The Third Hour Podcast

Abimelech! Jephthah! Samson! This week on the Third Hour Podcast, there isn't a single male role model to be found. Join us as we discuss the bloodsickness evident in Judges — and why, despite all that, it might be one of the most moral books we've read in the Hebrew Bible so far.

The Book of Judges throws the triumphal narrative of Joshua into disarray, introducing a chaotic landscape dominated by guerrilla warfare, extreme violence, and charismatic leaders. Today, the Third Hour Podcast discusses the Song of Deborah, the many identities of Gideon, and why Judges might have been considered humorous to its original recipients.

It's time for everybody's favorite scriptural topic — land allotments! The second half of the Book of Joshua is markedly less thrilling than the first, parceling out land to the various tribes of Israel. Fortunately, we're also taking the time to discuss the origins of the tribal system and how to cope with the Deuteronomist's peculiar approach to history-making.

As the Book of Joshua begins, the Camp of Israel crosses the Jordan and begins conquering the Promised Land. Join the Third Hour Podcast as we discuss holy war, archaeological evidence (or lack thereof), and the long history of massaging these tales to make them more palatable.

With the blessing and death of Moses, the Torah is finished. Join the Third Hour Podcast as we discuss the final chapters of Deuteronomy, the various covenants presented in the Torah, and what we can draw from altered scripture.

The middle portion of Deuteronomy is the torah itself, the scroll of law that forms the basis for King Josiah's reforms. Yet it's filled with difficult material: child sacrifice, human spoils, rape, temple prostitution. What can we learn from troublesome scripture? Moreover, where does this material come from, and how can it help us foster a relationship with the divine? Join the Third Hour Podcast as we ponder those very questions.

Meet the Deuteronomist! The final authorial school of the Torah brings an entirely new way of looking at scripture, and the Third Hour Podcast investigates how it modifies what's come before.

The final portion of the Book of Numbers makes for a rough journey. Balak, the King of Moab, asks Balaam to curse Israel, only for Balaam to have a peculiar interaction with a speaking donkey. The Israelites and Midianites spend some intimate time together, resulting in slaughter. The daughters of Zelophehad request a landholding from Moses and the assembly, granting property rights to women — but with hefty restrictions. Join the Third Hour Podcast as we wrestle in the wilderness.

The middle portion of Numbers contains a few familiar passages, most notably the Bronze Serpent and Moses's thoughts on the goodness of God. We tend to skip over the rest: divine anger and vanity, selective punishments, and a worldview very unlike our own. Join the Third Hour Podcast as we discuss reading morality stories, corporate versus individual sin, and racial dynamics in the camp of Israel.

Numbers may be named after its two censuses, but it also begins with two major examples of oath-taking: the Nazirite vow and the test of bitter waters. Join the Third Hour Podcast as we delve into their possible meanings — and explore what it means to read scripture that's vague or horrifying.