Podcast appearances and mentions of Benjamin D Sommer

The JTS Commentary for Vayehi by Benjamin D. Sommer, Professor of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages, JTSMusic provided by JJReinhold / Pond5

The JTS Commentary for Shavuot by Benjamin D. Sommer, Professor of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages, JTSMusic provided by JJReinhold / Pond5.

The JTS Commentary for Naso by Benjamin D. Sommer, Professor of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages, JTSMusic provided by JJReinhold / Pond5.

Benjamin D. Sommer (Hebrew: בנימין זומר; born July 6, 1964) is an American biblical scholar and Jewish theologian. He is a Professor of Bible at The Jewish Theological Seminary of America and a Senior Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute. He is a former director of the Crown Family Center for Jewish Studies at Northwestern University. Sommer's research encompass areas of biblical theology, history of Israelite religion, and modern Jewish thought. He is the author of A Prophet Reads Scripture: Allusion in Isaiah 40-66, The Bodies of God and the World of Ancient Israel, and Revelation and Authority: Sinai in Jewish Scripture and Tradition. Sommer was elected to membership in the Biblical Colloquium in 2014 and to membership in the American Academy for Jewish Research in 2017. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:45 How Dr. Sommers book came to be 00:16:19 "Fluidity of Divine Self-Hood" 00:23:10 What constitutes "Monotheism"? 00:28:57 Exodus 23:20-22 as Example 00:33:13 God appears as "Human" 00:37:30 Are these Jewish "fringe groups"? 00:42:02 What is "Intra-Deical Dynamism"? 00:52:20 Unknowability & Allegories 01:01:00 Continuity of the Old and New Testament! 01:07:03 Thoughts on "Progressive Revelation" 01:10:40 Jewish background of N.T. Authors. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/fullarmourapologetics/message

Benjamin D. Sommer is back on the podcast telling us all about his work on a biblical understanding of God’s body. He takes us through the history of thought on God’s body, the material God’s body is made out of, what God looks like, and how the Trinity actually has a lot of continuity with texts of the Hebrew Bible. Show Notes → ( https://peteenns.com/interview-with-benjamin-d-sommer-does-god-have-a-body/ ) Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-bible-for-normal-people/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

The JTS Commentary for Eikev by Dr. Benjamin D. Sommer.Music provided by JJReinhold / Pond5.

The JTS Commentary for Eikev by Dr. Benjamin D. Sommer.Music provided by JJReinhold / Pond5.

Episode: Benjamin Sommer speaks with Matt Lynch about Torah, Sinai, Jewish perspectives on the authority of the Hebrew Bible, Psalms, lament, and way more. Guest: Benjamin D. Sommer is Professor of […]

The JTS Torah commentary for Mattot-Masei by Professor Benjamin D. Sommer.Music provided by JJReinhold / Pond5.

The JTS Torah commentary for Mattot-Masei by Professor Benjamin D. Sommer.Music provided by JJReinhold / Pond5.

The following lecture was presented in June 2019 at the New Song Conference: Biblical Hebrew Poetry as Jewish and Christian Scripture for the 21st Century. The conference was organized in partnership by the Centre for Catholic Studies, the Durham University Centre for the Study of Jewish Culture, Society, and Politics and Ushaw College. The lecture was given by Professor Benjamin D. Sommer, Professor of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, and is entitled ‘Parallelism and Preaching: Poetic Form and Religious Function’

“All Torah, ancient, medieval, and modern, is a response to the event at Sinai”I sat down with Benjamin D. Sommer, Professor of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. I ask him what happened at Sinai... which is a far more complicated question than you may have previously noticed. We discuss participatory revelation, dissolving the line between Scripture and Tradition, practices of close reading, the way Biblical texts destabalise their own authority whilst maintaining a commitment to Law, and whether we must privilege the redactor over the other voices in Scripture?If you like what you hear, check out Ben’s book, Revelation and Authority: Sinai in Jewish Scripture and Tradition. The book is at once a study of biblical theology and modern Jewish thought. It won the prestigious Goldstein-Goren Book Award, in 2016. His other books include, The Bodies of God and the World of Ancient Israel (Cambridge University Press, 2009), A Prophet Reads Scripture: Allusion in Isaiah 40–66 (Stanford University Press, 1998), and editor of Jewish Concepts of Scripture: A Comparative Introduction (New York University Press, 2012).Buy the Book Read more about Benjamin SommerFollow the Show: @RinseRepeatPod // Follow me: @liammiller87More interviews and writings Music by Fyzex

