Thank you to the wonderful Mariana Gil Hammer for the transcript of this episode.  Hello, and welcome to another episode of Understanding Sin and Evil, Episode 2: Cain and Abel, an Oracle of Sin. Now, if you haven’t listened to the first episode, which was a story of Adam and Eve called The Origin of Sin That Wasn’t, I highly recommend that you go back and listen to that episode before listening to this one. You can understand this episode on its own, but you’re going to miss a lot if you...

I am re-posting this episode with a FULL transcript, thanks to the efforts of the wonderful Mariana Gil Hammer. Welcome to my new podcast series: Understanding Sin and Evil. In this series, I will be discussing ideas of sin and evil in the Bible and in the ancient world, in particular Jewish texts of the Second Temple period. For each idea, I will begin with the biblical source texts and then move on to the interpretation of these biblical texts of the Second Temple period (for the purposes...

Join our lively discussion on Enoch and the Book of the Watchers! What biblical texts lie behind the Book of the Watchers? What was the sin of the Watchers? (Hint: it's more complicated than you think.) How did Jews of the Second Temple period use this story to explain the Flood and the origin of all evil? What does the Book of the Watchers say about the origin of evil and the consequences of sin! Bonus question: What does all this have to do with Camille Pissaro?

Join us for a discussion of the Book of Jubilees, a prime example of “Rewritten Bible.” * Why would an author in antiquity want to believe in demons roaming with God’s permission?* How did writers in the Second Temple period attempt to “fix” the biblical text?* What biblical topics became a theological problem for Jews of this period? Listen and find out! You can download the source sheets here.

Welcome to yet another new series! This class in Hebrew Bible will alternate with the Second Temple literature series. This introductory class will give you a quick overview of what makes the Twelve Minor Prophets — also known as Trei Asar — special. * What is exceptional about the “span” of these prophets?* Why are they grouped together?* What are their unique ideas?* Why are they so central for biblical prophecy? As the class continues, we will learn each of these...

Welcome to the beginning of a new lecture series: an overview of Jewish texts of the Second Temple period and the Dead Sea Scrolls. In this first, introductory class, we explore what makes these texts special and why we should learn them. Join us as we discuss the different collections of Jewish works from this period and touch on a wide range of important books, including Judith, Tobit, the books of the Maccabees, 1 Enoch, Jubilees and 4 Ezra. I hope that this talk whets your...

In this class, we discuss the ultimate example of collective punishment gone horribly, horribly wrong: the Concubine of Gibeah, known in Hebrew as Pilegesh BaGive’ah. This story closes the book of Judges (chapters 19-21), and for good reason. Join us as we discover its “Twilight Zone”-style reality and explore the downward spiral begun by legitimate outrage. We will look at the story’s inherent contradictions, its puzzling portrayal of its “protagonists,” contrasts with the Saul...

We’re back! Join us as we engage in a high-level discussion on the different views of collective and intergenerational punishment in the Bible. * What does God and Abraham’s conversation on Sodom tell us about justice?* How is the problematic nature of collective punishment portrayed in the Hebrew Bible?* What problems does the concept of intergenerational punishment “solve” for its ancient audience?* How do Ezekiel and Jeremiah differ in their attitude to the idea that punishment...

This podcast is a continuation of the previous discussion on the shift of the biblical view and representation of intergenerational punishment. In this podcast, we delve into Ezekiel and his presentation of the “way things work”: there is no intergenerational punishment, and each individual is responsible for him or herself at every moment. Ezekiel is prophesying at the same time as Jeremiah, who presents the same negative attitude towards intergenerational punishment while still...

This podcast is a continuation of the previous discussion on the shift of the biblical view and representation of intergenerational punishment. In this podcast, we delve into Ezekiel and his presentation of the “way things work”: there is no intergenerational punishment, and each individual is responsible for him or herself at every moment. Ezekiel is prophesying at the same time as Jeremiah, who presents the same negative attitude towards intergenerational punishment while still...

In this episode we discuss the approach to divine intergenerational punishment (the punishment of a future generation for the sins of a past generation) in the Bible, such as in the “Divine Attributes” enumerated in Exodus, and how we can see a distinctive shift in the attitude toward intergenerational punishment in Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Why did such a shift occur? What “problems” does the belief in intergenerational punishment solve, and why does the attitude toward this punishment change...

Reposting for Shavuot! In this Shavuot “bonus” episode, we will discuss the special status of the Torah for fighting sin, in both Second Temple literature and later Talmudic texts. (Download the source sheet here.) We will look at: * Dead Sea Scroll prayers that reflect the belief in the metaphysical power of the Torah to fight demonic influence * Wisdom literature (like Ben Sira) that see the law as crucial in fighting the inclination to sin * The hero of 4 Ezra’s problem with the...

In this episode we discuss the approach to divine intergenerational punishment (the punishment of a future generation for the sins of a past generation) in the Bible, such as in the “Divine Attributes” enumerated in Exodus, and how we can see a distinctive shift in the attitude toward intergenerational punishment in Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Why did such a shift occur? What “problems” does the belief in intergenerational punishment solve, and why does the attitude toward this punishment change...

In this far-reaching episode, we discuss the idea of collective punishment in the Hebrew Bible, the problems it poses in the context of divine morality, and its (strict) limits in human justice. We explore the stories of Sodom and the Concubine of Gibeah, the statute of the “Rejected City” of Deuteronomy, and how the approach toward collective punishment changed in the course of biblical prophecy. In this episode, we discuss: * What are the differences between the “status” of collective...

In this far-reaching episode, we discuss the idea of collective punishment in the Hebrew Bible, the problems it poses in the context of divine morality, and its (strict) limits in human justice. We explore the stories of Sodom and the Concubine of Gibeah, the statute of the “Rejected City” of Deuteronomy, and how the approach toward collective punishment changed in the course of biblical prophecy. In this episode, we discuss: * What are the differences between the “status” of collective...

What was behind Antiochus’s decrees? Was Hanukkah really the end of the fight for independence? And what was the difference between Judean and Diaspora views of the Hanukkah story and the Hasmonean revolt? I  explored these questions through a talk  on the First and Second Books of the Maccabees – two books written in different languages, one in Judea and one in the Diaspora. And here is the recording! Be sure to download the source sheets. Keep in mind that this is an informal lecture, so...

What was behind Antiochus’s decrees? Was Hanukkah really the end of the fight for independence? And what was the difference between Judean and Diaspora views of the Hanukkah story and the Hasmonean revolt? I  explored these questions through a talk  on the First and Second Books of the Maccabees – two books written in different languages, one in Judea and one in the Diaspora. And here is the recording! Be sure to download the source sheets. Keep in mind that this is an informal lecture, so...

In this episode, we discuss what it means for our changing understanding of sin to have a canonized, “frozen” Scripture that must remain relevant, and begin exploring the biblical ideas of “sin as a burden” and intergenerational punishment. Why would someone believe that future generations could suffer for the sins of a previous one?  

In this episode, we discuss what it means for our changing understanding of sin to have a canonized, “frozen” Scripture that must remain relevant, and begin exploring the biblical ideas of “sin as a burden” and intergenerational punishment. Why would someone believe that future generations could suffer for the sins of a previous one?  

In this episode, I recap everything we have discussed so far, before I begin a new chapter of the podcast. This is a great place to start if you are new to the podcast, and you can then cherry-pick the past episodes you would like to delve into further. As you know, this podcast began as a way of presenting the ideas in my book (Evil Within and Without: The Source of Sin and Its Nature as Portrayed in Second Temple Literature) to a more general audience. Of course, I also added discussions...

In this episode, I recap everything we have discussed so far, before I begin a new chapter of the podcast. This is a great place to start if you are new to the podcast, and you can then cherry-pick the past episodes you would like to delve into further. As you know, this podcast began as a way of presenting the ideas in my book (Evil Within and Without: The Source of Sin and Its Nature as Portrayed in Second Temple Literature) to a more general audience. Of course, I also added discussions...

Join me for a close reading of the Treatise of the Two Spirits, a passage in the Community Rule that explains the origin of sin as the result of a dualistic division between the Prince of Light and the Angel of Darkness. (And yes, I’m hoarse in this episode. Change of seasons, I guess.) This text was once thought to summarize Qumran theology, but as we will see, the Treatise of the Two Spirits is relatively unique while still paralleling different views of sin we have seen so far in this...

Join me for a close reading of the Treatise of the Two Spirits, a passage in the Community Rule that explains the origin of sin as the result of a dualistic division between the Prince of Light and the Angel of Darkness. (And yes, I’m hoarse in this episode. Change of seasons, I guess.) This text was once thought to summarize Qumran theology, but as we will see, the Treatise of the Two Spirits is relatively unique while still paralleling different views of sin we have seen so far in this...

In this episode, we explore texts from the Qumran community that emphasize responsibility for sin and freedom of choice, despite the sect’s usual deterministic leanings. In the Dead Sea sect’s legal texts, community members are exhorted that they must choose God’s commandments while ignoring their own will — in other words, their evil inclination. Listen to learn more, and hear my friend Melissa’s relief that someone is finally taking full responsibility for their actions!