The Naked Bible Podcast

In this episode, we’re going to talk about two genres: prophecy and apocalyptic. The reason for doubling up will become apparent as we proceed, but basically we need to talk about these two genres because most modern Bible students don’t realize there are clear differences between the two. That is, most people assume that “prophecy” has something to do with predicting the end times – but it actually doesn’t – that’s the apocalyptic genre.

This episode of the Naked Bible podcast features Dr. Heiser's interview with his friend Dr. Sam Lamerson about the use of the comedic genre in the New Testament. Dr. Lamerson is Professor of New Testament at Knox Theological Seminary in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He has a specific research interest in the comedic genre in ancient Greek literature. The book referenced by Dr. Sam Lamerson in his interview with Mike was Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale, by Frederick Buechner.

In the last podcast episode we continued our series on studying the Bible in light of its various types of literature – its literary genres. We looked at parables and offered some guidelines for interpreting them. In this episode, we’re going to briefly look at another familiar type of biblical literature that is at times badly misunderstood: the proverb.

In the last podcast episode we continued our series on studying the Bible in light of its various types of literature – its literary genres. We looked at an example related to the New Testament – how the literary features of Greco-Roman phantom tales and “post-mortem appearances” of the dead inform our reading of NT resurrection accounts. In this episode, we’re going to focus on a type of literature that appears in both testaments, but which is most familiar in the New Testament: the parable.

In the last podcast episode we continued our series on studying the Bible in light of its various types of literature – its literary genres. We’re going to continue that effort in this episode and shift gears into the New Testament. I want to look today at two familiar episodes in the life of Jesus: the incident where he walks on the water and his disciples think they are seeing a ghost, and his appearances to the disciples after his resurrection. It may sound surprising, but the ancient world of which the NT was part actually had many stories about ghosts and what scholars call “post-mortem appearances” of the dead. New Testament scholars have investigated how the New Testament writers both utilized and subverted these genres in their attempts to communicate what it was they experienced and believed about Jesus. Jason Robert Combs, “A Ghost on the Water? Understanding an Absurdity in Mark 6:49–50,” JBL 127:2 (2008): 345-358 Deborah Thompson Prince, “The ‘Ghost’ of Jesus: Luke 24 in Light of Ancient Narratives of Post-Mortem Apparitions,” JSNT 29:3 (2007): 287-301

In the last podcast episode we continued our series on studying the Bible in a way that amounts to more than reading by taking a look at the legal genre in Old Testament books. Today we’re focusing on another genre – military annals. I think the best way of illustrating how this genre can matter for interpretation is to begin with a problem that it solves, one that biblical scholars have grappled with for centuries. More specifically, I’m speaking of the problem of the unrealistically large numbers in the exodus and wilderness journey of Israel. In this episode of the Naked Bible podcast, I’ll illustrate this problem from the biblical material, mention a commonly proposed solution, and then introduce you to what I think is a better solution—one that derives from the type of literature we’re dealing with in the exodus, wilderness, and conquest narratives. David L. Fouts, “A Defense of the Hyperbolic Interpretation of Large Numbers in the Old Testament,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 40 (1997): 377-387

In the last episode of our series on studying the Bible, we transitioned to an important area of study: learning to read the Bible in terms of the various types of literature found in its pages. Our first example concerned reading narrative, where I recommended reading biblical stories like fiction — like you would read a novel. In this episode we focus on the legal genre of the Bible using a controversial example from Exodus 21.

