This is part 2 of our conversation on a unique Dead Sea Scroll called The War Scroll. Today we sit with Dr. Yeshaha Gruber, Dr. Tupa Gerra, and Dr. Nicholas Schaser to continue the conversation about the unusual characteristics of this document. Who is Belial? How does this document compare to biblical writings like Revelation? Join us for a fun exploration through Second Temple Texts.

Our faculty gathers to talk about the Dead Sea Scrolls and the very fascinating and unique War Scroll. This week we cover what is in the scroll, who might have authored the scroll, and who is breaking which covenant.

What role does the Flood narrative play in the book of Genesis? Are there similar flood narratives in ancient Near Eastern texts? How did Second Temple Jews write about this catastrophic event? All of these questions and answered in this week's episode as several of Israel Bible Center's faculty sit around the table to discuss Noah, purity, violence, and the flood.

Last week we tried to define the undefinable. This week we continue to explore Dr. Gruber's course Kabbalah and the Bible, Part 1. How does Paul use mystical language? What is the "feminine divine"? Why do we care?

This week Dr. Yeshaya Gruber joins us to talk about his course Kabbalah and the Bible, Part 1. What does the word Kabbalah mean? What is Jewish mysticism? Then we try to ask mystical questions of Genesis 1-3.

In part 2 of our conversation, Dr. Nicholas Schaser draws our attention to the many Creation themes and images in the book of Exodus. What do Moses and Jesus have in common? How does the presence of God translate from the Garden of Eden to the people of God in the wilderness?

Creation themes presented in Genesis 1-3 echo throughout scripture. This week, Dr. Nicholas Schaser joins us to talk about how creation words, ideas, and images are found throughout the book of Exodus. We talk about a lot of numbers...why are there 10 plagues? What does resting on the 7th day imply? And how many Israelites came out of Egypt?

Acts 15 tells us of a crucial moment in the early Jewish church when the leaders had to figure out how to allow gentiles into their community. Professor Pinchas Shir walks us through the critical decisions made in the Jerusalem council and the significance of the instructions to non-Jews to not eat meat offered to idols, blood, animals that were strangled, and to stay away from sexual immorality.

Today we talk to Professor Pinchas Shir about his course Stories of the Jewish Church, Part 3. We briefly discuss Acts 11 and the ways we see the early church grow. We also discuss what the word "synagogue" means.

This week I am joined by Professor Pinchas Shir who talks about his newly released course: Stories of the Jewish Church, Part 3. In this episode we talk about Acts 10 and the radical changes happening in the new Jewish church.

In this week's segment of a Round Table Talk, Dr. Gruber and Dr. Levison talk about the Spirit of God in Isaiah 63. This passage is a lament with strong connections to the Exodus account. But how is the Spirit of God portrayed in this lament?

The Israelites were supposed to love one God only, but is that "monotheism"? If so, where does the idea of a Divine Council come from? To untangle some of these issues, we hear from three IBC faculty who discuss a biblical view of the heavenly realm.

What does it mean to be spirit possessed and what did ancient people think about encounters with the spiritual world? Dr. Reed Carlson joined Dr. Yeshaya Gruber for a Round Table Talk to discuss these issues and more! In this episode we will hear about King Saul's encounter with the which of Endor (1 Sam 28), the use of music to quiet the spirits, and the gospel accounts of spiritual possession. Hang on! It's a wild ride.

Welcome back to the Israel Bible Podcast. We will start this season with a Round Table Talk between Dr. Yeshaya Gruber and Dr. Robert Hiebert who is the editor and translator of the New English Translation of the Septuagint (NETS) and has authored and edited numerous scholarly works on the Septuagint. This demands the question, "What is the Septuagint?" and "Why do we care?" In this episode we will focus specifically on what differs between the Hebrew and the Greek versions of the Genesis...

Dr. Brian Robinson is a guest lecturer at Israel Bible Center. He just released a new course called the Jewish Gospel of Luke. Following last week's episode that gave us the Roman backdrop for Luke, we now explore how Luke paints a picture of Jesus in contrast to the Roman surroundings.

Dr. Brian Robinson is a guest lecturer at Israel Bible Center. He just released a new course called the Jewish Gospel of Luke. It is a great course, and today we give you a small taste of what you will learn in the course. We started with backdrop. Where did the Roman empire come from and how does that influence how we understand Luke?

This is a podcast sneak peak at Dr. Nicholas Schaser's new IBC course called Israelite Creation in Context. This week is all about Genesis 2 and the earthiness of the narrative. How does this chapter differ from chapter 1? How does the text portray Eden as sacred? And if you listen to the end you might get a little on that mischief-causing snake.

Sneak Peak! Dr. Nicholas Schaser has a new course about to be released called Israelite Creation in Context. This week we get to dive into the assumed context of Genesis 1. What is the ancient Near Eastern context? How does reading the Israelite narrative next to the ancient Near Eastern narratives help us understand the Bible?

There is a small Greek phrase that has had a massive impact on western civilization - "erga nomou," which is often translated as "works of the law." Dr. Mark Nanos joins us this week to discuss his ideas on a better interpretation. Dr. Nanos is a respected Jewish historian specializing in Saul of Tarsus...or the Apostle Paul. He has written extensively about how to understand "Judaism" in Second Temple.

Dr. Mark Nanos is a respected Jewish historian specializing in Saul of Tarsus...or the Apostle Paul. He has written extensively about how to understand "Judaism" in Second Temple. In modern times we tend to separate religion from other aspects of life, but did Paul think that way? Westerners can end up think that "what you believe" is different from "what you do." But did Paul think that way? Join us for the first part of this conversation and for what this has to do with Paul's phrase "works...

If you are asking me...well, not much. But we have an expert panel who recently had a discussion about Demons in the Hebrew Bible. Their conversation has not yet been published, so I am bringing you a small appetizer before the big meal! What are demons? How are they described in the Hebrew Bible and in Second Temple Literature? Were they always considered evil?

If you are asking me...well, not much. But we have an expert panel who recently had a discussion about Angels and Demons in the Hebrew Bible. Their conversation has not yet been published, so I am bringing you a small appetizer before the big meal! What are angels? How are they described in the Hebrew Bible and in Second Temple Literature?

What is "ruah" in the Hebrew Bible? The word is translated as "spirit" and sometimes as "wind." This week's episode is a tiny sliver of the Roundtable Talk conversation called Spirit and Man in Ancient Judaism. Our guest is Dr. Jack Levison, who is a Hebrew Bible professor at Southern Methodist University. He addresses the significance of the Spirit in the Hebrew Bible using Numbers 11 as a test case.

The afterlife is an interesting and perplexing subject, which means it is a perfect conversation for the podcast! This week we sample a small part of the Hot Topics Seminar about Greek and Jewish views of the afterlife with Dr. Yeshaya Gruber and Dr. Nicholas Schaser and myself. We have Hebrew poetry, Jerusalem geography, and historic texts all weighing in. Lean in and enjoy the conversation!

Dr. Paul Wright is a friend and mentor who joins me again to discuss the significance of reading the Bible in its physical context. Last week we set the stage for the Luke version of the nativity scene, which we continue to talk about this week. If we picture Mary and Joseph isolated outside of the Bethlehem community, then we are telling the wrong story. How does the geography and culture impact our understanding of the night Jesus was born?