Tyndale House Podcast

Step into the very first verse of the Bible with a new podcast series from Tyndale House, Cambridge, on Genesis (The Creation Story). Episode 1 explores the full depth of Genesis 1:1 'In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth'. This single verse has shaped centuries of belief, debate, and scholarship, and we unpack why it still matters today.In this episode, we take a research‑rich, accessible journey through some of the most searched questions about the creation narrative:How does Genesis 1:1 compare to ancient Mesopotamian creation myths such as the Enuma Elish and other Near Eastern texts?Can we trust the historical reliability of this ancient narrative?What numerical patterns and structural features appear in the Hebrew text, and how might they highlight the intentional design of God’s Word?Perfect for listeners searching for Genesis commentary, Bible Study podcasts, creation vs ancient myths, Old Testament background, and biblical numerology explained. Whether you’re exploring Scripture for the first time or diving deeper into familiar passages, this episode offers a thoughtful, engaging look at the verse that starts it all.This episode is hosted by Dr. Peter Williams, Principal of Tyndale House, Cambridge and author of 'Can We Trust the Gospels?' And 'The Surprising Genius of Jesus'. He is joined by Dr. J Caleb Howard and Dr. James Bejon, who both work on the Old Testament names project at Tyndale house. Edited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTubeTimestamps 00:00 Introduction 00:35 Genesis 1:11:30 Is Genesis like Enūma eliš?1:50 What is the link between Genesis 1&24:41 Genesis 1:1-56:30 Mesopotamian texts and the links to Genesis8:54 Is Enūma Eliš well known in the Ancient Near East? (+ Star Wars)10:10 Back to links between Mesopotamian texts and Genesis12:30 Are there connections between Genesis 1:2 and Tiamat?15:00 Is Genesis 1 poetry?17:08 The descriptions of God in Genesis 1 in light of the canon of scripture22:15 James’ love for biblical numerology27:15 Caleb’s responseSupport the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Step into the ancient world with our deep dive into Genesis, our most ambitious series yet.Travel from the text of Genesis to the tablets of Assyria with expert Dr Caleb Howard. Explore what the original Hebrew reveals beneath the surface and discover how even data can become a tool for helping us grow in understanding with analyst Dr James Bejon – and this is just episode one!Led by Tyndale House Principal, Dr Peter Williams, this extended series takes you deep into Genesis chapters 1–9 with clarity, curiosity, and visual richness. This is a series meant to be seen. Join us on YouTube, subscribe, and experience it for yourself.Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

This week we have one of our occasional Meet the Scholar episodes. Dr Tony Watkins, the Fellow for Public Engagement, talks to Dr Rebecca Idestrom about her work researching the presentation of God's glory in the Bible. Dr Idestrom currently teaches at the Tyndale Seminary in Toronto, and is the author of Show Me Your Glory : The Glory of God in the Old Testament (Pickwick Publications, 2023).Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In this 'Meet the Scholar' episode, Dr Thomas Schmidt, author of the book, Josephus and Jesus, talks to Dr Tony Watkins about the many connections Josephus had to various members of the 1st century Jewish-elite who were likely to have been at Jesus's trial.Dr Thomas Schmidt is Associate Professor at Fairfield University and a Visiting Fellow at Princeton University. He is the author of Josephus and Jesus: New Evidence for the One Called Christ (Oxford University Press).Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

This week we have one of our occasional ‘Meet the Scholar’ episodes, featuring Dr Jill Firth, Lecturer in Hebrew and Old Testament at Ridley College, Melbourne, in conversation with Dr Tony Watkins. In this episode, Jill talks about her research into the presentation of David in the Psalms and the logic for the order they were compiled in.00:00 - 01:04 - Intro01:04 - 03:14 - Background03:15 - 04:30 - Jill’s study of the Psalms04:31 - 09:45 - The last Psalms09:46 - 12:32 - The Descendant12:33 - 15:49 - Traps, Nets and Snares15:50 - 20:17 - Looking Forward - a call to praise20:18 - 29:15 - Changes in Thinking over 20 yearsSupport the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

