In this episode, Zen speaks with Dr. Joel Burnett about his cutting edge research on the Amman Theater Statue, a larger-than-life, Iron Age statue discovered in 2010. We discuss the statue's origin, its features, and its religious function. Along the way, Joel helps us understand how this statue relates to and sheds light on other ancient Near Eastern societies, including Israel and Judah only seventy miles to the west.

Here's a link to an article about the Amman Theater Statue, including numerous pictures: https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2019/12/Amman-Theatre-Statue-and-Ammonite-Royal-Ancestor-Cult

Here's a link to Joel Burnett's new book on the statue: https://www.asor.org/news/2024/05/aasor75-amman-theater-statue

Also in this episode, Cade Jarrell from Baylor Press joins us to discuss a new book by Philip Jenkins, Kingdoms of This World. You can learn more about that book here: https://www.baylorpress.com/9781481319935/kingdoms-of-this-world/

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