2.24 Battle for the New Testament IV: Modern Times
The discovery of the ancient Codices Vaticanus and Sinaiticus in the 19th century revealed that the New Testament circulated in three different textual traditions: the Byzantine, the Alexandrian, and ...
15 Jul 201833min
2.23 Battle for the New Testament III: the Reformation
Unlike the Jews, Christians preserved many versions of their scriptures. The invention of printing spurred European scholars to revisit ancient Greek manuscripts in an attempt to create one single ver...
24 Jun 201825min
2.22 Battle for the New Testament II: Against Marcion
The Jesus-clubs reacted against Marcion's tiny list of sacred works. The invention of the codex, the book, brought the issue of the canon to the forefront. Melito, Tatian, Irenaeus, Eusebius, and Atha...
3 Jun 201832min
2.21 Battle for the New Testament I: Earliest Times
Christians in the first two centuries did not have a sacred canon of books. In this first of four parts, I discuss what the earliest church fathers Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp and Papias were reading....
13 Mai 201834min
Bonus 19: Samson on Trial
We all know of the biblical hero Samson, known to his friends as Shimshon ben Manoah, and to his enemies as "that bastard". Samson of the long hair, Samson who was seduced by Delilah, Samson who broug...
6 Mai 201837min
2.20 Herod's Heirs
Herod's kingdom was divided. The Romans took their own chunk. His sons Archelaus, Herod Antipas, and Philip received portions. Their success was mixed. Judea was never easy to rule, often breaking out...
22 Apr 201828min
2.19 What Have the Romans Ever Done For Us?
Rome created an efficient economic system that enabled even middle-strata Judeans to buy goods from far-distant places. Rome introduced new social structures, the patron-client system, and the househo...
1 Apr 201832min
2.18 Modern Debates: Scandal of the Dead Sea Scrolls
The Biblical find of the century, the Dead Sea Scrolls, were turned over to an international committee for study. Bad idea. The cabal refused to let the wider scholarly community examine the documents...
18 Mar 201832min
