An Old Testament podcast
Mark Goodacre has recently begun a New Testament podcast. What kind of content would you want to hear in a Tanakh/Old Testament podcast, if some enterprising individual were to begin such a thing?
10 comments Christopher Heard | Bible (general), podcasting
Chris:
Bryan Bibb emailed me a while ago asking if I would be interested in partaking in such a project. I responded that it depends on the technicalities and commitment going into it.
That said, I think a host of issues that remain “unsettled” would provide fine fodder for discussion: i.e., composition of the Pentateuch, the metanarrative of the Psalter, etc. Since I have a proclivity towards more difficult issues in the Bible (such as Jacob’s deceptions and God’s role in them), those issues would be good to discuss as well.
I like the idea of having a group of bibliobloggers on a Skype conference, a la TWiT. Topics could vary depending on who was on, but you could have regular segments such as:
News (archaeological finds, etc.)
Recent blog posts of interest
Rants about awful biblical sites or books
Tips for teaching/pedagogy
I SUPPOSE one could also talk about the Bible, as John suggests.
They also wouldn’t need to be long at all. Goodacre’s are only like five minutes a piece.
A regular update on Isaiah research would be valuable.
My answer (so far) is at http://5minuteBible.com ;)
This isn’t about content, but format: I really, really like the brevity of Mark’s NT podcasts. He hits one clearly-delineated topic and get it done quickly and reasonably thoroughly.
For my own teaching, I am recording longer lectures (about 45-50 minutes). I very much like the idea of tackling Mark’s formate for a change of pace.
How about early exodus and late exodus (just basic swipe and relevant historical “pegs”)? Or on “X criticism” (form, for example, or redaction, like Mark on NT redaction crit)? Or the difference between “Bible study” and biblical studies (this would be an intro to the *idea* of critical approaches, I guess)?
I’d like a “complete idiot’s” introduction to the divine council.
One about how it is perfectly okay to belong to a church of Christ and believe in evolution and the scientific ages of the universe and earth would be good too.
I think it is clear that a variety of issues could occupy some space. Perhaps an introduction to an issue and/or some discussions or debates on two different sides of an issue (for example, how Esau is clearly portrayed as a bumbling fool—sorry Chris!!!). They could still be brief . . . 5-10 minutes. But then still offer a diversity of content each time, and a diversity of perspectives.
Chris,
I am interested in your (ongoing) comments and wisdom on incorporating Bible criticism and “academic” topics in the church setting. For those of us who are bereft of primary language tools, a “Tourist’s Guide” to Biblical Hebrew and intersting passages/translations would be fun.
Here are some thoughts about doing a podcast.
Goodacre’s podcasts are excellent, and the format of one topic per episode works well.
The biggest issue is how you define your audience. Do you want to aim this at laymen, who have little or no formal training in Tanakh or theology (like me)? Or at academics, and seminary students or graduates?
Thoughts on topics:
I have a neighbor who teaches New Testament at a seminary. He said once that he tries to avoid “shoptalk” outside of the seminary because he has to overcome people’s misconceptions of theology. What are some common misconceptions about Genesis / Old Testament?
There’s lots of stuff to read in books and on the internet. Some of it is obvious bilge. Sometimes I find ideas that I’ve never heard of before, but sound plausible — but for all I know, these are also bilge. How can we evaluate the various ideas we run across?
The book of Psalms is divided into 5 books, corresponding to the 5 books of Moses, or so the commentaries tell me. What is the history of this division or arranglement of the psalms? Who first decided or noticed this grouping? I never would have spotted it. Are the labels Book 1, Book 2, etc. present in the ancient texts, as the superscriptions are?