Michael S. Heiser: Difference between revisions

'''Michael S. Heiser''' (died February 20, 2023) was an American biblical Old Testament scholar and Christian author with training in ancient history, [[Semitic languages]], and the [[Hebrew Bible]] from the [[University of Pennsylvania]] and the [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]]. His expertise and work focused on the nature of the spiritual realm in the Bible and about spiritual matters more generally, and he wrote more than ten books on these subjects since 2010. He served as Executive Director of the School of Ministry at [[Celebration Church]] in [[Jacksonville, Florida]] and as a professor at [[Liberty University]] and [[Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary]].{{update after|2023|2|6}} He ran ''The Naked Bible'' podcast and Miqlat, a ministry to disseminate his scholarship. He has additionally been active in media productions around his area of interest, and in response to popular presentations relating to spiritual matters (such as material in the [[Stranger Things]] series, and in rebutting [[ancient astronaut]] conjectures).

Heiser's area of expertise is the nature of the spiritual realm in the Bible, namely the "[[Divine Council]]" (e.g., in Psalm 82) and the hierarchy of spiritual order in the Bible.<ref>{{cite web | author = Markos, Louis | date = June 12, 2020 | url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/june-web-only/michael-heiser-angels-demons-unseen-realm.html |title=The Truth About Angels and Demons Is Staring Us in the Face|website=Christianity Today|access-date=April 24, 2021}}</ref> In many of his works, Heiser has stressed the overarching importance and role of the Divine Council in the Old Testament, and Kevin Bauder, Research Professor of Systematic Theology at Central Baptist Theological Seminary, has referred to Heiser as the "most prominent evangelical defender" of the divine council interpretation of [[Psalm 82]]; he notes that Heiser "has become a[n]... evangelist for the divine council theory, giving it wide exposure in popular books and articles, and defending it..." through his blogging and other internet activities.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bauder |first1=Kevin T. |title=The Old Testament Yesterday and Today: Essays in Honor of Michael P.V. Barrett |date=2019 |publisher=[[Reformation Heritage Books]] |page=167 |chapter=Who Judges the Judge? Psalm 82}}</ref>

Heiser has spokenspoke out critically against proponents of pseudoscientific [[ancient astronaut]] conjectures, especially as popularized by [[Zechariah Sitchin]]. Heiser appeared in ''Ancient Aliens Debunked'' as an expert on the [[Hebrew Bible]] and Ancient Near Eastern texts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://conspiracyclothes.com/nowheretorun/ntr-dr-michael-heiser-interview/ |title=NTR – Dr. Michael Heiser Interview |publisher=Nowhere to Run with Chris White |access-date=June 16, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ancientaliensdebunked.com/ |title=Ancient Aliens Debunked |publisher=Ancient Aliens Debunked |access-date=June 16, 2014 }}</ref>

SinceBeginning in 2015, Heiser has published at least ten books regarding the meaning of various biblical concepts, and on other topics related to popular understandings of spirituality; in addition, he produced at least two works of fiction, in the early 2010s.{{citation needed | date = February 2023}} Until 2019, Heiser was scholar-in-residence at [[Faithlife Corporation]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web | author = Heiser, Michael S. |title=Logos Author Search {{!}} Michael S. Heiser|url=https://www.logos.com/search?query=Michael%20S.%20Heiser|url-status=live|access-date=January 14, 2022|website=Logos}}</ref> As of 2018 he was Executive Director of the School of Ministry at [[Celebration Church]] in [[Jacksonville, Florida]], and a distance-learning professor at [[Liberty University]]<ref>{{Cite web | author = Heiser, Michael S. | url=https://www.logos.com/academic/bio/heiser|title=Bio for Dr. Michael Heiser, Ph.D.|website=Logos|access-date=March 25, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | author = Heiser, Michael S. |url=https://defenderconference.com/speakers/dr-michael-s-heiser/|title=Dr. Michael S. Heiser|date=December 15, 2018|language=en-US|access-date=January 6, 2019}}</ref> and [[Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary]].<ref>{{Cite web | author = Heiser, Michael S. |url=http://drmsh.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/MHeiserCV.pdf|title=Dr. Michael S. Heiser}}</ref>{{third party inline|date = February 2023}}{{update after|2023|2|6}} As of that date, Heiser produced the podcast, ''The Naked Bible'', and a ministry called Miqlat, dedicated to the production and dissemination of his content.{{citation needed|date = February 2023}}