Biblical World

The Mesha Stele - Mary Buck and Chris McKinny

Episode Summary: Perhaps one of the most famous texts from the Ancient Near East, the Mesha Stele, also known as the Moabite Stone, provides an important corollary from the Iron Age for the historicity of the Bible. Co-hosts Chris McKinny and Mary Buck discuss the wild discovery of this text in the 1800s, read the text itself, and discuss what we learn about the Bible and about history from one of the longest texts ever discovered in the Levant. This is the second installment of our STANE (Special Texts of the Ancient Near East) series. 

Hosts: Mary Buck and Chris McKinny

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Image Attribution: By Unknown artist - Mbzt 2012, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22090379

 

 

Navigating Ancient Near Eastern Texts - Mary Buck and Chris McKinny

Episode: In this inaugural episode of a new series entitled “Texts from the Ancient Near East,” co-hosts Mary Buck and Chris McKinny provide an introduction to the languages and writing in the ancient world. This includes a review of some of the most important languages of the Ancient Near East (e.g., Middle Egyptian, Phoenician, Akkadian, Hebrew) and also discuss how writing and textual media developed over time. All this to help you navigate the literature and world of the Ancient Near East!

Hosts: Mary Buck and Chris McKinny

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Image: By Daderot - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40839123.

An Archaeological Life: Eric Cline

Episode: In this engaging conversation, Mark and Kyle chat with Eric Cline about his life as an archaeologist and about public archaeology—making scholarship approachable—and why it is important for scholars to engage with the interested public. We draw upon a number of Eric’s recent publications to highlight how this dialogue is possible and how it can be done well.

Guest: Departmental webpage: https://cnelc.columbian.gwu.edu/eric-h-cline

Hosts: Mark and Kyle

Summary: Eric, Mark, and Kyle discuss the following topics: Eric’s academic and public scholarship; how to combat misinformed attempts to explain biblical archaeology/history; the evolution of Eric’s scholarly career and how to make an impact beyond the academy; how/where to find good resources on the archaeology of Israel and the Bible; the importance of dialogue between academics and the interested public.

Books: Check out some of Dr. Cline's recent books!

• 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed (Rev ed., Princeton University Press, 2021)
• Digging Deeper: How Archaeology Works (Princeton University Press, 2020)
• Digging Up Armageddon: The Search for the Lost City of Solomon (Princeton University Press, 2020)
• Three Stones Make a Wall: The Story of Archaeology (Princeton University Press, 2019)

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Digging Up Israel‘s Past - Cynthia Shafer-Elliott

Episode: We're going back to the dirt in this episode with Cynthia Shafer-Elliott. We talk about bee hives, the Daniel diet, Ezekiel bread, gender & archaeology, and why Cynthia is willing to get up at 4am for weeks at a time each summer. This is a republished episode.

Guest: Cynthia Shafer-Elliott is Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Biblical Studies in the The Faculty of Theology and School of Christian Leadership at William Jessup University. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of Sheffield in the UK. Dr. Shafer-Elliott is an experienced field archaeologist in Israel and is currently part of the archaeological excavation team at Tell Halif, Israel. She’s the author of The Five Minute Archaeologist in the Southern Levant which is a user-friendly exploration of basic concepts within archaeology and the techniques and methods used by archaeologists in the field. She’s also written Food in Ancient Judah: Domestic Cooking in the Time of the Hebrew Bible (Equinox).

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

If you like this: Check out our episode with Jonathan Greer about his co-edited book Behind the Scenes of the Old Testament

Jewish Bible Translations - Leonard Greenspoon with Mary Buck

Episode: For this episode Mary Buck is joined by Dr. Leonard Greenspoon, the Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization at Creighton University. Dr. Greenspoon discusses his recently published book, "Jewish Bible Translations," which represents an important contribution to our understanding of translation and transmission history, especially in Jewish communities from ancient to modern times.

Host: Mary Buck

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

 

Ancient Israel in the Digital Age - Bob Cargill

Episode: In this episode Chris and Kyle speak with Robert (Bob) Cargill about digital humanities—what those are and how they are done in the archaeology of ancient Israel and in biblical studies—technology and the potential for cutting edge research, and his recent book on Melchizedek. Along the way, Bob shares stories of travels in Israel, providing quality resources for people interested in the Bible and archaeology, and meaningful moments in Israel. 

Hosts: Chris and Kyle

Summary: Bob, Chris, and Kyle discuss the following topics: the role of digital humanities in archaeology and Biblical studies; Melchizedek traditions; technology and research; public archaeology. Check out Bob's book The Cities that Built the Bible (HarperOne).

Links: www.bobcargill.com/home.html

Behind the Scenes of the Old Testament - Jonathan Greer

Episode: Jonathan Greer joins the show to talk about a big project he just co-edited on the history, context, archaeology, culture, and world of the Old Testament. Jonathan shares from his own work digging at Tel Dan, a very significant site for understanding the Jerusalem Temple and worship in ancient Israel. They discuss major archaeologists, the historicity of events in the Bible, the interaction of faith and critical study, and much more. This episode is republished from our OnScript podcast.

Guest: Jonathan Greer is Associate Professor of Old Testament and Director of the Hesse Memorial Archaeological Laboratory at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. He has written extensively on the history and context of the Bible. He's the author of Dinner at Dan: Biblical and Archaeological Evidence for Sacred Feasts at Iron Age II Tel Dan and Their Significance  (Brill, 2013) and the co-editor with John Hilber and John Walton of Behind the Scenes of the Old Testament: Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts (Baker Academic, 2018).

Give: Visit our Donate Page if you’d like to support the Biblical World podcast as we grow and develop.

If you like this episode: Check out our OnScript episodes on the Isaiah Seal Impression, and The Ancient World of the Bible.

Five Views on the Exodus (pt 5) – Peter Feinman

Episode: This is part 5 in our look at views on the Exodus from Egypt. In this episode, Chris and Kyle speak with Peter Feinman about the Levite-Hyksos view. Peter Feinman is the author of The Exodus: An Egyptian Story. 

Hosts: Mark Janzen (Louisiana College) and Chris McKinny (Gesher Media)

Summary: In this episode, Mark and Chris interview Peter Feinman about the following:
- The Egyptian evidence for the Israelite Exodus
- The Hyksos and their possible connection to the Exodus
- The importance of the Exodus to Jewish and Christian believes and its connection to Passover and Easter

Additional Resources: 2021 Janzen, Mark (ed.). Five Views of the Exodus. Zondervan

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

Excavating the Borderlands (Tel Burna) - Chris McKinny

Episode: Chris McKinny sits down with Kyle Keimer to discuss the Tel Burna Archaeological Project, where he's been digging for over a decade. This important borderland site of biblical Libnah offers some important insights into historical Judah.

They discuss the following topics:
- The identification of Tel Burna with biblical Libnah
- The Canaanite cultic remains found at Tel Burna 
- The Judahite fortress and gate with destructions from the 10th (Shishak?), 8th (Sennacherib), and early 6th centuries (Nebuchadnezzar) BC

Links: Tel Burna Archaeological Project; Itzick Shai’s (Tel Burna director) academia page

Give: Visit our Donate Page if you'd like to support the Biblical World podcast as we grow and develop.

Excavating Judah in the Time of Philistines - Kyle Keimer

Episode: In this episode Chris and Kyle discuss the archaeology of Khirbet er-Ra‘i/Arai, a small site in the southern part of Israel that dates from the end of the Late Bronze Age into the early Iron Age IIA (ca. 13th-10th c. BC). This site is proving to be exceptional for this time period and appears to be the key site in the region, having taken over this role from the nearby site of Lachish following its destruction in the mid-/late-12th c. BC. Specific finds, including the recent Jerubba’al inscription, as well as the ancient name of the site are also covered. Chris and Kyle discuss whether or not Arai was biblical Ziklag.

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

Detail: Chris and Kyle discuss the following topics:
- The archaeology of Khirbet Arai; the Iron Age I context of the site
- identity/ethnicity of, and cultural interaction between Canaanites, Philistines, and Israelites
- the early Iron Age chronology debate; Dating the arrival of the Sea Peoples/Philistines
- the recently discovered Jerubba’al inscription
- the ancient name of Khirbet Arai—is it biblical Ziklag?

More information about Khirbet El-Rai.

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