Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. Today’s episode is called

“Conspiracies and Stuff.” Okay, now we’re getting somewhere! Like we did in the last couple episodes, we will cover some of the good and some of the bad you will find out there in Biblical Research Land. This will be the last one on the topic of evidence for a bit and I can hear the collective sigh from both of my adoring fans. Again, I hope you pick up a few tools and tips to use as you listen to lectures and read analysis on Biblical history. If you’re interested, I’m Tony. I’m the author and the narrator. Like and subscribe for new episodes. Share the episode, ask questions and all that jazz.

Notes and References, just to prove I’m not making up this stuff!

1. “The Protoevangelium of James the Lesser.” Translated by Alexander Walker. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 8. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight.

2. “The Infancy Gospel of Thomas.” Available on the internet. Feel free to search for it. I don’t have a copy and don’t really want one. It’s dumb.

3. Pitre, Brant. The Case for Jesus: The Biblical and Historical Evidence for Christ. Greenwood Village, CO: Augustine Institute, 2017

4. “The Decretum Gelasianum.” Ernst von Dobschütz, Das Decretum Gelasianum de libris recipiendis et non recipiendis in kritischem Text herausgegeben und untersucht von Ernst von Dobschütz (Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichs, 1912) Available online at https://www.tertullian.org/decretum_eng.htm, accessed most recently on 18 Feb 2025.

5. Pixner, Bargil, O.S.B. With Jesus Through Galilee According to the Fifth Gospel. Rosh Pina, Israel: Corazin Publishing, 1992

6. Josephus, Flavius. The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem. Translated by William Whiston, PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK. Release Date: 10 Jan 2009 [EBook #2850], Updated: 3 Aug 2013

7. “Spirit.” The Chosen, season 2, episode 5, Angel Studios, 23 May 2010. https://watch.thechosen.tv/page/seasons%201-3.

8. Mishnah: Avodah Zarah (50b), Online Version from Sefaria (https://www.sefaria.org/Avodah_Zarah.50b.5?lang=bi), accessed frequently between 2021 and 2024.)

9. Aslan, Reza. Zealot: The Life and Times Of Jesus of Nazareth. NY: Random House, 2013

10. Mishnah: Sanhedrin (17b), Online Version from Sefaria (https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.17b.9?lang=bi), accessed frequently between 2021 and 2024.)

11. Francis of Assisi. “Rule of 1221.” The entire First Rule is available at https://www.capdox.capuchin.org.au/legislation/the-unconfirmed-first-rule-of-st-francis/ (accessed 4 May 2022).

12. Miller, Father Frederick L. Saint Joseph: Our Father in Faith. New Haven, CT: Catholic Information Service (Knights of Columbus Veritas Series), 2008

13. Prat, Ferdinand, S.J. Jesus Christ, His Life, His Teaching and His Work, Volume I. Milwaukee, WI: The Bruce Publishing Company, 1950

14. Aquinas, Saint Thomas. Catena Aurea: Commentary on the Four Gospels. St. Matthew Oxford, John Henry Parker; J. G. F. AND J. Rivington, London. 1841

15. Calloway, Donald H., MIC. Consecration to St. Joseph. Stockbridge, MA: Marian Press, 2020

16. Phillippe, Fr. Marie-Dominique. The Mystery of Joseph. Bethesda, MD: Zaccheus Press, 2010.

17. Jerome, Saint, translated by Thomas P. Scheck. “Commentary on Matthew,” The Fathers of the Church, Volume 117. Washington D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2008

18. Calkins, Arthur B., Fr. “The Justice of Joseph Revisited.” Homiletic & Pastoral Review, June 1988

Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. Today’s episode is called “Evidence, Part 2,” which is my catchy little naming device to clue you into the possibility that there was a Part 1 and might even be a Part 3! Does it get any better than this? I hope these few episodes help you pick up some tools and techniques to use when deciding if some hotshot analyst is giving you gold or another line of...well, you know.

Notes and References

1. Mishnah, Online Version from Sefaria: https://www.sefaria.org/texts/Mishnah, accessed frequently between 2021 and 2024.

2. BibleHub.com Interlinear Bible: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/matthew/1.htm, accessed many, many times between 2021 and 2025.

3. BibleGateway.com for Side by Side text Comparisons:

https://www.biblegateway.com/

, accessed frequently between 2021 and 2024.

Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. Today’s episode is called “Evidence, Part 1.” I hope these few episodes give you some tools to sift through the billions of sources, all claiming to give you the inside scoop on what happened 2000 years ago. Here are some sources I talk about in the episode:

1. New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2010

2. The Didache Bible, Ignatius Bible Edition. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2018

3. Hesemann, Michael, translated by Michael J. Miller. Mary of Nazareth: History, Archeology, Legends. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, CA 2016 (Original German edition, 2011, Sankt Ulrich Verlag, Augsburg, Germany.)

