Today on The Dig In Podcast, Johnny Ova welcomes Dr. Guy MacLean Rogers, one of the world’s leading historians of the ancient world, for a deep dive into the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 AD. This is the moment that forever changed Jewish life, shook the Roman Empire, and influenced the rise of Christianity.

Dr. Rogers is Professor of History and Classical Studies at Wellesley College. He earned his PhD in Classics from Princeton University, has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Philosophical Society, and All Souls College, Oxford, and is an award-winning author. His acclaimed book, For the Freedom of Zion: The Great Revolt of the Jews against Rome, 66–74 CE (Yale University Press), was named an Outstanding Academic Title by Choice. You can grab it here: https://a.co/d/chKjInN

In this conversation we explore:

• The explosive tensions that led from uneasy peace to open revolt in Judea
• Josephus, Roman inscriptions, and archaeology as our key sources
• Messianic and apocalyptic expectations in the first century
• The siege of Jerusalem and the burning of the temple under Titus
• How Rome celebrated this “victory” and what it meant for the empire
• How Jewish life shifted from sacrifice to scripture after the temple’s destruction
• The ripple effects on the early Christian movement

This is not just history, it’s the story of identity, empire, and faith colliding in one of the most dramatic turning points of the ancient world.

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What did worship in ancient Israel actually sound like? Were the Psalms quiet devotionals, or loud, communal songs that echoed through the temple courts? In this episode, Dr. Kevin Foth, Academic Dean at Prairie College and author of Semantics and Poetics of the Righteous and the Wicked in the Psalms, joins Johnny Ova to bring the Psalms to life.

Together they explore how the Psalms were sung, the instruments and voices that may have filled the temple, and how these songs carried Israel through exile, injustice, and joy. We also dive into why lament was central to worship, how Israel wrestled with God’s silence, and why these ancient songs still challenge and comfort us today.

📖 Check out Dr. Foth’s book here

🎥 Watch the full conversation and more episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@johnnyova

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Visit Apostle Johnny's Church on Long Island.

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In this powerful episode, Pastor Johnny Ova sits down with Prof. Steven Mann, chair of the seminary at Azusa Pacific University and a leading expert in speech act theory, Old Testament theology, and biblical narrative. Together, they explore how God’s words throughout Scripture are not just spoken statements but active forces that create, command, bless, warn, and transform.

Prof. Mann explains how the lens of speech act theory helps us understand the Bible on a deeper level. From Genesis 1 to Jonah, from covenant to correction, from prophecy to poetry, this conversation unpacks how divine speech functions across the Old Testament. You will never read “And God said…” the same way again.

We also explore how this theme connects to the New Testament and the identity of Jesus as the Word made flesh, offering a full-picture view of how God's speech is both consistent and redemptive across the entire biblical arc.

📚 Resources by Prof. Steven Mann

• Words Creating Worlds: Old Testament Narratives and Speech Act Theory (Lexington Books, 2025)
• Run, David, Run! (Eisenbrauns, 2013)
• “Let There Be Cain: A Clash of Imaginations in Genesis 4” – JSOT 46.1 (2021): 79–95
• “Ask and You Shall Intercede” – Bulletin for Biblical Research 29.2 (2019): 208–224
• “Performative Prayers of a Prophet” – Catholic Biblical Quarterly 79 (2017): 20–40
• “You're Fired: An Application of Speech Act Theory to 2 Samuel 15.23–16.14” – JSOT 33.3 (2009): 315–334Steve_Mann_Publications…

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New episodes drop every two weeks. Like, comment, share, and subscribe to stay connected as we dig into the Bible with clarity, context, and curiosity.

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In this powerful episode of The Dig In Podcast, Pastor Johnny Ova sits down with Prof. Juliana Claassens, Old Testament scholar and author of Mourner, Mother, Midwife, to explore the rich and often overlooked feminine metaphors for God found in the Hebrew Bible.

Together, they discuss:

• God as mourner, mother, and midwife
• How Scripture speaks to trauma, injustice, and healing
• The impact of patriarchal theology and how to expand our image of God
• Why reframing divine metaphors matters for faith, justice, and human dignity
• What female resistance in the Old Testament reveals about liberation and divine presence

This episode is a deeply moving conversation about lament, hope, and the liberating face of God that has the power to comfort, challenge, and transform.

📘 Learn more about Prof. Claassens and her work:

• Mourner, Mother, Midwife
• Claiming Her Dignity (Liturgical Press)
• Commentary on Jonah (Old Testament Library Series, 2024)

🔔 Subscribe for more thought-provoking conversations around the Bible, history, and theology. https://linktr.ee/johnnyova

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What does it really mean to fear God?

