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April 28, 2024 96 mins

Malachi with Dr. Julia O'Brien

Dr. Julia O'Brien (Lancaster Theological Seminary) guides us through the book of Malachi. We discuss:

* What do we know about Malachi and the historical context of the book?

* Major themes of the book including the corrupt priesthood, Malachi’s tone and frustrated attitude, and the repeated use of family language and metaphors

* Issues involved in translating gendered language in the Bible

* How disputations structure the book’s development

* Malachi’s place in Jewish and Christian canons and how Malachi is related to the Book of the Twelve

* How Malachi has been interpreted and its value for today including the importance of religious institutions, and behavior/practice.

* Whether Malachi is talking about marriage or using marriage as a metaphor (2:14–15)

* How God’s destruction of Edom demonstrates God’s love for Israel (1:2–5)

* God’s accusation of the Priests and the importance of the sacrificial system (1:6–2:9)

* Issues involved in translating 2:16, which has often been translated as “I hate divorce” and if this passage is about marriage or idolatry?

* The messenger whom God is sending (3:1) and the tradition of Eijah’s return (4:5)

* God’s invitation to test him by bringing the tithe (3:10)

Works by Dr. Julia O'Brien

* The Oxford Handbook of the Minor Prophets. Edited by Julia O'Brien. Oxford University Press, 2021.

* Micah. Liturgical Press, 2015

* Challenging Prophetic Metaphor. Westminster John Knox, 2008

* Nahum through Malachi. AOTC. Abingdon, 2004

* Nahum. Sheffield Academic, 2001

* Priest and Levite in Malachi. Scholars Press, 1990

Dr. Julia O'Brien recommends

* Joerg Rieger, Theology in the Capitalocene: Ecology, Identity, Class, and Solidarity. Fortress, 2022.

* Cli-Fi (Climate Fiction) books and movies such as:

* Richard Powers, The Overstory, Norton, 2018

* The movie, Dune

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The Two Testaments takes you on a guided journey through Scripture with leading experts on the Bible, hosted by Rony Kozman and Will Kynes

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This episode is co-sponsored by Samford University and the Alabama Humanities Alliance, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this episode do not nec

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