In the past few episodes of the podcast series on learning how to really study your Bible, I’ve focused on the issue of how critical it is to take the Bible in its own context, not a context that is familiar to us, like modern evangelicalism or the Reformation. I want to transition now to another important area of study: learning to read the Bible in terms of the various types of literature found in its pages. In this episode, we’ll talk about how to read narrative intelligently. I recommend reading it like fiction — like you would read a novel. The problem is that we read the Bible like we read a textbook. That kills inquisitiveness. Read it like a novel; read it like the writer had an agenda or a plan – because he did. Shimeon bar-Efrat, Narrative Art in the Bible [Understanding the Bible and Its World

In the last podcast, I recommended the best books and reference sources for understanding the religion and culture of the ANE for OT study. This episode wraps up my overview of taking the Bible’s own context seriously by immersing oneself into the intellectual worldview of the biblical writers by taking a look at books dealing with the literature of the Second Temple period for NT study. Scholars who are steeped in this material have produced fine material for explaining how the Second Temple period worldview contributes to NT interpretation. My goal in this episode is to direct you to the some of the best reference works and monographs in that regard to enrich your NT study. Books and Reference Works on Second Temple Texts and Worldview Most Recommended Reference Works for NT Study in the Context of both the Old Testament and Second Temple Judaism Green, Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series) digital version Hawthorne (ed.), Dictionary of Paul and His Letters (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series) digital version Laansma (ed.), Dictionary of the Later New Testament & Its Developments (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series) digital version Evans (ed.), Dictionary of New Testament Background (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series) digital version van der Toorn, Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, Second Edition digital version Levine (ed.), The Jewish Annotated New Testament Simmons, Peoples of the New Testament World: An Illustrated Guide Monographs General Works on Second Temple Context Skarsaune, Jewish Believers in Jesus: The Early Centuries Skarsaune, In the Shadow of the Temple: Jewish Influences on Early Christianity digital version Flusser, Judaism of the Second Temple Period: Volume 1, Qumran and Apocalypticism digital version Flusser, Judaism of the Second Temple Period: Sages and Literature, vol. 2 Evans, The World of Jesus and the Early Church: Identity and Interpretation in Early Communities of Faith Interpretation of Scripture in New Testament Times Watson, A History of Biblical Interpretation, Volume 1: The Ancient Period (History of Biblical Interpretation Series) Beale, Handbook on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament: Exegesis and Interpretation Moyise, Jesus and Scripture: Studying the New Testament Use of the Old Testament digital version Moyise, Paul and Scripture: Studying the New Testament Use of the Old Testament Moyise, Later New Testament Writings and Scripture, The: The Old Testament in Acts, Hebrews, the Catholic Epistles and Revelation Greco-Roman / Hellenistic Context Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity Jeffers, The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament Era: Exploring the Background of Early Christianity deSilva, Honor, Patronage, Kinship & Purity: Unlocking New Testament Culture digital version History of the Second Temple Period Grabbe, An Introduction to Second Temple Judaism: History and Religion of the Jews in the Time of Nehemiah, the Maccabees, Hillel, and Jesus Schiffman, From Text to Tradition, A History of Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism Sacchi, The History of the Second Temple Period (Academic Paperback) Dead Sea Scrolls & Christianity Flint and J. VanderKam, The Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls: Their Significance For Understanding the Bible, Judaism, Jesus, and Christianity digital version Evans, Christian Beginnings and the Dead Sea Scrolls (Acadia Studies in Bible and Theology) digital version Fitzmyer, The Dead Sea Scrolls and Christian Origins (Studies in the Dead Sea Scrolls & Related Literature) digital version Collins, Religion in the Dead Sea Scrolls digital version Collins, The Scepter and the Star: Messianism in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls Evans, Eschatology, Messianism, and the Dead Sea Scrolls (Studies in the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature, V. 1) (Studies in the Dead Sea Scrolls & Related Literature) digital version Pseudepigrapha, Apocrypha, and the New Testament Charlesworth, The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha & the New Testament deSilva, The Jewish Teachers of Jesus, James, and Jude: What Earliest Christianity Learned from the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha Contextualized New Testament Theology T. Wright, The New Testament and the People of God Volume 1 (Christian Origins and the Question of God) T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God (Christian Origins and the Question of God, Volume 2) T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God (Christian Origins and the Question of God, Vol. 3) all three in digital version Yinger, The New Perspective on Paul  

