Dr. Tim Mackie - The Trinity, Hermeneutics & Doctrinal Development

Dr. Tim Mackie ( @bibleproject ) is the creative director of "The Bible Project" and a Professor at Western Seminary. We talk about hermeneutics, the doctrine of the Trinity, the development of doctrine, and how Christians who disagree about Christology can relate to each other. We mention Philo of Alexandria, Constantine, Arius of Alexandria, Valentinus, Basilides, Marcellus, George Guthrie, and more.

00:00:00 - Introduction
00:01:00 - The origins of the Bible Project
00:03:30 - Tim's hermeneutics
00:12:00 - What is the Trinity?
00:16:20 - The development of doctrine
00:23:30 - How does the OT talk about Jesus?
00:31:15 - From Judaism to Trinitarianism
00:44:40 - Is fellowship possible across Christological divides?
00:53:00 - Concluding Remarks

[jaredwilliams]

This was a MUCH better conversation than anticipated. I was pleasantly surprised to see Tim more or less parse out the analogical understanding of God as Being in a situation where virtually every speaker would just reach for some sickly, thoughtlessly Modernist, nominalist paste to try to discuss the theology behind the subject.

The listener can also get the impression when you listen to Tim that he understands theology as science, which is rare, even among theologians. Lastly, I really love the telescope/astral imaging analogy; that's a great way to explain the concept of theological development.
It's important we develop metaphors like these given how many Christians of all the various branches really struggle to understand and accept the concept. Great work, & God bless!

[marianavalladaresgago]

I love Tim Mackie’s teachings and follow every where he speaks. Thanks for this interview! Blessings from Lima Peru!

[EviesAnnee]

Love hearing Tim's mental to verbal process as I, too, ponder these things. It helps me tremendously to speak out loud to God as I process what I'm reading. I'm memorizing the book of John, and so much has been revealed to me through this process. But I have not spent enough time connecting with the OT so this video has been extremely helpful to my own understanding of the Trinity.

[johnwashburn]

Thank you for digging in so deeply on these topics. I must listen again a few times and digest it all. I am a lifetime Bible need but not educated in the classroom. I truly appreciate the opportunity to listen to scholarly discussion. I love to learn.

[helenenikki]

Great discussion brothers! This is the 1st interview I have seen you do You give respect to your guest to speak and have a calming presence even as you all discussed a "hot" topic. Look forward to more. knocks it right out of the park as usual - God has used you in many ways for many of His Children to see and hear and have their hearts softened to His Beautiful Truth.

[jeffbarrett]

I appreciate the lack of bookshelves behind both participants.

[amurdo]

I appreciate the intellectual humility that Tim expressed here.

[joer]

Thank you for letting Tim speak! Well done.

[EmJay]

Sam, your focus on goals is like a breath of fresh air for me, relieving the frustration I've been experiencing with other parts of the corner. Keep up the fantastic work.

[kareng]

If knowing who God and/or Jesus was simple, then we would all agree on the topic. John 12: 44 Don't be a scoffer..do your own research. Tim Mackie is a tremendous resource as we search for truth. Thank you Tim for answering the call to serve God. Don't just listen and accept a creed, do your own research, , then be a disciple of Jesus. John 14 The world has enough who "believe", we need disciples who follow and obey.

[TheMeaningCode]

Wonderful conversation, Sam. Your host skills are amazing🙂

[landoZA]

Wow - never heard Tim speak about some of these things.. thank you Tim for your great questions.

[mlts]

Cool conversation. I like how Mackie’s kind of symbolic stuff bridges the gap between the pageau/peterson phenomenon and evangelical Christianity

[lasetat]

I've watched so many TIm Mackie interiews and this is one of the best

[jonathanserrano]

As you noted, Heiser does not deny the concept of the Trinity. He suggests that when Genesis 1:26 was written, the original readers would have understood the "Let us" statement to have been directed to the divine council. However, the Godhead—the Trinity—would have been present within that context. Heiser also notes that although the text says, "Let us, " the action is ultimately carried out by one being, God, as seen in Genesis 1:27, “His own image.”

[HarrisBeauchamp]

Sam, you did an awesome job with this interview. I respect that you just let Tim talk without challenging him.

That being said, now I am dying for a part two. I would love to hear Tim answer some of the challenges you might put to him, especially regarding what he said towards the very end.

[NoMoreGatekeepers]

Oh man! Thank you, this is confirmation of something I have been wrestling with. As I read through the OT I can not help but see here and there two divine beings, the Father and The Son. Dr. Mackie confirmed that I am not just walking down a dark alley.

[JaysonCarmona]

You kill it with these guests and videos.

[ivarkoedijker]

Awesome! I have been listening to the BibleProject Podcast for quite some time, even longer than yours. So it is great to see you two finally meet. I haven't had much time these last months to listen, but this one I don't want to miss for sure!

[johnhazmathaddad]

I think that the limitations of language and comprehension prevent us from understanding what our God is doing. How does a being that created everything, communicate with his creation? As a species, we continue to "know" more, to us it is millenia of development and learning, but to the creator, who is beyond time, we are simple vessels of his spirit. We pass through this life in less than a blink of an eye, in that blink we try to understand God. It's not possible. But we should still try, because his teaching is woven into the fabric of his creation❤