Biblical World

Finding a Dig (with BAR) - Nathan Steinmeyer

Episode: In this episode - Chris and Kyle are joined by Nathan Steinmeyer (Biblical Archaeological Review, Assistant Editor) to discuss BAR’s dig issue - one of the best resources for finding a place to dig! Also, hear about how Kyle got into archaeology. 

To find a dig:  https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/digs/
To find out more about Biblical Archaeology Review:  https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/magazines/

Hosts: Chris and Kyle

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The Ancient Israelite World - George Pierce, Kyle Keimer, Chris McKinny

Episode: George Pierce joins hosts Kyle Keimer and Chris McKinny to discuss their newly edited volume The Ancient Israelite World (Routledge, 2022). This volume brings together a world-class line-up of scholars and includes a whopping 47 essays on ancient Israelite society, economy, religion, language, culture, history, and more! 

Participants: Kyle, Chris, and George A. Pierce.

Book: The Ancient Israelite World (Routledge, 2022). For a table of contents, see HERE.

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The History and Archaeology of Christmas (Part 2) - Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer

Episode: In part 2 of this series, Kyle and Chris discuss additional historical and archaeological aspects associated with the origin stories of Jesus as seen in Matthew and Luke. They discuss the archaeological background and traditions associated with the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. They also explain a number of other historical background elements connected with Matthew’s use of the Old Testament focusing – in particular – on the impact of the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian conquests of Israel and Judah in prophetic literature and how that context still matters for how one reads the origin narrative of Jesus in Matthew. (This is a re-broadcast of a previously published episode)

Relevant Articles
The Accommodations of Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem: Κατάλυμα in Luke 2.7* STEPHEN C. CARLSON

Hosts: Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer.

Give: Help support OnScript’s Biblical World HERE. Thanks to all of you who have supported us!

Image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay

The History and Archaeology of Christmas (Part 1) - Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer

Episode: Biblical World hosts Chris and Kyle talk about the archaeology and historical context of Christmas. They try not to be Grinches. This is part 1 of a two part series. This is a re-broadcast of an episode from last year.

Hosts: Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer.

Give: Help support OnScript’s Biblical World HERE. Thanks to all of you who have supported us!

Image by by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Ruth’s World - Oliver and Chris

Episode: One site in Jerusalem, this episode explores the cultural backgrounds to the book of Ruth. We discuss agriculture, famine, marriage relationships, orphans, widows, geography and much more! 

Hosts: Oliver Hersey (JUC) and Chris McKinny (Geshur Media). Find out more on Jerusalem University College and Geshur Media. 

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Solomon’s Officials and Administration in Kings - Koert van Bekkum

Episode: In this episode, Chris and Kyle interview Koert van Bekkum (ETF Leuven) about his views on Solomon’s Administrative Division in 1 Kings 4 in its Ancient Near Eastern context. What is the purpose of this list? Are there parallels to this list in the ANE? What does this list tell us about the nature of Solomon’s “kingdom”?

Hosts: Kyle and Chris

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Resource: See Koert's ARTICLE "The Situation is More Complicated: Archaeology and Text in the Historical Reconstruction of the Iron Age IIA Southern Levant."

Early or Late Emergence of Israel (Egypt Series) - Chris McKinny and Mark Janzen

Episode: Chris McKinny and Mark Janzen discuss the early vs. late date for the date of the exodus, date of the conquest, the emergence of Israel in the land of Canaan, and biblical chronology.

Hosts: Chris McKinny and Mark Janzen

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Gigantomachy - Biblical Giants in their Ancient Near Eastern Background (Chris and Kyle)

Episode: In this episode, Kyle and Chris take a look at giants in the wider literary, cultural, archaeological, and geographical context of the Biblical World. A previous episode discussed giants in connection with Hebron in Judges 1. This episode focuses on the narratives that mention Philistine giants.

For more information see - “Encounters with Fossil Giants”

Giants in the Biblical World graphic, prepared by Chris McKinny

The skull of an Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museumm, National University of Singapore. (See here for link). 

In the field with Steve Ortiz

Episode:In this episode, which was recorded during the excavation of the Iron Age II gate at Tel Burna, Chris and Steven Ortiz (Lipscomb University and Lanier Archaeological Center) discuss the following topics:
The Lanier Archaeological Center
The Gezer Archaeological Project
The Tel Burna Archaeological Project
The Necessity of Financial Support from Private Individuals for Archaeological Excavations

Guest: Dr. Steven Ortiz is the Director of the newly established Lanier Center for Archaeology at Lipscomb University where he is also a professor of archaeology and biblical studies. He was the director of the former Tandy Institute for Archaeology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the principal investigator and co-director, along with Sam Wolff, of the Tel Gezer Excavation Project and is one of the directors of the Ilibalyk Project, Kazakhstan, and is the co-director at Tel Burna (Biblical Libnah). He has over 30 years of archaeological experience in Israel as he has been a senior staff member at a variety of major sites.

Ortiz’s research and publications focus on the archaeology of David and Solomon, Iron Age I and II transition, and the border relations between Judah and Philistia. He has served or currently holds leadership positions in several scholarly and academic associations. He currently serves on the board of the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research, Jerusalem. He has served ASOR since 2001 as a board member and on various committees.

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From the Field! Tel Burna with Itzick Shai

Episode: Our first on site episode ever! That's worth celebrating, right? Chris McKinny is in the field at Tel Burna, where he's been digging for over a decade with site director Itzick Shai, whom he interviews from the top of the Tel.

Guest: Prof. Itzick Shai is VP and Dean for Research and Development at Ariel University. He's an archaeologist and the director of the Tel Burna Archaeological Project. His research focuses on the Bronze and Iron Ages in the Southern Levant. He completed his PhD at Bar Ilan University and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Semitic Museum of Harvard University. Prof. Shai was a research fellow in the School of Advanced Studies at the Hebrew University and taught at Bar-Ilan University and Yellin Education College. He joined Ariel University in 2012 as a senior lecturer and in 2015 established the newest institute of archaeology in Israel. From 2018-2020, Prof. Shai was the Vice Dean of R&D at Ariel University. He is the editor of two books and has published dozens of articles in peer-reviewed journals. Since October 1, 2020, he has been the Vice President and Dean for R&D at Ariel University.  (from the Ariel University website).

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