The Bible in a Year from Luther Seminary

22. The Bible Book So Intense, Rabbis Said You Had to Be 40 to Read It

The Old Testament book, Ezekiel, is one of the strangest, most visionary, and most hope-filled books in all of scripture, and in this episode of Bible in a Year, we get a scholar's guide to its depths. Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker and Jenny Wojciechowski are joined by Professor Stephen Cook, the Katherine N. McBurney Professor of Old Testament Language and Literature at Virginia Theological Seminary, for a rich conversation about wheels within wheels, the glory of the Lord, and what it means that God showed up in Babylon of all places. From the Valley of Dry Bones to the temple's stream of living water, Professor Cook traces the thread of hope running through a book that is often dismissed as dark or difficult. Ezekiel's vision of a new heart, a new spirit, and a God who is mobile enough to meet us anywhere offers a powerful word for anyone who has ever felt like the world is crumbling underfoot. Tune in and discover why holiness is stronger than exile, chaos, and death.

21. The Most Honest Book in the Bible Nobody Talks About

The Book of Lamentations is one of the lesser-known books of the Hebrew Bible, but it may be one of the most honest. In this episode of the Bible in a Year podcast, Dr. Cameron Howard, Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary, joins hosts Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker and Kristofer Phan Coffman to explore this Lamentations Bible book — a collection of five lament poems set against the devastation of Jerusalem's siege and destruction by Babylon in 586 BCE. Dr. Howard unpacks the book's striking acrostic structure, its shifting voices, and the way its poetry reaches for language to describe suffering that almost defies description. More than a historical document, Lamentations raises questions that still resonate today: Is God present in suffering? Has God abandoned us? Dr. Howard explores the theological significance of a book that gives voice to grief, anger, and doubt — and explains why a tradition that includes shaking a fist at God is actually powerful evidence of a God who is not a tyrant. Whether you are new to the Lamentations Bible book or returning to it with fresh eyes, this conversation offers a thoughtful and moving guide to one of Scripture's most profound and underappreciated voices.

Jeremiah: The Prophet Who Accused God and Kept Going

What made Jeremiah the most radical prophet in the Hebrew Bible? In this episode of Bible in a Year, Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker and Jennie Wojciechowski welcome Dr. Marvin A. Sweeney, professor of Hebrew Bible at the Claremont School of Theology, for a Jeremiah Bible commentary that spans the full depth of this extraordinary book. Dr. Sweeney unpacks Jeremiah's identity as a prophet in the tradition of Moses, his priestly outsider status, the themes of exile and return, and the striking fact that two major versions of the Book of Jeremiah exist in the Christian canon with meaningfully different views of the Davidic covenant. Dr. Sweeney also brings Jeremiah's raw, unfiltered laments to life, including the famous passage where Jeremiah accuses God of betrayal while still refusing to abandon his faith. It's a portrait of a prophet who faced national disaster, persecution, and profound suffering and kept speaking anyway. Whether you're a first-time reader or a seasoned student of scripture, this conversation offers fresh insight into why the Book of Jeremiah remains one of the most urgent and human books in the entire Bible.

19. Why Some Scholars Call Isaiah the "Fifth Gospel"

The Book of Isaiah is one of the most sweeping, complex, and consequential books in the entire Old Testament, and in this episode, Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker and Katie Langston sit down with Old Testament scholar Dr. Michael Chan for a summary of the Book of Isaiah that brings it to life. Dr. Chan explains how Isaiah grew over centuries across three major historical horizons: the Assyrian period, the Babylonian exile, and the Persian period, shaped by generations of scribes writing in Isaiah's name. From the famous "voice crying in the wilderness" in chapter 40 to the haunting Suffering Servant passage in Isaiah 52-53, this conversation covers the key themes, people, and moments that make Isaiah so remarkable. Dr. Chan also makes the case that you simply cannot understand Christian theology, or Jesus' own self-understanding, without reading the Book of Isaiah. Called by some "the fifth gospel," Isaiah's fingerprints are all over the New Testament, from Advent texts to Handel's Messiah. Whether you're a first-time reader or a seasoned Bible student, this episode will help you approach Isaiah's dense Hebrew poetry with patience, curiosity, and a capable guide alongside you.

18. Why the Song of Songs Is the Weirdest Book in the Bible

The Song of Songs is one of the strangest and most beautiful books in the Bible, and for centuries readers have struggled to know what to do with it. In this episode of the Bible in a Year podcast, Katie Langston and Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker are joined by Dr. Elaine James, professor of Old Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary and author of Landscapes of the Song of Songs, for a rich conversation about this extraordinary book of biblical love poetry. Together they explore the Song's history of interpretation, from allegorical readings in Jewish and Christian traditions to its remarkable outpouring of medieval mystical commentary, and consider what it means to read it as both human love poetry and a window into divine love. Dr. James brings her expertise in biblical poetry and ecology to illuminate what makes the Song of Songs so distinctive: its celebration of erotic desire, its lush pastoral landscape, its foregrounding of a woman's voice, and its call to embrace the beauty of everyday life. Whether you've always been curious about this book or have never quite known how to approach it, this conversation offers a generous and compelling invitation to pry open the pages and read the Song of Songs with fresh eyes. * An Invitation to Biblical Poetry by Elaine James (Oxford University Press, 2021) [https://global.oup.com/academic/product/an-invitation-to-biblical-poetry-9780190664923?cc=us&lang=en&] * Landscapes of the Song of Songs: Poetry and Place by Elaine James (Oxford University Press, 2017) [https://www.amazon.com/Landscapes-Song-Songs-Poetry-Place/dp/0190619015]