History in the Bible
220 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 569 ratingsA guide to the history presented in the Bible, for people of all faiths and backgrounds, presented by an independent podcaster, and biblical studies buff. I explore the religion of ancient Israel, the beginnings of Christianity, then finally the evolution of the heirs of Abraham to the year 200. I discuss every single book in every Bible (there are more than you think!). Lightly garnished with a dash of drollery, a soupçon of scrutiny, and not one ounce of objectivity. Not one ounce! The main narrative will conclude in January 2024. Bonus episodes will continue indefinitely.
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Episodes
1.53 Evil King Manasseh and the Reformation of Josiah
March 26, 2017 05:00 - 27 minutes - 19 MBThe 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
March 19, 2017 05:00 - 53 minutes - 36.7 MBIn 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 changed in the Second Temple period.
1.52 Isaiah and Micah, Prophets of the Assyrian Crisis
March 12, 2017 05:00 - 26 minutes - 18.4 MBIsaiah'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
February 26, 2017 05:00 - 27 minutes - 18.6 MBIn 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.
1.50 The Fall of Israel
February 12, 2017 05:00 - 26 minutes - 18.1 MBKing 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
February 12, 2017 04:00 - 51 minutes - 35.8 MBIn 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.
1.49 The Assyrian Storm
January 29, 2017 05:00 - 27 minutes - 18.6 MBIn 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
January 15, 2017 05:00 - 27 minutes - 19.2 MBAmos 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
January 08, 2017 05:00 - 30 minutes - 20.9 MBIn 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
January 01, 2017 05:00 - 27 minutes - 19.3 MBUnder 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. The kings of Judah get a big helping hand from the Assyrians in their squabbles against Israel. Meanwhile, in Israel, Athaliah, only queen regnant of a Hebrew kingdom, gets killed by the patriarchy. The priests destroy...
1.46 Conundrums of the Kings Jehoram
December 18, 2016 05:00 - 26 minutes - 18.4 MBTwo 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
December 11, 2016 05:00 - 21 minutes - 14.6 MBIn 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.
1.45 Last of the Omrides
December 04, 2016 05:00 - 28 minutes - 19.6 MBThe 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 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
November 20, 2016 05:00 - 26 minutes - 18 MBThe 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 Ahab's wife Jezebel, the painted lady. Assyria makes an unwelcome appearance.
Bonus 12: A Very Merkabah Jubilee
November 13, 2016 05:00 - 28 minutes - 19.9 MBIn 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.
1.43 Forty Years of Trouble
November 06, 2016 05:00 - 30 minutes - 21.2 MBIn 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. 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 1st Enoch - Hiding in Plain Sight
October 30, 2016 05:00 - 24 minutes - 16.9 MBIn 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 early 19th century.
1.42 The Kingdom Sundered
October 23, 2016 05:00 - 25 minutes - 17.3 MBThe 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 (such as the Moabite stone, the black obelisk of Shalmaneser III, and the Tel Dan stele), and the very difficult chronological problems. What would we know about the Hebrew k...
Bonus 10: Gnosticism: Gnowing me, Gnowing You
October 16, 2016 05:00 - 26 minutes - 18.7 MBIn 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
October 09, 2016 05:00 - 28 minutes - 19.3 MBIn 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
October 02, 2016 05:00 - 18 minutes - 12.6 MBIn 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 crucially influenced Judaism and Christianity.
1.40 Puzzles of the United Kingdom of the Hebrews
September 25, 2016 06:00 - 27 minutes - 19.3 MBSolomon, 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.
1.39 Solomon's Legacy
September 11, 2016 06:00 - 27 minutes - 19.1 MBSolomon 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 important books attributed to Solomon: Proverbs, and the Song of Songs.
1.38 Solomon's Magnificence
August 28, 2016 06:00 - 24 minutes - 17 MBDavid'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' The Secret Book of Kings
August 26, 2016 10:55 - 51 minutes - 35.2 MBMy 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.
1.37 David and the Psalms
August 14, 2016 06:00 - 27 minutes - 18.8 MBI 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. Boney M. sings psalm 137.
1.36 The Last Days of David
July 31, 2016 06:00 - 25 minutes - 17.5 MBGod 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 disgree 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 a...
1.35 Treachery in the House of David
July 17, 2016 06:00 - 25 minutes - 17.3 MBThe 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.
1.34 David Triumphant
July 03, 2016 06:00 - 23 minutes - 16.5 MBDavid 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.
1.33 From Bandit to King
June 19, 2016 06:00 - 24 minutes - 16.9 MBWith 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
June 05, 2016 06:00 - 27 minutes - 19.3 MBSamuel 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
May 22, 2016 06:00 - 24 minutes - 16.9 MBKing 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
May 08, 2016 06:00 - 25 minutes - 17.4 MBThe 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 alo discuss the many textual problems in the books of Samuel, comparing the Septuagint to the Massoretic text.
1.29 The United Kingdom of Saul, David, and Solomon
April 24, 2016 06:00 - 29 minutes - 20.4 MBI 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, and Chronicles.
1.28 Modern Debates: Judging Joshua and the Judges
April 10, 2016 06:00 - 28 minutes - 19.4 MBIn 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.
1.27 Judges II: Victory into Defeat
March 27, 2016 05:00 - 28 minutes - 19.7 MBThe 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.
Bonus 7: Steve and Garry Talk Heresy
March 20, 2016 05:00 - 48 minutes - 33.6 MBIn 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 an announcement and explanation.
1.26 Judges I: The Book of Rescuers
March 13, 2016 05:00 - 26 minutes - 18.1 MBI 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.
1.25 Joshua Conquers Canaan
February 28, 2016 05:00 - 28 minutes - 19.9 MBThe 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
February 14, 2016 05:00 - 27 minutes - 19.3 MBIn 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.
1.23 God's Historian: The Deuteronomist
January 31, 2016 05:00 - 25 minutes - 17.5 MBModern 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
January 24, 2016 05:00 - 52 minutes - 36.3 MBIn 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. Check out Steve at the Agora Podcast Network.
Bonus 5: James the Just in the Late Second Temple Period (Part 3)
January 23, 2016 05:00 - 13 minutes - 9.38 MBIn 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 out at the Agora Podcast network.
1.22 Deuteronomy II: The Death of Moses
January 17, 2016 05:00 - 29 minutes - 20.3 MBIn 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
January 03, 2016 05:00 - 30 minutes - 21 MBDeuteronomy 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
December 20, 2015 05:00 - 27 minutes - 18.8 MBWhile 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
December 06, 2015 05:00 - 28 minutes - 19.6 MBIt 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
November 22, 2015 05:00 - 28 minutes - 19.6 MBThe 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 4: James the Just in the Late Second Temple Period (Part 2)
November 16, 2015 00:39 - 1 hour - 47.4 MBIn 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.
1.17 Leviticus I: God's Barbecue
November 08, 2015 05:00 - 27 minutes - 19.1 MBThe 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 sanctity of God's holy abode, the Tabernacle.