Biblical Time Machine

Nov 04 2024 89 ep. 45 mins 348
Biblical Time Machine Podcast artwork

Join Dave and Helen as they travel back in time (metaphorically… it’s a podcast) to explore the real history of the people, places and events of the Old Testament, New Testament and everything in between.

  History  Religion & Spirituality
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The Biblical Guide to Marriage, Adultery & Divorce

Nov 04 2024 54 mins  
Marriage is between one man and one woman. Adultery is bad. (Prostitution is worse.) And divorce should be avoided at all costs. The Bible is perfectly clear on these and other moral topics, right? Ha! As our guest Jennifer Knust explains, the Bible is a product of the ancient world, where laws about sex, marriage, adultery and divorce had more to do with property than morality. Ch

Ancient Jewish Magic

Oct 27 2024 47 mins  
Just in time for Halloween, we're talking magic, incantation bowls and a pinch of necromancy with Gideon Bohak, author of Ancient Jewish Magic: A History. NEW COLLEGE FESTIVALIf you're anywhere near Scotland from November 7-9, you're invited to attend the New College Festival "Books and Belief" at the University of Edinburgh. Come say Hi to Helen! SUPPORT BIBLICAL TIME MACHINE!If y

Cult of Dead Kin: Honoring the Dead in Ancient Israel

Oct 20 2024 62 mins  
Across the Ancient Near East, it was common to offer food and sacrifices to appease dead ancestors and "hangry" ghosts, but the Hebrew Bible is largely silent on interactions between the living and the dead. Our guest Kerry Sonia pieces together archeological evidence with clues from the Bible to paint a picture of what she calls the "cult of dead kin" in Ancient Israel. If you lik

What is "Ancient Media Culture"?

Oct 13 2024 44 mins  
In the 1st century, very few people "read" the Hebrew scriptures. Instead, they were "heard" — read aloud (or performed) in the synagogue and other spaces. In this episode, Catrin Williams joins Helen and Dave to discuss "ancient media culture," the different ways that people consumed biblical texts in the time of Jesus, and how literacy, orality and "aurality" were in constant c

The Best and Worst Jesus Films

Oct 06 2024 55 mins  
From the "Last Temptation" to "Life of Brian," so many filmmakers have tried their hand at portraying the greatest story ever told, with mixed results. Matthew Page — author of 100 Bible Films and the creator of the Bible Films Blog — joins Helen and Dave to discuss the best and worst Jesus movies. Here are trailers and clips from some of the films discussed in today's episode:

What's Up with the 3 Endings of Mark?

Sep 29 2024 46 mins  
The 3 endings of the Gospel of Mark present a real "choose your own adventure." Scholars think that the original text ended at Mark 16:8 with Mary Magdalene and the other women running in terror from the empty tomb on Easter morning. So why do most Bibles continue for 12 more verses? Helen explains why ancient scribes felt the need to tidy up the messy original ending of Mark's gos

Beyond the Documentary Hypothesis

Sep 22 2024 57 mins  
It's time to re-think the Documentary Hypothesis — the prevailing theory about the authorship of the Torah. Guest Angela Erisman has a fresh take on the literary history of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, showing how these creative texts reflect ancient political realities. Angela's forthcoming book is The Wilderness Narratives in the Hebrew Bible: Religion, Politics, a

The Weird and Wonderful "Gospel of Mary"

Sep 15 2024 43 mins  
Written in the 2nd Century CE, the non-canonical "Gospel of Mary" gives us a taste of the wild diversity of Early Christianity. Religious historian Sarah Parkhouse joins Helen and Dave in the Time Machine to explain the significance of this mysterious Gnostic tribute to Mary Magdalene. For more, check out Sarah's book, Eschatology and the Saviour: The Gospel of Mary among Early Chr

The Ancient History of Jerusalem

Sep 08 2024 72 mins  
People have lived in Jerusalem for 5,000 years. Archeologist Jodi Magness hops in the Time Machine to give Helen and Dave a tour of Jerusalem's long and fascinating history. Buy Jodi's book — it's fantastic! Jerusalem Through the Ages: From Its Beginnings to the Crusades (2024)SUPPORT BIBLICAL TIME MACHINE!If you like the podcast, please consider supporting the show through the T

Judaism and the Gospels After 70 CE

Sep 01 2024 46 mins  
The destruction of the 2nd Temple in 70 CE was a cataclysmic event for the people of Judaea and the Galilee. Our guest Nathanael Vette argues that all four New Testament gospels were written after 70 when Jewish communities were grappling with the loss of the Temple and an uncertain future under harsh Roman rule. Nathanael has found remarkable evidence in Mark that times the first