In this episode I discuss the historical formation of the Torah, or Pentateuch, and provide an introduction to the documentary hypothesis. I am now receiving technical support from Brown University, and the quality of the audio is improved.The episode can be heard here. More download options can be found here.The podcast can also be heard on iTunes.

From Israelite to Jew

From Israelite to Jew: 6: The Torah

The Jerusalem Temple was destroyed in 70 CE, a moment that typically is said to mark in Jewish historiography the end of the "second temple period" and beginning of the "rabbinic period." But to what extent did things really change?In this episode, the last of this series, I also reflect more broadly on the series.The episode can be heard here, or on the player below. More download options are available here. It is also available on iTunes and iTunesU. 

From Israelite to Jew: 22: After the Destruction: A Beginning or and End?

This episode focuses on the years 6 CE - 66 CE, and the events leading up to the Jewish revolt. This episode includes discussions of Roman administration and the Sanhedrin.The episode can be heard here or on the player below. More download options are here. It can also be found on iTunes and iTunesU. 

From Israelite to Jew: 20: The First Century

Without the works of the historian Josephus (36/37 CE - ca. 95) we would know little about the history of the Jews in antiquity. Yet Josephus, as a historian and a man, was a complex figure: was he a Jewish patriot or a Roman toady?The episode can be heard here or on the player below. More download options are here. The episode can also be heard on iTunes or iTunesU. 

From Israelite to Jew: 19: Josephus

In the first century CE the area around Jerusalem teemed with small Jewish religious groups, or sects. This episode focuses on three of the most well-known of these groups: Pharisees, Sadducees, and the early followers of Jesus.The episode is available here, or in the player below. Other download options are here. It is also available on iTunes (and now on iTunesU). 

From Israelite to Jew: 18: Jesus and Other Strange Jews

What are the Dead Sea scrolls? This episode discusses their discovery, contents, and meaning.The episode can be heard here or on the player below. More download options are here. The podcast can also be heard on iTunes. 

From Israelite to Jew: 17: The Dead Sea Scrolls

Philo Judaeus is the most well-known Jewish philosopher from antiquity. Living in Alexandria from ca. 20 BCE - 50 CE, Philo produced an astonishing corpus that has often been held up as a signal example of "Hellenistic Judaism." Who was Philo, and what was he up to?The episode can be heard here, or on the player below. More download options are here. It is also available on iTunes. 

From Israelite to Jew: 16: Philo

Was Herod the Great a brilliant ruler or a savage brute? This episode traces Herod's rise to power and his reign, 40 - 4 BCE.The episode can be heard here, or on the player below. More download options are here. It can also be heard on iTunes. 

From Israelite to Jew: 15: Herod the Great

The religion of the Jews who lived in the Greek speaking areas of the Mediterranean is commonly called "Hellenistic Judaism". This episode explains why scholars use this term; why it is less useful than it might seem; and how it is that most of these Jews would have worshiped the God of Israel.The episode can be heard here, or in the player below. Other download options are here. It can also be accessed on iTunes. 

From Israelite to Jew: 14: Hellenistic Judaism

On the origins of Jewish sectarianism in the second to first centuries, BCE, with a focus on Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and (if different) the first inhabitants of Qumran, where the Dead Sea scrolls would be found.The episode can be heard here, or on the player below. More download options are here. The podcast is also available on iTunes.One listener recently alerted me (thank you!) that the audio files continue to not be properly "balanced" between left and right sides. We have figured out the cause for this, and will fix it beginning with the next episode. 

From Israelite to Jew: 13: Origins of Jewish Sectarianism

A discussion of Judah's consolidation of power around 162 BCE to the last of the Hasmonean kings, in 30 BCE.The episode can be heard here, or on the player below. More download options are here. The podcast is also available on iTunes. 

From Israelite to Jew: 12: The Hasmonean Kings

Why did the Maccabees revolt around 165 BCE? This episode explores both the revolt of the Maccabees and the origins of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.The episode can be heard here or on the player below; more download options are available here. The podcast is also available on iTunes. 

From Israelite to Jew: 11: The Revolt of the Maccabees

A discussion of two books dating from the third or second centuries, BCE, Jubilees and 1 Enoch. Both books, part of a collection traditionally known as "the Pseudepigrapha," testify to a Jewish understanding of continuing direct divine revelation in the Hellenistic period.The podcast can be heard here, or through the player below. It can also be found in iTunes. More download options can be found here. 

From Israelite to Jew: 10: Jubilees and 1 Enoch

A discussion of Alexander's conquest of west Asia and its aftermath (323 - 200 BCE). What is "Hellenism," and how did the Jews react to it? Particular attention is paid to the Septuagint, Ecclesiastes, and Ecclesiasticus.The podcast can be heard here; more downloading options are here. You can also use the player below: The podcast is also accessible on iTunes.

From Israelite to Jew: 9: Hellenism Arrives

This episode discusses two Jewish communities outside of Jerusalem, that represented by the biblical book of Esther, and that of Elephantine, Egypt. It takes place in the fifth to fourth centuries, BCE.The podcast can be heard here; more downloading options are here. You can also use the player below: The episode can also be found in iTunes.

From Israelite to Jew: 8: Jews of the Persian Empire

Reflections of a scholar of religion and Jewish studies with a focus in antiquity.

hubhopper

From Israelite to Jew

hubhopper