What is the Book of Revelation actually about? Most modern readers treat Revelation as a prophecy about the end times, but ancient readers read it very differently. This week, we’re joined by Dr. Rebekah Haigh to explore how ancient apocalyptic literature works, why Revelation is full of symbols and violence, and how its first-century Roman context changes everything.

👉 Dr. Haigh helps us explore:

– How ancient audiences understood apocalypses
– Why Revelation isn’t a roadmap to the end of the world
– How violence, empire, and resistance shape the book
– What readers get wrong about Revelation’s message

🔗 Resources & Links 

– Check out Dr. Haigh's podcast: "The Women Who Went Before"

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Guest: Dr. Rebekah Haigh

Hosted by Dr. Jordan Jones

Edited by Mary Kathryn Lichty

The Bible & Archaeology podcast is made with support from Amanda Stone

Are the Amarna Letters diplomacy or manipulation?

The Amarna Letters, ancient tablets from Pharaoh Akhenaten’s capital in Egypt, reveal a world of royal drama, political gaslighting, and fragile alliances between the superpowers of the Late Bronze Age. These 3,000-year-old messages between the kings of Egypt, Babylon, Canaan, and the Hittites expose the psychology of empire, but how much can we really trust what these ancient rulers wrote?

This week, Dr. Eric Cline joins us to talk about his new book Love, War, and Diplomacy and to explore what the Amarna Letters reveal about ancient diplomacy, international politics, and the tensions that existed before the Late Bronze Age Collapse. Together, we ask: Who were these kings and envoys? How did early scholars shape our understanding of them? And did anyone see the coming disaster?

👉 Dr. Cline helps us explore: 

– What the Amarna Letters really say about ancient diplomacy
– The political psychology of the Late Bronze Age
– How early scholars framed the discovery
– Did the letters foreshadow the collapse of civilization?

🔗 Resources & Links 

– Love, War, and Diplomacy

– 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed

– After 1177 B.C.: The Survival of Civilizations

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✉️ Send us your questions: [email protected]

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🎙️ Credits

Guest: Dr. Eric Cline

Hosted, Produced, and Edited by Dr. Jordan Jones

Additional contributions by Mary Kathryn Lichty

The Bible & Archaeology podcast is made with support from Amanda Stone

What can a lost Jewish temple in Egypt teach us about early Judaism? The Elephantine Papyri reveal how Jews lived, worshiped, and but why don’t they mention the Bible? This week, we’re joined by Dr. James D. Moore to explore the big questions about the Elephantine papyri and what they tell us about the Jewish community living at and around the border fortress at Elephantine.

👉 Dr. Moore helps us explore:

– What do the Elephantine papyri tell us about ancient Judaism?

– Why aren’t there any biblical texts in the Elephantine papyri?

– What happened to the people who lived at Elephantine?

🔗 Resources & Links

– Want to explore some papyri? Check out: Digital Editions of Aramaic and Phoenician Sources

– Read: New Aramaic Papyri from Elephantine in Berlin

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✉️ Send us your questions: [email protected]

🔗 Want to watch the show? Find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see a video recording of this show.

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🎙️ Credits

Guest: Dr. James D. Moore

Hosted and Produced by Dr. Jordan Jones

Edited by Mary Kathryn Lichty

The Bible & Archaeology podcast is made with support from Amanda Stone

Why are witches linked with black cats, and does the Bible have anything to do with it? This week, Dr. Peter Miller joins us to uncover how biblical ideas about magic shaped later Christian traditions about witches, black cats, and the devil.

👉 We’ll discuss:

– What “magic” means in the Bible

– How witchcraft appears in the Bible

– How biblical texts became witch-hunt propaganda

🔗 Resources & Links

– Watch "Blacklisted: The Sacred Magic of Black Cats"

– Support the House of Black Cat Magic shelter

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🎙️ Credits

Guest: Dr. Peter Miller

Hosted and Produced by Dr. Jordan Jones

Edited by Mary Kathryn Lichty

The Bible & Archaeology podcast is made with support from Amanda Stone

Do demons have bodies? And if they do, what do they look like? This week, Dr. Travis Proctor joins us to explore how ancient Jews and Christians understood demons, possession, and the world of spiritual beings.

From their origins as the spirits of the Nephilim, to possession and exorcism stories in the Bible, we’ll unpack how early writers imagined the complicated role of demons in the Bible and how this shaped their portrayals of demonic bodies, evil spirits, and human vulnerability to possession.

👉 We’ll discuss:

– Where people thought demons came from

– How different biblical authors used demons as an explanation

– Why the biblical authors believed humans could be possessed

– How ideas about demon bodies shaped ideas of exorcism

📖 Check out Demonic Bodies and the Dark Ecologies of Early Christian Culture

🔗 Resources & Links

– You can join Dr. Proctor for a class on demons and ghosts in the Bible through the Biblical Studies Academy

– You can join Dr. Proctor for a class on the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of Christianity through the Religion Department

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🎙️ Credits

Guest: Dr. Travis Proctor

Hosts: Dr. Jordan Jones

Produced and Edited by Jordan Jones

Additional Contributions by Mary Kathryn Lichty

The Bible & Archaeology podcast is made with support from Amanda Stone

Why does Jesus appear to hold a magic wand in early Christian art? And what does that symbol really mean? This week, Dr. Robyn Walsh joins us to explore early Christian iconography, what the so-called “wand” represents, and how depictions of Jesus evolved from a youthful, beardless healer to the bearded teacher we recognize today.

👉 We’ll discuss:

– What early Christian art tells us about Jesus

– Why Jesus holds a rod or wand in ancient images

– How Jesus’ beard became part of his divine image

📖 (I’ve Got the) Magic Stick: The Virgus and Vitis in Roman Imperial and Early Christian Art🔗 Resources & Links – Find more from Dr. Walsh HERE

– See more videos from Dr. Walsh HERE

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🎙️ Credits

Guest: Dr. Robyn Walsh

Hosts: Dr. Jordan Jones

Produced and Edited by Jordan Jones

Additional Contributions by Mary Kathryn Lichty

The Bible & Archaeology podcast is made with support from Amanda Stone

Was the Gospel of John really written independently, or did its author know and use Matthew, Mark, and Luke as sources? This week, Duke professor Dr. Mark Goodacre is back to explore John’s surprising connections to the Synoptic Gospels and how these links could completely change how we read the New Testament.

Dr. Goodacre helps us explore:

– Did John really know and use the other Gospels?

– How “hidden details” connect John to Matthew, Mark, and Luke

– What this means for the Synoptic Problem and New Testament studies

Check out the book The Fourth Synoptic Gospel

Mark's Podcast the NTPod

Find Mark on YouTube

Join Dr. Cargill for his new online course ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cities of the Bible⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Send us your questions: [email protected]

Want to watch the show? Find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see a video recording of this show.

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Guest: Dr. Mark Goodacre

Hosted, Produced, and Edited by Jordan Jones

Additional Contributions by Mary Kathryn Lichty

The Bible & Archaeology podcast is made with support from Amanda Stone

She seduced her father-in-law, he sacrificed his daughter, and it’s all in the Bible! 

In this episode, we explore two of the most disturbing stories in the Hebrew Bible: the story of Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38) and the tragic tale of Jephthah’s daughter (Judges 11). These are two of the most shocking stories in the Bible, so why did they make it in? Are these stories misunderstood?

Join us as we unpack the historical, literary, and cultural background behind these two controversial texts, explore how ancient Israel understood them, and discover why they still matter today.

👉 We’ll explore: 

– Who were Judah and Tamar in Genesis 38 

– What was Onan’s sin?

– What is Levirate marriage?

–  Why did Jephthah sacrifice his daughter in Judges 11?

– What these disturbing Bible stories reveal about ancient Israel.

📚Join Dr. Cargill for his new online course ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cities of the Bible⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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✉️ Send us your questions: [email protected]

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🎙️ Credits

Hosts: Dr. Bob Cargill, Dr. Jordan Jones

Produced and Edited by Jordan Jones

Additional Contributions by Mary Kathryn Lichty

The Bible & Archaeology podcast is made with support from Amanda Stone

The Dead Sea Scrolls are one of the greatest archaeological discoveries ever made, but what do they actually tell us about ancient Judaism, the Bible, and the mysterious site of Qumran? Were they really part of a library, or something else entirely?

This week, we’re joined by Dr. Sidnie White Crawford, author of Scribes and Scrolls at Qumran, to explore the big questions about the Scrolls.

Dr. Crawford helps us explore:– Were the Scrolls connected to Qumran, or placed in caves by chance?– What do they reveal about ancient Jewish life and religion?– Can we ever know who wrote the Scrolls?

Check out the book ⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠

Join Dr. Cargill for his new online course ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cities of the Bible⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Send us your questions: [email protected]

Want to watch the show? Find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see a video recording of this show.

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Guest: Dr. Sidnie White Crawford

Hosted, Produced, and Edited by Jordan Jones

Additional Contributions by Mary Kathryn Lichty

The Bible & Archaeology podcast is made with support from Amanda Stone

Who was Haman, and why has he endured as one of the Bible’s most infamous villains? In the Book of Esther, Haman rises to power in the Persian court and plots against the Jewish people, but the story also raises deeper questions. Does the story portray him as a villain to be feared, mocked, or both? This week, we're talking with Dr. Adam Silverstein, author of "Haman: A Biography," about one of the most infamous villains from the Bible.

Dr. Silverstein helps us explore:

–Haman's centrality to the story of Esther

–How Haman is remembered during Purim

–The various identities that get connected to Esther

–Why Haman is such an adaptable character

Check out the book HERE

Join Dr. Cargill for his new online course ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cities of the Bible⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Become a Bible & Archaeology patron on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Send us your questions: [email protected]

Want to watch the show? Find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see a video recording of this show.

Everywhere you can find us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linktree⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Dr. Adam Silverstein

Hosted, Produced, and Edited by Jordan Jones

Additional Contributions by Mary Kathryn Lichty

The Bible & Archaeology podcast is made with support from Amanda Stone