History in the Bible Podcast Episodes
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The Episodes
Here are all the published episodes in the History in the Bible podcast, listed from most recent (Afterlife) to oldest (season 1). The episodes are listed in reverse chronological order, from most recent to oldest.
Just right-click a link (or long-press on a mobile phone) to download an episode. You can also get great show notes, maps, and diagrams.
Notes for the Casual Listener
If you are a new or casual listener, you may be wondering where to start. Do you have to listen to episodes in order to make sense of the show? Not really. I try to make each show as self-contained as possible. I often provide brief contextual information from previous episodes where I think appropriate. But the history in the Bible is a complex topic. So I often make callbacks (audio hyperlinks, you could say) to specific earlier shows if I need to.
There is an exception to all that. Some episodes are mini-series or multi-part episodes. These are readily identified. For example, shows 2.10 to 2.14 are part of my “Grappling with Greeks” mini-series. You really should start with the first show in the mini-series in those cases.
Keynote Episodes
I have also identified a few keynote episodes that lay out a lot of the ideas discussed in later episodes. I have identified these by marking them with a coffee-cup ☕ symbol, and bolding the episode title, in the list below.
Season Three Episodes
The first episode of season 3 was broadcast in September 2021. The final episode was published in January 2024.
3.34 Show Finale! Speculations V: 100-700 CE.
The last episode in the show. I give a big thank you to all my listeners, and a brief biographical sketch. Then I finish the series with three more speculations. First, what if Marcionism had become the orthodoxy of the imperial church incorporate? Second, could Manichaeism have swallowed up the church? And finally, could the church have survived and prospered had it not become the state religion of the Roman empire?
3.33 Speculations IV: 100-400 CE.
Four more speculations. I argue that an important element of Christianity’s success was that it quickly transformed itself into what I call the imperial church incorporate. Would Christianity have succeeded had it not done so? Second, could Mithraism have triumphed over the church? Third, could the Gnostic variants of Christianity come to dominate? Finally, the Jewish arm of the church vanished after the Bar Kosiva revolt of 132. What might have happened had that group survived and thrived?
3.32 Speculations III: 35-100 CE.
More speculations and alternative histories! Our first diverges from our own timeline in about the year 35. What if Jesus had not been executed by the Romans, but had lived on to see the Great Judean Revolt of 66 CE. What would he have made of it? Second, let’s say that Jesus died when did, a generation before the Great Revolt. What might have happened if his chief apostles Peter and Paul had lived to witness the Roman attack on Judea? And third, let’s move on to about the year 100, when Christians first fell under the Roman gaze. Would the church have flourished earlier and more strongly if the Roman state had never persecuted it?
3.31 Speculations II: 50–66 CE.
This is the second episode in a series of speculations and alternate histories. This time: What if Christian missionaries had never preached to the pagans? Second, what may happened if Christian missionaries had ignored the Roman empire, and proselytised in Parthia, instead? Third, what would have become of Christianity if the Jewish revolts had never occurred, and the Temple stood to the end of the empire?
In this bonus, I continue my collaboration with Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy show, and Scott McCandless of the Retelling the Bible podcast. In this bonus we revisit Scott’s show on the Gadarene swine.
3.30 Speculations I: 35–60 CE.
This is the first episode in a series of speculations and alternate histories. This time: what if John the Baptist was bigger than Jesus? What if Paul had split to form his own independent movement?
Bonus 57: Growing Christianity, with Bernie Maopolski.
In this bonus, Bernie Maopolski of Fan of History invites me onto his "What's New In History" segment. We discuss my ideas about how Bible scholars have it all wrong about the mathematics of the growth of Christinaity in the Roman Empire, and how I have corrected their errors. I also have some announcements about my final episodes, and about my forthcoming book of the show.
Bonus 56: Abraham's Three Mysterious Visitors.
In this bonus, I continue my collaboration with Steve Guerra of the "History of the Papacy", and Scott McAndless of the "Retelling the Bible" podcast. In this show we revisit Scott’s show on Abraham's three mysterious visitors.
I also have an announcement about the final episodes in my main narrative, and a forthcoming book.
3.29 The Last Heirs of Abraham III: Survivors of the Jungle.
The revolt of Bar Kosiva against Rome failed, as had the Great Revolt. The Roman punishment destroyed almost all the many blooms living in the mighty jungle that was Second Temple Judaism. Only two species escaped the immolation: rabbinic Judaism, and Christianity. The imperial punishment also destroyed the Jewish wing of the church incorporate, leaving the remaining franchise free to follow its own path.
3.28 The Last Heirs of Abraham II: Fall of the Temple.
The Temple's destruction also destroyed all the many varieties of Second Temple Judaism, save for the emerging rabbinic movement, and the nascent Christian movement.
Bonus 55: Peter, Paul and Clement with Popeular History.
In this bonus, Gregg Gassman of the Popeular History Podcast and I discuss Peter, Paul, and Clement. Gregg is a Catholic, and I was brought up in the Anglican tradition. So we have some differences about Peter, as you will soon hear. We also try to work out where Clement fits in the papal succession.
3.27 The Last Heirs of Abraham I: Setting the Stage.
Only two of Abraham's heirs survived to the year 200 CE/AD: rabbinic Judaism, and the imperial church incorporate. My final episodes explore how that happened.
Bonus 54: Manoah, father of Samson.
In this collaboration with Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy show, and Scott McAndless of the Retelling the Bible podcast, we discuss Scott's episode "Me, Myself, and Manoah"
Bonus 53: The Day the Sun Stood Still.
In this bonus, I launch a new mini-series. My co-hosts are Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast, and Scott McAndless of the Retelling the Bible podcast. In these bonus episodes, we will discuss one of Scott’s re-tellings. In this show we revisit Scott’s show on Joshua and the day the sun stood still.
3.26 Christianity in the Year 200.
Irenaeus died around the year 200. In his final decades, pagan intellectuals first turned their sights on the Christians. The first was Celsus. Christians counter-attacked with more apologies. They also produced homilies, such as the 2nd letter of Clement.
Fans also produced some fanciful acts and gospels of the various disciples, and two biographies of the young Jesus: the Paidika, and the Protevangelium of James.
I finish with a look at two accounts of local persecutions dueing the period, in Lyon and Scillium.
3.25 Remaking Paul II: Luther and Beyond.
After Irenaeus rescued Paul from the Marcionites and Gnostics, Paul's letters were honoured and uncontroversial documents, testaments to a great missionary and theologian. Martin Luther weaponised them to attack the established church, and so birthed the Protestant movement. In the 1970s, the New Perspective on Paul movement tried to rescue Paul from Luther.
I also finish up my discussion of the Acts of Paul, and make an assessment of Paul's real significance to Christianity.
Bonus 50: With the Conspirinormal Podcast.
The Conspirinormal podcast people kindly invited me onto their show. The hosts Adam Sayne and Serfiel Stevenson have generously allowed me to publish our conversation here.
Bonus 49: Top Moments in the Old Testament/Tanakh II.
In this bonus episode, Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast and I continue our look at some of our favourite moments in the Old Testament or Tanakh. First, Steve investigates the unfortunate incident of Dinah and the Hebites. Then Garry shows a little-known side to Joseph's rule in Egypt.
3.24 Remaking Paul I: Irenaeus.
During the middle of the 2nd century, Paul was rescued from the Marcionites and Gnostics. He was elevated from honoured missionary to master theologian. I also discuss the Acts of Paul and his acolyte Thecla.
3.23 The Imperial Church Incorporate III: The Heresy Hunter.
The imperial church of the late 2nd century was bedeviled by external competitors -- Gnostics, Marcionites, Montanists – and vexed by internal division over the nature of Christ. Was he man, god, or both? The church brought forth fighters to defend its corporate markets. These were the heresy hunters. Justin Martyr and Hegesippus the Holy were early soldiers.
Bishop Irenaeus of Lyon was the greatest of these warriors. His works was enormously influential. For a start, he decisively moved the church away from its reliance on the Jewish holy books as divine authorities, and towards a new holy canon.
In his greatest work, “Against Heresies”, Irenaeus produced an encyclopedia of the church’s enemies. He invented the concept of heresy, incorrect belief. This was a concept unknown to the ancient world. Irenaeus used the concept to set up clear borders between the church incorporate and its rivals.
Bonus 48: Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ.
Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast and I turn a quizzical eye on Mel Gibson's 2014 movie The Passion of the Christ.
Bonus 47: The Twelve Minor Prophets IX: Real Finale .
Steve Guerra from the History in the Papacy podcast and I concluded our series on the Twelve minor prophets of the OT some time ago. That was a fake-out. We managed to rope in a real expert to conclude our mini-series. Let me introduce Prof Kip Swinney.
3.22 The Imperial Church Incorporate II: The Martyr.
Justin Martyr is the second of the great Christian figures of the second century. He is one of the earliest for whom we have a substantial biography from the man himself. He wrote at length and often, creating the largest body of Christian literature to his time.
Later Christians quoted from him endlessly, and lauded him as a writer, apologist, philosopher, and intellectual. But he introduced a pronounced anti-Jewish animus into Christianity. He also creates the concept of “heresy”, which would bedevil Christianity for centuries. I also discuss two of Justin’s successors: Melito and Tatian.
3.21 The Imperial Church Incorporate I: The Heretic.
The final episodes in my show cover the second half of the second century. In this period, the little Jesus clubs evolved into the imperial church incorporate. This and the next few episodes cover the three dominant personalities of that period.
Here I investigate the heretic
Marcion of Sinope. Marcion shook the church to its
foundations when he moved to Rome. He rejected the idea that Christianity was based on Judaism and
the Tanakh. He constructed the first Christian canon: ten letters of Paul, and a reduced version of
the gospel of Luke.
Decisively expelled by the imperial church incorporate, Marcion returned to Asia Minor and founded a successful rival to the church, one that persisted for centuries. Marcion forced the church to build its own canon, and to raise Paul from obscure letter-writer and martyr, to pre-eminent apostle.
Bonus 46: The Twelve Minor Prophets VIII: Finale .
Steve Guerra from the History in the Papacy podcast and I conclude our mini-series on the Twelve minor prophets of the OT/Tanakh. In this episode we have a bit of fun and rank the Twelve using our own entirely ridiculous criteria.
