Dr. Taylor Gray is an associate faculty member and the professor of a recently released course at IBC called Divine Imagery in the Biblical World. This week we discuss what we can learn from iconography from the ancient world, and how these pieces of art may enhance the way we read the Bible. What changes to our picture of cherubim and seraphim? There are also challenges including the pottery with pictures and writing that refer to YHWH and his Asherah. What was going on in ancient Israelite...

Dr. Taylor Gray is an associate faculty member at Israel Bible Center. He recently released a new course called Divine Imagery in the Biblical World. We sit down with Dr. Gray to talk about the study of iconography, its growth over the last few decades, and its ability to give modern readers a glimpse into how ancient people perceived the world. Enroll in the class Divine Imagery in the Biblical World HEREView Othmar Keel's influential book Symbolism of the Biblical WorldExplore a catalogue...

Part 2 of the conversation between Dr. Benjamin Sommer and Dr. Yeshaya Gruber explores the idea of if the Israelites thought of God had fluidity like the polytheists thought their gods had. Perhaps different authors had differing views? What do we gain by exploring the ancient views of the body or form of the Divine? Watch the whole Round Table Talk with Dr. Sommer called God's Bodies in the BibleExplore the book The Bodies of God and the World of Ancient Israel.Take Dr. Gruber's class...

Dr. Benjamin Sommer and Dr. Yeshaya Gruber to discuss God's Bodies in the Bible. Is it controversial to claim that God has a body? Are ancient Near Eastern conceptions of deities reflected or refuted in the Hebrew Bible? These questions lead us into a conversation about God's presence.  Watch the whole Round Table Talk with Dr. Sommer called God's Bodies in the BibleExplore the book The Bodies of God and the World of Ancient Israel.Take Dr. Gruber's class Kabbalah and the Bible, Part 1 Find...

Dr. Drew Longacre is a guest lecturer at IBC who recently released a course on the Psalms. Today talk about some of the psalms that make you cringe...those imprecatory psalms that call down God's judgment on your enemy. Dr. Longacre also introduces us to a new online tool that helps us study the psalms well. Enroll in the course Psalms: A Songbook for the Ages HERE Explore the new resource on the psalms through the Cambridge Digital Bible HERE Find out how you can get this and many other...

Dr. Drew Longacre is a guest lecturer at IBC who recently released a course on the Psalms. Today we explore the organization of the Psalter along with what the Dead Sea Scrolls contribute to our understanding of how to read the psalms. Enroll in the course Psalms: A Songbook for the Ages HERE Explore the new resource on the psalms through the Cambridge Digital Bible HERE Find out how you can get this and many other courses with one small monthly subscription at:...

What is archaeology's role in helping us interpret the Bible? In last week’s episode we raised some initial guiding principles related to what archaeology is, and this week we discover how complex this conversation can be. Around the table today are Dr. Yeshaya Gruber, Dr. Nicholas Schaser, and Dr. Cyndi Parker. Dr. Gruber starts with a comment about the conquest narratives, and then we will rewind to dating the Exodus which influences how we look at the archaeology. And if you hang in there,...

Archaeology is a fantastic tool to help modern audiences understand the world of the Bible and the lives of the people depicted in the Bible. But what is archaeology's role in helping us interpret the Bible? This was the topic of conversation between three of Israel Bible Center's faculty. Listen to this Round Table Talk with archaeologist Jodi Magnuss: https://israelbiblecenter.com/roundtable-talks/archaeology-life-first-century/Find out how you can get this and many other courses with one...

Answering the question, "Who is the Servant in Isaiah 53" is the topic of this conversation. Dr. Yeshaya Gruber, Dr. Tupá Guerra, and Dr. Nicholas Schaser gather around the table to discuss the nuances of this passage. We start with the Dead Sea Scrolls and move on to discuss how the New Testament writers use Isaiah's writings to point to Jesus and also other people. Find out how you can get this and many other courses with one small monthly subscription at: https://israelbiblecenter.comStay...

When you read the Servant Song in Isaiah 53, to whom do you think it is referring? Traditions point to a singular person and also to a collection of people. Answering the question, "Who is the Servant in Isaiah 53" is the topic of this conversation. Dr. Yeshaya Gruber, Dr. Tupá Guerra, and Dr. Nicholas Schaser gather around the table to discuss the nuances of this passage. Find out how you can get this and many other courses with one small monthly subscription at:...

This week's conversation comes from a Round Table Talk between Dr. Yeshaya Gruber and Dr. Bruce Chilton who is the Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Philosophy and Religion and Executive Director of the Institute of Advanced Theology at Bard College. To watch the full talk Jesus, Paul, Resurrection, And History go here:  https://israelbiblecenter.com/roundtable-talks/gospels-and-resurrection-in-the-first-century-jewish-context/Find out how you can get this and many other courses with one...

