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Bonus episodes
175 bonus episodesRecorded alongside the regular episodes. At the $10 tier you can listen to every one, read its full transcript, and search them all.
Episode 186 Which Body Part of Christ Are You?with You Can't Out-Bible the PopeIn the mailbag: Anne asks if Ezekiel 16 is as creepy as it reads and if Job is the oldest book; Matthew asks if Paul's body of Christ meant Corinth or everyone (cue the philtrum); Jason wants a cognitive science of religion syllabus and gets a reading list, plus a $192 TikTok paycheck reveal; Daniel pitches a Darby episode; Frank asks why apologists call experts arrogant, and Dan M confesses to occasional sealioning. Episode 185 Raise Your Hand If Jesus Is Godwith How Lady Wisdom Became Flesh with Dustin SmithThen it's back to Rome, where Dustin and Dan M met at the Enoch Seminar's Christology conference at the Pontifical Biblical Institute. The highlight was Dan M's impromptu show of hands, where only six of twenty-five specialists said any New Testament text identifies Jesus as the very God of Israel. Dustin explains why that number didn't surprise him, and why Italian restaurants are hard on a strict diet. Episode 184 Ergo, Rainn Wilsonwith Hexegesis and Sexist Jesus?In the mailbag: Jason asks whether Beecher, not "Big Mac," should run point at Deconstructicon. Gerianne brings a line credited to an AC/DC roadie about God as a blanket thrown over the mystery, and Dan B explains why it makes him uneasy. She also asks about Tim Tebow and Life Surge, so Dan M looks it up live. Then: lending-site data where one word flagged who wouldn't repay. Got a speaker you'd like to hear at Deconstructicon? The Dans are taking suggestions. Episode 183 The Good Palestinianwith Noah's Ark: 100% UnconfirmedIn the mailbag: Matthew asks whether calling Jesus a "Palestinian Jew" is a fad or a fact. Nick asks how scholars discuss a story's events without implying they happened. The answer runs through Hamlet and a certain man shot in Reno. Episode 182 I've Got Soul (Boom)with Old Testament God Bad, New Testament God Good?In the mailbag: Jason wants one reference that dates every Hebrew Bible book, and Dan M might just write it. Matthew asks why the Book of the Wars of the Lord vanished. Douglas lists Jesus's most problematic teachings, and the Dans float a Bad Jesus/Good Jesus segment pair. Plus: Mark's unofficial show archive, metadataoverdogma.fyi, and a doomed attempt to coin "sproingle." Episode 181 Deconstructicon, Roll Out!with Dan Tells Dan About Tel DanIn the mailbag: Frank asks whether the Greeks invented hell, and Dan M quibbles with Bart Ehrman about souls in ancient Israel. Phil asks if the oaks of Mamre are Asherah's groves. Diana asks about Proverbs 31, where modesty turns out to be about wealth, not skin. Garrett asks who gets to call someone a heretic — Dan M's definition is short, and not flattering. If you haven't yet, head to deconstructicon.com and fill out the survey; we're still choosing a city and a date! Episode 180 Sadness Used to Be a Deadly Sinwith Vancepocalypse Now (and Paul's Spiritual Gifts)In the mailbag: Joseph asks why Job 41 has gods cowering before Leviathan in the NRSVue and merely "the mighty" in the KJV — Dan M on a 70-year-dead etymology; Jason on the seven deadly sins, which start as Evagrius Ponticus's eight evil thoughts and once included sadness; and Jackson on Matthew 19:24, where "rich" is relative to your own society and never was a dollar amount. Episode 179 The Nemesis Danwith Help Meet, Not Help YourselfIn the mailbag: Matthew on Dan Ellsworth's case that scholarly consensus is too nebulous to mean anything, which Dan M answers by noting that scholarship doesn't settle things the way we settle speeding tickets; Mason on why the JPS Tanakh gave him goosebumps and the NRSVue didn't; Grayson on whether asherah poles counted as precious material; Amanda on James Tabor's beloved-disciple argument, which Dan M declines to fake; and Dr. Ken on Dale Allison deciding John knew the synoptics. Episode 178 A Tornado in Salt Lake, a Shroud in Turinwith You Starve ... Glory Be To God?Then the mailbag. Mark asks about a TikToker who says Dan M's work doesn't count because he doesn't use hermeneutics, and Daniel asks when women stopped being property in ancient Israel. David gets his Shroud of Turin citations, and Phil learns how you date a biblical book with no original manuscript: terminus post quem, archaisms, and why P52 is really 125-225 CE. Brian goes deep enough on seventh-century Samaria to genuinely stump Dan M, and Remy asks how you'd modernize the Book of Mormon's King James English when there's no source text to check against. Episode 177 40,000 Pope Hatswith Rod Almighty!Then it's your questions. Derek writes in about the spectrum of Christian evangelism, from the mandatory door-knocking end to the social gospel the fundamentalists worked so hard to squash. Jordan wants to know whether Unitarianism really is "a cult from the fifteen hundreds" — which sends Dan M into the surprising fact that before Webster's 1828 dictionary, monotheism was defined as "the doctrine of the Unitarians," followed by why non-Trinitarian ideas about Jesus comfortably predate the Trinity itself. Last, Nick proposes a tidy three-stage framework for how the Hebrew Bible got its shape (Saul, Josiah, the return from exile), which Dan M appreciates, respects, and then gently dismantles in favor of a different three. Episode 176 Episode Blorgus Snavelflugenwith The Grandfather of the Hebrew Bible (and What Is Zion?)In the mailbag: Paul pushes back on a Buddhism comparison neither Dan remembers making. Frank traces how his favorite book of the Bible changed from tween to middle-aged atheist, and Dan M names the one book he'd keep. Michael wants a starting point for a historical Jesus comic. Bob reopens the wont-versus-want debate and asks about Adonai and Luke's inn. Jason asks about online master's programs. Episode 175 Speed Holeswith 66 Books, 40 Authors, Zero Contradictions?Then the conversation turns to hot dogs. Dan B recalls a grievously pale one in Wrexham, a Swedish sausage that overhangs its bun, and a Polish bun impaled on a spike. Dan B also reports what golf balls were made of from the 1600s to the 1850s, which leads to MythBusters, dimpled cars, and Homer Simpson. Plus: Dan M coins a new name for the bonus show, and Dan B says he'll look into it. Episode 174 The Tribe of Santawith No Originals, No MercyIn the mailbag: Remy asks what critical scholars make of baptism for the dead in 1 Corinthians 15:29. Richard asks how modern Jews come to identify with one of the twelve tribes. That detours through Dan B's patriarchal blessing and an early Latter-day Saint theory about the lost tribes and the North Pole. Jordan asks about the Revised English Bible's John 1:1, and asks Dan B for his favorite topic. Episode 173 Concentric Circles of Outnesswith Don't be a jerk...off?In the mailbag: Jeff, a former evangelical, asks whether the show has ever gone deep on hell. Dan M floats a theory about the gap between the damned and everyone else, and a volleyball broadcast makes an appearance. Jeff also asks whether Dan M's doubts about Jesus healing a mute man extend to miracles in general. Dan B finds himself in the weirdest position of all time. Plus: Ken Ham has blocked Dan M, and Dan B has a theory about his burner account. Episode 172 Do You Have a Passport and Two Weeks Offwith A Trickster God and the Worst Wedding EverFrom there it's all passports. Dan M's Canadian student visa arrives printed on tractor-feed paper and stapled in, and his unused Vietnam visa comes with a story that still stings. Dan B enlists a Burning Man acquaintance to pose as family at the Indian consulate. Then a stalled renewal sends Dan M texting friends one urgent question. Episode 171 Charles Nelson Darbywith Lean Not on Your Own Understanding (and Other Conversation-Enders)In the mailbag: Jerriann asks about Scofield and his Bible, which sends Dan M hunting for the name of the Rapture's promulgator and landing, once again, halfway to a Match Game panelist. She also asks what the Dans will wear to Comic-Con. Jamie's question turns out to be a rerun. Alan asks how the Gospel of Thomas compares to the Synoptic Gospels. Plus: I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, Steve Martin's stand-up, and the Star Wars Holiday Special's long evening with the Wookiees. Episode 170 Eleven Slices of Pizzawith Faith vs. Works vs. Chaos MonstersIn the mailbag: Seth recommends a YouTuber who audits churches as an atheist, then picks a fight over Dan M's favorite opening theme. Dan B crashes it with a cartoon pick sung by Toto's lead singer. Phil asks how a self-taught student finds a scholarly voice, which detours through a published rebuttal that reads a reviewer for filth. He also asks how "sons of God" goes from bad news in Genesis 6 to good news in Romans 8. Episode 169 No Honey From the Bearswith The Twelve Tribes of Israel (Give or Take)In the mailbag: Fabian asks what's with the bears in the Elisha story, and Samson's lion