The Bible Lore Podcast

Due to a combination of new employment opportunities, the Spokane Fires (hey, that's where I live!), and a variety of other issues, I've been unable to finish the Cyrus series (check back soon). However, all is not lost, as Conner and Alek from Propagandos are here to talk me through Angel Studios' 2025 musical adaptation of 1 Samuel: David . This movie is fairly forgettable, but we get plenty of time to talk about the weirdness of Angel Studios. Check out Propagandos wherever you get podcasts! Here's Spotify and Apple Podcasts: https://open.spotify.com/show/54HXEDT1w5QkZCxAwkMktZ?si=281e02c82a384de5 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/propagandos/id1726235798

"NO MAN CAN KILL ME, I'M BLESSED." That's right folks, we've got Hesse here to talk about one of the greatest Catholic movies of all time, 1992's Bad Lieutenant, directed by Abel Ferrara. This episode is a bit unfocused but I hope you all enjoy it anyway. Check out Hesse's podcasts! Seeking Derangements: https://www.patreon.com/seekingderangements Trouble in River City: https://www.patreon.com/cw/TroubleInRiverCity Movie Mindset: https://www.patreon.com/cw/chapotraphouse/collections SUPPORT THIS SHOW ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/cw/biblelorepodcast

The saga of Cyrus continues while the Exile ends. But what does Exile really mean? Today, I explore Second Isaiah, Ezekiel, and a little bit of Ezra. What do these wildly different works say about the end of the Exile? And how does that line up with what archaeology tells us about late 6th century Jerusalem? Join the Patreon: http://patreon.com/biblelorepodcast Bibliography: Hallo & Younger - 'The Context of Scripture, Vols. 1-3'; Radner, Moeller, et al - 'The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East Vol. 5'; Matt Waters - 'King of the World'; Herodotus, Sélincourt (transl.) - 'The Histories'; Joseph Blenkinsopp - 'Isaiah 40-55 (Anchor Yale)'; Robert Alter - 'The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary'; Christian Frevel - 'History of Ancient Israel'; Berlin, Brettler, et al - 'The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition'; Daniel McClellan - 'YHWH's Divine Images'; Michael Dick (ed.) - 'Born in Heaven, Made on Earth'; Levine, Brettler, et al - 'The Jewish Annotated New Testament'; Bob Becking - 'We All Returned As One!'; Robert J. Miller - 'Helping Jesus Fulfill Prophecy'; https://nypost.com/2025/10/13/world-news/im-here-to-thank-america-israel-flooded-with-us-adoration/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh11CuVUZPY

Apologies for neglecting the standard feed! On the other hand, that means you'll be getting two episodes this week and another in two weeks! And even better, despite Chris saying he can't announce anything, now he can! Check out Chunks, a new comedy anthology that Chris put together and produced along with fellow Chapo co-host Amber Frost! https://patreon.com/chunkstv Anyway, onto episode info: It's Bible at the Movies time and boy is today's movie a stinker! Ridley Scott what are you doing??? At the very least, I had a great time discussing this turd with returning guest Chris Wade. Hooray!

Cyrus the Great arrives, Nabonidus falls, and several people eat human meat as we sort through Herodotus to tell the story of the rise of Persia in the mid-6th century BCE. Support the show by joining the Patreon: https://patreon.com/biblelorepodcast Helpful map: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/265/empire-of-cyrus-the-great/ Check out the episode of Super Structure I was featured in: https://www.patreon.com/SuperStructure/posts/late-great-earth-159135809 Bibliography: https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/cyaxares-gk/ https://www.livius.org/sources/content/nabonidus-cylinder-from-sippar/ Paul-Alain Beaulieu - 'Reign of Nabonidus'; Matt Waters - 'King of the World'; Herodotus, Sélincourt (trnsl.) - 'The Histories'; C.J. Gadd - 'The Fall of Nineveh: The Newly Discovered Babylonian Chronicle'; M. David Litwa - 'How the Gospels Became History';

David M. Perry stops by the show to promote his new book, The Public Scholar: A Practical Handbook , a book that is good enough that you'll forget you're reading a manual on how to pitch op-eds and trade volumes. Because David has a wide knowledge base, I used his book as a platform to discuss a variety of subjects, from "Who are your guys?" for medieval popes to how changes in disability policy could impact millions of Americans today to even a little discussion of what the Bible meant to people before the advent of the printing press. This one's good, gang! Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BibleLorePodcast Buy the book: https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/54219/public-scholar Read David's recent article on disability policy: https://www.ms.now/opinion/social-security-disability-payments-trump-new-rule

Apologies to my Spotify listeners, I thought I had addressed an issue to their satisfaction but they removed the episode anyway. Here is a reupload of episode 31. This one's all about Nabonidus, the last king of Babylon, an oddball devotee of the moon god Sin whose reign ends up becoming the basis for some of Daniel's most infamous stories. Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BibleLorePodcast Buy Between Two Rivers by Moudhy Al-Rashid: https://bookshop.org/p/books/between-two-rivers-ancient-mesopotamia-and-the-birth-of-history-moudhy-al-rashid/9a6c9713e7d1cb21 Keyvan Golsorkhi on Iran: https://www.thenation.com/article/world/iran-diaspora-war-trump-israel/ Data Over Dogma on seeing the face of God: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohh4Huzfn2U Bibliography: Paul-Alain Beaulieu - 'Nabonidus the Mad King'; Paul-Alain Beaulieu - 'Reign of Nabonidus, King of Babylon'; Moudhy Al-Rashi - 'Between Two Rivers'; John Collins - 'Daniel'; Hallo & Younger - 'The Context of Scripture Vol 1-3'; Marc van de Mieroop - 'A History of the Ancient Near East'; Radner, Moeller, Potts, et al - 'The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East, Volume V'; Berlin, Brettler, et al - 'The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition'; Robert Alter - 'The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary'; Pietersma, Wright - 'A New English Translation of the Septuagint';

This one's all about Nabonidus, the last king of Babylon, an oddball devotee of the moon god Sin whose reign ends up becoming the basis for some of Daniel's most infamous stories. Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BibleLorePodcast Buy Between Two Rivers by Moudhy Al-Rashid: https://bookshop.org/p/books/between-two-rivers-ancient-mesopotamia-and-the-birth-of-history-moudhy-al-rashid/9a6c9713e7d1cb21 Keyvan Golsorkhi on Iran: https://www.thenation.com/article/world/iran-diaspora-war-trump-israel/ Data Over Dogma on seeing the face of God: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohh4Huzfn2U Bibliography: Paul-Alain Beaulieu - 'Nabonidus the Mad King'; Paul-Alain Beaulieu - 'Reign of Nabonidus, King of Babylon'; Moudhy Al-Rashi - 'Between Two Rivers'; John Collins - 'Daniel'; Hallo & Younger - 'The Context of Scripture Vol 1-3'; Marc van de Mieroop - 'A History of the Ancient Near East'; Radner, Moeller, Potts, et al - 'The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East, Volume V'; Berlin, Brettler, et al - 'The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition'; Robert Alter - 'The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary'; Pietersma, Wright - 'A New English Translation of the Septuagint';

Hello wonderful Patreon subscribers and freeloaders (whom I also love). Today's episode is a special one, an extended conversation with Andrew Tobolowsky about the myth of the 12 tribes of Israel in the Hebrew Bible and then later in everything from early Christianity to the Black Hebrew Israelites. Plus, a small announcement, now in custom written form: the pace of this show has slowed down due to my gaining of employment (steel foundry maintenance helper, an insane job for the young or delusional-and-mid-30s). Because this happened nearly overnight (I applied and started working within four days), I haven't had time to address the slowdown until now, nearly a month after my last release. My sincere apologies. Here's the rub: for the near future, I'll be shifting to releasing one episode per month, with occasional bonus content for Patrons only, and a move to two-week early access for all content for my Patreon subscribers, the blessed Shaddayim. If that's not enough content for your $5, I totally get it; I'm obviously as bummed as you are that the show has slowed down. It's no worries at all. You'll still be able to enjoy all free scripted episodes and Bible at the Movies episodes on the free tier. My main goal, which I will not abandon despite its Quixotic nature, is to tell the entire history of the Bible and how it accrued the lore it did in a format that's accessible to just about anyone. The breadth of this journey and the massive scope of this history is something that could keep this show going for many years, until I inevitably have to figure out how to tell the story of a quarter of the planet in a coherent way. I hope you'll all stick with me through this slower period, cuz I'm not leaving . Buy Andrew's books: The Myth of the Twelve Tribes of Israel Israel and its Heirs in Late Antiquity Subscribe to the Patreon to support this show: https://www.patreon.com/BibleLorePodcast

We get right back into the 6th century as we explore the latter years of Nebuchadnezzar's reign and the chaos of his three immediate predecessors. On the lore side, this episode features a lengthy discussion of the origins of the Sabbath, various Judahite festivals, seeing the face of Yahweh himself, and an ancient board game! Try the Royal Game of Ur yourself: https://royalur.net/ Bibliography: Radner, Moeller, Potts, et al, 'The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East, Volume V'; Christian Frevel, 'History of Ancient Israel'; Robert Alter, 'The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary'; Berlin, Brettler, et al, 'The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition'; Irving Finkel, 'The Ark Before Noah'; Jon Levenson, 'Israel's Day of Light and Joy'; Jacob Wright, 'Why the Bible Began'; Moudhi Al-Rashi, 'Between Two Rivers'; Hallo & Younger, 'The Context of Scripture Vols. 1-3'; Paul-Alain Beaulieu, 'The Reign of Nabonidus, King of Babylon 556-539 B.C.'; Glassner & Foster, 'Mesopotamian Chronicles'; Wolfram von Soden, 'Der neubabylonische Funktionär simmagir und der Feuertod des Šamaš-šum-ukīn'; Rainer Albertz, 'A History of Israelite Religion in the Old Testament Period, Vol. II'; https://www.thetorah.com/article/does-a-day-begin-in-the-evening https://www.thetorah.com/article/shabbat-of-the-full-moon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gF4YGKRXxc https://www.thetorah.com/article/shabbat-mid-fifth-century-bce

PLEASE WATCH THIS MOVIE BEFORE LISTENING. THIS IS NOT A JOKE. CLICK THIS LINK ASAP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUkeQM_QsCA This episode released a week early for Patreon subscribers. Join their ranks and support the show here: https://www.patreon.com/BibleLorePodcast This time, I've got Luke and Jesse from Stores podcast to talk about the greatest Christian movie of all time: Black Easter: Assassin 33 A.D. (Director's Cut). Check out Stores, a podcast about stores: https://www.patreon.com/c/storesthepodcast/home

This episode released a week early for Patreon subscribers. Happy New Year to all, and especially all of my wonderful subscribers here! After the holidays and an extended period of congestion, we're back in the 570s BCE. I talk about the precious little archaeological evidence for the Torah outside of two magic scrolls, and the overall reasons scholars believe the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, were not only five individual books but also composed of multiple source texts. That's right, today is the big introduction to the Documentary Hypothesis. There is a whole lot going on here, so I've provided some additional resources below for anyone interested in diving deeper, including a link to some helpful companion videos and a chart showing the way the Torah is divided by scholars. Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BibleLorePodcast David Carr's video on the composition of the Pentateuch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myY62SoqLPk A link to Joel Baden's division of the Pentateuch rendered in KJV, and handy chart showing the composition of the Torah's sources according to his division: https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Bible/King_James/Documentary_Hypothesis Paul Davidson's video on Eden's location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BceHNgc3dzg Bibliography: David Carr, 'Genesis 1-11'; David Carr, 'The Formation of Genesis 1-11'; Joel Baden, 'The Composition of the Pentateuch'; Konrad Schmid, 'Genesis and the Moses Story'; Marc van de Mieroop, 'A History of the Ancient Near East'; Stephanie Dalley, 'Myths from Mesopotamia'; Hallo, Younger, 'The Context of Scripture, Vol. 1-3'; Herodotus, de Sélincourt (translated by), 'The Histories'; Robert Alter, 'The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary'; Berlin, Brettler, et al, 'The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition'; Richard Friedman, 'The Bible with Sources Revealed'; https://www.thetorah.com/article/the-tower-of-babel-a-polemic-against-marduks-temple-esagil https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/inscriptions/miniature-writing-ancient-amulets-ketef-hinnom/ https://www.thetorah.com/article/the-decalogue-ten-commandments-or-ten-statements

Jerusalem is a smoldering ruin, and the king is dead. The destruction of the temple of YHWH leads to one of the most eclectic and strange and disturbing books of the Bible, as the prophet Ezekiel rants and rages about the failings of Judah. Also I talk about weed. Get bonus content and support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/BibleLorePodcast Bibliography: Christian Frevel - 'History of Ancient Israel'; Moshe Greenberg - 'Ezekiel 1-20; 21-37'; Herodotus, de Sélincourt (tr) - 'The Histories'; Francesca Stavrakopoulou - 'God: An Anatomy'; Robert Alter - 'The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary'; Berlin, Brettler, et al - 'The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition'; Radner, Moeller, Potts, et al - 'The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East, Volume V';

Hello all! As I'm currently putting together a few episodes that have taken a touch longer than anticipated, I thought I'd unlock some Patreon-exclusive content for everyone to enjoy. Find more bonus content here and become a subscriber to support the show: https://www.patreon.com/BibleLorePodcast

It's the grand finale of the first part of the history of the Bible: the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar the Second. The last king of Jerusalem, Zedekiah, repeats the same mistake made by his brother Jehoiakim and bets against Babylon. As we explore this fateful event, scholar Eric Harvey takes us through the way the elites of ancient society exploited the working class, and how some of the most famous creation stories in all of mythology act as justification for this economic arrangement. Get Eric's book: https://bookshop.org/a/117081/9781009559911 And check out his website: https://www.blindscholar.com/ And subscribe to the Patreon: https://patreon.com/biblelorepodcast Bibliography: Eric Harvey - 'Reading Creation Myths Economically in Ancient Mesopotamia and Israel'; Mario Liverani - 'Israel's History and the History of Israel'; Christian Frevel - 'History of Ancient Israel'; Marc van de Mieroop - 'A History of the Ancient Near East'; Robert Alter - 'The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary'; Berlin, Brettler, et al - 'The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition'; Radner, Moeller, Potts, et al - 'The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East, Volume V';

We bring Jerusalem to the brink of total destruction and explore the roots of astrology, as we near the end of the Judahite monarchy. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/BibleLorePodcast Bibliography: Mario Liverani - 'Israel's History and the History of Israel'; Christian Frevel - 'History of Ancient Israel'; Robert Alter - 'The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary'; Moudhy al-Rashid - 'Between Two Rivers'; Geza Vermes - 'The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English'; Berlin, Brettler, et al - 'The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition'; Seth Schwartz - 'Imperialism and Jewish Society'; Radner, Moeller, Potts, et al - 'The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East, Volume V'; Hallo, Lawson, and Younger - 'The Context of Scripture'; https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-near-eastern-world/nabonidus-the-first-archaeologist/ https://www.livius.org/sources/content/mesopotamian-chronicles-content/abc-5-jerusalem-chronicle/

Kipp Davis joins the pod again, as we say farewell to a king and an empire. Josiah's time on the throne meets an abrupt and unexpected end, leaving the kingdom of Judah reeling, and Assyria gets its send-off, as the kingdom is conquered by the Babylonians. Buy Kipp's book: https://bookshop.org/a/117081/9781069638502 Support the show and join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BibleLorePodcast Buy books mentioned in the show from this affiliate link: https://bookshop.org/shop/biblelorepodcast Bibliography: Radner et al - 'The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East Volume IV'; Radner et al - 'The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East: Volume V'; Kipp Davis - 'God's Propaganda'; Eckart Frahm - 'Assyria'; Andrew George - 'The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic'; Robert Cargill - 'The Cities That Built the Bible'; Vicente Dobroruka - 'Persian Influence on Daniel and Jewish Apocalyptic Literature'; Robert Alter - 'The Hebrew Bible'; Charles Dickens - 'A Tale of Two Cities'; Berlin, Brettler, et al - 'The Jewish Study Bible'; Christian Frevel - 'History of Ancient Israel'; Stephanie Dalley - 'The Mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon';

Dead Sea Scrolls scholar Kipp Davis returns to walk us through the reign of Josiah, the monarch against which all others are measured in the book of Kings. The Assyrian Empire crumbles, Jerusalem rejoices, and the righteous king begins his crusade to centralize all worship in Judah's capital. Check out Kipp's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/117081/9781069638502 And his YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@DrKippDavis Bibliography: Eckart Frahm - 'Assyria'; Radner et al - 'The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East Volume IV'; Radner et al - 'The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East: Volume V'; Robert Alter - 'The Hebrew Bible'; Berlin et al - 'The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition'; Frevel - 'History of Ancient Israel'; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7l37SSVImE

This episode released early for Patreon subscribers. Support the show and join the ranks of the Shaddayim here: https://www.patreon.com/BibleLorePodcast Dead Sea Scrolls scholar Kipp Davis returns to walk us through the reign of Josiah, the monarch against which all others are measured in the book of Kings. The Assyrian Empire crumbles, Jerusalem rejoices, and the righteous king begins his crusade to centralize all worship in Judah's capital. Check out Kipp's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/117081/9781069638502 And his YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@DrKippDavis Buy books mentioned in the show from this affiliate link: https://bookshop.org/shop/biblelorepodcast Bibliography: Eckart Frahm - 'Assyria'; Radner et al - 'The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East Volume IV'; Radner et al - 'The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East: Volume V'; Robert Alter - 'The Hebrew Bible'; Berlin et al - 'The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition'; Frevel - 'History of Ancient Israel'; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7l37SSVImE

This episode came out early for Patreon subscribers, so make sure to become a supporter here: https://www.patreon.com/BibleLorePodcast Max (Palma) introduces me to the terrific French Bible epic parody, Deux heures moins le quart avant Jésus-Christ . Join us as we determine whether the movie is racist and homophobic and Orientalist or just French! Check out The Drain: https://www.patreon.com/thedrain/home And buy some of the books you've heard mentioned on the show from my affiliate shop: https://bookshop.org/shop/biblelorepodcast