As we dig deeper into the story of King David we discover strange parallels with his son Solomon, links between David's grand house and the soon-to-be-constructed temple, and between Jerusalem and an ancient city long abandoned. Yahweh keeps getting called Baal and there are multiple contradictory versions of every scene.

The story of King Saul continues. A rival to the throne has stepped onto the stage and the king keeps getting possessed by the “evil spirit of Yahweh.” To make matters worse the Philistines are pressing the attack and David is terrorizing the countryside. Can a man sell his daughter for the low, low price of 100 foreskins? Is it kosher to talk to a witch? Can Abimelech actually be killed? Find out in this episode as we conclude the First Book of Samuel.

Yahweh hand-selected a king but apparently he made a mistake so he changed his mind about who should be king and chooses another to reign in his place. But he also never changes his mind. Before this kid can be king he must be introduced to the reader in three separate and contradictory scenes, including a showdown with a giant who isn't as tall as he appears.

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?