22. The Ezekiel Old Testament Experience: Holiness, Exile, and the God Who Goes Anywhere

Stephen Cook unpacks the Ezekiel Old Testament book: visions, dry bones, and radical hope.

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.

Bible Bingo

Glory of the Lord (Hebrew: kavod)
Wheels Within Wheels
Valley of Dry Bones
New Heart and New Spirit
Temple and Living Water

7-Word Summary

Holiness stronger than exile, chaos, and death.

Scripture References

Ezekiel 1 (vision of the cherubim, wheels, and the glory of the Lord)
Ezekiel 37 (Valley of Dry Bones; the Ruach/Spirit of God)
Ezekiel 36 (new heart and new spirit)
Ezekiel 38-39 (Gog of Magog)
Ezekiel 47 (stream of living water flowing from the temple)
John 1 (Jesus as the new temple; Jacob’s ladder reference)
John 7 (Jesus and living water)
Luke 24 (the Emmaus road; knowing Jesus through scripture and the breaking of bread)
Ezekiel 34 (the bad shepherds; echoed in Jesus as the Good Shepherd)

Featuring

Stephen Cook

Dr. Stephen L. Cook is the Catherine N. McBurney Professor of Old Testament Language and Literature at Virginia Theological Seminary. A scholar of biblical theology, apocalypticism, and prophetic literature, he received his M.Div. and Ph.D. from Yale University and previously taught at Union Theological Seminary. He is the author of numerous books and essays, including major studies on Ezekiel, Deuteronomy, and Daniel. Known for integrating close textual scholarship with theological imagination, Cook’s work brings Scripture into dialogue with dogmatics, art, spirituality, and contemporary culture. He lectures widely and serves actively in the guilds of biblical studies. He is currently an elected member of the Society of Biblical Literature Council.

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Hosted By

Kathryn Schifferdecker

Kathryn M Schifferdecker is Professor and Elva B. Lovell Chair of Old Testament at Luther Seminary. Ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in 2001, Schifferdecker was associate pastor for five years at Trinity Lutheran Church, Arkdale, Wisconsin, before coming to Luther in 2006. Schifferdecker is a frequent contributor to Working Preacher, Word & World, and the author of "Out of the Whirlwind: Creation Theology in the Book of Job" (Harvard University Press, 2008). She is currently writing a commentary on the book of Esther.

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Jennifer Wojciechowski

Jennifer Hornyak Wojciechowski is assistant professor of church history, and she has been teaching at Luther since 2019. Prior to this, she taught in the religion department at Augsburg University.

Wojciechowski graduated summa cum laude from the University of Minnesota (2005), received her Master of Arts at Bethel Seminary (2011) and her Ph.D. from Luther Seminary (2019).

She is author of the book “Women and the Christian Story: A Global History” (Fortress, 2022) and numerous articles in publications including Word & World and Minnesota History. Her research focuses on women’s history, American history, and the intersection of religion and social reform.

She is the associate editor of the journal Word & World.

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About The Bible in a Year Podcast

This podcast guides you on a journey through the books of the Bible, providing insights on how Scripture can shape your life today. Each episode focuses on one or two books of the Bible in fun, engaging, and authentic conversations between Luther Seminary faculty and guest Bible scholars who are experts on the book(s) in question. Join us as we make our way through the Bible in a year — new episodes drop every Wednesday in 2026!

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