makes an appearance. Jamie asks whether "fear the Lord" really just means respect. Dan has ancient DNA data he wants a scholar to examine. Jordan praises Dan M's interview with Chris Cornthwaite, then asks about the Christ Before Jesus crew and how to survive Threads, which brings in Daniel Boone. Episode 168 But What Do You Mean by Divine?with Moloch, Mormons, and Mike LeeIn the mailbag: Fabian asks what made Matthias an apostle when others had been there all along, and why it had to be twelve. Nate asks how religious and scientific thinking differ cognitively. Daniel recommends hockey shorts and knee pads for learning to snowboard. Plus: a Masters of the Universe review, and Dan B becomes Dr. Beecher, Doctor of Divinity. Episode 167 Three Horsemen and a Donkeywith Sins of the (Grand)fatherIn the mailbag: Jordan pitches a top-ten Bible contradictions episode. Frank returns to Christopher Hitchens with a rebuttal, and the reply runs through the Tamil Tigers and the Sunni-Shia divide before Dan B puts Daniel Dennett on a donkey. Larry asks which journals to read, and Dan M happens to be holding one. Episode 166 A Peloton Down Nine Flightswith Inside purity culture and Christian nationalism with Monte MaderFrom there it's movies that hit too hard: Saving Mr. Banks on a plane, a flight attendant offering Dan B tissues during Steel Magnolias, and The Bone Collector at the wrong age. Monte hands out horror recommendations, Dan M reports from a festival panel with comics writer Benjamin Percy, and Dan B explains why he white-knuckles every jump scare. Episode 165 The 7,000th Hammurabi Videowith Let's Get Weird!In the mailbag: Jim imagines Dan M in 2036, posting his 7,000th video on the Code of Hammurabi. Ken asks what the Bible says about Christians suing each other, and the answer wanders to church hurt and Madison's "minority of the opulent." James proposes that Jesus hypnotized the wedding guests at Cana, and Dan B has done some reading on hypnosis. Episode 164 Eschatology Leads to Trauma or PhDswith C. S. Lewis and the Bible with Leslie BaynesFrom there, Dan M decides eschatology leads to trauma or PhDs, and the talk turns to Ge'ez, Enoch and an article that takes issue with Dan M. Then come the SBL war stories: six taco shops on one San Diego block, a steak tip from Joel McHale, and a conference held inside Walt Disney World. Episode 163 If You Have a Toilet, You're Not Campingwith The Queen of Heaven?In the mailbag: Brian wonders whether Noah began as a wine hero, with Yima, Osiris and Gilgamesh in tow. Udo corrects Dan M's hyrax taxonomy, and conies get a Lord of the Rings detour. Nathan asks whether Philo of Alexandria knew of Christianity, and how scholars abbreviate Bible books. Frank wants Dan M's elevator pitch against Christopher Hitchens, and the Dans don't fully agree. Episode 162 Violent Assault With a Sandwichwith Even Heretics Deserve Rituals! With Jeremy SteeleFrom there, Dan B reports from a sparsely attended Methodist service he visited to research a play, and the Dans compare notes on churches unloading their buildings. Jeremy recalls his Salt Lake nights at a drag bar called Tavernacle, the government auto jigger included. He closes by debuting a Taylor Swift-style song an AI built entirely from his hate comments. Episode 161 Jesus Killed My Fig Treewith America (Almost Never) Reads the BibleIn the mailbag: Valerie asks about ghosts, UFOs, cryptids and sincere miracle stories, and the Dans check the batting average. Mark sends a link Dan B hasn't clicked yet. Jen, writing from New Zealand, asks about the Abrahamic religions and the Quran, and Dan M stays in his lane. Richard asks who Jeremiah's Queen of Heaven is. Frank relays an apologist's poser about whether atheists would rather live next to Jesus or an atheist murderer. Episode 160 The Chivito Was Supposed to Be Goatwith Is the KJV Crap?In the mailbag: Chris asks how Jesus can call John the Baptist the Elijah who restores all things when Malachi's prophecy doesn't fit, and what that means for Latter-day Saint restoration beliefs. The answer passes through the sign of Jonah and horseshoes and hand grenades. Then Easter, with plastic eggs hiding flashing lights in the dark, one of them inside the grill. Episode 159 Scotty's Ashes on the Space Stationwith Mysterious TextsIn the mailbag: Douglas sends a wish list that includes Jesus's problematic teachings, free will, and flat Earth. Frank asks whether doulos in Ephesians 6:5 can mean "servant," as an apologist insisted. Seth just wants the Dans in St. Louis. From there the talk drifts into space: Voyager 1, every planet fitting between Earth and the Moon, and whose ashes have left the planet. Episode 158 Where the Brass Comes Pre-Alloyedwith I Will Have Mercy, Not DogmaIn the mailbag: Nicholas asks about Neil Lightfoot's How We Got the Bible, recommended by his apologist family. Jordan wants an episode on KJV oddities, and Deuteronomy 8:9 turns up hills you can dig brass from. Joshua asks when Acts was written, then why Jethro's daughter gets called Ethiopian. Kammer pitches Northwest Arkansas for a tour stop. David wants a searchable show archive. Plus: Dan B makes the case for Tiger King to a man who has only seen the memes. Episode 157 A Louse Named for Gary Larsonwith In Chains: Slaves and AngelsIn the mailbag: Frank asks for a list of the times God says he doesn't need sacrifice, Micah 6:8 included, and Dan M steers it toward the prophetic critique. Mauricio, writing from Costa Rica, connects the Song of Songs to a gazelle line in El crimen del Padre Amaro. Sarah, a ludomusicologist, asks for reading on prototype theory and gets a list that starts with Eleanor Rosch. Episode 156 A Sphinx With Joseph Smith's Facewith Killing in the Name OfIn the mailbag: Kristen has a theory about the Voynich manuscript. Kammer wants Salt Lake City tips, which leads to Gilgal Garden's Joseph Smith sphinx and a firm ruling on the Red and Blue Iguanas. Mary asks for a divine council episode. Seth asks whether inerrancy only covers salvation, and checks on the merch. Joshua asks why Jesus became the one, and Dan B floats a theory about the second guy. Episode 155 The Squished Jesus of Eureka Springswith The Legend of the SeptuagintIn the mailbag: Jerriann, whom the Dans met on tour, asks about hell in Matthew 25:46 and Revelation 20:10 after a Kirk Cameron dust-up among apologists. The answer finds an awkward moment for the lake of fire. Frank shares his reply to a Christian who called rejecting Jesus the only unforgivable sin, and Dan M has a textual footnote. The Ozarks lead Dan B to Eureka Springs and its oddly proportioned Jesus. Episode 154 The Bistro Called Burger Kingwith The Bible Gets Sexy!In the mailbag: Joshua asks whether anyone took Matthew 19:12 literally and made themselves eunuchs, and the answer runs past the Council of Nicaea to Melania the Younger. He also asks what critical scholars make of eschatology, which Dan B briefly files under beauty school. Remy asks whether Joseph's grain policy set up Israel's enslavement in Exodus. Jeff asks whether Jesus performed miracles. Episode 153 Got a Bit of Yank in Yawith Everyone is Wrong About 2 John!Lincoln Blumell stays on to talk about road-testing his 2 John argument with the text critics. Then Dan B asks about Oxford, and it turns out Lincoln and Dan M lived in the same top-floor flat at Yarnton Manor, years apart. Both remember the shower under a slanted roof, where you had to kneel. Dan M recounts his arrival day: clothes packed in rice bags, a bus station he can't pronounce, and a pub regular who glares up and says, "Got a bit of Yank in ya." His laptop's startup chime earns him a roomful of glares in Duke Humfrey's Reading Room. Lincoln, who played college football in Calgary, walks Dan B through the Canadian rules. Episode 152 No Movie Theater on Kauaiwith Literally Not Literal!In the mailbag: Frank tests his line between religious freedom and religious privilege, with help from Major League's Jobu. Fabian asks why the Septuagint leans more messianic. An unnamed patron asks how John 17:3 squares with Dan M's claim that the Bible has no monotheism, and Dan B congratulates him on not mentioning the Broncos. Jerriann has San Diego beach tips, and Alan wants readable books on divine images. Episode 151 One Hawaiian Shirt on Pohnpeiwith What Is The Bible?In the mailbag: Dave asks whether the show is headed to Netflix, which is news to both Dans. Joshua asks about demonic possession and how exorcism entered church tradition. Seth asks Dan B for the most surprising thing he's learned on the show, and asks Dan M where to start with Spider-Man comics. Dan B takes issue with calling the '90s "old." Episode 150 The Sleepiest Airport You've Ever Seenwith Written in the Stars!In the mailbag: Brian, a new patron who binged the whole back catalog, asks whether Luke moved the "City of David" to Bethlehem. He also asks if Josephus's eunuch Bagoas echoes the nativity stories. The Shy Typospherian asks Dan B whether atheists have dogmas of their own, then which religious bromides irk each Dan. Dan B starts with "I'll pray for you." Episode 