A discussion of the historical formation of the Torah, or Pentateuch, and an introduction to the documentary hypothesis.

Nehemiah's reforms, from 445 BCE to ca. 432 BCE.

This episode deals primarily with the career of Ezra, in 458 BCE. I discuss intermarriage in the Bible and the emergence of the Torah as a source of authority in Israel.

My new book, An Enchanted World: The Shared Religious Landscape of Late Antiquity, will be published by Princeton University Press (see here) in February 2026, and around the same time in Italian by Bollati Boringhieri.  

This episode traces the first two returns from Babylonia to Jerusalem, first under Sheshbazzar and then under the dual leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua, and the building of the Second Temple (539 BCE - 516).

I strive to make my work free, accessible, and without advertising.  Hence, I depend on listener support and generosity to continue to do so.  If you feel you have receive something of value from it, please considering making a donation through the link on the homepage of http://www.mlsatlow.com.

This episode discusses the events that led to the destruction of the first temple in Jerusalem in 586 BCE, and the exile of some Judahite families to Babylonia.

I strive to make my work free, accessible, and without advertising.  Hence, I depend on listener support and generosity to continue to do so.  If you feel you have receive something of value from it, please considering making a donation through the link on the homepage of http://www.mlsatlow.com.

A discussion of the religion of the ancient Israelites, as reflected in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and archaeological finds.

I strive to make my work free, accessible, and without advertising.  Hence, I depend on listener support and generosity to continue to do so.  If you feel you have receive something of value from it, please considering making a donation through the link on the homepage of http://www.mlsatlow.com.

An introduction to the podcast.  How can we reconcile the academic study of religion with its lived experience?

I strive to make my work free, accessible, and without advertising.  Hence, I depend on listener support and generosity to continue to do so.  If you feel you have receive something of value from it, please considering making a donation through the link on the homepage of http://www.mlsatlow.com.