Dr. Eric J. Tully: On Science Fiction, Prophets, and PhDs

Dr. Eric Tully joins Dr. Michelle Knight and Dr. Josh Jipp for this week’s episode. Eric is Associate Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and he also directs the PhD. in Theological Studies. He completed his MDiv. at TEDS and also holds a BA from Moody Bible Institute and a PhD from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Eric begins with a recounting of his childhood in the mission field in central Africa, a time during which he grew to appreciate the spiritual benefits of the Old Testament. From that point onward, he was committed to helping the church understand it well. This leads into a discussion of Eric’s course on the “Book of the Twelve,” commonly known as the “Minor Prophets,” and the most coherent reasons we have for reading them as a unified set of texts. There is also an insightful conversation about the eschatological vision of the prophets, and how one’s relation to God determines where one stands in relation to such a vision. Eric also expatiates on the importance of focusing on the Hebrew text for interpretation, both in his work in Hosea and in his co-taught course on the Psalms with Dr. David Luy. Finally, Eric shares his wisdom about the benefits of getting a PhD., especially the kinds of intellectual virtues one is able to cultivate through the process.

Along the way, listeners will discover… 

• Who shot first, Han or Greedo, and why?
• Eric’s favorite drink.
• What the prophets uniquely contribute to what we know about God, and what we’d lose without them.

To learn more about Dr. Eric Tully, visit his faculty page, or explore one of his many books, whether his Hosea commentary, his introduction to textual criticism, or his forthcoming work on the prophets, due March 2022. He has also done a recent chapel message. Thanks for listening!