In this powerful episode, Johnny Ova sits down with Old Testament scholar Prof. Bradley Cameron to unpack one of the most misunderstood biblical themes, the fear of God. Far from being a message of fear-based control, the Bible presents fear as something emotionally rich, theologically grounded, and deeply transformational.

Together they explore:

• Why the fear of God is more than just respect
• How the Hebrew Bible defines fear across Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Leviticus
• What the tabernacle teaches us about awe, ritual, and reverence
• Why the fear of God can draw us closer, not push us away
• How modern Christians can cultivate a healthy fear that leads to wisdom, joy, and relationship, not shame

Whether you've struggled with fear-based teaching or you're hungry for a deeper understanding of God’s character, this conversation brings clarity, compassion, and context to a vital biblical idea.

📨 Connect with Professor Bradley Cameron:
📧 bradley.cameron@wheaton.edu

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Can you be faithful to God and still cry out in protest? Can you worship while you’re wounded?

In this episode of The Dig In Podcast, Johnny Ova is joined by Dr. William Morrow, Professor Emeritus at Queen’s University and author of Protest Against God, to explore the deep emotional and theological world of the lament Psalms. Together, they unpack how ancient Israel responded to suffering, why protest was once considered a holy act, and what it means for people of faith today who are walking through grief, trauma, or silence from God.

This conversation is honest, pastoral, and theologically rich. If you’ve ever wrestled with divine justice, questioned suffering, or wondered how the Old Testament speaks to modern pain, this episode will offer both clarity and compassion.

The Dig In Podcast is a long-form series that dives deep into Scripture, history, and theology, not to debate, but to discover. Every episode is built around curiosity, context, and the goal of helping listeners see the Bible with fresh eyes and open hearts.

🔗 Resources & Links:

• Protest Against God by William Morrow
• Dr. Morrow’s faculty page
• Learn more about Sound of Heaven: https://soh.church
• The Dig In Podcast on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@johnnyova

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Subscribe, share this episode, and leave us a review. New episodes drop every two weeks.

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In this episode of The Dig In Podcast, Johnny Ova sits down with Dr. Iain Provan, respected Old Testament scholar and author of Seriously Dangerous Religion, to explore how the ethical vision of the Old Testament still speaks into the moral confusion of today.

They unpack the difference between biblical law and ethics, the prophetic message of Isaiah, and how to faithfully wrestle with some of the harder or more disturbing Old Testament texts. Dr. Provan also shares insight into his newest work Cuckoos in Our Nest and explains why understanding what it means to be human is one of the most urgent issues facing the Church.

If you’ve ever wondered how to read the Old Testament with wisdom and relevance, this conversation will open your eyes.

📚 Learn more about Dr. Iain Provan:
Website: https://iainprovan.ca
Seriously Dangerous Religion
Cuckoos in Our Nest

🎙️ Connect with Johnny Ova:
Website: https://soh.church
Podcast Hub: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dig-in-podcast-w-johnny-ova/id1173741212
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@johnnyova

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If God has always looked like Jesus, what does that mean for how we understand wrath, judgment, and justice? What do we do with the violence in the Old Testament, or the warnings of hell in the New?

In this powerful and eye-opening episode, Dr. Brad Jersak joins Johnny Ova for a deeply theological yet pastoral conversation on one of the most urgent questions of our time: What is God really like?

Together, they explore:

• Why Brad believes Jesus (especially crucified) is the full and final revelation of God’s nature
• How this reshapes the way we interpret divine wrath, judgment, and Old Testament violence
• Whether the doctrine of eternal conscious torment fits the character of a Christlike God
• How to read Scripture through the lens of Jesus, rather than flattening all parts of the Bible equally
• Why many traditional views of justice fail to reflect the restoration, mercy, and nonviolence revealed in Christ

Johnny and Brad dig in with honesty, humility, and a shared passion for helping believers rediscover the God who is love, not abstractly, but as revealed in Jesus crucified and risen.

If you've ever wrestled with difficult portrayals of God in Scripture or longed to reconcile the Bible’s harshest passages with the kindness of Christ… this episode is for you.

🔗 Explore Brad Jersak’s Work:

• 📚 A More Christlike God
• 📚 Her Gates Will Never Be Shut
• 📚 A More Christlike Word
• 📚 Can You Hear Me?
• 🎓 Brad’s University (SSU)

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#BradJersak #DigInPodcast #ChristlikeGod #JesusIsTheLens #Deconstruction #Wrath #Hell #Judgment #TheologyPodcast #Christianity #BibleStudy #OldTestamentViolence

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