The Bible Project

The story of Pentecost in Acts 2 is brimming with rich imagery and hyperlinks from the Hebrew Bible. God’s Spirit dramatically fills a house of Jesus’ followers like a wind, and fire burns over the disciples' heads as they begin speaking languages from across the known world! What is happening here, and how is it a fulfillment of God’s promises? In this re-released episode from our 2018 Luke-Acts series, Jon and Tim trace the significance of Pentecost, revealing how God’s presence now dwells within his people and empowers them to advance his Kingdom mission.CHAPTERSFire at Pentecost and the Place Where Heaven and Earth Meet (0:00–2:15)The Fiery Arrival of the Promised Helper (2:15–11:27)Overlaying Ancient Stories of God's Presence (11:27–24:12)Peter's Speech to the Crowd (24:12–31:13)Recovering the Exiles (31:13–35:37)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode’s official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCES“Pentecost: Acts 1-7” from our Luke-Acts video seriesActs (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testa

How the Bible Was Formed E4 — In the last three episodes of this short series, we focused on the formation of the Hebrew Bible, or the Old Testament. We also talked about other works of literature from the Second Temple period, known collectively as the Deuterocanon or Apocrypha. Today, we’ll finally explore yet another collection of Second Temple literature that was formed around the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus—the New Testament. In this episode, Jon and Tim look at the people in the early Jesus movement who wrote, collected, and distributed these biographies about Jesus and letters to churches across the Roman Empire.CHAPTERSThe Fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures (0:00-13:51)What the Gospels Are and How They Came to Be (13:51-25:42)The Crew Who Shaped the New Testament (25:42-47:19)The Letters That Lasted (47:19-52:35)Sacred Scribal Abbreviations (52:35-1:05:01)Conclusion to Series (1:05:01-1:08:15)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode’s official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESThe Didach

How the Bible Was Formed E3 — Today, most Bibles are a single book that’s easy to carry and flip through. But the Bible started as an assortment of scrolls, bound together into a collection. The Hebrew Bible—or the Old Testament—went through a centuries-long, iterative development process with a variety of scribes and prophets. It didn’t come into its final form until roughly the time of Jesus. So how does this history interact with a view of Scripture as God’s word? In this episode, Jon and Tim continue exploring the formation of the Bible, discussing how to hold a high view of these sacred texts while also acknowledging the humans who shaped them. CHAPTERSAn Inspired, Collaborative Work Over Centuries (0:00-12:00)A Final Shaping of the Hebrew Bible After Exile (12:00-26:59)The Second Temple Period’s Flourishing Literary Culture (26:59-43:42)The Tanak’s Standardization as the Masoretic Text (43:42-53:32)Wisdom Literature Designed for Meditation and Formation (53:32-1:00:03)Coming to Peace With the Bible’s Fo

 How the Bible Was Formed E2 — The Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, is a collection of 24 scrolls, passed down for generations, that tells the long, complicated story of ancient Israel. But who wrote these scrolls, and how did they come together in their final form? And how do we understand the claim that these books are the very voice of God? In this episode, Jon and Tim explore the formation of the Hebrew Bible and the crew who shaped its stories, poems, and laws into intricately designed literary works.CHAPTERSThe First Writing Mentioned in the Torah (2:56-13:01)Prophets as a Spirit-Led, Multigenerational Literary Community (13:01-36:30)Divine Inspiration in a Diverse, Literary Mosaic (36:30-1:03:20)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode’s official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESThe Lost World Series by John H. Walton and othersThe Lost World of Scripture: Ancient Literary Culture and Biblical Authority by John H. Walton and Brent SandyThe Shape of the Writings (Siphrut: Literature and Theology of the

How the Bible Was Formed E1 — If you’ve ever compared a Protestant Bible to a Catholic Bible, you may notice some additional books in the Catholic Bible, such as Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, etc. These books, called the Deuterocanon by Catholics and the Apocrypha by Protestants, are Jewish Literature from the period after the Babylonian exile but before the time of Jesus. The Jewish people were back in the land, being ruled by Syria and other empires descended from Alexander the Great. As they read the Hebrew Bible, they created many new literary works, reflecting on stories in Scripture and what was happening in their own day. So how do we understand the status and value of these books when compared to the Hebrew Bible and New Testament? In this episode, Jon and Tim explore the background, history, and content of this Second-Temple Jewish literature.CHAPTERSMultiple Bibles on the Shelf (00:00-21:10)History of the Protestant Apocrypha (21:10-34:35)How Jesus and the Apostles Engaged With These Books (34:3

