A Podcast of Biblical Proportions

2 Kings, chapter 23, is one of the most fascinating chapters in the Bible and contains more layers than would seem at first sight. Rabbi Adam Chalom joins Gil to discuss.  Rabbi Chalom is Dean of North America at the International Institute of Secular Humanistic Judaism and  Rabbi of his congregation Kol Hadash in Deerfield, Illinois For secular Jewish holiday celebrations go to Chagim.org.il Rabb...

Now that we finished going over the book of Exodus, it's time to go over the most famous Exodus theory, offered by the famed scholar Richard Elliot Friedman in a very popular book. In this episode, Gil debunks his whole theory. Watch Friedman's talk about the Exodus at a convention (note: it's actually not from his YouTube channel) Watch Friedman's class about Exodus Join our tribe on Patreon! To...

In this summary episode of our work on the book of Exodus, we go over again all the important things we found in Exodus and how we found them Join our tribe on Patreon! To give Gil a one-time donation The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron

In our final Exodus episode, we tackle the final 15 chapters of the book, which contain mountains of priestly lists. If you thought lists are boring, then wait till we go over them in context. Click here to watch a short clip for how you change הכהן (The Priest) to בן נון (Son of Nun) without erasing a single letter, plus two other such examples/ Join our tribe on Patreon! To give Gil a one-time d...

The Exodus code of civil and economic laws was a radical overhaul of Hebrew society meant to turn it from elitist to populist. When? In 140 BCE. Join our tribe on Patreon! To give Gil a one-time donation The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron

The Ten Commandments were written at a particular place and time to change Hebrew society from a statue-worshiping elitist priestly society to a monotheistic populistic one. Join our tribe on Patreon! To give Gil a one-time donation The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron

The two priestly Mount Sinai stories star two very different Moses(es), and these differences tell the epic tale of the fall and comeback of the priestly class. Join our tribe on Patreon! To give Gil a one-time donation The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron

After getting to Mount Sinai, Moses and the Hebrew VIPs get to *see* their God. What does he look like? And why is he standing on sapphire? Join our tribe on Patreon! To give Gil a one-time donation The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron

What meaning can we derive from the Bible if we look at it as written by people? Rabbi Adam Chalom, Dean of North America at the International Institute of Secular Humanistic Judaism and  Rabbi of his congregation in Kol Hadash in Illinois, joins Gil to discuss. For secular Jewish holiday celebrations go to Chagim.org.il Join our tribe on Patreon! To give Gil a one-time donation The podcast is wri...

The story of the Golden Calf and Stone Tablets is one of the most famous stories ever written, and when we read it in context we can appreciate it to its fullest Join our tribe on Patreon! To give Gil a one-time donation The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron

The Manna from Heaven story is not an account of the Hebrews eating magical bread in the desert, but a story about the destruction of Jerusalem (587 BCE) and the subsequent exile to Babylonia. Manna from Heaven, Exodus 16: 2  The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the Wilderness.  3  The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the hand of Yahweh in...

The regular episodes are coming back starting next week, and n the ensuing weeks we will finish up the book of Exodus! Join our tribe on Patreon! To give Gil a one-time donation The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron

Gil discusses interesting theories with Bernie Maopolski from the Fan of History podcast and Garry Stevens from the History in the Bible podcast. Listen here to Bernie's conversation with a linguistic archeologist about the Carthaginian words in Germanic theory . Check out here Garry's Cartogram of the Roman Urban Population Join our tribe on Patreon! To give Gil a one-time donation The podcast is...

Gary Stevens of the History in the Bible podcast joins Gil to discuss when and in what context was the New Testament written and compiled. There are currently three published books in the History in the Bible Podcast Companion collection. Here are the Amazon US links: Vol 1: Genesis to Babylon Vol 2: Age of the Second Temple Vol 3: Coming soon Vol 4: Essential Resources   Join our tribe on Patreon...

I went on the History of the Papacy podcast to discuss the evolution of Passover, from a 538 BCE agricultural festival to a 140 BCE nationalistic one. Join our tribe on Patreon! To give Gil a one-time donation The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron

In one episode, three ancient history podcasters discuss what's most fascinating about the ancient world. Garry Stevens of the History in the Bible podcast and Bernie Maopolski from the Fan of History podcast join Gil to break it down. Join our tribe on Patreon! To give Gil a one-time donation The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron

I had oral surgery and cannot record new episodes for the coming 2-4 months. BUT we're going to turn these lemons into lemonade. Join our tribe on Patreon! To give Gil a one-time donation The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron

The  depiction of Moses and his leadership style in the parallel populist Exodus narrative is a rare ancient story written by and for the people. Join our tribe on Patreon! To give Gil a one-time donation The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron

Most scholars see the Song of the Sea poem as one of the oldest in the Bible. But in the past, they all agreed it was actually one of the newest texts in the Bible. So which one it is? Join our tribe on Patreon! To give Gil a one-time donation The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron

After centuries of oppression, Yahweh takes the Hebrews out of Egypt. And the first thing they do is complain about being taken out of Egypt. Why? Desert Battle Story / Ezekiel (Exodus 14, verses:) 4 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, "What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their l...

The period known as the Axial Age began right after the establishment of the Persian empire. Gil and Dr. Rutger Vos, an evolutionary biologist and history buff, see it as a direct result of Persia's rise. Join our tribe on Patreon! To give Gil a one-time donation The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron

This is the most epic story in the Bible. Since most scholars agree it was written in Persian times, what could have inspired the writer of this story? Was there an epic crossing of water in Persian times? To read the Crossing of the Red Sea story as it was written, click here Join our tribe on Patreon! To give Gil a one-time donation The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron

The first thing God does after finally freeing the Hebrews from their Egyptian captivity is to send them the wrong way. Why? And why are they carrying with them the bones of Joseph? Join our tribe on Patreon! To give Gil a one-time donation The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron

The Hebrew priests had used Passover to make themselves rich and powerful, and their enemies added new rules meant to persecute the priests into oblivion. Join our tribe on Patreon! To give Gil a one-time donation The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron

In our mini-series into the origins of Passover, we have learned that it has two layers of rules: a universalist seasonal layer, and a nationalistic layer. Let's refresh our memories on how the Passover rules in Exodus, chapters 12-13, were written. Celebrate with us the Barley Chapati Festival of our ancestors! Join our tribe on Patreon! To give Gil a one-time donation The podcast is written, edi...