Episodes

  • God, Angels, and Iconography
    Sep 1 2023

    Dr. Taylor Gray is an associate faculty member and the professor of a recently released course at IBC called Divine Imagery in the Biblical World. This week we discuss what we can learn from iconography from the ancient world, and how these pieces of art may enhance the way we read the Bible. What changes to our picture of cherubim and seraphim? There are also challenges including the pottery with pictures and writing that refer to YHWH and his Asherah. What was going on in ancient Israelite society?

    Enroll in the class Divine Imagery in the Biblical World HERE
    View Othmar Keel's influential book Symbolism of the Biblical World
    Explore a catalogue of ancient art through this German website

    Find out how you can get this and many other courses with one small monthly subscription at: https://israelbiblecenter.com
    Stay connected with IBC on Facebook @IsraelBibleCenter or Twitter @IsraelStudy

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    28 mins
  • Images of the Divine World
    Aug 25 2023

    Dr. Taylor Gray is an associate faculty member at Israel Bible Center. He recently released a new course called Divine Imagery in the Biblical World. We sit down with Dr. Gray to talk about the study of iconography, its growth over the last few decades, and its ability to give modern readers a glimpse into how ancient people perceived the world.

    Enroll in the class Divine Imagery in the Biblical World HERE
    View Othmar Keel's influential book Symbolism of the Biblical World
    Explore a catalogue of ancient art through this German website

    Find out how you can get this and many other courses with one small monthly subscription at: https://israelbiblecenter.com
    Stay connected with IBC on Facebook @IsraelBibleCenter or Twitter @IsraelStudy

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    31 mins
  • Fluidity of the Divine
    Aug 18 2023

    Part 2 of the conversation between Dr. Benjamin Sommer and Dr. Yeshaya Gruber explores the idea of if the Israelites thought of God had fluidity like the polytheists thought their gods had. Perhaps different authors had differing views? What do we gain by exploring the ancient views of the body or form of the Divine?

    Watch the whole Round Table Talk with Dr. Sommer called God's Bodies in the Bible
    Explore the book The Bodies of God and the World of Ancient Israel.
    Take Dr. Gruber's class Kabbalah and the Bible, Part 1

    Find out how you can get this and many other courses with one small monthly subscription at: https://israelbiblecenter.com
    Stay connected with IBC on Facebook @IsraelBibleCenter or Twitter @IsraelStudy

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    24 mins
  • Does God Have a Body?
    Aug 11 2023

    Dr. Benjamin Sommer and Dr. Yeshaya Gruber to discuss God's Bodies in the Bible. Is it controversial to claim that God has a body? Are ancient Near Eastern conceptions of deities reflected or refuted in the Hebrew Bible? These questions lead us into a conversation about God's presence.

    Watch the whole Round Table Talk with Dr. Sommer called God's Bodies in the Bible
    Explore the book The Bodies of God and the World of Ancient Israel.
    Take Dr. Gruber's class Kabbalah and the Bible, Part 1

    Find out how you can get this and many other courses with one small monthly subscription at: https://israelbiblecenter.com
    Stay connected with IBC on Facebook @IsraelBibleCenter or Twitter @IsraelStudy

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    25 mins
  • Imprecatory Psalms Say What?????
    Aug 4 2023

    Dr. Drew Longacre is a guest lecturer at IBC who recently released a course on the Psalms. Today talk about some of the psalms that make you cringe...those imprecatory psalms that call down God's judgment on your enemy. Dr. Longacre also introduces us to a new online tool that helps us study the psalms well.

    Enroll in the course Psalms: A Songbook for the Ages HERE

    Explore the new resource on the psalms through the Cambridge Digital Bible HERE

    Find out how you can get this and many other courses with one small monthly subscription at: https://israelbiblecenter.com
    Stay connected with IBC on Facebook @IsraelBibleCenter or Twitter @IsraelStudy

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    21 mins
  • Psalms: A Songbook for the Ages
    Jul 28 2023

    Dr. Drew Longacre is a guest lecturer at IBC who recently released a course on the Psalms. Today we explore the organization of the Psalter along with what the Dead Sea Scrolls contribute to our understanding of how to read the psalms.

    Enroll in the course Psalms: A Songbook for the Ages HERE

    Explore the new resource on the psalms through the Cambridge Digital Bible HERE

    Find out how you can get this and many other courses with one small monthly subscription at: https://israelbiblecenter.com
    Stay connected with IBC on Facebook @IsraelBibleCenter or Twitter @IsraelStudy

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    25 mins
  • The Ruins of Jericho: Where are They?
    Jul 21 2023

    What is archaeology's role in helping us interpret the Bible? In last week’s episode we raised some initial guiding principles related to what archaeology is, and this week we discover how complex this conversation can be. Around the table today are Dr. Yeshaya Gruber, Dr. Nicholas Schaser, and Dr. Cyndi Parker. Dr. Gruber starts with a comment about the conquest narratives, and then we will rewind to dating the Exodus which influences how we look at the archaeology. And if you hang in there, we will even talk about how the gospel writers use the site of Jericho to tell a story of restoration.


    Listen to this Round Table Talk with archaeologist Jodi Magnuss: https://israelbiblecenter.com/roundtable-talks/archaeology-life-first-century/
    Find out how you can get this and many other courses with one small monthly subscription at: https://israelbiblecenter.com
    Stay connected with IBC on Facebook @IsraelBibleCenter or Twitter @IsraelStudy

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    24 mins
  • Jericho: A Question of Archaeology and the Bible
    Jul 14 2023

    Archaeology is a fantastic tool to help modern audiences understand the world of the Bible and the lives of the people depicted in the Bible. But what is archaeology's role in helping us interpret the Bible? This was the topic of conversation between three of Israel Bible Center's faculty.

    Listen to this Round Table Talk with archaeologist Jodi Magnuss: https://israelbiblecenter.com/roundtable-talks/archaeology-life-first-century/
    Find out how you can get this and many other courses with one small monthly subscription at: https://israelbiblecenter.com
    Stay connected with IBC on Facebook @IsraelBibleCenter or Twitter @IsraelStudy

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    24 mins