We’ve talked in previous episodes about how the best way to understood the original context of the biblical writers is to immerse yourself in the worldview of the civilizations with which the biblical writers had regular contact. We’ve already spent several episodes on my recommendations for accessing the texts of the ancient Near East and Second Temple period – the intellectual output of the civilizations and cultures that form the original contexts of the Old and New Testaments. In this episode and the next, I want to recommend the best books and reference sources for understanding the religion and culture of the ANE and Second Temple period. Scholars who are steeped in this material have produced many essays explaining the worldview of these civilizations and how that worldview matters for biblical study and interpretation. My goal is to direct you to the best of those resources. As is our pattern, we’ll devote this episode to the ANE, the context for the OT, before moving to the Second Temple period, the context for the NT, in the next episode of the podcast. Books and Reference Works on Ancient Near Eastern Texts and Worldview Most Recommended Reference Works for OT Study in Ancient Near Eastern Context Sasson (ed.), Civilizations of the Ancient Near East/4 Volumes Bound in 2 Books (v. 1 & 2) Baker (ed.), Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series) digital version Williamson (ed.), Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series) digital version Enns (ed.), Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series) Boda (ed.), Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets (IVP Bible Dictionary) van der Toorn, Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, Second Edition digital version Monographs Ancient Near East History and Culture: Hoerth, Mattingly, Yamauchi (eds), Peoples of the Old Testament World White, Everyday Life in Ancient Egypt von Soden, The Ancient Orient: An Introduction to the Study of the Ancient Near East Bertman, Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia Mertz, Red Land, Black Land: Daily Life in Ancient Egypt Van de Mieroop, A History of Ancient Egypt (Blackwell History of the Ancient World) Van de Mieroop, A History of the Ancient Near East ca. 3000 – 323 BC [Blackwell History of the Ancient World Ser.] Ancient Mesopotamian Religion (Sumer, Assyria, Babylon): Schneider, An Introduction to Ancient Mesopotamian Religion (History of Religion) Bottero, Religion in Ancient Mesopotamia Jacobsen, The Treasures of Darkness: A History of Mesopotamian Religion Black, Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary Ancient Egyptian Religion: Pinch, Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt Pinch, Egyptian Myth: A Very Short Introduction Teeter, Religion and Ritual in Ancient Egypt Assmann, The Search for God in Ancient Egypt Old Testament Israel: The Old Testament Worldview in Ancient Near Eastern Context (General): Walton, Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible digital version Walton, The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate Israelite Religion: Miller, The Religion of Ancient Israel (Library of Ancient Israel) Smith, The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel (Biblical Resource Series) digital version Hess, Israelite Religions: An Archaeological and Biblical Survey digital version Mettinger, In Search of God: The Meaning and Message of the Everlasting Names Culture and Life in Ancient Israel: Wells, Everyday Law in Biblical Israel: An Introduction de Vaux, Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions (Biblical Resource) Dever, The Lives of Ordinary People in Ancient Israel: When Archaeology and the Bible Intersect Ebeling, Women’s Lives in Biblical Times