Bonus 45: Biblical Chronology with Gil Kidron II.
In this bonus episode, Gil Kidron of A Podcast of Biblical Proportions and I finish our discussion of biblical chronology.
3.20 Gnowing Me, Gnowing You II: The Crusade of Valentinus.
Unlike the Sethian Gnostics, the Valentinian Gnostics are clearly rooted in Christianity. They were founded by Valentinus, an Egyptian who may have stood for the bishopric of Rome. Valentinus founded a popular crusade that borrowed from the Sethians and the apostle Paul.
The movement produced a copious literature: the apocalypse of Paul, the apocalypse of Peter, the apocalypse of Adam, the gospel of Mary, the gospel of Phillip, and the gospel of truth. All of these books were recovered only in the 20th century.
The Valentinians formed a parallel church to the orthodox, one much more inviting to women. They attended orthodox services, but operated separate elite clubs. They were only suppressed in the fourth century, after the Roman state granted a monopoly to the orthodox.
3.19 Gnowing Me, Gnowing You I: The Children of Seth.
Until the late 19th century, the Gnostic works were known only from their opponents, who regarded them as aberrant and vile Christians. Discoveries since then have uncovered a wealth of Gnostic literature. The Gnostics are now usually divided into two groups: Sethians and Valentinians. The Sethians are the older. Many scholars hold that their roots are in Second Temple Judaism, not Christianity.
Bonus 44: Biblical Chronology with Gil Kidron I.
In this bonus episode, Gil Kidron of A Podcast of Biblical Proportions and I wade into biblical chronology.
3.18 Christians Under the Roman Gaze.
In the second century, there were three groups of Jewish-leaning Jesus clubs: the Johhanines, the Nazoreans, and the Ebionities. These had either vanished or been absorbed into gentile Christianity by the year 200.
While that was happening, the Christian movement came to the attention of the imperial authorities. Writing in 110, governor Pliny only knew they seemed to be vaguely seditious, and had depraved practices, such as meeting before dawn. Forty years later, Christians had gained an appalling reputation. They refused to participate in any of the state rituals that bonded the emperor, the people, and the state to the gods. They were unpatriotic. Even worse, they were wicked sexual deviants with barbaric rituals. The Romans viewed them as witches.
I finish the episode by introducing the earliest Christian apologies, books written to defend the faith from the calumnies made against it.
Bonus 43: Top Moments in the Old Testament/Tanakh I.
In this bonus episode, Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast and I take a look at some of our favourite moments in the Old Testament or Tanakh. First, Steve wonders what the deal is with Melchizedek.
Then Garry shows how a single verse about the patriarch Enoch spawned a whole literature. Back to Steve, who finds some surprising verses in Psalm 137. We conclude with the old she’s not my wife she’s my sister scam, which Abraham and Isaac pull three times.
Bonus 42: The Twelve Minor Prophets VII: Malachi and Joel .
Malachi writes in Persian times. The rebuilt Temple has not ushered in an ideal age, the governors of Yehuda are not Davidic, and the priests and people have lost their watchfulness about God’s coming. Malachi attacks this malaise. The priests are corrupt. The people are unfaithful. All must repent.
Joel writes of locusts and famine. An ecological catastrophe is divine retribution for apostasy. He exhorts the people of Judah to repent, fast, and pray to avert these calamities.
3.17 Quest for the Rabbis II: The Mishnah.
The Mishnah is the first great product of the rabbis. Traditionally it was codified around 200 CE by Rabbi Yehuda naNasi. It appears from nowhere. The Mishnah bears no resemblance to anything in the Tanakh/Old Testament, nor in the vast Jewish apocalyptic literature of preceding centuries.
3.16 Quest for the Rabbis I: Origins.
The origins of the rabbis, dated to the second century CE, are shrouded in fog, for reasons we do not understand. Why did the Jews cease writing histories after the year 100? Why do we have no histories from the Babylonian Jews? Where did the Mishnah, the foundational document of Rabbinic thought, come from? I also discuss the evidence that historians of antiquity use, and how they assess that evidence.
Especial thanks to Dr. Bret C. Devereaux, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for his amusing insights.
Bonus 41: Baruch and Jeremiah, with Gil Kidron.
In this bonus episode, Gil Kidron of A Podcast of Biblical Proportions and I discuss Gil's theory that the scribe Baruch was instrumental in writing (or editing or redacting) the book of Genesis, using the life of his master the prophet Jeremiah as a model.
After the Great Revolt of 66, the Judeans dared challenge the power of Rome twice more: in the Kitos War of 115, and the Bar Kosiva revolt of 132. They didn't work out so well. On the death of Herod the Great in 4 BCE, the Judean state was a prosperous, self-governed, and stable kingdom. It was Rome’s best buddy in the Levant, with territories extending beyond the Jordan and into Syria. Thriving Jewish communities could be found from Spain to Egypt.
Over a span 70 years, the Judeans launched three insurrections against the Romans. The consequences were catastrophic. 140 years after Herod’s death, the Temple and Jerusalem had been razed, the Judean self-governing province crushed, and its people scattered to the winds. Within the empire, the Romans thereafter applied a heavy hand against many diaspora Jewish communities.
3.14 After the Apostles II: Holy Books and Blessed Bishops.
My second ep about the apostolic fathers, those who followed the disciples. Here I discuss the anonymous authors of the epistle of Barnabas, the gospel of Peter, and the Shepherd of Hermas. All of them were candidates for inclusion in the New Testament. We should be grateful that the virulent anti-Jewishness of the epistle of Barnabas never made it. The gospel of Peter was a best-seller, more popular than the gospel of Mark. It gives an account of the actual resurrection, which none of our canonical gospels do. And what a wacky account it is! The Shepherd was often referred to by the fathers, and is to this day popular with Christians. The Shepherd brims with homely homilies and sermons. The final father is the famously long-lived Bishop Polycarp. It is said that he was mentored by the disciple John, and corresponded with Ignatius. He may have known the great Christian figures of the mid-second century: Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Marcion, and Montanus. If that is so, Polycarp was the man who joined the disciples to the fathers of the imperial church.
3.13 After the Apostles I: Out of the Mist.
By the year 70, all of the disciples save perhaps John, were dead. Their inheritors are traditionally known as the Apostolic fathers, although many scholars would object to that appellation. I explore the fathers in this and the next episode. In this show I present the very earliest: Bishop Clement of Rome, and the anonymous author of the Didache, a fascinating look into earliest Christian practices. Along the way I speculate about the relationship between Jewish and Christian practices of the time. Who took what from whom? I finish up with the earliest Christian commentator, Papias of Hierapolis; and with Ignatius of Antioch.
Bonus 40: Noah - The Movie, with Pod Academy.
In this bonus episode, Gil Kidron and Rutger Vos graciously invite me on to their long-running show Pod Academy. This show is dedicated to applying a critical intellect to popular media, especially movies or TV series. We discuss the 2014 movie Noah, staring Russell Crowe, Anthony Hopkins, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson and Ray Winstone, doing what Ray Winstone always does: being himself.
Bonus 39: The Twelve Minor Prophets VI: Haggai and Zechariah.
Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi are the three post-exilic prophets. In Jewish tradition, they are the last of the prophets. After them, prophecy ceased. Haggai is a pragmatic man relaying God’s words to the Jewish leadership. Although contemporary with Haggai, Zechariah is his polar opposite. Zechariah is off his nut, with the trippiest imagery outside of Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation.
Bonus 38: The Twelve Minor Prophets V: Zephaniah and Habakkuk.
I'm joined by Steve Guerra as we continue our series on the twelve minor Old Testament prophets. Here we tackle Zephaniah and Habakkuk. Both are short. Zephaniah ranted during the last decades of the kingdom of Judea. Zephaniah is doom, doom, doom. Habakkuk tackles a fundamental problem about God's goodness: why is God about to let the wicked Babylonians overcome Judah?
3.12 Earliest Christians IV: Conflicts in John's Community.
I finish my discussion of Revelation, cheekily noting that the book implies that only gays will go to heaven. The Greek East only grudgingly accepted the book. The book sulked in the shadows of Christianity until the 19th century, incomprehensible and unwanted. British Protestants re-interpreted the book as the veriest key to the whole Bible. That obsession took root in North America. I also peruse the amusing Acts of John, and the intriguing three letters attributed to John.
3.11 Earliest Christians III: John's Community and Revelation.
Alongside the Jerusalem Jesus clubs, the clubs founded by Paul and others, and the Thomasines, scholars believe there was a fourth primitive Christian community: the Johannines. This community produced the gospel of John, the letters attributed to John, and Revelation. They traced their foundation to John the Beloved Disciple. I investigate this community, and introduce the fantastical book of Revelation.
3.10 Earliest Christians II: Paul Against Peter Against Thomas.
We believe there were four distinct early Christian communities: the gentile clubs of Paul, the Jewish clubs of Peter and James, the clubs who followed the writings of Thomas, and clubs attached to the disciple John. In this episode I tackle the first three.
The letter to the Hebrews is the most vigorous exposition of Paul's views and denigration of his own people, the Jews. But the letter never claims Paul as its author. And its not even a letter. Various books try to harmonize Paul and Peter. In Acts, Peter sounds like Paul of the letters, and Paul sounds like Peter of the gospels. Acts may conceal a hostility to Paul in its depiction of Simon Magus. The pastoral letters move Paul closer to Peter’s views. The two letters of Peter move Peter closer to Paul. The gospel of Thomas and Acts of Thomas show that some communities were attracted to early Gnostic views.
3.9 Earliest Christians I: Deciphering Jesus.
The earliest Christians had three theological problems to tackle. First, what exactly happened at the resurrection of Jesus? Second, how was Jesus related to God? Third, what happens to people after they die?
☕ 3.8 After the Temple II: The Christians.
I look at the two earliest Christian communities we know about: the Judean clubs run from Jerusalem by James and Peter, and the pagan clubs founded by Paul and others. I also have excursions into why women lost their positions of authority in Paul's clubs, the gospel according to the Hebrews, and how Paul transformed the message of Jesus, into a message about Jesus.
Bonus 37: The Patriarchs with A Podcast of Biblical Proportions.
In this bonus episode I am joined by Omri and Gil of the exuberant podcast A Podcast of Biblical Proportions for a discussion about the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and a little bit about Joseph..
☕ 3.7 After the Temple I: The Judeans.
The rabbis now make their appearance: the heroes ben Zakkai and more Gamaliels than you can shake a stick at. Scholars grudgingly hold they are rebranded Pharisees, but they are willing to change their minds.
The Romans diverted the old Temple tithe paid by the diaspora into a new tax, the fiscus Judaicus. As the Romans tried to work who was a Jew, and hence liable for the tax, they accidentally created the first formal distinction between Jews and Christians.
We also see the writing of the last apocalypses and testaments.
Bonus 36: The Twelve Minor Prophets IV: Micah and Nahum.
I'm joined by Steve Guerra as we continue our series on the twelve minor Old Testament prophets. Here we tackle Micah and Nahum. Micah is the chirpiest of the prophets, a favourite amongst both Christians and Jews. No one loves the frothing ravings of Nahum.
3.6 The Great Revolt II: A Civil War within a Rebellion.
The Great Revolt of 66 AD/CE began as a protest against Rome's failure to protect the Judeans from their ancient foes. The Judeans proved to be effective fighters, easily dispatching the initial Roman response.
The Romans withdrew and regrouped. That gave Judea seven months to prepare for Roman retaliation. During that interlude, Judea instead erupted into a vicious civil war. Judean militias and warlords attacked and betrayed each other. They acted as though the Romans were the least of their problems. They murdered countless numbers of their countrymen in Jerusalem, and starved the rest. The Great Revolt ended up as a self-inflicted catastrophe.
Bonus 35: In conversation with A Podcast of Biblical Proportions.
In this bonus episode I am joined by Omri Harel and Gil Kidron of the rambunctious podcast A Podcast of Biblical Proportions for a rambling discussion about things biblical.
☕ 3.5 The Great Revolt I: Lighting the Fuse.
I have never been impressed by the traditional stories that historians told to explain the revolt. All too vague: religious fanaticism, messianic expectations, factional conflict. No one really had a convincing way to explain why the Judeans revolted. After all, the relationship between the Judeans and the Roman state had been strong and stable for a century, from the time of Herod the Great. What happened?
Very recently, historians have constructed a convincing explanation for the origins of the revolt, and why it broke out precisely when it did. Hear all about it in this episode.
3.4 Before the Great Revolt II: The Apocalyptic Christians.
In this show I discuss the state of the Christians on the verge of the Great Revolt in 66 CE/AD. The Seleucid empire created a new way of conceptualizing time.
This provided the Jews with the intellectual tool to create a new body of literature, the apocalypse. The apocalypses solve a vexing theological problem. Why are the Jews suffering under the Seleucids, when the Jews have done everything that the old prophets told them to do? The apocalypses explain that the Jews are pawns in a cosmic struggle.
Christianity was born as an apocalyptic movement.
I also cover the earliest Roman references we have to Christians, by Suetonius and Tacitus. I think some of these are misinterpreted.
Bonus 34: The Twelve Minor Prophets III: Obadiah and Jonah.
In this bonus episode, Steve Guerra and I continue our series on the twelve minor Old Testament prophets. Here we tackle Obadiah and Jonah. Obadiah is the least read book in the Bible, for very good reason. Everyone thinks that Jonah is a story about a fish. That is the least part of the story.
3.3 Before the Great Revolt I: The Judeans.
The Jews living in the Roman empire had many privileges that allowed them to practice their religion in peace and security. They were even allowed to avoid their patriotic duties of service to the state. The Romans favoured the province of Judea under the House of Herod, appointing it the peacekeeper and Roman proxy in the region. Why then did they revolt? I also introduce the synagogues.
Bonus 33: The Twelve Minor Prophets II: Amos and Hosea.
In this bonus episode, Steve Guerra and I continue our series on the twelve minor Old Testament prophets. Here we tackle Amos and Hosea. Amos is the perfect pocket prophet. Amos gives you everything you want in a prophet, in a easily digestible form. On the other hand, his near contemporary Hosea is barking mad. Hear all about them in this episode.
☕ 3.2 The Rococo World of the Second Temple.
On the cusp of the Great Revolt in 66, the little province of Judea had spent centuries under Hellenistic influence. Under this influence, Jewish thinkers produced a luxuriant literature in modes and genres unknown to the Tanakh/Old Testament.
Bonus 32: Into Exile With Bernie from the Fan of History podcast.
Bernie Maopolski from the Fan of History podcast and I have fun discussing how the Judeans ended up in exile in the Babylonian empire.
I provide an overview of the whole season. I introduce the ancient literary sources we have, and the modern archaeological discoveries that transformed our understanding of the period.
Season Two Episodes
Season 2 was first broadcast between July 2017 and December 2020.
Bonus 31: Retelling the Bible: A conversation with the Rev. W. Scott McAndless.
In this bonus, I have a jaunty conversation with the Rev. W. Scott McAndless, author of the Retelling the Bible podcast. Scott has a ripping podcast for you, which I heartily recommend. We talk about how his show sprang from a book he wrote, and venture into various Biblical topics.
Bonus 30: The Twelve Minor Prophets I: Introducing the Twelve.
In this bonus episode I am joined by Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast. We introduce our latest mini-series, the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament. We will cover Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
Bonus 29: Fun Time with the Book of Deuteronomy.
In this co-production with Bernie Maopolski of the Fan of History podcast, we have some fun with the book of Deuteronomy.
In this co-production with Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast, we tackle the morally difficult book of Joshua.
Bonus 27: With Bernie from the Fan of History podcast.
This is a bonus episode for season two. Bernie Maopolski from the Fan of History podcast and I talk history podcasting and the archaeology of ancient Israel.
2.60 An Epilogue and a Prologue. Season finale.
I finish season two and invite you to season three, which will launch early in 2021. The third season will explore the tumultuous history of the two children of Second Temple Judaism: the rabbinic movement, and Christianity. Both were sent spinning into the void after the cataclysm of the destruction of the Temple and the annihilation of the age-old religious and political structures of the Jewish state.
2.59 The Fates of the Apostles.
Of all the apostles, the New Testament only describes the fate of James the Just. For all the others, we have only stories written decades or even centuries after the deaths. I also discuss the letters 1st Peter, James, and Jude.
2.58 Paul's Fate and Final Letters.
The final chapters of Acts are a rollicking adventure where Paul endures storms and shipwreck on his way to trial in Rome. Paul spends two years in Rome, insulting the local Jews to their faces. So abruptly ends the Book of Acts. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul changes his mind about the afterlife. According to the 2nd letter to Timothy, Paul spends his last days embittered and abandoned. The Acts of Paul fabricates an account of Paul's life after Italy.
After decades preaching to the gentiles in Asia Minor and Greece, Paul returns to Jerusalem for a final time. James the Just humiliates Paul by demanding Paul demonstrate his adherence to the Jewish law. The story is unlikely.
James suddenly vanishes from the narrative when the Romans save Paul from a Jewish lynching. They place Paul into protective custody. Paul surprises the Romans when he declares his Roman citizenship. In a confusing series of trials, Paul is dragged before the Jewish council, defends himself against charges that no one has laid against him, is rescued by his nephew, and is tried twice by Judean procurators. He is dispatched to Rome for trial on vague charges.
2.56 Paul's 3rd Mission: To the Corinthians and Romans.
In 1st Corinthians, Paul struggles to impose his authority on his club. He denounces other preachers. He attacks the Corinthians for tolerating sexual immorality, and for favouring the rich members. He has to explain the resurrection. 2nd Corinthians is believed to be a composite of at least two other letters. In the first part of the letter, Paul buries the hatchet, and makes nice with the previously rebellious Corinthians. In the second part, Paul turns into Mr Hyde, and lashes into the Corinthians for listening to others, others who say that Paul is no apostle. In his letter to the Romans, Paul introduces himself, sets out some theology, and asks for help for his Spanish mission.
2.55 Paul's 3rd Mission: To the Galatians.
Paul has been on the road for 20 years. In his third and final mission, Paul travels from his base in Antioch in Syria through his earlier foundations in Turkey and Greece. He re-unites with Priscilla and Aquilla. He spends a few years in the great city of Ephesus in Asia Minor. We meet Apollos, who is spreading the word of John the Baptist.
As usual, Paul is violently ejected. This time, the pagans are to blame. Paul tells all and sundry that he has the monopoly on religious trinkets. That really upsets all those making a fortune selling relics of the great goddess Artemis. Paul barely makes it out town with his skin intact. He travels through Macedonia and Greece, then back to Asia Minor. He delivers a melancholy speech at Miletus, and reluctantly turns toward Jerusalem. I finish the episode with a letter Paul wrote during the mission, his angry letter to the Galatians, where he denounces the circumcision party of James and Peter.
Bonus 25: The Mysterious Q Source.
The three synoptic gospels are markedly different from John. It is clear that both Matthew and Luke used Mark. But Matthew and Luke have much material in common. Most scholars think they have a common source, the mysterious "Q". Others think one evangelist copied the other. Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast and I tackle the issue.
2.54 Paul's 2nd Mission: To the Greeks.
Paul’s 2nd mission is much more extensive than his first. He starts from his base in Antioch. Before he even begins, Paul has a face-off with Peter in Antioch, and Paul’s first backer and friend Barnabas. Paul acquires Timothy as a companion. He then gallivants across the province of Asia. Paul takes ship to Thrace in Europe, where he establishes a church at Philippi. After an unfortunate misunderstanding with the local authorities, he treks down through Macedonia, where he establishes a church at the capital of the province, Thessalonica.
Paul travels south into Achaia, modern Greece. A grand speech fails to impress the Athenian philosophers. He has better luck at Corinth, settling there for eighteen months. Again he falls afoul of the Jews, who bring him before the Roman governor. Thankfully, the governor has no interest in petty squabbles and dismisses the case. Paul arrives back at his base in Antioch, after a whirlwind three years.
2.53 Paul's Lost and 1st Missions.
Paul's letters say that he spent 17 years in Arabia Nabatea, in Damascus, and in what is now southern Turkey. In all those long years, he met the disciples precisely once, and then only Peter and James the brother of Jesus. I call this Paul's lost mission. The Book Acts ignores it. The chronology of Acts is impossible to reconcile with Paul's letters.
2.52 The Many Puzzles of Paul's Epistles.
Paul's letters are puzzles. Why do we have so few? Paul loved to write. We should have 90 or more letters, not the scant dozen we have. And why don't we have letters from Paul's contemporary missionaries? How do we reconcile the vast differences between the three Pauls shown in his letters?
☕ 2.51 We Need to Talk About Paul.
Paul is the major protagonist in the Book of Acts. His letters comprise almost half the books in the New Testament. After Jesus, Paul dominates the New Testament. His letters are the earliest Christian documents we possess. But that is only thanks to the accidents of history. The overwhelming personality of Paul tramples that of the disciples into the dust. Not even Peter and James, brother of Jesus, can withstand the force of nature that is Paul.
Paul is the first to launch a systematic campaign to bring Jesus to the pagans, in the face of opposition from the Jerusalem Jesus club. Paul accidentally constructs a theology of sin and death, and invents the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist. Yet Paul seems to know almost nothing about the life of Jesus. What gives?
2.50 The First Jesus Club II: Tribulations.
The first chapters of Acts describe the perfect community of the Jerusalem Jesus club. Events take a dark turn after the first five chapters. The club is beset by tribulations. The disciples decide to appoint a set of deacons, middle-managers. That turns out not so well for the deacon Stephen. Stephen is accused of blasphemy, and delivers the longest speech in the book. He is the first to die for his faith after Jesus. We meet Simon Magus. Peter converts Cornelius, a pagan Roman. In his last major appearance in Acts, Peter is arrested, released by an angel, and disappears for parts unknown. And the disciple James the son of Zebedee, brother of the Beloved Disciple, is killed by King Herod Agrippa I.
2.49 The First Jesus Club I: Perfect Community.
I introduce the book of Acts. The book tries to harmonise the deeds of the two great apostles: the pro-Jewish Peter and the pro-gentile Paul. Paul's letters say that Acts is telling porkies. The first third of the book is centred on the Jerusalem Jesus club. The book of Acts describes the disciples' earliest Jesus club as a golden age, a hippie commune, but a commune with a dark side. The disciples are arrested, but keep escaping from prison. The authorities eventually give up, letting them go after a light flogging. The Sadducees appear in a rare cameo.
2.48 Do You Think You're What They Say You Are?
What solid statements can we make about the life of Jesus? Who did Jesus think he was? We can never know, but we can make some guesses. Certainly, he thought he was like an Old Testament prophet. He believed that God's kingly rule was about to intervene. Jesus believed that his mission was to prepare the Jews for God’s imminent intervention in the world. Did Jesus intend to found a new religion? I doubt it.
None of the gospels recount the resurrection. They tell of the discovery of the empty by Mary Magdalene and some other women, and then move to Jesus post-resurrection appearances. The resurrection happens off stage. The Gospel of Peter is the only document that describes the actual moment of resurrection. The gospels present differing accounts of Jesus' appearances after his death. Did he appear in spirit, like an angel, or as real fleshly human? How many people did he appear to, and when, and where?
Bonus 24: The Wacky Book of Daniel.
This is a bonus episode for season two. Steve Guerra and I tackle the book of Daniel. We all know the book's stories of Daniel: the lion's den, the fiery furnace, and the writing on the wall. We discover a book of two parts, one of which claims to be a reliable history of Babylonian times. Spoiler: It's not. The second half is the only apocalypse in the Old Testament.
Jesus' death is the supreme sacrifice. The Son of God takes upon himself the sins of the world to redeem all of mankind. From the disparate gospel accounts of Jesus' death, what can we actually say is dependable evidence? The gospels also give us two surprise cameo appearances: Simon of Cyrene, and Joseph of Arimathea.
After the Last Supper, Jesus and his mates take a post-prandial stroll in the dark to the Mount of Olives, a 30 minute walk due east of the Temple. Jesus had delivered an apocalyptic sermon at the mount the day before. According to the gospel of John, Jesus serenely accepts his fate, and refuses to ask his Father to save him. The synoptic gospels challenge that. In those gospels, Jesus lashes out at his disciples. As the company return from the Mount through the Garden of Gethsamene, Jesus asks his Father to save him from death. Jesus is arrested at the Garden and sent for trial. The gospels can't get their story straight about the trials. Was Jesus tried by the Jewish Council? Was he just interrogated, but not tried, by the high priest? Was he sent to Herod Antipas? Was he taken before Pilate once or twice? The gospels disagree. One thing that the gospels furiously agree upon is in exonerating the Roman prefect, and dumping all the blame on the Jews.
After Jesus has resurrected Lazarus, he briefly flies to Ephraim, outside of Judea, for fear of the Jews. He quickly regains his confidence, and returns to Bethany, and the home of Lazarus. From there he moves to Jerusalem to participate in the annual Passover. In Jerusalem, he and his disciples partake in a final meal. Judas betrays Jesus. The gospel of John disagrees with the synoptics as to the dating of the Last Supper: the day of Passover, or the day before? John uses the supper to introduce a bunch of theology. He also introduces the mysterious Beloved Disciple, and a new divine entity, the Paraclete.
The Passion story begins with Jesus in Bethany, a suburb of Jerusalem. Jesus is staying with his best buddies Martha, Mary, and the risen Lazarus. Jesus arranges with his students to organise a grand parade for his entry into the capital. That goes swimmingly. Ebullient from his grand reception, Jesus marches into the Temple, determined to destroy its commercial activities. Jesus then delivers a little apocalypse at the Mount of Olives.
The delayed second part to my discussion on the Trinity (my fault!). Steve of the History of the Papacy podcast does all the heavy lifting here. I've promised to do most of the work in our next collaborations.
As so often, the synoptic gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke tell a different story of the third and final act of Jesus' life compared to the gospel of John. In the gospel of John, Jesus spends six months in Judea before his death, and is attacked by the authorities because he raised Lazarus from the dead. John has Jesus deliver a series of confusing speeches about his relationship with God. Against John, the synoptic gospels assert that Jesus spent a few weeks traveling to Judea, and only a week in the city.
Bonus 22: All things Biblical at the IntelligentSpeech conference in NYC.
This is another bonus episode for season two. My long-time collaborator, Steve Guerra, attended the IntelligentSpeech podcasting conference in New York in June 2019. I appeared with Steve thanks to the magic that is Skype. We talk all things Biblical. I hope you enjoy this bonus show. The conference was organized by Roifield Brown, producer of numerous podcasts: How Jamaica Conquered the World, and The Things That Made England, amongst others. Roifield was the man who introduced me to history podcasting.
2.41 Jesus' Disciples II: The Other Guys.
After the Big Three disciples come the forgettable bit-players, the Nondescript Nine: Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew (also known as Nathaniel), Matthew, Thomas Didymus, James son of Alphaeus, Judas (also known as Thaddaeus), Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot.
The notion of the Trinity is one of – if not the – most difficult concepts in Christian theology. Steve of the History of the Papacy podcast and I plough through centuries of Jewish and Christian thought to try to make sense of it. Part one of two.
☕ 2.40 Jesus’ Disciples I: The Cabinet of Three.
Jesus had an inner cabinet of three disciples: Simon Peter; and James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Only they have significant speaking parts. The often appear together at many significant moments, such as the Transfiguration. The rest of the disciples are ciphers. Peter is by far the pre-eminent disciple, named more often in the New Testament all the other disciples put together. He is Jesus’ devoted wombat, an impulsive, exuberant, and eminently likeable individual. But he fails when put to the test. A work attributed to him, the Apocalypse of Peter, provided all our modern images of hell. Western church fathers held that the disciple John wrote the gospel of that name, Revelation, and three letters. The Eastern church and modern scholars are dubious. James was the first disciple to be martyred, by Herod Agrippa. He is memorialized at the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.
2.39 Conflict and Transfiguration.
Jesus' mission to Galilee does not go as well as hoped. The Pharisees and scribes attack him for teaching and working wonders on the Sabbath. Jesus spars with the Jewish factions many times. Jesus attacks the Pharisees for their petty legalism. Modern interpretations of these accounts hold them to reflect the situation when the gospels were written, projected back into the time of Jesus. Jesus' Galilean ministry concludes with his Transfiguration, where he stands between Moses and Elijah, and the voice of God again declares that Jesus is his son.
2.38 Miracles and Healings in Galilee.
Most of Jesus ministry was conducted in Galilee. This time is stuffed to the brim with miracles and parables. Jesus exorcises demons, raises people from the dead, and cures the sick. He feeds thousands, walks on water, and calms the storm. He teaches parables about old wine into new skins, mustard seeds, pearls, and weeds amongst the wheat. He meets Mary Magdalene. Jesus predicts his own death. Peter professes him the Messiah and Son of God.
2.37 Jesus All Over the Place.
In John's account of the early ministry, Jesus flies all over the place. He steals the disciples Simon Peter and Andrew from the Baptist while in the Perea. In his first great sign, he turns water into wine at Cana, then finds the disciples Philip and Nathaniel. He cleanses the temple and debates Nicodemus. He is first recognized as Messiah by a Samaritan, a people derided by the Jews. Jesus gives us his first theology lesson. None of this is in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
Straight after his baptism by John, Jesus is tempted by Satan in the wilderness near the Dead Sea. He passes with flying colours. You know that quote "Get the behind me Satan"? It's not here.
When Jesus learns that the Baptist has been arrested, he flies back to Galilee. According to Mark and Matthew, Jesus summons two sets of two brothers as his first followers. Mark and Luke describe Jesus first act as a sermon in a synagogue. Matthew has a much more spectacular debut: the Sermon on the Mount. Luke provides a very different version of that sermon.
We also hear the Lord's Prayer. Catholics and Protestants have different ideas of what that is.
☕ 2.35 Prologue to Jesus' Ministry.