149 Hallucinated Authors in the Indexwith Serving Up Scripture With Jennifer Garcia Bashaw and Aaron HigashiThen the talk turns to cons and kids. Dan M has a Comic-Con panel invitation he hasn't told Dan B about yet. Picky eating leads to a dinner with Joel McHale, a self-described arrogant foodie, who picks a seafood restaurant for a man who can't eat seafood. Jen still can't face a sweet potato. Episode 148 First and Second Danielwith Unforgivable!In the mailbag: Anthony, a new patron, asks whether the 153 fish of John 21 encode a mathematical checksum. Joshua asks if Genesis 37:28 uses Ishmaelites and Midianites interchangeably. Gilmore addresses "First and Second Daniel" and asks whether Jesus was executed over the temple incident. Another Anthony reports a shout-out from historian Tad Stoermer. Then Dan M is back from San Diego, where contaminated water keeps everyone out of the ocean at Coronado, so the kids settle for a sand ball fight. At the zoo, a mountain lion stalks his daughter from three feet away, which he finds awesome. The Mormon Battalion Museum ends with panning for pyrite. Episode 147 Nobody's Heard of Yapwith Hiding GodIn the mailbag: Remy requests an episode on baptism as a ritual, from death and resurrection to cleansing, and Dan B lands a jab about Dan M's post-biblical credentials. Graham asks how seriously to take the Gospel of Philip's Demiurge and its new Adam as an early Christian alternative. Dan B admits he still doesn't have a handle on the Gnostics. Episode 146 Oops, I Did It Againwith Jesus is so Fulfilling!In the mailbag: Nick catches Dan M misusing "beg the question" in his own book, and the footnotes answer with Britney Spears. Saint Guillotine wants an Enoch translation. Myst Curve asks whether the woman taken in adultery has historical roots. Kathy asks about Elaine Pagels's Gospel of Thomas theory, and Nathan asks if anyone in Numbers 21 was too proud to look at the bronze serpent. Kevin asks about puns in the Bible, by way of Danny Kaye. Episode 145 Fax It in the Year of Our Lord 2008with The Holy DunkIn the mailbag: Anthony thinks the proposed Dan's Best Guess segment should belong to Dan B. The Shy Typospherian wants critical resources for middle and high schoolers from both Dans. Frank asks whether Christopher Hitchens was right that scholars tell secular audiences one thing and believers another. Joshua asks whether the Satanic Panic had any biblical basis, and the answer arrives at a plucky little band of billionaires. Goran sends new genetic findings on Mycenaeans and Minoans. Episode 144 52 Glorious Weeks of Gospel Doctrinewith Bring Me the Head of John the Baptist!In the mailbag: Udo wants a series on how biblical traditions shaped early Islam. Katie asks about Ken Ham and Answers in Genesis, and Dan B has toured both the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum. Nathan asks how New Testament authors pictured angels. Dave asks about the Latter-day Saints' new Bible translation recommendations, which leads to the story of Dan M's one year as gospel doctrine teacher. Episode 143 A VeggieTales Onan Episodewith Shiny Happy People!In the mailbag: Joshua asks whether the New World Translation is a bad one, with a detour through new Latter-day Saint translation guidance. Remy wants a good translation of 1 Enoch and a warning about which to avoid. Pam asks about Mary's perpetual virginity. The Shy Typospherian wants a crash course in the cognitive science of religion. Kyle asks about Angel Studios' animated David. Maria asks about Dan M's Biblical Hebrew course. Plus: how Dan M handled Rehoboam's little-finger boast in a children's storybook Bible. Episode 142 Jesus Gets Shinywith Not Original, Not SinIn the mailbag: Kammer wants a scholar of Islam on the show. Seth asks what Romans is for, then asks Dan B how a non-specialist forms his own conclusions. Dr. Ken, a former pastor, asks where the Transfiguration comes from. Richard, paying in Hungarian forints, wants the Greek of Colossians 1:24, and Dan M opens a commentary live. Fred offers to rebuild the website. Nathan asks about Christmas carols, and Dan B has songs he hates. Episode 141 Pecos Bill, Storm Deitywith Did Jesus Fulfill Prophesy?In the mailbag: Mike asks about Lincoln Blumell's work on the elect lady of 2 John. Nicholas asks when every soul became immortal. Myst Curve asks about casting the Old Testament God as violent and the New as kind, and floats a patron Discord. Nathan asks whether Matthew 12:40 makes Jonah history. Tyler asks whether calming the storm makes Jesus a storm deity. Steven wants a scholarly NRSVue, and Mindy asks what archaeology actually supports. Episode 140 Airport Princesswith Immaculate Apologetics?In the mailbag: Elizabeth shares how sexually charged humor in male-dominated spaces has landed for her, and the Dans take the feedback seriously. Barry wants the YouTube catalog easier to scroll. Joshua asks about schisms in church history, and Dan B confesses he loves a good schism. Fred asks whether Peter's confession shows a developing Christology, and wants reading on early Jewish messianism. Plus: Dan M chairs an SBL session in sweatpants and a comic book T-shirt. Episode 139 A Failure of Fatewith Polygamy!In the mailbag: Alejandro got an ad promising to make him eat like an apostle, and asks what the Bible says about AI, so Dan B asks ChatGPT. Nate built a searchable database of every episode's transcripts. Blaine asks how Christians reread Isaiah 9:6 and 53. Tim asks Dan M how he separates scholarship from faith, and Dan B about spirituality. Goran hears H. Jon Benjamin in Dan B's angry register and wants publishing advice. Episode 138 Nom de Satanwith Who Deserves to Eat?In the mailbag: Joe wants Dan B's deconversion story, which turns on one long stare across a bishop's desk. Joe also asks Dan M about the Alogians, who called John's writings forgeries, and Dan M detours through Marcion. Frank asks why Halloween isn't satanic, and the answer passes a book chapter titled “Razor in the Apple.” Devastacia asks whether the male shrine personnel of 2 Kings 23 were something like trans women. Plus: a satanic panic over kids chanting “six seven,” which has reached a fundraiser bingo night. Episode 137 Via Ferrata With Bad Hebrew Punswith It's a Jubilee!In the mailbag: Jerriann asks whether the two accounts of who killed Goliath matter if the stories are myth, and whether other mythologies get the same scrutiny. Dan M answers with Icarus, Dionysus, and a mission president who disliked the Old Testament. Joshua asks, in one line, whether the Bible created purity culture. Charles invites the Dans to climb Vernal's new via ferrata, bad Hebrew puns encouraged. Episode 136 Getting the Thong Out of the New Testamentwith Close Encounters of the Catholic KindTalk turns to SBL in Boston, Peppard's Hot Takes on Paul panel, and why Dan M is persona non grata with part of the ancient Israelite religion crowd over Psalm 82. Then Peppard shares tales from the committee revising the New American Bible's New Testament. He arrived with one non-negotiable demand about thongs and took on ecclesiastical vetting over torches. Dan M checks on leprosy. Episode 135 Eat Like an Apostlewith Should Wives Submit?In the mailbag: Jennifer asks whether the data support the tabernacle, the Ark, and Joshua. Alejandro got a targeted ad urging him to eat like an apostle, which brings up a bread named for Ezekiel 4:9. Frank asks about Molech and malak, and whether vibes-only Christianity could stand without the Hebrew scriptures. Nate wonders why so many letter writers are Nates, and what's behind rising Bible sales. Dan M gives the NIV its flowers, exactly once. Episode 134 The Danville Danswith Don't Get Cross With MeIn the mailbag: Ken points out a Danville, California, which sends the Dans live-Googling until they find a summer baseball team called the Danville Dans. Sodalis Apollo sends a cheeky one-paragraph summary of Christianity, and Dan M adds the part it left out. Wizard in a Tower asks which passages UFO cults lean on. Mark, a longtime TGIA listener, sends Dan B a seasonal reminder. Plus: Dan B's Pentagon tour, including a photo at the briefing podium, mid-yell at the press corps. Episode 133 The Oven Mitt Side of Michiganwith The Adult(ery) EpisodeIn the mailbag: Frank asks how anyone keeps faith while conceding the Bible's worst passages, which leads Dan B to explain why an atheist co-hosts this show. Chris offers to build a chatbot librarian from the show's transcripts, handy for two hosts who text each other asking whether they've covered something. Mason pushes back on an earlier after party remark about the Quran and the Bhagavad Gita, and asks where to start on Joseph Smith. Episode 132 The Dancing Queen of the Tetragrammatonwith Peter Thiel is Bankrupt! (Theologically)In the mailbag: Joseph asks whether the Tetragrammaton spells out father, mother, daughter, and son, and Dan B brings ABBA into it. Kammer pitches a Hosea episode, which spins off into biblical names that land oddly on modern ears. Frank wants resources on the Bible's earliest layers, from Shlomo to a