S2E1: Biblical Interpretation (feat. Origen of Alexandria & Theodore of Mopsuestia)

How should Christians read the Bible?In this opening episode of Season 2 of the Dead Theologians Podcast, we step back to ask one of the most foundational—and often overlooked—questions of the Christian faith: how do we interpret Scripture in the first place?To explore this, we listen in on a moderated conversation between two towering early church thinkers with sharply different approaches to biblical interpretation: Origen of Alexandria and Theodore of Mopsuestia. Origen argues that Scripture contains multiple layers of meaning meant to draw believers toward Christ and spiritual transformation, while Theodore insists that faithful interpretation must begin with history, authorial intent, and the literal sense of the text.Their exchange highlights a tension the Church has wrestled with from the very beginning—between spiritual depth and historical grounding, allegory and literal meaning, transformation and doctrinal clarity.After the dialogue, hosts Pastor Matt Jones and Matt Lingafelt reflect on why hermeneutics matters for everyday Christians, how interpretation shapes theology and practice, and why no one truly reads the Bible “without interpretation.”This episode sets the stage for Season 2’s deeper conversations on Scripture, theology, and how we faithfully read God’s Word today.