The Biblical Unitarian Podcast

As we examine the fourth tenet of the Jewish Principle of Agency, we discover that the relationship between the principal and the agent requires an obedient posture. The one who is sent must obey the will of the sender, honoring the mission at the expense of his own interests. After situating this tenet in its Jewish context, we turn to the Gospel of John to witness several ways in

This week's episode explores the tenet in the Jewish Principle of Agency that recognizes the subordinate status of the agent (shaliach) of the sender (principal). We discuss the different agents that the true God uses in Scripture and their qualifications, and we even talk about who the most qualified agents were known to be. Lastly, we examine the Gospel of John's portrayal of Jes

As we continue our series on the Jewish Principle of Agency, we explore in this episode the ways in which the commissioned agent carried out the judicial roles and responsibilities of his sender. We look closely at how human judges function as agents of God, to the point where they are even called "God." Then, we dive into the Old Testament and New Testament to survey how human age

The first tenet of the Jewish Principle of Agency is that the agent fully represents the sender. This episode examines the evidence for this concept within the Hebrew Bible, the Mishnah, the Babylonian Talmud, and the New Testament. We also explore some of the most noteworthy agents of Yahweh in the Bible, including heavenly angels, prophets, kings, judges, and Jesus himself. Visit

Scholars have long noted the similarities between the regular depiction of God sending prophets, messengers, and even the Messiah, with the Jewish principle of agency. This episode introduces the Jewish principle of agency and offers an overview of its six major tenets. Over the next six episodes, we will examine evidence for each of the tenets of Jewish understandings of agency wi

My book, Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John, is now available. In this week's episode, I talk about why I wrote it, how I organized the material, and what you can expect in each chapter. If you are on the fence about buying it, or if you want to know more about how I organized the material, then this episode is for you. Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my new book Wisdom Chri

As we continue working through Alan Segal's arguments in favor of early Christian views of the Two Powers in Heaven heresy, we come to the Gospel of John. We explore the texts that Segal points to as evidence for the belief in Two Powers. In doing so, we interact with his arguments, weigh them for persuasiveness, and consider some of the much-needed evidence concerning monotheism t

Did the Apostle Paul teach something resembling the heresy of Two Powers in Heaven that the later Jewish rabbis rejected? This episode interacts with Alan Segal's interpretation of three key Pauline texts where Paul may (or may not) be guilty of promoting Jesus as the second power in heaven. After dialoguing with Segal's reading of Paul, we offer a summary of what Paul did in fact

Did Philo, the first-century Jew, believe and teach that there were actually two Gods in heaven? What does Philo mean when he talks about the "two powers" of God? This week's episode explores the complex theology of this prolific first-century theologian in order to better understand how Jewish monotheism was conveyed through the lens of a Middle Platonist. We interact with Alan Se

The seminal work by Alan Segal, Two Powers in Heaven, has made a demonstrable impact on how interpreters understand Jewish monotheism and early Christian views of the exalted Jesus. This episode introduces the topic of the Two Powers heresy. We examine three passages from rabbinical literature in order to better understand this peculiar heresy, who might have been promoting it, and