An introduction to the geo-political world of Jesus. I also discuss the many problems we have when attempting to reconcile the chronologies of the gospels. The synoptic gospels differ in the details. The big problem is with the gospel of John. We simply cannot reconcile the chronology of John with the synoptics. And I throw in some stuff about the parables.
2.34 The Problem of John the Baptist.
Jesus' identity as Son of God is revealed at his baptism by John, an old-style prophet who promotes Jewish ritual washing. Did John recognize Jesus at this event or not? The gospels differ. They regard the Baptist as a problematic figure, and treat him enigmatically. The synoptic gospels downplay him. The gospel of John (the apostle, not the Baptist) takes him over.
2.33 We Three Kings: 2019 Epiphany Special.
My Epiphany special relates the story of Christmas as told by the gospel of Matthew. In Matthew, the story is told from Joseph's point of view, not Mary's. Matthew has wise men, the infamous massacre of the innocents, and the flight to Egypt. No angels and no shepherds. He does not mention Mary's relative Elizabeth, and her son John the Baptist. If you read Matthew carefully, he says nothing of the day of Christmas, but he has a lot to say about the day of Epiphany, 6th January, the day the magi paid homage. I also introduce the Gospel of James, and the Infancy Gospel of Thomas.
Bonus 20 The Emergence of Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity.
In this bonus episode Steve Guerra of the podcast History of the Papacy joins me to discuss the emergence of Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity.
Second Temple Judaism (530 BCE–70 AD) was a lush forest of beliefs, factions, and sects: Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Sicarri, Zealots, the Fourth Philosophy and more. All were swept away in the First Roman-Jewish war that ended with the destruction of the temple. From this forest, two new religions emerged: Rabbinic Judaism, and Christianity.
2.32 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing: 2019 Christmas Special.
My Christmas special relates the story of Christmas as told by the gospel of Luke. With lots of canticles: the Magnificat, the Benedictus, and the Nunc Dimmitis. Luke has many unique stories. He concentrates on Jesus' mother Mary and her relative Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist. The angel Gabriel makes two cameo appearances. My next special episode, on Epiphany, relates the gospel of Matthew's version of events of the nativity.
King of the Jews, Saviour, Son of Man, God, Son of God, Messiah and Christos, and Lord. The New Testament has many titles for Jesus. Let's investigate them.
2.30 John's Gospel of Knowledge.
The gospel of John reads nothing like the other gospels. John defines Jesus as a cosmological figure, not the man adopted by God at his baptism that the other gospels talk about. John has a quite different biography of Jesus. In the synoptic gospels, Jesus travels to Jerusalem once in his life, to meet his destiny. The gospel of John has Jesus traveling to Jerusalem several times, and places the cleansing of the Temple at the beginning of Jesus' career, not at the end. John's gospel is clearly the product of a community, rather than a single author. This community also produced the letters attributed to John. We have no idea how this community related to the Jesus-clubs founded by Paul, nor to the communities who read the synoptic gospels. I throw in an introduction to some of the ideas that the gospel used: from Platonism, from Philo Judeaus, and from Gnosticism. I finish with the Gospel of Thomas, another Gnostic-influenced gospel.
2.29 The Gospels of Matthew and Luke.
The gospel of Matthew is the most Jewish of the gospels. He insists that his readers must follow Jewish law. Yet his gospel contains the infamous blood cry. Matthew's community might have been Jews who went to synagogue, and believed that what we call Christianity was the right way to be a Jew. Or they might have been outside the synagogues. Matthew today is understood as a factional writer, one who contended against the emerging rabbinical community.
The gospel of Luke is part of a package, with the book of Acts. Luke is the most polished of the gospels, yet ranks with Mark in the bottom of the popularity stakes, even though it contains some of our most beloved stories: the parables of the good Samaritan and the tax collector, the annunciation of Jesus and John the Baptist, the shepherds and their flocks, and Jesus ascension to heaven.
2.28 The Gospels of Mark and Matthew.
Mark is the earliest, shortest, and least popular gospel. We don't know if Mark was a Jew or a gentile. Mark's audience is assailed by the powers that be. He has an especial dislike of the Pharisees. His Greek is rough, but punchy. Mark expects the return of Jesus any day now. Mark's Jesus was a man adopted by God at Jesus' baptism. His Jesus is forever telling people shut up about Jesus' true identity. In Mark, Jesus is Clark Kent, not Superman. In Mark, the reader always knows more than the characters in the story. Mark thinks the disciples are nitwits.
The gospel of Matthew has long been regarded as the premier gospel. Matthew uses a lot of Mark, but he treats Mark critically. Matthew improves Mark's Greek, reveals Clark Kent as Superman, and is much kinder to the disciples. Matthew really differs from Mark by including five long speeches, including the famous Sermon on the Mount.
☕ 2.27 What We Know About the Life of Jesus.
Our earliest pagan sources for the life of Jesus—the historians Josephus, Tacitus, and Suetonius—tell us almost nothing about Jesus. The letters of St Paul are uninformative, as are rabbinic sources. We have to rely on the four gospels. These have their own agendas. In this episode I explore the relationships between the synoptic gospels: Mark, Matthew, and Luke. Today, we believe that Mark was the first gospel, and that both Matthew and Luke drew upon Mark. But Matthew and Luke have material in common, material not found in Mark. Where did that come from? Most scholars say it was the mysterious source called "Q". Others disagree.
2.26 Christianity's Earliest Witness.
Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians is the earliest surviving document of Christianity. I drop in on the Thessalonian Jesus-club to discover how a pagan newcomer would have reacted to the club and the letter. The newcomer is befuddled by the strange words used by club members, and confused about Paul. I also dissect the letter, and discover that Paul knew almost nothing about the life of Jesus.
☕ 2.25 The Quest for the Historical Jesus.
Scholars have spent 250 years trying to understand the Jesus of history. Here I give you the history of the history of the life of Jesus, and introduce the Third Quest for the Historical Jesus.
2.24 Battle for the New Testament IV: Modern Times.
The discovery of the ancient Codices Vaticanus and Sinaiticus in the 19th century revealed that the New Testament circulated in three different textual traditions: the Byzantine, the Alexandrian, and the Western. It became clear that the Textus Receptus was based entirely on Byzantine manuscripts, all written in the high Middle Ages. Modern Protestant and Catholic bibles rely on the much older Alexandrian manuscripts, represented by Vaticanus and Sinaiticus, and on modern papyrus discoveries.
2.23 Battle for the New Testament III: The Reformation.
Unlike the Jews, Christians preserved many versions of their scriptures. The invention of printing spurred European scholars to revisit ancient Greek manuscripts in an attempt to create one single version of the sacred books. Over a century, Erasmus, Beza, Stephanus and the Elzevirs produced Greek editions. Their collective efforts are known as the Textus Receptus, the text behind the King James bible.
2.22 Battle for the New Testament II: Against Marcion.
The Jesus-clubs reacted against Marcion's tiny list of sacred works. The invention of the codex, the book, brought the issue of the canon to the forefront. Melito, Tatian, Irenaeus, Eusebius, and Athanasius made the first attempts to list a sacred canon. The Christians struggled against Marcionites, Montanists, and Gnostics to define what they believed. I introduce the Shepherd of Hermas.
2.21 Battle for the New Testament I: Earliest Times.
Christians in the first two centuries did not have a sacred canon of books. In this first of four parts, I discuss what the earliest church fathers Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp and Papias were reading. Marcion spurred the Jesus-clubs into action.
We all know of the biblical hero Samson, known to his friends as Shimshohn ben Manoah, and to his enemies as “that bastard”. In this bonus episode, three award-worthy history podcast writers and producers bring Samson to trial for mass murder: Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast and the Beyond the Big Screen podcast; and Ben Jacobs of the Wittenberg to Westphalia podcast. And me.
Herod's kingdom was divided. The Romans took their own chunk. His sons Archelaus, Herod Antipas, and Philip received portions. Their success was mixed. Judea was never easy to rule, often breaking out into brigandage, even when run by Jews. Race riots between Greeks and Jews were common. Philip does not play a role in the New Testament story. Archelaus has a cameo part. Herod Antipas figures in the lives of Jesus and John the Baptist. Herod's grandson Herod Agrippa I appears in the story of the arrest of St Peter. In the end, the Romans decided on direct rule. That did not work out so well. The Jews erupted in revolt in 66 AD, a revolt that finished with the destruction of the temple and the city of Jerusalem.
2.19 What Have the Romans Ever Done For Us?.
Rome created an efficient economic system that enabled even middle-strata Judeans to buy goods from far-distant places. Rome introduced new social structures, the patron-client system, and the household headed by the pater familias. The Jews created their own system of governance under the Roman rulers. They also created the synagogue. Jewish religion transformed itself. God became more numinous, while Satan turned into a person. Jews came up with a definite concept of a life after death.
2.18 Modern Debates: Scandal of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The Biblical find of the century, the Dead Sea Scrolls, were turned over to an international committee for study. Bad idea. The cabal refused to let the wider scholarly community examine the documents, and forced their own interpretations on the world. The cabal bamboozled first the Jordanian authorities, then the Israelis. The cabal's stranglehold was only broken by a bunch of academic freedom-fighters in the 1990s.
Bonus 18: Yochi Brandes' novel “The Orchard”- Judaism and Christianity after the fall of the Temple.
My first bonus episode for season two! Dan Libenson of the Judaism Unbound podcast returns to the show. This time we discuss best-selling Israeli author Yochi Brandes' novel “ The Orchard”. Dan translated the book into English. The novel centres on Rabbi Akiva, the man who forged rabbinic Judaism after the fall of the Temple. Along the way we encounter a host of other rabbis and Paul of Tarsus. We also ponder the difficulties of translation and working out what actually happened in history.
2.17 Recovering the Bible: A Century of Revelations.
So much to cover: the discovery of the oldest Jewish bible, the Leningrad Codex; and the oldest Christian bible, the Codex Sinaiticus. At the Cairo Geniza, finds revealed another thousand years of manuscripts. The Didache was recovered, and another bunch of books discovered in an obscure tomb in Egypt, revealing a Christianity hitherto unknown. The Dead Sea Scrolls then showed that Judaism was not the desiccated religion that the New Testament described.