Midianite copper god. Tim reports that Dan M got a shout-out on Dan Savage's podcast. Episode 131 Plot Holes Holding Handswith You Want a Boat? I Noah GuyFrom there Dan M reads what he admits is more or less a Wikipedia list of 1993 releases, and Dan B weighs in on nearly every title. Detours include Free Solo, a young Keanu Reeves doing Shakespeare, Dan B's Irene Ryan Award nomination, and a year Dan B dubs a VarneyPalooza. It ends at Bob's Burgers, where Dan B would very much like a part. Episode 130 Satan Is Not a Pogo Stickwith Blessed Baruch!In the mailbag: Alan asks how Dan M likes his Pop Yourself Funko, which is on its way in a custom TEDx box. Dallas, Soda for short, asks why so many people still believe in the Rapture. Frank relays an internet rumor of a table-flipping scholarly brawl over how the serpent got around before the curse. The answer runs through Egyptian iconography, Trogdor, and The Jungle Book. Episode 129 Still in the Shrink Wrapwith Biblical Sex Toys???In the mailbag: Frank asks what Adam and Eve knew before the fruit, and Dan B offers a theory based on no scholarship at all. Dave defends Davis County and offers lunch or a round of golf. Charles asks who is the first person in the Bible with a Yahwistic theophoric name. Frank returns with four Bibles, one still in its shrink wrap, and why an atheist keeps reading. Plus: NASA's possible signs of ancient life on Mars, which never got its Garden of Eden. Episode 128 The Forgery Paperwith John! With Hugo MéndezFrom there: Dan M's long-promised book on Christology, the Latter-day Saint background he'll disclose in every introduction, and Hugo's own reputation as Bart Ehrman's colleague. Hugo explains how one word slipped into an abstract earned an article its nickname, and why he dislikes the term pseudepigraphy. Dan B wonders aloud about a word somewhere between forgery and pseudepigrapha. Episode 127 A Monkey in Front of the Fanwith The Indiana Jones Episode!In the mailbag: Goran asks where homoousios was used before the Nicene Creed, with a follow-up from Irenaeus, and hears a story about one bishop and a furtive iota. Sodalis Apollo asks about the Rapture and why so many people think these are the end times. The answer runs through John Nelson Darby, the year 1666 and a Thor movie. Episode 126 The Philistines' Golden Emerodswith Hear, O Israel!In the mailbag: Nathan asks about John the Presbyter, and Dan B wonders how many Johns one Bible needs. Christina asks whether supping at Jezebel's table is a euphemism. Noelle asks if the Philistines' emerods were hemorrhoids or tumors, and Dan M reads a lexicon entry aloud. Jerriann asks about Patreon since the book, and about Richard Carrier's claim that Mormonism is closest to the early church. Episode 125 The Day Ed Ford and the Taurus Diedwith Holy Sex Work?In the mailbag: Frank, an atheist who loves Christmas, makes the case for the holiday as a gestalt of Yule, Coca-Cola and the last days of plenty. Dan M brings in Saturnalia, a single 1912 reindeer and the Rhineland, while the Duolingo owl puts out a contract on him. Chris wants an episode on whether the law of Moses still applies, and Dan M starts drafting a guest list. Episode 124 The Uncle Who Rewrote the Coen Brotherswith Who are the REAL Christians?In the mailbag: Blaine votes for Danite merch. Udo pitches episodes on mythicism and the criterion of embarrassment, and asks why some atheists need Jesus to be fictional. Goran wants better search results than Answers in Genesis, and Dan B shares his AI prompt. Derek asks whether the exile drove scripture's rise and why footnote 20 is in German. Jerriann asks about the Lego Comic-Con. Episode 123 A Touch and Go Over Salt Lakewith Jezebel!In the mailbag: Doug asks what Dan M makes of Michael Heiser and the divine council, and hears about a friendship built on conference papers rebutting each other. Wizard in a Tower, a newly minted aircraft mechanic from Shreveport, asks what Salt Lake City is really like. Dan B advises finding your own Salt Lake, and Dan M issues a Mufasa-grade warning about Davis County. Episode 122 Half Trunks, Half Cummerbundwith At-One-MentFrom there it's capes all the way down: George Reeves's belt hiked absurdly high, Christopher Reeve as the one true Superman, and his turn in Noises Off. Dan B once played the John Ritter part on stage, which meant tumbling down two flights of stairs every show. He does all his own stunts. Episode 121 Get Up the Water Shaftwith Sister WivesIn the mailbag: Mason asks what David has against the blind and the lame in 2 Samuel 5:8, and what it means to "get up the water shaft." Dan B adopts it as a comeback while Dan M consults a commentary live. Mason also pictures David dancing before the Lord as Jimmy Jr. from Bob's Burgers. From there it's animation, Mannequin and The Birdcage. Episode 120 The Prophet Jawbonewith Save Me!In the mailbag: just Tyler, who asks why the KJV has God's spring coming out of the jawbone in Judges 15:19 while the NRSVue puts it at a place called Lehi. Dan M's answer detours through El Cajon, California. Tyler adds that the Book of Mormon would be cooler starring the prophet Jawbone. Then the Dans go to the movies. Dan B thinks Wes Anderson has stopped caring about story, even with Bill Murray playing God. Dan M is spending July on golf and films, including a Superman in hypno glasses. Then No Doubt comes on the oldies station, and Dan M ages like the man who drank from the wrong cup in The Last Crusade. Episode 119 It's Broken, I'm Trying to Fix Itwith Problematic ProphecyThen Firefly takes over. Dan M is rewatching it with his family, who want to know what on earth this is. The Dans trade favorite lines, from a pretty blue bonnet to "Let's be bad guys," and land on River tearing pages out of a Bible because it's broken. Dan B wonders if that's what this show is about. Deadwood's anachronistic swearing, Peacemaker and Ghosts round out the recommendations. Episode 118 Have a Good Riotwith Tucker Vs Ted: The Israel ThrowdownIn the mailbag: Sam asks which translation of 1 Enoch to buy, and whether R.H. Charles is the one. Derek, who met the Dans in Atlanta, wants scholarly books on Paul's life and on which letters he really wrote. Dan M digs through his library mid-answer. Afterward, the word pseudepigrapha sends Dan B to a Piggy Market on Google Street View. Plus: a Slovak parade halts right in front of a teenage Dan M, and an Athens rioter pauses to give directions. Episode 117 The Cathedral Built for Future Episcopalianswith Is Allie Beth Stuckey a Sheep or a Goat?In the mailbag: Mauricio asks whether fishermen and a tax collector could read and write, and a tradition about Mark as Peter's scribe comes up. HeyEddie asks for BIPOC scholars to follow, and Dan M resolves to start a list. Jennifer asks how sure scholars are that the woman caught in adultery was added to John rather than cut. She also pitches an episode on resurrection hopes in Jewish apocalypticism. Episode 116 A Means to an Ennswith Ethnicity and the BibleAaron's work as nerd in residence at The Bible for Normal People inspires a Pete Enns pun Dan B knows he shouldn't make. The talk turns to public scholarship: why so few scholars do it, how one insight can hide inside 300 pages, and why no qualified conservative ever argues with Aaron online. Dan B offers to hold his hand at his first SBL. Episode 115 The Nephilim Had Snorkelswith Did the Bible Steal its Stories?In the mailbag: Jerriann asks how the Nephilim of Numbers 13 survived the flood, and about Anak. Dan B has a theory involving snorkels, and a Minecraft detour follows. Esme asks where her dad got the story of young Abraham smashing his father's idols. Peter asks why nobody has made a critical, non-sectarian Bible translation, and what the Dans thought of The Book of Mormon musical. Joseph asks whether Luke 17:21 means "within you" or "among you." Episode 114 Rebound in Calfskinwith Pride Month vs. the Bible!In the mailbag: Jerriann asks about a peer-reviewed study dating a Dead Sea earthquake to the window of Jesus's crucifixion, and Dan M explains what destruction layers can and can't date. Sam asks whether a Useful Charts video is right about Moses-like stories in neighboring cultures. The Ipuwer Papyrus makes an appearance. Episode 113 Pope Bobwith Bibliomancy! The Biblical Dance with the Devil?In the mailbag: Drew, a clinician, offers Dan M a professional second opinion. Fernando wants reading for a D&D campaign steeped in Canaanite gods, and one recommended subtitle sends Dan B into space. Jamie asks why Protestants close the Lord's Prayer with “for thine is the kingdom,” and Metzger's commentary comes out. Jennifer offers her own reading of the Parable of the Talents. April asks about the new pope, whose brother reportedly assigned him Conclave as homework. Plus: Dan B's plan to circumnavigate a country on foot by walking around the Vatican. Episode 112 Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jumpwith Wash Your Own Feet!In the mailbag: Kyle from Ottawa asks for the Dans' favorite Canada stories. Dan M recounts a foggy prop-plane flight to Fredericton