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Without the works of the historian Josephus (36/37 CE – ca. 95) we would know little about the history of the Jews in antiquity. Yet Josephus, as a historian and a man, was a complex figure: was he a Jewish patriot or a Roman toady?

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

In the first century CE the area around Jerusalem teemed with small Jewish religious groups, or sects. This episode focuses on three of the most well-known of these groups: Pharisees, Sadducees, and the early followers of Jesus.

The episode is available here, or in the player below. Other download options are here. It is also available on iTunes (and now on iTunesU).

What are the Dead Sea scrolls? This episode discusses their discovery, contents, and meaning.

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

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.