History in the Bible

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2.48 Do You Think You're What They Say You Are? Dec 01, 2019

Show notes

What solid statements can we make about the life of Jesus? Who did Jesus think he was? We can never know, but we can make some guesses. Certainly, he thought he was like an Old Testament prophet. He believed that God's kingly rule was about to intervene. Jesus believed that his mission was to prepare the Jews for God's imminent intervention in the world. Did Jesus intend to found a new religion? I doubt it.

2.47 The Resurrection Nov 10, 2019

Show notes

None of the gospels recount the resurrection. They tell of the discovery of the empty by Mary Magdalene and some other women, and then move to Jesus post-resurrection appearances. The resurrection happens off stage. The Gospel of Peter is the only document that describes the actual moment of resurrection.

The gospels present differing accounts of Jesus' appearances after his death. Did he appear in spirit, like an angel, or as real fleshly human? How many people did he appear to, and when, and where?

Bonus 24 The Whacky Book of Daniel Nov 03, 2019

Show notes

This is a bonus episode for season two. Steve Guerra and I tackle the the book of Daniel. We all know the book's stories of Daniel: the lion's den, the fiery furnace, and the writing on the wall. We discover a book of two parts, one of which claims to be a reliable history of Babylonian times. Spoiler: It's not. The second half is the only apocalypse in the Old Testament.

2.46 The Death of Jesus Oct 20, 2019

Show notes

Jesus' death is the supreme sacrifice. The Son of God takes upon himself the sins of the world to redeem all of mankind. From the disparate gospel accounts of Jesus' death, what can we actually say is dependable evidence? The gospels give us two surprise cameo appearances: Simon of Cyrene, and Joseph of Arimathea.

2.45 Jesus on Trial Sep 29, 2019

Show notes

After the Last Supper, Jesus and his mates take a post-prandial stroll in the dark to the Mount of Olives, a 30 minute walk due east of the Temple. Jesus had delivered an apocaplytic sermon at the mount the day before. According to the gospel of John, Jesus serenely accepts his fate, and refuses to ask his Father to save him. The synoptic gospels challenge that. In those gospels, Jesus lashes out at his disciples. As the company return from the Mount through the Garden of Gethsamene, Jesus asks his Father to save him from death. Jesus is arrested at the Garden and sent for trial. The gospels can't get their story straight about the trials. Was Jesus tried by the Jewish Council? Was he just interrogated, but not tried, by the high priest? Was he sent to Herod Antipas? Was he taken before Pilate once or twice? The gospels disagree. One thing that the gospels furiously agree upon is in exonerating the Roman prefect, and dumping all the blame on the Jews.

2.44 The Last Supper Sep 08, 2019

Show notes

After Jesus has resurrected Lazarus, he briefly flies to Ephraim, outside of Judea, for fear of the Jews. He quickly regains his confidence, and returns to Bethany, and the home of Lazarus. From there he moves to Jerusalem to participate in the annual Passover. In Jerusalem, he and his disciples partake in a final meal. Judas betrays Jesus. The gospel of John disagrees with the synoptics as to the dating of the Last Supper: the day of Passover, or the day before? John uses the supper to introduce a bunch of theology. He also introduces the mysterious Beloved Disciple, and a new divine entity, the Paraclete.

2.43 Palm Sunday Aug 18, 2019

Show notes

The Passion story story begins with Jesus in Bethany, a suburb of Jerusalem. Jesus is staying with his best buddies Martha, Mary, and the risen Lazarus. Jesus arranges with his students to organise a grand parade for his entry into the capital. That goes swimmingly. Ebullient from his grand reception, Jesus marches into the Temple, determined to destroy its commercial activities. Jesus then delivers a little apocalypse at the Mount of Olives.

Bonus 23 The Trinity: Part 2 Aug 04, 2019

Show notes

The notion of the Trinity is one of -- if not the -- most difficult concepts in Christian theology. Steve Guerra and I plough through centuries of Jewish and Christian thought to try to make sense of it. Part two of two.

2.42 The Road To Jerusalem Jul 27, 2019

Show notes

As so often, the synoptic gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke tell a different story of the third and final act of Jesus' life compared to the gospel of John. In the gospel of John, Jesus spends six months in Judea before his death, and is attacked by the authorities because he raised Lazarus from the dead. John has Jesus deliver a series of confusing speeches about his relationship with God. Against John, the synoptic gospels assert that Jesus spent a few weeks traveling to Judea, and only a week in the city.

Bonus 22: All things Biblical at the IntelligentSpeech conference in NYC Jul 07, 2019

Show notes

This is a bonus episode for season two. My long-time collaborator, Steve Guerra, attended the IntelligentSpeech podcasting conference in New York in June 2019. I appeared with Steve thanks to the magic that is Skype. We talk all things Biblical. I hope you enjoy this bonus show. The conference was organised by Roifield Brown, producer of numerous podcasts: How Jamaica Conquered the World, and The Things That Made England, amongst others. Roifield was the man who introduced me to history podcasting.

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