Literature and History
Episodes
Episode 20: The Problem of Evil (The Book of Job)
15 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The Old Testament, Part 6 of 10. If God is so good, then why do the good and innocent suffer? The Book of Job's aim is to answer this question. Episo...
Episode 19: The One Who Struggles with God (The Historical Books and Biblical Archaeology)
29 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The Old Testament, Part 5 of 10. The Historical Books tell of Israel's conflicts with Syria, Assyria, Egypt, and finally, exile to the corridors of Ba...
Episode 18: The 613 Commandments (The Pentateuch's Prescriptive Materials)
15 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The Old Testament, Part 4 of 10. Eden, the Flood, the Commandments– all fine. But what's with all the stuff about tents, sacrifices, and – uh – ...
Episode 17: Roots of the Pentateuch (The Pentateuch and Comparative Mythography)
01 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The Old Testament, Part 3 of 10. Hear the Biblical story of creation and the first founders of Israel, and the texts that may have influenced this sto...
Episode 16: Four Main Parts (Introduction to the Bible's Structure)
25 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The Old Testament, Part 2 of 10. There are tons of books, thousands of proper nouns, and many versions of the Old Testament. But all of it fits into f...
Episode 15: Canaan (Biblical History and Archaeology)
13 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The Old Testament, Part 1 of 10. 1207 BCE. Two world empires. And between them, an unassuming strip of seacoast land that has been at the center of hi...
Episode 14: The Autumn Leaves (Homer's Odyssey, Books 17-24)
27 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The Odyssey, Books 17-24. As we reach the violent climax of Odysseus' great adventures, it's time to spend some time considering Homer's worldview. ...
Episode 13: His Mind Teeming (Homer's Odyssey, Books 9-16)
19 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The Odyssey, Books 9-16. The most famous part of Homer's Odyssey sees Odysseus through perilous adventures and begins to give us a sense of who he ...
Episode 12: Kleos and Nostos (Homer's Odyssey, Books 1-8)
13 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The Odyssey, Books 1-8. Adventure, monsters, temptresses, and a whole lot of wine-dark Aegean. Learn all about the world of Homer's Odyssey. Episode...
Episode 11: Who Was Homer? (Homer's Iliad, Books 17-24)
27 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The Iliad, Books 17-24. As the Iliad reaches its spectacular climax, it's time to ask a big question. Who wrote it? Episode 11 Quiz https://litera...
Episode 10: Homer's Gods (Homer's Iliad, Books 9-16)
27 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The Iliad, Books 9-16. The violent and spellbinding middle books of the Iliad leave us with questions about Homer's theology. Episode 10 Quiz http...
Episode 9: Glittering Bronze Men (Homer's Iliad, Books 1-8)
27 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The Iliad, Books 1-8. Homer's Iliad is the Tyrannosaurus Rex of ancient epics. And at the core of its 24 books is one shiny metal. Episode 9 Quiz ...
Episode 8: Before Orthodoxy (Hesiod's Theogony)
12 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Elementals, giants, titans and gods! Hesiod's Theogony chronicles a great war – one which would leave a single entity sovereign over the cosmos. ...
Episode 7: Hesiod's Lands and Seasons (Hesiod's Works and Days)
12 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Before Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato, there was a grouchy farmer poet whose Works and Days continues to fascinate us. Episode 7 Quiz https://liter...
Episode 6: The Pros and Cons of Wisdom (Ancient Egypt's Wisdom Literature)
12 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Ancient Egypt produced a great deal of proverbs and wisdom literature. Some of it even slipped into the bible. But how wise is wisdom literature? Epi...
Episode 5: Beneath the Obelisks (Ancient Egyptian Fiction)
12 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
We know about Ancient Egypt's pyramids, temples, and sarcophagi. What about its folktales and stories? Episode 5 Quiz https://literatureandhistory.co...
Episode 4: Divine Judgment (The Book of the Dead)
12 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In the 3,500 year old Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, we can find the roots of the world's religions. Episode 4 Quiz https://literatureandhistory...
Episode 3: He Who Saw the Deep (The Epic of Gilgamesh)
12 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The Epic of Gilgamesh, composed 3,000-5,000 years ago, and first translated in the 1860s and 70s, was one of the greatest literary discoveries of all ...
Episode 2: Before the Flood (The Enuma Elish and Atrahasis)
12 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The Enuma Elish and the Atrahasis, in circulation 3,800 years ago, were Mesopotamia's creation and flood epics, making them 1,000 years older than ...
Episode 1: The Tower of Babel (Cuneiform)
12 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
For thousands of years, cuneiform was the means of transmitting information through space and time in the Ancient Near East. Then, something happened....