Video: 2025 Nils W. Lund Memorial Lecture: For Such a Time as This: Women’s Resiliency in the Bible

Dr. Lynn Cohick, Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Houston Christian University and Director of the Houston Theological Seminary, speaks about the famous wives of the Bible, Esther and Vashti, and considers 1 Peter’s call to wives and what the Wife of Bath from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales might show us about the agency of wives in relation to their husbands. She explores the resiliency and wisdom shown by these women, as they encounter, maneuver within, and succeed in their respective patriarchal environments. These stories share a common theme of reversal, as the one without social power — the wife — gains the moral high ground, succeeds in achieving her will, and, except for Vashti, persuades her husband of the better course.

Session 1: Esther and Vashti: Women’s Strength and Resiliency
Session 2: 1 Peter and the Wife of Bath in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales: Resiliency from the Most Unlikely Places

Timestamps

• Introduction & context / purpose of lecture series 0:00

• Biographical & academic background of speaker (Lynn Cohick) 4:45

• Overview of “For Such a Time as …” theme / framing text 9:30

• Historical / biblical context examined 15:20

• Interpretive methods / hermeneutics discussion 22:10

• Key passage or case study analysis 30:05

• Contemporary application / implication 38:50

• Q&A / discussion 47:30

• Conclusion & final exhortation 55:15