The Bible Project on Spiritual Beings and Elohim

The Bible Project continues to go from strength to strength, and has recently started producing a new series of videos on ‘Spiritual Beings’, with the aim ‘to profile all of the spiritual characters in the Bible, see how they fit into the world-picture of the biblical authors, and also how they figure in the larger storyline of the Bible’.

The introductory video is available here, and the second one, on ‘Elohim’, is available here. Future installments on Angels and Cherubim, The Satan and Demons, and The Divine Council are promised.

Michael S. Heiser has been publishing significant biblical-theological works in this area (The Unseen Realm, Supernatural, and Angels, all published by Lexham Press), and I see that he was a guest on the Bible Project podcast back in October 2018, looking at ‘What is God’s Name?’, available here.

Recommendations on Biblical Wisdom

I wrote the following mini reviews for a recent edition of Highlights, produced by the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity.

The Bible Project – Wisdom series

With their combination of creative animation and careful narration, The Bible Project videos – freely available online – say a lot and say it well. Their ‘Wisdom Series’ introduces Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes, exploring how all three show what living well in God’s world looks like, each one offering their distinctive perspective on the ‘good life’, and all affirming that the journey to becoming wise begins with the fear of the Lord.

Tremper Longman III, The Fear of the Lord is Wisdom: A Theological Introduction to Wisdom in Israel (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2017).

This is the best work for those looking for a comprehensive treatment of wisdom in the Bible. In addition to introducing the main biblical wisdom books, Longman explores the presence of wisdom elsewhere in the Old Testament, the characteristics of Israelite wisdom in its ancient setting, some debated issues in the study of biblical wisdom, and the presence of wisdom in subsequent Jewish writings and the New Testament. Highly recommended.

Elaine A. Phillips, An Introduction to Reading Biblical Wisdom Texts (Peabody: Hendrickson, 2017).

Reading this book is like having a personal tutorial with an expert teacher and guide, someone with that rare ability to communicate complex ideas concisely and well. With brief chapters, engagingly written but rooted in careful scholarship, Phillips offers a wonderfully accessible introduction to wisdom and an overview of the Bible’s wisdom books (including Song of Songs), with a mixture of reflection on content and discussion of issues of interpretation.

The Bible Project on Luke 1-2

The team at the Bible Project has produced a series of helpful videos walking through Luke’s gospel. The one for chapters 1-2 is here, on events surrounding the birth of Jesus, highlighting how ‘the humble conditions of his family and their low status in Israelite society foreshadow the upside-down nature of Jesus’ kingdom’.

The Bible Project on an Overview of the New Testament

I haven’t posted on The Bible Project for a while, but their collection of videos goes from strength to strength. Their overviews are so clearly based in solid biblical scholarship and also (in my experience at least) communicate brilliantly well to lay audiences.

The latest one is an overview of the New Testament which, in their own words, ‘breaks down the literary design of the entire New Testament and how it continues the story of the Hebrew Scriptures’, and I think it’s a model of skill and succinctness.

It can be viewed here.

The Bible Project on ‘Shema’, Reading the Bible, and the Day of the Lord

The latest videos from the Bible Project include the first installment of a new Word Studies series (a six-part exploration of the ‘Shema’, found in Deuteronomy 6:4-6), the first one (‘What is the Bible?) in a 14-part series exploring the origins, content, and purpose of the Bible, and the latest in the Themes series on ‘the Day of the Lord’.

Check out all the videos from here, or see them via YouTube here.

The Bible Project on Luke and Revelation

The latest videos from the excellent Bible Project include an addition to their ‘Animated Series’ on Luke 1-2, and two videos on the book of Revelation in their ‘Read Scripture’ series.

Check out all the videos from here (click on ‘All Videos’ or scroll down the page) or see them all via YouTube here.

The Bible Project (Again)

I post periodically on the Bible Project, which is continuing to make very helpful and well-produced video overviews of biblical books and biblical themes, occasionally with downloadable notes and questions for small groups.

