Dragons in Genesis
Episodes
102_God Hates Figs
30 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
From the transfiguration on the mountaintop to his overturning of tables in the temple, the arrival of Jesus at Jerusalem is filled with memorable sce...
101_Loaves and Fish
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Jesus lays out his fate to a crowd of disbelieving disciples who reject the idea that their savior must suffer and die, but prior to this is he repeat...
100_Marky Mark
01 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Decades after christianity began, an unknown author completely changed scripture by penning a Greek tragedy about the messiah. So popular was his work...
Special Announcement
23 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Hebrew Bible is now complete, so what's next?
099_Daniel
27 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the mid second century BCE, the people of Judea did the impossible… the ended centuries of foreign rule by expelling the Seleucids and reviving t...
098_Lamentations
29 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the aftermath of the fall of Jerusalem the population was lost, bereft of king and temple. Their prosperity and security had been taken from them a...
097_Zechariah
25 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Perhaps no other single book of the Hebrew Bible is as important to the New Testament authors as Zechariah. From it we find the idea of a suffering se...
096_Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, & Malachai
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Could Yahweh be a dying-and-rising god? Does Malachi speak to the worship of Asherah in the Jerusalem Temple? Was Yahweh originally an angel who serve...
095_Micah Nahum and Jonah
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
From giants and witches, to sun gods and talking animals, the Bible is littered with strange mythology. Curious stories concerning mystical beings can...
094_Amos and Obadiah
25 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Throughout the New Testament we’re treated to countless examples of literary influence from the older texts, including the Book of Enoch and the wor...
093_Hosea and Joel
27 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the returning exiles begin settling in Judah and our timeline moves nearer the Intertestamental Period, the literature looks both forward and backw...
092_Ezekiel 3 (Yahweh in Marduk's Temple)
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The influence from neighboring cultures in Second Temple Judaism cannot be overstated, but that influence shows up in some surprising places and comes...
091_Ezekiel 2 (Yahweh vs the Dragons)
29 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
An enemy of Judah is an enemy of Yahweh, and what better way to describe his enemies than in terms of his most ancient of foes, the great sea dragon? ...
090_Ezekiel 1 (Wheels within Wheels)
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Bible is filled with strange scenes, but few can compare with the opening of Ezekiel when the sky is filled with clouds, fire, and lightning and a...
089_Jeremiah 4 (Yahweh and the Dragon)
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Mediterranean region is littered with myths of storm gods fighting great sea monsters, and Israel is no different. Their dragon goes by the name L...
088_Jeremiah 3 (Baruch's Paradox)
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As the destruction of the temple draws near, Jeremiah offers mixed messages of hope and despair, of violent ends and joyous beginnings. The city will ...
087_Jeremiah 2 (Still Not a Bullfrog)
27 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Moses is presented as the prototypical prophet who brings Yahwism to a nation of people who have forgotten Yahweh. Under his reform and leadership the...
086_Jeremiah 1 (Not a Bullfrog)
22 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When the Jewish exiles returned from Babylon they brought with them sweeping changes to their religion, changes formed during and after their captivit...
085_Isaiah 5
21 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Throughout human history people have attempted to explain tragedy with divine wrath. Great calamity seems to invite magical explanations as we seek me...
084_Isaiah 4
27 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Throughout the Hebrew Bible we’ve found important sections that were inspired by older myths and stories. From the opening chapter of Genesis drawin...
083_Isaiah 3
30 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Hebrew Bible is filled with prohibitions against human sacrifice as Yahweh repeatedly states he is against such practices and has never asked for ...
082_Isaiah 2
25 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Jubilee Year was a time of change in Jewish lives, a time when property was returned to its original owner and people returned to their homes. A t...
081_Isaiah 1
22 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Throughout the story of Jesus we find countless references to Old Testament passages, and no book of the Hebrew Bible is quoted more often than Isaiah...
080_Song of Songs
27 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Song of Songs is a collection of erotic poetry that somehow made its way into Jewish scripture, but how did this occur? Apologists have long strug...
079_Ecclesiastes
25 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The book of Ecclesiastes, also called Qoheleth, is a curious text whose inclusion into the Hebrew canon has troubled scholars for centuries. It’s an...
