6.126: Can I read the Bible as metaphor AND believe Jesus rose again?

In episode 126 of the sixth season of the Enter the Bible podcast, co-hosts Kathryn Schifferdecker and Katie Langston discuss the question of how to interpret the Bible figuratively or metaphorically while still believing in the literal resurrection of Jesus with guest Nicholas Schaser. Together, they explore the different genres of biblical literature and the importance of understanding the intentions of the authors. Schaser explains that while Jonah may not be taken 100% literally, the resurrection of Jesus is presented as a physical, historical event in the Gospels.

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In episode 126 of the sixth season of the Enter the Bible podcast, co-hosts Kathryn Schifferdecker and Katie Langston discuss the question of how to interpret the Bible figuratively or metaphorically while still believing in the literal resurrection of Jesus with guest Nicholas Schaser. Together, they explore the different genres of biblical literature and the importance of understanding the intentions of the authors. Schaser explains that while Jonah may not be taken 100% literally, the resurrection of Jesus is presented as a physical, historical event in the Gospels.

Guest Nicholas Schaser teaches courses in biblical and Jewish studies at Macalester College in Saint Paul, MN. He received a Masters of Theological Studies in Old Testament from Luther Seminary (2010) and a Masters of Arts in Jewish Studies from Vanderbilt University (2013). He also completed his Ph.D. in Jewish Studies and New Testament at Vanderbilt in 2017.

Show notes

Biblical books and passages mentioned

  • Jonah
  • Matthew 12:40
  • John 4:24

Topics, themes, and figures mentioned

  • Symbolic Significance of Scripture
  • Historical Resurrection
  • Deuteronomistic History
  • Road to Emmaus
  • Universal Resurrection of the Dead

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Nicholas Schaser

Nicholas J. Schaser is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. He earned his Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. His teaching and research focus on the reception of Israel’s Scriptures in early Judaism and Christianity, the New Testament in its Jewish Contexts, and Jewish-Christian relations. Dr. Schaser teaches widely in both churches and synagogues throughout the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

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Hosted By:

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Kathryn M. Schifferdecker

Kathryn M Schifferdecker came to Luther Seminary as an assistant professor of Old Testament in 2006. Ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in 2001, Schifferdecker was associate pastor for five years at Trinity Lutheran Church, Arkdale, Wisc., before coming to Luther. Schifferdecker is a frequent contributor to workingpreacher.org, 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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Katie Langston

Katie Langston is a doubter by nature and a believer by grace. She grew up Mormon in a small Utah town and still isn't sure she fits in anywhere sophisticated enough to have a Target. She's the author of Sealed: An Unexpected Journey into the Heart of Grace, an acclaimed spiritual memoir about her conversion to orthodox Christianity. Katie works as the director of digital strategy for Luther Seminary's innovation team, where she oversees digital projects aimed at cultivating vibrant Christian spirituality in a post-modern, post-Christian cultural context.

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