Israel Bible Podcast

Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg is the founder of the Israel Bible Center and the author of many courses. This week he joins us to discuss some troubling and confusing sayings in the gospels that can be better understood by knowing the Jewish context in which they were spoken.

In the final episode of the IBC course Listening to the Land of the Bible Part 1, Dr. Cyndi Parker discusses why geography explains the underlying political tension in the David and Goliath story. Our listeners also get to hear about her brand new book entitled Encountering Jesus in the Real World of the Gospels.

Join us as Dr. Cyndi Parker continues to explain what the physical context of biblical events can teach us about God. Simply understanding the larger ancient Near Eastern landscape can tell us how God wanted his people to be world influencers instead of world dominators. Seeing the diverse and rugged ecosystems of the land can teach us how to rely on God. And maps! What do the design of maps tell us about our priorities?

The tables are turned this week as Dr. Gruber interviews Dr. Cyndi Parker about her course Listening to the Land of the Bible. But why should we all care about geography? How does the land contribute to our theology?

We conclude our series on Dr. Nicholas Schaser's course the Jewish Gospel of Matthew with a look at Jesus' final week in Jerusalem. We address everything from riding a donkey in the city of Jerusalem, to the complexity of the trial of Jesus before Pilate and the final words of the Gospel.

This week Dr. Schaser introduces the Gospel of Matthew's take on how Jesus is a "ransom." We also talk about the Sermon on the Mount and what Jesus meant when he said that he did not come to abolish but to fulfill the law - and does that conflict with his "you have heard it said...but I tell you" statements throughout the sermon?

Dr. Nicholas Schaser joins us to talk about the Jewish Gospel of Matthew. This week we focus on who’s who in the genealogy in Matthew 1, the gospel's use of the prophetic writings in the birth narrative, and Matthew's view of the stupidity of Satan in the wilderness temptations.