Episode: We’re back with Tablet X of the Epic of Gilgamesh! Enjoy this next installment with Amy and Chris as Gilgamesh goes in search of Utnapishtim! Click to listen back to PART 1,  PART 2, PART 3, PART 4, PART 5, PART 6, PART 7, PART 8, PART 9, and PART 10. Hosts: Chris McKinny and Amy Balogh Image Attribution: Item CBS7771 at Penn Museum - https://www.penn.museum/collections/object_images.php?irn=245958#image1

In part II of our intro to Biblical Archaeology, Kyle and Chris explore the contributions of W. F. Albright (who knew over 20 languages) and G. E. Wright, Kathleen Kenyon and others, and the emergence of New Archaeology, regional approaches, and other new methods. They also consider questions of faith and history, theology and archaeology, and text and the past. They discuss how archaeology is ill-suited to ”slay the dragon of theological liberalism,” but also how it contributes to faith. How can we grapple well with the intersection of these fields that often seem so far apart?

In this two-part series, Kyle and Chris delve deeply into the history of ”biblical” archaeology. What is this field? How did we get to where we are today? Who are some of the characters that shaped the field along the way? If you’ve ever pondered these (or related) questions, then this mini-series is for you.

Episode: In this second of our “Second Temple Series,” Mary Buck discusses the Neo-Babylonian period. Of particular interest is the impact of the Babylonian Empire on the Kingdom of Judah.Babylonian Period. This short-lived "flash-in-the-pan" empire has an outsized impact on history. Learn how and why in this episode! Key BCE dates discussed:627 - Nabopolassar (rebels against Assyria)612 - Nineveh falls, capital moves to Haran606 - Nebuchadnezzar II (famous from Daniel, etc.). Egyptians and Assyrians unite against Babylon. Battle of Carchemish - Nebuchadnezzar II defeats the Assyrian-Egyptian coalition.605 - Nebuchadnezzar II pursues Egyptian army back to the brook of Egypt. (but don't take territory there)599-597 - Jehoiakim rebels against Babylon (dies in 597), then Jehoiakin exiled to Babylon. Finally, Zedekiah appointed as vassal king.588 - Judah relies on Egypt to resist Babylon587/6 - Nebuchadnezzar II returns to Jerusalem a final time, laying siege to the city. Jerusalem falls, partial deportation.586-573 - 13yr. siege of Tyre.549 - Cyrus the Great comes to power in Elam538 - Fall of Babylon (without battle?) Other references:  Al-Yahudu tablets - over 100 cuneiform tablets about the lives of Judean exiles, in the Bible Lands Museum (Israel) Ration texts related to Jehoiakin and his five sons Host: Mary Buck is hosting this series!! Listen to the Assyrian episode HERE. Image Attribution: By Robert Koldewey (10 September 1855 – 4 February 1925) - Die Tempel von Babylon und Borsippa : nach den Ausgrabungen durch die Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft, 1911, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=87505819 Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to help Biblical World and OnScript continue by becoming a regular donor.

We’re back with Tablet IX of the Epic of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh must face reality. From the grief over Enkidu to a search for his (Noah-like) ancestor Utnapishtim on Mt. Mashu, Gilgamesh will learn about his mortality. Meet scorpion beings and enjoy this next installment with Amy and Chris!

We’re back now with Tablet VIII of the Epic of Gilgamesh, and our grief knows no bounds. Tune in and hear Amy and Chris discuss the depths of Gilgamesh’s pain, grief, and loss. They also discuss how Gilgamesh memorializes his friend, and what might have happened in the missing part of the tablet.

We’re back, with Tablet VII of the Epic of Gilgamesh, an emotional high point in the epic. Chris and Amy take us into the friendship of Gilgamesh and Enkidu, the aftermath of Humbaba’s death, and the curse-filled waiting for Enkidu’s fate to unfold. Tune in and enjoy!

