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It is time for a break.

Episodes will be forthcoming on topics such as the Dead Sea Scrolls; the development of Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes;the early followers of Jesus; the worsening political conditions in Judea; and the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE and its aftermath. But these will have to wait.

I hope to have the next new episode posted in about six weeks.

Philo Judaeus is the most well-known Jewish philosopher from antiquity. Living in Alexandria from ca. 20 BCE – 50 CE, Philo produced an astonishing corpus that has often been held up as a signal example of “Hellenistic Judaism.” Who was Philo, and what was he up to?

The episode can be heard here, or on the player below. More download options are here. It is also available on iTunes.

Was Herod the Great a brilliant ruler or a savage brute? This episode traces Herod’s rise to power and his reign, 40 – 4 BCE.

The episode can be heard here, or on the player below. More download options are here. It can also be heard on iTunes.

The religion of the Jews who lived in the Greek speaking areas of the Mediterranean is commonly called “Hellenistic Judaism”. This episode explains why scholars use this term; why it is less useful than it might seem; and how it is that most of these Jews would have worshiped the God of Israel.

The episode can be heard here, or in the player below. Other download options are here. It can also be accessed on iTunes.

On the origins of Jewish sectarianism in the second to first centuries, BCE, with a focus on Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and (if different) the first inhabitants of Qumran, where the Dead Sea scrolls would be found.

The episode can be heard here, or on the player below. More download options are here. The podcast is also available on iTunes.

One listener recently alerted me (thank you!) that the audio files continue to not be properly “balanced” between left and right sides. We have figured out the cause for this, and will fix it beginning with the next episode.