spent riding backwards in row 14. Dan B brings a 400th birthday party in Quebec City, a childhood mix-up between Calvary and Calgary, and a UNESCO site with a very literal name. Episode 111 Yes, This Is My First Rodeowith Just the Tip?In the mailbag: Goran asks about the eunuchs of Matthew 19:12 and Origen's literal reading. The answer detours through a canon from Nicaea. Frank asks whether the Dans have seen The Man from Earth, and would like a tour stop in Scotland. Denitz recommends a Spanish-language YouTube channel from a Basque sociologist living in China. Chris asks how the spirit of Yahweh relates to the Holy Spirit, and Dan M checks Isaiah 63 and Psalm 51. Episode 110 The Savedest of Allwith God's Swear JarIn the mailbag: Peregrine, writing from Perth after bingeing every episode, asks about the Greek adverb malista in 1 Timothy 4:10, where God saves all people, “especially” believers. Dan B wants to know how you extra save somebody. Dan M pulls up commentaries and channels Sideshow Bob, I. H. Marshall weighs in, and Dan B issues an official podcast position. Episode 109 Judah Maccabee Passes the Hatwith The Heart of PharaohIn the mailbag: Frank writes back to point out that the Dans answered his human rights question twice. Dan B calls himself a ding-dong and credits Dan M with the memory of a weasel. Esme, raised LDS, asks what Paul means by baptism for the dead in 1 Corinthians 15. The answer runs through 2 Maccabees 12, where Judah Maccabee passes the hat. Out of questions, the Dans turn to Dan M's workload: an edited volume due at the end of April and a paper for a conference in Italy. Recorded ahead of the tour, the back half slips into the past tense about shows that haven't happened yet, including the runner they designated for the audience mic. Dan M supplies the Spaceballs line: “When will then be now? Soon.” Episode 108 A Wishing Well in the Goonies Cavewith "Biblical" MarriageIn the mailbag: Fernando, reading John Barton's A History of the Bible, asks whether the Pentateuch's sources were woven together or archived side by side. The answer visits Deuteronomy 32:43 and some confusion over who sold Joseph. Nathan asks why East and West date Easter differently, and Dan M reaches for a note card. Jerriann has feedback on a recent guest episode, then asks why communist countries restrict Bibles. Plus: Dan M learns what an Oxford encyclopedia essay pays in Oxford books. Roughly two. Episode 107 Tang Snow Coneswith Immigrant Apocalypse with Yii-Jan LinWith the guest kept away by technical gremlins, the Dans keep it short and go straight to the mailbag. Josh asks which fact-check most disappointed Dan M, who blanks and admits he runs on vibes mostly. Nick passes along his daughter's question about why Jesus orders silence after raising a girl in Luke 8:56. The answer starts in Mark, not Luke. Then the chat wanders. An evangelical podcaster shows off a finished hardcover of Dan M's book before Dan M has one himself. Joel McHale turns out to have done Bake Off. The Dans weigh the Kool-Aid movie pitched on The Studio, and Dan M recalls whole walls of Tang flavors in Uruguay and Brazil. Dan B remembers eating Tang poured over snowballs. Episode 106 Still Mad About Gravitywith Usurer ErrorIn the mailbag: Chris G. proposes calling fascists “new Romans.” Fernando writes from the Canary Islands with thanks. Nathan asks what the armor of God in Ephesians 6 actually looked like, and the answer involves helmet mutton chops. Frank asks whether the Hebrew Bible knows universal human rights, then whether anyone can choose their beliefs, partly to use the word “doxastic.” Greg asks about dispensationalism. Along the way, Dan M confesses a lasting grudge against a college physics lesson. Episode 105 The Good Skylinewith Wandering in the Wilderness with Angela Roskop ErismanDan B reviews the Ark Encounter, all wood and animatronic dinosaurs, as a monument to its own impossibility. Angela traces her path from violin performance to a choir piece set to Psalms and Proverbs, a text she later met again in Michael V. Fox’s Proverbs class. Dan M explains the transcript he had to send with every application, Oxford included. Episode 104 Elyon, the Most Highwith Hey JudeFrank asks whether universal human rights appear in the Hebrew Bible, and whether the historical Jesus held them. The answer detours through the Stoics and Gregory of Nyssa. His second question: how to defend peer review to a classmate who prefers a podcaster’s history book. Ken asks why the NIV says Araunah in 1 Chronicles 21 where the NRSVue says Ornan, and Dan M checks the Hebrew live. Plus: Dan B once met a whale five feet off the Seattle waterfront, and a church at 777 South becomes the neighbor of the beast. Episode 103 A Jug of Apple Juice for the Mormonwith The Pastor SkepticA riff on ’90s virtual reality turns into both Dans’ first-time-getting-high stories, one involving a motorcycle-gang poker game. Then the guest asks about the sotah, the cursed water of Numbers 5. Dan M wades in through ink, temple-floor dust and a debate among the early rabbis, and finds a link to what Jesus writes in the dirt in John 8. Episode 102 A Case of Honey Stickswith The Dave Ramsey TakedownIn the mailbag: Daniel asks how first-century rural synagogues differed from early Christian assemblies, by way of an altar at Magdala and Dan B’s visit to a Holy Land replica in Arkansas. Goran recommends Dan M’s book. Carl suggests an article on Jesus conquering demonic waters. Jerriann has news from San Diego. Kyle asks about Bart Ehrman’s claim that Sheol just means the grave, and Dan M has a book on caring for the dead to recommend. Episode 101 The Solar System Along I-80with The Slave BibleIn the mailbag: there is only one, from Daniel, who comes in hot with a pedantic note from his physics professor. Two plus two can equal five, for large values of two. Dan M has heard it before, from a sister who chaired a university math department. Episode 100 Audiobooks on Vinylwith Give Me Your Slave!In the mailbag: Frank petitions for a stop in sunny Aberdeen, Scotland, and the Dans start mapping a dream UK run, Birmingham included. Chris asks whether, according to the Bible, you must believe Jesus died for your sins to get to heaven. Dan M reaches for his Lego-brick metaphor, and Dan B presses him to pick a side. Episode 99 The Saddest Jimmy Buffett Songwith Why Can't You Be Like Your Brother?In the mailbag: Jerriann asks about T-shirts, and Dan B spills a secret about tour-only merch. Mark asks after a hometown book event. Randall asks whether Jewish communities stayed apart from their neighbors on orders handed down in the Babylonian exile; the answer runs through Ezra and Nehemiah. Colleen asks whether New Testament demon possession was really mental illness. Dan M reaches back to Mesopotamia, where the ear was a weak point, and the Dans end on The Exorcist. Episode 98 A Very Professional Outfitwith Did Jesus Go to Hell?In the mailbag: Justin, learning Greek, asks how good his two gift Bibles are, a Brenton Septuagint and an edition “translated from the divine archetypes.” Dan M has a free alternative to point him to. Justin also asks Dan B whether, as an atheist, he has met the distrust described in Ara Norenzayan’s Big Gods. The answer involves a cell phone store and a T-shirt worn on the last day of SBL. Plus: Dan M’s teenage taekwondo trophy photo, menacing glare and Coke bottle glasses included. Episode 97 The Land Has Vomited Me Outwith The Neighborhood of Make-BelieveIn the mailbag: D asks why Abrahamic religions are so preoccupied with God's name, and the answer passes Rumpelstiltskin and a Russian word for bear. Chris asks why religion propagates, noting that Holy of Holies protocol sounds a lot like his medical-device gowning rules. Howard puts in a word for St. Louis, and Nick suggests a library conference signing. Colleen asks Dan B how to answer a brother-in-law who says morality without God is anarchy. Episode 96 The Gospel According to David Blainewith "Render Unto Caesar" with Congressperson Eric SwalwellIn the mailbag: Goran asks what Christian scholars who doubt Jesus's divinity are praying to. Graham asks about the swoon hypothesis, and the detour runs through the gospel according to David Blaine. Colleen requests an episode on fornication. Cara asks how Dan M, undisputed king of T-shirts, ended up in a suit on the podcast cover. Plus: the one verb in Dan M's tagline that can't go on a T-shirt. Episode 95 The Great Shellackingwith Uh-Oh, JerichoIn the mailbag: Fabian asks whether Enoch was the original boat guy and Noah only the wine guy, and the answer runs through Utnapishtim. Douglas asks about signed copies of Dan M's book. Josh, an old friend of Dan M's, asks Dan B how to stay calm after leaving religion and where to find community. Nathan asks how the covenant code fits the supplementary hypothesis. Alan asks Dan B how he became an atheist. Episode 94 A Podcast About Guys Named Danwith Getting to Gnow the GnosticsFrom there, the Dans plot a joint birthday celebration, and Dan B wants a tour stop near Dollywood. Dan M recalls the stranger who sat down at his solo lunch before a keynote, and the Dans weigh the one-sided relationships audiences form with the people they follow. Episode 93 Apotropaic Amulet Overturewith Banning the Bible?In the mailbag: Megan brings two claims from a Christmas concert sermon, about Jesus and women's rights and about charity before Christians. April pitches curses in the Bible. Nathan wants reading on gospel authorship and asks where Reza Aslan got his gospel cities. Nick asks when Jews began strictly following the Torah. Dave asks about the scholar survey, which runs into too many tacos. Chris G. requests a song. Todd asks about Calvin. Episode 92 Yippee Ki-Yay, Mama Jamawith The Curses of Cain and HamIn the mailbag: Tyler recommends Useful Charts, then asks whether Zeus overthrowing Kronos parallels Israel's God merging with El. The answer stops at a hyphenated divine name from Elephantine. Randall asks where Saul and David actually ruled if there was no united monarchy, and Dan M brings in an Israel Finkelstein book he is reading. Episode 91 The Oscar Prayer Partywith Star Spangled Christian Nationalism With April AjoyFrom there: Christian movies without nuance, the shelf life of the Sinner's Prayer, and why Christian nationalism goes unnamed in coverage of Trump's rise. Then the three of them ask ChatGPT who wrote April's book. The answers come back confident, plural, and male. Episode 90 The Unilaterally Better Versionwith With Counter-ApologiesIn the mailbag: Nathan asks how the cruise went, and Dan B warns this one is going to hurt. Alex wonders how ancient audiences and rabbis related to the texts that became the Tanakh, treating them as both inerrant and tweakable. The detour runs through posh, KISS, and an acronym that turns out to be real. Plus: Christmas at Dan M's, with stockings on a pony wall and Dan B volunteering as Krampus. Episode 89 Do Not Feed the Creatureswith Spare the Rod... Please!In the mailbag: Juliet asks Dan B whether he'd go on Mormon Stories. Nathan asks whether dating 1 Enoch from its text and then learning history from it is circular, and Dan M reaches for Daniel and Antiochus IV. Episode 88 Hexateuch, Heptateuch, Fool of a Tuquewith Josiah the Cult KillerDan B has a question of his own: what is Deuteronomy, and what makes something Deuteronomistic? Dan M walks him from the Pentateuch to the Hexateuch and the Enneateuch. Dan B corrects his prefixes, and it all ends in a fool of a tuque. Canadian shame rains down from the Great White North. Then Dan M previews a Thanksgiving at Disneyland, and Dan B wonders why he knows a park he doesn't love so well. He has a FastPass hack and a plan to jump off Pirates of the Caribbean into the Blue Bayou. He also pitches a Grumpy pin for guests who want the cast members to leave them alone. Episode 87 Neither Confirm Nor Denywith The Dans Ruin ChristmasIn the mailbag: Douglas asks about the Gospels' near-duplicate feeding miracles, and Dan M reaches for Armageddon and Deep Impact. Tim once typeset Bibles for publishers rhyming with Schmarper Schmollen, and he asks whether typos still sneak into scripture. Dan M has a beauty from a celebrated recent translation. Plus: an apologist's acrostic that made it into print, and an Easter egg in Dan M's book that he neither confirms nor denies. Episode 86 Wolverine's Costume Is Brown and Yellowwith Debunking Jesus?Fred suggests a full episode on Dan M's video about the King David meme, and the talk turns to owning mistakes and leaving people a path to redemption. Seinfeld's skiing metaphor for comedy gets a hearing, and so does Kramer's plea that his boys need a home. Dan M admits he will never budge on one thing. Episode 85 The Danine Namewith Purify This! With Logan WilliamsThe bout hinges on one Ge'ez verb in 1 Enoch 48:2: is the Son of Man named, or summoned? Rounds follow on Metatron, Philippians 2 and pagan metamorphosis myths, with a lot more agreement than promised. Dan B imagines SBL attendees shouting "Quibble!" at each other. He also proposes endowing top patrons with the divine name Dan, and Logan coins the term. Episode 84 The Chainsaw That Wouldn't Chainsawwith The Demon Haunted BibleIn the mailbag: Daniel suggests Marcion of Sinope, and Dan B has a cream for pleroma. Amy's wife asks whether Ahab and Jezebel were real, and Dan M checks the Mesha Inscription mid-answer. Bob sends a tome on Foucault, Frege, Gödel and Kripke, and the Dans admit they lack the weed whackers for it. Episode 83 A Hotline for Offensive Odorswith The God-Forsaken PsalmIn the mailbag: Daniel wants the full range of meanings of pistis, which Dan M calls a request for a doctoral dissertation. Daniel also demands Colorado's worst city, and Greeley's phone line for reporting offensive odors comes up. Casey asks why some churches ban certain instruments. Travis asks why Paul barely registers in the Gospels, Nathan asks about the Adamic language, and Jakey recommends the band Brand New. Plus: Dan M drops into Street View beside an old golf course and finds a foursome flashing the camera. Episode 82 Look This Way, Americanwith Deconstruction Zone with Rev Karla KamstraFrom there it's travel talk. Dan B is about to drive on the left in England, where he once nearly got flattened looking the wrong way. Dan M recalls his first lay-flat seat, a Coke Zero that drew looks in first class, a Delta lounge busier than the airport, and a Greek train that dies in the mountains with no snack cart. Episode 81 Ovid, Not Kafkawith You're Speaking My Language!In the mailbag: Holly asks whether Thomas Römer's scholarship holds up, which leads to a word on what consensus does and doesn't mean. Della asks about the seven clean animals on Noah's ark, and the kangaroos face a long walk home. Alan asks how divine each Gospel's Jesus is. Think Ovid, not Kafka. Christopher pitches a Canadian hardcore band, which detours into Bad Religion's Christmas album. JD asks about Matthew 19 and annulment. Episode 80 How to Get Rid of an Ear Demonwith Omni Everything?In the mailbag: Frank asks why Bible pages are so thin, and what makes something a god. Dan M answers the second by reading from his own book. Chikahiro wants a critical thinking class. Charles asks about the Samaritans, and Dan M recalls a translation project a Samaritan priest scooped. Jordan asks whether the Book of Mormon mentions abortion. Andrew asks about divine councils beyond Israel, and Nathan wants a history of exorcism, ear demons included. Episode 79 Called a Gnostic, Called an Arianwith Who is a True Christian w/ David CongdonThen "Gnostic" gets its own history, running from Eric Voegelin and the new right to modern culture-war insults. Dan M gets called a Gnostic all the time, and an Arian too. The conversation ends on evangelical as a political label, and on a Protestant-Catholic coalition built on what one new book calls prefigurative traditionalism. Episode 78 My Religion Is Brunchwith The Biblical View of ImmigrantsThen the talk turns to who does the welcoming. Craig describes faith coalitions housing new arrivals in Chicago, and Dan B wants that work done louder and paid for by the government. Craig asks secular humanists where their traditions of hospitality come from. Cecil answers with a food-packing session at an atheist conference. Dan B offers his own creed: brunch. Episode 77 Rhetorical Prophylaxiswith What is an Atheist?In the mailbag: Jennifer has a stack of questions. She asks how manuscripts get dated, which brings out a terminus ante quem and Dan B's complaint that ancient scribes never wrote down the date. She also asks when 1 Enoch fell out of the Jewish canon, and Dan M's answer turns on which soil to grow from. Plus: a fan's 3D-printed Taanach cult stand lets Dan M handle an artifact nobody else is allowed to touch. Episode 76 Food Poisoning in the Shadow of the Acropoliswith Pay Your Tithing!In the mailbag: Bill remembers an old show about secret messages hidden in every nth letter of the Bible. Eddie asks again about Dan M's short videos. Anne asks how Tiberian and Masoretic pronunciation differ. Natty corrects the meaning of Jael's name and spots Asherah in the Deborah story. Norm wants Dan M's academic path, from Oxford to a distance PhD. Jerriann asks about Netflix's Kaos. Maggie asks whether Peter was the first pope, and about Moses. Plus: a Greek heat rash, and a restaurant below the Acropolis that only gave Dan M food poisoning once. Episode 75 The Bibble and Ribibblewith Shrouded in MysteryIn the mailbag: Dallin asks about the LDS Bible Dictionary and its Cambridge roots. Nathan wants the alternate history where Athanasius never berated the Arians, starring desert hippies. Frank, who hears every "scholar of the Bible and religion" as "the Bibble and Ribibble," demands in all caps why Dan M hates the blue and yellow Wolverine costume. Eddie asks for Dan M's short videos on the feed. Rob asks why the Hebrew God outlasted the Greek, Roman and Norse gods. Talk of Josiah turns into a preview of Dan M's forthcoming trade book, where nearly every section title riffs on a song or a movie. One section is called Josiah and the No Good, Terrible, Very