Tim Mackie, PhD

Discovering how the Bible is a magnificent work of literature that invites us into the story of Jesus—this is what Tim is all about.

Biography

Tim Mackie’s spiritual journey began when he met a group of skateboarders who were creatively communicating the story of the Bible. As a teenager he participated in a Portland ministry called Skatechurch. Tim went only to skate, but during his last years of high school he was drawn in by the stories he heard about Jesus.

With his brand-new faith, Tim enrolled at Multnomah University. He became fascinated with the scriptural story around Jesus when he entered the world of biblical studies.

Determined to deepen his understanding of Jesus' historical and cultural context, Tim went on to pursue a degree in theology from Western Seminary in Portland and a Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible and Jewish Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Tim's early research and writing interests focused on the manuscript history of the Bible and the formation of the biblical canon. He really loves ancient Greek and Hebrew texts!

After years of ministry as a local church pastor, Tim now serves as the Chief Education Officer for BibleProject and is an adjunct professor at Western Seminary. Tim is fascinated with the literary artistry and design of the Bible, and he is committed to helping people understand how the whole story works together and leads us to Jesus.

Currently, Tim resides in Portland, Oregon with his wife, Jessica, and two rambunctious and amazing little boys. In all of his work, whether as a pastor or as a co-founder of BibleProject, he loves helping people understand how the overall biblical story works together and leads us to Jesus.

Exploring My Strange Bible Podcast

Exploring My Strange Bible is Tim Mackie's personal podcast, produced by The Bible Project. It’s an anthology of Tim’s lectures, sermons, and classroom teachings, collected over the last 10 years. They’ve been brought together to help you take a deeper dive into the Scriptures and the language and history of the Bible. May Bible nerds live long and prosper!

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Learning is a Journey

Tim's early research and writing interests focused on the manuscript history of the Bible and the formation of the biblical canon. All along, Tim was fascinated with the literary artistry and design of biblical narrative and poetry.

Here are some of the authors that have influenced Tim over the years. These are highly recommended books if you are interested in taking a deeper dive into biblical studies.

Ray Lubeck

Read the Bible for a Change

John Sailhamer

NIV Compact Bible Commentary The Pentateuch as Narrative Old Testament Theology

Adele Berlin

Poetics and Interpretation of Biblical Narrative The Dynamics of Biblical Parallelism

Brevard Childs

Introduction to the Old Testament as Scripture

Morna D. Hooker

From Adam to Christ: Essays on Paul Not Ashamed of the Gospel: New Testament Interpretations of the Death of Christ

Karl Barth

Dogmatics in Outline

Michael Fishbane

Biblical Text and Texture: Literary Readings of Selected Texts Biblical Interpretation in Ancient Israel

Abraham Heschel

The Prophets God in Search of Man

Ellen F. Davis

Opening Israel's Scriptures

Richard Bauckham

Everything - Just read everything he's written. Seriously.

Robert Alter

The Art of Biblical Poetry The Art of Biblical Narrative The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary

J. Richard Middleton

The Liberating Image: The Imago Dei in Genesis 1

Christopher J.H. Wright

The Mission of God: Unlocking the Grand Narrative of the Bible Old Testament Ethics for the People of God Knowing God through the Old Testament Volumes 1-3

Richard B. Hayes

The Moral Vision of the New Testament Echoes of Scripture in the Gospels Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul

N.T. Wright

The New Testament and the People of God (Vol 1) Jesus and the Victory of God (vol 2) The Resurrection of the Son of God (vol 3) Paul and the Faithfulness of God: Two Book Set (vol 4)

Melchizedek's Alternative Priestly Order: A Compositional Analysis of Genesis 14:18-20 and its Echoes Throughout the Tanak

Joshua Mathews

The New Interpreter's® Bible Commentary Volume IX: Acts, Introduction to Epistolary Literature, Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians

Leander E. Keck

Tim Mackie, PhD

Biography

Exploring My Strange Bible Podcast

Learning is a Journey

Browse Tim's Full Library

"Daniel" (Word Biblical Commentary)

1 & 2 Kings (Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible)

1 & 2 Kings (Understanding the Bible Commentary Series)

1 & 2 Kings: Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary

1 & 2 Samuel (Apollos Old Testament Commentary, Vol. 8)

1 & 2 Timothy, Titus (Understanding the Bible Commentary Series)

1 and 2 Chronicles : (New Century Bible Commentary)

1 and 2 Samuel (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries)

1 and 2 Thessalonians (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries)

1 Peter (The NIV Application Commentary)

A Biblical Theology of Exile

A Commentary on Jeremiah: Exile and Homecoming

A Commentary on the Book of Genesis (Part I): from Adam to Noah (Volume 1)

A Community Called Atonement

A Fellowship of Differents

A Generous Justice

A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew

A Greek Grammar of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd Edition

A New Vision for Israel: The Teachings of Jesus in National Context

A Secular Age

A Secular Age

A Theological Introduction to the Old Testament: 2nd Edition

A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics, and Salvation

Acts (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament)

Acts of the Apostles: An Introduction and Commentary (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries)

Adam as Israel: Genesis 1-3 as Introduction to the Torah and Tanakh

Against An Infinite Horizon

All the Pretty Horses (The Border Trilogy, Book 1)

An Experiment in Criticism

An Introduction to the New Testament: Contexts, Methods & Ministry Formation

An Introduction to the Old Testament: Second Edition

An Obituary for "Wisdom Literature"

An Old Testament Theology: An Exegetical, Canonical, and Thematic Approach

Ancient Jewish Monotheism and Early Christian Jesus Devotion

Angels: What the Bible Really Says About God’s Heavenly Host

Apostle of the Crucified Lord: A Theological Introduction to Paul and His Letters

At Home with God: A Complete Liturgical Guide for the Christian Home

Belief in the Word: Reading the Fourth Gospel, John 1–4

Between Two Trees: Our Transformation from Death to Life

Body, Soul and Human Life: The Nature of Humanity in the Bible

Body, Soul, and Life Everlasting: Biblical Anthropology and the Monism-Dualism Debate

Character and Ideology in the Book of Esther

Cities of God

Cities of the Plain (The Border Trilogy, Book 3)

Classical Greek Grammar

Collections, Codes, and Torah

Colossians and Philemon (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries

Colossians and Philemon (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries)

Colossians and Philemon (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament)

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus: Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas

Commentary on the Revelation of St John (Black's New Testament Commentaries)

Communal Reading in the Time of Jesus: A Window in Early Christian Reading Practices

Complete Jewish Bible

Conformed to the Image of His Son

Created Equal: How the Bible Broke with Ancient Political Thought

Creation and the Persistence of Evil: The Jewish Drama of Divine Omnipotence

Daniel (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries)

Daniel’s Son of Man in Mark

Delighting in the Trinity

Desiring The Kingdom

Destroyer of the Gods

Deuteronomy (Apollos Old Testament Commentary)

Deuteronomy (Understanding the Bible Commentary Series)

Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (IVP Bible Dictionary)

Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch

Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch

Dominion and Dynasty: A Theology of the Hebrew Bible

Early Jewish and Christian Monotheism

Ecclesiastes (Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms)

Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (The NIV Application Commentary Ecclesiastes)

Echoes of Eden Genesis 2-3 and Symbolism of the Eden Garden in Biblical Hebrew Literature

Echoes of Scripture in the Gospels

Esther (1997) (Old Testament Library)

Exodus (The NIV Application Commentary)

Collections, Codes, and Torah 

Created Equal: How the Bible Broke with Ancient Political Thought 