In this episode, Tim and Jon revisit the different ideas and themes that have been discussed in our podcast series on the identity of God in the Hebrew scriptures. In part one (0:00-27:30), the guys briefly outline some of the ideas in the series. Jon asks Tim if in the garden of Eden is the serpent’s offer to the humans of becoming “like God,” or in Hebrew, “like elohim.” Does it actually imply that humanity was looking to be in a different class of being than the one they were created to be? Tim says he thinks this is right. It’s about an overreach from what your created realm of authority is supposed to be. Tim reflects on the story of the Hebrew Bible as a whole saying that it’s a commentary on God’s intention for humanity to rule as his images. And while they may be lower in class than the spiritual beings/elohim. They are the image of the elohim of elohim (Yahweh) and are therefore entitled to rule. Tim says the question is whether humanity will choose to know good and evil by grabbing it out of turn, or if they will learn it relationally by being in relationship with Yahweh. Tim says that these stories are designed to be elusive and allusive. They are supposed to be somewhat vague and not to be read like a textbook. They are also supposed to allude to other stories in the Bible. In part two (27:30-49:00), the guys continue to reflect on the takeaways from their discussions in the God series. Jon says that he wishes he could arrive at more closure around the idea of the Trinity, but he wonders if that’s even possible. Tim sympathizes and says that the idea to some degree lacks language and human ability to comprehend it. Tim says that Peter says people are made to be “participators in the divine nature.” 2 Peter 1:3: “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” In part three (49:00-end), Tim says there are a few other things that he learned in the series. For example, in the ancient world, the concept of giants is a huge idea. Giants are always connected to being divine or semi-divine. Tim says the Hebrew word nimrod actually means rebel in Hebrew. Tim also says that he realized how huge Daniel 7 is. It’s a chapter that is crucial to understanding Jesus’ worldview and who he thought he was. Tim also mentions two books (see resources) that helped him understand the ancient Hebrew view of God/Yahweh among other gods. The guys wrap up the conversation by talking a little bit about the upcoming Q+R and looking forward to the Son of Man series premiering next year. Thank you to all of our supporters! Show resources: The Bodies of God and the World of Ancient Israel by Benjamin D. Sommer The Two Powers in Heaven by Alan Segal Our video on God: https://bit.ly/2CycuKe Show Produced By: Dan Gummel Show Music: Defender Instrumental. Tents Faith, Tae the Producer Praise through the Valley, Tae the Producer

In this episode, Pete Enns unpacks some of the problems presented by the Bible   additional resources mentioned in this episode: Benjamin D. Sommer, "Revelation & Authority" Benjamin D. Sommer, "Jewish Concepts of Scripture" Benjamin D. Sommer, "The Bodies of God and the World of Ancient Israel" Benjamin D. Sommer, "A Prophet Reads Scripture" The Jewish Study Bible Episode 8: Kent Sparks - Where Did the Israelites Come From? Episode 45: Pete Enns - Romans for Normal People  

On this week's epsiode, Jared and Pete speak with Ben Sommer, professor of Bible at the Jewish Theological Seminary (NYC). Christians have A LOT to learn from Jews about how their Bible works.  

Explore “The Bodies of God” by Benjamin D. Sommer. Sommer argues that God has more than one form and those forms can appear simultaneously in different places. He believes the Christian notion of a Trinitarian God is defensible from the Hebrew Bible. Consider Sommer’s “Fluidity of Divine Embodiment and Selfhood: Mesopotamia and Canaan.” The notion of God being embodied and being more than one person existing at the same time and having each of those persons be God is very old. The Enuma Elish is a famous text. Sommer states, “Yet on occasion the boundaries separating gods in these texts are porous." Consider Mesopotamian idolatry. For the Mesopotamian idol maker, the deity would be reborn into or take up residence in the idol. In the ancient world, gods were real because they were just spiritual beings. We read in Exodus 15:11,“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?” God is the God of all spiritual beings. The ancients distinguished mentally the entity from the object. Aniconism was the Israelite resistance to building a graven image for YHWH. Consider cosmic geography. Is it true that no one ever sees God? In Exodus 33, Moses asks to see God. Consider that what we are forbidden to see is the direct, unfiltered presence - the direct glory- of God. God comes to us in ways that we can process. God veils and filters his presence so we do not die. Panim means “face”. Panim also denotes being in someone's presence.