Kyle Keimer joins to add insights from archaeology to an earlier OnScript episode called Misunderstanding Sacrifice (listen HERE). Dru and Matt L talk about the incomplete pictures gained from archaeology AND the Bible, and how to grapple with both. This episode is cross-listed with the OnScript podcast.

In this first of our ”Second Temple Series,” Mary Buck takes us back well before the Second Temple Period, back to the Assyrian Period. Beware, there’s a pop quiz here! Learn which Second Temple site is her favorite, and much more!

We’re back, with Tablet VI of the Epic of Gilgamesh. Chris and Amy take us on a deep dive into the ”love” of Ishtar, Gilgamesh refusing that love as cruel and temporary, the Bull of Heaven’s rage and death, and the impending fate of Enkidu. Tune in and enjoy!

Part 2 of our Best Archaeological Finds for 2024 (we’re not that far into 2025!). Enjoy this second of a two-part series.

Back by popular demand is our Best Archaeological Finds series, and this one for 2024 (we’re not that far into 2025!). Enjoy this first of a two-part series.

Episode: We're continuing our series on Egypt and the Bible! In this episode we're focused on the geography, archaeology, and the history of the exodus, including the route and wilderness wanderings. We discuss the sites Pi-Ramesses, Pithom, and Succoth. Hosts: Chris McKinny and Mark Janzen Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to help Biblical World and OnScript continue by becoming a regular donor. Image Attribution: By Ancient_Egypt_map-en.svg: Jeff Dahlderivative work: Wikipedia Egypt Series: Check out these other episodes in the Egypt Series* Egypt and the Bible (Part 1) - https://onscript.study/egypt-and-the-bible-part-1-mark-janzen-and-chris-mckinny/* Egypt and the Bible (Part 2) - https://onscript.study/egypt-and-the-bible-part-2-mark-janzen-and-chris-mckinny/* Karnak and Egyptology - https://onscript.study/podcast/biblical-world-karnak-mark-janzen/* The Egyptian Plagues - https://onscript.study/the-egyptian-plagues-real-world-calamities-on-the-nile-egypt-series/* Early or Late Emergence of Israel - https://onscript.study/early-or-late-emergence-of-israel-egypt-series-chris-mckinny-and-mark-janzen/

Chris and Kyle explore the fascinating history and discipline of historical geography.

In this episode, Kyle and Chris talk about the fundamentals of biblical archaeology - both its underlying methodology and why they remain hopeless devotees to it. If you wondered what biblical archaeology is and why you should care - this is the episode for you.

We’re back, with Tablet V of the Epic of Gilgamesh. Chris and Amy take us on a deep dive into the great cedar forest at the mountains of the gods, where they will face Humbaba, guardian of the forest. Tune in and enjoy! Click to listen back to PART 1,  PART 2, PART 3, PART 4, and PART 5.

Chris and Kyle continue their series on the book of Judges, looking at the Ephraimite conquest of Bethel in Judges 1:22-26. They cover problems in the archaeology of Bethel, and they discuss the identity of the ”Hittites” in this same passage.

In this episode, Chris and Kyle discuss a recent journal article that claims to have found new evidence of Sennacherib’s 701 BC campaign against Judah. The article makes a lot of interesting, but ultimately problematic claims about the Historical Geography of the Biblical World. (Note: Although the audio makes reference to video, we were unable to do the video)

New co-host Jason Staples speaks with Jodi Magness, Kenan Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill about her new book, Jerusalem Through the Ages: From Its Beginnings to the Crusades (Oxford University Press, 2024), the spectacular synagogue mosaic her team discovered at Huqoq, why specializing in pottery is an advantage for archaeologists, and lots more.

Recorded on a whim after a chance meeting in Jerusalem, Wave Nunnally shares his experience of recent events in Israel, the parables of the Kingdom, and his friendship with the lead guitarist for Petra. Oh yea, all in one (shortish) episode!