Data Over Dogma

This week it's a johannine deep dive, and we brought in the big guns! Our guest is Hugo Méndez, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and all-around nice guy.

Hugo's book, The Gospel of John, a New History, is making waves in the world of Bible scholarship, and we're here for it. Grab a board, and let's surf those waves together!

Get the book here:

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-gospel-of-john-9780197686126?cc=us&lang=en&

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That's right- this week, we're going full Indy! Well... it's not like we're traveling to the ends of the Earth to keep the bad guys away from precious ancient artifacts, but we are going to talk about two of Dr. Jones' most important archaeological finds (thefts): the Ark of the Covenant, and the Holy Grail!

First, we're going to look at the Ark, that big box that Moses built. What is it? What's in it? What was it for and what did it do (other than melt N@zi faces off, obviously). We'll give you the skinny on those angels on top, and the name of the wood that it's made of.

Then: it's so elusive that the very mention of it is synonymous with being difficult to find. Is it the cup Jesus drank from at the last supper? Is it just a legend? Is it something weird having to do with a French bloodline and a self-flagellating albino monk? Whatever it is, we're on the hunt for the Holy Grail!

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It is one of the most important verses of the Hebrew Bible, and it's only six words! Well, six in Hebrew. In English, it's anywhere from nine to twelve words, depending on who's doing the translating. It's the Shema, a prayer from Deuteronomy still holy in Judaism.

But why is it so important? What makes that one verse so special? And for the love of all that's holy- why is it so hard to translate? What exactly do those six Hebrew words mean?

Then, we're heading back into the dark regions of the Apocrypha, and this time, it's the Letter of Jeremiah. What do we know about this text? Was it a real letter? Did Jeremiah actually write it? To whom?

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Was there prostitution in the temple? For a long time, there have been claims that the holy temples of ancient Judea included some form of sacred sex work. Where did this idea come from? Is it valid? And what does this conversation have to do with hate pastor and frequently wrong guy Doug Wilson?

Then, get out your magnifying glasses and call in Poirot, Sherlock, and the whole Scooby gang, because we're diving into a mystery! It's the case of the hidden Psalm, and it's a fun one. Have you finally made it through all 150 chapters in the book of Psalms and thought to yourself "you know, this could use one more"? Well you're in luck! But what is Psalm 151, and why is it not included in most Bibles?

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Will the real Christians please stand up?

This week, we're getting to the bottom of a very divisive issue. In a world where people in different sects of Christianity are constantly drawing lines in the sand, and declaring who counts as a "real Christian", can we look to the Bible itself to help us determine the truth? Or will the Dans just muddy the waters again?

In the second half of our show, we'll talk about the sons of God. Not the son, the sons. Plural. Who are these divine beings? And why are they looking at the human women like that?

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Ooooh MAMA! For a story that's thousands of years old, we sure do hear a lot about Jezebel. Or do we? Pastors and Christian influencers like Mark Driscoll and Charlie Kirk love to invoke the idea of "Jezebel spirit" whenever they don't like what a woman is doing. But is their portrait of the character of Jezebel honest, or are they just looking for a bludgeon to beat up women?

Then, we're looking at two groups that get mentioned a lot in the New Testament. Who are the Pharisees and Sadducees? Were they good guys? Bad guys? Just guys? What was their role in Jewish society at the time of Jesus, and is the Biblical account of them fair?

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Atonement! It's one of the central ideas of Christianity, and is absolutely essential to Christian theology... so what is it? You might be surprised to know that throughout Christian history, atonement has meant many very different things. On this week's show, we'll discuss the twists and turns this idea has taken, as influential thinkers have grappled with the idea of the atonement of Jesus.

Then, it's time to get lost in translation! Very few of us have put in the effort to actually learn to read ancient Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic, and the ones who have are just a bunch of show-offs (lookin' at you, McClellan!). So if we want to read the Bible, most of us are stuck with translations.

But here's the thing: a Bible translation is WAY more complicated than people might think! It's a shockingly in-depth process, where thousands of decisions have to be made, and those decisions can deeply impact the meaning that gets transmitted. Yes, we're talking about choosing how to render a certain phrase or ancient idiom, but it's more than that. They have to choose which source text to use! There are competing source texts! It's a mess.

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It's a lie! This week we're looking at a very odd falsehood in the Bible. And the really weird part is that it's told multiple times, by multiple important biblical people, including the grand-daddy of the biblical lineage himself, Abraham.

Then, we'll look an interesting little bit of home decor from biblical times. Teraphim seem to be little humanoid icons that folks kept around the house, but what was the purpose of them? Were they small? Big? Both? Were they decorative art pieces, or important religious oracles? Or maybe just dolls for the kids? Dr. Dan will walk us through it!

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What does it mean to be "saved" in that uniquely Christian sense? It makes sense, if you're going to talk about a savior, that you would have people that that savior is saving. But where does this idea come from, and to whom does it apply. Heaven knows, even various Christian sects can't agree on this, but as is our wont here on the Data Over Dogma show, we're going to dig in to the topic, and make a big mess.

Then, we dive face-first into Isaiah 6, which is one of those prophecies that reads like a fever dream. Six-winged seraphim, temples filled with... something.... Let's just say that it takes a lot of explanation to make it all make sense.

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Have all of the prophecies about Jesus' death and resurrection already happened? Did the apocalypse come and go, and now we're just coasting?

Here's the thing about prophecies: the good ones are never specific enough! Sure, every now and then someone will come along and give exact dates and times for when some apocalyptic event is going to happen, but those guys are inevitably just proven wrong.

Then there are the other prophets. The biblical ones. They use heavy metaphors, preferring to talk about statues made of different materials, or beasts with the head of one animal and the claws of another, and we're left to try and piece together what the heck they're talking about. This conundrum has led to countless schools of thought regarding biblical prophecy, and today we're discussing one fairly prevalent (if controversial) one known as preterism.

After that, we'll look at the grand-daddy of prophecy itself: Revelation! Fire-and-brimstone preachers love turning to the apocalypse of John to terrify their congregations into a constant state of anxious preparedness, but it's possible those congregants wouldn't be quite as worried if they knew the full history of that book. Did the early church leaders love it, or was there maybe some controversy about its veracity? (Spoiler: it's that second thing)

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