The series on Bible study continues with the emphasis on interpreting the Bible in its own context. The context we’re discussing is the world of the ancient Near East (with respect to the OT) and the Second Temple period with respect to the NT. Interpreting the Bible in these contexts means thinking like a person living at these times. The best way to do that is to immerse yourself in the worldview of the civilizations of these eras with which the biblical writers had regular contact. That is accomplished by immersion in the written sources of these civilizations. The last episode of the podcast dealt with the need to tap into the written material of the ANE since that is the context for the OT. In this episode we’ll turn attention to the NT context, the Second temple period (6th century BC-1st century AD). As in the last episode, all print and online sources I mention in the podcast are found (with links) at the “Bibliography and Resources” tab here on the podcast website. Ancient Texts in English Translation: Second Temple Period of Judaism (5th century BC – 1st century AD) Books: Old Testament Apocrypha King James Version of the Apocrypha digital version The New Oxford Annotated Apocrypha: New Revised Standard Version digital version R.H. Charles’ edition: The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament: Apocrypha digital version (Logos has Charles’ Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha in one set) New Testament Apocrypha (less relevant, as these come from after the apostolic period): one-volume edition of M. R. James: The New Testament Apocrypha two-volume scholarly compendium by Schneemelcher New Testament Apocrypha, Vol. 1: Gospels and Related Writings Revised Edition New Testament Apocrypha, Vol. 2: Writings Relating to the Apostles Apocalypses and Related Subjects Old Testament Pseudepigrapha H. Charles’ edition: The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, Pseudepigrapha digital version (Logos has Charles’ Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha in one set) James H. Charleworth’s two-volume edition (with introductions to each book): The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha ( 2 Volume set) digital version Dead Sea Scrolls (non-biblical texts) Wise, Abegg, & Cook: The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation digital version Geza Vermes: The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English (Penguin Classics) Garcia-Martinez: The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated: The Qumran Texts in English digital version (English translations are included in the two volume Dead Sea Scrolls Study Edition, which also has the Hebrew texts) Dead Sea Scrolls (the biblical scrolls in the Hebrew Bible, in English translation) Abegg, Ulrich, Flint: The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible: The Oldest Known Bible Translated for the First Time into English digital version Josephus Whiston edition: The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition digital version Paul Maier: The New Complete Works of Josephus Philo Yonge, updated by Scholer: The Works of Philo digital version Websites (free material, but dated translations from old, public domain sources) Old Testament Apocrypha Sacred Texts Archive Non-Canonical Homepage Biblos / Apocrypha.org Pseudepigrapha.com (includes links to OT Apocrypha) Old Testament Pseudepigrapha Sacred Texts archive (labels the Pseudepigrapha “other apocrypha”) Pseudepigrapha.com Non-canonical Homepage New Testament Apocrypha Early Christian Writings Philo Early Jewish Writings Josephus Early Jewish Writings

The last episode of the podcast dealt with the need to tap into the intellectual output of the ancient Mediterranean world — the Bible’s own context – in order to start thinking the thoughts of the biblical writers. This episode takes this recommendation further by directing listeners to the best volumes and websites for English translations of ancient literature pertinent to biblical studies. The episode focuses on the civilizations that give the OT its context – the civilizations of the ancient Near East (ANE). Dr. Heiser recommends books (whether hard copy or digital form) as well as websites for tapping into ANE literature.   Ancient Texts in English Translation: Ancient Near East Books: General Collections The Context of Scripture (COS); 3 volumes digital version Ancient Near Eastern Texts (ANET) by Pritchard (one volume hardcover; split into two volumes paperback; vol. 1 and vol. 2) digital version Writings from the Ancient World set (amazon link to volumes in the series) digital version Egyptian Literature: Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature (3 vols) digital version Foster, Ancient Egyptian Literature The Literature of Ancient Egypt: An Anthology of Stories, Instructions, Stelae, Autobiographies, and Poetry; Third Edition by Professor William Kelley Simpson, Professor Robert K. Ritner, The Reverent Dr. Vincent A. Tobin and Professor Edward Wente Jr. Moran, The Amarna Letters digital version Mesopotamia (Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian) Foster, Before the Muses: An Anthology of Akkadian Literature Foster, From Distant Days: Myths, Tales, and Poetry of Ancient Mesopotamia Dalley, Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others Jacobsen, The Harps that Once … Sumerian Poetry in Translation Ugaritic Texts: Wyatt, Religious Texts from Ugarit digital version Gibson, Canaanite Myths and Legends digital version Coogan and M. Smith, Stories from Ancient Canaan Websites ETANA (Electronic Tools Ancient Near East Archives) Internet Sacred Texts Archive Internet Archive

