Season 1, Episode 15: Sacred Letters: Inside the Life of a Torah Scribe with Rabbi Moshe Englander

Jonathan Isaac grew up in the Bronx. He went to church often, but it wasn’t until he started his career as an NBA player for the Orlando Magic that, through a chance encounter, he was encouraged to dig deeper into his Christian faith. In this episode of Unscrolled, Jonathan shares with host and Museum of the Bible CMO Matthias Walther, his journey of faith and the strategic decisions he made in 2020 that helped shape his future.   Guest bio: Jonathan Isaac, forward for NBA’s Orlando Magic. Founder of the sports brand Unitus.  Show Notes:  weareunitus.com Social Media X: @JJudahIsaac Instagram: @jonisaac_01  Stay up to date with Museum of the Bible on social media:  Instagram: @museumofBible  X: @museumofBible  Facebook: museumofBible  Linkedin: museumofBible  YouTube: @museumoftheBible 

What does it take to hand-copy the Torah, letter by letter? And why does this ancient craft remain vital in our age of AI and digital texts? Join us as Rabbi Moshe Englander, Hebrew Bible (Torah) Scribe at Museum of the Bible and longtime Jewish educator, and host Matthias Walther explore the meticulous art, sacred meaning, and enduring legacy of Torah scribes. Guest bio: Rabbi Moshe Englander is the Hebrew Bible (Torah) scribe at Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.   Stay up to date with Museum of the Bible on social media:  Instagram: @museumofBible  X: @museumofBible  Facebook: museumofBible  Linkedin: museumofBible  YouTube: @museumoftheBible 

How can geography guide us through the Bible? Dr. Cyndi Parker, director at Resurrection Philadelphia, offers a unique perspective shaped by years of living in Jerusalem and leading immersive educational trips to Israel.Cyndi Parker holds a Ph.D. in Theological and Religious Studies from the University of Gloucestershire and teaches in churches and universities around the world. She is the creator of Narrative of Place, the host of the Context Matters podcast, and the Director of Education and Conversation at Resurrection Philadelphia. At the core of many of her projects is the desire to help people learn to read the Land of the Bible. Cyndi lived in Jerusalem for five years, and she continues to develop innovative educational trips to Israel, seeking to inspire students of all ages through experiential education. Her research interests include biblical views of Place, Biblical History and Geography, and the correlation between Theology and Ecology. Dr. Parker’s Website: https://www.narrativeofplace.com/new-page-2 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyndi-parker-ph-d-2372b573/ Podcast: Context Matters Author of Books: https://www.narrativeofplace.com/books Encountering Jesus in the Real World of the Gospels Women of the Bible: Old Testament Bible Study Women of the Bible: New Testament Stay up to date with Museum of the Bible on social media:  Instagram: ⁠@museumofBible⁠  X: ⁠@museumofBible⁠  Facebook: ⁠museumofBible⁠  Linkedin: ⁠museumofBible⁠  YouTube: ⁠@museumoftheBible⁠ 

C. S. Lewis is a literary legend whose influence has spanned decades with his powerful and enchanting stories. Lewis’s books continue to tell stories of Jesus’s teachings and sacrifices through symbolism that makes them easier to understand and appreciated by all.  In this episode of Unscrolled, host Matthias Walther talks with Museum of the Bible’s curator of early modern Bibles and religious culture, Wesley Viner, who is the lead curator of our current C. S. Lewis and the Myth That Became Fact exhibit on the Impact of the Bible floor. Join us as Matthias and Wesley talk about Lewis’s journey to faith and why his works still stand the test of time almost 75 years later.   Guest bio:  Wesley Viner, Early Modern Bibles and Religious Culture Curator at Museum of the Bible Myth that Became Fact - https://www.museumoftheBible.org/exhibits/cs-lewisThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - https://www.museumofthebible.org/events/lww-onstageLewis & Tolkien - https://www.museumofthebible.org/events/lewis-and-tolkienStay up to date with Museum of the Bible on social media:  Instagram: @museumofBible  X: @museumofBible  Facebook: museumofBible  Linkedin: museumofBible  YouTube: @museumoftheBible 

Episode description: Rabbi Meir Soloveichik (“Rabbi Solly”) is the senior rabbi of the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States, Shearith Israel, located in Manhattan, New York City. Considered one of America’s great Jewish thinkers, Rabbi Solly outlines the Jewish connections to America’s founding. Talking with Museum of the Bible CEO and Unscrolled guest host Dr. Carlos Campo, Rabbi Solly also shares some helpful resources to learn more about biblical Israel and the strong bond and traditions stemming from the Hebrew Bible.   Guest bio: Rabbi Dr. Meir Y. Soloveichik is one of America's preeminent Jewish thinkers, educators, and religious leaders. He is the senior rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel in New York City, the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States.  Show Notes:  https://meirsoloveichik.com/ https://www.shearithisrael.org/ “The Gifts of the Jews” by Thomas Cahill, https://www.amazon.com/Gifts-Jews-Changed-Everyone-History/dp/0385482493 “Jerusalem: The Biography” by Simon Sebag Montefiore, https://www.amazon.com/Jerusalem-Biography-Simon-Sebag-Montefiore/dp/0307280500 “Call Me Back with Dan Senor,” podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/call-me-back-with-dan-senor/id1539292794  Stay up to date with Museum of the Bible on social media:  Instagram: @museumofBible  X: @museumofBible  Facebook: museumofBible  Linkedin: museumofBible  YouTube: @museumoftheBible 

In 2006, an idea to create a website that would help people read the Bible more consistently launched what is now known as YouVersion, one of the most downloaded Bible apps in the world. Getting its start during the early days of iPhones and applications, YouVersion has continued to grow and innovate through the years and is now on schedule to hit 1 billion downloads by the end of 2025. Join host Matthias Walther and YouVersion founder and CEO Bobby Gruenewald as they talk about YouVersion and how today’s tech-focused world can still create new, meaningful ways to read the Bible.   Bobby Gruenewald is the founder and CEO of YouVersion, one of the largest Bible apps in the world, and serves as the Innovative pastor at Life.Church in Oklahoma.   https://www.youversion.com https://www.life.church  Stay up to date with Museum of the Bible on social media:  Instagram: @museumofBible  X: @museumofBible  Facebook: museumofBible  Linkedin: museumofBible  YouTube: @museumoftheBible  

When author and podcaster Carlos Whittaker noticed that he used his phone for an average of seven hours a day, he realized it was time to make a change. This change started him on a journey in which he would give up all modern tech for seven weeks and stay with communities who lived at a slower, but more purposeful pace. Join Unscrolled host Matthias Walther and Carlos as he shares what it’s like to live at “God’s speed” and how the Bible became more alive through his experience.   Carlos Whittaker is an author, speaker, podcaster, and storyteller “bringing hope to humans all over the world by cultivating spaces where people are free to engage in genuine dialogue.”  https://www.carloswhittaker.com/ https://www.carloswhittaker.com/reconnected https://www.instagram.com/loswhit  Stay up to date with Museum of the Bible on social media:  Instagram: @museumofBible  X: @museumofBible  Facebook: museumofBible  Linkedin: museumofBible  YouTube: @museumoftheBible  

Philip Yancey is an American author who grew up in a strict fundamentalist Christian home, which led to a mistrust and eventually deconstruction of his faith. Yancey turned his attention to books and the Bible and eventually began to reconstruct his faith in God. Join Unscrolled host Matthias Walther as he talks to author Philip Yancey about his faith journey, upbringing, and how his writing and reading helped reconstruct his faith.   Guest bio:Philip Yancey is a Christian, American author who has written 36 books, selling over 15 million copies. Philip Yancey grew up in a strict, fundamentalist church in the South, where he viewed God as a punishing figure and witnessed contradictions in teachings of love and grace. After his father died of polio despite fervent prayers, Yancey wrestled with faith, finding solace and new perspectives in books like “To Kill a Mockingbird” and C. S. Lewis’s works. He felt betrayed by the church’s racism and dogma, eventually discarding his beliefs and later rediscovering a faith marked by beauty and goodness. As a writer, he pursued answers to deep spiritual questions in bestsellers like “Disappointment with God,” and “What’s So Amazing aAbout Grace?,” often drawing from his own journey and guiding readers with similar struggles. His memoir, “Where the Light Fell,” recounts this personal evolution, while his life’s work aims to connect with those who feel marginalized by traditional religion.   Show Notes:  https://philipyancey.com/  Stay up to date with Museum of the Bible on social media:  Instagram: @museumofBible  X: @museumofBible  Facebook: museumofBible  Linkedin: museumofBible  YouTube: @museumoftheBible 

In 2016, Associate Curator Herschel Hepler came across an image online of a small prayer book that would change what we know about the history of Jewish books and Jewish heritage in Afghanistan. After years of research, this small book turned out to be the oldest Hebrew prayer book known today, dating back to AD 700, which once traveled the Silk Roads and was preserved in the Bamiyan Valley in Afghanistan.  In this episode, Osnat Gad, a Jewish jewelry designer who can trace her family heritage back to Afghanistan, and Hepler share how significant this find is and how it changed everything we knew about that region.  Guest Bio:Osnat Gad, Jewelry Designer and Owner of OGI Ltd Herschel Hepler, Associate Curator of Hebrew manuscripts at Museum of the Bible  https://www.jtsa.edu https://www.jtsa.edu/news/the-worlds-oldest-jewish-book-on-display-at-the-jewish-theological-seminary/ “No Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban, and the War through Afghan Eyes” By Anand Gopal https://www.museumoftheBible.org/exhibits/alq   Stay up to date with Museum of the Bible on social media:  Instagram: @museumofBible  X: @museumofBible  Facebook: museumofBible  Linkedin: museumofBible  YouTube: @museumoftheBible 

Dr. David Jeremiah is the founder and host of Turning Point broadcast ministries and senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, California. Growing up in a pastor’s home, Jeremiah was immersed in ministry from an early age. He later became senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church, now one of San Diego’s largest churches.     In 1982, Jeremiah launched Turning Point, which has since grown into an international broadcast ministry reaching millions across radio, television, and online platforms. Dr. Jeremiah continues to be a prolific author and a sought-after speaker with a passion for preaching and teaching the Bible in a career spanning more than 50 years. In this episode, Dr. Jeremiah sits down with Museum of the Bible Chief Curatorial Officer Dr. Bobby Duke and Unscrolled host Matthias Walther to talk about the importance of preaching the Bible and its powerful narrative.   Guest bio: Dr. David Jeremiah is the founder and host of Turning Point ministries, senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church, and author of many books and Bible studies. davidjeremiah.org Stay up to date with Museum of the Bible on social media: Instagram: ⁠@museumofBible⁠ X: ⁠@museumofBible⁠  Facebook: ⁠museumofBible⁠  Linkedin: ⁠museumofBible⁠YouTube: ⁠@museumoftheBible⁠