EPISODE · Jun 29, 2016 · 25 MIN
#005 Nehemia Gordon
from Spectrum
A Jewish Bible scholar and an African American pastor joined in an intellectual and spiritual journey of faith and scholarly inquiry. The result is they say they uncovered the truth about one of the most coveted prayers in the Christian world – the “Lord’s Prayer” and its Hebrew origins. On this episode of Spectrum, Tom Hodson talks with world renowned Jewish scholar, Nehemiah Gordon, about his discovery of a Hebrew version of the Lord's Prayer. On a journey to Israel in 2002, Methodist Pastor Keith Johnson, of the Park Avenue Church in Minneapolis, met with world renowned scholar Nehemia Gordon. This started a long-term relationship and research partnership that resulted in a book A Prayer To Our Father: Hebrew Origins of the Lord’s Prayer. They discovered a Hebrew version of the Lord's Prayer, preserved by Jewish rabbis for over a thousand years, according to Gordon. Working from the original languages of early texts, the two men translated the texts and found much commonality in most of the traditional forms of the prayer. In its early forms, the prayer could have been as easily used in the Jewish faith as in the Christian faith, according to Gordon. They found that the prayer has a universal adherence to tenets in both faiths. On this episode of Spectrum, Gordon describes the partnership with Johnson, their work together, and the outcomes of their research. Gordon holds a master’s degree in Biblical Studies and a bachelor’s degree in Archaeology from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He has worked as a translator on the Dead Sea Scrolls and as a researcher of ancient Hebrew manuscripts. Gordon's website, NehemiasWall.com, is dedicated to uncovering ancient Hebrew sources of faith and is full of informative videos, podcasts and blog posts. Johnson, besides being an elder, also served as chaplain to the Minnesota Vikings and has ministered to top athletes in the NFL and NBA.
What this episode covers
A Jewish Bible scholar and an African American pastor joined in an intellectual and spiritual journey of faith and scholarly inquiry. The result is they say they uncovered the truth about one of the most coveted prayers in the Christian world – the “Lord’s Prayer” and its Hebrew origins. On this episode of Spectrum, Tom Hodson talks with world renowned Jewish scholar, Nehemiah Gordon, about his discovery of a Hebrew version of the Lord's Prayer. On a journey to Israel in 2002, Methodist Pastor Keith Johnson, of the Park Avenue Church in Minneapolis, met with world renowned scholar Nehemia Gordon. This started a long-term relationship and research partnership that resulted in a book A Prayer To Our Father: Hebrew Origins of the Lord’s Prayer. They discovered a Hebrew version of the Lord's Prayer, preserved by Jewish rabbis for over a thousand years, according to Gordon. Working from the original languages of early texts, the two men translated the texts and found much commonality in most of the traditional forms of the prayer. In its early forms, the prayer could have been as easily used in the Jewish faith as in the Christian faith, according to Gordon. They found that the prayer has a universal adherence to tenets in both faiths. On this episode of Spectrum, Gordon describes the partnership with Johnson, their work together, and the outcomes of their research. Gordon holds a master’s degree in Biblical Studies and a bachelor’s degree in Archaeology from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He has worked as a translator on the Dead Sea Scrolls and as a researcher of ancient Hebrew manuscripts. Gordon's website, NehemiasWall.com, is dedicated to uncovering ancient Hebrew sources of faith and is full of informative videos, podcasts and blog posts. Johnson, besides being an elder, also served as chaplain to the Minnesota Vikings and has ministered to top athletes in the NFL and NBA.
NOW PLAYING
#005 Nehemia Gordon
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
Apr 17, 2026 ·8m
Apr 3, 2026 ·10m
Mar 7, 2026 ·6m
Feb 21, 2026 ·7m
Jan 28, 2026 ·7m
Jan 18, 2026 ·14m