Welcome to Grafted: Jewish Roots of Christianity! Host Stephanie Pavlantos interviews researcher, author, and Biblical Hebrew instructor Jeff Benner.
Jeff is the founder of the Ancient Hebrew Research Center and the membership site Excavating the Bible, which offers tiered masterclasses from “Bible reader” to “Bible translator.”
Benner argues the Bible is best understood through the language and concrete worldview of its Hebrew authors and says translations often “pave over” Hebraic nuance. He gives examples: tikva as “rope/hope,” nefesh as “creature/soul,” and a Hebrew term rendered “for” that he says literally means “under/in place of,” affecting “life for life.” He discusses word origins, gendered nouns, and re-readings of the Aaronic blessing, “name” as character, and “image” as shadow. Benner recounts lesser-known Dead Sea Scrolls history, access controversies, and how the scrolls confirm textual stability while restoring missing material such as an acrostic verse in Psalm 145.
Welcome to Grafted: Jewish Roots of Christianity! Host Stephanie Pavlantos welcomes returning guest Sarah Williams of Wind of Change Torah Ministry to discuss Israel, Romans 11, and what it means to be “grafted in.”
They emphasize Paul’s Jewish background and reliance on Torah, noting Romans 11 begins by rejecting the idea that God has rejected His people and includes a “straw man” argument style. Sarah traces “Israel” to Jacob’s renaming in Genesis 32 and explains the divided kingdom (House of Israel and House of Judah), the northern kingdom’s exile, and how Israel is more than “the Jews,” citing the mixed multitude in Exodus and Ruth. They connect Paul’s olive tree imagery to earlier Hebrew Scripture, warn against boasting over “natural branches,” and stress salvation by faith versus Torah as a means of justification, distinguishing justification and sanctification. They argue believers are grafted into Israel and covenant identity rather than remaining “Gentiles.”
Welcome to Grafted Jewish Roots of Christianity! Host Stephanie Pavlantos interviews Will Turner, a Messianic content creator and plumber, about interpreting Scripture in context, focusing on common readings of 2 Corinthians 5:8 and Philippians 1:23.
Will argues these passages are often used to teach immediate conscious life in heaven after death, but in context refer to the future resurrection and receiving an imperishable body, drawing on 2 Corinthians 5:1–7, 1 Corinthians 15:50–58, Philippians 3:21, Ephesians 4:22–24, and Ecclesiastes 9:5–10. They discuss how beliefs about deceased loved ones “in heaven” conflict with resurrection hope, emphasize enduring to the end, using spiritual gifts to bring others into God’s kingdom, and stress that Paul’s “all Scripture is God-breathed” originally referred to the TaNaK, underscoring the Old Testament’s importance for understanding Jesus and the New Testament.
Welcome to Grafted: Jewish Roots of Christianity! Host Stephanie Pavlantos welcomes returning guest Shauna Manfredine.
Shauna is an author, artist, teacher, and speaker with Lighted Way Ministries, which broadcasts each Shabbat and hosts annual feasts and retreats. Manfredine discusses her focus on archeoastronomy, arguing the heavens contain Yahweh’s intended story and that paganism distorted original constellation meanings tied to Scripture, the twelve tribes, and prophecy. She describes tracing star and constellation names, shapes, and “tapestry” scenes (e.g., the Bowman’s arrow into the scorpion) and connects figures such as Perot’s “the Breaker” to David and Goliath. She presents her book Ancient Hebrew in the Stars, claiming the twenty-two-letter original alphabet appears in constellations worldwide, with meaning also conveyed by letter frequency, including a Shema message in letters appearing once. They share links to her sites, books, free magazine, and video platforms.
Host Stephanie Pavlantos interviews author and teacher Dr. Dinah Dye about her book, The Greatest Exodus: A Divine Warrior Tradition, which she describes as a culmination of 45 years of studying Scripture. Dye explains how the Exodus and Passover story functions as a thread running through the entire Bible, reframing themes like creation, order and chaos, kingship, temple patterns, and God’s return of presence to His people. She discusses “combat myth” in the ancient Near East and how biblical writers used familiar cultural symbols without endorsing paganism, urging readers to move beyond proof-texting and theological “boxes” to see Scripture as a unified narrative. Dye outlines the book’s structure, showing the divine warrior/chaos pattern from Exodus through the Gospels (especially Matthew) and into Revelation, and hopes the book helps Christians understand biblical context amid current confusion about Israel and antisemitism.
