Solomon's Bookcase

Presenting Christian exegesis and thought through the lens of progressive and courageous academic scholarship. Our podcast is ideal for Christians who are struggling to grasp the relevance of their faith and beliefs, as well as former Christians who have become disillusioned at the seeming lack of critical discourse and input into their spiritual life.

St Boniface and the Legend of the First Christmas Tree 12/25/2022

The Spaces Between: Intertestamental Theology on Angels and Demons 08/06/2022

The Spaces Between: Intertestamental Theology on Angels and Demons With the vast majority of what would call the "Old Testament" composed and edited, and with Judea under continual military and political threats from outside, the Jewish theological literature did not simply freeze in place. In these last few centuries leading into the 1st c. CE, scrolls such as 1 Enoch, Jubilees, and Tobit demonstrate that the views of angels, demons, and the roles of these beings in everyday life are very much continuing to be developed. Books: John J. Collins. Daniel. Hermeneia. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993. Michael Heiser. Demons: What the Bible Really Says About the Powers of Darkness. Lexham Press: Bellingham, WA, 2020. Michael Heiser. Angels: What the Bible Really Says About God's Heavenly Host. Lexham Press: Bellingham, WA, 2018. John Walton, "Demons in Mesopotamia and Israel." In Windows to the Ancient World of the Hebrew Bible. Bill Arnold, Nancy Erickson, and John Walton, eds. Eisenbrauns: Winona Lake, 2014. 229-45. George Nickelsburg. 1 Enoch. Hermeneia. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2001. 2 vols. James VanderKam. Jubilees. Hermeneia. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2018. 2 vols. James VanderKam. "Demons." In Demons: The Demonology of the Israelite-Jewish and Early Christian Literature in the Context of their Environment. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2003. 339-64. James VanderKam. "Mastema in the Qumran Literature and the Book of Jubilees." In Sibyls, Scriptures, and Scrolls: John Collins at Seventy. Joel Baden, Hindy Najman, Eileen Schuller, eds. JSJSup 175; Leiden: Brill, 2017. 1346-60. Karel Van der Toorn. "The Theology of Demons in Mesopotamia and Israel – Popular Belief and Scholarly Speculation." In Demons: The Demonology of the Israelite-Jewish and Early Christian Literature in the Context of their Environment. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2003. 61-83. Géza Xeravits. "The Angel's Self-Revelation in Tobit 12." In Sibyls, Scriptures, and Scrolls: John Collins at Seventy. Joel Baden, Hindy Najman, Eileen Schuller, eds. JSJSup 175; Leiden: Brill, 2017. 1399-1417. Artwork: "Norandino and Lucina Discovered by the Ogre," Giovanni Lanfranco (1582-1647). /episode/index/show/solomonsbookcase/id/23840093