This episode brings to a close part one of our series exploring William Tyndale’s life, Bible translation and legacy. In this third episode, we explore the continuing legacy of William Tyndale’s work of Bible translation with the help of experts in the sixteenth century and the history of Christianity.We’re very grateful for contributions from:• Bruce Gordon, the Titus Street Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Yale Divinity School, and author of The Bible a Global History (Basic Books, 2024)• Alec Ryrie, Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Durham, and the author of The World’s Reformation: How Protestantism Became a Global Religion (Yale University Press, to be published in 2026)• Simon Burton, John Laing Senior Lecturer in Reformation History at the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh, and author of ‌ Participation & Covenant in Puritan Theology (Davenant Press, 2025)• Karl Gunther, historian of the Reformation from the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education in the University of Florida, and author of ‌ Participation & Covenant in Puritan Theology Reformation Unbound: Protestant Visions of Reform in England, 1525–1590 (Cambridge University Press, 2014)• Harry Spillane, Bye-Fellow in History at Downing College, Cambridge. He is currently completing his Munby Fellowship research project entitled ‘Collecting and Correcting: Histories of the English Bible and the Bible Society Collections’Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In this series we are exploring William Tyndale’s life, Bible translation and legacy, including interviews experts in the sixteenth century. In this third episode, we explore William Tyndale’s life after his publication of his translation of the New Testament into English in 1526.We’re very grateful for contributions from:Bruce Gordon, the Titus Street Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Yale Divinity School, and author of The Bible a Global History (Basic Books, 2024)Alec Ryrie, Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Durham, and the author of The World’s Reformation: How Protestantism Became a Global Religion (Yale University Press, to be published in 2026)Simon Burton, John Laing Senior Lecturer in Reformation History at the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh, and author of ‌ Participation & Covenant in Puritan Theology (Davenant Press, 2025)Karl Gunther, historian of the Reformation from the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education in the University of Florida, and author of ‌ Participation & Covenant in Puritan Theology Reformation Unbound: Protestant Visions of Reform in England, 1525–1590 (Cambridge University Press, 2014)Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

This is the second episode in our series exploring William Tyndale’s life, Bible translation, and legacy. In this episode, Tony Watkins interviews experts in the sixteenth century and the history of the Bible to explore William Tyndale’s life leading up to the publication of his New Testament in 1526. This was the first to be translated directly from Greek into English, and the first New Testament to be printed in English.We’re very grateful for contributions from:Bruce Gordon, the Titus Street Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Yale Divinity School, and author of The Bible a Global History (Basic Books, 2024)Alec Ryrie, Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Durham, and the author of The World’s Reformation: How Protestantism Became a Global Religion (Yale University Press, to be published in 2026)Simon Burton, John Laing Senior Lecturer in Reformation History at the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh, and author of ‌ Participation & Covenant in Puritan Theology (Davenant Press, 2025)Karl Gunther, historian of the Reformation from the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education in the University of Florida, and author of ‌ Participation & Covenant in Puritan Theology Reformation Unbound: Protestant Visions of Reform in England, 1525–1590 (Cambridge University Press, 2014)Listen to our Principal, Peter J. Williams, talking about Robert Barnes' sermon at St Edward King and Martyr Church in Cambridge. https://youtube.com/shorts/zdCvIdDhlZ0?feature=shareSupport the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

This week we have one of our occasional ‘Meet the Scholar’ episodes. Dr Tony Watkins interviews Dr Petra Ratkovics (yes, she did indeed pass her viva!) about her PhD on the influences of Jeremiah in Paul’s theology as well as her plans for the future.Time stamps:00:00 Petra is about to submit her thesis!1:15 Petra’s background3:10 Why Petra became interested in Theology4:20 Petra’s PhD topic7:30 How Petra came to see the links between Jeremiah and Paul’s theology13:05 Idea of the new covenant and how we can only boast in the Lord16:25 The Lords presence in the covenant community19:40 Other shared themes between the Jeremiah and Paul’s letters biblical books authored by Paul20:45 Differences between the Greek and Hebrew texts of Jeremiah22:35 How might this work help the church?24:45 Petra’s plans for the future, particularly with Hungarian language resourcesSupport the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

