Repentance as a Group Activity (David Lambert)
Repentance isn’t just about having a contrite heart (i.e., “feeling bad”). That doesn’t mean contrition isn’t important! But it does mean that we miss the point of repenting if we focus on contrition to the exclusion of proactive reconciliation.
In this episode, Dr. David Lambert explores the nature of true repentance in the Bible. Dr. Lambert is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biblical Studies at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and specializes in philology and the history of biblical interpretation. He discusses how biblical repentance combines contrition with justice-working that involves the entire political society.
Show notes:
- 0:00 Reading the Bible like an ancient Israelite
- 3:40 Similarities between Jewish and Christian readings of Scripture
- 9:26 Distinguishing terms such as “Jewish,” “Israelite,” and “Judaism”
- 16:20 Modern notions of religion as individual and internal
- 22:04 Biblical repenting as communal
- 26:10 Mercy, justice, prayer, and caring for the oppressed
Dr. Lambert’s most recent book: How Repentance Became Biblical: Judaism, Christianity, and the Interpretation of Scripture
Show notes by Micah Long.
Subscribe now to receive periodic updates from the CHT.
Credits for the music TBM podcast: hebraicthought.org/credits.
