Episode 113: Reading Creation Myths Economically with Eric J Harvey
Eric Harvey discusses his recent work on creation myths, divine service, and the economic implications of ancient religious practices. He explores the differences between Mesopotamian and biblical narratives, particularly in terms of sacrifice and the needs of the divine. The discussion highlights the complexity of ancient texts and the importance of understanding them within their cultural context. Resources included mentioned in this episode include Atrahasis (chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https:/geha.paginas.ufsc.br/files/2017/04/Atrahasis.pdf); The Bodies of God and the World of Ancient Israel (https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/bodies-of-god-and-the-world-of-ancient-israel/72E589D9BD86AEDF5DBF5043453C203F); God: An Anatomy (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/563773/god-an-anatomy-by-francesca-stavrakopoulou/); scholar Bruce Wells (https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.15699/jbl.1394.2020.1); The Consuming Fire: The Complete Priestly Source, from Creation to the Promised Land (https://www.ucpress.edu/books/the-consuming-fire/paper); Food in Ancient Judah: Domestic Cooking in the Time of the Hebrew Bible (https://www.routledge.com/Food-in-Ancient-Judah-Domestic-Cooking-in-the-Time-of-the-Hebrew-Bible/Shafer-Elliott/p/book/9780367872229); scholar Roland Bohr (https://www.uwinnipeg.ca/history/faculty-staff/roland-bohr.html); The Bible With and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently (https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-bible-with-and-without-jesus-amy-jill-levinemarc-zvi-brettler?variant=39971192799266); Beautyland: A Novel (https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374109288/beautyland/); A Thursday Murder Club (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/TM9/a-thursday-murder-club-mystery/); and Eric’s blog (https://www.blindscholar.com/).
30 Jan 2026
Episode 112: On Having a Body with Jennie Grillo
Jennie Grillo, an Associate Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, discusses her insights on divine embodiment in the Hebrew Bible, particularly in relation to the work of Benjamin Sommer. The conversation explores the complexities of how God is represented in biblical texts, the significance of embodiment, and the implications of time in understanding these representations. Grillo emphasizes the fluidity of divine embodiment and the distinctions between human and divine experiences of having a body, drawing on examples from the Book of Job and other biblical narratives. Recommendations in this conversation include The Bodies of God and the World of Ancient Israel (https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/bodies-of-god-and-the-world-of-ancient-israel/72E589D9BD86AEDF5DBF5043453C203F); historian Caroline Bynum (https://history.columbia.edu/person/bynum-caroline/); Mark S Smith (https://ptsem.edu/academics/faculty/mark-s-smith/); “When Gods Were Men”: The Embodied God in Biblical and Near Eastern Literature (https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110206715/html?lang=en#:~:text=About%20this%20book,the%20%22%C4%ABsh%20theophany%22.); The Prophetic Body: Embodiment and Mediation in Biblical Prophetic Literature (https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-prophetic-body-9780197604960?cc=us&lang=en&); The Betrothed: A Novel (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/107406/the-betrothed-by-alessandro-manzoni/); and Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/305612/call-the-midwife-by-jennifer-worth/).
23 Jan 2026
Episode 111: Colossians Remixed with Brian Walsh & Sylvia Keesmaat
In this conversation, Brian Walsh and Sylvia Keesmaat (of Russet House Farm (https://www.russethousefarm.ca/welcome)) discuss their book Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire (https://www.ivpress.com/colossians-remixed?srsltid=AfmBOoqQ35GGjLSwv6Lc0F2RKcFugmE_OStx7xzZUf_VirBoX1YkJMlg). In the book they explore the themes of inevitability and possibility through the lens of biblical narratives. They also emphasize the importance of living with hope and the belief that God can make the impossible possible, urging listeners to embrace a future of reconciliation and new beginnings. Recommendations from this conversation can be found in the show notes for this episode at:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-111-with-148004507?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link (https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-111-with-148004507?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link)
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