In this Afterlife episode, Bernie Maopolski of Fan of History (https://shows.acast.com/history), Gil Kidron of A Podcast of Biblical Proportions (https://podcastofbiblicalproportions.com), and I ...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/afterlife-7-our-crazy-theories
In this Afterlife episode, Steve Guerra of History of the Papacy (https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/history-of-the-papacy-podcast--4899207) and I discuss history podcasting.
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/afterlife-6-on-history-podcasting-with-steve-guerra
I introduce the New Testament to Gil Kidron of A Podcast of Biblical Proportions (https://podcastofbiblicalproportions.com). Here are the Amazon US links for the books mentioned in this episode...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/afterlife-5-making-the-new-testament
In this Afterlife episode, Bernie Maopolski of Fan of History (https://shows.acast.com/history), Gil Kidron of A Podcast of Biblical Proportions (https://podcastofbiblicalproportions.com), and I ...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/afterlife-4-the-charms-of-ancient-history
I have published another volume in the History in the Bible Podcast Companion set of books. It contains the complete scripts of the second season of my podcast. This is the Age of the Second Tem...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/afterlife-3-new-book-announcement-age-of-the-second-temple
Announcing the publication of a new volume in the History in the Bible Podcast Companion set of books, “Genesis to Babylon”. This contains the complete scripts of the first season of the show...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/afterlife-2-new-book-announcement-genesis-to-babylon
In this Afterlife episode, Bernie Maopolski of Fan of History (https://shows.acast.com/history) and I discuss history podcasting.
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/afterlife-60-on-history-podcasting-with-bernie-maopolski
Announcing the publication of the first volume in the History in the Bible Podcast Companion set of books, “Essential Resources”. You can get it from these Amazon marketplaces: https://www....
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 bec...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/334-show-finale-speculations-v-100-700-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 Christianit...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/333-speculations-iv-100-400-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 Ju...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/332-speculations-iii-35-100-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 Christia...
In this bonus, I continue my collaboration with Steve Guerra of the "History of the Papacy" show (www.atozhistorypage.com/), and Scott McCandless of the "Retelling the Bible" podcast (retellingth...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-58-the-gadarene-swine
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 moveme...
In this bonus, Bernie Maopolski of Fan of History (https://shows.acast.com/history) invites me onto his "Whats New In History" segment. We discuss my ideas about how Bible scholars have it all wr...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-57-growing-christianity-with-bernie-maopolski
In this bonus, I continue my collaboration with Steve Guerra of the "History of the Papacy" show (https://www.atozhistorypage.com/), and Scott Mcandless of the "Retelling the Bible" podcast (http...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-56-abrahams-three-mysterious-visitors
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 t...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/329-the-last-heirs-of-abraham-iii-survivors-of-the-jungle
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.
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/328-the-last-heirs-of-abraham-ii-fall-of-the-temple
In this bonus, Gregg Gassman of the Popeular History Podcast (www.popeularhistory.com) and and I discuss Peter, Paul, and Clement. Gregg is a Catholic, and I was brought up in the Anglican tradit...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-55-peter-paul-and-clement-with-popeular-history
Only two of Abraham's heirs survived to the year 200 CE/AD: rabbinic Judaism, and the imperial church incorporate. My final epiodes explore how that happened.
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/327-the-last-heirs-of-abraham-i
In this collaboration with Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy show (https://www.atozhistorypage.com/), and Scott McAndless of the Retelling the Bible podcast (https://retellingthebible.wor...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-54-manoah-father-of-samson
In this bonus, I launch a new mini-series. My co-hosts are Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy show (https://www.atozhistorypage.com/), and Scott Mcandless of the Retelling the Bible podcas...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-53-the-day-the-sun-stood-still
In this bonus, John Brooks of the “Pod Only Knows” podcast interviews me about the genesis and making of my show. I think it turned out pretty well. This episode formed the last show of J...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-52-behind-the-scenes-with-john-brooks-of-pod-only-knows
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. Th...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/326-christianity-in-the-year-200
Gil Kidron and I discuss how a small rural priest called Mattathias started an insurgency against Judea’s overlords, the mighty Seleucid kingdom, heir to the empire of Alexander the Great. His ...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-51-maccabees-sadducees-and-pharisees-with-gil-kidron
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 weaponi...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/325-remaking-paul-ii-luther-and-beyond
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.
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-50-with-the-conspirinormal-podcast
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 unf...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-x-top-moments-in-the-old-testamenttanakh-ii
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 ac...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/324-remaking-paul-i-irenaeus
The imperial church of the late 2nd century was bedevilled by external competitors -- Gnostics, Marcionites, Montanists – and vexed by internal division over the nature of Christ. Was he man, g...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/323-the-imperial-church-incorporate-iii-the-heresy-hunter
Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast and I turn a quizzical eye on Mel Gibson's movie The Passion of the Christ.
