PodParley PodParley
PodParley
What was Paul's mysterious 'Thorn in the Flesh'?? episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 13, 2023 · 1H 36M

What was Paul's mysterious 'Thorn in the Flesh'??

from Disciple Dojo · host JM Smith

In this Dojo Discussion we welcome Dr. Kenneth Berding, New Testament scholar from Talbot School of Theology in Los Angeles who has just written the first ever academic book devoted to the topic of Paul’s mysterious “thorn in the flesh” comment in 2Corinthians 12. Is it possible to know what Paul’s “thorn” may actually have been? For the past 100+ years scholars have largely given up even trying to solve this millennia-old mystery. But Dr. Berding is trying to change that with this landmark in-depth examination of this ‘thorny’ exegetical issue! 
Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:09 - Who is Kenneth Berding?? 00:06:27 - Why devote a whole book on Paul’s “thorn in the flesh”?? 00:11:49 - Why is there so much prejudice on this subject among interpreters? 00:19:58 - Thorns and face-punching! (A closer look at the Greek text of 2Cor 12:7) 00:32:52 - Ken’s 20 criteria that every proposed solution must take into account 00:38:52 - Paul’s ministry, Black magic, and Greco-Roman “voodoo dolls”?? 00:50:17 - Building a cumulative case as opposed to a single ‘smoking gun’ 00:52:03 - Satan, Job, Paul, and spiritual warfare today 01:01:25 - Linguistic and conceptual links between 2Corinthians and Job 01:03:56 - Some thoughts on Satan and Michael Heiser’s work 01:09:16 - the importance of scholarly disagreement within the Body of Christ 01:13:36 - Eye ailments in the Greco-Roman world 01:17:44 - Excruciating craniofacial conditions involving the Trigeminal nerve 01:22:54 - Could the “thorn” be a metaphor for false teachers or other human enemies of Paul? 01:26:45 - The importance of approaching a familiar Scripture with fresh perspective 01:29:53 - Could the “thorn” have been left vague so that it could apply to BOTH physical illness AND human opposition? Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh is available in paperback or digitally at https://www.amazon.com/Pauls-Thorn-Flesh-Clues-Problem/dp/1683596838/ His book “How to Live an ’In Christ’ Life” can be found at https://www.amazon.com/How-Live-Christ-Life-Devotional/dp/1527105598/ For those who want to read more of Ken’s work, he blogs regularly at kennethberding.com and at thegoodbookblog.com. ***DiscipleDojo swag (such as the 2Corinthians shirt JM is wearing in this interview!) is available in our online store! - https://tinyurl.com/24ncuas2 ***Become a monthly Dojo Donor at - https://www.discipledojo.org/donate ------ Go deeper at www.discipledojo.org Subscribe to the Disciple Dojo podcast for more in-depth teaching and discussions: SoundCloud - https://soundcloud.com/discipledojo Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/26BDZz70HmnT5eoD9BEKQ7 iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/disciple-dojo/id1002934837 Stitcher - http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=181458&refid=stpr Amazon - https://tinyurl.com/uz8dbfet Disciple Dojo is a 501c3 Nonprofit organization. As such we rely on donor support to make this teaching available freely online. Please consider supporting this ministry if you benefit from the videos or podcast at http://www.discipledojo.org

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Apr 13, 2023

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

What was Paul's mysterious 'Thorn in the Flesh'??

0:00 1:36:15

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

No similar episodes found.

Similar Podcasts

Because of Jesus Obadiah Swen Harvest Intercontinental Church - Virginia is a multicultural, missions-oriented, and disciple-making church. We feel God has called us to make a difference where we are and are committed to helping people use the spiritual and physical resources the Lord has provided them to obey Him, and fulfill the destiny he has designed for them. Our goal is to win the lost at all costs. If you are looking for a church, where the word of God is taught in integrity and the members are focused on serving God and his people as well as making a difference in their communities then, please accept our personal invitation to make Harvest-Virginia your home. We can grow and serve the Lord together. At Harvest-Virginia, we have endeavored to focus on the holistic approach to ministry. We have tailored our ministry to meet the spiritual, emotional, intellectual, financial, and physical needs of the family. Lectures on Bhagavad-gita Dulal Chandra dasa A series of lectures given by Dulal Chandra dasa on devotional service as presented in Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam with emphasis on the practice of bhakti yoga. These lectures present knowledge of Krishna Consciousness as taught by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and his illustrious followers, the six goswamis. Dulal Chandra dasa is a direct disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Although I lack any personal qualification to lecture on the lofty subject of self realization, this presentation is my humble attempt to repeat what I have heard from my spiritual master and pass it on without adulteration. In this way I hope to serve the desire of my guru and provide you with some gems of transcendental wisdom that will hopefully spark an interest in ending your entanglement in material existence and becoming firmly reestablished in your eternal spiritual position.I present myself before you with a straw between my Youth Ministry Unscripted: The Rooted Youth Ministry Podcast Rooted Ministry Rooted Youth Ministry aims to advance gospel centered youth ministry by equipping and empowering youth ministers and parents to faithfully disciple students toward lifelong faith in Jesus Christ. Youth Ministry Unscripted is a real, honest, and raw part of the Rooted Family of Podcasts which also includes The Rooted Parent Podcast, The Asian American Youth Ministry Roundtable, Ask Alice, and Thanos to Theos. For more grace filled, gospel-centered, Bible saturated resources be sure to visit www.rootedministry.com. Shekinah Church Shekinah Christian Church Shekinah is here to equip believers to transform their world through a radical encounter with Christ. Our mandate is to facilitate an atmosphere of love, power and grace that allows for a transformative experience with the Glory of Jesus. We believe that as this happens, we become a "Disciple of Revival”, fully ready to experience and share the reality of Christ in everyday life.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Disciple Dojo?

This episode is 1 hour and 36 minutes long.

When was this Disciple Dojo episode published?

This episode was published on April 13, 2023.

Can I download this Disciple Dojo episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!