In this second episode of the series on Bible study, Dr. Heiser discusses what interpreting the Bible “in context” really means — taking the Bible’s own primitive context seriously. Rather than filter the Bible through creeds dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, or even the period of early Christianity, the Bible’s actual context is the one that produced the biblical books — the era stretching from the 2nd millennium BC to the first century AD. All other contexts are foreign to the Bible, no matter how persuasive they are in denominational traditions. The student of the Bible must make all foreign contexts subservient to the Bible’s own context. That means replacing our own worldview with that of the biblical writer living during this ancient time span in the ancient Near East and eastern Mediterranean. The way to do that is to immerse ourselves in the intellectual output of those cultures in which the biblical Israelite and later Hellenistic Jews lived when God moved them to write Scripture. The episode ends with suggestions about resources for familiarizing oneself with the literature of all these cultures. These guides are the first step, and set the stage for a discussion of where to find these texts in English translation, as well as informed discussion of that material for enriching Bible study. Guides to the Literature of the Biblical Context and Worldview: Old Testament (informed by the Literature of the Ancient Near East) John Walton, Ancient Israelite Literature in its Cultural Context Victor Matthews, Old Testament Parallels: Laws And Stories from the Ancient Near East Kenton Sparks, Ancient Texts for the Study of the Hebrew Bible: A Guide to the Background Literature New Testament (informed by the literature of Second Temple / “Intertestamental” Judaism) Larry Helyer, Exploring Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period: A Guide for New Testament Students (Christian Classics Bible Studies) Craig Evans, Ancient Texts for New Testament Studies: A Guide to the Background Literature D. deSilva, Introducing the Apocrypha: Message, Context, and Significance

This episode begins a series on learning how to engage the biblical text in ways that take you beyond merely reading the Bible. Dr. Heiser overviews a popular Naked Bible blog post (“Heiser’s Laws for Bible Study“) as an introduction. You don’t have to be a scholar to learn to engage the biblical text and move beyond just reading the Bible in English. There are tools that will help you penetrate the text, and techniques for reading more carefully.

This episode builds on the previous one, where Dr. Heiser discussed the context of Paul’s teachings on the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11 — namely, the three chapters prior, 1 Corinthians 8-10. Those chapters show Paul laying out the “fellowship context” of the Lord’s Supper, that Paul wants believers to know that they “partake” of a meal by which they enjoy fellowship (koinoinia) with the Lord. His context for that thought is the partaking of OT priests in sacrificial meat (though not of the sacrifices for atonement or sin offering), and the demonic “fellowship” that is the result of pagan sacrifice. This episode moves into 1 Corinthians 11, where Paul describes the Lord’s Supper in relation to a fellowship meal. This context is crucial to understanding the focus of the Lord’s Supper and the admonitions of Paul in connection with observing the Lord’s Supper.

This episode transitions the discussion of a biblical theology of the Lord’s Supper to the primary passage in the New Testament on the topic: 1 Corinthians 11. The episode focuses on the context of 1 Corinthians 8-10 for informing what Paul says about the Lord’s Supper in chapter 11. The “fellowship context” of the Lord’s Supper is shown to be important for understanding the issues Paul will get into in 1 Corinthians 11. Paul wants believers to know that they “partake” of a meal by which they enjoy fellowship (koinoinia) with the Lord. His context for that thought is the partaking of OT priests in sacrificial meat (though not of the sacrifices for atonement or sin offering), and the demonic “fellowship” that is the result of pagan sacrifice — his primary concern in the disputation over meat sacrificed to idols in 1 Cor 8-10.

Today’s episode continues the problem of John 6, the “bread of life” passage. We explore the rest of the passage, drawing attention to two items: that the second half of the passage needs to be interpreted in light of the first half, and that John 6 is not an account of the Last Supper, which the epistles are clear was the context for the Lord’s Supper or Communion.

When I introduced this topic and series, I said that I’m convinced that this doctrine is one of the least critically examined of all biblical doctrines. This episode gets us into some territory that illustrates the pervasive influence of assumptions about this topic. Anyone who has studied the doctrine knows that it is linked to the Last Supper. They also know about the problem of John 6, the “bread of life” passage. But did you know that John 6 isn’t in the context of the Last Supper? Most students don’t, and the observation begs the question of whether the controversial “eat my flesh and drink my blood” wording in John 6 has anything at all to do with the Lord’s Supper, despite centuries of assuming that it’s central to the topic.

