OS 134 - Poverty, Pessimism, and Comedy in Ancient Mesopotamia
Today we read through the Dialogue of Pessimism and the Poor Man of Nippur. Both are comedies with a bit of edge to them, though in very different formats, showing the richness of ancient literature. ...
3 Jan 202441min
The Theology Within History
Today we overview the historical portions of the bible and look at the fallibility of heroes, resolving moral conflicts with God, and the historical problems with strict literalism. I have gotten spec...
27 Des 202345min
Isaiah 55
Christmas Special! We are reading Isaiah chapter 55, a pretty short one, partly because it is nice, and partly because it illustrates the theological maturity present very early in Jewish history. Als...
25 Des 202327min
The Witness of Lamentations
Today we read through the five poems of Jeremiah's Lamentations over the destruction of Jerusalem. We look in particular at the historical context and the humanness of this 2600 year old performance, ...
23 Des 202342min
The Book of Job in a Near Eastern Context
Today we go on a wide ranging survey of the Near Eastern predecessors to the Book of Job, including the biblical books that also speak to the same themes, before looking through the Book of Job to see...
22 Des 202343min
OS 133 - Jerusalem Falls
Today we ask the question - Who put the "Deuteronomic" in the Deuteronomistic Histories? Plus thousands of people die, so all in all a pretty jam packed episode. Our focus is King Josiah, about whom m...
20 Des 20231h 10min
OS 132 - Judah Ascends
Israel has been destroyed by the Assyrians, and Judah very nearly follows. But Jerusalem never does fall to the Assyrians, and the re-emergence of the southern kingdom is almost as shocking as the int...
6 Des 202350min
OS 131 - Israel's Brutal Judgement
The first Oldest Stories Book is available for purchase: https://a.co/d/64mxp6w Today, we go in depth with what it might have been like as the Assyrians invaded, first Israel and then Judah, looking d...
22 Nov 202352min
