https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/theology-channel--6920110]]>enReligionCopyright Robbert Veenhttps://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/2475050a36a6ecb6d0ee937b45d99978.jpghttps://www.spreaker.com/podcast/theology-channel--6920110Mon, 07 Sep 2026 08:35:00 +0000Robbert VeenRobbert Veenrobbert.veen@gmail.comComparative theology: Judaism and Christianity in conversation.]]>false8d0b289a-8418-508f-ac3a-ae7a6129bc30trueepisodichttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/menasseh-and-the-modern-idols--74958113

• the fragmentation of shared moral authority,
• the instrumentalist view of humanity,
• submission to soulless,
• deterministic forces,
• the exploitation of fear and grief,
• the fatal replacement of a living relationship with a controllable idol

This is no fossil from the ancient Near East. It is the living poison of our own time, and whoever fails to recognize it knowingly chooses blindness.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74958113Mon, 07 Sep 2026 08:31:56 +0000Robbert VeenAs king of Judah, Menasse introduces a long series of strange rituals: high places, altars to Baal, child sacrifices, divination, and an idol in the temple itself. The Bible lists these sins as a series of violations of specific commandments from the...

• the fragmentation of shared moral authority,
• the instrumentalist view of humanity,
• submission to soulless,
• deterministic forces,
• the exploitation of fear and grief,
• the fatal replacement of a living relationship with a controllable idol

This is no fossil from the ancient Near East. It is the living poison of our own time, and whoever fails to recognize it knowingly chooses blindness.]]>654falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/reaffirming-the-covenant-moses-joshua-samuel--74763371

















]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74763371Mon, 31 Aug 2026 07:58:00 +0000Robbert VeenThe three texts — Deuteronomy 29, Joshua 24, and 1 Samuel 12 — are often read as a single recurring motif: a leader who, on the threshold of death, seals the covenant with his people one last time. In fact, this pattern only holds for Moses and...

















]]>587falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/nitzavim-rabbinic-exegesis-of-deuteronomy-29-9-20--74758921This essay examines Deuteronomy 29:9–20 based on Rashi, Ramban, and Samson Raphael Hirsch. Rashi explains why the call to uphold the covenant appears precisely at this point in the text: the people have just defeated Sihon and Og and are therefore in danger of becoming arrogant; moreover, they have undergone forty years of instruction from Moses—the period required, according to Avoda Zara 5b, to truly comprehend a teacher. From that moment on, stricter standards apply. Ramban interprets verse 9 as a formal covenant that, unlike the covenant at Sinai, explicitly binds future generations as well. Hirsch arrives at a similar conclusion through linguistic analysis and further demonstrates how verses 9 through 20 dispel two misconceptions in succession: first, the idea that the covenant is bound to a specific time or generation, and second, the idea that an individual could hide behind the community’s faithfulness. Precisely because the covenant is so all-encompassing, the text warns against the temptation to ride on the merits of the collective, and concludes with the assurance that God judges each person individually.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74758921Sun, 30 Aug 2026 20:46:04 +0000Robbert VeenNitzavim: you are standing here. This essay examines Deuteronomy 29:9–20 based on Rashi, Ramban, and Samson Raphael Hirsch. Rashi explains why the call to uphold the covenant appears precisely at this point in the text: the people have just defeated...This essay examines Deuteronomy 29:9–20 based on Rashi, Ramban, and Samson Raphael Hirsch. Rashi explains why the call to uphold the covenant appears precisely at this point in the text: the people have just defeated Sihon and Og and are therefore in danger of becoming arrogant; moreover, they have undergone forty years of instruction from Moses—the period required, according to Avoda Zara 5b, to truly comprehend a teacher. From that moment on, stricter standards apply. Ramban interprets verse 9 as a formal covenant that, unlike the covenant at Sinai, explicitly binds future generations as well. Hirsch arrives at a similar conclusion through linguistic analysis and further demonstrates how verses 9 through 20 dispel two misconceptions in succession: first, the idea that the covenant is bound to a specific time or generation, and second, the idea that an individual could hide behind the community’s faithfulness. Precisely because the covenant is so all-encompassing, the text warns against the temptation to ride on the merits of the collective, and concludes with the assurance that God judges each person individually.]]>591falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/judaism-and-the-new-testament-on-marriage--74554003https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74554003Sun, 23 Aug 2026 02:10:25 +0000Robbert VeenWhen I confront the criticism of the New Testament view of marriage, I notice how it does not unfold as a diffuse landscape of scattered objections, but rather coalesces into four persistent questions that both stimulate and challenge my own...643falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/postmodernism-the-charismatic-movement-and-their-intimate-connection--73254758
This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73254758Thu, 30 Jul 2026 08:57:27 +0000trueRobbert VeenBased on an essay at veenpreken,.wordpress.com
This episode includes AI-generated content.]]>434falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/kavanah-attention-in-prayer--73084576kavanah is so valuable: it shows how a religious tradition has been reflecting for centuries on the tension between outward form and inward attention. At a time when many Christians are seeking greater depth, more silence, and a more conscious presence in their lives of faith, kavanah offers a language and a structure to clarify that search. It reveals that inner focus is not a luxury, but an essential part of every encounter with God—and that this focus does not stand in opposition to ritual, but is sustained by it. Christians who wish to learn to pray with both their hearts and their bodies may find an unexpected source of wisdom in the halakhic reflection on kavanah.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73084576Tue, 21 Jul 2026 11:08:01 +0000Robbert VeenChristians often have a deep intuition that faith is not just a matter of words, but of the heart. Yet in practice, it remains difficult to truly maintain that inner focus in prayer, liturgy, and daily life. That is precisely why the Jewish concept of...kavanah is so valuable: it shows how a religious tradition has been reflecting for centuries on the tension between outward form and inward attention. At a time when many Christians are seeking greater depth, more silence, and a more conscious presence in their lives of faith, kavanah offers a language and a structure to clarify that search. It reveals that inner focus is not a luxury, but an essential part of every encounter with God—and that this focus does not stand in opposition to ritual, but is sustained by it. Christians who wish to learn to pray with both their hearts and their bodies may find an unexpected source of wisdom in the halakhic reflection on kavanah.]]>355falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/circumcision-of-the-heart-deuteronomy-through-jeremia-to-paul--71570210
We explore how Deuteronomy 30 introduces a divine inner transformation that goes deeper than ritual, how Jeremiah re‑frames this promise during the crisis of exile as the Torah written on the heart, and how Jewish tradition consistently reads this as a deepening—not a replacement—of covenantal obedience.