078_Proverbs 2
25 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We conclude our study of Proverbs with sections 3-8 of the book which includes the Poem of the Good Wife, a work that outlines what it means to be a g...
077_Proverbs 1
28 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The book of Proverbs, attributed to King Solomon despite the fact that most sections are individually attributed to other editors, provides us with po...
076_The Psalmiest!
23 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The final episode covering the Book of Psalms includes the Thanksgiving Psalms, Liturgical Psalms, and the Acrostics. But we aren't satisfied with cov...
075_Pizalm 2 Electric Boogaloo
23 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We tackle 3 more genres of Psalm, the Hymns, Wisdom, and Royal Psalms and discuss their usefulness in early Christian literature.
074_Psalm Body Once Told Me
04 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the wake of the the Babylonian Conquest many Jews found themselves living in captivity, prisoners of their conquerors. Their city destroyed, their ...
073_Job 2
25 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We conclude our coverage of Job by examining the subsequent layers which were added to the text over the centuries and examine the theological implica...
072_Job 1
28 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is a story all about howJob's life got twist-turned upside downGive me an episode or two and I'll explainHow God inflicted Job with a life of pai...
071_Esther
24 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine ancient Jews who didn't observe kosher laws, had no special interest in Jerusalem, didn't practice circumcision, married foreigners, and wrote...
070_Nehemiah
26 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Torah is centered around the idea that the descendants of Abraham are the rightful residents of the land of Israel and the religion they follow is...
069_Song of Songs
12 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Song of Songs is the only piece of erotic love poetry included in the Hebrew Bible, and the imagery in the song is borderline pornographic. That's...
068_Ezra, Better than
29 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Post-Exilic return to Judah from Babylon is central to Jewish theology, but why? Shouldn't their religion have simply picked up where the First Te...
067_Revising History 2
30 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The wild inventions of the Chronicler continue in this episode as we cover the entirety of the First Temple Period beginning with King Solomon and end...
066_Revising History 1
28 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The two books of Chroniclers are yet another attempt by biblical authors to rewrite their national history and create new scripture which contradicts ...
065_Book of Ruth
28 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Set during the time of the Judges, the Book of Ruth follows Ruth and Naomi, two widows returning to Bethlehem during the wheat harvest. Neither has mo...
064_Fall of Jerusalem
26 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Things aren’t going so well for Israel and Judah. Beset on the west by the Egyptians, the east by the Assyrians, and each other from the north and s...
063_Baldilocks and the She-Bears
29 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Elisha the prophet. Elisha the miracle-worker. Elisha the moon god. As the Israelites moved to a lunar calendar the importance of their lunar figures ...
062_Come on Baalim Light My Fire
25 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How much sun god imagery can you fit into one character? I'm not sure, but the story of Elijah is trying to cram it all in there. From calling down fi...
061_Kings List
27 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Solomon's turn toward strange gods and stranger religious practices has convinced Yahweh to punish the nation of Israel by dividing it into two separa...
060_Wisdom of Kings
09 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The greatest structure ever built in Jerusalem was Yahweh's temple, but the story of its construction might be a product of a much later generation. A...
059_Ascension
28 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What did the early Christians believe about Jesus? Prior to the writing of Mark's gospel, Christian theology seemed... strange. It hints that Jesus li...
058_Letters from Prison
24 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Paul can't seem to stay out of trouble and lands himself in prison once again. While cooling his heels he preaches to the guards and sends out a few l...
057_Dear Corinth
25 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Everything that could go wrong within a church has gone wrong. One member is sleeping with his stepmother and his immoral behavior has attracted the i...
056_Rome if You Want To
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
One of Paul's final letters, written to the Christians in Rome, contains a treasure trove of information which sheds light on the beliefs of the early...
055_When in Rome
29 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The apostle Paul gives us our oldest surviving Christian writings which were addressed to congregations on two continents. But the version of Christia...
054_The End is the Beginning
27 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We conclude our survey of the Book of Enoch with the Epistles of Enoch. This fifth and final section deals with blessings of the righteous and curses ...
053_Hammer Time
23 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the Book of Visions we find a strange and curious section entitled the "Animal Apocalypse" which tells the entire history of the world, but replace...
