Recognizing the absence of a God named Yahweh outside of ancient Israel, this study addresses the related questions of Yahweh's origins and the biblical claim that there were Yahweh-worshipers other than the Israelite people. Beginning with the Hebrew Bible, with an exhaustive survey of ancient Near Eastern literature and inscriptions discovered by archaeolo ... Show More
Yesterday
Robin Whelan, "Serving the Christian State in Late Antiquity" (Cambridge UP, 2026)
How did the state become Christian in late antiquity? Many scholars have traced the Christianization of the Roman world in the centuries following the conversion of the emperor Constantine in 312 CE. Robin Whelan, however, turns his attention away from the usual suspects in such ... Show More
1h 14m
Aug 20
Emily Sibley, "The Poetics of Incivility: Satire and Subversion in Modern Arab Culture" (Cornell UP, 2026)
The Poetics of Incivility: Satire and Subversion in Modern Arab Culture (Cornell UP, 2026) explores impolite modes of expression—satire, crude humor, and rudeness—as a critical lens for both aesthetic innovation and sociopolitical critique. In the Arab world—from Cairo's Tahrir ... Show More
38m 54s
Aug 17
Amihai Mazar and Nava Panitz-Cohen, "Tel Rehov: A Bronze and Iron Age City in the Beth-Shean Valle" (The Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University, 2020)
This interview with Professor Amihai Mazar was conducted by Željko Stanojević for the New Books Network. The conversation focuses on Tel Reḥov: A Bronze and Iron Age City in the Beth-Shean Valley, especially Volume V, where the report turns from architecture and pottery to smalle ... Show More
42m 9s
Jun 2018
Robert D. Miller II, “The Dragon, the Mountain, and the Nations: An Old Testament Myth, Its Origins, and Its Afterlives” (Eisenbrauns, 2018)
People have long been captivated by stories of dragons. Myths related to dragon slaying can be found across many civilizations around the world, even among the most ancient cultures including ancient Israel. In his book The Dragon, the Mountain, and the Nations, Robert Miller chr ... Show More
29m 42s
May 2021
Does the Bible Borrow from Other Creation Stories? – Ancient Cosmology E2
<p>What is existence? What existed before humans did? Ancient people groups asked the same questions we do today, with totally different answers. In this episode, Tim and Jon survey the cosmologies of Israel’s neighbors, ancient Egypt, Canaan, and Babylon––people groups the bibli ... Show More
1h 20m
Jan 2025
Ep.96 Canaanite Mythology
<p>The ancient world of the Canaanites—the mysterious people who once thrived in the land now known as Israel, Lebanon, and the surrounding area. From the origins of the term "Canaanite" to the diverse tribes that called this land home, we explore their history and culture throug ... Show More
20m 10s
<p>Sources/Suggested Reading:</p><ul><li>al-Jallad, Ahmad (forthcoming) "The Religion and Rituals of the Nomads of Pre-Islamic Arabia: A reconstruction based on the Safaitic Inscriptions". Pre-Print Darft (Version 2: April 3, 2021).</li><li>al-Jallad, Ahmad (2019). "The 'One' God ... Show More
<p>In this episode, we explore the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Qumran community and ask the question whether or not this group can be identified as the Essenes.</p><br><p><br></p><p>Sources/Recomended Reading:</p><ul><li>Klawans, Jonathan (2016). "The Essene Hypothesis: Insights from R ... Show More