Today we begin a new topic, and with it a short series on a doctrine that most listeners will have heard of or experienced firsthand. I think it would be difficult to find anyone who has spent any time in a Christian church of any denomination who has not heard of the Lord’s Supper, also known as communion or the Lord’s Table. But while most listeners will have heard of the doctrine before, I’m willing to bet few have really thought about or, perhaps stated more precisely, have ever questioned what they’ve been taught about it in light of their own reading of the Scriptures. As familiar as you might think it is, I’m convinced that this doctrine is one of the least critically examined of all biblical doctrines. If I made a “Top Ten” list of things churches do without much thinking, this would be in the list for sure.

Our next problem passage related to baptism is Acts 2:38. The interpretation of this passage involves the Greek preposition eis as well as the overall context of the book of Acts when it comes to repentance and baptism.

Acts 22:16 is a passage that often provokes debate due to its apparent connection between baptism and “washing away” of sins. But that idea is connected to other phrases in succession in the passage. How should Acts 22:16 be interpreted amid these other phrases and the verbal actions described? This episode takes listeners into some Greek grammar for the answer.

1 Peter 3:14-22 is an odd, controversial passage since it amalgamates, baptism, salvation, Noah, the ark, and Jesus’ descent to preach to spirits in the Underworld. The key to understanding the passage is to recognize that Peter embraces the worldview of non-canonical Jewish literature like 1 Enoch and seems an analogy between the events of Genesis 6-8, salvation, and baptism.

How should baptism be done — immersion, sprinkling, or pouring — and can we gain any clarity about this from the biblical text? This episode of the Naked Bible focuses on the mode of baptism, focusing on the Greek word baptizo, frequently translated “baptize” in the New Testament. Is the meaning of this word sufficiently clear to settle the mode issue? Does it matter?

Getting the Baptism-Circumcision Relationship Right: Adult and Believer’s Baptism In the previous episode, we talked about how to articulate a biblically defensible doctrine of infant baptism, one that avoids the theological problems created when one fails to say only about baptism what one can say about circumcision. Getting that relationship right also helps us talk about the baptism of adults.

Getting the Baptism-Circumcision Relationship Right In the last few episodes, we saw how some of Christianity’s historic creeds made statements about baptism (particularly infant baptism) that muddles an otherwise clear gospel presentation. The problem is a failure to say only about baptism what one can say about circumcision. Getting that relationship right is the key to articulating a biblically defensible doctrine of infant baptism, and has implications for believers baptism as well.

Contradictions over baptism and salvation in creeds, continued (Part 3). In the previous episode, we saw how the Belgic Confession and Heidelberg Catechisms offered muddled, contradictory statements on salvation by grace through faith and what happens at baptism. This episode details more of the same, this time in the Westminster Confession.

Contradictions over baptism and salvation in creeds, continued (Part 2). In the previous episode, we saw how the Belgic Confession was, in places, clear on its articulation of the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith alone. And yet when it discussed baptism, these ideas were muddled, creating theological confusion. This episode details more of the same, this time in the Heidelberg Catechism.

In the first podcast episode on baptism, I made the comment that many well-known Christian creeds are internally contradictory when it comes to articulating the clear gospel (salvation by faith in Christ apart from any work or merit of our own) and baptism. That might seem hard to swallow, but it’s true. In this episode, I illustrate the problem via the Belgic Confession, whose clear description of the gospel turns to muddled thinking when it comes to the section on baptism.

Inaugural Episode: Introducing the series on understanding and misunderstanding baptism. Everyone knows about baptism, right? What’s there to think about? Turns out quite a lot. Christian traditions all have positions on baptism, but it is rare to find a coherent articulation of the topic that doesn’t create theological dilemmas with other points of doctrine. Don’t believe that? Then you need to listen to the Naked Bible Podcast’s series on baptism, starting with this episode.