J. Albert. The Manumission of Slaves in Early Christianity. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1995.
Mouritsen, Henrik. The Freedmen in the Roman World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011.
Nasrallah, Laura S. “‘You Were Bought with a Price’: Freedpersons and Things in 1 Corinthians.” Pages 54-73 in Corinth in Contrast: Studies in Inequality. Edited by Steven J. Friesen, Sarah A. James, and Daniel N. Schowalter. Leiden: Brill, 2014.
Petersen, Lauren Hackworth. The Freedmen in Roman Art and Art History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.
Zelnick-Abramovitz, Rachel. Not Wholly Free: The Concept of Manumission and the Status of Manumitted Slaves in the Ancient Greek World. Leiden: Brill, 2005.
Follow the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Amazon/Audible, iHeartRadio, Player FM, Listen Notes, Podchaser, Boomplay. Please reach out with guest suggestions and/or feedback at itmeanswhatitmeans@gmail.com. If you would like to support the podcast financially, you can hear episodes a week early for $5 a month on Patreon. You can also get updates and promotional clips if you follow us on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Bluesky, Spoutible, Twitter, Threads, Wordpress, and Tumblr.

Episode 84: Jude's Use of a Kaige Edition of Enochic Scripture with Timothy A Lee

Timothy A Lee discusses his article from the Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha, “Jude’s Use of A Kaige Edition of Enochic Scripture.” He talks about his academic journey from mathematics to biblical studies, ultimately focusing his research on the proposed Kaige revision of Greek translations of the Hebrew Bible. He emphasizes the importance of the Ethiopic texts in biblical studies and analyzes how Jude's use of Enoch reflects the author's linguistic background and the popularity of Enochic literature in the first century. Other resources mentioned or recommended in this episode include, works by Jean-Dominique Barthélemy, The Online Critical Pseudepigrapha, Textual Evolution and Growth of the Enochic Theophany in the Book of the Watchers 1:1-9, Richard Bauckham’s Commentary on Jude, Septuagint, Scrolls and Cognate Writings: Papers Presented to the International Symposium on the Septuagint and Its Relations to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Other Writings, The SBL Study Bible, Invitation to the Septuagint, An Introduction to the Old Testament in Greek, Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible, The Text-Critical Use of the Septuagint in Biblical Research, The Septuagint in Context, The New English Translation, the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky, the works of Charles Dickens, the works of Jane Austen, Prisoner of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World, The Power of Geography: Ten Maps That Reveal the Future of Our World, and podcasts produced by the BBC.
 
Follow the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Amazon/Audible, iHeartRadio, Player FM, Listen Notes, Podchaser, Boomplay. Please reach out with guest suggestions and/or feedback at itmeanswhatitmeans@gmail.com. If you would like to support the podcast financially, you can hear episodes a week early for $5 a month on Patreon. You can also get updates and promotional clips if you follow us on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Bluesky, Spoutible, Twitter, Threads, Wordpress, and Tumblr.

Episode 83: Ancient Slavery and Its New Testament Contexts I with Christy Cobb and Katherine Shaner

Scholars Katherine Shaner and Christy Cobb discuss their collaboration as editors for the book Ancient Slavery and Its New Testament Contexts and their respective contributions. They explore the historical context of slavery, the implications of household codes, and the importance of language in discussing these topics. Additionally, the conversation delves into the complexities of enslavement as depicted in biblical texts, exploring the nuances of translation, the ethical implications of modern slavery, and the importance of reading against the grain to uncover the presence and roles of enslaved individuals in scripture. Resources mentioned or recommended in this episode include, Corinthian Democracy: Democratic Discourse in 1 Corinthians, The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism, Slavery in Early Christianity, Criminalization in Acts of the Apostles: Race, Rhetoric, and the Prosecution of an Early Christian Movement, Mitzi J Smith, Angela N Parker, Kristin Hannah, A Mercy, and James.
 
Further Reading from Katherine Shaner:
Brooten, Bernadette J. “Early Christian Enslaved Families (First to Fourth Century).” Pages 111-34 in Children and Family in Late Antiquity: Life, Death and Interaction. Edited by Christian Laes, Katarina Mustakillo, and Ville Vuolanto. Leuven: Peters, 2015.
Cohen, Shaye, ed. The Jewish Family in Antiquity. Providence, RI: Brown Judaic Studies, 1993.
Johnson, Sylvester. “The Bible, Slavery, and the Problem of Authority.” Pages 231-48 in Beyond Slavery: Overcoming Its Religious and Sexual Legacies. Edited by Bernadette J. Booten. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.
Martin, Clarice J. “The Haustafeln (Household Codes) in African American Biblical Interpretation: ‘Free Slaves’ and ‘Subordinate Women’.” Pages 206-31 in Stony the Road We Trod: African American Biblical Interpretation. Edited by Cain Hope Felder. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2021.
Shaner, Katherine A. “Family Structures: New Testament.” Pages 217-22 in Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Gender Studies. Edited by Julia M. O’Brien. Oxford University Press, 2014.
Smith, Mitzi J. Chloe and Her People: A Womanist Critical Dialogue with First Corinthians. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2023.
Smith, Shively. Strangers to Family: Diaspora and 1 Peter’s Invention of God’s Household. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2016
 
