The Bible Lore Podcast
The Bible Lore podcast takes listeners deep into the hidden mythology and lore of the Bible, with a journey through the chronological history of what is today known as the Middle East.
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Ep. 28: You’re Canceled and That’s It, Chief
12/12/2025
Ep. 28: You’re Canceled and That’s It, Chief
Jerusalem is a smoldering ruin, and the king is dead. The destruction of the temple of YHWH leads to one of the most eclectic and strange and disturbing books of the Bible, as the prophet Ezekiel rants and rages about the failings of Judah. Also I talk about weed. Get bonus content and support the show: Bibliography: Christian Frevel - ‘History of Ancient Israel’; Moshe Greenberg - ‘Ezekiel 1-20; 21-37’; Herodotus, de Sélincourt (tr) - ‘The Histories’; Francesca Stavrakopoulou - ‘God: An Anatomy’; Robert Alter - ‘The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary’; Berlin, Brettler, et al - ‘The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition’; Radner, Moeller, Potts, et al - ‘The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East, Volume V’;
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UNLOCKED: Susan Ackerman Interview
11/27/2025
UNLOCKED: Susan Ackerman Interview
Hello all! As I'm currently putting together a few episodes that have taken a touch longer than anticipated, I thought I'd unlock some Patreon-exclusive content for everyone to enjoy. Find more bonus content here and become a subscriber to support the show: https://www.patreon.com/BibleLorePodcast
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Ep. 27: The End is the Beginning (feat. Eric Harvey)
11/14/2025
Ep. 27: The End is the Beginning (feat. Eric Harvey)
It’s the grand finale of the first part of the history of the Bible: the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar the Second. The last king of Jerusalem, Zedekiah, repeats the same mistake made by his brother Jehoiakim and bets against Babylon. As we explore this fateful event, scholar Eric Harvey takes us through the way the elites of ancient society exploited the working class, and how some of the most famous creation stories in all of mythology act as justification for this economic arrangement. Get Eric’s book: And check out his website: And subscribe to the Patreon: Bibliography: Eric Harvey - ‘Reading Creation Myths Economically in Ancient Mesopotamia and Israel’; Mario Liverani - ‘Israel’s History and the History of Israel’; Christian Frevel - ‘History of Ancient Israel’; Marc van de Mieroop - ‘A History of the Ancient Near East’; Robert Alter - ‘The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary’; Berlin, Brettler, et al - ‘The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition’; Radner, Moeller, Potts, et al - ‘The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East, Volume V’;
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Ep. 26: The Storm Before the Storm (With Apologies to Mike Duncan)
10/30/2025
Ep. 26: The Storm Before the Storm (With Apologies to Mike Duncan)
We bring Jerusalem to the brink of total destruction and explore the roots of astrology, as we near the end of the Judahite monarchy. Support the show: Bibliography: Mario Liverani - ‘Israel’s History and the History of Israel’; Christian Frevel - ‘History of Ancient Israel’; Robert Alter - ‘The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary’; Moudhy al-Rashid - ‘Between Two Rivers’; Geza Vermes - ‘The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English’; Berlin, Brettler, et al - ‘The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition’; Seth Schwartz - ‘Imperialism and Jewish Society’; Radner, Moeller, Potts, et al - ‘The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East, Volume V’; Hallo, Lawson, and Younger - ‘The Context of Scripture’;
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Ep. 25: The Long Seventh Century, Pt. 6 – Armageddon (feat. Kipp Davis)
10/15/2025
Ep. 25: The Long Seventh Century, Pt. 6 – Armageddon (feat. Kipp Davis)
Kipp Davis joins the pod again, as we say farewell to a king and an empire. Josiah's time on the throne meets an abrupt and unexpected end, leaving the kingdom of Judah reeling, and Assyria gets its send-off, as the kingdom is conquered by the Babylonians. Buy Kipp's book: Support the show and join the Patreon: Buy books mentioned in the show from this affiliate link: Bibliography: Radner et al - 'The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East Volume IV'; Radner et al - 'The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East: Volume V'; Kipp Davis - ‘God’s Propaganda’; Eckart Frahm - ‘Assyria’; Andrew George - ‘The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic’; Robert Cargill - ‘The Cities That Built the Bible’; Vicente Dobroruka - ‘Persian Influence on Daniel and Jewish Apocalyptic Literature’; Robert Alter - ‘The Hebrew Bible’; Charles Dickens - ‘A Tale of Two Cities’; Berlin, Brettler, et al - ‘The Jewish Study Bible’; Christian Frevel - ‘History of Ancient Israel’; Stephanie Dalley - ‘The Mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon’;
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Ep. 24: The Long Seventh Century, Pt. 5 – The Inquisition (feat. Kipp Davis)
10/06/2025
Ep. 24: The Long Seventh Century, Pt. 5 – The Inquisition (feat. Kipp Davis)
This episode released early for Patreon subscribers. Support the show and join the ranks of the Shaddayim here: Dead Sea Scrolls scholar Kipp Davis returns to walk us through the reign of Josiah, the monarch against which all others are measured in the book of Kings. The Assyrian Empire crumbles, Jerusalem rejoices, and the righteous king begins his crusade to centralize all worship in Judah's capital. Check out Kipp's book here: And his YouTube channel here: Buy books mentioned in the show from this affiliate link: Bibliography: Eckart Frahm - 'Assyria'; Radner et al - 'The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East Volume IV'; Radner et al - 'The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East: Volume V'; Robert Alter - 'The Hebrew Bible'; Berlin et al - 'The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition'; Frevel - 'History of Ancient Israel';
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BATM 4: Deux heures moins le quart avant Jésus-Christ ft. Max aka Palma
09/25/2025
BATM 4: Deux heures moins le quart avant Jésus-Christ ft. Max aka Palma
This episode came out early for Patreon subscribers, so make sure to become a supporter here: Max (Palma) introduces me to the terrific French Bible epic parody, Deux heures moins le quart avant Jésus-Christ. Join us as we determine whether the movie is racist and homophobic and Orientalist or just French! Check out The Drain: And buy some of the books you've heard mentioned on the show from my affiliate shop:
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Ep. 23: The Long Seventh Century, Pt. 4 – Warrior, Scholar, King (feat. Eckart Frahm)
09/18/2025
Ep. 23: The Long Seventh Century, Pt. 4 – Warrior, Scholar, King (feat. Eckart Frahm)
This episode release several early for paid subscribers. To get early access along with hours of bonus content, and to support the show, become a member of the Patreon here: This time, I'm elated to bring on Dr. Eckart Frahm, who is the John M. Musser Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Yale University, and whose wonderful book, , is a must-read for fans of the show (click the affiliate link). We talk about the management of empire under the idiosyncratic king Ashurbanipal, whose handling (or mishandling) of Assyria will set the stage for its downfall, and the long afterlife as a cultural figure that Ashurbanipal would have in the Greek tradition, where he was known as the corrupt king Sardanapalus.
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Ep. 22: The Long Seventh Century, Pt. 3 – Moloch
09/10/2025
Ep. 22: The Long Seventh Century, Pt. 3 – Moloch
This episode came out early for Patreon subscribers, so make sure to become a supporter of the show here: It's child sacrifice time again at the Bible Lore Podcast! Yay! This time I talk about the real mlk sacrifice sites discovered throughout the Mediterranean, the real Manasseh, and the way both biblical authors and modern apologists attempt to deflect and obfuscate the connection between proper Yahweh worship and child sacrifice. Follow the show on Instagram: Bibliography: Francesca Stavrakopoulou - ‘King Manasseh and Child Sacrifice’; Heath Dewrell - ‘Child Sacrifice in Ancient Israel’; Coogan & Smith - ‘Stories from Ancient Canaan’; Coogan & Metzger - ‘The Oxford Companion to the Bible’; Shelby Brown - ‘Late Carthaginian Child Sacrifice’; Christian Frevel - ‘History of Ancient Israel’; Hallo & Younger - ‘The Context of Scripture, vol. 1-3’; Charles Krahmalkov - ‘Phoenician-Punic Dictionary’; Robert Alter - ‘The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary’; Berlin, Brettler, et al - ‘The Jewish Study Bible’; Other Bible quotations taken from the NRSVue and NJPS with adaptations
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BONUS: Bob Cargill Talks Melchizedek (Patreon Preview)
08/28/2025
BONUS: Bob Cargill Talks Melchizedek (Patreon Preview)
Here's an extended preview of today's Patreon episode. To get full access to the interview, become a paid member here: I am absolutely honored to welcome Bob Cargill to the show to talk about all things Melchizedek, as well as the use and abuse of archaeology to attempt to legitimize claims from Israeli settlers in the modern Palestinian West Bank. Check out more from Bob here:
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BATM 3: The Chosen (pilot) feat. Jordan (@SLCLunk)
08/12/2025
BATM 3: The Chosen (pilot) feat. Jordan (@SLCLunk)
We're BACK to watching the Bible on the screen, as I'm joined by Brigham Young Money podcast's Jordan, aka @slclunk, to dive into an evangelical/Mormon foray into prestige TV Jesus. This time it's Angel Studios' pilot for The Chosen: if the streaming era has been marked by bloat, The Chosen is conservative Christianity's answer to this boring trend. Watch as all the minutiae of the gospels are extended ad nauseam with needless and tedious backstories, long establishing shots, and heavy abuse of speedramping. This episode is out EARLY for Patreon supporters, so make sure to back the show by becoming a member here: https://www.patreon.com/BibleLorePodcast
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Ep. 21: The Long Seventh Century, Pt. 2
07/29/2025
Ep. 21: The Long Seventh Century, Pt. 2
Patreon subscribers get early access to this episode! This time, I'm talking about one of the most taboo and horrifying topics in the Bible: child sacrifice. This first of two episodes on the subject covers some of the biblical laws and rhetoric and folktales about child sacrifice, while the next will go over the practice in archaeology and history. Today I answer a few questions: was Isaac actually killed in his famous binding? Did Yahweh give a law commanding the sacrifice of the first born? And what does Ishtar's descent into the underworld have to do with the tragic tale of Jephthah's daughter? Join the Patreon for early access to episodes, along with bonus content: Follow me on Instagram: Bibliography: Francesca Stavrakopoulou - ‘King Manasseh and Child Sacrifice’; Heath Dewrell - ‘Child Sacrifice in Ancient Israel’; Coogan & Smith - ‘Stories from Ancient Canaan’; Coogan & Metzger - ‘The Oxford Companion to the Bible’; Christian Frevel - ‘History of Ancient Israel’; Hallo & Younger - ‘The Context of Scripture, vol. 1-3’; Robert Alter - ‘The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary’; Berlin, Brettler, et al - ‘The Jewish Study Bible’; Other Bible quotations taken from the NRSVue and NJPS with adaptations
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Ep. 20: The Long Seventh Century, Pt. 1
07/22/2025
Ep. 20: The Long Seventh Century, Pt. 1
This week's episode, we spend a lot of time with Assyrian king Esarhaddon, whose hellbent insistence on ensuring his own son's succession was not a repeat of his own disastrous rise to the throne that he promulgated a treaty text to the far corners of the Assyrian empire, a text that would be reworked to be a treaty between Yahweh and his people in Judah. All of this and so much more on this week's episode! Support the show on Patreon and get hours of bonus content and early access to episodes: Bibliography: Stavrakopoulou - ‘King Manasseh and Child Sacrifice’; Hayes - ‘Hidden Riches’; Younger - ‘The Context of Scripture, Vol. 4’; Van de Mieroop - ‘A History of the Ancient Near East’; Liverani - ‘Israel’s History and the History of Israel’; Frahm - ‘Assyria’; Podany - ‘Weavers, Scribes, and Kings’; Alter - ‘The Hebrew Bible’; Frevel - ‘History of Ancient Israel’; Berlin & Brettler - ‘The Jewish Study Bible, 2nd Ed.’; Radner, Moeller, and Potts - ‘The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East, Vol. IV’ Neujahr - ‘Predicting the Past in the Ancient Near East’; Adams and Goff - ‘The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Wisdom Literature’; ;
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Ep. 19: The Pious Kings, Pt. 2 (feat. Eve Feinstein)
07/08/2025
Ep. 19: The Pious Kings, Pt. 2 (feat. Eve Feinstein)
This is part 2 of the story of the prophet Isaiah, the Judahite King Hezekiah, and the Assyrian Emperor Sennacherib. We explore prophetic oracles, a tortured cultural pizza metaphor, divine snakes, and more on purity and sacrifice from scholar Eve Feinstein. Support the show on Patreon: Check out the Instagram: Bibliography: Eve Levavi Feinstein - ‘Sexual Pollution in the Hebrew Bible’; Berlin, Brettler, et al - ‘The Jewish Study Bible (Second Edition)’; Daniel McClellan - ‘YHWH’s Divine Images: A Cognitive Approach’; Barton & Stavrakopoulou - ‘Religious Diversity in Ancient Israel and Judah’; Francesca Stavrakopoulou - ‘God: An Anatomy’; Eckart Frahmn - ‘Assyria’; Marc van de Mieroop - ‘A History of the Ancient Near East’; Finkelstein and Silberman - ‘The Bible Unearthed’; Robert Alter - ‘The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary’; Mario Liverani - ‘Israel’s History and the History of Israel’; Van der Toorn, Becking, van der Hoorst, et al - ‘Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible’;
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Ep. 18: The Pious Kings: Pt. 1 (feat. Eve Feinstein)
06/30/2025
Ep. 18: The Pious Kings: Pt. 1 (feat. Eve Feinstein)
This is part 1 of the life and times of the prophet Isaiah, Judahite King Hezekiah, and Assyrian King Sennacherib. A lot of political history in this one, folks. Featuring an interview with Dr. Eve Levavi Feinstein, who provides important context on the concept of purity in the Hebrew Bible. Support the show on Patreon: Check out the Instagram: Bibliography: Eve Levavi Feinstein - ‘Sexual Pollution in the Hebrew Bible’; Berlin, Brettler, et al - ‘The Jewish Study Bible (Second Edition)’; Daniel McClellan - ‘YHWH’s Divine Images: A Cognitive Approach’; Barton & Stavrakopoulou - ‘Religious Diversity in Ancient Israel and Judah’; Francesca Stavrakopoulou - ‘God: An Anatomy’; Eckart Frahmn - ‘Assyria’; Marc van de Mieroop - ‘A History of the Ancient Near East’; Finkelstein and Silberman - ‘The Bible Unearthed’; Robert Alter - ‘The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary’; Mario Liverani - ‘Israel’s History and the History of Israel’; Van der Toorn, Becking, van der Hoorst, et al - ‘Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible’;
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BATM 2: Left Behind: The Movie (2000) (feat. The Trillbillies)
06/16/2025
BATM 2: Left Behind: The Movie (2000) (feat. The Trillbillies)
Welcome to the Rapture, which doesn't seem too bad, all things considered. Thanks to Tom Sexton and Tarence Ray! Check out the Trillbillies: And to support this show, become a member of the Patreon:
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Ep. 17: The Fall of Israel (feat. Seth Sanders)
06/11/2025
Ep. 17: The Fall of Israel (feat. Seth Sanders)
This time on the Bible Lore Podcast, we bring our kingdom of Samaria to an end. Along the way I talk about an important baby whose mother saves him from certain death by secreting him away in a basket on a river: Sargon. And scholar Seth Sanders returns to the show to talk about the prophetic critique, Israelization, and much more. Outro music: Mustafa - Gaza is Calling Check out Seth's work: Subscribe to the Patreon: Bibliography: Christopher Hayes - ‘Hidden Riches’; Irving Finkel - 'The Ark Before Noah'; Thomas L. Thompson - ‘The Mythic Past’; Christian Frevel - ‘History of Ancient Israel’; Marc van de Mieroop - ‘A History of the Ancient Near East’; Eckart Frahm - ‘Assyria’; Mario Liverani - ‘Israel’s History and the History of Israel’; Robert Alter - ‘The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary’; Berlin, Brettler, et al - ‘The Jewish Study Bible’; Other Bible quotations taken from the NRSVue with adaptations
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The Bible at the Movies 1: Noah (2014) feat. Alex Nichols
05/30/2025
The Bible at the Movies 1: Noah (2014) feat. Alex Nichols
This week we're taking the Bible into the unholiest of unholies: the cinema! Join me and Radio WFYM's Alex Nichols as we venture into Darren Aronofsky's biblical fantasy epic and talk about God's hog. Go see WFYM live in Beacon NY on June 7: For more Good Content:
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Ep. 16: Empire
05/23/2025
Ep. 16: Empire
This episode I explore the emergence of Assyria as the world's first proper empire, with all of the impressive achievements and horrifying consequences this implies, as Israel descends into the chaos of a series of coups. Support the show: Bibliography: Finkelstein & Silberman - ‘The Bible Unearthed’; Mario Liverani - ‘Israel’s History and the History of Israel’; Amanda Podany - ‘Weavers, Scribes, and Kings’; Eckart Frahm - ‘Assyria’; Christian Frevel - ‘History of Ancient Israel’; Mario Liverani - ‘Israel’s History and the History of Israel’; Robert Alter - ‘The Hebrew Bible: A Translation With Commentary’; Berlin, Brettler, Fishbane, et al - ‘The Jewish Study Bible’;
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Ep. 15: Eat the Rich
05/09/2025
Ep. 15: Eat the Rich
This time, I cover a couple of forgotten queens of history, Dido and Shammu-Ramat, the reign of GOAT Israelite King Jeroboam II, and the prophet Amos, whose book is a social justice screed against the rich and powerful. Join the Patreon: Check out my Instagram account: Check out Dig's video on Ramath's Yahwistic kings: Bibliography: Hallo and Younger - ‘The Context of Scripture’; Shuichi Hasegawa - ‘Aram and Israel during the Jehuite Dynasty’; Robert Alter - ‘The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary’; Cogan & Tadmor - ‘II Kings: A New Translation with Commentary’; Mario Liverani - ‘Israel’s History and the History of Israel’; Marc van de Mieroop - ‘A History of the Ancient Near East’; Eckart Frahm - ‘Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World’s First Empire’; Amanda Podany - ‘Weavers, Scribes, and Kings’; Christian Frevel - ‘History of Ancient Israel’; Berlin, Brettler, Fishbane, et al - ‘The Jewish Study Bible’; Mark Fisher - ‘Capitalist Realism’; Some Bible quotations taken from the NRSVue and the NJPS with adaptations
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BONUS: Dan McClellan Interview
05/05/2025
BONUS: Dan McClellan Interview
A while back, I did an interview with scholar Dan McClellan. Since his new book, The Bible Says So: What We Get Right (and Wrong) About Scripture's Most Controversial Issues just came out, I decided to unlock that episode from behind the paywall! Make sure to buy Dan's book: And subscribe to the Patreon for more interviews like this one:
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Ep. 14: Listomania and the Son of None
04/25/2025
Ep. 14: Listomania and the Son of None
Today we say farewell to one last Omride queen while watching the brief fall of Assyria and the brief rise of Aram-Damascus. Along the way I talk about another two identically-named kings who might be the same guy, as well as a lot of lists! Tap in, gang, it's Bible Lore Day once again! Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/BibleLorePodcast Bibliography: Marc van de Mieroop - ‘A History of the Ancient Near East’; Shuichi Hasegawa - ‘Aram and Israel During the Jehuite Dynasty’; Christian Frevel - ‘History of Ancient Israel’; Mario Liverani - ‘Israel’s History and the History of Israel’; Robert Alter - ‘The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary’; David Carr - ‘The Formation of Genesis 1-11’; Berlin, Brettler, Fishbane, et al - ‘The Jewish Study Bible’; Liane Feldman - ‘The Consuming Fire’; Cogan & Tadmor - ‘II Kings: A New Translation with Commentary’; James Charlesworth - ‘The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha’; Some bible quotations taken from the NRSVue with adaptations
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Ep. 13: One Man's Revolution...
04/14/2025
Ep. 13: One Man's Revolution...
This week, we're going Rashomon mode as I examine the end of the Omrides and the rise of Jehu from several different angles, bringing in contemporary inscriptions and conflicting biblical narratives on the same events - one author considers Jehu's rise as direct divine providence, while another calls it a blood-soaked coup and the first domino that would lead to the Israelite kingdom's eventual collapse. Come along for a wild ride as I try to figure out just what happened at Jezreel in 841 BCE. Bibliography: Van Der Toorn, Becking, et al - ‘Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible’; Berlin, Brettler, Fishbane, et al - ‘The Jewish Study Bible’; Coogan, Smith, et al - ‘The Oxford Companion to the Bible’; Shuichi Hasegawa - ‘Aram and Israel During the Jehuite Dynasty’ Robert Alter - ‘The Hebrew Bible: A Translation With Commentary’; David J. A. Clines - ;
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Ep. 12: Bury Your Queens, Pt. 2 (Feat. Dr. Jonathan Stökl)
04/05/2025
Ep. 12: Bury Your Queens, Pt. 2 (Feat. Dr. Jonathan Stökl)
Apologies for the reupload, ran into a Spotify issue. This time, I bring Jezebel's story to a close and inch us closer to the end of the Omride Dynasty, with special guest scholar Dr. Jonathan Stökl giving context to just what prophecy was in Biblical times. Check out Dr. Stökl's work here: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/staffmembers/jonathan-stokl#tab-1 Support the show by becoming a Patreon member: https://patreon.com/biblelorepodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haydentank/ Bibliography: Jennifer Knust - ‘Unprotected Texts’; John Day - ‘Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan’; Marc van de Mieroop - ‘A History of the Near East’; Robert Alter - ‘The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary’; Jonathan Stökl - ‘Prophecy in the Ancient Near East’; Mordechai Cogan - ‘I Kings: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary’; Cogan & Tadmor - ‘II Kings: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary’; Christian Frevel - ‘History of Ancient Israel’; Christian Frevel - ‘Recent Issues in History: Can We Speak of a United Monarchy or an Independent Judah?’ (Oxford Handbook of the Books of Kings) Coogan & Smith - ‘Stories from Ancient Canaan’; Berlin, Brettler, Fishbane, et al - ‘The Jewish Study Bible’; Marsha C. White - ‘The Elijah Legends and Jehu's Coup’; Christian E. Hauer - AJS Review of Marsha C. White. ‘The Elijah Legends and Jehu's Coup’; Theodore Lewis - ‘The Origin and Character of God’; The Inquisitive Bible Reader - ‘Did Jezebel Murder Naboth? A 3,000-Year-Old Murder Mystery’:
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Ep. 11: The Gods of Israel
03/24/2025
Ep. 11: The Gods of Israel
Before we get to the end of Ahab and Jezebel, let's finally introduce Yahweh, the god of Israel, and compare him to Ba'al and El, his predecessors. RIP Ka - check out his album Descendants of Cain. Bibliography: Coogan, Smith, et al - ‘The Oxford Companion to the Bible’; Theodore J. Lewis - ‘The Origin and Character of God’; John Barton - ‘A History of the Bible’; Daniel McClellan - ‘YHWH's Divine Images’; Annette Yoshiko Reed - ‘Demons, Angels, and Writing in Ancient Judaism’; Francesca Stavrakopoulou - ‘God: An Anatomy’; Andrew George - ‘The Epic of Gilgamesh’; John Day - ‘Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan’; Christian Frevel - ‘History of Ancient Israel’; Robert Alter - ‘The Hebrew Bible: A Translation With Commentary’; Mario Liverani - ‘Israel’s History and the History of Israel’; Marc van de Mieroop - ‘A History of the Ancient Near East’; Christian Frevel - ‘’; Van Der Toorn, Becking, et al - ‘Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible’; Berlin, Brettler, Fishbane, et al - ‘The Jewish Study Bible’; Nissim Amzallag - ‘’; Chrissy Hansen - ‘’
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Ep. 10: Bury Your Queens, Pt. 1
03/14/2025
Ep. 10: Bury Your Queens, Pt. 1
We made it to ten, gang! And we've mostly made it out of the Bronze Age Collapse. In this, my first completely solo episode, the Bible gets its earliest confirmed real characters who existed outside of legend, but it's not all sunshine and roses as we immediately confront three women who get a pretty unfair rap in the book of Kings: Ma'acah, Asherah, and Jezebel. Check out my Instagram account for this week's accompanying post, which includes archaeological images and a map of West Asia in the early Iron Age. Support the show, subscribe on Patreon: Bibliography: Christian Frevel - ‘History of Ancient Israel’; Mario Liverani - ‘Israel’s History and the History of Israel’; Finkelstein & Silberman - ‘The Bible Unearthed’; Israel