The Bible Lore Podcast

This week we're taking the Bible into the unholiest of unholies: the cinema! Join me and Radio WFYM's Alex Nichols as we venture into Darren Aronofsky's biblical fantasy epic and talk about God's hog. Go see WFYM live in Beacon NY on June 7: https://www.theyardbeacon.com/upcoming-events/toy-pizza-expo-five-points-fest-present-wfym-world-tour For more Good Content: https://www.patreon.com/BibleLore...

This episode I explore the emergence of Assyria as the world's first proper empire, with all of the impressive achievements and horrifying consequences this implies, as Israel descends into the chaos of a series of coups. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/BibleLorePodcast Bibliography:  Finkelstein & Silberman - 'The Bible Unearthed';  Mario Liverani - 'Israel's History and the History of...

This time, I cover a couple of forgotten queens of history, Dido and Shammu-Ramat, the reign of GOAT Israelite King Jeroboam II, and the prophet Amos, whose book is a social justice screed against the rich and powerful.  Join the Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/BibleLorePodcast Check out my Instagram account:  https://www.instagram.com/haydentank/ Check out Dig's video on Ramath's Yahwistic king...

A while back, I did an interview with scholar Dan McClellan. Since his new book,  The Bible Says So: What We Get Right (and Wrong) About Scripture's Most Controversial Issues just came out, I decided to unlock that episode from behind the paywall! Make sure to buy Dan's book: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-bible-says-so-what-we-get-right-and-wrong-about-scripture-s-most-controversial-issues-dani...

Today we say farewell to one last Omride queen while watching the brief fall of Assyria and the brief rise of Aram-Damascus. Along the way I talk about another two identically-named kings who might be the same guy, as well as a lot of lists! Tap in, gang, it's Bible Lore Day once again! Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/BibleLorePodcast Bibliography: Marc van de Mieroop - 'A History of the...

This week, we're going Rashomon mode as I examine the end of the Omrides and the rise of Jehu from several different angles, bringing in contemporary inscriptions and conflicting biblical narratives on the same events - one author considers Jehu's rise as direct divine providence, while another calls it a blood-soaked coup and the first domino that would lead to the Israelite kingdom's eventual co...

Apologies for the reupload, ran into a Spotify issue. This time, I bring Jezebel's story to a close and inch us closer to the end of the Omride Dynasty, with special guest scholar Dr. Jonathan Stökl giving context to just what prophecy was in Biblical times.  Check out Dr. Stökl's work here: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/staffmembers/jonathan-stokl#tab-1 Support the show by becoming a Patre...

Before we get to the end of Ahab and Jezebel, let's finally introduce Yahweh, the god of Israel, and compare him to Ba'al and El, his predecessors.  RIP Ka - check out his album Descendants of Cain. Bibliography: Coogan, Smith, et al - 'The Oxford Companion to the Bible'; Theodore J. Lewis - 'The Origin and Character of God';  John Barton - 'A History of the Bible';  Daniel McClellan - 'YHWH's Div...

We made it to ten, gang! And we've mostly made it out of the Bronze Age Collapse. In this, my first completely solo episode, the Bible gets its earliest confirmed real characters who existed outside of legend, but it's not all sunshine and roses as we immediately confront three women who get a pretty unfair rap in the book of Kings: Ma'acah, Asherah, and Jezebel. Check out my Instagram account for...

In this bonus episode, Dr. Moudhy Al-Rashid takes us on a deep dive into the material culture and cuneiform writing of Mesopotamia, as detailed in her wonderful book 'Between Two Rivers: Ancient Mesopotamia and the Birth of History'. Pre-order Moudhy's book (available now globally, releases in August in the US): https://bookshop.org/p/books/between-two-rivers-ancient-mesopotamia-and-the-birth-of-h...

This time we pick back up on the history of the emergence of Israel and the Hebrew language before diving deep into the complicated lore that connects Jeroboam I, Jeroboam II, Moses, Aaron, and Jacob/Israel. Along the way we look at early Hebrew and West Semitic alphabetic inscriptions with the brilliant Seth Sanders here to guide us. Check out Seth's blog here: https://sethlsanders.wordpress.com/...

This week, we're talking about the historical Solomon, the city of Jerusalem, and the practice of slavery as described in the Bible and practiced in Ancient West Asia. Special guest Dr. Josh Bowen stops by to talk about all things slavery, debt servitude, and corvee labor. Digital Hammurabi website: https://www.digitalhammurabi.com/ Digital Hammurabi Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digital_ha...

This time I bring Chapo Trap House's Chris Wade along as we dive into the story of David's ascension to king in both history and legend.  Check out Chris and Molly's other podcasts here: https://soundcloud.com/and-intro-pod https://soundcloud.com/infinite-cast   Bibliography: Christian Frevel - 'History of Ancient Israel';  Mario Liverani - 'Israel's History and the History of Israel';  Joel Baden...

It's history week on the Bible Lore Podcast. This time, Dead Sea Scrolls scholar Kipp Davis talks with me about the real and invented history of the conquest of Israel set in the book of Joshua. This episode serves as a sort of bird's eye view of all the history we're going to see between now and the mid-Second Temple Period, because in order to understand the Bible as a book, we have to understan...

This week's a special episode, where we take a break from history (mostly) and spend our time recounting the Epic of Gilgamesh, the GOAT of ancient literature that gets referenced and quoted in the biblical texts. I've got brief portions of my interview with Professor Susan Ackerman, where we talk about the liminality that allows for potentially homoerotic readings in both Gilgamesh and the story...

This time on the Bible Lore Podcast, we bid our farewell to the Bronze Age. Joining today is Dr. Kerry Sonia, who is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Colby College and author of the wonderful book 'Caring for the Dead in Ancient Israel'. Join us as we check out the Baal Cycle, El's Drinking Party, and other Ugaritic texts, and definitively answer your most pressing existential question:...

The Bible Lore Podcast Episode 3: Sundown - This time, we finish the story of Akhenaten's brief religious/political heresy, inducting a new Egyptian dynasty from the ashes of the Aten and setting the stage for the Bronze Age Collapse. Discover the TRUE origins of monotheism and Steve Martin's SNL King Tut sketch.    Thanks again to Dan McClellan - pre-order his book, The Bible Says So here: https:...

Pre-order Dan's book, The Bible Says So https://linktr.ee/maklelan Written and edited by Hayden Tank Artwork by Amanda Tank Subscribe to the Patreon for bonus content Bibliography: Christopher Hayes - Hidden Riches   Ronald Ridley - Akhenaten: A Historian's View   Donald Redford - Egypt, Canaan, and Israel in Ancient Times     Eric Cline - 1177 B.C.   Theodore J. Lewis - The Origin and Character o...

In our first bonus episode, Patrons will be able to check out the full interview with Assyriologist Megan Lewis that I used for our Hammurabi episode. Check it out! https://www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-interview-116972200

In the beginning... Digital Hammurabi website Digital Hammurabi Instagram Digital Hammurabi Facebook Amanda Tank artwork Bibliography: David Carr, The Formation of Genesis 1-11 Marc van de Mieroop, A History of the Ancient Near East Marc van de Mieroop, King Hammurabi of Babylon Christopher Hayes, Hidden Riches Theodore Lewis, The Origin and Character of God Wilfred Lambert, Babylonian Creation My...