Bad Cult Reform. Another carries a footnote apologizing to Rob Zombie. Episode 74 Some Dude Named Paulwith The Fabric ConspiraciesIn the mailbag: Juliet wants more episodes about Jesus, and the Transfiguration gets floated. Nathan asks about extra-biblical evidence for Paul, and Dan M concedes we don't have Paul's underwear. Dan B blames a forger named Doug the Judean. Nathan also asks Dan B how he came to atheism. Chris asks why Christian-flavored fiction like Hazbin Hotel redeems through heroic acts instead of faith. The answer detours through costly signaling and a microloan website. Episode 73 Cain, Bigfoot, and an Immortal Apostlewith Bible Magic!In the mailbag: Jared, raised Seventh-day Adventist, asks about the weeks-of-years prophecies in Daniel and where “days as years” came from. Rob can’t find the video version of the show. Fred asks for Dan M’s go-to intro book, and about an Enoch mix-up his brother caught while proofreading. Tyler asks whether the apostle John is immortal, which leads to a missionary-era story involving Bigfoot. Episode 72 Flight 666 to Hellwith The Truth About RuthIn the mailbag: Doug asks for an episode on magic in the Hebrew Bible, starting with the Urim and Thummim. Dan M adds the Ketef Hinnom silver scrolls to Dan B’s list, and the free association reaches Gehenna and a flight to HEL. Saint Guillotine asks what prophesying in church actually looked like in 1 Corinthians 14. Plus: Dan B finally watches Back to the Future Part II, and he has notes. Episode 71 Stuck Behind Common at Comic-Conwith The Rapture is not Coming!In the mailbag: Mindy asks what a god actually is, and how anyone should think about deity today. JD asks whether the divine name was meant to imitate breathing, and Dan M brings up tongue placement. Jennifer sends Dan M birthday wishes. Nick asks why Christians kept Deuteronomy’s laws at all, with a detour through Marcion. Lynette asks whether the Dans will ever visit Saskatchewan. Episode 70 A Missed Flight at O’Harewith Out of NothingIn the mailbag: Norm, starting a distance-learning history master’s at Edinburgh, asks about Dan M’s academic journey. Dan M says it was less a series of choices than a decade of Hail Marys, running through Oxford, Trinity Western, and a country club dining room. A missed flight at O’Hare matters more than any application. Udo asks whether Ishmael, not Isaac, was originally the son on the altar. Episode 69 Quokkas, Cricket, and Caligulawith Gospel Authorship with Michael KokThen the talk turns to packaging critical scholarship for the pews, Michael’s inner and outer circles of belief, and students with laptops covered in Jesus stickers asking the smartest questions. Dan M asks whether James Crossley still dates Mark to around 40 CE. The answer runs through Caligula’s statue and Mark 7. Episode 68 Bluey’s Dad Fronted Custardwith Take My Wife... Please!In the mailbag: Jacqueline flags a self-published book promising “actual biblical psychology,” and Dan M’s grimace gets described for the record. Nate asks where a layperson should start with the cognitive science of religion, which leads to Dan M’s SBL program unit and why some scholars eye the field warily. Then the Dans trade stories about commenters who swear they don’t pick and choose. Episode 67 Gallagher in the Book of Danielwith Prophets, Kings, and Terrible Men with Aaron HigashiThen Aaron talks about his role at The Bible for Normal People and a children’s Bible project, where his assignment includes a compulsory mass divorce in Ezra. Dan B and Aaron agree the Bible would be rated R. Dan M’s kid-friendly New Testament translation stalls in Romans 1, and Aaron coins the transitive property of theology. Episode 66 Romanes Eunt Domuswith Thou Shalt NotIn the mailbag: Chris asks whether there is higher criticism of the Book of Mormon. Dan B makes amends to Rob, who wants the twelve apostles recast as wrestlers and Marvel heroes, and Jake “The Snake” Roberts gets a calling. Nathan asks what really happened to the lost ten tribes, with a stop at an ice-walled oasis at the North Pole. Big Jim asks about Romans 3:23–25. Jennifer asks about Dan M’s thesis and the cognitive science of religion. Episode 65 The Naked Guy at Gethsemanewith I Got Soul, and I'm Super BadIn the mailbag: Tyler asks whether the average Joseph prayed daily and kept the laws of Moses, and Dan M brings in the Hasmoneans and, eventually, the Reformation. Thomas asks about the Jefferson Bible, which involves a little pen knife and a deist named Lord Herbert of Cherbury that Dan B suspects is made up. Emily asks about the Secret Gospel of Mark and the young man who flees Gethsemane in the nude. Episode 64 Steely Dan and the Tel Dan Stelewith The Historicity of DavidIn the mailbag: Daniel asks whether the Douay-Rheims is in the public domain, which detours into justice versus righteousness and a Portuguese translation fight. Randall asks whether The Bible Unearthed by Finkelstein and Silberman still holds up. Plus: Dr. Pepper's postgraduate credentials, whether Steely Dan named the Tel Dan Stele, and celebrity blurbs for Dan M's book. Episode 63 No Pills Without Waterwith Wrastlin' With GodIn the mailbag: Doug, a former ultra-conservative evangelical, asks about magic and divination in the Hebrew Bible, from the Urim and Thummim to casting lots. Dan M explains who gets to draw the line between magic and religion. From there it's the Witch of Endor, the idea that the plagues targeted Egypt's gods, and who exactly hardened Pharaoh's heart. Episode 62 Nobody Messes With the Jesuswith The Book of EnochIn the mailbag: Jennifer asks what happened to Q (not the Star Trek one), earns a future episode on David and Solomon, and asks whether Islam was always monotheistic. Christopher wants a public-domain Bible to train his AI, and Dan B begs him to stop teaching the robots our secrets. Frank asks how Junia squares with Brutus. Maggie asks two questions about Jesus stories. Kyle asks where chapters and verses came from. Episode 61 Bigger Than Jesus, Long Before Lennonwith Christmaker! With James McGrathThen James traces Gnosticism toward John's circle, through Mandaean light beings whose names sound like old Israelite titles for Yahweh. Dan B wonders whether John was bigger than Jesus in his own day, with apologies to John Lennon. Dan M asks about two Messiahs and Elijah, which leads James to a double portion of spirit. Episode 60 Double-Dipping on the Audiobookwith Silence, Woman!In the mailbag: Nathan asks what the Hebrew of Job 19:26 says about seeing God in the flesh, and everything hangs on one small preposition. Nick asks why the Hebrew Bible made the cut at the Council of Nicaea, a premise Dan M has thoughts about, involving a table of miraculously falling books and Marcion. Tyler asks whether Elisha was really doing CPR in 2 Kings 4. Then Dan M reports that his trade book manuscript is turned in, and he will read the audiobook himself. Dan B, still waiting to be asked for a blurb, lobbies for Brené Brown–style asides: bonus material for listeners, and a chance to double-dip. Episode 59 Better Than All the Nonexistent Stuffwith The End(s) of Monotheism W/ David BurnettThen Dan B presses on when the turn to one God actually happened, and Dan M answers with a word that only shows up in the 17th century. David and Dan M size up where the field really stands, with Dan M using a journal reviewer's reaction as the test, and what they hope comes after the book. Episode 58 Biblical, but Not Theologicalwith Translation FrustrationA listener writes in to ask why Dan M insists he isn't a theologian. Dan B pokes the bear about atheists and that less-powerful-group rule. Then the Dans pick over leftovers from the translation episode: the Sotah, Isaiah 7, and an etymology of “atonement” that sounds fake enough for Dan M to wish he could excoriate it. Episode 57 Melchizedek, King of Sodomwith Does the Bible say the Earth is Flat?In the mailbag: Kyle asks for comic book recommendations, which brings a signed gift from an Invincible artist, a store called Liefeld's Just Feet and Dan B's case against Renoir. Kyle also wants a baseline scholarly book, and it turns out there are two John Bartons. Nathan asks how Melchizedek could have been king of Sodom, and Dan M walks through Genesis 14. Arthur asks how much sexual shaming is actually biblical, and the Dans pencil in an Onan episode. Episode 56 A Scroll With More Gigabyteswith The Genesis of Genesis with Dr David CarrDavid admits he often disagrees with the David Carr of 1996, and explains how digitally reconstructing ancient scrolls has made him more modest. Dan B suggests a scroll with more gigabytes. David previews his work on domestication in Genesis 1–11. Then Dan B reports from Ken Ham's Ark Encounter, and David explains why he avoids telling contra dance partners what he does. Episode 55 Russian Nesting Dolls of Seaswith Can Jesus Forgive Sin?In the mailbag: Maytree asks how the Stoic idea of pneuma relates to Hebrew concepts of spirit, and Dan M describes an ancient world where everyone picked and choosed. Bonnie asks whether Dan M has an eidetic memory, and