Dragons in Genesis

We continue our study of the Book of Enoch by examining the Parables. Messianic themes abound in this portion of the book as we meet the Elect One and the Son of Man. Who were these mysterious figures? Did they have names? And how much influence did Zoroastrianism have on this literature?

The angels have fallen and the stars have disobeyed the covenant. One man will act as intermediary between heaven and earth and serve as both divine scribe and holy messenger. He'll see the entirety of creation and learn the hidden secrets of the universe. But to do that he'll first need to ascend to the highest heaven and see what no man has seen before.

The discovery of a strange book gives new insights into the origins of Christianity and the complex relationship between sects of Judaism. It's filled with bizarre imagery and curious themes. The Sons of God introduce corruption into the perfect creation and bloodthirsty giants walk the earth. People are animals, men are angels, angels are stars, and sometimes those stars revolt.

The Deuteronomic Reform was established to oust the original pantheon from the Jerusalem Temple and the book of Deuteronomy created to justify the transition from a polytheism to monotheism. But that's not all. According to this book, Yahweh has a dad, the Israelites didn't wander for 40 years, and Yahweh will force some people to eat their own babies.

The story of King Saul continues. A rival to the throne has stepped onto the stage and the king keeps getting possessed by the “evil spirit of Yahweh.” To make matters worse the Philistines are pressing the attack and David is terrorizing the countryside. Can a man sell his daughter for the low, low price of 100 foreskins? Is it kosher to talk to a witch? Can Abimelech actually be killed? Find out in this episode as we conclude the First Book of Samuel.

David covets his neighbor's wife, kills her husband, invites Yahweh's wrath, and executes a bunch of slaves. But his reign isn't all bad. He turns a blind eye to some pretty heinous crimes in his own house and puts the concubines in charge of Jerusalem before worshiping at an outlawed shrine. Okay, so maybe it is all bad, but he's a good guy. Right?

Learn all about the first few tribal leaders of Israel as we examine the first 5 chapter of Judges. Why are they still fighting the Canaanites? Has a woman ever ruled over Israel? Is the tribe of Dan really from Israel? Can Yahweh defeat a metal wagon? Where does this tent stake go? Find all these answers and more.

The Torah is a product of the Second Temple but Jews had been worshiping in Jerusalem for centuries prior to the Babylonian Exile. When the exiled Jews returned from Babylon they reformed the old religion and stamped it out, bringing an end to First Temple Theology. What was this old religion? What did they believe? How did they worship? WHO did they worship? And why did the returning Jews forsake their ancestral beliefs?

What happened after the Persian Empire conquered Babylon? How did the new rulers influence the government and religion of ancient Israel? How much of Judaism came from Israel and how much is Persian?

Was Joshua once a fish god? Were the stories of Joshua once about Yahweh himself? Are Joshua and Moses the same character? And where did the idea that Moses had horns actually come from?

Remember when Yahweh built a golden calf and then punished the people for it? Wait, you thought it was the people who made the calf? Better go back and read that chapter again. And also catch up on the Moses with horns, the flesh hooks, some child sacrifice, and the intrusion of Egyptian mystery cults into Yahweh worship. And absolutely zero talk about how Moses is similar to Dionysus.

What are we allowed to do? What must we never do? Well we can never cook a young goat in its mother's milk, that's for certain but slavery is still kosher. As for the rest, it's all here in this episode. All the rules that are part of Yahweh's covenant with Israel including the second draft that drifts into strange waters.

We hope back into the Old Testament with 1 Samuel to learn about Samuel, Saul, and the fate of those who dare to steal Yahweh's sacred box. What's the proper gift to appease and angry god? What do rats have to do with all of this? And what's going on with the Temple of Dagon? Wasn't that thing destroyed in the last book? And stick around for another cool announcement.

More judges than you can shake a stick at. Yahweh accepts another human sacrifice, and another ancient festival is given a fictive origin story.

Half man, half god, half hero, half legend. That's 200% but that's what you get when you cram a Hercules wannabe and a solar demigod into Jewish folklore. So much to unpack in this episode including a moon goddess, sun gods, Dagon's temple, and more. And stick around for a quick announcement.

Where did the First Temple Cult go after being expelled from Jerusalem? And after they were gone, did they remain in exile? Are they still around today?

Yahweh hand-selected a king but apparently he made a mistake so he changed his mind about who should be king and chooses another to reign in his place. But he also never changes his mind. Before this kid can be king he must be introduced to the reader in three separate and contradictory scenes, including a showdown with a giant who isn't as tall as he appears.

You asked, I answered. God, the Devil, Santa, Dating Sims, and a little girl lost in the woods.

After receiving the law code in Leviticus, Yahweh sends his favorite people toward the promised land... and then tries to kill them every step of the way. Oh, and there are giant demigods as well.

You've no doubt heard of Yule and Saturnalia, those two have been mentioned countless times over the years as the origins of Christmas. But how far back does the mid-winter holiday actually go? 2,500 years? 3,000?Double that age and you'll be in the ballpark. Grab some hot chocolate and snuggle up under a blanket. We're going back in time from one winter celebration to another until we find the origins of Christmas.