From Israelite to Jew

The Jerusalem Temple was destroyed in 70 CE, a moment that typically is said to mark in Jewish historiography the end of... Read more

The Jewish revolt in Judea that began in 66 CE ended with the Roman destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70. Why, thou... Read more

This episode focuses on the years 6 CE - 66 CE, and the events leading up to the Jewish revolt. This episode includes di... Read more

Without the works of the historian Josephus (36/37 CE - ca. 95) we would know little about the history of the Jews in an... Read more

In the first century CE the area around Jerusalem teemed with small Jewish religious groups, or sects. This episode focu... Read more

What are the Dead Sea scrolls? This episode discusses their discovery, contents, and meaning.The episode can be heard he... Read more

Philo Judaeus is the most well-known Jewish philosopher from antiquity. Living in Alexandria from ca. 20 BCE - 50 CE, Ph... Read more

Was Herod the Great a brilliant ruler or a savage brute? This episode traces Herod's rise to power and his reign, 40 - 4... Read more

The religion of the Jews who lived in the Greek speaking areas of the Mediterranean is commonly called "Hellenistic Juda... Read more

On the origins of Jewish sectarianism in the second to first centuries, BCE, with a focus on Pharisees, Sadducees, Essen... Read more