052_Spirit in the Sky
26 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the middle of 1 Enoch lies the Astronomy Book, a strange manuscript which details the method for establishing a solar calendar. While this may be i...
051_Rock the Kasbeel
23 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Our study of the Book of Enoch continues as we dig deeper into the Similitudes of Enoch. The order of creation is laid out, the power of names is reve...
050_Watch the Sky For Me
23 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We continue our study of the Book of Enoch by examining the Parables. Messianic themes abound in this portion of the book as we meet the Elect One and...
049_Enoch, Knock, Knocking
26 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The angels have fallen and the stars have disobeyed the covenant. One man will act as intermediary between heaven and earth and serve as both divine s...
048_Tonight the Stars Revolt
29 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The discovery of a strange book gives new insights into the origins of Christianity and the complex relationship between sects of Judaism. It's filled...
047_The Order of Things
25 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's wrong. It's all wrong. The entire New Testament is in the wrong order, and it's my opinion that reading the New Testament in the order in which i...
046_Yahweh the Grain God
26 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We conclude the book of 2 Samuel with repeated references to Yahweh being a grain god along with some good old fashioned human sacrifice. David keeps ...
045_Fall of David
30 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
David covets his neighbor's wife, kills her husband, invites Yahweh's wrath, and executes a bunch of slaves. But his reign isn't all bad. He turns a b...
044_Call Me Ishbaal
27 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As we dig deeper into the story of King David we discover strange parallels with his son Solomon, links between David's grand house and the soon-to-be...
043_Witches and Foreskins
26 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The story of King Saul continues. A rival to the throne has stepped onto the stage and the king keeps getting possessed by the “evil spirit of Yahwe...
042_David and Goliath
22 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Yahweh hand-selected a king but apparently he made a mistake so he changed his mind about who should be king and chooses another to reign in his place...
041_Yahweh Chooses a King
26 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The people of Israel have asked for a king to rule over them and Yahweh makes his choice. But how good a choice is Saul son of Kish? Not very good as ...
040_Five Golden Hemorrhoids
29 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We hope back into the Old Testament with 1 Samuel to learn about Samuel, Saul, and the fate of those who dare to steal Yahweh's sacred box. What's the...
039_Secret Name of Yahweh
05 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Where did the First Temple Cult go after being expelled from Jerusalem? And after they were gone, did they remain in exile? Are they still around toda...
038_The Beginning
13 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What happened after the Persian Empire conquered Babylon? How did the new rulers influence the government and religion of ancient Israel? How much of ...
037_The Mask of Zoroastrianism
07 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A crash course in the single largest external influence on Second Temple Judaism. Who was Zarathustra? Why was his religion so important? And what was...
036_Atonement
22 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We continue our look at First Temple Theology and shift our focus to the purpose of the temple and the role the High Priest played as a Divine King. C...
035_The End
26 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Torah is a product of the Second Temple but Jews had been worshiping in Jerusalem for centuries prior to the Babylonian Exile. When the exiled Jew...
034_Bonus Episode: The Origins of Christmas
21 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
You've no doubt heard of Yule and Saturnalia, those two have been mentioned countless times over the years as the origins of Christmas. But how far ba...
033_All About the Benjaminites
19 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Micah's idols are stolen, the Danites still don't have a place to live, and the Israelites almost wipe out one of their own tribes. All this and more ...
032_Samson the Sun God
23 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Half man, half god, half hero, half legend. That's 200% but that's what you get when you cram a Hercules wannabe and a solar demigod into Jewish folkl...
031_Burning Daughters
26 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
More judges than you can shake a stick at. Yahweh accepts another human sacrifice, and another ancient festival is given a fictive origin story.
030_Debbie and Dan
22 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Learn all about the first few tribal leaders of Israel as we examine the first 5 chapter of Judges. Why are they still fighting the Canaanites? Has a ...
029_Joshua and the Fish God
23 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Was Joshua once a fish god? Were the stories of Joshua once about Yahweh himself? Are Joshua and Moses the same character? And where did the idea that...
028_Bonus Episode: Questions and Answers
13 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Listener questions on a variety of topics including the bible, woodchucks, and Godzilla are answered here.
