Data Over Dogma

The world of ancient holy texts is shrouded in mystery. Where did texts come from? How were they transmitted? Were they altered, and if so, by whom?

First this week, we'll be talking about 1 Esdras. It's a book you won't find in most Bibles these days, yet you will find most of the stories it contains. And if Esdras sounds a lot like the name of another Biblical book to you, that's not a coincidence. So what is Esdras? Why is it different from its biblical cousin, and why was one chosen over the other (unless you're in Ethiopia)?

Then: it's something we've mentioned many times on this show, and it's high time for the deeper dive. We're talking about the Masoretes, and the creation of the aptly (but perhaps too literally) named "Masoretic text".

This is a fascinating tale of dedicated scribes who had an enormous impact on how biblical texts were translated and transmitted. Their decisions and calculations affect how we read the Bible over a thousand years later. We'll explore their contributions, and the power wielded by this small group of meticulous ancient scholars.

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This week we're taking two topics that we've skimmed the surface of, and we're diving deep!

First, we're going to figure out what the heck a Maccabee is. That is, we're covering both history and a couple of books in the apocrypha. That's right: we're discussing the Maccabean revolt.

What do we know about the actual historical event? Who were the main players, and how did it all shake out? Is the story presented in the books of Maccabees true to the history? What's a Seleucid?

Then, we're breaking down the Prophetic Critique, but we're doing it with a twist! Has Dan McClellan been missing something in his discussions of this concept? He was called out by a listener--will he accept the criticism, or clap back?

Find Simone's critique of Dan's critique of the Prophetic Critique here:

https://simonereadstexts.substack.com/p/remembering-the-prophetic-critique

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This week, we're really into bondage, but not in a fun way.

First, we're talking about Hagar, the enslaved handmaiden of Sarai (and later of Sarah). Being enslaved is never a good thing, despite what some apologists might have you believe, but Hagar is done pretty dirty in a few ways. We'll explore not just her nonconsensual heir-making with Abraham, but also her ejection from their house leading to the almost-death of her and her... 17 year old toddler?

Next it's something that is in your Bible... but isn't. Multiple books of the New Testament make explicit references to this, and even quote it, but because first Enoch didn't make the canonical cut (with one exception), most readers would never know it. And yet, the idea that certain angels got chained up seems to be out there.

So who were these naughty angels? What did they do that was so bad that they deserved to be chained up? What kind of chains can even hold a divine being? And should we all be worried whenever the Euphrates river goes through a dry spell?

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There have been some disturbing things happening in the world lately, and some of the people most heavily involved in those things are invoking even more disturbing parts of the Bible as a rallying call. When world leaders remind us of biblical genocide when they go to war, you know we're in trouble.

So this week, we're discussing Amalek, and the Israelite encounters with the people who bear his name. There is no love lost between the Amalekites and the Israelites. As a matter of fact, Jewish people to this day vow to remember and NOT remember Amalek.

So what was so awful about the Amalekites that they stand out as worse than the myriad other enemies of ancient Israel? And what did they do to deserve the total destruction that was ordered by God?

Then we're covering some spurious apologetic ground. If you've ever listened to a Christian apologist for more than a few minutes, you've likely heard the idea that "No one would die for a lie." This idea is either preceded or followed by descriptions of the horrific deaths endured by the disciples of Jesus.

The problem is that most of those deaths aren't recorded in any books in the Bible. So what are the stories of the deaths of the apostles, and where do they come from?

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If you've listened to this show for any amount of time, you know what the Septuagint is (if you haven't, don't worry- it's just the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible). But do you know where that name came from? Or the legend of its creation?

This episode, we're diving deep into the lore of this very important document, and yes- there is LORE! The most important of which is a very long letter from a man calling himself Aristeas, which tells a fascinating (and spurious) tale of the Septuagint's origin. What do we know about this letter? And how much credence should we give it?

Then, we're diving into that elaborate system of laws and rules known as the Covenant Code. Specifically, the part where we learn how the ancient Israelites were supposed to handle an ownership dispute. What does it mean when it says they were supposed to "come before God" to decide the case? How were they supposed to do that? How was it decided? What if it didn't work???

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