This is the first episode in our new series exploring William Tyndale’s life, Bible translation, and legacy. Tony Watkins interviews experts in the sixteenth century and the history of the Bible. In this first episode, they explore the history of Bible translation prior to William Tyndale and the cultural context in which he lived and worked.We’re very grateful for contributions from:Bruce Gordon, the Titus Street Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Yale Divinity School, and author of The Bible a Global HistoryAlec Ryrie, Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of DurhamSimon Burton, John Laing Senior Lecturer in Reformation History at the School of Divinity at the University of EdinburghKarl Gunther, historian of the Reformation from the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education in the University of FloridaLink to Season 5 of the Tyndale House Podcast on New Testament manuscripts: https://tyndalehouse.com/2025/01/16/s5e1-what-is-a-manuscript-and-why-should-we-study-them/Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

We kick off the new year with one of our occasional ‘Meet the Scholar’ episodes, which, this week, features Dr Catherine McDowell, Professor of Old Testament at Palm Beach Atlantic University, in conversation with Dr Tony Watkins. In this episode, Catherine talks about her research into the language of ‘image and likeness’ found in the book of Genesis, and its links to Mesopotamian culture, as well as her forthcoming book on idolatry. Catherine’s book The Image of God in the Garden of Eden is published by Eisenbrauns and is available from Amazon and other retailers.Her forthcoming book on idolatry is part of the Essential Studies in Biblical Theology series published by IVP which can be found here.0:00 Introduction0:50 Catherine's current work tracing idolatry through the Bible1:20 Catherine's motivations for this work1:50 Catherine’s research into the terms ‘image' and ‘likeness’, particularly in Genesis6:18 'image and likeness' ideas through the rest of scripture9:40 links to Mesopotamian culture12:55 links to Egyptian culture14:00 how this work links with Catherine’s work on idols15:45 what does it mean for humans to 'know good and evil'17:30 the origins of idolatry21:50 Counters to the theme of idolatry throughout the Bible24:05 How does this help the church?27:35 ConclusionSupport the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In the final episode of this Advent series, Tony Watkins talks to Christopher Ash, Writer in Residence at Tyndale House, Cambridge, about Simeon and Anna meeting the baby Jesus and the impact of their words on Mary. This four-part series for Advent is exploring Luke chapters 1 and 2, which are the focus of Christopher’s book of Advent devotions, Repeat the Sounding Joy (The Good Book Company, 2019).Repeat the Sounding Joy, by Christopher Ash is available from The Good Book Company and other booksellers.Timings:00:00 Introduction01:07 Reading of the passage Luke 2:21-383:35 The significance of Jesus’ name5:18 How does Mary ever manage to get her head around Jesus’ mission?5:50 The rewarding of long term waiting: Simeon (and Anna)9:40 Jesus as the consolation of Israel10:40 Simeon’s prayer, the Psalms and their use in Christian liturgy13:17 The shadow of the cross15:30 The rewarding of long term waiting: Anna16:44 Simeon and Anna as the fixed points in the temple17:40 A model of long term waiting: Anna19:15 The significance of Anna’s genealogy20:25 What can we learn from Simeon and Anna?24:36 Concluding remarksSupport the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In the third episode of this Advent series, Tony Watkins talks to Christopher Ash, Writer in Residence at Tyndale House, Cambridge, about the arrival of Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem and the Shepherd's visit to the new baby. This four-part series for Advent is exploring Luke chapters 1 and 2, which are the focus of Christopher’s book of Advent devotions, Repeat the Sounding Joy (The Good Book Company, 2019).Repeat the Sounding Joy, by Christopher Ash is available from The Good Book Company and other booksellers.Want to explore some of these issues in more depth? Why not check out some of the articles on our website?Not in that poor lowly stable: https://tyndalehouse.com/2021/12/08/not-in-that-poor-lowly-stable/Who were the Magi?: https://tyndalehouse.com/resources/christmas-resources/Time codes00:00 introduction0:51 ’Not Old, Not Young, Not Done'2:10 Misconceptions around Christmas5:50 why are Joseph and Mary going to Bethlehem?7:45 the impact of Joseph and Mary being unmarried 9:05 the shadow of the cross on the nativity9:55 The shepherds13:10 Shepherding and Kingship imagery throughout the Bible14:55 Why does Matthew leave out the Shepherds and Luke leaves the wise men?16:25 Tension between the two narratives (Matthew and Luke)17:04 How is the baby a sign to the shepherds?18:40 The significance of Luke 2:1422:00 How did Mary understand these things?25:00 Mary as a model of faithSupport the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In the second episode of this Advent series, Tony Watkins talks to Christopher Ash, Writer in Residence at Tyndale House, Cambridge, about the visit of the angel Gabriel to Mary. This four-part series for Advent is exploring Luke chapters 1 and 2, which are the focus of Christopher’s book of Advent devotions, Repeat the Sounding Joy (The Good Book Company, 2019). Repeat the Sounding Joy, by Christopher Ash is available from The Good Book Company and other booksellers.Christopher Ash is a preacher, teacher, and writer. After working in telecommunications and as a teacher of maths, Christopher studied theology at Oxford, where he was awarded the Denyer and Johnson prize. He was ordained and served as an Assistant Minister in St. Andrew the Great in Cambridge, before leading a church plant to All Saints, Little Shelford, in 1997. In 2004 he and Carolyn moved to London where Christopher served as Director of the Proclamation Trust’s Cornhill Training Course until July 2015.Christopher and his wife Carolyn have been entrusted with three sons and a daughter (all now grown up) and ten grandchildren. They belong to Cambridge Presbyterian church.As Writer-in-Residence, Christopher hopes to encourage younger scholars to grow in faithful loving loyalty to Jesus, and to use their gifts to serve the church of Christ. Christopher’s writing mostly focuses on the Psalms. Carolyn serves as Chaplain to the women members of Tyndale House staff.Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In this four-part series for Advent, Tony Watkins talks to Christopher Ash, Writer in Residence at Tyndale House, Cambridge, about Luke chapters 1 and 2. These chapters are the focus of Christopher’s book of Advent devotions, Repeat the Sounding Joy (pub. Good Book Company). In this first episode, Christopher and Tony discuss the birth of John the Baptist.Repeat the Sounding Joy, by Christopher Ash is available from The Good Book Company and other booksellers.Christopher Ash is a preacher, teacher, and writer. After working in telecommunications and as a teacher of maths, Christopher studied theology at Oxford, where he was awarded the Denyer and Johnson prize. He was ordained and served as an Assistant Minister in St. Andrew the Great in Cambridge, before leading a church plant to All Saints, Little Shelford, in 1997. In 2004 he moved to London where Christopher served as Director of the Proclamation Trust’s Cornhill Training Course until July 2015.Christopher and his wife Carolyn have been entrusted with three sons and a daughter (all now grown up) and ten grandchildren. They belong to Cambridge Presbyterian church.As Writer-in-Residence, Christopher hopes to encourage younger scholars to grow in faithful loving loyalty to Jesus, and to use their gifts to serve the church of Christ. Christopher’s writing mostly focuses on the Psalms.Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Tony Watkins interviews Dr Dirk Jongkind, Vice Principal (Academic) about his new book, ‘Growing in Understanding: Devotions for Christian Academics’ (published by Apollos in 2025).GROWING IN UNDERSTANDING: DEVOTIONS FOR CHRISTIAN ACADEMICS is available directly from IVP or from your normal bookseller.Dirk Jongkind is probably best known as editor of the Tyndale House Greek New Testament. However, before he ended up in the academy, Dirk worked in the horticultural sector (together with his wife Marion), growing tropical cut-flowers (Heliconia) in greenhouses in his native country, the Netherlands. He enjoyed this hands-on setting, yet decided to follow his life’s fascination with the history and text of the Bible. He completed a M.A. in Old Testament at Tyndale Theological Seminary (1999, Badhoevedorp, nr. Amsterdam), and moved to the United Kingdom for an M.Phil. in New Testament at Cambridge University, where he also completed a PhD in 2005. At this time he was employed for a brief project at the British Library as part of the preparation of the Codex Sinaiticus Digitisation project.At Tyndale House, Dirk does research in the transmission of the text of the New Testament which has resulted in the Tyndale House Edition of the Greek New Testament (2017). He also maintains an interest in lexical and grammatical studies. He is an Associate Editor of the Tyndale Bulletin. Working at Tyndale House gives unique opportunities to contribute to the practice and vision of theological education.He has taught in a wide variety of settings ranging from big conference rooms and university halls to the back rooms of small rural chapels and local village pubs. Dirk is a Fellow of St Edmund’s College and a Member of the Faculty of Divinity.Apart from explaining the Bible and the many ways in which one passage resonates with others, he also enjoys speaking about how Christians can be good scholars and pursue knowledge and truth without compromising their commitment to faith.Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

The second of a two-part interview with Peter Williams, Principal of Tyndale House, Cambridge, and author of 'Can We Trust the Gospels?’. In this episode, Tony Watkins and Peter Williams explore what the Gospels DON’T mention.Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

The first of a two-part interview with Peter Williams, Principal of Tyndale House, Cambridge, and author of 'Can We Trust the Gospels'. In this episode, Tony Watkins and Peter Williams explore the evidence found within the Gospels that point to its reliability.Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

After a break over the summer, our podcast returns with brand new content. We’re launching the return of the podcast with a one-off one of our occasional ‘Meet the Scholar’ episodes, featuring Dr Dani Treweek in conversation with Tony Watkins. In this episode, Dani discusses her new book ‘Single Ever After’, sharing insights into her research and its relevance today.Dani Treweek's new book, Single Ever After: A Biblical Vision for the Significance of Singleness, is published by The Good Book Company (UK | USA). Her monograph, based on her PhD thesis, The Meaning of Singleness: Retrieving an Eschatological Vision for the Contemporary Church (IVP Academic, 2023), is available from Amazon and other retailers. Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Peter Williams, Principal of Tyndale House, interviews apologist Wes Huff about how he became a Christian, the Bible research he has been working on, and why he still believes Scripture is reliable. Find out more about the host and guest here: Peter Williams: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/peter-j-williams/Wesley Huff: https://www.wesleyhuff.com/ Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In this final episode of the series, Tony Watkins and Peter Williams recap some of the key points they have covered over the series, before sharing some top tips for applying the prophetic books to our context today.Find out more about the host and guests here: Tony Watkins: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/tony-watkins/Peter Williams: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/peter-j-williams/Francie Cornes: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/francie-cornes/Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In this episode, Francie Cornes continues her conversation with Tony Watkins and Peter Williams about the book of Jonah. Jonah is an unusual prophetic book because it is mostly narrative and has a very small amount of text where Jonah is actually proclaiming God’s word. In this second episode, Tony and Peter share insights into the theological themes we can see in chapters 2—4. In the first episode they looked at chapter 1 which you can catch up with here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1161728/episodes/17330544 Find out more about the host and guests here: Tony Watkins: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/...Peter Williams: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/...Francie Cornes: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/...Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In this episode, Francie Cornes asks Tony Watkins and Peter Williams about the book of Jonah. Jonah is an unusual prophetic book because it is mostly narrative and has a very small amount of text where Jonah is actually proclaiming God’s word. In this episode, Tony and Peter share some insights into chapter 1, and in the following episode they will look at chapters 2–4. Find out more about the host and guests here: Tony Watkins: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/tony-watkins/Peter Williams: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/peter-j-williams/Francie Cornes: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/francie-cornes/Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

As we return to our series on ‘How do we read the Prophets?’, Francie Cornes asks Tony Watkins and Peter Williams about the book of Amos. Tony and Peter share insights into the historical context and structure of the book, as well as talking about what it meant for its original hearers and for us reading it today.Find out more about the host and guests here: Tony Watkins: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/tony-watkins/Peter Williams: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/peter-j-williams/Francie Cornes: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/francie-cornes/Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

This is part two of Peter Williams's interview with Dr Tom C. Schmidt about his new book, 'Josephus and Jesus: New Evidence for the One they Call Christ'. In this second episode they discuss whether Josephus could have known people who were present at Jesus's trial. In the first episode, they tackled the question of whether Josephus's writing about Jesus was edited by Christians to sound more like the biblical account, or whether it could in fact have been written by Josephus (you can catch up on the previous episode wherever you get your podcasts from or watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn1P0krloq0).  Tom's book has been published online for free: https://academic.oup.com/book/60034 It will also be available in print from 3rd June 2025. You can find out more on Tom's website at josephusandjesus.com/Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Peter Williams interviews Dr Tom C. Schmidt about his new book, 'Josephus and Jesus: New Evidence for the One they Call Christ'. In this episode they tackle the question of whether Josephus's writing about Jesus was edited by Christians to sound more like the biblical account, or whether it could in fact have been written by Josephus. In next week's episode they will discuss whether Josephus could have known people who were present at Jesus's trial. Tom's book has been published online for free: https://academic.oup.com/book/60034It will also be available in print from 3rd June 2025.You can find out more on Tom's website at josephusandjesus.com/Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In the second half of this two-part episode, Tony Watkins and Peter Williams dig into the text of Micah chapter 6 to see what it is actually saying and what it means for us today.Find out more about the host and guests here: Tony Watkins: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/tony-watkins/Peter Williams: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/peter-j-williams/Francie Cornes: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/francie-cornes/Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In the first half of this two-part episode, Tony Watkins and Peter Williams begin walking us through the book of Micah, showing how to apply their top tips for reading prophetic books in the Bible.Find out more about the host and guests here: Tony Watkins: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/tony-watkins/Peter Williams: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/peter-j-williams/Francie Cornes: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/francie-cornes/Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In this episode, Tony Watkins and Francie Cornes explore what the theological foundations of the prophets were by looking at four key themes the prophets draw on in their writings: Exodus/Covenant, Creation/Fall, God’s dwelling place, and Wisdom.Book mentioned by Tony: W. Brown, 'Ethos of the Cosmos: The Genesis of Moral Imagination in the Bible', (William B Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1999).Find out more about the host and guest here: Tony Watkins: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/tony-watkins/Francie Cornes: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/francie-cornes/Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In this series Tony Watkins, Fellow for Public Engagement at Tyndale House, will be sharing how we can make sense of the books of the prophets, and providing helpful tips for how to read them for ourselves. In this first episode, Tony Watkins and Francie Cornes discuss why we often find the prophetic books more difficult to read than other parts of the Bible, as well as who the prophets actually were and what their role was.Tony has put together a timeline of Old Testament history so you can visually see where the prophets came in Israel's history. Click here to view it: https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/old-testament-timelines/13583150 Find out more about the host and guest here: Tony Watkins: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/tony-watkins/Francie Cornes: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/francie-cornes/Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In this episode, Dr Peter J. Williams, Principal of Tyndale House, walks us through the history of Tyndale House. Starting with the initial conversations about creating an institution for evangelical biblical scholarship that took place in the late 1930s, through to the new library building project starting in 2025. Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Dirk Jongkind, Academic Vice Principal at Tyndale House, shares with Tony Watkins how he went from growing flowers in the Netherlands to editing the Tyndale House Greek New Testament in Cambridge. They discuss Dirk's journey into biblical scholarship with a particular focus on his time working on Codex Sinaiticus at the British Library. Find out more about the host and guest here: Tony Watkins: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/tony-watkins/Dirk Jongkind: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/dirk-jongkind/Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Tony Watkins, Fellow for Public Engagement at Tyndale House talks to David Armitage, Academic Administrator at Tyndale House about the Tyndale Bulletin, which is the Academic Journal published by Tyndale House. David shares how the Bulletin has