027_The Son of Dagon
29 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In the first half of the book of Joshua we learn that Yahweh will clear the Promised Land personally but then makes the Israelites do it all themselve...
026_One God among Many
27 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The Deuteronomic Reform was established to oust the original pantheon from the Jerusalem Temple and the book of Deuteronomy created to justify the tra...
025_Talking Donkeys, Magic Snakes, and Priests of Leviathan
26 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In the second half of the Book of Numbers we encounter angel snakes, pagan idols, talking donkeys, magic smoke, genocide, and a group of priests with ...
024_Mana and Murder
27 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
After receiving the law code in Leviticus, Yahweh sends his favorite people toward the promised land... and then tries to kill them every step of the ...
023_Alien Fire!
08 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The entire (boring) book of Leviticus in a single episode recorded inside a Christian chapel in Portage, Wisconsin. Can Yahweh count to 6? Are bats a ...
022_Flesh Hooks and a Horned Moses
10 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Remember when Yahweh built a golden calf and then punished the people for it? Wait, you thought it was the people who made the calf? Better go back an...
021_Breaking the Law, Breaking the Law
21 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
What are we allowed to do? What must we never do? Well we can never cook a young goat in its mother's milk, that's for certain but slavery is still ko...
020_Ask Me Anything (Bonus)
11 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
You asked, I answered. God, the Devil, Santa, Dating Sims, and a little girl lost in the woods.
019_Straight Outta Egypt
24 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Pack your bags and grab your unleavened bread, we're departing the land of plenty and marching into the land where people die of dehydration and starv...
018_Pagan Passover
28 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for Passover. Grab your goats, don't leaven the bread, and spatter some blood about to protect your children from death deities. Oh, and the...
017_One Plague To Rule Them All
07 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Yahweh sets up Pharaoh for failure and even refuses to allow the Israelites to be freed so he can enact his master plan which includes turning all the...
016_Moses Just Killed A Man
22 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Mosessss... just killed a man.Put a rock upside his head.Buried in the sand and now he's dead.
015_How to Make a Moses
01 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
If you want to build a Jewish lawgiver, you'll need one part Akkadian king, a Babylonian conqueror, a pinch of Egyptian miracles, two pounds of Semiti...
014_As Foretold by Joe (Redo)
30 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
A variety of pre-biblical texts are drawn upon to craft the tale of Joseph as the patriarch continues his adventures in Egypt. His life is filled with...
013_Joseph the Grain God (Redo)
23 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Genesis concludes with a novella about Joseph, a young man who is sold into slavery by his brothers only to rise above the adversity to rule over a pa...
012_Jacob vs God (Redo)
26 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
There's a scene borrowed directly from the Epic of Gilgamesh and we find some strange genetic experiments involving goats. Gods are abducted, another ...
011_Isaac the Sun God (Redo)
30 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Despite being regarded as one of the most important figures in the Old Testament, Isaac is virtually a non-entity. He isn't an active character in a s...
010_Human Sacrifice (Redo)
16 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Concluding the story of Israel's first patriarch, we follow Abraham into the land of Gerar where he again sells his wife into the harem of a foreign k...
009_Sodom and Gomorrah (Redo)
06 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Abraham gets a name change, has a personal visitation from multiple gods, Sarah uses magical curses against a slave girl before sleeping with a deity,...
008_Abraham Sells His Wife (Redo)
29 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
We begin our coverage of the first patriarch and the covenant between him and Yahweh, or El Elyon, with the father of Judaism selling his half-sister,...
007_The Tower of Babel (Redo)
09 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The Tower of Babel has long been recognized as a cautionary tale warning against climbing too high and upsetting the gods... but is it more than that?...
006_Ark Encounters (Redo)
13 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
How did a culture living in the Judean highlands come up with the story of Noah's flood? And why do so many details in the story seem to be repeated, ...
005_Cain and Abel (Redo)
01 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Hidden behind the story of the first muder is a wild collection of older myths that include the god Tammuz and the goddess Inanna and a pair of suitor...
004_The Many Sons of God (Redo)
14 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
42. It's the answer to life, the universe, and everything! It's also the number of gods I found in the Bible. From well-known gods like El Elyon and Y...