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-xx-mel-gibsons-passion-of-the-christ
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 co...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-xx-the-twelve-minor-prophets-ix-real-finale
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 o...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/322-the-imperial-church-incorporate-ii-the-martyr
The rest of the show covers 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 th...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/321-the-imperial-church-incorporate-i-the-heretic
Steve Guerra from the History in the Papacy podcast and I conclude our mini-series on the Twelve minor prophets of the OT. In this episode we have a bit of fun and rank the Twelve using our own ...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-xx-the-twelve-prophets-finale
In this bonus episode, Gil Kidron of a Podcast of Biblical Proportions and I finish our discussion of biblical chronology.
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-45-biblical-chronology-with-gil-kidron-ii
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 fou...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/320-gnowing-me-gnowing-you-ii-the-crusade-of-valentinus
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...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/319-gnowing-me-gnowing-you-i-the-children-of-seth
In this bonus episode, Gil Kidron of a Podcast of Biblical Proportions and I wade into biblical chronology.
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-44-biblical-chronology-with-gil-kidron-i
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 Christanit...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/318-christians-under-the-roman-gaze
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 w...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-43-top-moments-in-the-old-testamenttanakh-i
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...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-41-the-twelve-minor-prophets-vii-malachi-and-joel
The Mishnah is the first great product of the rabbis. Traditionally it was codified around 200 CE by Rabbi Yehuda haNasi. It appears from nowhere. The Mishnah bears no resemblance to anything in ...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/317-quest-for-the-rabbis-ii-the-mishnah
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 hi...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/316-quest-for-the-rabbis-i-origins
In this bonus episode, Gil Kidron 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 pro...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-41-baruch-and-jeremiah-with-gil-kidron
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 Jor...
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 o...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/314-after-the-apostles-ii-holy-books-and-blessed-bishops
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 ex...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/313-after-the-apostles-i-out-of-the-mist
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, especial...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-xx-noah-the-movie-with-pod-academy
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 w...
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/historyinthebible/HIB_3_Bonus_39_Haggai_Zechariah.mp3
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...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-xx-the-twelve-minor-prophets-v-zephaniah-and-habakkuk
I finish my discussion of Revelation, cheekily asking if 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 Chr...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/312-earliest-christians-iv-conflicts-in-johns-community
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 pr...
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 ...
The earliest Christians had three theological problems to tackle. First, what exactly happened at the resurrection of Jesus? Was his physical body brought back to life? Or was he transformed into...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/-39-earliest-christians-i-deciphering-jesus
Keynote ep: 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 exc...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/38-after-the-temple-ii-the-christians
In this bonus episode I am joined by Omri and Gil of the rambunctious podcast “A Podcast of Biblical Proportions” for a discussion about the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and a little bit...
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/historyinthebible/HIB_3_Bonus_37_Patriarchs_with_POBP.mp3
Keynote ep: 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 willi...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/37-after-the-temple-i-the-judeans
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 favorite amongst both Ch...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-xx-the-twelve-minor-prophets-iv-micah-and-nahum
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 ...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/36-the-great-revolt-ii-a-civil-war-within-a-rebellion
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.
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-35-in-conversation-with-a-podcast-of-biblical-proportions
Keynote ep: The backstory and background of the first of the three Judean revolts, the Great Revolt of 66 AD/CE. This revolt destroyed the Temple, extinguished the ancient religion of the Tanakh/...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/35-the-great-revolt-i-lighting-the-fuse
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 conceptualising time. This provided the Jews with the int...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/34-before-the-great-revolt-ii-the-apocalyptic-christians
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 g...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-xx-the-twelve-minor-prophets-ii-jonah-and-obadiah
Keynote ep: 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 s...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/33-before-the-great-revolt-i-the-judeans
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 everyth...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-29-the-twelve-minor-prophets-ii-amos-and-hosea
Keynote ep: 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 literat...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/32-the-rococo-world-of-the-second-temple
Bernie Maopolski from the Fan of History podcast and I have fun discussing how the Judeans ended up in exile in the Babylonian empire.
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-32-into-exile-with-bernie-from-the-fan-of-history-podcast
Keynote ep: 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. Re-rec...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/31-the-heirs-of-abraham
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 show for you, which I heartily recommend. We talk abou...
In this bonus episode I am joined by Steve Guerra of the podcast History of the Papacy. We introduce our latest mini-series, the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament. We will cover Hosea, J...
