FAQ: What Is Hebraic Thought?

By Dr. Dru Johnson & Robert Nicholson on August 1, 2019

“Hebraic thought is more than just religion—it’s a fully-formed cultural tradition. It includes that rich collection of ideas, concepts, stories, and values that emerge from the world of ancient Israel.”

– Robert Nicholson

In this episode of the Center for Hebraic Thought Podcast, Dr. Dru Johnson and Abby Smith introduce the purpose of the Center and answer the question: “What is Hebraic Thought?” In the process, they examine its importance for the modern Christian church and the Western world more broadly.

The Hebrew Bible contains a rich tapestry of ideas worked out over centuries by the biblical authors. In addition to communicating God’s instruction to His people, we see their thinking on display. However, their thinking isn’t just musing. The biblical authors think rigorously and systematically about the nature of reality and develop methods by whihc humans can understand it. Both their ideas and the way they arrived at those ideas is “Hebraic thought.”

Shownotes:

  • 0:00 The coherent idea represented across the narratives, poetry, and law of the Hebrew Bible
  • 2:14 Why Christians (and the rest of the Western world) should understand their intellectual and historical heritage
  • 4:12 How the Center provides resources for individuals and churches to understand the Biblical authors and their ideas

“‘Hebraic thought’ refers to the reasoning and philosophy developed within the Hebrew Bible, continued into the New Testament, and not found elsewhere in the ancient Near East.”

– Dr. Dru Johnson

Credits for the music used in the CHT podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits