Dragons in Genesis

One of Paul's final letters, written to the Christians in Rome, contains a treasure trove of information which sheds light on the beliefs of the early Christian community. Though these beliefs don't always match up with the tale later told in the book of Acts. And the Jesus that these early Christians worshiped may have been quite different from anything we could have previously guessed.

The apostle Paul gives us our oldest surviving Christian writings which were addressed to congregations on two continents. But the version of Christianity he preach and the story of Jesus that he and his congregations understood, is significantly different from what would be stated in the later gospels. His ideas seem constantly at odds with the Hebrew Bible, which he seems to believe is irrelevan...

We conclude our survey of the Book of Enoch with the Epistles of Enoch. This fifth and final section deals with blessings of the righteous and curses for the wicked, the destruction of heaven and earth, and the divine nature of Noah. We also dig into the overall theology of the authors of this book and how it sets the stage for Christianity.

In the Book of Visions we find a strange and curious section entitled the "Animal Apocalypse" which tells the entire history of the world, but replaces all the main characters with various animals. One portion, involving a great man who is being portrayed as a ram, has been hailed as a prophecy for Jesus' imminent arrival. But the truth behind this scene might be something else entirely. This migh...

In the middle of 1 Enoch lies the Astronomy Book, a strange manuscript which details the method for establishing a solar calendar. While this may be important for tracking the seasons, it's difficult to comprehend why it should be included in scripture. Unless there's more to this book and their calendar than we previously believed.

Our study of the Book of Enoch continues as we dig deeper into the Similitudes of Enoch. The order of creation is laid out, the power of names is revealed, and we finally learn the identity of the Son of Man.

We continue our study of the Book of Enoch by examining the Parables. Messianic themes abound in this portion of the book as we meet the Elect One and the Son of Man. Who were these mysterious figures? Did they have names? And how much influence did Zoroastrianism have on this literature?

The angels have fallen and the stars have disobeyed the covenant. One man will act as intermediary between heaven and earth and serve as both divine scribe and holy messenger. He'll see the entirety of creation and learn the hidden secrets of the universe. But to do that he'll first need to ascend to the highest heaven and see what no man has seen before.

The discovery of a strange book gives new insights into the origins of Christianity and the complex relationship between sects of Judaism. It's filled with bizarre imagery and curious themes. The Sons of God introduce corruption into the perfect creation and bloodthirsty giants walk the earth. People are animals, men are angels, angels are stars, and sometimes those stars revolt.

It's wrong. It's all wrong. The entire New Testament is in the wrong order, and it's my opinion that reading the New Testament in the order in which it's presented causes a great deal of confusion. It prompts the reader to jump to certain conclusions, to make certain assumptions, and this generates a false narrative in the minds of the readers. Perhaps it's time someone examine the Christian Bible...

We conclude the book of 2 Samuel with repeated references to Yahweh being a grain god along with some good old fashioned human sacrifice. David keeps making enemies of his friends and Goliath shows up with some giant friends. There's a few Greek parallels to make things interesting and we learn the Yahweh dwells in darkness and shadow. Want to learn more about the parallels with Greek mythology? h...

David covets his neighbor's wife, kills her husband, invites Yahweh's wrath, and executes a bunch of slaves. But his reign isn't all bad. He turns a blind eye to some pretty heinous crimes in his own house and puts the concubines in charge of Jerusalem before worshiping at an outlawed shrine. Okay, so maybe it is all bad, but he's a good guy. Right?

As we dig deeper into the story of King David we discover strange parallels with his son Solomon, links between David's grand house and the soon-to-be-constructed temple, and between Jerusalem and an ancient city long abandoned. Yahweh keeps getting called Baal and there are multiple contradictory versions of every scene.

The story of King Saul continues. A rival to the throne has stepped onto the stage and the king keeps getting possessed by the “evil spirit of Yahweh.” To make matters worse the Philistines are pressing the attack and David is terrorizing the countryside. Can a man sell his daughter for the low, low price of 100 foreskins? Is it kosher to talk to a witch? Can Abimelech actually be killed? Find out...

Yahweh hand-selected a king but apparently he made a mistake so he changed his mind about who should be king and chooses another to reign in his place. But he also never changes his mind. Before this kid can be king he must be introduced to the reader in three separate and contradictory scenes, including a showdown with a giant who isn't as tall as he appears.

The people of Israel have asked for a king to rule over them and Yahweh makes his choice. But how good a choice is Saul son of Kish? Not very good as it turns out. That's what happens when you elect a leader based solely on height.

We hope back into the Old Testament with 1 Samuel to learn about Samuel, Saul, and the fate of those who dare to steal Yahweh's sacred box. What's the proper gift to appease and angry god? What do rats have to do with all of this? And what's going on with the Temple of Dagon? Wasn't that thing destroyed in the last book? And stick around for another cool announcement.

Where did the First Temple Cult go after being expelled from Jerusalem? And after they were gone, did they remain in exile? Are they still around today?

What happened after the Persian Empire conquered Babylon? How did the new rulers influence the government and religion of ancient Israel? How much of Judaism came from Israel and how much is Persian?

A crash course in the single largest external influence on Second Temple Judaism. Who was Zarathustra? Why was his religion so important? And what was it all about? This is without a doubt my biggest and bestest episode. Oh, and there's a HUGE announcement. Don't worry, you won't miss it.

We continue our look at First Temple Theology and shift our focus to the purpose of the temple and the role the High Priest played as a Divine King. Creation has been corrupted but a sacred ritual can repair the damage and restore the land.

The Torah is a product of the Second Temple but Jews had been worshiping in Jerusalem for centuries prior to the Babylonian Exile. When the exiled Jews returned from Babylon they reformed the old religion and stamped it out, bringing an end to First Temple Theology. What was this old religion? What did they believe? How did they worship? WHO did they worship? And why did the returning Jews forsake...

You've no doubt heard of Yule and Saturnalia, those two have been mentioned countless times over the years as the origins of Christmas. But how far back does the mid-winter holiday actually go? 2,500 years? 3,000? Double that age and you'll be in the ballpark. Grab some hot chocolate and snuggle up under a blanket. We're going back in time from one winter celebration to another until we find the o...

Micah's idols are stolen, the Danites still don't have a place to live, and the Israelites almost wipe out one of their own tribes. All this and more in the conclusion of the Book of Judges.

Half man, half god, half hero, half legend. That's 200% but that's what you get when you cram a Hercules wannabe and a solar demigod into Jewish folklore. So much to unpack in this episode including a moon goddess, sun gods, Dagon's temple, and more. And stick around for a quick announcement.