2.16 Meet the Neighbours: Pharisees, Sadducees and Essenes.
As the Tanakh tells it, the Jewish nation comprised a united body-politic from the fall of the kingdom of Israel right through the return. The only division in Judaism was between those who followed God's laws, and those who strayed. From the time of the Seleucids on, the people fragmented into factions and religious renewal movements. Prime amongst these were the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes: maybe.
2.15 The Rise and Ruin of the Maccabeans.
The Maccabeans reach their apogee under John Hyrcanus I, and his sons Aristobulus and Alexander Jannaeus. Alexander's widow, Alexandra Salome, became known as a ruler of wisdom and moderation. Her incompetent children and successors John Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II blew it all in a fratricidal civil war. The Romans stepped in, ditched the Maccabean ditzes, and installed more reliable bureaucrats: one Antipater, and his son Herod.
2.14 Grappling with the Greeks V: Jubilees Reconstructs Judaism.
The Book of Jubilees was preserved by the Ethiopian Orthodox. Until the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, it was held to be a parody of Jewish thought. Now we know the book was immensely popular with Jews and Christians until the early Middle Ages. The book re-writes Genesis and Exodus. Jubilees claims a higher authority than those books. It creates a new sacred calendar, and invents the figure we call Satan. I also have something to say about that odious book written at the same time, the Wisdom of Ben Sira.
2.13 Grappling with the Greeks IV: Daniel and the Book of Parables.
The book of Daniel is one-half comfy folk tales, and one-half crazy. It was the only one of the many Jewish apocalyptic books to make it into the Old testament because it was the only book to talk of the resurrection of the dead. It gets every historical detail wrong. Nonetheless, it can claim to be the founding document of the USA. Daniel's use of a common Hebrew idiom, "son of man", has created huge theological problems. That part of 1 Enoch called the Book of Parables re-creates the term for Christians.
2.12 Grappling with the Greeks III: The Maccabeans Revolt.
Rival high priests Jason and Menelaus plunge Judah into turmoil. Many Jews thought that both Jason and Menelaus were too Greek for their own good. Antiochus IV over-reacts and attempts to quash the civil strife. The Maccabeans stage a nationalistic rebellion. Judas Maccabeus reclaims the temple and creates Hanukkah. After Judas' death, his brother Jonathan transforms from insurgent to high-priest.
2.11 Grappling with the Greeks II: Jerusalem Against Athens.
The Judeans spent 120 happy years under the Hellenistic rule of the Egyptian Ptolemies. They chafed under the rule of the Hellenistic kingdom of the Seleucids, who faced severe geopolitical challenges. The social and economic tidal wave of international Hellenism challenged every aspect of Judean life and thought. A country Jewish priest called Mattathias revolted against this globalisation: Make Judea Holy Again!
2.10 Grappling with the Greeks I: Josephus and the Books of Maccabees.
First in a mini-series on the history of the Jews and the province of Judea under the Hellenistic empires, and under the Maccabeans. I start with a summary of the history I will expand on in the next few episodes. Then I present our sources for that history, Josephus and Maccabees. I conclude with a few notes about the oddities of the Ethiopian orthodox biblical canon.
☕ 2.9 The Apocalypse to End Them All: 1st Enoch.
Apocalypses were popular reading amongst Jews in the centuries they spent under imperial rule. Rabbinical Judaism blotted the apocalypses from its collective memory. Christianity incorporated them into its very soul. I cover the greatest apocalypse of them all, 1st Enoch. The book of Tobit is my special guest star.
☕ 2.8 Lost Books of the New Testaments.
The Jews wrote a vast amount of books between the time of the Return and the birth of Jesus. Since none made it into the Jewish and usual Christian canons, we call them parabiblical or pseudipigraphical. Their significance was not appreciated until the discoveries of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
2.7 Under Persia: Farewell to the Tanakh.
The Jews have a placid existence under Persian rule, and create Judaism. They reconstruct their religion, one now without kings and prophets. From now on, the Law is all. I discuss the last of the books of the Tanakh: the romances of Esther and Judith, the hateful but mercifully brief prophet Obadiah, and the funniest book in the canon, Jonah. Daniel gets his chance in a later episode.
2.6 Leaving Babylon IV: Nehemiah and Ezra Stand Against Ruth.
Governor Nehemiah and priest-scribe Ezra finally bring the Jews back home from Babylon. Modern scholars reverse the Biblical order of the two, and so do I. The two institute a tax-payer-funded theocracy. Ezra rejects the old Hebrew religion and founds modern Judaism. Intermarriage is forbidden. Against that stance is the Book of Ruth.
The prophet Malachi, traditionally accounted the last author of the Tanakh, sticks his oar in.
2.5 Leaving Babylon III: The Enigma of Zerubbabel and Joshua.
After Sheshbazzar's failure, the second wave of returnees are led by the enigmatic figures of the supposed Davidic king Zerubbabel and the high-priest Joshua. Those returning spurn those who stayed behind, implying that the only real Jews are those who were exiled. Zerubbabel inexplicably disappears from the narrative at the moment of his triumph. The book of Esdras Alpha rehabilitates him.
The prophets Haggai and Zechariah are sources for the period. Zechariah writes the first apocalypse. I finish with the puny prophet Joel, who turns plowshares into swords, and pruning hooks into spears.
2.4 Leaving Babylon II: Cyrus and the Mystery of Sheshbazzar.
The Babylonian empire is rendered helpless when its king Nabonidus goes on a ten year holiday to Arabia. The best-ever benevolent autocrat, Cyrus the Great of Persia, has no trouble mounting a friendly takeover of the empire. Cyrus urges the Jews to return home under the mysterious Sheshbazzar. Cyrus is applauded by Second Isaiah, who introduces the Age of Aquarius, and some new theology.
2.3 Leaving Babylon I: The Ezra Muddle.
I provide an overview of the Return. Our most important sources for the Return are the books known as Ezra and Nehemiah in Catholic and Protestant bibles. The Jews have a single book, called Ezra. There a whole bunch of other books of Ezra, many to be found in Russian and Greek bibles. 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras, 3 Esdras, Latin Esdras, Esdras Alpha, the Greek Apocalypse of Ezra, the Latin Vision of Ezra, the Questions of Ezra, the Revelation of Ezra. What a muddle! Columbus used Latin Esdras to discover America.
2.2 In Babylon II: Ezekiel and Job.
In the book of Ezekiel God transforms from furious father to jealous husband. The prophet is commanded to protest against the Judeans with performance art. He has a few passages no can make head nor tail of. I also reluctantly tackle the book of Job, that most difficult of books.
In the first episode of season two, I begin with the Judeans in exile in Babylon. We move from the prophet Jeremiah to the prophet Ezekiel, and his crazy imagery, imagery that has inflamed Christian iconography for centuries. But not only Christians. Ezekiel is the father of Jewish mysticism, a movement which the rabbis only quashed in the early Middle Ages.
Season One Episodes
Season 1 was first broadcast between March 2015 and June 2017.
Bonus 17: A conversation with Dan Libenson of Judaism Unbound.
My special guest is Dan Libenson of the Judaism Unbound podcast. We talk about the Bible, the history of the Jewish religion, the difficulties of translation, how Jews and Christians think about God, and many other matters. All good fun!
1.57 Modern Debates: End of an Era.
In the final episode of season one, I explain why I am leaving the remaining books of the Old Testament to my second season. I introduce the lush literature of the Second temple period, and describe in detail the nature of Judean religion as it was at the destruction of the kingdom of Judah. I reflect on what I have learnt making this show, and what is coming in season two.
1.56 Modern Debates: Into Exile.
Scholars are divided about the Babylonian destruction wrought on Judah. The Biblical sources tell different stories. How many were deported to Babylon, and how many stayed behind? Was Judah left utterly desolate, as the Book of Chronicles says, or just reduced, as the Book of Kings says? Then we say goodbye to the prophet Jeremiah, kidnapped to Egypt.
1.55 Four Prophets of the Babylonian Crisis.
Four prophets lived in the last decades of the kingdom of Judah. In his short and miserable book, Zephaniah rails about the destruction to come. Jeremiah is a foreign policy advisor, and spreader of doom. We are all going to die! Surrender to your new overlords: Babylon! In a brief and nasty work, Nahum gloats at the fall of the Assyrian capital of Nineveh, a victory he did nothing to accomplish. Habakkuk is a contemplative philosopher, with an important question for God.
1.54 The Babylonian Conquest of Judah.
The Egyptians kill Josiah, who is acting on behalf of Babylon against Egypt. They remove his pro-Babylonian son Jehoahaz from the throne, replacing him with the pro-Egyptian Jehoiakim. After the Egyptians are defeated, the Babylonians capture Jehoiakim and the city of Jerusalem, placing on the throne Jeconiah. King Nebuchadnezzar soon tosses him aside, settling on Zedekiah as the Babylonian puppet king. In a bad move, Zedekiah rebels. Nebuchadnezzar destroys Judah. The Jewish exile has begun.
1.53 Evil King Manasseh and the Reformation of Josiah.
The Bible tries to explain why the evil King Manasseh reigned for more than 50 years in peace and solitude, while his sublimely virtuous grandson, Josiah, was slaughtered in his prime. Josiah conducts a religious revolution and discovers the book of Deuteronomy.
Bonus 16: After Life - Surviving the Apocalypse.
In this co-released episode, Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast and I conclude (for now) our series on the apocalyptic literature, with a discussion of how views on the afterlife changed in the Second Temple period.
1.52 Isaiah and Micah, Prophets of the Assyrian Crisis.
Isaiah's ambiguity has made him a crowd-pleaser for over 2,500 years. He introduces a bunch of shiny-new theological ideas previously unknown in the Bible. Christians read into his book prophecies of the Christ. Micah is his counterpoint.
1.51 King Hezekiah, Father of Biblical Religion.
In 722 BC, Hezekiah of Judah faced his first great crisis: a mass of Israelite refugees fleeing from the Assyrians. He turned adversity into opportunity, strengthening his authority and using the Israelite intellectuals to create a nationalistic religion: Biblical religion. His second crisis was the invasion of Sennacherib of Assyria. The king saved his city, but lost the countryside.