This week we talk about some new terms: Who is a Rabbi? And when did that term get established? How does the Apostle Paul use the term when he talks about Rabbi Jesus? This week's conversation comes from a Round Table Talk between Dr. Yeshaya Gruber and Dr. Bruce Chilton who is the Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Philosophy and Religion and Executive Director of the Institute of Advanced Theology at Bard College. To watch the full talk Jesus, Paul, Resurrection, And History go here: ...

This week we start with a discussion of the interaction across time between some of Paul's ideas about "goy" and those of the early rabbis. Whose ideas came first? Who is reacting to whom? And how do we - people influenced by these ancient texts - respond to the dissonance that may arise from what we feel to be appropriate morality from these conversations? The Round Table Talk between Dr. Yeshaya Gruber and Professor Ishay Rosen-Zvi is called Jew vs. Goy in Pauline and Rabbinic Thought....

Does the Bible create a distinction between Israelites and non-Israelites? When does the sharp distinction between Jew and Gentile show up in the literature? These questions are at the heart of a Round Table Talk between Dr. Yeshaya Gruber and Professor Ishay Rosen-Zvi called Jew vs. Goy in Pauline and Rabbinic Thought. The concepts and conclusions may surprise you! Listen to the full Round Table Talk called Jew vs. Goy in Pauline and Rabbinic Thought HEREExplore the book:  Goy: Israel's...

Today we continue to explore a Round Table Talk between Dr. Yeshaya Gruber and Dr. Hindy Najman that is called Revelation and Interpretation. It is a stimulating and thought provoking conversation that challenges many pre-conceived ideas about historical writings and distinct (and separate) time periods. Dr. Najman helps us reconsider the heavy black lines that tend to separate land, language, and cultural influences. It is a conversation you may want to listen to a couple times! To listen to...

Today we will listen to a portion of a talk between Dr. Yeshaya Gruber and Dr. Hindy Najman that is called Revelation and Interpretation. They discuss the categories and expectations we bring to the biblical text and ask if we are requiring the text to fit OUR expectations. In this episode they talk through definitions of "apocalypse", "Second Temple Period", and "Scripture." To listen to the whole Round Table Talk: ...

Dr. Carlos Santos is our newest member of the faculty at Israel Bible Center. He brings a wealth of information about Second Temple Literature with a focus on Enoch. How does this book help us read and understand the biblical text better? In this episode we cover a general introduction to Enoch and then explore its relationship to the book of Daniel. Find out how you can get this and many other courses with one small monthly subscription at: https://israelbiblecenter.comStay connected with...

Today marks the final installment of the conversation between Pinchas Shir and I about food and the Bible. We move into a full Greco-Roman context with questions regarding how Roman families ate and feasted. And within that context, why would Paul get mad at Peter for changing his eating habits (Gal. 2)? If you love conversations like this, join us at IBC where you have you have access to many amazing courses that dig into the details of culture and interpretation. You can earn credit toward...

Food shapes culture and identity, so what did it mean for the Israelites to gather and feast at God's table? This week professor Pinchas Shir and I discuss food and the Bible with a focus on feasting with God and the development of Kosher laws...can we call them "Kosher" laws? If you love conversations like this, join us at IBC where you have you have access to many amazing courses that dig into the details of culture and interpretation. You can earn credit toward Israel Bible Center’s...

Professor Pinchas Shir joins me to talk about food and the Bible. What was the Israelite diet like? How does food shape cultural identity? Where do we go to look at food issues (hint: it's practically on every page!). How did the Israelites think about animals as food vs. plants as food?  If you love conversations like this, join us at IBC where you have you have access to many amazing courses that dig into the details of culture and interpretation. You can earn credit toward Israel Bible...

If the Sadducees typically had an anti-messianic view while the Pharisees had a messianic view, is it possible to say the Sadducees in particular are responsible for the death of Jesus? In this episode, Professor Israel Knohl takes us through the night-trial of Jesus and explains who was there and who was not there and the effects of the group's underlying view of the Messiah.

When did ideas about the Messiah begin, and are messianic ideas the same through the whole Hebrew Bible? In today's episode, Professor Israel Knohl walks us through the various ideas about the Messiah and how the historical context may have shaped those ideas.

Dr. Tupá Guerra joins us for Part 2 of our exclusive peek into her course "Good and Evil in Qumran." What can these ancient documents tell us about how people in the Second Temple Period thought about good, evil, demons, magic, and prayer?

Dr. Tupá Guerra is the Professor of Ancient Studies at Israel Bible Center. She is an historian who specializes in the Dead Sea Scrolls, and she joins us to talk about how she got into this field of study and then to give us an exclusive peek into her soon to be released course called "Good and Evil in Qumran."