4. Lanser, Rick, MDiv. “Pinpointing the Date of Christ's Birth,” Associates for Biblical Research, 2019. (https://biblearchaeology.org/about/abr-projects/the-daniel-9-24-27-project/4368-pinpointing-the-date-of-christ-s-birth, accessed 2 Mar 2022)

5. Mason, Steve. “Jews, Judaeans, Judaizing, Judaism: Problems of Categorization in Ancient History.” Journal for the Study of Judaism, 38, p. 457-512, 2007.

6. Jensen, Morten Horning. “Purity and Politics in Herod Antipas’s Galilee: The Case for Religious Motivation,” Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus, 11-1, p. 3–34, 2013.

7. “The Protoevangelium of James the Lesser.” Translated by Alexander Walker. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 8. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight.

8. Mishnah, Online Version from Sefaria (https://www.sefaria.org/texts/Mishnah, accessed frequently between 2021 and 2024.)

Hey, there. Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. Today’s episode is called “Reading Statements Horizontally,” and your response should be, “Um, yeah, reading statements horizontally is generally what we do. Most of us have been reading left to right for a couple years, now.” But what I mean is to read witness statements simultaneously to see what details jump out. I’m Tony. I’m the author and narrator, and I like the way it sounds when it’s smashed together so I remain the authorator. Like and subscribe for new episodes.

Notes and References

1 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE), The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Notes and References

1  Charlesworth, James H., and Mordekhai Aviʿam. "Reconstructing First-Century Galilee: Reflections on Ten Major Problems." Jesus Research: New Methodologies and Perceptions: 103-137. United Kingdom: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014

2  “The Protoevangelium of James the Lesser.” Translated by Alexander Walker. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 8. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight.

3  “The History of Joseph the Carpenter.” Translated by Alexander Walker. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 8. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight.

4  Ratzinger, Joseph, Pope Benedict XVI. Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives. New York: Crown Publishing, 2012

5  Pixner, Bargil, O.S.B. Paths of the Messiah: Messianic Sites in Galilee and Jerusalem. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010

6  McHugh, John. The Mother of Jesus in the New Testament. New York: Doubleday, 1975

7  The Prophecies and Revelations of Saint Bridget (Birgitta) of Sweden, available at https://www.saintsbooks.net/books/St.%20Bridget%20(Birgitta)%20of%20Sweden%20-%20Prophecies%20and%20Revelations.html, accessed 28 Apr 2022

8  Martyr, Justin. The First Apology. Translated by Marcus Dods and George Reith. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1885.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight.

9  Sister Mary of Jesus. The Mystical City of God, Book Two. Translated by Fiscar Marison. Washington: Ave Maria Institute, 1971

Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. Today’s episode is called “Asking Good Questions,” where we will talk about asking questions; why we should ask them and even what kind of questions to ask. As always, I will throw in a couple stories from my work that are as interesting as I can make them, without giving any of the classified details from the job. If you’re tracking episode numbers, you will notice that today’s pod is out of order. My apologies, it’s all my fault. I started recording a week after I started publishing and am catching up. For continuity’s sake, you can listen to this episode before number 4, to keep things in order. After we talk about questions today, I invite you to go to the written version on Substack. There are a bunch of questions that I will chew through, as we go along. Feel free to add to the list. In case you’re wondering, I’m Tony. I’m the author, narrator, editor, sound tech, and whatever else I need to be! Like and subscribe for new episodes. Let’s go! Asking Good Questions.

Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. Today’s episode is called “Choosing Good Sources,” where I will talk about some of the primary sources I use on the page and why we should or should not trust them. I also get to use cool words, like historicity a lot and try to sound intelligent, doing so. One note is that I will give a bunch of references, if you want to dig deeper on some of these subjects. All of the notes and links are in the written version on Substack. I’m Tony. I’m the author, narrator, and whatever else I need to be! Like and subscribe for new episodes.

Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. Today’s episode is called “Setting the Scene,” where I try to explain why I decided to talk about something other than what I told you I would talk about in this episode. I’m Tony. I’m the author and the guy you blame when the episode is a snoozer, as if that would ever happen. I’m your narrator, too, if you want to comment on my ability to read a script. If you like what you hear, go ahead and subscribe for new episodes. Join us now to....Set the Scene!

After 30 years, as a counterintelligence agent, investigator, and director of a large analytic center, Tony Devlin is turning his investigative and analytic experience toward making sense of the Bible. We will pick apart the stories you know and love, always seeking to understand what is in the Bible and what it means. Join us for the Investigators Guide to the Bible! Feel free to leave comments and to subscribe for new episodes!