What I hadn’t clocked until very recently is that, in addition to their ‘Read Scripture’ series covering books from the Old and New Testaments (with the latest videos on Galatians and 2 Corinthians), they are also producing an ‘Animated Series’, which now covers the books of the Torah, three wisdom books (Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes), and one gospel (Mark).

Check out all the videos from here (click on ‘All Videos’ or scroll down the page) or see them all via YouTube here.

The Bible Project

Since I last posted on the Bible Project, many more video overviews of Bible books have been added, including on Zechariah, Haggai, Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah, Ezekiel (in two parts), Lamentations, Esther, Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Nahum, Micah, Joel, Obadiah, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah (in two parts), Jonah, Kings, Samuel (in two parts), and Judges.

Check out all the videos from here (click on ‘Videos’ or scroll down to the ‘Videos/Study Guides/Posters’ section) or see them all via YouTube here.

The Bible Project on the Image of God

The latest video from The Bible Project, at just over 5 minutes long, is an excellent overview of the ‘image of God’ theme tracked through Scripture as a whole.

It’s available to view on YouTube here.

Check out all the videos from here (click on ‘Videos’ or scroll down to the ‘Videos/Study Guides/Posters’ section) or see them all via YouTube here.

The Bible Project on Joshua

The latest video from The Bible Project provides a nearly 9-minute introduction to and overview of the book of Joshua, which also includes a brief excursus on the issue of violence.

Check out all the videos from here (click on ‘Videos’ or scroll down to the ‘Videos/Study Guides/Posters’ section) or see them all via YouTube here.

More Videos from the Bible Project

The Bible Project continues to put together a series of helpful short videos, some of which introduce the structure and themes of biblical books, and others of which trace some major themes through the entire Bible.

Since I lost posted on this, several other Bible book videos have been made available (including on Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Song of Songs, and Mark), and a themed video on The Gospel of the Kingdom.

Check them out from here (click on ‘Videos’ or scroll down to the ‘Videos/Study Guides/Posters’ section) or see them all via YouTube here.

More Videos from the Bible Project

The Bible Project continues to put together a series of helpful short videos, some of which introduce the structure and themes of biblical books, and others of which trace some major themes through the entire Bible.

Since I lost posted on this, several other Bible book videos have been made available (including on Ruth, Job, Psalms, Matthew, 1 Corinthians, and Hebrews), and one themed video on atonement.

Check them out from here (click on ‘Videos’ or scroll down to the ‘Videos & Study Guides’ section) or see them all via YouTube here.

The Bible Project on Leviticus, Romans, Holiness, and Covenants

The Bible Project is continuing to put together a series of helpful short videos, some of which introduce the structure and themes of biblical books, and others of which trace some major themes through the entire Bible.

I’ve just noticed the next Bible book videos have been made available, one on Leviticus, and two covering Romans.

In addition are two others that are new to me in the ‘Themes’ section, one on holiness and one on the covenants.

Check them out from here (click on ‘Videos’ or scroll down to the ‘Videos & Study Guides’ section).

The Bible Project on Genesis 12-50

I blogged on this project here a few months ago.

A small team is aiming to put together a series of short videos introducing the structure and themes of biblical books and tracing some major themes through the entire Bible. They’re seeking to make the videos and supporting study guides available for free – although they’re asking for donations in order to do so.

They’ve just made available the next video on Genesis 12-50. Check it out from here (click on ‘Videos’ or scroll down to the ‘Videos & Study Guides’ section).

The Bible Project on Genesis 1-11 and Heaven and Earth

This fairly new project looks like it could be excellent.

A small team is aiming to put together a series of short videos introducing the structure and themes of biblical books and tracing some major themes through the entire Bible.

They’re seeking to make these videos and supporting study guides available for free – although they’re asking for donations in order to do so.

Currently available is a video on Genesis 1-11 and another on the theme of heaven and earth in Scripture, lasting about 6 minutes each, and well worth checking out.