The Biblical Languages Podcast hosts discussions and interviews related to learning the biblical languages and issues relevant to biblical exegesis.
The Reading Brain: Insights from Neuroscience with Maryanne Wolf (Reading Fluency: Part 1)
In this episode, we talk to Dr. Maryanne Wolf about 'the reading brain' - that is, what happens in our brains when we read. She offers a definition of reading fluency, explains the various cognitive processes involved in fluent reading, and describes the key benefit of reading fluency: deep reading.
Maryanne Wolf is a scholar, a teacher, and an advocate for children and literacy around the world. She is the Director of the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice at the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. Previously she was the John DiBiaggio Professor of Citizenship and Public Service and Director of the Center for Reading and Language Research in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development at Tufts University. She is the author of more than 160 scientific articles, she designed the RAVE-O reading intervention for children with dyslexia, and with Martha Denckla, co-authored the
16/11/2023 • 48 minutes 40 seconds
How to Read and Understand Different Bible Translations (New Testament Bible Translation: Part 6)
In this episode, Dr. Kevin Grasso concludes our series on New Testament Bible Translation by bring together the many insights shared on previous episodes and explaining the practical implications. Kevin discusses the goal of Bible translation, summarizes the main translation philosophies, highlights key problems in translation, and explains how to read and understand any Bible translation more effectively.
Kevin Grasso received his M.A. in Linguistics with a concentration in Bible Translation from Dallas International University and his PhD in Hebrew Language from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is also working on an M.A. in Comparative Religion at Hebrew University. He has taught Biblical Greek for the University of the Holy Land and is on the Executive Committee for the Biblical Hebrew Linguistics and Philology Network.
As always, this episode is brought to you by Biblingo, the premier solution for learning, maintaining, and enjoying th
29/09/2023 • 50 minutes 40 seconds
The NIV Bible and Pauline Theology with Doug Moo (New Testament Bible Translation: Part 5)
Doug Moo is the chair of the translation committee of the NIV, consistently one of the most popular English translations in the world. In this episode, host Kevin Grasso discusses Moo's role as chair of the Committee for Bible Translation as well as Moo's particular translation philosophy. They also discuss how to translate some key terms in Paul, particularly those explored in our previous series on Key Terms in Pauline Theology.
As always, this episode is brought to you by Biblingo, the premier solution for learning, maintaining, and enjoying the biblical languages. Visit biblingo.org to learn more and start your 10-day free trial. If you enjoy this episode, be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast app and leave us a review. You can also follow Biblingo on social media @biblingoapp to discuss the episode with us and other listeners.
13/09/2023 • 45 minutes 20 seconds
Ephesians and the New Living Translation with Lynn Cohick (New Testament Bible Translation: Part 4)
Dr. Lynn Cohick was recently appointed to be on the translation committee for the popular New Living Translation. In this episode, host Kevin Grasso discusses Lynn's translation philosophy and how she handles certain exegetical and translational issues in Ephesians, on which she has written the commentary in the NICNT series. Particular attention is given to Ephesians 2:9 and the translation of ἐξ ἔργων as well as 5:21-24 and the translation of ὑποτάσσω and κεφαλή. You don't want to miss this thought-provoking conversation!
Lynn H. Cohick (Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania) is Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Director of the Houston Theological Seminary at Houston Christian Univer
06/09/2023 • 1 hour 9 minutes 8 seconds
The Legacy Standard Bible with William Varner (New Testament Bible Translation: Part 3)
William Varner was on the translation committee for the Legacy Standard Bible, an updated version of the NASB published in 2021. In this episode, host Kevin Grasso discusses Varner's involvement in the project, including some of the distinctives of the translation. They cover some of the exegetical decisions made by the committee as well as the translation philosophy behind the LSB. Other translations are also discussed, including Scot McKnight's new translation, The Second Testament. See Part 2 of this series for our interview with McKnight here: The Second Testament with Scot McKnight
William C. Varner is an American biblical scholar. He is Professor of Biblical Studies & Greek at The Master's University. Varner studied at Bob Jones University, Dropsie College, Biblical Theological Seminary, Gratz College, and Temple University. In 1996, he came to The Master’s College, where he teaches Bible exposition courses and Greek Exegesis. He was also the Director of IBEX, the college’s over
30/08/2023 • 1 hour 33 seconds
The Second Testament with Scot McKnight (New Testament Bible Translation: Part 2)
Scot McKnight recently released a new translation of the New Testament called The Second Testament: A New Translation (published by IVP Academic). In this episode of the Biblical Languages Podcast, host Kevin Grasso interviews Scot on his new translation. They discuss Scot's translation philosophy as well as some of his exegetical decisions. Scot also responds to some of the criticism he has gotten for some of his more radical translation decisions. You don't want to miss this behind-the-scenes conversation on this leading NT scholar's fresh translation.
Scot is a recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. McKnight, author or editor of some eighty-five books, is Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lisle, IL. Dr. McKnight has given interviews on radios across the nation, has appeared on televisi
23/08/2023 • 51 minutes
Exploring Translation Theories with Anthony Pym (New Testament Bible Translation: Part 1)
Anthony Pym's book "Exploring Translation Theories" is now in its third edition. In this episode of the Biblical Languages Podcast, host Kevin Grasso interviews Anthony on different translation theories and how they work themselves out in real translations of texts. They focus on the idea of "equivalence" and the different ways two texts can equivalent. Other translation-related ideas are also discussed, such as a taxonomy of translation methods, skopos-related theories, and translation universals.
Anthony Pym is Professor of Translation Studies at the University of Melbourne in Australia and at Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Spain. He has been a practicing translator since the 1980s, mostly working from Romance languages.
As always, this episode is brought to you by Biblingo, the premi
16/08/2023 • 57 minutes 44 seconds
Pronunciation of New Testament Greek with Ben Kantor
Ben Kantor has recently published two books on the pronunciation of NT Greek with Eerdmans:
A Short Guide to the Pronunciation of New Testament Greek
The Pronunciation of New Testament Greek: Judeo-Palestinian Greek Phonology and Orthography from Alexander to Islam
In this episode of the Biblical Languages Podcast, host Kevin Grasso interviews Ben on his new books. They discuss how we can know what NT Greek sounded like, different pronunciation systems in use in the first century, the importance of pronunciation, and what languages Jesus and other Jews most likely spoke in first century Palestine.
Benjamin Paul Kantor is a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. He received his B.A. i
03/08/2023 • 1 hour 16 minutes 25 seconds
The Meaning of εὐαγγέλιον (Gospel) and πίστις (Faith/Allegiance) with Matthew Bates
This is a republished interview with Matthew Bates on his book “Gospel Allegiance: What Faith in Jesus Misses for Salvation in Christ” (Brazos Press, 2019). Bates recently published a new book called “Why the Gospel? Living the Good News of King Jesus with Purpose” (Eerdmans, 2023). Whereas Bates new book focuses on *why* the gospel was given, this present conversation is a helpful precursor as it focuses on *what* the gospel is. We discuss some of the central arguments made in “Gospel Allegiance”, including Bates' understanding of the pistis ('faith/faithfulness') word group, euangelion ('gospel'), and the relationship between these concepts and others in the Bible, especially the New Testament.
16/05/2023 • 53 minutes 4 seconds
A Quick Update - 2022 Kickoff
In this episode, we share some personal updates from Nick and Kevin, as well as what we have planned for the podcast for the rest of 2022.
Show notes:
Kevin's dissertation: "Verbs of Judgment in Biblical Hebrew. A Lexical Semantic Analysis" (free download)
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