Text and Trowel

After Jerusalem fell to Rome in 70 AD, groups of rebels fled to the Judean desert to keep the revolt alive.  Rome hunted each group down and eliminated any threat of the revolt starting again.  The final, climactic battle occurred between 73-74 CE when the Roman army laid siege to the last rebel stronghold of Masada.

In today's episode, Brad tells the story of Masada and examines the history and archaeology behind the sites fated story of mass suicide

From 66-70 AD, the Jews of ancient Palestine took up arms and attempted fight Rome for the right to govern themselves.  At first, they experienced victory, but once Rom descended with its full might on the tiny provinces of Judea and the Galilee, the Jewish rebellion failed.

In this episode, Brad chronicles the revolt and briefly explores the life of Josephus, and ancient historian who wrote a history known as The Jewish War, which chronicled his experience as a Jewish general turned Roman informant during the war.

Have you ever heard that the character of Mary Magdalene was a prostitute in the New Testament?  Do you know why this assumption has been made for the past 1,500 years?  Also, what happened to Mary after the gospels?  In this episode, we try to answer these questions.

This episode is the first in a three part series that explores the First Jewish Revolt of 66-70 AD.  In this episode, Brad tells the hisory of Rome's rule in ancient Palestine, beginning with the arrival of Pompey Magness to the region.  Brad surveys the reign of Roman governors, as well as the rule of Herod the Great.

Have you ever heard someone refer to Jesus of Nazareth as "the messiah"?  Have you ever wondered what this word means or where it comes from?  In this episode, Brad discusses the origin of word and breifly explores the lives of three other people who were called "messiah" during the lifetime of Jesus.

In today's episode, Brad uses Jesus' burial in Mark 15 as a launching point to discuss burial practices in ancient Judaism.  Have you ever wondered who Joseph of Arimathea was and why Jesus was placed in his tomb?  Brad discusses this topic, and others, in today's podcast.

You might be familiar with the story of the Exodus.  It is a tale that recalls the flight of the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt.  What you might be unfamiliar with is the story of how the Hebrew people got to Egypt in the first place.  Today, Brad discusses two theories of how the Hebrew people might have arrived in Egypt or how the stories of the Hebrew people being in Egpyt may have started.

As always, any question or comments can be directed to Brad at [email protected].

What does the Bible say about Jesus' birth?  Was he born in Bethlehem or in Nazareth?  Today, Brad uses the New Testament to discuss these questions.

In this episode, Brad explains the reasoning behind the podcast, as well as what you can expect from the podcast each week.