A Podcast of Biblical Proportions
You can learn a lot about authors from the stories they write. Even biblical authors. Biblical authors were regular people, like you and I, even though their stories, poems and laws have gone on to shape our world. They lived in very dramatic times, which is why their texts are so dramatic. Join Hebrew-speaking writer and editor Gil Kidron on a journey of biblical proportions, going over the biblical books in order, and leaving no stone unturned
109 - The Maccabean Levite Torah
In 140 BCE, the Maccabees and Levites broke apart the priestly narrative and drowned it out in their own to create the Torah we have today
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
108 - The Authors of the First Torah
In this first Torah summary, we're looking back at the writers who lived between 600 BCE and 450 BCE, their lives, circumstances and iconic biblical stories
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
Collab: From Chronicles to 2 Maccabees
After getting to know Maccabean times so well, if we compare the Maccabean book 2 Maccabees with the biblical book Chronicles, we will see that they seem to have been written by the same people. Garry Stevens from the History in the Bible podcast joins Gil to discuss.
To Garry's podcast
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
Collab: From Deuteronomy to the Apocalypse
Now that we've gone over all of Deuteronomy, Garry Stevens from the History in the Bible joins Gil to discuss how the broken promises of Deuteronomy led to the rise in apocalyptic literature
To Garry's podcast
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
107 - The Deuteronomy Effect
In our final Deuteronomy summary episode, we're looking back at it as a divine promise given in 140 BCE. What happened when the promise was broken?
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
106 - Replacing Deuteronomy
After going over Deuteronomy and in our first season summary episode, we compare Deuteronomy to its arch nemesis, the Temple Scroll
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
105 - The Death of Moses
In the final chapters of Deuteronomy, we build up to the death of Moses, which crowns his successor, predicts the future, blesses the people and dies. He gets an emotional eulogy, a fine send-off for the Hebrew hero
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
104 - The New Era Begins Today
On the inaugural Rosh Hashanah, 140 BCE, the Maccabean leader Shimon Thassi delivered the most beautiful speeches of Deuteronomy
Join our tribe on Patreon!
Give Gil a one-time donation
Check out these cool pages on the podcast's website:
Home Page Who wrote the Bible: Timeline and authors Ancient maps: easy-to-follow maps to see which empire ruled what and when
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
103 - The Most Important Day of His Life
Attend the Jerusalem Temple inaugural Yom Kippur ceremony, presided by the new High Priest Shimon Thassi
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
102 - Total Reset
On the first day after Hebrew independence under the Maccabees, there was a total reset of every aspect of Hebrew society
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
101 - The Hero and His Successor
The opening speeches of Deuteronomy recount suspiciously Maccabean chapters. Could this Moses be based on a real life "bigger than life" Hebrew hero?
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
100 - Saving the Jerusalem Temple
The Maccabees had no choice but to take over the Jerusalem Temple from the priests, centralize worship there and destroy all other shrines in the land
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
99 - The Priestly Jerusalem Temple
In this episode of Deuteronomy, we will travel back in time to see how the priests ran the show in their temple, and how the Maccabees changed everything
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
98 - What is Deuteronomy
In this introduction to the fifth biblical book, we will see that it is the book of the revolution. The revolution of 140 BCE
To read about Dr Yonatan Adler's research book The Origins of Judaism
To episode 88, about the calendar reform that changed Hebrew history
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
97 - Debunking Scholarlship on Deuteronomy
In our first episode of the fifth season of the podcast, about the fifth biblical book, Gil explains why biblical scholars are dead wrong about it.
Links to Dr. Yonatan Adler's archeological research
The late origins of Judaism
The beginning of Yom Kippur
The beginning of Passover
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
SPECIAL: Our AI-Bible Academic Research!
Can we use LLMs to find who wrote the Bible? We're gonna try, and by we I mean: biologist Dr. Rutger Vos, Gil, and you, if you're interested. And if you are, send me a message at the bottom of this page.
To read about the latest AI research into the Bible, click here
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
Collab: Athenian Democracy vs Maccabean Democracy
Athenian democracy, in many ways, inspired the Maccabean-style democracy established in 140 BCE. Bernie Maopolski from the Fan of History podcast joins Gil to discuss.
Listen to Bernie's episodes on Athenian Democracy -
Democracy in Athens
The Boule: Random Guys and the Birth of Bureaucracy
Greek Democracy, part 3
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
Collab: Ancient Hebrew Music
The ancient Hebrews played and listened to music, and they wrote about it in the Bible. Dr. Jonathan Friedmann is an expert on the topic and he joins Gil to discuss their musical culture.
Read more about the topic from Dr. Friedman:
Music in Biblical Life
Music in the Hebrew Bible
Academia.edu articles about Ancient Hebrew music
Music in the Ancient Near East
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced...
Collab: King David in Hebrew vs Ancient Greek
In our third installment comparing the Hebrew and ancient Greek versions of the Bible, Garry Stevens of the History in the Bible podcast joins Gil to talk about the two versions of King David's origin story. Which is the better of the two?
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
Collab: Who Wrote the Letter of Jeremiah?
In our second installment comparing the Hebrew version of the Bible with the ancient Greek one, Garry Stevens of the History in the Bible podcast joins Gil to talk about an obscure but fun book
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
Collab: Jeremiah in Hebrew vs Ancient Greek
There are many differences between the Hebrew and Ancient Greek versions of the book of Jeremiah. Can we explain them? Yes, we can. Garry Stevens from the History in the Bible podcast joins Gil for this new series
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
96 - Final Thoughts on Numbers
In this episode, we're looking back and gleaning new insights from our season about the fourth biblical book
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
95 - The Rise and Fall of the Hebrew State
When read in context, the Maccabean texts in the book of Numbers reveal the processes that led to the fall of the Hebrew state. Our chapters for today are Numbers 1, 3, 4, 8, 15, 18, 19, 20, 25, 27, 29, 30, 31, 33, 34, and 35.
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
94 - The Secret Story about Jeremiah the Traitor
In our fourth episode of the season of Numbers, we go over the Balaam Tales, which are a funny fable about Jeremiah, who worked for the Babylonians to doom the Hebrews
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
93 - He Who Controls the Ark
We continue our journey through the book of Numbers, and after the Hebrew returnees from Babylonia split into groups, the priests use the Ark of the Covenant to regain political power
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
92 - When Reality Shatters Your Dreams
The stories about the challenges of the returnees from Egypt are about the real challenges of the returnees from Babylonia. Our Numbers chapters for today are 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, and 20.
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
91 - Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow
The oldest stories of Numbers were about the crises of leadership in the Babylonian captivity, told from two distinct perspectives: One from a populist perspective, and the other from an elitist perspective. The combined stories appear as one in Numbers, chapter 11.
Shemaya's populist story (verses in ch 11):
11 So Moses said to Yahweh, “Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all these people on me?
12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give birth to them, that you shoul...
90 - What is Numbers
In this introductory episode to the fourth biblical book, we will overview its many different layers, written between the 590 BCE and the 80s BCE.
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
Collab: New AI Research into Biblical Authors Supports our Theories
New AI research into the Documentary Hypothesis and the authorship of the books of Samuel reinforces our theories. Dr. Rutger Vos from the University of Leiden joins Gil to discuss. Read about this research here
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
Collab: How To Find Biblical Authors
Petros Koutoupis joins Gil to talk about biblical authors. Check out his two substacks: Digging Up the Past and Digging Out the Bible
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
Collab: Miraculous Births in Myth
Garry Stevens from the History in the Bible podcast and Bernie Maopolski from the Fan of History podcast join Gil to talk about miraculous births in myth
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
Resident Academic: What Academia is Good and Bad At
Anke Bosma, PhD, joins Gil to share her perspective on what is working and what is not working in academia today, particularly in the humanities.
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
Resident Academic: the Baby Moses Investigation
Dr. Rutger Vos is our Resident Academic, academizing our investigation into who wrote the Baby Moses story and why. How would this be viewed by academia?
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
Collab: Shavuot and Pentecost are Almost Identical
After having learned the origins of the Hebrew festival of Shavuot/Weeks, Garry Stevens of the History in the Bible podcast joins Gil to compare our findings with what we know about the Christian version of this holiday. The results are stunning.
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
89 - The Making of Leviticus
In this summary episode, let's review the layers of Leviticus, who wrote them, and when
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
88 - The Ten Terrible, Stressful and Spooky Days
Yom Kippur is the Hebrew Day of Atonement, and it was originally established so the Hebrew people could open a new leaf. Instead, the holy day unleashed chaos among the Hebrews.
Click here to read about Dr. Yonatan Adler's research about Yom Kippur beginning in 140 BCE
Click here to find the link for our experimental Discord group
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
Collab: The Rise of the Rabbis
When the Rabbis emerged on the historical scene, during Roman times, Judaism was born. Garry Stevens from the History in the Bible podcast joins Gil to discuss
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
87 - The Hebrew Class War
In 140 BCE, the Maccabees reformed the Hebrew calendar and wrote the Leviticus rules in chapters 19 and 25, so they could transfer wealth from the rich back to the people.
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
86 - Payback
As we get into the second part of our Leviticus season, we get to two Leviticus stories written in 140 BCE about how the original priests were violently toppled and replaced by Levites.
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
85 - The Hebrew Theocratic Oligarchy
In 458 BCE, a group of foreign billionaires initiated a coup in Judea in order to exempt themselves from paying taxes. They succeeded thanks to the first edition of the Torah.
Join our tribe on Patreon!
To give Gil a one-time donation
The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron
