The Theopolis Podcast

In this Q&A episode, Peter Leithart, Jeff Meyers, and James Bejon take up listener questions on John Webster, the structure of 1 Corinthians, church polity, and the modern debate over race and marriage. They commend Webster as a rigorous and uplifting Reformed theologian, then trace the unifying threads of 1 Corinthians through Paul’s concerns for love, unity, the body, and rightly ordered freedom. The conversation also explores Theopolitan instincts on polity—holding together local rule, presbyterial order, and episcopal responsibility—before turning to the church as the new humanity in Christ, a chosen people drawn from every tribe, tongue, and nation. GIVE TO THEOPOLIS! theopolisinstitute.com/give/ Get the Theopolis App! app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu Use Code "theopolitan" to get your first month free! Sign up for In Medias Res mailchi.mp/0b01d726f2fe/inmediasres

James Jordan continues his walk through the Book of Revelation. To listen to this ENTIRE series right now (with class notes!), download the Theopolis App! Use the code "theopolitan" to get your first month for FREE. app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu

Peter Leithart, Jeff Meyers, James Bejon, and Alastair Roberts dive into the text of Malachi itself, beginning with the book's distinctive structure — a series of dialogues in which Yahweh voices both his own declarations and Israel's skeptical objections. The team explores how this rhetorical form shapes the entire book, and how Malachi fits into the broader literary sequence of the Book of the Twelve. From there, the conversation moves into Malachi 1:2–5 and the Lord's declaration of love for Jacob over Esau — unpacking the history of Edom as a prototype nation, the nature of God's jealous love and wrath, and the famous "Jacob I loved, Esau I hated" quotation as it appears in Romans 9. The discussion raises sharp questions about predestination, the election of peoples versus individuals, and whether Paul's use of Malachi is best read as a statement about sovereign predestination or as a confirmation that God's prior choice has worked itself out in the long history of two nations. GIVE TO THEOPOLIS! theopolisinstitute.com/give/ Get the Theopolis App! app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu Use Code "theopolitan" to get your first month free! Sign up for In Medias Res mailchi.mp/0b01d726f2fe/inmediasres

Peter Leithart, Jeff Meyers, James Bejon, and Alastair Roberts kick off a new series on the book of Malachi, beginning with a wide-angle look at the restoration era in which Malachi prophesied. Rather than treating this period as a mere gap between covenants - a so-called "intertestamental" silence - the team argues it represents a distinct and dynamic phase of covenant history, with its own new arrangements for the priesthood, the temple, the city of Jerusalem, and Israel's relationship to the Gentile nations. The conversation ranges from Ezra and Nehemiah's narrative logic to the dating of Malachi, the myth of 400 years of divine silence, and the ways Malachi's concerns anticipate the New Testament world Jesus enters. Timestamps (Aproximate) 0:00 — Welcome and introduction; transitioning from Hebrews to a new series on Malachi 1:00 — Overview of the restoration era; why "intertestamental" is a misleading term 3:00 — Jim Jordan's "Through New Eyes" and the idea that Israel never goes backward in covenant history 4:30 — "Latter days" / "last days" language; the 70 Weeks of Daniel as a framework for this period 5:30 — New features of the restoration era: the elevated role of the high priest 6:30 — A new temple, new geopolitical arrangements, and Israel's changed relationship with Gentile powers 8:30 — The holiness of Jerusalem extended to the city walls; Ezekiel's vision of the sacred territory 10:30 — Continuity with the law of Moses through Ezra, Nehemiah, and Malachi 12:00 — Ezra's role as teacher of the law; rebuilding the people alongside the house 13:00 — Malachi's focus on hypocrisy and priestly failure rather than open idolatry; anticipating New Testament concerns 15:00 — The sequence in Deuteronomy 30, Jeremiah 31, and Ezekiel 36 — scattering, regathering, new covenant, outpouring of the Spirit 17:00 — A partial outpouring of the Spirit in the restoration era; Zechariah's lampstand vision 18:30 — The spread of Judaism through the diaspora as a stage in Israel's mission to the Gentiles 19:30 — Why did the exiles not bring back idolatry from Babylon and Persia? 21:30 — Exile as the moment the law became an existential lifeline for Jewish identity 23:30 — The legacy of Daniel, Esther, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as a unifying memory 25:00 — The restoration era as both the birth of the new covenant and the "thinning out" of the old 27:30 — Malachi's final word — cherem (curse of utter destruction) — and the doom hanging over the old covenant order 29:00 — The three phases of Ezra-Nehemiah — temple, people, city — as one unified project; the role of Haggai and Zechariah 37:00 — Dating Malachi: most likely during or after Nehemiah's absence from Jerusalem 40:30 — Malachi 3:1 ("I send my messenger") as potentially having a near fulfillment in Nehemiah's return 41:30 — The significance of Malachi's name meaning "my messenger" 42:30 — The chronology of Ezra-Nehemiah and the 70 Weeks; arguing for a compressed (~50-year) timeframe 45:30 — Debunking the "400 years of silence" myth — gaps in the canon are not gaps in God's speech 47:00 — 99% of God's people never witnessed a theophany; scrolls were always the ordinary means 48:30 — Daniel's visions as a prophetic bridge connecting the restoration era to the New Testament 49:30 — The rise of the synagogue and lay scriptural literacy in the diaspora; parallels to the Reformation 50:30 — Malachi 2 and the priests' neglected teaching vocation