How Repentance Became Biblical

Study of David Lambert’s book, How Repentance Became Biblical: Judaism, Christianity, and the Interpretation of Scripture – Where did the idea of repenting come from? Most of us grew up in religious cultures where repenting was the expected normal spiritual action needed to experience salvation. We accepted the process of soul-searching, acknowledging sin, regret and remorse, supplication and a change in life as though these actions have always been the way to God. We read the Bible with this penitential lens, finding acts of personal piety throughout Scripture. But what if we’re mistaken? What if our idea of repentance isn’t found in the biblical text and, in fact, didn’t enter the world of religion until the end of the Second Temple period? What if our idea of repentance is really a derivative of Hellenism rather than Hebraic thought? What would that mean for the biblical characters–and for us?

In this study of David Lambert’s ground-breaking book, How Repentance Became Biblical, we closely examine the historical and exegetical evidence of the biblical texts and other Jewish sacred material to find the answer to our question:

When did repentance become a biblical, religious concept? Maybe what we have always assumed to be the case needs a fresh look.

This study includes the 13 full audio and video sessions recorded live via Zoom. All sessions also include “Audio Only” for those that prefer listening instead of watching. All of the weekly participants’ discussions and questions are included. Thanks for all that!

In addition to the free PDF download of the book “How Repentance Became Biblical: Judaism, Christianity, and the Interpretation of Scripture“, also included, is “Religion in the Dead Sea Scrolls” by Alex P Jassen in PDF format.