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/historyinthebible/HIB_2_Bonus_30_The_Twelve_Minor_Prophets.mp3
This is a bonus episode for season two. Bernie Maopolski from the Fan of History podcast and I have fun with the book of Deuteronomy. And jellyfish.
In this co-production with Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast, we tackle the morally difficult book of Joshua
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-28-the-book-of-joshua
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.
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/historyinthebible/HIB_2_Bonus_27_Bernie_from_Fan_of_History.mp3
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 rabbini...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/260-an-epilogue-and-a-prologue-season-two-finale
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 l...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/259-the-fates-of-the-apostles
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. ...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/258-pauls-fate-and-final-letters
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 Jew...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/257-pauls-arrest-and-trial
In 1st Corinthians, Paul struggles to impose his authority on his foundation. He denounces other preachers. He attacks the Corinthians for tolerating sexual immorality, and for favouring the rich...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/255-pauls-third-mission-to-the-corinthians-and-romans
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 Pris...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/255-pauls-third-mission-to-the-galatians
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 c...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-25-the-mysterious-q-source
This is an addendum to episode 2.54, Paul's Second Mission: To The Greeks. It is a repeat of part of an earlier episode. I imagine a curious pagan's reaction to hearing Paul's first letter to the...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-25-a-pagan-visits-pauls-club-in-thessalonica
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 fri...
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/historyinthebible/HIB_2-54_Pauls_Second_Mission.mp3
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...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/253-pauls-lost-and-first-missions
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 miss...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/252-the-many-puzzles-of-pauls-letters
Keynote ep: 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 ...
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/historyinthebible/HIB-2-51_We_Need_To_Talk_About_Paul.mp3
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 deci...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/250-the-first-jesus-club-ii-tribulations
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 ...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/249-the-first-jesus-club-1-perfect-community
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....
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/248-do-you-think-youre-what-they-say-you-are
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 resurrectio...
This is a bonus episode for season two. Steve Guerra and I tackle the 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....
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-224-the-whacky-book-of-daniel
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 s...
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 apocaplytic sermon at th...
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 ...
The Passion story 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 organi...
The notion of the Trinity is one of -- if not the -- most difficult concepts in Christian theology. Steve Guerra and I plough through centuries of Jewish and Christian thought to try to make sens...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-23-the-trinity-part-2
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 si...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/242-the-road-to-jerusalem
This is a 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...
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 ...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/241-jesus-disciples-ii-the-other-guys
The notion of the Trinity is one of -- if not the -- most difficult concepts in Christian theology. Steve Guerra and I plough through centuries of Jewish and Christian thought to try to make sens...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-21-the-trinity-part-1
Keynote ep: 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 signi...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/239-jesus-disciples-i-the-cabinet-of-three
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. Jesu...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/239-conflict-and-transfiguration
Most of Jesus ministry was conducted in Galilee. This time is stuffed to the brim with miracles and parables. Jesus exorcizes demons, raises people from the dead, and cures the sick. He feeds tho...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/238-miracles-and-healings-in-galilee
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 wate...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/237-jesus-all-over-the-place
This episode presents Jesus' earliest ministry as the synoptic gospels tell it. Straight after his baptism by John, Jesus is tempted by Satan in the wilderness near the Dead Sea. He passes with f...
Keynote ep: 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...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/235-prologue-to-jesus-ministry
Jesus' identity as Son of God is revealed at his baptism by John, an old-style prophet who promotes Jewish ritual washing. Did John recognise Jesus at this event or not? The gospels differ. They ...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/234-the-problem-of-john-the-baptist
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 mass...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/233-we-three-kings-2019-epiphany-special
Second Temple Judaism (530 BC-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...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-20-the-emergence-of-rabbinic-judaism-and-christianity
My Christmas special tells the story of Christmas as related by the gospel of Luke. With lots of canticles and shepherds. My forthcoming Epiphany special relates the gospel of Matthew's version o...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/232-hark-the-herald-angels-sing-2018-christmas-special
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.
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/231-the-many-names-of-jesus
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...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/230-johns-gospel-of-knowledge
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 Je...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/229-the-gospels-of-matthew-and-luke
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 Pharis...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/228-the-gospels-of-mark-and-matthew
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 ...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/227-what-we-know-about-the-life-of-jesus
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 cl...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/226-christianitys-earliest-witness
Keynote ep: Since the Enlightenment, three great academic attempts have been made to make sense of the life of Jesus: the first, second, and third quests for the historical Jesus. I follow the Th...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/225-the-quest-for-the-historical-jesus
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,...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/224-battle-for-the-new-testament-iv-modern-times
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 singl...
