Michael Heiser Archives - My Digital Seminary

Review: Reversing Hermon by Michael Heiser

Though 1 Enoch is not in either Jewish or Christian canons, its ideas were highly influential in the first century. In fact, in Reversing Hermon, Michael Heiser argues that many of the details in the New Testament “can only be traced to 1 Enoch” (p2). Though Heiser is not alone in this claim, it will be a new idea to many and Reversing Hermon is an accessible presentation from an expert in the field of all things weird in the Bible.

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December 13, 2016 / 2 Comments

My Digital Seminary in Books (2016)

For me (and many others), December is a month for retrospection. Every New Year’s Eve, Natasha (my wife) and I discuss our hopes for the following year and what we saw in the year now past. This seems a good place to do something similar with books and the ideas that have influenced me. Below are my 9 most impacting Biblical studies books I read this year. These are books that profoundly excited new interest in, opened my mind to, or deepened my love for, a given subject. I also think these are objectively great books, but since there are tons of great books, this list is entirely subjective.

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August 23, 2016 / 3 Comments

Review: The Unseen Realm by Michael Heiser

How does one even begin to review a book so profoundly impacting and paradigm-shifting? Perhaps with a personal anecdote? I used to lean towards skepticism when it comes to the supernatural. This is hardly healthy for a Christian. It’s not that I disbelieved God’s providence, Jesus’ miracles, the resurrection, or even the enduring nature of the Spirit’s gifts; rather, I had an unreasonable inclination to find “natural” explanations for “supernatural” experience claims. What was the cure? First, marrying a woman gifted in more observably supernatural ways. Second, study of the Bible: the unseen realm is just unavoidably there in Scripture. It is in this latter area that Michael Heiser’s work, especially The Unseen Realm, has been so important.

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May 21, 2015 / 1 Comment

The Jewish Trinity by Michael Heiser (Logos Mobile Ed)

Over the past few weeks I’ve been working through Michael Heiser’s The Jewish Trinity and posting snippets as I go, but in this post I will give some concluding thoughts and review the whole enchilada.

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April 27, 2015 / 10 Comments

The Second Yahweh

I’m working through Heiser’s The Jewish Trinity (other posts) Logos Mobile Ed course. Having laid a foundation that monotheism is compatible with divine plurality, Heiser now turns to argue for plurality within Yahweh Himself. Heiser claims that Judaism once believed in a Godhead, but rejected the doctrine as heretical late in the first century, in response to the claims of Christianity. For many (including myself) this no doubt comes as a shock.

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March 26, 2015 / 1 Comment

Divine Plurality vs “No god beside me”

I’m working through Heiser’s The Jewish Trinity (other posts) Logos Mobile Ed course. So far Heiser argued that the Old Testament teaches the existence of multiple elohim (“gods”) and that this is not incompatible with monotheism. Recognizing divine plurality in the OT is one step closer to recognizing plurality within God Himself, which sets a foundation for the NT doctrine of the Trinity.

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