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As we come to the close of 2025, Ryan Lambert shares a short, heartfelt message with the Bridge Builders Forum community.

In this brief episode, Ryan reflects on the growth of the podcast over the past year, thanks listeners for their thoughtful engagement, and looks ahead to the important work still to come in 2026. Bridge Builders Forum exists to help Jews and Christians better understand their faith, the Bible, and each other—and this episode offers a glimpse into how that work extends beyond the podcast through Zoom studies, conversations, teaching resources, and new initiatives.

With antisemitism on the rise, the need for healthier, more honest bridge-building between Jews and Christians has never been more urgent. Ryan also introduces what’s ahead in the coming year, including the continued rollout of the Olive Tree Campaign, designed to help Christians express support for the Jewish people in ways that are clear, accessible, and deeply biblical.

If Bridge Builders Forum has helped you learn, think differently, or engage these conversations with greater clarity and humility, you’re invited to partner with us through a year-end gift or by becoming a monthly Bridge Builder.

To learn more or to give, visit bridgebuildersforum.com and click “Donate.”

Thank you for being part of this community and for helping us continue building bridges together in 2026.

Bridge Builders Forum
An educational entity dedicated to helping Jews and Christians understand their faith, the Bible, and each other.

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Download the free PDF "Recovering the Jewish Paul: Three Keys to Understanding the Apostle and Building Bridges Between Jews and Christians"

The Weird Apostle
Ryan's book places the Apostle Paul in his Jewish and Greco-Roman context.

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In this episode of the Bridge Builders Forum podcast, Ryan Lambert is joined by Lois Tverberg, one of the most trusted Christian voices helping readers understand Jesus within his Jewish world.

For decades, Lois has helped Christians recover the historical, cultural, and Jewish context of the New Testament—inviting readers to approach Scripture with deeper humility and greater respect for Judaism, both ancient and modern. Her books, including Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus, Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus, and Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus, have shaped how countless people read the Bible and think about the Jewishness of Jesus and the New Testament.

In this conversation, Ryan and Lois explore:

Her journey from molecular biology into biblical studies

The influence of Ray Vander Laan on her work

Why serious engagement with scholarship matters for everyday Bible readers

How Jewish readers have responded to her writing

Why the Shema should be understood as an oath of loyalty, not just a statement of belief

And why learning to read the Bible as a “we” can transform how Christians engage Scripture

This episode reflects the heart of Bridge Builders Forum: helping Jews and Christians think more carefully, listen more deeply, and relate to one another with clarity, humility, and respect.

Here's a link to Lois's most popular book - Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: https://a.co/d/50tG721

Lois's website: https://ourrabbijesus.com/

Bridge Builders Forum
An educational entity dedicated to helping Jews and Christians understand their faith, the Bible, and each other.

Bridge Builders Forum Email News and Updates

Download the free PDF "Recovering the Jewish Paul: Three Keys to Understanding the Apostle and Building Bridges Between Jews and Christians"

The Weird Apostle
Ryan's book places the Apostle Paul in his Jewish and Greco-Roman context.

Make a tax deductible donation to the Bridge Builders Forum

Send us a text

Did the Apostle Paul celebrate Hanukkah?

As more Christians become interested in the Jewish roots of their faith and in learning about Jewish holidays, this question is being asked more often. And it’s an important one. Exploring it helps us step more fully into the world of Jewish life in the time of both Jesus and Paul.

Paul never mentions Hanukkah directly in his letters, and the festival doesn’t appear in the book of Acts. But that silence doesn’t tell the whole story.

In this episode, we turn to 2nd Maccabees, an ancient Jewish text that preserves some of our earliest traditions about Hanukkah and shows that Jews living outside the Land of Israel were encouraged to celebrate the festival. This source helps us better understand how Hanukkah was observed in the Jewish diaspora and what that likely meant for a Torah-observant Jew like Paul.

We explore how Hanukkah functioned differently inside and outside Israel, why it remained a relatively minor festival in the first century, and how Paul’s consistent participation in Jewish communal life makes it reasonable to think that Hanukkah was part of his yearly rhythm.

More importantly, this conversation helps correct one of the most persistent misunderstandings about Paul: the idea that following Jesus required him to abandon Judaism. As the apostle to the Gentiles, Paul remained deeply Jewish, continued to observe the Torah, and celebrated Jewish festivals, likely including Hanukkah.

Whether in Jerusalem or in diaspora communities like Corinth or Thessalonica, Paul very likely joined other Jews this time of year in remembering the rededication of the Temple and celebrating God’s faithfulness.

If you want to better understand Paul within his Jewish world and why that matters for Jewish-Christian understanding today, this episode is for you.

Bridge Builders Forum
An educational entity dedicated to helping Jews and Christians understand their faith, the Bible, and each other.

Bridge Builders Forum Email News and Updates

Download the free PDF "Recovering the Jewish Paul: Three Keys to Understanding the Apostle and Building Bridges Between Jews and Christians"

The Weird Apostle
Ryan's book places the Apostle Paul in his Jewish and Greco-Roman context.

Make a tax deductible donation to the Bridge Builders Forum