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/historyinthebible/HIB_2-23_Battle_NT_3_Reformation.mp3
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...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/222-battle-for-the-new-testament-ii-against-marcion
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 rea...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/221-battle-for-the-new-testament-i-earliest-times
We all know of the biblical hero Samson, known to his friends as Shimshon ben Manoah, and to his enemies as “that bastard”. Samson of the long hair, Samson who was seduced by Delilah, Samson ...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-19-samson-on-trial
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 break...
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 ho...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/219-judaism-in-the-pax-romana
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 docu...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/218-modern-debates-scandal-of-the-dead-sea-scrolls
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 nov...
So much to cover: the discovery of the oldest Jewish bible, the Leningrad Codex; and the oldest Christian bible, the Codex Sinaticus. At the Cairo Geniza, finds revealed another thousand years of...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/217-recovering-the-bible-a-century-of-revelations
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 follo...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/216-meet-the-neighbours-pharisees-sadducees-and-essenes
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. He...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/215-the-maccabean-century
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...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/214-grappling-with-the-greeks-v-jubilees-reconstructs-judaism
The book of Daniel is one-half comfy folktales, 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...
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 t...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/212-grappling-with-the-greeks-iii-the-maccabeans-revolt
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 chall...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/211-grappling-with-the-greeks-ii-jerusalem-against-athens
First in a mini-series on the history of the Jews and the province of Judea under the Hellenistic empires, and under the Maccabees. I start with a summary of the history I will expand on in the n...
Apocalypses were popular reading amongst Jews in the centuries they spent under Roman rule. Rabbinical Judaism blotted the apocalypses from its collective memory. Christianity incorporated them i...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/29-the-apocalypse-to-end-them-all-1-enoch
Jews produced a vast number of religious books in the centuries before the birth of Jesus. They had no influence on later Judaism, but profoundly influenced Christianity. We call them parabiblica...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/28-lost-books-of-the-new-testaments
The Jews have a placid existence under Persian rule, and create Judaism. They reconstruct their religion, one now without kings and prophets. From on, the Law is all. I discuss the last of the bo...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/-27-farewell-to-the-tanakh
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 th...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/26-leaving-babylon-iv-nehemiah-and-ezra-stand-against-ruth
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 stay...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/25-leaving-babylon-iii-the-enigma-of-zerubbabel-and-joshua
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 fr...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/24-leaving-babylon-ii-cyrus-and-the-mystery-of-sheshbazzar
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 ...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/23-leaving-babylon-i-the-ezra-muddle
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-one can make h...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/22-in-babylon-ii-ezekiel-and-job
In the first episode of series 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 Christ...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/21-in-babylon-i-the-exile
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 ...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-17-a-conversation-with-dan-libenson-of-judaism-unbound
In the final episode of series one, I explain why I am leaving the remaining books of the Old Testament to my second series. I introduce the lush literature of the Second temple period, and descr...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/157-modern-debates-end-of-an-era
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 ...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/156-modern-debates-into-exile
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...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/155-four-prophets-of-the-babylonian-crisis
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 ...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/154-the-babylonian-conquest-of-judah
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 con...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/153-evil-king-manasseh-and-the-reformation-of-josiah
In this co-released episode, Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast and I finish (for now) our series on the apocalyptic literature, with a discussion of how views on the afterlife cha...
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 prophecie...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/152-isaiah-and-micah-prophets-of-the-assyrian-crisis
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...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/151-king-hezekiah-father-of-biblical-religion
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. T...
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 a...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-15-revelation-apocalypse-by-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 ...
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...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/148-amos-and-hosea-hammers-of-the-house-of-jehu
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 ap...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-14-what-a-revelation-the-apocalypse-of-st-john-the-divine
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 Jehoah...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/147-calamities-of-the-two-kingdoms
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 ev...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/146-conundrums-of-the-kings-jehoram
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. On...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-13-satan-and-the-origin-of-evil
The Israelite King Ahab and the Judean King Jehoshaphat join in an ill-fated war against the kingdom of Aram-Damascus. One battle not mentioned is the Battle of Qarqar, which we know from Assyria...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/145-last-of-the-omrides
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...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/144-the-house-of-omri-pinnacle-of-power
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 Ju...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-12-a-very-merkabah-jubilee
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 (or Abijah), and Asa. I...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/143-forty-years-of-trouble
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, ...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-11-daniel-and-enoch-hiding-in-plain-sight
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 an...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/142-the-kingdom-sundered
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 ...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-10-gnosticism-gnowing-me-gnowing-you
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...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/141-david-and-solomon-modern-debates
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...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-9-portents-of-the-apocalypse
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 S...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/140-questioning-the-united-kingdom
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 the two most im...
