Show Notes:
- Craig Koester’s essay, “My Favorite Part of the Christmas Story“
Homepage / Enter the Bible / 1.30: What’s Your Favorite Part of the Christmas Story?
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Craig Koester received a B.A. from Saint Olaf College, an M.Div. from Luther Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Union Theological Seminary in New York. He served as a parish pastor for several years in Princeton, Minnesota, and joined the faculty of Luther Seminary in 1986. He was appointed to the Asher O. and Carrie Nasby chair of New Testament Studies in 2012 and served as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean from 2013-2018. An innovative teacher, Dr. Koester is known for his “Genesis to Revelation” course, which uses visuals, music, and drama to take people through the sweep of the biblical story in ten days. As a scholar, Dr. Koester has contributed to discussions of Scripture in the academy and the church. His books include landmark commentaries on Hebrews (2001) and Revelation (2014) for the Anchor Yale Commentary series. In Johannine studies, he is known for his Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel (2nd edition, 2003), The Word of Life: A Theology of John’s Gospel (2008), and numerous articles.
Cameron B. R. Howard, associate professor of Old Testament, joined the Luther Seminary faculty in July 2012. She received her Ph.D. from Emory University in 2010. She also holds a Master of Theological Studies degree from the Candler School of Theology at Emory and a Master of Theology degree from Columbia Theological Seminary. Howard is the author of The Old Testament for A Complex World: How the Bible's Dynamic Testimony Points to New Life for the Church (Baker Academic, 2021). Committed to making academic biblical scholarship accessible and relevant to clergy and laypeople, Howard has written over two dozen essays for WorkingPreacher.org and is a contributor to BibleOdyssey.org. She is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature and a ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Eric D. Barreto is the Weyerhaeuser Associate Professor of New Testament. He holds a B.A. in religion from Oklahoma Baptist University, an M.Div. from Princeton Seminary, and a Ph.D. in New Testament from Emory University.
Prior to coming to Princeton Seminary, he served as associate professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary, and also taught as an adjunct professor at the Candler School of Theology and McAfee School of Theology.
The Enter the Bible podcast is where you can get answers (or at least reflections) on everything you wanted to know about the Bible but were afraid to ask. Each season, the podcast hosts address questions submitted by listeners. If you have a question you’d like us to discuss in the upcoming season of the Enter the Bible podcast, submit it here.
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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Craig Koester received a B.A. from Saint Olaf College, an M.Div. from Luther Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Union Theological Seminary in New York. He served as a parish pastor for several years in Princeton, Minnesota, and joined the faculty of Luther Seminary in 1986. He was appointed to the Asher O. and Carrie Nasby chair of New Testament Studies in 2012 and served as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean from 2013-2018. An innovative teacher, Dr. Koester is known for his “Genesis to Revelation” course, which uses visuals, music, and drama to take people through the sweep of the biblical story in ten days. As a scholar, Dr. Koester has contributed to discussions of Scripture in the academy and the church. His books include landmark commentaries on Hebrews (2001) and Revelation (2014) for the Anchor Yale Commentary series. In Johannine studies, he is known for his Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel (2nd edition, 2003), The Word of Life: A Theology of John’s Gospel (2008), and numerous articles.
Cameron B. R. Howard, associate professor of Old Testament, joined the Luther Seminary faculty in July 2012. She received her Ph.D. from Emory University in 2010. She also holds a Master of Theological Studies degree from the Candler School of Theology at Emory and a Master of Theology degree from Columbia Theological Seminary. Howard is the author of The Old Testament for A Complex World: How the Bible's Dynamic Testimony Points to New Life for the Church (Baker Academic, 2021). Committed to making academic biblical scholarship accessible and relevant to clergy and laypeople, Howard has written over two dozen essays for WorkingPreacher.org and is a contributor to BibleOdyssey.org. She is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature and a ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Eric D. Barreto is the Weyerhaeuser Associate Professor of New Testament. He holds a B.A. in religion from Oklahoma Baptist University, an M.Div. from Princeton Seminary, and a Ph.D. in New Testament from Emory University.
Prior to coming to Princeton Seminary, he served as associate professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary, and also taught as an adjunct professor at the Candler School of Theology and McAfee School of Theology.