developed since it first began in the 1940s.Visit the Tyndale Bulletin website: https://www.tyndalebulletin.org/Follow Tyndale Bulletin on X: https://x.com/TyndaleBulletinSupport the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In this episode, Nelson Hsieh, Research Associate in New Testament Text and Language at Tyndale House, discusses chapter divisions in Bible manuscripts with Tony Watkins. Nelson has been working on chapter divisions for the second edition of the Tyndale House Greek New Testament, and he explains how the approach he is taking is different to the method used in the first edition. They also reflect on how chapter divisions in our Bibles today can affect how we read the text.TH ink articles mentioned in the podcast: Where did the Bible's chapters come from? https://tyndalehouse.com/explore/articles/where-did-the-bible-s-chapters-come-from/John 1 according to the paragraphing of Greek manuscripts https://tyndalehouse.com/explore/articles/john-1-according-to-the-paragraphing-of-greek-manuscripts/Find out more about the host and guests here: Tony Watkins: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/tony-watkins/Nelson Hsieh: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/nelson-hsieh/Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In this episode Tony, Dirk, and Nelson focus on the Tyndale House Greek New Testament (Crossway, 2017) and discuss how it is different from other editions of the Greek New Testament. They also talk about how the world of textual criticism was changed by the discovery of many more manuscripts in the late nineteenth century.Find out more about the host and guests here: Tony Watkins: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/tony-watkins/Dirk Jongkind: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/dirk-jongkind/Nelson Hsieh: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/nelson-hsieh/Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Having discussed how the early church and the reformers handled differences between Bible manuscripts, Tony, Dirk and Nelson now turn to look at how modern-day textual critics approach variation between manuscripts.Find out more about the host and guests here: Tony Watkins: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/tony-watkins/Dirk Jongkind: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/dirk-jongkind/Nelson Hsieh: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/nelson-hsieh/Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In this episode, Tony Watkins (Fellow for Public Engagement at Tyndale House) hears from Dirk Jongkind (Academic Vice Principal at Tyndale House) and Nelson Hsieh (Research Associate in New Testament Text and Language) about the role of textual criticism in the reformation. Find out more about the host and guests here: Tony Watkins: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/tony-watkins/Dirk Jongkind: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/dirk-jongkind/Nelson Hsieh: https://tyndalehouse.com/about/staff/nelson-hsieh/Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In this episode, Tony Watkins, Fellow for Public Engagement at Tyndale House, asks Dirk Jongkind and Nelson Hsieh, members of our New Testament team, about how the early church handled differences between Bible manuscripts. At 28:59 Dirk and Nelson are trying to remember a name, they incorrectly say Martianan, they meant Marcellum.Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In this episode, Tony Watkins asks Dirk Jongkind and Nelson Hsieh about some of the major New Testament manuscripts and how they have influenced the Bible translations we have today. Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In this episode Tony Watkins, Fellow for Public Engagement at Tyndale House, talks to Dirk Jongkind, Academic Vice Principal of Tyndale House, about what a manuscript actually looks like, and what features scholars look out for when studying them. At 4:05 Dirk misspoke when he said P52 has John 19 on the back, it actually has John 18:37–38 on the back.At 31:14 Dirk mistakenly said there are 70 names in the genealogy in Luke's Gospel, there are actually 77.Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In season 5 of the Tyndale House podcast, Tony Watkins speaks to members of our New Testament team to find out about New Testament manuscripts and how studying them can help us with our trust and understanding of the Bible. In this first episode, Tony asks Dirk Jongkind and Nelson Hsieh what a manuscript actually is, and why it's worth studying New Testament manuscripts.Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In this episode, Tony talks to Dr Steve Walton, Professor of New Testament and Senior Research Fellow at Trinity College, Bristol. Steve is a frequent visitor to us here at Tyndale House as he's been working on his commentary on Acts for the Word Biblical Commentary series. The first volume of the commentary, on Acts 1–9:42 (volume 37A), was published in the USA in October 2024, and will be out in the UK on 2 January 2025. There will be three volumes in total, and Steve is currently working on volume 2. He and Tony discuss the process of writing the commentary and some key things that Steve has discovered about the book of Acts.Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Is the Nativity a true story? Why are there differences between Matthew and Luke’s accounts of Jesus’s birth? Was Luke historically correct when he wrote about the census? What was the star and is it even possible for the wise men to have followed it? What year was Jesus actually born? Peter Williams answers all these questions and more in this special Christmas podcast episode. Visit our Christmas resources page on our website for further reading on this topic: tyndalehouse.com/christmasSupport the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In this episode, Tony is joined by three of our long-term readers who are all working on PhDs at Cambridge University. Ellie Wiener is currently studying the book of Job, Megan Alsene-Parker is studying Lamentations, and Ben Rae is studying Ecclesiastes. Together, they discuss what poetry actually is, the features of Hebrew poetry, and why we should spend time digging into biblical poetry.TH ink articles written by interviewees:The ABCs of Hebrew Acrostic Poems by Megan Alsene-Parker: https://tyndalehouse.com/explore/articles/hebrew-acrostics/The surprising joy of memorising Job by Ellie Wiener: https://tyndalehouse.com/explore/articles/memorising-job/Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Steve Walton and Tony Watkins discuss why Saul changed to Paul in the book of Acts. In the book of Acts, the apostle Paul is referred to as Saul up until chapter 13, where he begins to be referred to as Paul. Steve explains how names worked in the Roman world to shed light on this name change. He also shares about some of the research he has done in the book of Acts over several years.Further reading: Steve Walton, 2023, Why was “Saul” changed to “Paul”? www.logos.com/grow/hall-saul-to-paul/Edited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In this episode, Peter Williams, Principal of Tyndale House, explains how names can help us to assess the historical reliability of the Gospels. By looking at name records we can see what the most popular names were outside of the Gospels at the same time and place. Peter then compares these with the names we see in the Gospels to see whether they line up. He and Tony also discuss Jesus calling himself ‘The Son of Man’ and what we should make of that.Edited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In this episode, Tony chats to James Bejon and Josh Meynell about strange or animal-related names that we find in the Bible. Some of the names in the Bible strike us as having curious meanings. For example, Caleb means ‘dog’, Nun means ‘fish’, and Abel means ‘vapour’. What are we to make of these names? James, Josh, and Tony work through some of these examples and some from the wider ancient Near East to explore how there might be more to the names than we might think at first glance.Edited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In this episode, Tony asks Caleb Howard and James Bejon why we have genealogies in the Bible and how we should make sense of them. They discuss how the Old Testament is unique in ancient literature in the way it lays out genealogies. They also explore how it can give us a clear account of the people of Israel from Adam through to the exile, by looking at some genealogies in the book of 1 Chronicles.Edited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In this episode, George Heath-Whyte and James Bejon chat with Tony about the use of divine names in the ancient world and in the Bible. What did the Babylonians call their gods?What did the names of the Babylonian gods mean?Why did the Israelites go from calling God 'El-Shaddai' to 'Yahweh'?How did the worship of Yahweh in the Old Testament compare to idol worship in the ancient world?Hear answers to these and more in the episode. Edited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

In this episode, George Heath-Whyte and James Bejon chat with Tony about a range of difficult questions surrounding the book of Daniel: What is the significance of Daniel and his friends having their names changed in Daniel 1? What do their new Babylonian names mean? Why is there no mention of Belshazzar as king of Babylon in the official records? Who was Darius the Mede?Hear answers to these and more in the episode. Please do let us know what you think of the episode or if you have other topics you would like us to cover. Email us at [email protected].*At 17:02 James said that Shar-ezer turns up in 1 Chronicles 3. This was incorrect. He was thinking of Shen-azzar, which might be a variant form of Shar-ezer but it is not certain.Edited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube