The people of Israel have asked for a king to rule over them and Yahweh makes his choice. But how good a choice is Saul son of Kish? Not very good as it turns out. That's what happens when you elect a leader based solely on height.

We hope back into the Old Testament with 1 Samuel to learn about Samuel, Saul, and the fate of those who dare to steal Yahweh's sacred box. What's the proper gift to appease and angry god? What do rats have to do with all of this? And what's going on with the Temple of Dagon? Wasn't that thing destroyed in the last book? And stick around for another cool announcement.

Where did the First Temple Cult go after being expelled from Jerusalem? And after they were gone, did they remain in exile? Are they still around today?

What happened after the Persian Empire conquered Babylon? How did the new rulers influence the government and religion of ancient Israel? How much of Judaism came from Israel and how much is Persian?

A crash course in the single largest external influence on Second Temple Judaism. Who was Zarathustra? Why was his religion so important? And what was it all about? This is without a doubt my biggest and bestest episode.
Oh, and there's a HUGE announcement. Don't worry, you won't miss it.

We continue our look at First Temple Theology and shift our focus to the purpose of the temple and the role the High Priest played as a Divine King. Creation has been corrupted but a sacred ritual can repair the damage and restore the land.

The Torah is a product of the Second Temple but Jews had been worshiping in Jerusalem for centuries prior to the Babylonian Exile. When the exiled Jews returned from Babylon they reformed the old religion and stamped it out, bringing an end to First Temple Theology. What was this old religion? What did they believe? How did they worship? WHO did they worship? And why did the returning Jews forsake their ancestral beliefs?

You've no doubt heard of Yule and Saturnalia, those two have been mentioned countless times over the years as the origins of Christmas. But how far back does the mid-winter holiday actually go? 2,500 years? 3,000?
Double that age and you'll be in the ballpark. Grab some hot chocolate and snuggle up under a blanket. We're going back in time from one winter celebration to another until we find the origins of Christmas.

Micah's idols are stolen, the Danites still don't have a place to live, and the Israelites almost wipe out one of their own tribes. All this and more in the conclusion of the Book of Judges.

Half man, half god, half hero, half legend.
That's 200% but that's what you get when you cram a Hercules wannabe and a solar demigod into Jewish folklore. So much to unpack in this episode including a moon goddess, sun gods, Dagon's temple, and more. And stick around for a quick announcement.