Biblical World

Lawson Younger - Arameans and Assyrians

Episode: In this episode Mark and Chris talk with Dr. K. Lawson Younger (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) about the Contextual Approach and its benefits for interpreting Scripture with caution required to avoid the paradoxical dangers of "parallelomania" and "parallelophobia." Dr. Younger is an Assyriologist who also specializes on the Arameans, so naturally they had to pick his brain for info on the impact of the Assyrians and Arameans on ancient Israel, particularly during the Divided Monarchy. They also discuss the genre of ancient conquest accounts and how the book of Joshua fits that specific genre, an important interpretive aid to understanding Joshua. 

Guest: (From the TIU website) Dr. K. Lawson Younger, Jr. (PhD. Sheffield University) is Professor of Old Testament, Semitic Languages, and Ancient Near Eastern History at Trinity Evangelical Divinity
School of Trinity International University, Deerfield, Illinois. A specialist in Assyriology, Aramaic, and Hebrew Bible, Younger has published numerous works involving ancient Near Eastern texts and their relationship to the Hebrew Bible. He is the author of A Political History of the Arameans: From their Origins to the End of Their Polities (2016), the Winner of the Biblical Archaeology Society 2017 Publication Award for Best Scholarly Book on Archaeology. He is also the author of Ancient Conquest Accounts: A Study of Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical History Writing (1990), and The NIV Application Commentary for Judges, Ruth (2002). He is the associate editor of the three-volume The Context of Scripture: Canonical Compositions, Monumental Inscriptions and Archival Documents from the Biblical World (Brill), the editor of volume 4 of The Context of Scripture: Supplements (2016), editor of Ugarit at Seventy-Five (2007), and the co-editor of The Canon in
Comparative Perspective (1991), Mesopotamia and the Bible: Comparative Explorations (2002) and “An Excellent Fortress for his Armies, a Refuge for the People”: Egyptological, Archaeological and Biblical Studies in Honor of James K. Hoffmeier (2020). He has also contributed to numerous collections of essays, dictionaries and journals. He is a past trustee of the American Schools of Oriental Research, as well as an active member of the American Oriental Society, the International Association of Assyriology, and the Society of Biblical Literature. 

Among his many scholarly papers, he has given lectures at the British Academy, the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University, the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, the Vorderasiatisches Museum (Pergamonmuseum, Berlin), and the Israel Museum (Jerusalem). He was the Seymour Gitin Distinguished Professor at the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem, Israel (2012–13). He is presently writing a book on Aramean Religion.

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Geography of Judges (part 1) - Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer

Episode: Who was Adoni-bezek? (Judges 1:1–7) Geography in Judges is a new series where hosts Kyle and Chris (sometimes with friends) will discuss historical geographical and archaeological issues that arise in the Book of Judges. This weeks discussion is on the enigmatic character of Adoni-bezek (Judges 1:1–7). Who was he? Where was he from? What can geography and archaeology tell us about this character?

We would also like to point our listeners to a new online class at Jerusalem University College - the Archaeology of the Judean Shephelah https://juc.edu/academics/course-descriptions/course/archaeology-judean-shephelah/ co-taught by Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer along with a whole host of excellent guest lectures from the leading archaeologists in the field. Sign-up today! https://www.juc.edu/juc-online/semester-learning/

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Images: Top image from https://palopenmaps.org/view, and the bottom image from https://bibleatlas.org/full/bezek.htm

The Alleged Isaiah Seal - Christopher Rollston

Episode: We discuss the alleged Isaiah Bulla (clay seal impression) with one of the finest epigraphers in the field. The seal was found by the Temple Mount in 2009 by Eilat Mazar, and first announced in Biblical Archaeology Review last month (February, 2018). Matt L. and Dru J. discuss the find with Prof. Christopher Rollston, who urges caution when making bold claims about the seal's link to the biblical prophet Isaiah. We also discuss our desire to make connections between archaeology and the bible, and for a material connection with the past.

Guest: Professor Rollston is Associate Professor of Northwest Semitic languages and literatures at George Washington University. Rollston works in more than a dozen ancient and modern languages, including various ancient Semitic languages (e.g., Hebrew, Phoenician, Aramaic, Palmyrene, Nabataean, Ammonite, Moabite, Edomite, Ugaritic, Akkadian), several ancient and modern Indo-European languages (e.g., Hellenistic Greek, Classical Latin; Modern German, French, Spanish, and Italian), as well as Sahidic Coptic. He is the author of Enemies and Friends of the State: Ancient Prophecy in Context (Eisenbrauns), Writing and Literacy in the World of Ancient Israel: Epigraphic Evidence from the Iron Age (Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2010), which was selected by the American Schools of Oriental Research (in November 2011) as the recipient of the prestigious “Frank Moore Cross Prize for Northwest Semitic Epigraphy,” a prize named for the late Harvard University Professor Frank Cross. He has also edited several volumes. Needless to say, he's very accomplished in his field! (adapted from the GWU website).

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Photo: Photo of seal impression, Ouria Tadmor. Copyright Eilat Mazar.