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 ki...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/138-solomons-magnificence
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 th...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-8-yochi-brandes-the-secret-book-of-kings
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 monster...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/137-david-and-the-psalms
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. Moder...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/136-the-last-days-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, fol...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/135-treachery-in-the-house-of-david
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 an...
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 ...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/133-from-gangster-to-king
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 ri...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/132-the-complicated-rise-of-david
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 the...
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...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/130-eli-and-samuel-last-of-the-judges
I set the stage upon which the Hebrew united kingdom of Saul, David, and Solomon was created. I explain the geopolitical situation, and the Biblical sources we have: the books of Samuel, Kings, a...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/129-the-united-kingdom-setting-the-stage
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 presen...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/128-judging-joshua-and-the-judges
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.
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/127-judges-ii-victory-into-defeat
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. I also have a...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-7-garry-and-steve-talk-heresy
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 north...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/httphistoryinthebiblelibsyncom125-joshua-conquers-canaan
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.
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/125-joshua-conquers-canaan
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...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/124-disappearing-the-patriarchs
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 sl...
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 p...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-6-melchizedek-the-mysterious
In this co-released episode, Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast and I conclude our three-part discussion of James the Just. Steve is launching a bunch of new podcasts. Check him o...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-5-james-the-just-in-the-late-second-temple-period-part-3
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 Assy...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/122-deuteronomy-ii-the-death-of-moses
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 o...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/121-deuteronomy-i-moses-farewells-his-people
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 Mi...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/120-numbers-ii-out-of-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.
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/119-numbers-i-into-the-wilderness
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 ...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/118-leviticus-ii-the-holiness-code
In this co-released episode, Steve Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast and I conclude our discussion of James the Just, and talk about blood pudding.
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-4-james-the-just-in-the-late-second-temple-period-part-2
The first part of Leviticus, which comes from the P source, sets out the complex system of sacrifices that God demands of the Israelites, and describes how the Israelites must maintain the sancti...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/117-leviticus-i-gods-barbecue
Steve Guerra 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 thin...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-3-james-the-just-in-the-late-second-temple-period-part-1
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 an astonis...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/116-exodus-iv-origins-of-the-old-israelite-religion
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 su...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/115-exodus-iii-the-contract-with-god-at-sinai
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.
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/114-exodus-ii-leaving-egypt
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, ...
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. Fo...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/112-genesis-v-jacob-and-joseph
Abraham swindles the Philistine king Abimelech just as he did Pharoah, 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...
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/historyinthebible/HIB_1-11_Genesis_IV_Trouble_in_the_Family.mp3
This is the second of an irregular series of bonus episodes, in addition to my fortnightly installments. In this bonus episode, Stephen Guerra of the History of the Papacy podcast and I talk abou...
https://historyinthebible.libsyn.com/bonus-episode-2-the-second-temple-period-with-steve-guerra
After the primeval stories, Genesis introduces the man who dominates and forms the very heart of of book, Abraham. He is the first of the patriarchs. God makes a real-estate deal with Abraham, gi...
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/historyinthebible/HIB_1-10_Genesis_III_Abraham_is_Called.mp3
This is the first of an irregular series of bonus episodes, in addition to my fortnightly installments. In this bonus, I talk about history podcasting with Steve Guerra of the History of the Pap...
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 comple...
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/historyinthebible/HIB_1-09_Genesis_II_Tales_of_the_Flood.mp3
The opening chapters of Genesis recount two stories of creation, neither of which involves Satan. One is from the J source, the other from the P source. I compare these to the creation stories fr...
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/historyinthebible/HIB_1-08_Genesis_I_Stories_of_Creation.mp3
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 biblic...
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/historyinthebible/HIB_1-07_Writing_the_Pentateuch.mp3
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 reinterperted, by archaeolo...
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/historyinthebible/HIB_1-06_Canaan_of_the_Patriachs.mp3
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 ...
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/historyinthebible/HIB_1-05_The_Names_of_God.mp3
I trace the beginnings of biblical archaeology, from Carsten Niebuhr to John Garstang, the man who thought he found Joshua's city of Jericho.
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/historyinthebible/HIB_1-04_Recovering_Ancient_Israel.mp3
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. ...
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/historyinthebible/HIB_1-03_Canons_and_Criticism.mp3
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 su...
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Introducing the History in the Bible Podcast, from www.historyinthebible.com .
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/historyinthebible/HIB_1-01_All_the_History.mp3