Bible and Archaeology

This week, Dr. J.P. Dessel joins Jordan to discuss the emergence of ancient Israel within the Age of Ethnogenesis that follows the Late Bronze Age collapse. Using the Merneptah Stele and the Tel Dan Stele as chronological bookends, J.P. walks us through four common models used by scholars for understanding the process of emergence of ancient Israel. Checkout J.P.'s podcast: https://thisweekint...

This week, Dr. J.P. Dessel joins Jordan to discuss a pivotal time in the ancient Mediterranean: the Late Bronze Age. What do we know about the world of the Late Bronze Age? What can we learn from discoveries like the Merneptah Stele and the Amarna Letters? And what exactly does the Merneptah Stele tell us about ancient Israel? Checkout J.P.'s podcast: https://thisweekintheancientneareast.podbe...

This week, Dr. Sarah Bond joins Bible & Archaeology for a discussion about her new book "Strike" which takes a new look at the Roman history we think we know through a focus on work, labor, and collectives. From plebeians refusing to join the Roman army to bakers withholding bread, Dr. Bond explains how Roman workers used strikes, boycotts, riots, and rebellion to get their voices—an...

This week, Dr. Hugo Méndez, Associate Professor in Ancient Mediterranean Religions at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, joins Bible & Archaeology for a discussion about authorship in the New Testament. In this conversation we cover it all: How can scholars tell if something was falsely authored? How many texts do we think fall into the category of false authorship or forgery? An...

This week, Dr. Mark Goodacre, Professor of Religious Studies at Duke University, joins Bible & Archaeology for a discussion about the gospel of John! In this podcast, we take a dive into Mark's forthcoming book about the gospel of John and the possibility that John is more of a synoptic gospel than it gets credit for. Mark's Podcast the NTPod: https://podacre.blogspot.com/ Mark's Y...

In this Patreon exclusive episode, Jordan and Mary Kate look at the creation accounts of Gen 1 & 2. This series is our version of an Intro to the Bible class but without the homework! These kinds of bonus podcasts are usually available only to Experts and Apostles on Patreon but this week we wanted to make it open to everyone. If you like this and want more, consider joining us as an Expert or...

This week, Dr. William Schniedewind, Professor of Biblical Studies and Northwest Semitic Languages at UCLA, joins Bible & Archaeology for a discussion about scribes! In this podcast, we take a deep dive into Bill's new book "Who Really Wrote the Bible" for a discussion about the scribal communities responsible for the Bible. Get "Who Really Wrote the Bible" here: https:...

This week it's a Free-for-All which means this episode is all listener questions, submitted and answered live on the air. Send us your questions: bible-archaeology@uiowa.edu Become a Bible & Archaeology patron on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Patreon ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Want to watch the show? Find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see a video recording of this show. Everywhere you can find us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linktree⁠⁠⁠⁠ This show was origin...

Hanukkah is famous as the festival of lights, and most of us know it for the lighting of the menorah and the celebration of the miracle of the oil. But how much do you know about the Hasmoneans and Hanukkah’s early political and religious history? Was Hanukkah always about divine intervention? This week, Dr. Kenneth Atkinson joins Bible & Archaeology for a discussion about the origins of Hanuk...

This week, Dr. Eric Vanden Eykel, an Associate Professor of Religion at Ferrum College, joins Bible & Archaeology for a discussion about the Magi! The Magi are one of the most visually recognizable aspects of any Nativity scene, however, Matthew's description of these gift bearing visitors is more vague than you might expect. In this podcast, we take a deep dive into the Magi: who they wer...

This week, Bible & Archaeology goes to the movies for a review of Netflix's new movie "Mary." We discuss what we think "Mary" wants to do, what it does well, and what it does poorly, and some of what is potentially going on behind the script. We'll break down "Mary" so you can decide if it is one you want to watch, or skip. Send us your questions: bible-ar...

Are there jokes in the Bible? Why are the Amalekites mentioned in Judges 5? Was David a messiah? This week it's a Free-for-All which means this episode is all listener questions, submitted and answered live on the air. Send us your questions: bible-archaeology@uiowa.edu Become a Bible & Archaeology patron on ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Patreon ⁠⁠⁠⁠. Want to watch the show? Find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see a vid...

This week, Dr. Justin Vorhis, an Assistant Professor in Classics here at the University of Iowa, joins Bible & Archaeology for part two of our discussion about Alexander the Great! How did Alexander die? Why did his empire fall apart? Is Alexander great? We cover all this and more in this second of two episodes on the rise and fall of Alexander the Great. Send us your questions: bible-archaeol...

This week, Dr. Justin Vorhis, an Assistant Professor in Classics here at the University of Iowa, joins Bible & Archaeology for a discussion about the rise of Alexander the Great! What led to Alexander's rise? Why was he such a successful military leader? What was his relationship to religion and mythology? We cover all this and more in this first two episodes on the rise and fall of Alexan...

This week, Dr. Lucy Wadeson joins Jordan Jones to walk us through the history of one the world's most famous archaeological sites: Petra! Dr. Wadeson is a Classical Archaeologist who specializes in the Greco-Roman Near East, in particular Petra and the Nabataeans. In this episode, Dr. Wadeson answers all the big Petra questions like: who were the Nabateans, why did they choose Petra, and what...

This week, Dr. Mark Leuchter joins Jordan Jones to discuss one of the Hebrew Bible's most famous tribes: The Levites. Who were were Levites? Where did they come from? Why were they chosen to be priests? What was the role of the Levites in ancient Israelite society? Join us as we walk through the history, origins, and identity of the Levites. Send us your questions: bible-archaeology@uiowa.edu...

This week it's a Free-for-All, which means this episode is all listener questions, submitted and answered live on the air. Send us your questions: bible-archaeology@uiowa.edu Become a Bible & Archaeology patron on ⁠⁠⁠ Patreon⁠⁠⁠ . Want to watch the show? Find us on ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ to see a video recording of this show. Everywhere you can find us: ⁠⁠⁠Linktree⁠⁠ This show was originally perfor...

Just in time for Halloween, this week, Dr. Bob Cargill, Jordan Jones, and Mary Kate Lichty discuss the Hebrew Bible's one and only necromancy story: 1 Samuel 28 and the story of the so-called 'Witch' of Endor! What is this story doing in the Bible? What does this story have to say about necromancy? Why does she get called a 'witch' instead of medium or necromancer? Join us as w...

This week, Dr. Peter Miller joins Bible & Archaeology for a discussion about the origins of demons! What are demons? Are demons fallen angels? Was possession unavoidable? We cover all this and more! Referenced Works:William Chavez, "Modern Practice, Archaic Ritual: Catholic Exorcism in America: https://www.academia.edu/54010495/Modern_Practice_Archaic_Ritual_Catholic_Exorcism_in_AmericaTo...

This week, Dr. Kara Cooney, Professor of Egyptology at UCLA, joins Bible & Archaeology for a discussion about one of Egypt's most maligned pharaohs: the 'heretic' Akhenaten. Join us for a wide-ranging discussion of Akhenaten's rise, his reforms, his appearance, the move to Amarna, the question of monotheism, and more! The Good Kings: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Kings-Absolute-A...

This week it's a Free-for-All, which means this episode is all listener questions, submitted and answered live on the air. Send us your questions: bible-archaeology@uiowa.edu Become a Bible & Archaeology patron on ⁠⁠⁠Patreon ⁠⁠⁠. Want to watch the show? Find us on ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ to see a video recording of this show. Everywhere you can find us: ⁠⁠⁠Linktree⁠⁠ This show was originally perform...

This week, Dr. Bob Cargill and Jordan Jones discuss 1 Kings 18 and Elijah's battle with the prophets of Baal! Are there hidden meanings in Elijah's taunts of the Baal? Was there supposed to be an altar on Mt. Carmel? Join us as we walk through this story and poke some of the corners of the text that often get skipped over in this story. Send us your questions: bible-archaeology@uiowa.edu B...

This week, Dr. Cynthia Shafer-Elliott joins Jordan Jones to discuss the complicated and often debated archaeology of one of the most famous cities in the Bible: Jericho. In addition to talking about what has been found at the site identified as biblical Jericho, we discuss what archaeology can and can't tell us. Send us your questions: bible-archaeology@uiowa.edu Become a Bible & Archaeolo...

This week, Dr. Bob Cargill and Jordan Jones are joined by Dr. Dan McClellan of the Data Over Dogma podcast to discuss what the Bible actually says about idols and why it is more complicated than you might think. We cover it all this week: understandings of idols, Exodus 32 and the Golden Calf, the Ark of the Covenant, the Nehushtan, and even Jesus! Send us your questions: bible-archaeology@uiowa.e...

This week it's a Free-for-All, which means this episode is all listener questions, submitted and answered live on the air. Send us your questions: bible-archaeology@uiowa.edu Become a Bible & Archaeology patron on ⁠⁠ Patreon⁠⁠ . Want to watch the show? Find us on ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ to see a video recording of this show. Everywhere you can find us: ⁠⁠Linktree⁠ This show was originally performed an...