Finkelstein - ‘The Forgotten Kingdom’; Theodore J. Lewis - ‘The Origin and Character of God’; Marc van de Mieroop - ‘A History of the Ancient Near East’; Francesca Stavrakopoulou - ‘God: An Anatomy’; Robert Alter - ‘The Hebrew Bible: A Translation With Commentary’; Emanuel Pfoh - ‘The Emergence of Israel in Ancient Palestine’; Benjamin Sommer - ‘The Bodies of God and the World of Ancient Israel’ Andrew Tobolowsky - ‘The Sons of Jacob and the Sons of Herakles’; William Dever - ‘Did God Have A Wife?’; Susan Ackerman - ‘Warrior, Dancer, Seductress, Queen’; Susan Ackerman - ‘Gods, Goddesses, and the Women Who Serve Them’; Coogan & Smith - ‘Stories from Ancient Canaan’; Rashid Khalidi - ‘The 100 Years’ War on Palestine’; Raanan Eichler - ; John Day - ‘’; Other Bible quotations taken from the NRSVue and the NJPS with adaptations
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Bonus: Take Me to the River (feat. Moudhy Al-Rashid)
03/03/2025
Bonus: Take Me to the River (feat. Moudhy Al-Rashid)
In this bonus episode, Dr. Moudhy Al-Rashid takes us on a deep dive into the material culture and cuneiform writing of Mesopotamia, as detailed in her wonderful book 'Between Two Rivers: Ancient Mesopotamia and the Birth of History'. Pre-order Moudhy's book (available now globally, releases in August in the US): Follow her on BlueSky:
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Ep. 9: The Bull, the Goat, and the Donkey (feat. Seth Sanders)
02/21/2025
Ep. 9: The Bull, the Goat, and the Donkey (feat. Seth Sanders)
This time we pick back up on the history of the emergence of Israel and the Hebrew language before diving deep into the complicated lore that connects Jeroboam I, Jeroboam II, Moses, Aaron, and Jacob/Israel. Along the way we look at early Hebrew and West Semitic alphabetic inscriptions with the brilliant Seth Sanders here to guide us. Check out Seth's blog here: Bibliography: Christian Frevel - ‘History of Ancient Israel’; Mario Liverani - ‘Israel’s History and the History of Israel’; Shinan & Zakovitch - ‘From Gods to God’; Finkelstein & Silberman - ‘The Bible Unearthed’; Theodore J. Lewis - ‘The Origin and Character of God’; Van der Toorn et al - ‘Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible’; Esther Hamori - ‘God’s Monsters’; David Wright - ‘Inventing God’s Law’; Robert Alter - ‘The Hebrew Bible: A Translation With Commentary’; Youn Ho Chung - ‘The Sin of the Calf’; Coogan & Metzger - ‘The Oxford Companion to the Bible’; John E. Anderson - ‘Jacob and the Divine Trickster’; Seth L. Sanders - ‘The Invention of Hebrew’; Other Bible quotations taken from the NRSVue and the JPS Jewish Study Bible with adaptations
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Ep. 8: The Bible, Slavery, & You (feat. Josh Bowen)
02/07/2025
Ep. 8: The Bible, Slavery, & You (feat. Josh Bowen)
This week, we're talking about the historical Solomon, the city of Jerusalem, and the practice of slavery as described in the Bible and practiced in Ancient West Asia. Special guest Dr. Josh Bowen stops by to talk about all things slavery, debt servitude, and corvee labor. Digital Hammurabi website: Digital Hammurabi Instagram: Digital Hammurabi Facebook: Bibliography: Joshua Bowen - ‘Did the Old Testament Endorse Slavery?’; Drescher & Engerman - ‘A Historical Guide to World Slavery’; Christian Frevel - ‘History of Ancient Israel’; Joel Baden - ‘The Historical David’; Finkelstein & Silbermann - ‘The Bible Unearthed’; Coogan & Smith - ‘Stories From Ancient Canaan’; Metzger & Coogan - ‘The Oxford Companion to the Bible’; Van der Toorn et al - ‘Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible’; ‘The SBL Study Bible’
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Ep. 7: Hell of a King (feat. Chris Wade)
01/31/2025
Ep. 7: Hell of a King (feat. Chris Wade)
This time I bring Chapo Trap House's Chris Wade along as we dive into the story of David's ascension to king in both history and legend. Check out Chris and Molly's other podcasts here: Bibliography: Christian Frevel - ‘History of Ancient Israel’; Mario Liverani - ‘Israel’s History and the History of Israel’; Joel Baden - ‘The Historical David’; Robert Alter - ‘The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary’; Emanuel Pfoh - ‘The Emergence of Israel in Ancient Palestine’; Andrew Tobolowsky - ‘The Sons of Jacob and the Sons of Herakles’; Andrew Tobolowsky - ‘The Myth of the Twelve Tribes of Israel’; Kyle McCarter - ‘I Samuel’; Kyle McCarter - ‘II Samuel’; Susan Ackerman - ‘When Heroes Love’; Jennifer Knust - ‘Unprotected Texts’; Sara Diamond - ’Spiritual Warfare’; Other Bible quotations taken from the NRSVue and the NJPS with adaptations;
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