Jill is joined by Sharon Betsworth, professor of religion and director of the Wimberly School of Religion at Oklahoma City University, to discuss Luke 2:41-52. In this passage Jesus is found learning in the Temple at 12 years old. They discus

26. The Basics of the Epistles (S03 E05)

Mar 10th, 2021 44m 38s

Jill walks you through the importance of ancient letter writing, the anatomy of the ancient letter, and discusses some of the difficulty in interpreting New Testament letters. She also discusses various approaches to Paul's correspondence with

25. Canaanite Woman In Matthew (S03 E04)

Feb 17th, 2021 46m 37s

Jill examines this problematic passage by focusing on the social circumstances of the Canaanite Woman (Justa) and her demon-possessed daughter and how Jesus' initial refusal to help her may have had life-or-death consequences for the family uni

24. Rewritten Bible (S03 E03)

Feb 3rd, 2021 32m 9s

In this episode, Jill discusses the genre "Rewritten Bible." This genre describes the phenomenon of textual transmission wherein come communities intentionally recast, restructured, and/or retold books of the Bible.Transcript: https://drive.g

23. Mothers Of Israel (S03 E02)

Jan 20th, 2021 36m 33s

In this episodes, Jill examines the births of the children of Leah, Bilhah, Zilpah, and Rachel. The specific focus is on how the naming speeches of their children shed insight into the dynamics of one very complicated family.Transcript: https

22. Introduction to Ruth (S3 E01)

Jan 6th, 2021 22m 31s

In this episode, Jill takes a look at the book of Ruth, considering three major areas of investigation taken up by scholars: the concept of chesed, the custom of levirate marriage, and issue of Ruth’s ethnicity.Transcript: https://drive.google

21. Overview Of Prophets (S02 E08)

Jun 17th, 2020 34m 47s

Have you ever wondered what it meant to be a prophet? Why were they so dramatic sometimes? What's the point they're trying to make? Is Ezekiel talking about aliens?!?! Why do they matter anyway?Check out this episode and find some answers!T

20. Cozbi's Murder in Numbers 25 (S02 E07)

May 6th, 2020 36m 49s

This episode explores the murder of the Midianite princess described in Numbers 25 by considering the ways that she has been treated in contemporary interpretations and by looking at how her body is used to develop the identity of Phinehas the

19. Qoheleth/Ecclesiastes and Feminism: An Interview with Lisa Wolfe (S02 E06)

Apr 23rd, 2020 38m 35s

In this week's episode, Jill and Zac interview Dr. Lisa M. Wolfe, Professor of Hebrew Bible at Oklahoma City University, on her book "Wisdom Commentary: Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes)." This discussion centers around how someone can do a feminist rea

18. Esther aka The Bachelor: Mesopotamia (S02 E05)

Apr 15th, 2020 25m 19s

Who will King Ahasuerus choose? In this shorter episode, Jill and Zac discuss an overview of the book of Esther as well as some of the more interesting aspects of Esther's tradition.

17. Jephthah's Daughter (S02 E04)

Apr 8th, 2020 42m 28s

Jephthah made a terrible-awful-not-very-good (and totally unnecessary) vow and his daughter paid the price. Listen in as Jill and Zac talk about the broad overview of the Deuteronomistic History, the book of Judges itself, some discussion on th

16. Miriam (S02 E03)

Apr 1st, 2020 37m 47s

Who was Miriam? Was she Moses' sister? There's more to Miriam than meets the eye. Find out the roles this important woman played, the details of her tradition, and some things you may not have known about Miriam on this week's episode with Jill

15. The Synoptic Problem - Part 2 (S02 E02)

Mar 25th, 2020 42m 24s

In this thrilling second installment, Jill and Zac continue their discussion on the Synoptic Problem.

14. The Synoptic Problem - Part 1 (S02 E01)

Mar 11th, 2020 40m 20s

We're back! Have you ever wondered why the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are so similar? Has anyone figured out how they're related? Which was one was first? And what on earth is Q? Listen in on Jill and Zac as they talk about the history

13. Matthew 2: A Discussion with Warren Carter (S01 E13)

Dec 11th, 2019 32m 59s

In this continuation from last week’s episode, Jill and Dr. Carter talk about the Magi/Wise People and King Herod. And once again, the Roman Empire is at heart of what’s happening in the text of Matthew 2. A special thanks to Dr. Carter for com

12. Matthew 1: A Discussion with Warren Carter (S01 E12)

Dec 4th, 2019 32m 36s

In this episode, Jill sits down with Dr. Warren Carter to discuss the interesting features of Matthew 1. They engaged with two major questions: What are the significance of genealogies in the ancient world? And why does Matthew's birth narrativ

11. The Horror in Judges 19 (S01 E11)

Oct 31st, 2019 44m 24s

TW: Rape In a special episode for Halloween, Jill and Zac sift through the grotesque and horrifying story of the woman in Judges 19. In order to address such horror, Zac utilizes some Gothic scholarship to better understand the violence in the

10. The Veils of 1 Corinthians 11 (S01 E10)

Oct 23rd, 2019 38m 31s

Why is that women are asked to veil themselves in 1 Cor. 11? And what's the deal with needing to veil yourself because of the angels? Find out in this episode where Jill and Zac tackle the strange section of 1 Corinthians 11 that contains some

9. Hagar (S01 E09)

Oct 2nd, 2019 47m 47s

Have you ever wondered about what the legal codes say about strangers in the Hebrew Bible? What does Hagar's name actually mean? In this episode, Jill and Zac discuss the figure of Hagar and the implications of reading her story in Genesis 16 i

8. Biblical Texts and Their Complicated Histories (S01 E08)

Sep 6th, 2019 36m 11s

Biblical texts have long, complicated histories. Which communities found which version to be authoritative? And why are so many Christians concerned about finding the "original" text? In this episode, Jill and Zac take a look at the confusing a

7. Inerrancy (S01 E07)

Aug 21st, 2019 46m 10s

In this week's episode, Jill and Zac discuss the (somewhat) controversial concept of biblical inerrancy (and infallibility). Highlights include some conversation about their own experiences with how their formative religious traditions understo

6. Infancy Gospel of Thomas (S01 E06)

Aug 10th, 2019 39m 28s

In this week's episode, Jill interprets the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, a 2nd century Christian text that depicts Jesus as a precocious, and sometimes deadly, child. Jill unpacks how the redactor/editor of the story utilized stories about the bo

5. The Gerasene Demoniac in Mark 5:1-20 (S01 E05)

Jul 24th, 2019 39m 7s

Depoliticized readings of biblical texts are rampant in Christian contexts today. But not here! In this episode, Jill and Zac talk about the implications of reading Mark 5:1-20 through a postcolonial method, especially regarding the likely hist

4. Biblical Magic: The Sotah Ritual and Proto-James (S01 E04)

Jul 10th, 2019 41m 56s

Ever wondered about the obscure "bitter water" ceremony in Numbers 5? Did you know that James has a Gospel? And did you know there's a connection between them? In this episode, Jill and Zac wade through the murky depths of a strange ritual in t

3. Hannah (S01 E03)

Jun 27th, 2019 39m 42s

In this episode, Jill and Zac discuss Hannah and her song in 1 Sam 2:1-10, how scholars have interpreted the song, and why she should be considered a prophet.