King Ahaz of Judah calls on Assyria to save him from King Pekah of Israel and the kingdom of Aram-Damascus. That works out a treat: Aram-Damascus is left in ruins, and Israel left a rump state. The prophet Isaiah puts his oar in, to no effect. Pekah is followed by his son Hoshea, who makes a bad diplomatic move and is annihilated by Assyria. So begins the Jewish diaspora.
Bonus 15: Revelation- Apocalypse by Numbers.
In this co-released episode, Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast and I continue our series on the apocalyptic literature, with the second of two episodes on the earliest Christian apocalypse, the Book of Revelation. We find lots of magical numbers.
In Judah, we meet a bunch of kings: Uzziah, Jotham and Ahaz. Uzziah gets leprosy when he offends the priests. Jotham's reign is confused, just like I am. Ahaz is threatened on all sides. Back in Israel, Jeroboam II is followed by Zechariah, then in quick succession by Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, and Pekah. Israel is falling apart. King Retzin of Aram-Damascus hammers the Hebrews, but is squashed by the Assyrians.
1.48 Amos and Hosea, Hammers of the House of Jehu.
Amos and Hosea are the first two prophets who get their own books. They are also the last of the four northern Israelite prophets. Amos is the perfect prophet, the template for all later prophets. He launches a socialist critique on the Israelite upper-classes, and calls on the people to be righteous, and not just rule-followers. Hosea uses uncomfortable crazy sexual imagery to denounce the Israelites' worship of Baal. Hosea is nuts.
Bonus 14: What a Revelation! The Apocalypse of St John the Divine.
In this co-released episode, Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast and I continue our series on the apocalyptic literature, with the first of two episodes on the earliest Christian apocalypse, the Book of Revelation. It barely made it into the New Testament.
1.47 Calamities of the Two Kingdoms.
Under the house of Jehu, the northern kingdom of Israel is assailed by the big bully Assyria and the little bully Aram-Damascus. I follow Jehu's dynasty for 90 years, through the reigns of Jehoahaz and Joash to Jeroboam II. The famous Tel Dan stele has a lot to say about that. Meanwhile, in southern Judah: the kings get a big helping hand from the Assyrians in their squabbles against Israel. Athaliah, only queen regnant of a Hebrew kingdom, gets killed by the patriarchy. The priests destroy their own puppet King Jehoash when he stops the gravy train. But his son Amaziah gets his revenge.
1.46 Conundrums of the Kings Jehoram.
Two kings called Jehoram ruled in Israel and Judah at the same time. Many scholars think they were the same person. Their reigns were extinguished by the coup of Jehu, agent of God against the evil house of Omri. One of the few strong women in the Bible, Ahab's widow Jezebel, also meets her end. Athaliah becomes the only woman to rule Judah. Elisha works miracles.
Bonus 13: Satan and the Origin of Evil.
In this co-released episode, Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast and I talk about Satan (ha'Satan, the adversary). In the Old Testament he is God's faithful prosecuting attorney. Only in the apocalyptic literature does he transform into the source of all evil. That is the Satan we find in the New Testament.
The Israelite King Ahab and the Judean King Jehoshaphat join in an ill-fated war against the Aramaeans. One battle not mentioned is the Battle of Qarqar, which we know from Assyrian records. Ahaziah follows Ahab on the throne. We start the second book of Kings. Elijah dies and passes his legacy to Elisha. I discuss Elijah's importance to Jews and Christians.
1.44 The House of Omri: Pinnacle of Power.
The House of Omri reigned for 140 years with four kings: Omri, Ahab, Ahaziah and Jehoram. They created the first sophisticated Hebrew state, and brought the kingdom of Israel to the height of its power and prosperity. During this period, the first great prophets, Elijah and Elisha, created the religion of Yahwism. We also meet Jezebel, the painted lady. Assyria makes an unwelcome appearance.
Bonus 12: A Very Merkabah Jubilee.
In this co-released episode, Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast and I talk about the obscure Jewish movement known as Merkabah mysticism, and the influential and popular Book of Jubilees.
In the first decades after Solomon's united kingdom split, the two kingdoms spent their time in brush wars. The kingdom of Judah went through three kings: Rehoboam, Abijam, and Asa. In the northern kingdom of Israel, Jeroboam's dynasty came to an end with his son Nadab, overthrown by general Baasha. This was not a happy time.
Bonus 11: Apocalypses of Daniel and Enoch - Hiding in Plain Sight.
In this co-released episode, Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast and I launch into the earliest apocalypses: 1 Enoch and the Book of Daniel. The Book of 1 Enoch, older than Daniel, hid in plain sight in the Ethiopian Orthodox canon for centuries. Europeans only re-discovered it in the 19th century.
The policies of King Solomon's idiot son Rehoboam split the united kingdom in two: Israel and Judah. The fracture was permanent. I introduce the Biblical sources we have for this period, Kings and Chronicles and a few prophets; and the Assyrian and Babylonian records. I also introduce the archaeological evidence we have, and the very difficult chronological problems.
Bonus 10: Gnosticism: Gnowing Me, Gnowing You.
In this co-released episode, Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast and I introduce the rich apocalyptic literature that flourished after the canon of the Old testament closed. We get into Gnosticism, evil, and dualism.
1.41 Modern Debates: David and Solomon.
In this ripper episode I tackle the great raging debate in contemporary biblical archaeology. Traditionalist scholars believe that modern archaeological discoveries confirm the Bible's account of David and Solomon. Modernist archaeologists believe the exact opposite. Who has the evidence on their side?
Bonus 9: Portents of the Apocalypse.
In this co-released episode, Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast and I introduce our new series on the apocalypse. We talk about the little-known but rich literature that flourished between the closing of the Old Testament, and the opening of the New Testament; and how it influenced Judaism and Christianity.
1.40 Puzzles of the United Kingdom of the Hebrews.
Solomon, it is said, wrote books of Wisdom, Psalms, Odes, and a Testament. I discuss these, and then begin my survey of what modern scholarship has to say about the united kingdom. I start with Saul, and wonder why he is treated so differently in the books of Samuel and Chronicles.
Solomon spends big time on his Temple and Palace. Hiram of Tyre bankrolls him. Solomon dies on the verge of a major rebellion led by his own slave-master, Jeroboam. I also discuss two works attributed to Solomon: Proverbs, and the Song of Songs.
David's son Solomon is the first Hebrew king we can assign reliable dates to. Or maybe not. Solomon is a dazzling glitter-ball on the international stage; the richest, wisest, and most awesome king in the entire Middle East. He marries an Egyptian princess. I go through the legends of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, and investigate the role of Solomon's benefactor, King Hiram of the Phoenician city of Tyre.
Bonus 8: Yochi Brandes' novel The Secret Book of Kings, with Dan Libenson.
My special guest is Dan Libenson of the Judaism Unbound podcast. We talk about Israeli author Yochi Brandes' novel The Secret Book of Kings , set in the period of Saul, David, Solomon, and then the divided monarchy. It has been recently translated into English from the Hebrew. The novel was a smash hit in Israel. We discuss the novel and its impact in Israel, and how it bears on Dan's quest to forge the next Jewish future.
In this episode I finish my survey of the Book of Psalms. The psalms are replete with references to God as but one member of the pantheon of the ancient Canaanite religion, a god fighting the ancient sea monsters of the Canaanites: Rehab, Leviathan, and Behemoth. And we have some music.
God commands David to conduct a census. God then punishes David for conducting a census. Like the rest of us, the Chronicler was mystified by this, and rewrote the story to introduce Satan. Modern archaeologists disagree with the numbers. Bathsheba, mother to Solomon, conducts a palace coup to put her son on the throne, allied with the prophet Nathan, the priest Zadok, and David's mercenary praetorian guard. David charges Solomon to dispatch David's most loyal servants, Joab and Abiathar. I also introduce the Book of Psalms.
1.35 Treachery in the House of David.
The final portion of David's story is told in the court narrative or succession history. Who will follow David as king? In this story of intrigue, David's woes start with his murder of Uriah, followed by familial violence, rape, and the terrible deaths of two of his sons, Amnon and Absalom. The Book of Chronicles mentions none of that.
David and his field marshal Joab defeats Saul's son Ishbosheth and his general Abner. David retrieves the ark from the Philistines, to the displeasure of his wife Michal. God forges his fourth and final contract with humanity, promising David and David's city of Jerusalem eternal divine protection. Scholars call this the Royal Zion theology. I also discuss David's special protection squad, and the sudden appearance of a new high priest, Zadok.
With the support of the Philistines, David turns his bandit gang into a disciplined mercenary force. After Saul's death fighting David's patrons in battle at Mt Gilboa, David is made king of the southern tribes, but not the northern.
1.32 The Complicated Rise of David.
Samuel manufactures reasons to condemn King Saul, and supplant him with David. Our two great sources, the Septuagint and the Masoretic text, have very different versions of David's complicated rise.
1.31 Samuel and the Tragedy of King Saul.
King Saul becomes king of the Israelites, in four different ways. Samuel moves from being the last judge to the first prophet. I take the opportunity to introduce the Hebrew prophets, showing they were not fortune-tellers and sooth-sayers. They responded to political crises, and spoke about the here and now.
1.30 Eli and Samuel, Last of the Judges.
The priest Eli, guardian of the sacred Ark, sees his sacred charge captured by the Philistines. The Israelites are at their lowest point. Now arises Samuel to lift them from their moral depravity. In spite of his misgivings, God instructs Samuel to give the people a king: Saul. I also discuss the many textual problems in the books of Samuel, comparing the Septuagint to the Masoretic text.
☕ 1.29 The United Kingdom of Saul, David, and Solomon: Setting the Stage.
Introducing the Hebrew united kingdom. I set the stage upon which the Hebrew united kingdom was created. I explain the geopolitical situation, and the Biblical sources we have: the books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles.
1.28 Modern Debates: Judging Joshua and the Judges.
In the 1970s, scholars demolished the credibility of the Biblical stories of the patriarchs. In the decades following, archaeologists threw out the Biblical history of Joshua and Judges. I present the current theories on the origins of the Israelites.
Bonus 7: Garry and Steve Talk Heresy.
In this co-released episode, Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast and I talk about gnosticism and its origins in the Jewish apocalyptic literature. We have a few rants.
1.27 Judges II: Victory into Defeat.
The Book of the Rescuers was the heroic story of the northern Israelites. The later editors of Judges were all southern Judeans. They inverted the northern stories, turning triumph into disaster.
1.26 Judges I: the Book of the Rescuers.
I wrap-up the Book of Joshua, and rush right into the dark times of the Book of Judges. I start with the central and oldest chapters, called the Book of the Rescuers, the heroic epic of the northern kingdom of Israel.
The book of Joshua recounts the conquest of Canaan, the land promised to Abraham. For a few short years, the Israelites achieve a perfect relationship with their god.
1.24 Modern Debates: Disappearing the Patriarchs.
In 1970 most scholars thought that Genesis and Exodus were reliable guides to the history of the Israelites. Today, even the most traditionalist of archaeologists agree that the narratives of the Israelites' history told in Genesis and Exodus are just stories. In this episode I explore how the consensus of 1970 was overthrown.
Modern scholars have identified a single school behind all the books from Deuteronomy to Kings. This school wrote the histories of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, putting its own theological slant on that history.
Bonus 6: Priest-King Melchizedek, International Man of Mystery.
In this co-released episode, Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast and I discuss the mysterious figure of Melchizedek, and try to work out how he figures in the Jewish and Christian priesthoods.
Bonus 5: James the Just in the Late Second Temple Period Part 3.
In this co-released episode, Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast and I finally conclude our discussion of James the Just. Check out Steve's new ventures at the Agora Podcast Network.
1.22 Deuteronomy II: The Death of Moses.
In the last half of Deuteronomy, Moses lays out laws on family matters. I compare these to the Mesopotamian law codes. He sets out a splendid set of curses on those would disobey, modeled on Assyrian curses. Polytheism sneaks through a few times.
1.21 Deuteronomy I: Moses Farewells his People.
Moses farewells his people in three great speeches and completes the law code of the Old Testament. Deuteronomy is the last book of the Torah, the Pentateuch, the books holiest to Jews. To many Jewish scholars, the Torah is where study of the bible stops. I discuss how Deuteronomy was modeled on Assyrian vassal treaties.
1.20 Numbers II: Out of the Wilderness.
While the Israelites are stuck in the wilderness they meet Balam and his talking donkey. They defeat King Og and the Midianites, and will never stop talking about it. Moses' siblings Aaron and Miriam die, and in a vicious plot-twist God tells Moses that he will never cross the Jordan.
1.19 Numbers I: Into the Wilderness.
It should have been but a few days march from Mt Sinai to the promised land. But the Israelite's kvetching annoys God so much he condemns them to spend 40 years in the wilderness.
1.18 Leviticus II: The Holiness Code.
The first half of Leviticus is preoccupied with the priests and the Tabernacle. The second half of Leviticus radically extends the idea of holiness to the whole people of the Israelites. It lays down a mass of laws, from what an Israelite can eat, to laws on menstruation.
Bonus Episode 4: James the Just in the Late Second Temple period (Part 2).
With Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy Podcast. In this co-released episode, Steve Guerra and I conclude our discussion of James the Just, and talk about blood pudding. You can visit Steve at the History of the Papacy podcast
1.17 Leviticus I: God's Barbecue.
In this episode we break from the narrative to examine the first great law code of the Israelites. The first part of Leviticus sets out the complex system of sacrifices that God demands of the Israelites, and describes how they must maintain the sanctity of God's holy abode, the Tabernacle.
Bonus Episode 3: James the Just in the Late Second Temple period (Part 1).
With Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy Podcast. Steve and I discuss James the Just, how he got to be called James rather than Jacob in English, why he was James the Awesome, his relationship to Jesus, how the Catholics and Orthodox think about him, and Jesus' family life and economic situation. You can visit Steve at the History of the Papacy podcast
1.16 Exodus IV: Origins of the Old Israelite Religion.
The major festivals of Judaism are created, the Tent of Meeting is designed, and the priesthood under Aaron established. God is outraged when the feckless Aaron makes two idols, but in a peculiar display of nepotism, Moses lets Aaron off the hook and instead consigns 3,000 Israelites to death. We also find the real Ten Commandments: they are not what you think.
1.15 Exodus III: The Contract with God at Sinai.
This is the defining moment in the history of the Israelites, where they swear allegiance to God in return for a special relationship with the divinity. I discuss how this contract follows the suzerainty treaties of the Hittites and Assyrians. I also throw in a discussion on the Ten Commandments, and how the Jews and various Christian denominations slice and dice them.
After ten rounds of unpleasantness, Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt towards Mt Sinai. They don't yet know it, but they have begun 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.
We conclude the story of the patriarchs with a happy reunion between Jacob and his son Joseph, now an important minister in the Egyptian government. His family move to Egypt for a few centuries, a passage of time that passes in the blink of an eye. That concludes our survey of Genesis. We move on to the book of Exodus, and introduce the great hero of the Hebrews, Moses.
1.12 Genesis V: Jacob and Joseph.
Jacob is the great trickster in the Bible, outwitting his father Isaac, his brother Esau, and even his own children. The P, E, and J sources have several different versions of Jacob's stories. For example, Jacob visits and names Bethel twice. There is the unsavoury incident of the rape of Jacob's daughter Dinah, met with a brutal and horrendous over-reaction from her brothers. We also have another unpleasant story about Jacob's son Judah and his daughter-in-law Tamar. We conclude with an introduction to Joseph.
1.11 Genesis IV: Trouble in the Family.
Abraham swindles the Philistine king Abimelech just as he did Pharaoh, and almost kills his son Isaac, following God's commands. At the very last minute, God says it's all been a test. Was this a remnant of ancient Israelite child sacrifice? After a perfunctory chapter or two on Isaac, Genesis forgets about him to talk about the Bible's greatest and least repentant con-man: Jacob, later known as Israel. We meet yet another scheming wife, Rebekah.
Bonus Episode 2: Talking with Stephen Guerra about the Second Temple Period.
This is the second of an irregular series of bonus episodes. In this episode I talk with Steve Guerra about the Second Temple period, the time between the return of the Jews from the exile in Babylon in 538 BC to the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 AD. You can visit Steve at the History of the Papacy podcast
1.10 Genesis III: Abraham is Called.
After the primeval stories, Genesis introduces the man who dominates and forms the very heart of the book, Abraham. He is the first of the patriarchs. God makes a real-estate deal with Abraham, giving him Canaan for the small price of circumcision. Abraham has many adventures, meeting and swindling the Pharaoh of Egypt; and encountering the mysterious Melkizedek, priest and king of Jerusalem. We also meet his scheming wife Sarai, his slave-wive Hagar, and his first-born son Ishmael.
Bonus Episode 1: Talking with Stephen Guerra.
This is the first of an irregular series of bonus episodes, in addition to my regular installments. In this crossover bonus, I talk about history podcasting with Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast. Steve and the others at the history podcasters network have been a great help to me in getting this podcast going. You can visit Steve at the History of the Papacy podcast, and the history podcaster network at historypodcasters.com. Many thanks to Steve for doing the heavy lifting in recording and editing this episode.
1.9 Genesis II: Tales of the Flood.
Flood epics were a dime a dozen in ancient Mesopotamia. Genesis has its own version. This section of Genesis is full of puzzles: Cain's gift of tabouleh is rejected; the dating system is a complete mess; Noah was alive in Abraham's time; Enoch goes to heaven; the mysterious Nephilim make an appearance; Canaan is cursed for no reason and the slavery of blacks is justified.
1.8 Genesis I: Stories of Creation.
Genesis has always been more important to Christians than to Jews. The opening chapters recount two stories of creation, none of which involves Satan. One is from the J source, the other from the P source. I compare these to the creation stories from ancient Mesopotamian sources. I also discuss Jewish attitudes to IVF.
Work by scholars from the late 19th century had established that five sources lay behind the Pentateuch. They came to be known by letters: J, E, P, and D. These theories were a mainstay of biblical studies until recently. Although questioned in the past 20 years, the theory known as the Documentary Hypothesis is still accounted a firm starting place for any sort of examination of the text of the Pentateuch. I also find out why the Bible is divided into chapters and verses.
☕ 1.6 Canaan of the Patriarchs.
This potted history of the Middle East in the Bronze Age sets the background for the episodes that follow. It traces the story of Canaan as it was uncovered, and then reinterpreted, by archaeologists from the 1930s to the present day. I introduce William Foxwell Albright, the most influential Middle Eastern scholar of the 20th century. I also cover the greatest catastrophe of antiquity, the Bronze Age Collapse, and how scholars construct chronologies.
The finds at the ancient city of Ugarit in Syria provided us with our knowledge of the religion of Canaan, the land conquered by the Israelites. Some of this religion, such as the god El and the monsters Leviathan and Behemoth found their way into the ancient religion of Israel and into the Bible. I also discuss the most common names of god found in the Bible (Yahweh, El, Elohim, Adonai), and what they mean.
1.4 Recovering Ancient Israel.
I trace the beginnings of biblical archaeology, from Carsten Niebuhr to John Garstang, the man who thought he found Joshua's city of Jericho.
I conclude my tour of the canons, finishing with the zaniest of them all. I also get into the lesser known textual traditions: those of the Samaritans, and the Aramaic and Syriac translations. With that under my belt, I begin to explore the history of the history of the bible. I start with Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra and end up with Johann Semler. Along the way, I meet Archbishop Ussher, he who decided the world was created in 4004 BC, and decide he is not only over-rated, but a complete ditz.
The Jews, Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox, and Church of the East all have different versions of the Bible, with dissimilar books, based on different ancient texts. I explain why. For a handy summary chart, check out my chart Canons of the Old Testament.
☕ 1.1 All the History, in all the books, in all the Bibles.
Introducing the podcast. I will present the latest research in the archaeology of the Holy Land, discuss every single book in all the various canons of all the Bibles, presenting the history in each book, and how each book is located in history. I will also explore the current state of Biblical criticism, and investigate what we know about the ancient Israelite religion.
Can I use audio from the podcast in my own material?
Sure! See this note.