Dr. Dylan Johnson

Right, yeah. So the association of Sodom and Gomorrah just generically with sin, it's not exclusively associated to Genesis 18 and 19. There does seem to be other texts that are aware of this association. But what's interesting is the detail and the fixation on very particular types of sin and punishment. really come to the fore in what we call exilic and post-exilic literature.

Right, yeah. So the association of Sodom and Gomorrah just generically with sin, it's not exclusively associated to Genesis 18 and 19. There does seem to be other texts that are aware of this association. But what's interesting is the detail and the fixation on very particular types of sin and punishment. really come to the fore in what we call exilic and post-exilic literature.

And no more is it more explicit outside of Genesis than in Ezekiel, and specifically in Ezekiel 16, where he's explicit about the fact that Jerusalem is the new Sodom, and its punishment is more or less understood in analogous terms.

And no more is it more explicit outside of Genesis than in Ezekiel, and specifically in Ezekiel 16, where he's explicit about the fact that Jerusalem is the new Sodom, and its punishment is more or less understood in analogous terms.

And no more is it more explicit outside of Genesis than in Ezekiel, and specifically in Ezekiel 16, where he's explicit about the fact that Jerusalem is the new Sodom, and its punishment is more or less understood in analogous terms.

So, with that, you know, understanding in mind, a lot of scholars, based on other factors which have to do with the growth and development of the book of Genesis, kind of see this as a setting when that Genesis 18 through 19 story makes the most sense coming into existence.

So, with that, you know, understanding in mind, a lot of scholars, based on other factors which have to do with the growth and development of the book of Genesis, kind of see this as a setting when that Genesis 18 through 19 story makes the most sense coming into existence.

So, with that, you know, understanding in mind, a lot of scholars, based on other factors which have to do with the growth and development of the book of Genesis, kind of see this as a setting when that Genesis 18 through 19 story makes the most sense coming into existence.

Exactly. And Ezekiel makes clear also that for as bad as Jerusalem is, it's not quite as bad as Sodom because there's a remnant. There is the possibility for return and renewal, which obviously is something Sodom and Gomorrah don't get.

Exactly. And Ezekiel makes clear also that for as bad as Jerusalem is, it's not quite as bad as Sodom because there's a remnant. There is the possibility for return and renewal, which obviously is something Sodom and Gomorrah don't get.

Exactly. And Ezekiel makes clear also that for as bad as Jerusalem is, it's not quite as bad as Sodom because there's a remnant. There is the possibility for return and renewal, which obviously is something Sodom and Gomorrah don't get.

So it's not all negative, but it definitely shows us a moment when those motifs and those archetypes would have been of great interest to biblical writers because Ezekiel dedicates essentially an entire chapter to it.

So it's not all negative, but it definitely shows us a moment when those motifs and those archetypes would have been of great interest to biblical writers because Ezekiel dedicates essentially an entire chapter to it.

So it's not all negative, but it definitely shows us a moment when those motifs and those archetypes would have been of great interest to biblical writers because Ezekiel dedicates essentially an entire chapter to it.

Right, so 1970s, kind of a decade of great interest in Sodom and Gomorrah. So we have Rast and Shab who are conducting these archaeological surveys all around the southern plain of the Dead Sea. They're finding sites like Badadara and Andumayra. And right around this time in 1976, Italian archaeologists in Syria, in western Syria, discovered a massive archive of an ancient city known as Ebla.

Right, so 1970s, kind of a decade of great interest in Sodom and Gomorrah. So we have Rast and Shab who are conducting these archaeological surveys all around the southern plain of the Dead Sea. They're finding sites like Badadara and Andumayra. And right around this time in 1976, Italian archaeologists in Syria, in western Syria, discovered a massive archive of an ancient city known as Ebla.

Right, so 1970s, kind of a decade of great interest in Sodom and Gomorrah. So we have Rast and Shab who are conducting these archaeological surveys all around the southern plain of the Dead Sea. They're finding sites like Badadara and Andumayra. And right around this time in 1976, Italian archaeologists in Syria, in western Syria, discovered a massive archive of an ancient city known as Ebla.

The city is also extremely ancient. The texts date to sometime around 2300 BCE. So to give you an idea, this is about the time of Sargon of Akkad. These are extremely old texts, but they're very difficult to decipher. Even today, some 50 years after their discovery, you can imagine how difficult it was to decipher them in the initial years after their discovery. Nonetheless,

The city is also extremely ancient. The texts date to sometime around 2300 BCE. So to give you an idea, this is about the time of Sargon of Akkad. These are extremely old texts, but they're very difficult to decipher. Even today, some 50 years after their discovery, you can imagine how difficult it was to decipher them in the initial years after their discovery. Nonetheless,

The city is also extremely ancient. The texts date to sometime around 2300 BCE. So to give you an idea, this is about the time of Sargon of Akkad. These are extremely old texts, but they're very difficult to decipher. Even today, some 50 years after their discovery, you can imagine how difficult it was to decipher them in the initial years after their discovery. Nonetheless,