Have you ever wondered what happened in between the Old Testament and the New Testament? 400 years of silence does not mean life simply stopped. Much happened in that time period, though it is not recorded in our Biblical canon today. However, the collection of books called the Apocrypha give us insight into this time period. If they are not in our Protestant canon, why do they matter? Should Christians read and trust the Apocrypha? How does it affect our understanding of the New Testament? These questions and more are clearly articulated by Dr. Seth Ehorn. Check out this insightful podcast to learn more about a collection of books that may help you enjoy the Bible even more!

The Bible was not written in a bubble. Abraham, Moses, David, and every other mentioned and unmentioned person that lived in ancient times was part of and influenced by their culture. However, now that we are so far removed from this ancient Near Eastern culture, we often forget about the impact it had on the Bible. The Bible was written FOR us, for our salvation and guide to glorify God, but it was not written TO us. It was written to people who think like Babylonians, who interact with Egyptians and Canaanites and Assyrians every day. We must be cautious, then, to not filter what we read through present-day American culture, but to be mindful of how the text would have been received by an Israelite. How do we do this? How can we jump back in time into the minds of these people? The Cultural Study Backgrounds Bible is an excellent place to start. We got the privilege of speaking with Dr. John Walton, who was the general editor for the Old Testament portion of the study Bible. Listen along as he discusses the importance of reading the Bible through its correct cultural lens.