Bible and Archaeology

What's the real message of the Tower of Babel? This week, Bob and Jordan walk through four different versions of the Tower of Babel story to see how this story has grown over time and unpack the real meaning of this story. Join Dr. Cargill for his new online course ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cities of the Bible⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Become a Bible & Archaeology patron on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠...

This week, we're talking about magic! What is the line between magic and religion? What makes something a miracle instead of magic? Join us for a dive into the text to see if the Bible is actually as opposed to magic as it gets depicted to be. Join Dr. Cargill for his new online course ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cities of the Bible⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Become a Bible & Archaeology patron on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon...

This week, we're talking with Dr. Briana Jackson about propaganda in ancient Egypt! What counted as propaganda? How was it used? And how different is Egyptian propaganda to what we see today? Interested in more? RSVP for Dr. Jackson's upcoming online class (July 12th) Never Has There Ever: Royal Propaganda in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia (it's free!) Join Dr. Cargill for his new onlin...

This week, we're talking with Dr. Paula Fredriksen about her new book: "Ancient Christianities: The First Five Hundred Years." We discuss one of the larger questions that runs throughout the book: Christian persecution. When did it happen? How common was it? And why does it become such a dominant part of early Christian identity? Buy "Ancient Christianities" HERE Join Dr. C...

There are a lot of archaeological news stories every month and with every story come questions. This week on the podcast, we wanted to round up four stories from June 2025 that deserve more discussion. Check out our news shorts for weekly archaeology news updates. Join Dr. Cargill for his new online course ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cities of the Bible⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Become a Bible & Archaeology patron on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠...

This week, we're talking about Augustine's view of slavery with Dr. Toni Alimi. How central to Augustine's thinking and theology was slavery and just how large a shadow did his thinking create? The answer might surprise you. For more, check out Dr. Alimi's new book "Slaves of God: Augustine and Other Romans on Religion and Politics": https://press.princeton.edu/books/hard...

This week, we're talking about slavery in the New Testament and Roman world with Javal Coleman. From the Roman context of slavery to how we should be asking questions of instances of slavery in the New Testament, we cover a lot in this conversation. For more, check out their chapter "Enslavement in the Roman World" in the new book "Ancient Slavery and its New Testament Contexts&...

This week, we're talking with Dr. Colin Elliott about Julius Caesar! Just how important was Julius Caesar to the history of Rome? Was Caesar's life one of calculated risk or chance events? And how does Caesar compare to everyone who comes after him? Looking for more from Dr. Elliott? Check out his podcast: paxromanapodcast.com Or his YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@profcpe?si=vhzEVTx...

This week, Dr. Tate Paulette joins Jordan to discuss beer in ancient Mesopotamia! What do we know about the origins of beer? Do we know who drank beer or what it tasted like? Did ancient Mesopotamia have a beer culture? And what's the deal with straws? Looking for more? Check out Dr. Tate Paulette's book "In the Land of Ninkasi: A History of Beer in Ancient Mesopotamia." https://...

Did Ground Penetrating Radar find Noah's Ark? This week, we break down the claims being made by the Noah's Ark Scans about the Durupınar formation. We will get into the "new" pseudo-archaeological evidence, what they are saying it represents, the issues present in their readings, and some questionable things that surround the group and their claims. Join Dr. Cargill for his new o...

This week, Dr. Peter Miller joins Bible & Archaeology to unpack the concept of angels! What are angels? Do angels have a clear role in the Bible? What do angels look like? Do angels have free will? We cover all this and more! Join Dr. Cargill for his new online course Cities of the Bible Become a Bible & Archaeology patron on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Send us your questions...

This week, we're talking with Dr. Brian Doak about Giants! Why are conspiracies about giants so popular? What roots do these theories have in the Bible? And how does any of this connect to American politics? Subscribe to his YouTube channel, where he posts regular reflections on a wide range of biblical studies topics: https://www.youtube.com/@briandoak Read his new article "Shocking Disc...

This week, Jordan and Mary Kate discuss the relationship of Jacob, Rachel, and Leah. Is this a story of love at first sight? Who is said to love in this story? What is the role of "love"? Is "love" even the right word? Join us as we discuss some common modern interpretations of Genesis 29 and their problems. Join Dr. Cargill for his new online course ⁠Cities of the Bible⁠ Becom...

This week, we're talking with Dr. Dan McClellan about his new book "The Bible Says So: What We Get Right (and Wrong) About Scripture’s Most Controversial Issues." We discuss not just what is in the book but the larger issues that shaped the book. Buy "The Bible Says So" https://www.amazon.com/Bible-Says-So-Scriptures-Controversial/dp/1250347467 Join Dr. Cargill for his new...

This week, we're talking about the Dead Sea Scrolls with Dr. Andrew Perrin! From the stories of their discovery to the rise of modern forgeries, Bob and Andrew cover it all in this conversation about the history and importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Buy "Lost Words and Forgotten Worlds" https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Words-Forgotten-Worlds-Rediscovering/dp/1683597958 Looking for more...

How many versions of Jesus' last day do we have? This week, Bob and Jordan walk through the events of Good Friday in each of the four gospels to see where they do and don't agree in their descriptions of Jesus' crucifixion. Join Dr. Cargill for his new online course ⁠Cities of the Bible⁠ Become a Bible & Archaeology patron on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Send us your ques...

This week, Jordan and Mary Kate discuss three items frequently included in lists reporting archaeological evidence for Jesus and Easter: the Alexamenos graffito, the Pilate stone, and the Yehohanan heel bone. We dive into what these objects are, what they can actually tell us, and discuss how they get overused. Join Dr. Cargill for his new online course ⁠Cities of the Bible⁠ Become a Bible & A...

In this Patreon exclusive episode, Jordan and Mary Kate look at the sacrifice of Isaac. This series is our version of an Intro to the Bible class but without the homework! The full podcast is available on ⁠Patreon⁠ to the Expert tier and above. Become a Bible & Archaeology patron on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . Bible & Archaeology is a University of Iowa production. The views and opi...

This week, Dr. James Barker joins Jordan to discuss what the New Testament has to say about the divinity of Jesus! What is Christology and why does it matter? Was Jesus always God or did Jesus become God? Do all the different New Testament texts agree? And what are we supposed to think if they don't agree? Join Dr. Cargill for his new online course ⁠Cities of the Bible⁠ Become a Bible & Ar...

This week, Jordan is joined by Chantel Heister, a PhD candidate at Emory University, for a conversation about their research and life as a PhD student. We talk about what life looks like for a PhD student, what they are researching, and what advice they wish they had been given earlier. Join Dr. Cargill for his new online course ⁠Cities of the Bible⁠ Become a Bible & Archaeology patron on ⁠⁠⁠⁠...

This week, Jordan and Mary Kate discuss recent reports of new evidence about the death of King Josiah found during excavations at Tel Megiddo. Join us as we sort through what the headlines are claiming, what the archaeologists actually said, and what if anything this tells us about what we see in the accounts of Kings and Chronicles. Join Dr. Cargill for his new online course ⁠Cities of the Bible⁠...

This week, Lucy Wadeson joins us again to discuss death, burials, and the afterlife in the Nabatean Empire. What did the Nabateans think happened to you after you died? What can we learn about the connection between the living and the dead through ritual practices like feasting and gift giving? And who were these impressive tombs really for? We cover all this and more. Join Dr. Cargill for his new...

In this Patreon exclusive episode, Jordan and Mary Kate look at the story of Abram, Sarai, and Hagar! This series is our version of an Intro to the Bible class but without the homework! The full podcast is available on Patreon to the Expert tier and above. Become a Bible & Archaeology patron on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . Bible & Archaeology is a University of Iowa production. The vie...

This week, Bob and Jordan discuss the final days of King David and the events that accompany the end of King David’s reign. How secure is David's kingdom? Does the right person end up on the throne or is this succession actually a coup? Just how much of 1 King’s version of events should we trust? Join Dr. Cargill for his new online course ⁠Cities of the Bible⁠ Send us your questions: bible-arc...

This week, Dr. Peter Miller joins Bible & Archaeology to discuss the origins of Lilith! While Lilith is commonly known as the first wife of Adam, her origins are anything but clear. Peter joins us to explain not only where Lilith comes from, but the different roles she serves over time as well why she continues to remain a well known entity. Send us your questions: bible-archaeology@uiowa.edu...