Biblical World

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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Understanding Josephus - Paul Spilsbury

Episode: Paul Spilsbury knew Josephus personally ... or at least he's spent so much time with him that it's almost as if he did. In this episode we talk about Josephus' writings, identity, and how understanding Josephus helps us understand the New Testament. We also discuss Christianity in Turkey, the book of Acts, and much more! (This episode is cross-listed on the OnScript podcast)

Guest: Dr. Paul Spilsbury (PhD, Cambridge) is Academic Dean and Professor of New Testament at Regent College. Paul’s teaching covers the full range of the New Testament, with a particular focus on Paul and the Book of Revelation. His research has been supported by grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the Leverhulme Trust (UK) and has resulted in four authored or co-authored books: The Image of the Jew in Flavius Josephus’ Paraphrase of the Bible (Mohr Siebeck, 1998), The Throne, the Lamb and the Dragon: A Reader’s Guide to the Book of Revelation (IVP, 2002), Flavius Josephus, Judean Antiquities 8–10: Translation and Commentary (Brill, 2005—with C. Begg), and Flavius Josephus, Judean Antiquities 11: Translation and Commentary (Brill, 2017—with C. Seeman). He has also published numerous book chapters, articles, and reviews, and has traveled extensively throughout the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries associated with the ancient church. Paul is a frequent speaker at churches, retreats, and conferences. He is also a juried member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, working primarily in watercolours. (adapted from the Regent College website)

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Jesus and Jezreel - Paul Wright

Episode: Oliver Hersey (president of Jerusalem University College) speaks with his predecessor Paul Wright, who has lived and breathed the land of the Bible. They discuss Jesus and Jezreel, the Old Testament stories Jesus would've known as he overlooked the Jezreel, and much much more!

Guest: Dr. Paul Wright (Ph.D., Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion) was the 10th President of Jerusalem University College (2002-2021). He was also visiting faculty at the Tantur Ecumenical Institute for Theological Studies (2002-2020). He participated in excavations at Giloh, Ramat Rahel, and Tel Rehov. He's the author of The Holman Illustrated Guide to Biblical Geography: Reading the Land (Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Heart of the Holy Land: 40 Reflections on Scripture and Place (Rose, 2020), Rose Then and Now Bible Map Atlas: With Biblical Background and Culture (Rose, 2013), Atlas of Bible Lands (Quick Source Guide) (B&H Publishing Group, 2003), and other books as well!

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To learn more about JUC, click HERE.

How Did Biblical Writers Access The Past? Daniel Pioske

Episode: In this episode Matt Lynch sits down with Dan Pioske to talk about the way we know about ancient Israel. Most scholars have been so text-based in their assumptions about memory transmission in the ancient world. They assume that texts & docs were the main way knowledge was preserved. Pioske suggests that there's another major way knowledge transmits--through the land. This episode explores the way that the land retains memory and provided biblical writers with a window on the past. We also discuss growing up in Minnesota, archaeology, the Philistines, David's Jerusalem, and much more! (This episode is republished from our other podcast OnScript)

Guest: Dan Pioske grew up on a family farm in southern Minnesota and attended Gustavus Adolphus college. After graduating, he moved east to Princeton Theological Seminary where he received his M.Div. 2007 and his Ph.D. in Biblical Studies in 2012. He taught for two years at Union Theological Seminary, New York, as a Post-Doctoral Fellow and Instructor in Biblical Languages, and he is currently an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Georgia Southern University. He's the author of David’s Jerusalem: Between Memory and History (2015) and Memory in a Time of Prose: Studies in Epistemology, Hebrew Scribalism, and the Biblical Past (2018). He lives in Savannah, Ga, with his wife Suzette and daughters Eve and Esther.

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Wave Nunnally - Israel, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the Dead Sea Scrolls

Episode:  This episode takes you on a wild ride through the land of the Bible, the world of Josephus, into the ER after crashed planes, by the Dead Sea, and includes encounters with Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, and a fire-breathing dragon. Brace yourself! This episode is republished from OnScript podcast.

Guest: Dr. Wave Nunnally is Professor of Early Judaism and Christian Origins at Evangel University in Springfiled, MO. He is the author of numerous articles and books, including The Book of Acts  and Knowing Your Bible.  He leads regular study trips to Israel, which include training materials (see The Bible Unplugged) on-site teaching, and follow-up coaching.  More of Wave's material can be found at http://centralfaithbuilders.com/. To connect with him further, see
www.wavenunnally.com
facebook.com/wavenunnally
youtube.com/wavenunnally

 

Give: Help support OnScript and Biblical World as we grow and develop. Click HERE.

 

Egypt and the Bible (part 2): Mark Janzen and Chris McKinny

Episode: This is the second in a multi-part series on Egypt and the Bible. Mark and Chris discuss Israel in Egypt, evidence of Egyptian influences in the Bible, Israel in Goshen, the early chapters of exodus, and none other than Moses himself.

Hosts: Mark Janzen and Chris McKinny

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For more: HERE is part 1 of the Egypt and the Bible series. Also, check out our series “Five Views on the Exodus”. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Sodom and Gomorrah and the Cities on the Plain (pt 2): Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer

Episode: For part 1 see here. In this episode, we (Chris and Kyle) get into the biblical and geographical details connected with locating Sodom and the Cities of the Plain. We continue to argue for the traditional position that the cities of the Plain are to be located in the southern basin of the Dead Sea (i.e., inundation view). We also address some of the more problematic issues related to the northern view (the basis for the report in Nature) - specifically the identification of the “Kikkar of the Jordan” and the site of “Zoar.”

Hosts: Chris McKinny (Geshur Media) and Kyle Keimer (Macquarie University)

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Episode Images: 

#1 - Kikkar

2. Plain of the Jordan

3. View from Bethel

4. Kedorlaomer's Campaign

5. Gen 19

6. Zoar

7. Dead Sea in Onomasticon

8. Medeba Map

9. Southern Basin

 

Egypt and the Bible (Part 1) - Mark Janzen and Chris McKinny

Episode: This is the first in a multi-part series on Egypt and the Bible. Mark and Chris discuss the visits of the Hebrew patriarchs in Egypt. They focus especially on the presence of Semites in Egypt and the plausibility of the story of Joseph. 

Hosts: Mark Janzen and Chris McKinny

Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to support the ongoing work of Biblical World.

For more: Check out our series "Five Views on the Exodus". Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5