Explore Genesis 15:1, 1 Samuel 3:1, 7-8, 10, 19-21, and Jeremiah 1:4-7,9. Explore the term “Cloud Rider”. In Ugarit texts (1.3.iii.35) we find, "What manner of enemy has arisen against Baal, of foe against the Charioteer of the Clouds?" The biblical writers use this terminology as a polemic strategy. Deuteronomy 33:26 states, "There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in his majesty." Psalm 68:32-34 states, “O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; sing praises to the Lord (YHWH), Selah to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice. Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, and whose power is in the skies." Psalm 104:1-3 states, "Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord (YHWH) my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as with a garments stretching out the heavens like a tent. He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind. . ." In Isaiah 19:1 we read, “An oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the Lord is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them." The Word is used in John 1:1-3, 14, 18. The Angel is associated with Jude 5. Explore Exodus 23:20 and Judges 2:1. The Name is mentioned in John 17:6, 12, 26. Consider the term “Rider on the Clouds”. Daniel 7:13 states, "I saw in the night visions, and behold, upon the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him." Consider Mathew 26:57, 62-65, Isaiah 63:7-11 and Ezekiel 8:2-6. Ezekiel elsewhere recognizes his guide as Yahweh and addresses him as "Lord God" (Ezekiel 9:8; 11:13). Why did God make this foundational concept hard for us to get to? An ancient person would have grasped this concept easier. Consider the Trinity and Benjamin D. Sommer’s text, “The Bodies of God and the World of Ancient Israel”. In Deuteronomy 4:35 we read, “To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him.” (הָאֱלֹהִים) We read in Psalm 82:1, “God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment . . .”

In Revelation and Authority: Sinai in Jewish Scripture and Tradition (Yale University Press, 2015), Benjamin D. Sommer, Professor of Bible at The Jewish Theological Seminary, describes a “participatory theory of revelation,” which views the Bible as the result of a dialogue between God and the people of Israel.  Sommer reads Biblical, rabbinic, medieval, and modern Jewish texts in conversation, explaining that engaging in the debate over what happened at Sinai is a deeply sacred act.  For Sommer, biblical criticism is an important element of a modern Jewish approach to scripture and theology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Revelation and Authority: Sinai in Jewish Scripture and Tradition (Yale University Press, 2015), Benjamin D. Sommer, Professor of Bible at The Jewish Theological Seminary, describes a “participatory theory of revelation,” which views the Bible as the result of a dialogue between God and the people of Israel.  Sommer reads Biblical, rabbinic, medieval, and modern Jewish texts in conversation, explaining that engaging in the debate over what happened at Sinai is a deeply sacred act.  For Sommer, biblical criticism is an important element of a modern Jewish approach to scripture and theology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Revelation and Authority: Sinai in Jewish Scripture and Tradition (Yale University Press, 2015), Benjamin D. Sommer, Professor of Bible at The Jewish Theological Seminary, describes a “participatory theory of revelation,” which views the Bible as the result of a dialogue between God and the people of Israel.  Sommer reads Biblical, rabbinic, medieval, and modern Jewish texts in conversation, explaining that engaging in the debate over what happened at Sinai is a deeply sacred act.  For Sommer, biblical criticism is an important element of a modern Jewish approach to scripture and theology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Revelation and Authority: Sinai in Jewish Scripture and Tradition (Yale University Press, 2015), Benjamin D. Sommer, Professor of Bible at The Jewish Theological Seminary, describes a “participatory theory of revelation,” which views the Bible as the result of a dialogue between God and the people of Israel.  Sommer reads Biblical, rabbinic, medieval, and modern Jewish texts in conversation, explaining that engaging in the debate over what happened at Sinai is a deeply sacred act.  For Sommer, biblical criticism is an important element of a modern Jewish approach to scripture and theology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices