In this episode, it's just you and Josh. We hope that, in the future, we'll have questions and comments from you, our precious listeners. But we're starting out. Josh talks about what we do next. Suggested possibilities include frequently attending congregations different from your own, either within your religious group, or across the religious boundaries. In addition, he talks about his papers because he just can't help himself.

Welcome to part 2 of our three part history of the Bible. We start in the Roman Empire and continue forward, moving into a discussion of translation issues and why you should read that little introduction in your Bible before Genesis. We also discuss other versions of the Bible as they existed during and after the Roman Empire. Does Joshua get a little persnickety with bad translations and eurocentric language? You'll have to listen to find out (but of course he does).

Joshua walks Abigael through the early stages of the creation of the Bible, from its earliest stages to the beginning of the Roman conquest of Judea. Although we grew up learning about the Bible as being created straightforward, the history that Josh has learned in his doctoral program is one of political intrigue, with priests betraying one another, empires fighting for land, and the Judean people caught in the middle. 

Sources for this episode include, but are not limited to When God Spoke Greek, Ancient Laws and Contemporary Controversies, Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible, Judaism in Persia's Shadow, They Were All Together in One Place?, Stony the Road We Trod, and Womanist Midrash, among others. Also, several of Joshua's classes.

Joshua and Abigael introduce themselves and explain what their podcast is about. They grew up in a children's home that functioned like a cult in many ways. Let us walk you through our journey!

Special thanks to Kai Jorgensen for the use of his song "Coffee and Cigarettes" and Deerbits for our cover art.