The Exodus Way Q+R (E14) — What birth imagery do we find in Exodus? Are there hyperlinks elsewhere in the Bible that connect to Pharaoh’s hardened heart? And is the circumcision story with Zipporah and Moses’ son connected to Passover? In this episode, Tim and Jon respond to your questions from our Exodus Way series. Thank you to our audience for your thoughtful contributions to this episode!View all of our resources for The Exodus Way →CHAPTERSIntro (0:00-2:27)Do the seven women in Exodus mirror the seven women in Genesis? (2:27-11:31)What birth imagery can we pull out of the exodus story? (11:31-24:27)Are there hyperlinks elsewhere in the Bible that connect to Pharaoh’s hardened heart? (24:27-34:37)Is the circumcision story with Zipporah and Moses’ son connected to Passover? (34:37-38:54)How are the Passover and Yom Kippur lambs connected? (38:54-58:57)Is there any connection between God’s Spirit descending on Jesus like a dove at his baptism and the dove Noah sent out of the ark? (58:50-1:07:28)OFFICIAL EP

The Exodus Way E13 (Bonus Interview) — The exodus from Egypt was a foundational story for ancient Israel, but without a special group of seven often overlooked women, the exodus would have never happened! In this episode, Jon and Tim have a conversation with BibleProject Scholarship Fellow Tamara Knudson about the seven women in Exodus 1-4 who save Moses—and by extension—all of Israel.View all of our resources for The Exodus Way →CHAPTERSIntroducing Tamara and the Seven Women of Exodus 1-4 (0:00-6:29)The Two Midwives and Moses’ Mother (6:29-21:20)Pharaoh’s Daughter and Moses’ Sister, Miriam (21:20-31:08)Zipporah, Moses’ Wife (31:08-46:39)Other Books of the Bible That Start With Women (46:39-54:54)REFERENCED RESOURCESRead the BibleProject article that Tamara contributed to: “7 Powerful Women in the Bible Who Help Rescue God's People.”Tim references a previous Q+R episode, “Did God Try To Kill Moses?” where they responded to an audience member’s question about Exodus 4:24-26.Tamara references Carmen Imes’ Exodu

The Exodus Way E12 (Bonus Interview) — If we come to the New Testament without much knowledge of the Hebrew Bible, we may think that baptism is just something that John the Baptist made up and Jesus carried on for new disciples. But there are multiple levels of meaning in this practice, including ritual purification, Israel’s passage through the Red Sea, entry into the promised land, and, most importantly for Jesus, a symbol of his death on our behalf. In this episode, Jon and Tim have a wide-ranging conversation with prolific author and theologian N.T. Wright about the meaning of baptism and its connections to the Exodus story.View all of our resources for The Exodus Way →CHAPTERSWelcoming N.T. Wright (0:00-10:20)Baptism as Repentance and Ushering in the Kingdom (10:20-33:17)Baptism as Death and New Life in the Messiah (33:17-47:37)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode’s official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESN.T. Wright mentions the online learning platform Admirato, which hosts dozens of his theolo

The Exodus Way E11 — After Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension, his followers grew into a movement known simply as “The Way”—a new exodus people delivered from sin and death, following the narrow way of Jesus through the wilderness of our present world and awaiting entry into a promised new creation. The Apostle Paul is a central figure in this movement, commissioned by the risen Jesus to spread the good news of the new exodus to the nations. He planted churches in several Roman cities and wrote letters to congregations of Jewish and Gentile believers. Paul was a Jewish man steeped in Israel's Scriptures, which is why we see him infusing Exodus language and imagery into his letters to the early Church. In this episode, Jon and Tim explore Paul’s letters to the churches in Corinth, Galatia, and Rome, discovering how Paul saw the death and resurrection of Jesus, the life of the Christian, and the larger story of creation as a cosmic exodus.View all of our resources for The Exodus Way →CHAPTERSRecap of Whe

The Exodus Way E10 — The Exodus story was core to the identity of ancient Israel. Inspired by the prophet Isaiah’s words, 1st-century Israelites were awaiting a new exodus, where a new Moses-like figure would deliver them from Roman oppression. The gospels present Jesus as that figure, who saves people from sickness, hunger, spiritual oppression, and even death itself. And following Jesus’ resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit, the early Jesus movement became known as “The Way,” carrying a message of salvation for all nations. In this episode, Jon and Tim explore how the new exodus people in the book of Acts embody the prophet Isaiah’s vision.CHAPTERSRecap and Acts as an “Isaianic” New Exodus (0:00-9:44)Isaiah’s New Exodus Language in Luke-Acts (9:44-26:18)Exodus and Acts’ Shared Theme of the Victorious Creator God (26:18-35:03)A New Exodus for All Nations (35:03-45:24)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode’s official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESActs and the Isaianic New Exodus by David W. P

The Exodus Way E9 — All four gospel accounts build anticipation for Jesus to accomplish a new kind of exodus when he arrives in Jerusalem. But later in the gospel narratives, Jesus begins telling his disciples that he will be arrested and killed in Jerusalem before rising on the third day. So Jesus journeys to Jerusalem and confronts the religious establishment—notably only days before Passover! And before his arrest, he shares a Passover meal with his disciples and shockingly reinterprets the bread and wine to be about his coming death. What is Jesus doing, and how is his death related to the climactic Exodus event of Passover? In this episode, Jon and Tim trace the Holy Week story leading up to Passover and explore how Jesus’ death fulfills the cosmic Exodus story of the Bible. CHAPTERSRecap and Jesus’ Prediction of His Death in Jerusalem (2:13-15:18)Jesus Compares His Death to Noah’s Flood (15:18-23:17)Jesus Enters Jerusalem, Stirs Up Trouble, and Hosts a Passover Meal (23:17-49:38)The Cosmic Exodus (49:38

The Exodus Way E8 — Before the arrival of Jesus, Israelites already viewed their current circumstances and hopes for God’s salvation through the lens of the Exodus. This is why the gospel authors tell the story of Jesus with language that points back to the main beats of the Exodus story. In this first episode of two on the gospels, Jon and Tim explore the many Exodus hyperlinks found in the stories of Jesus’ birth, his baptism in the Jordan River, his testing in the wilderness, and his public ministry in Galilee. CHAPTERSThe Exodus Way in the Life of Jesus (0:00-5:42)Comparing Jesus and Moses’ Birth Stories (5:42-19:45)Jesus’ Baptism, Testing in the Wilderness, and “Saving” People (19:45-39:32)Jesus’ Transfiguration on the Mountain Compared to Moses at Sinai (39:32-51:58)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode’s official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESText & Texture by Michael FishbaneYou can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire library of videos, podcasts, articles, and classes—in the

The Exodus Way E7 — In Mark 14, we’re told that Jesus and his disciples celebrated Passover and sang a hymn before going out to the garden of Gethsemane. So what hymn did they sing? Rabbinic tradition going back to the time of Jesus records that during Passover, Jewish people sang Psalm 113-118, a collection of songs known as the Passover Hallel. In this episode, Jon and Tim explore these six psalms’ references to the Exodus story and what they might have meant to Jesus on the night of the last supper.CHAPTERSWhat Hymn Did Jesus and His Disciples Sing at Passover? (0:00-:6:15)Psalm 113: Seeing With Exodus Glasses (6:15-14:53)Psalms 114-115: Yahweh’s Power Among the Nations (14:53-25:46)Psalms 116-118: Reflecting on Our Own Exodus Journey (25:46-34:58)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode’s official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESThe Babylonian TalmudThe ToseftaYou can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire library of videos, podcasts, articles, and classes—in the BibleProject app, available

The Exodus Way E6 — By the time of the prophet Isaiah, the Assyrian Empire had already exiled the northern kingdom of Israel. Isaiah prophesied that the southern kingdom of Judah would survive Assyrian attack but that a new empire, Babylon, would one day take Judah into exile because of their injustice and idolatry. Within this world of empires, oppressors, and exiles, Isaiah prophesied about a more cosmic, permanent Exodus to come for God’s people. In this episode, Jon and Tim explore the narrative beats of Exodus in Isaiah and how his prophetic images inspired the gospel writers.CHAPTERSEmpires in the Time of Isaiah (0:00-12:48)The Messiah’s Ultimate Road in and Road Out in Isaiah 11 (12:48-32:19)The Highway of God in Isaiah 40 and a New Exodus in Isaiah 43 (32:19-51:05)A New Exodus of Repentance in Isaiah 58 (51:05-59:07)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode’s official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESYou can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire library of videos, podcasts, articles, and

The Exodus Way E5 — By the time we get to the scroll of Joshua, the Israelites are preparing to enter the land of promise. But we quickly discover a reverse Exodus happening in the narrative. The Canaanite kings—who are depicted as new pharaohs—assemble with armies to meet Israel on the other side of the Jordan River. And in the midst of the story, a Canaanite woman in Jericho actually shows more faith than anyone! Then in the following scroll of Judges, the identity of the pharaohs shifts again—this time to the Israelites, who enslave themselves due to their own corruption and injustice. In this episode, Jon and Tim discuss how Joshua and Judges hyperlink back to the Exodus Way narrative theme, while also pointing to a coming Messianic leader who can lead us out of exile, through the wilderness, and into a true land of inheritance.CHAPTERSRecap of the Theme So Far (0:00-6:50)The Surprising Story of Rahab (6:50-20:15)Canaanite Kings as the New Pharaohs in Joshua (20:15-41:09)Israelites as the New Pharaohs in

The Exodus Way E4 — We’re tracing the narrative theme of Exodus in the Bible, and we’re finally ready to trace it in … Exodus! There are three main beats in this narrative theme: the road out of slavery, the road through the wilderness, and the road into inheritance. These three beats play out in Moses' life before Israel’s Exodus from Egypt even begins. There are also key moments of justice and deliverance in the Exodus story—the Passover and Israel’s crossing through the sea—which become the foundations for the Christian practices of communion and baptism. In this episode, Jon and Tim discuss these three crucial beats in the Exodus scroll and how they are poetically drawn together in the “Song of the Sea,” found in Exodus 15.CHAPTERSRecap and Setup for the Exodus Scroll (00:00-8:20)Three Beats of the Road Out in Exodus (08:20-30:47)The Song of the Sea (30:47-44:36)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode’s official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESYou can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire

The Exodus Way E3 — Before we get to the Exodus story, we must first ask a question: How and why did Israel end up enslaved in Egypt in the first place? Throughout the book of Genesis, the biblical authors seem to imply that Abraham’s descendants land in Egypt because of their patriarch’s failures to trust God and do right by others. In this episode, Jon and Tim highlight the Exodus beats in Abraham’s story, showing how they not only anticipate Israel’s exile in Egypt but also the larger Exodus story found throughout the whole Hebrew Bible. CHAPTERSRecap and Setting Up Abraham (0:00-8:28)Abraham Out of Ur and Into Egypt (8:28-28:06)Slavery in Egypt Predicted (28:06-36:36)Oppression of Hagar the Egyptian Slave (36:36-58:21)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode’s official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESAnd You Shall Tell Your Son: The Concept of the Exodus in the Bible by Yair Zakovitch You can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire library of videos, podcasts, articles, and classes—in the Bib

The Exodus Way E2 — The main beats of the Exodus Way are the road out of slavery, the road through the wilderness, and the road into inheritance. These moments become a narrative theme that plays out over and over in the story of the Bible. We even see them show up in Genesis before the events of the Exodus even happen! In this episode, Jon and Tim explore the significance of Exodus imagery in two early stories from Genesis, the creation and flood narratives.CHAPTERSRecapping Exodus as a Narrative Theme (0:00-6:30)Exodus in Creation: Genesis 1:1-13 (6:30-20:26)Exodus in the Flood: Genesis 7-8 (20:26-32:11)Connections to Baptism in 1 Peter 3:18-22 (32:11-45:17)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode’s official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESThe Tabernacle Pre-Figured: Cosmic Mountain Ideology in Genesis and Exodus by L.M. Morales (Link is to PDF, since book is not available for sale)“The Use of Water Imagery in Descriptions of Sheol” by Dominic Rudman (From the journal Zeitschrift für die alttestamentlich

The Exodus Way E1 — Most followers of Jesus are familiar with three foundational biblical stories: the story of Jesus in the gospels, the creation story in Genesis, and the Exodus story. These narratives are referred to throughout the whole Bible, but the Exodus story is the most referenced story. Why is this narrative in Exodus so important? In this episode, Jon and Tim start a new series on the narrative theme of Exodus, what we’re calling the “Exodus Way,” showing how this story shapes the Bible’s whole view of reality.CHAPTERSWhat Is the Exodus, and Why Is It Important? (2:25-17:09)The Most Referenced Story in the Bible 17:09-29:27The Template of the Exodus (29:27-45:49)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode’s official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESEchoes of Exodus: Tracing a Biblical Motif by Bryan D. EstelleYou can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire library of videos, podcasts, articles, and classes—in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Check out Tim’s extensive co

The Mountain Q+R (E14) — Could the Tower of Babel be considered a man-made mountain? How does Yahweh asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on the mountain fit with his gracious character? And after Elijah’s failure on Mount Sinai, why is he still regarded as a great prophet? In this episode, Tim and Jon respond to your questions from our series on the theme of the mountain. Thank you to our audience for your thoughtful contributions to this episode!View all of our resources for The Mountain →ChaptersIntro (0:00-3:52)How can we live out the biblical idea of sacred spaces in the modern world? (3:52-12:38)Could the Tower of Babel be considered a man-made mountain? (12:38-19:22)What do stones and bricks represent in the biblical story? (19:22-28:04)How does Yahweh asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac fit with his gracious character? (28:04-39:45)After Elijah’s failure on Mount Sinai, why is he still regarded as a great prophet? (39:45-48:30)Can Elijah’s Mount Sinai experience help us understand contemplative prayer prac