Further Reading from Christy Cobb:
Briggs, Sheila. Lavery and Gender.” Pages 171-92 in On the Cutting Edge: The Study of Women in Biblical Worlds: Essays in Honor of Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza. Edited by Jane Schabeg, Alice Bach, and Esther Fuchs. New York: Continuum, 2004.
Brooten, Bernadette J. “Gender and Slavery in the Acts of Andrew.” Pages 165-86 in Ancient Christian Apocrypha: Marginalized Texts in Early Christianity. Edited by Outi Lehhtipuu and Silke Petersen. Atlanta: SBL Press, 2022.
Cobb, Christy. Slavery, Gender, Truth, and Power in Luke-Acts and Other Ancient Narratives. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019.
Glancy, Jennifer A., and Stephen D. Moore. “How Typical a Roman Prostitute Is Revelation’s ‘Great Whore’?,” Journal of Biblical Literature 130, no. 3 (2011): 551-69.
Glazebrook, Allison. “Gender and Slavery.” Pages 1-23 in The Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Slaveries. Edited by Stephen Hodkinson, Marc Klejwegt, and Kostas Vlassopoulos. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017.
Smith, Shanell T. Woman Babylon and the Marks of Empire: Reading revelation with a Postcolonial Womanist Hermeneutics of Ambivalence. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2014.
 
Follow the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Amazon/Audible, iHeartRadio, Player FM, Listen Notes, Podchaser, Boomplay. Please reach out with guest suggestions and/or feedback at itmeanswhatitmeans@gmail.com. If you would like to support the podcast financially, you can hear episodes a week early for $5 a month on Patreon. You can also get updates and promotional clips if you follow us on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Bluesky, Spoutible, Twitter, Threads, Wordpress, and Tumblr.

Episode 82: The Seven Mountains Mandate with Matthew Boedy

Matthew Boedy discusses the Seven Mountains Mandate, a concept within certain evangelical circles that seeks to reclaim seven areas of cultural influence in America: government, religion, education, family, media, entertainment, and business. He explores the historical context of this movement, its key figures, and the implications for democracy and national identity. The discussion also delves into how biblical texts are interpreted to support this mandate and the coalitional politics that have emerged around it, particularly in relation to authoritarianism and Christian nationalism. Make sure to check out Matthew’s book The Seven Mountains Mandate: Exposing the Dangerous Plan to Christianize America and Destroy Democracy. Other resources mentioned or recommended in this episode include, The Enigma of Clarence Thomas, How to End Christian Nationalism, Bad Faith (documentary), Paradise (television series), and Abbot Elementary.
 
Follow the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Amazon/Audible, iHeartRadio, Player FM, Listen Notes, Podchaser, Boomplay. Please reach out with guest suggestions and/or feedback at itmeanswhatitmeans@gmail.com. If you would like to support the podcast financially, you can hear episodes a week early for $5 a month on Patreon. You can also get updates and promotional clips if you follow us on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Bluesky, Spoutible, Twitter, Threads, Wordpress, and Tumblr.

Episode 81: Persian-Style Historiography in Ezra-Nehemiah with Sam Blankenship

In this conversation, Sam Blankenship discusses her research on Persian-style historiography in the context of Ezra-Nehemiah. She explores the contributions of Arnaldo Momigliano to historiography, the definition of history, and the role of charts in historical documentation. The discussion delves into how Persian administration influenced Jewish historiography and the dual nature of historical narratives in Ezra-Nehemiah, highlighting the complexities of audience and purpose in historical writing. Resources mentioned or recommended in this conversation include, Arnaldo Momigliano, Persian Fire, Bruce Lincoln, Aspects of History and Epic in Ancient Iran, From Cyrus to Alexander, The Persian Empire: A Corpus of Sources from the Achaemenid Period, An Empire Far and Wide, Archival Historiography in Jewish Antiquity, War and Peace, and Martyr.
 
Follow the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Amazon/Audible, iHeartRadio, Player FM, Listen Notes, Podchaser, Boomplay. Please reach out with guest suggestions and/or feedback at itmeanswhatitmeans@gmail.com. If you would like to support the podcast financially, you can hear episodes a week early for $5 a month on Patreon. You can also get updates and promotional clips if you follow us on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Bluesky, Spoutible, Twitter, Threads, Wordpress, and Tumblr.

Episode 80: Lamb of the Free with Andrew Rillera

Andrew Rillera discusses his book Lamb of the Free: Recovering the Varied Sacrificial Understandings of Jesus’s Death, exploring the multifaceted nature of sacrifice in Christianity, particularly focusing on Jesus' death and its significance. He emphasizes the importance of understanding sacrifice beyond traditional interpretations, advocating for a framework of solidarity and participation. The discussion delves into the role of Levitical sacrifices, the significance of Passover, and the implications of Jesus' ascension in relation to purification and atonement. Other resources mentioned or recommended in this episode include, The works of David Moffitt, Christian Eberhardt, Joel Baden, Jacob Milgrom, Liane Feldman, Simon Gathercole, and Brandon Sanderson; as well as Jesus and Jewish Law Podcast, Jesus and the Forces of Death, Jesus and the Law of Moses.
 
Follow the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Amazon/Audible, iHeartRadio, Player FM, Listen Notes, Podchaser, Boomplay. Please reach out with guest suggestions and/or feedback at itmeanswhatitmeans@gmail.com. If you would like to support the podcast financially, you can hear episodes a week early for $5 a month on Patreon. You can also get updates and promotional clips if you follow us on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Bluesky, Spoutible, Twitter, Threads, Wordpress, and Tumblr.