Ancient Israel with Dr. Kenneth Hanson

The dawn of Israel

The conquest of Canaan

The Binding of Isaac

The Judges

The Talmudic Age #14 For Jews living in the eastern Mediterranean in the second and third centuries of the Common Era, following two catastrophic revolts against their Roman overlords, the best thing to do was to get as far away from Rome’s power and authority as humanly possible. Eastward they fled, to Babylonia. The great Sages there took upon themselves the massive task of codifying the whole of the law. Originally it was all memorized, via a lifetime of study. Only later was it written down, becoming the many encyclopedic volumes of Jewish literature we have today. Welcome to the age of the Talmud!Dr. Kenneth Hanson http://drkenhanson.com/

Aftermath #13 It could easily be argued that without a temple the Jewish people would have gone extinct. After all, isn't that what naturally happens to conquered people down through the centuries? Yet, something new and inexplicable was about to happen that would change the course of history. Indeed, the aftermath of the Great Revolt against Rome is as mind-blowing as the revolt itself... Dr. Kenneth Hanson http://drkenhanson.com/

Hanukkah to Rome #13 It is a day and age when foreign rulers exert a "hard tyranny" over the land of Israel. In one little town a local Jewish priest is carrying a swine to the altar, when an elderly fellow priest named Mattathias is filled with rage, grabs a spear, and runs him through. He summons his five sons to his side and calls for a great insurrection. The Maccabean revolt is born, and a brand new holiday will commemorate it – Hanukkah! Dr. Kenneth Hanson http://drkenhanson.com/

Hanukkah to Rome #12 It is a day and age when foreign rulers exert a "hard tyranny" over the land of Israel. In one little town a local Jewish priest is carrying a swine to the altar, when an elderly fellow priest named Mattathias is filled with rage, grabs a spear, and runs him through. He summons his five sons to his side and calls for a great insurrection. The Maccabean revolt is born, and a brand new holiday will commemorate it – Hanukkah! Dr. Kenneth Hanson http://drkenhanson.com/

Out of Babylon #11 Flashback to the sixth century BCE. With the final demise of Jerusalem, we see that the end result of generations of civil war between Israel and Judah is extinction for both. The lesson? When any society is fundamentally weakened from within, it eventually succumbs to invaders from without. But history also shows that extremity sows the seeds of rebirth, rekindling venerated old ideas and spawning bold new ones. Dr. Kenneth Hanson http://drkenhanson.com/

Downfall #10 In the eighth century B.C.E., both Israel and southern kingdom of Judah are at their zenith. Both, however, will go into ignominious decline, swallowed up by Assyria and Babylon, respectively. It ends where it all began, near the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers – the same territory from which Abraham and his family made their long trek to the land of Canaan, so many centuries before. But as the prophets certainly knew, it’s precisely out of the crucible of suffering that the “greatest generation” may well arise.Dr. Kenneth Hanson http://drkenhanson.com/

The Two Kingdoms #9 When King Solomon “the wise” finally passed from the scene, a new cast of characters arose. Two squabbling kingdoms stole the biblical headlines for centuries to come. Whether it's the "wicked" King Ahab, the notorious Queen Jezebel, or the great prophet Elijah, get ready for intrigue! Dr. Kenneth Hanson http://drkenhanson.com/

Solomon #8 While David is known for his conquests, it is actually Solomon who builds a kingdom and an empire that conforms to the “standards” of the ancient near east. The Romans with their Pax Romana were said to have brought “peace with a vengeance.” How, then, do we look at the Bible’s version of the Pax Israelatica – the Empire of Solomon? Find out in this episode! .Dr. Kenneth Hanson http://drkenhanson.com/

David: Hero or Tyrant? #7Readers of the Bible never think of King David as a schemer or conniver, but as a pure heart. But make no mistake; the Israelite “confederacy” is dying, to be supplanted by a new warrior-king, whose entire reign would be consumed with bloodshed. David may have built himself an empire, but he has also bequeathed a nightmare. To paraphrase T.S. Eliot, “This is the way tribal confederacies end, not with a bang, but a whimper." Dr. Kenneth Hanson http://drkenhanson.com/

King Saul and David's "Coup" #6 Meet an unlikely king named Saul. Is he the deeply flawed character he's made out to be? Some commentators have real sympathy for him, as the victim of the court intrigues of the new kid on the block – David. There are multiple lessons in the story of Saul regarding ancient Israel's form of government. What's going on behind the scenes of the narrative, at the hands of scribes and later editors? Find out now! Dr. Kenneth Hanson http://drkenhanson.com/

The Judges #5 Welcome to the "Wild Wild East"! To which we might add: Here come the Judges! Immediately, as with any ancient texts, we are faced with a multitude of issues. Specifically, were the days of Israel's Judges "spun" (to look bad) by later biblical writers and editors, who themselves were apologists for the Israelite monarchy? How did the great revolutionary orator, Thomas Paine, weigh in on Israel's Judges? It's time to find out...Dr. Kenneth Hanson http://drkenhanson.com/

The Conquest of Canaan #4 When was Israel born, as a distinct people, with a real homeland? Was their conquest of the land known as Canaan (in the days of Joshua) partial, gradual, steady, totally, bloody, or swift? Was there a "conquest" at all? The very identity of Jews and Israeli citizens today rests on the conclusions we come up with... Dr. Kenneth Hanson http://drkenhanson.com/

Exodus #3 Many scholars don't think there was an Exodus at all and don't believe that Israelites ever lived in Egypt. Others argue that the Hebrews not only existed but might be equated with an ancient band of brigands known as Habiru. But according to the Bible, Moses was able to unite the semi-nomadic tribes of Israel into the worship of a single God, leading them from slavery into freedom. The exodus was not only a liberation from servitude; it was also the crucial event in Israel’s self-conception. Dr. Kenneth Hanson http://drkenhanson.com/

Egypt and the Israelites #2 The Genesis narrative tells of how Joseph was sold into slavery and brought down to Egypt. During a famine in Canaan his brothers and their whole clan came down as well, setting up shop in the fabled land of Goshen. Was there a Joseph? Did he even exist? On the other hand, if the biblical narrative had been compiled many centuries later by scribes who simply fabricated the stories, how would they know such fine details as the fact the name "Moses" is a play on words in the Egyptian language? What in the end can we really prove? You be the judge!. Dr. Kenneth Hanson http://drkenhanson.com/

The Dawn of Israel #1 Who are the Jewish people? Where did they come from, and why do we care? We’re talking about a scant 13.9 million, one out of every 457 people in the world being Jewish. That's a sliver of a sliver. Yet, the influence of the Jewish people is beyond measure. Let’s go back to the "cradle of civilization," ancient Mesopotamia, and consider the life and times of ancient Israel's first great patriarch – Abraham. Dr. Kenneth Hanson http://drkenhanson.com/