We then follow Paul’s bold reinterpretation, in which the inner work of the Spirit becomes detached from the Torah and redefined through Christ.

Along the way, we draw on major Jewish thinkers—Jacob Neusner, Abraham Joshua Heschel, and Daniel Boyarin—who each highlight why Paul’s move represents not continuity but a dramatic reorientation of Israel’s story. The result is a rich, provocative journey through Scripture, tradition, and theological transformation.
]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/71570210Wed, 22 Apr 2026 20:32:14 +0000Robbert VeenThis episode traces the powerful biblical idea of the “circumcision of the heart” from Deuteronomy to Jeremiah to Paul. We explore how Deuteronomy 30 introduces a divine inner transformation that goes deeper than ritual, how Jeremiah re‑frames this...
We explore how Deuteronomy 30 introduces a divine inner transformation that goes deeper than ritual, how Jeremiah re‑frames this promise during the crisis of exile as the Torah written on the heart, and how Jewish tradition consistently reads this as a deepening—not a replacement—of covenantal obedience.

We then follow Paul’s bold reinterpretation, in which the inner work of the Spirit becomes detached from the Torah and redefined through Christ.

Along the way, we draw on major Jewish thinkers—Jacob Neusner, Abraham Joshua Heschel, and Daniel Boyarin—who each highlight why Paul’s move represents not continuity but a dramatic reorientation of Israel’s story. The result is a rich, provocative journey through Scripture, tradition, and theological transformation.
]]>530falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/levinas-on-christianity--71040465
The Holocaust deeply shaped his view, revealing the moral failure of Christian Europe while also highlighting the courage of individual Christians who saved Jewish lives, including his own family.Levinas contrasted Jewish emphasis on ethical action with what he saw as Christianity’s focus on faith, mystery, and salvation. For him, God appears not in a divine-human figure but in the face of the vulnerable other.

He rejected doctrines like the Incarnation and original sin, insisting that responsibility for others is the true source of holiness.He also criticized the political split between “Caesar” and “God,” arguing that it leaves politics without ethical grounding.

And he firmly opposed reading Judaism as merely a precursor to Christianity, insisting on its independent spiritual value.In the end, Levinas didn’t seek harmony between the two religions but a shared ethical horizon: the call to responsibility for the other person.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/71040465Wed, 01 Apr 2026 10:18:24 +0000Robbert VeenEmmanuel Levinas saw Christianity through a mix of respect, gratitude, and sharp critique. Influenced by Franz Rosenzweig, he believed Judaism and Christianity follow two separate but meaningful paths: Judaism as “eternal life,” Christianity as a...
The Holocaust deeply shaped his view, revealing the moral failure of Christian Europe while also highlighting the courage of individual Christians who saved Jewish lives, including his own family.Levinas contrasted Jewish emphasis on ethical action with what he saw as Christianity’s focus on faith, mystery, and salvation. For him, God appears not in a divine-human figure but in the face of the vulnerable other.

He rejected doctrines like the Incarnation and original sin, insisting that responsibility for others is the true source of holiness.He also criticized the political split between “Caesar” and “God,” arguing that it leaves politics without ethical grounding.

And he firmly opposed reading Judaism as merely a precursor to Christianity, insisting on its independent spiritual value.In the end, Levinas didn’t seek harmony between the two religions but a shared ethical horizon: the call to responsibility for the other person.]]>712falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-dying-grain-changes-the-world--71026052https://api.spreaker.com/episode/71026052Tue, 31 Mar 2026 20:20:20 +0000Robbert VeenSermon in the Mennonite Church in Schagen, March 31st 2026.726falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-experience-of-horeb-in-deuteronomy-4-10--70828596]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/70828596Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:39:48 +0000Robbert VeenThe encounter between the Jewish and the Christian reading of Deuteronomy 4:10 opens a surprisingly fertile space. In the Jewish exegesis, as seen in Hirsch and the Ha‑emek Ha‑Davar, the revelation at Horeb stands at the center as an event that...]]>547falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/jesus-and-the-pharisees--70805882https://api.spreaker.com/episode/70805882Sun, 22 Mar 2026 02:50:55 +0000Robbert VeenThis episode explores the difference between Jesus and the Pharisees from a Jewish perspective, especially as described by scholar Jacob Neusner. The Pharisees understood the Torah as a daily path of sanctification. Their practices—ritual handwashing,...435falsefull