Biblical Time Machine

Feb 02 2025 101 ep. 46 mins 447

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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Move Over, Josephus—Here Comes Philo!

Feb 02 2025 68 mins

Josephus will always be our pal, but it's time to meet another super-important ancient Jewish writer: Philo of Alexandria. Living in the vibrant intellectual hub of 1st-century Alexandria, Philo applied Greco-Roman philosophical ideas to the Hebrew Bible and wrote some of the first books about biblical interpretation. Today Helen and Dave Learn all about Philo and the remarkable ci

The Madness of King Nebuchadnezzar

Jan 26 2025 42 mins

To the authors of the Hebrew Bible, King Nebuchadnezzar was a grade-A jerk. In the 6th century BCE, he and his army sacked Jerusalem, destroyed the First Temple and carried the Judahites into exile in Babylon. All of that stuff actually happened, but things really start to get wild in the book of Daniel. In that much later text, Nebuchadnezzar goes mad, grows feathers and eats gras

What Was Travel Like in Biblical Times?

Jan 19 2025 47 mins

Did Roman roads have rest stops? How bad were the snacks on a sea voyage across the Mediterranean? Did Paul get frequent sailor miles? On today's episode, we answer all of your questions about travel in the ancient world. Our guest (live from an Egyptian desert) is Robert Cioffi, who wrote a terrific article titled "Travel in the Roman World." You can also check out Rob's latest bo

A Historian's Take on Josephus and 'The Jewish War'

Jan 12 2025 67 mins

Today's guest, historian Steve Mason, has called Josephus's The Jewish War "perhaps the most influential non-biblical text of Western history." And he's got a point! Read alongside the Bible, The Jewish War tells the "rest of the story" — specifically, how the Romans came to destroy the Temple in 70 CE. The trouble is, The Jewish War isn't "history" in the modern sense. It's a na

Real Time Travel with Ancient Papyri

Jan 05 2025 54 mins

Of course Helen and Dave have a fully functioning, very real Time Machine. But if you can't wait your turn (the line is ridiculously long), check out "documentary papyri." These scraps of ancient writing — letters, legal documents, shopping lists — offer a firsthand glimpse into everyday life in the 1st century CE. Even better, scholars like our guest Christina Kreinecker use c

"Unto Us a Child is Born" Was Isaiah Talking About Jesus?

Dec 29 2024 64 mins

The prophet Isaiah lived in the 8th century BCE, yet his writings are quoted throughout the New Testament and especially around Christmas. Who was the historical Isaiah? And who (or what) was he writing about when he prophesied the birth of a king 700 years before Jesus? For this special holiday episode, Helen and Dave are joined by Daniel Stulac, a Christian scholar of the Hebrew

Ancient Censuses — Does Luke's Christmas Story Make Sense?

Dec 22 2024 48 mins

In the Gospel of Luke, Joseph and a very pregnant Mary travel to Bethlehem because Caesar Augustus has ordered a census of the entire Roman Empire. But does Jesus's birth story in Luke align with what we know about censuses in the ancient world? How were people counted? Who conducted these censuses? And did people really need to travel back to their ancestral homes to register with

Hanukkah: All About Menorahs and Ancient Oil Lamps

Dec 15 2024 48 mins

Hanukkah celebrates a miraculous event, when the eternal light of the temple burned for 8 days without being extinguished. In this special holiday episode, scholar Gregg Gardner tells Helen and Dave all about ancient oil lamps, including the magnificent and mysterious 7-branched menorah of the Second Temple. If you'd like to make your own potato latkes for Hanukkah, try this recipe

Boy Jesus: Taking the Nativity Stories Seriously

Dec 08 2024 61 mins

Most biblical scholars — including us! — are quick to dismiss the Nativity stories in Matthew and Luke as later theological additions. But what if there are important cultural and even historical memories handed down through these well-worn Christmas stories? According to our guest Joan Taylor, there may be much more to the Nativity stories than we ever thought. Joan's new book

Before Heaven and Hell: Afterlife in the Bible

Dec 01 2024 54 mins

Every good churchgoer knows that after we die the faithful will be welcomed into a heavenly paradise and the baddies will be consigned to eternal damnation. But don't go looking for any of that stuff in the Bible! As our guest James Tabor explains, ancient people had very different conceptions of the afterlife, including the authors of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. For more g