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. 

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

Hosts: Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer.

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Image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay 

 

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

Episode: 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.

Hosts: Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer.

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Image by by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Encountering Jesus in the Real World of the Gospels

Episode: Cyndi Parker speaks with Lynn Cohick about what it means to understand Jesus in his own cultural, political, social, and religious contexts. 

Guest: Dr. Cyndi Parker, author of Encountering Jesus in the Real World of the Gospels (Hendrickson, 2021). Dr. Parker lived in Jerusalem for five years and currently teaches courses about the geographical, cultural, religious, and political context of the Bible at Jerusalem University College. She has led over forty trips in Israel, and she continues to develop innovative educational trips to Israel, seeking to inspire students of all ages through experiential education. Her research interests include biblical views of Place, Biblical History and Geography, and the correlation between Theology and Ecology (with a particular interest in Food Justice). She is the owner of www.NarrativeofPlace.com, and the host of the Context Matters and Israel Bible podcasts.

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The Maccabees and Hasmonean Expansion into Galilee - Andrea Berlin

Episode: In this episode Chris and Kyle speak with Andrea Berlin about the Hasmonean expansion in the Galilee. The bigger historical picture is discussed, along with how to integrate text and archaeology. Andrea speaks about her work at Tel Anafa and Tel Qedesh and how the results at these two sites have helped to illuminate the “Galilee of the Nations” in the Hellenistic and Roman periods.

Guest: Andrea Berlin (James R. Wiseman Chair in Classical Archaeology, Professor of Archaeology and Religion, Boston University). See her recent book, The Middle Maccabees: Archaeology, History, and the Rise of the Hasmonean Kingdom (edited with Paul J. Kosmin). For more of Andrea’s work, see her Academia.edu page: https://bu.academia.edu/AndreaBerlin

Hosts: Chris and Kyle

Summary: Andrea, Chris, and Kyle discuss the following topics: the “Middle Maccabees” and Hasmonean expansion into the Galilee; relating text and archaeology; the dynamic changes in Hellenistic and Roman period Galilee; Andrea’s excavations at Tel Anafa and Tel Qedesh.

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A Week in the Life of a Greco-Roman Woman and Ephesian Man - Holly Beers and David deSilva

Episode: Holly Beers and David deSilva discuss life in the first century with Biblical World host Lynn Cohick. Holly and David both wrote novels that explore life on the ground in Ephesus, giving readers a unique opportunity to experience Paul's world in a very personal way. Today we discuss Holly's book A Week in the Life of a Greco-Roman Woman (IVP Academic) and David's book A Week in the Life of Ephesus (IVP Academic).

Guests: Holly Beers (Westmont College) and David deSilva (Ashland Theological Seminary) 

Host: Lynn Cohick

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Nomadism and Architectural Bias in Archaeology - Erez Ben-Yosef

Episode: In this episode, Kyle and Chris interview Erez Ben-Yosef (Tel Aviv University) concerning his work on the 11th through 9th century BC copper industry in the Arabah of Israel and Jordan. The discoveries of the last decade or so - in Timna and in Feinan - have revolutionized our understanding of ancient Edom and its relationship with Israel, Phoenicia, and Egypt. Erez has also argued that archaeologists have tended to reconstruct history with an "architectural bias" when in reality there existed complex societies that did not leave large-scale archaeological remains. This has massive implications for understanding the biblical account - particularly in the early Iron Age.

Resources:
* For the Vetus Testamentum paper on “The Architectural Bias in Current Biblical Archaeology” and other publications of Professor Ben-Yosef: https://telaviv.academia.edu/ErezBenYosef/Papers
* For his most recent edited book, Mining for Ancient Copper: Essays in Memory of Beno Rothenberg (Eisenbrauns 2018): https://www.eisenbrauns.org/books/titles/978-1-57506-964-7.html
* The Timna Valley Expedition website: https://www.tau.ac.il/~ebenyose/CTV/And on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CentralTimnaValleyProjectCtv

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Halloween Special! Death in Ancient Israel with Matt Suriano

Episode: In this special Halloween OnCrypt Biblical World episode Chris and Kyle speak with Matt Suriano about Israelite mortuary belief along with Matt’s work on the Jerusalem necropolis in Silwan (east, southeast of the Old City). Matt discusses elite and royal burial customs in ancient Israel as he articulates why ancestors were important and what this means in biblical literature.  

Guest: Matthew Suriano: https://jewishstudies.umd.edu/directory/matthew-suriano

Hosts: Chris and Kyle 

Topics Covered: Matt, Chris, and Kyle discuss the following topics: monumental burials in Jerusalem; ancestor traditions in the Bible; elite and royal burial customs in ancient Israel 

Resources: Suriano, Matthew 2018 A History of Death in the Hebrew Bible (Oxford University Press).
-- The Politics of Dead Kings: Dynastic Ancestors in the Book of Kings and Ancient Israel (Mohr Siebeck, 2010).

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H/T to David Schroder for the OnCrypt idea!