the answer involves Chevy Chase and Mel Brooks. Plus: Dan B on why a Salt Lake cookie shop had to stop calling itself Dough Girl. Episode 54 Corrupting the Youth Since Socrateswith Black Hole SunIn the mailbag: Adam wants books on David's five-finger discount from other heroes' stories, and Dan M names one muscular volume. A patron Dan B declines to name asks where to learn critical thinking, which leads to a Kansas philosophy department sign about corrupting the youth. Jordan asks whether Jordan Peterson has any grasp of the Moses story, and Dan B has a safe default. Plus: why the Jerusalem Council's unanimous letter sounds a lot like the Constitutional Convention. Episode 53 Let the Heathens Have the Other Elevatorwith The Holy Ghost (and Bears!)The Dans revisit Elisha's bears and land on a hard truth: some stories can't be rescued, and the people tagging Dan M about Proverbs 13:24 don't love his answer. Christian nationalism's fear of cities gets traced, on one reading, back to Lot pitching his tent toward Sodom. Dan B finds both directions of tent-pitching suspicious. Talk of costly signaling leads to Sabbath elevators in Israel that stop at every floor, and Dan B's pitch to keep the regular elevators running for the heathens. Then a book update: Dan M's agent wants him at a San Diego Comic-Con booth, and Dan B is already lobbying to be his sidekick. Episode 52 Dan M Won't Listen to Podcastswith What is a Woman... Biblically?Then a peek behind the curtain. When Dan B first sent Dan M a list of podcasts to study, Dan M simply declined to listen. His reading happens in ten-minute bursts between phone breaks. The Dans eventually loop back to gender by way of feeling different, and Dan M answers social-contagion panic with a chart of left-handedness he knows from personal experience. Episode 51 The Godless Europeanswith Is Religion Make-Believe? With Neil Van LeeuwenFrom there, Dan M asks whether secular democracies are taking over religion's old job, which leads to Norway and the godless Europeans. Dan B, a self-described non-joiner, remembers the “Mormon Mafia” and its instant plumber referrals. Neil admits his sports fandom is mostly hamming it up, and turns the atheist “they're all crazy” line into a tribal credence of its own. Episode 50 Enough True Cross to Build a Shipwith Easter and the UndeadIn the mailbag: Rob asks whether the Gospel of Thomas might predate Mark, and what was so wrong with Gnosticism anyway. Udo wonders who Paul answered to when he persecuted the Jesus movement. Della pitches Bel and the Dragon for Chapter and Verse. Sander asks why everyone “knows” the kid is boiled in milk, not suet. Maggie asks whether saints' relics are vetted, which brings Martin Luther, Saint Patrick's snakes and a very long walk for Saint Denis. Episode 49 The Real Mark Hamillwith Christian Slavery with Candida MossDan M asks how her book squares with Robyn Walsh's elite-authors thesis, and where the field stands on who wrote the Gospels and when the titles appeared. Somewhere in the second-century Mark tradition, Dan M's brain serves up an SNL home-shopping sketch. The whole thing ends in a pop-culture vortex involving Dune, Kyle MacLachlan and Salvador Dalí. Episode 48 A Census for Bible Scholarswith Jesus in History with Helen BondThen Dan M recruits Helen for his state-of-the-field survey of biblical scholars. He tests Habermas's minimal facts on her, and she starts pitching questions of her own, like whether Mark was written before or after 70. Dan B watches the survey get longer in real time, until Helen can smell dinner. Episode 46 Spinal Tap at Mardi Graswith GENOCIDE!In the mailbag: Tucker asks about the scholarly consensus on the Joseph Smith Translation, and the answer runs through the Targumim and the Genesis Apocryphon. Nathan asks whether Revelation's falling third of the stars means exactly 33 percent. That opens a detour into how numbers get significant, a ladder that no chimp will climb, and Harvey Whitehouse's The Ritual Animal. Plus: Dan M flips through an advance copy of Candida's God's Ghostwriters and finds his own name in the illustrations. Episode 45 Under a Bridge in Beirutwith The Dead Sea Scrolls With Kipp DavisNext comes the Temple Scroll, written in Yahweh's own voice (an author-signed copy, Dan M notes). It goes under Kando's floorboards, into a nighttime handoff in Beirut that delivers the wrong box, and into a legend involving a tank that Kipp politely retires. Yigael Yadin's fingerprints are on all of it. Plus: how a graduate student with a recipe-card concordance helped pry the unpublished scrolls loose. Episode 44 144,000 Male Virgins and a Lambwith Biblical Marriage With Jennifer BirdThen Dr. Bird points to Revelation, where the Lamb has two different brides. Dan B asks the gay marriage question the main episode never reached, and the conversation runs through Romans 1, a Greek insult built on the verb "to rub," and Paul's claim that nature itself objects to long hair. Episode 43 Gagu Lives in the Crack in the Mirrorwith Jesus Murders A TreeIn the mailbag: Hannah asks what Moses did wrong at Meribah, and what God has against leavened bread. The answer involves FernGully and no wire hangers. Jordan asks about Grant Hardy's Annotated Book of Mormon, which leads to a brother who answered a Book of Mormon names argument with "Time me." Jamon asks about the Witch of Endor's background and her methods, from Josiah's purge to clay livers and a dissertation-day eureka. Episode 42 The Reverence Childrenwith Is Jesus God?In the mailbag: Brian, a pastor's kid turned worship leader who is deconstructing, asks how Dan M keeps his faith and what made Dan B an atheist. Dan M explains the boundary he will not cross and why it exists. Dan B tells his story, with detours to an open-air Hawaii ward where the bishop opens with "Aloha" and to Dan M's memory of reverence children. It turns on a worthiness interview that stalls on question one. Episode 41 Just a Moron, Not a Threatwith Modest is Hottest?From there it is languages picked up on the job, from Farsi to Japanese, and an Armenian phrase Dan B learned before anyone would translate it. Then a post-graduation trip with Grandma strays beyond the tourist ropes in Bratislava: nine-dollar steaks, roadside shoes that shed their soles, and a border stop with four machine guns and questions Dan M cannot answer. Episode 40 The Costa Vida Summitwith The Joel McHale Episode!Joel asks Dan M about the strangest requests he gets, then trades his own stories of fame, from mayhem on an X-Files street shoot to DeAndre Jordan's inability to blend in. It all ends in The Simpsons, with Hank Scorpio's football-team gift and the line about France or Italy. Joel also confesses to getting gold body paint on a dog at College GameDay. Episode 39 The Popping of Judaswith Revealing RevelationIn the mailbag: Nathan asks what Josephus contributes to the historicity of early Christianity. Dan M mixes up two Latin terms on the way to the answer, earning a virtual ruler to the knuckles. Andrew asks where the traditions about the disciples' deaths come from. Peter's upside-down crucifixion and a Judas who swells as big as a house come up. Plus: Dan B's Sunday-best trick for getting into the Tower of London, and Dan M's run-ins with Utah drivers. Episode 38 By Now He Stinkethwith The [Three] [Wise Men] With Eric Vanden EykelEric describes the classroom exercise that once sent a student to his office hours shaking with anger over missing verses. He bans the King James in class, partly because of a line about Lazarus. Dan M explains how the Second Great Awakening revived the word “warfare.” Then everyone shares Christmas customs, including Catalonia's present-pooping log, Uruguay's exploding Judas effigy, and the Magi relics in Cologne. Episode 37 80,000 Years to Alpha Centauriwith Follow That Star!Dan B asks whether Aaron's book ruffled feathers, and the answer includes a scathing review and a conference no-show with two competing explanations. Conferences, Aaron says, are Twitter with bigger words. He also describes planetarium Christmas star shows, where polling suggests audiences leave feeling more religious. Dan B closes in awe at James Webb images, where the dots turn out to be galaxies. Episode 36 Deuterocanonical, Dudewith The Why Question- With Jacob WrightIn the mailbag: Nathan asks how Dan M would reorder the books of the Bible, and the answer reaches back to the Song of Deborah. Deborah asks about a YouTube video claiming the Apocrypha is no use to Christians. The story runs through Jerome, Luther's appendix, and Bible societies shipping cheaper books. Then Dan B hears “deuterocanonical” and starts thinking about The Big Lebowski. Episode 35 Lumber Justicewith Who ACTUALLY Wrote the New Testament?Dan B asks why learning who really wrote the epistles can feel so shattering. Dan M points to statements of faith some scholars sign and to identity, and recalls a New Testament scholar dragged for days for doubting that Matthew's opened graves were historical. Deconstruction, they decide, means decoupling belief from your sense of self. Then the talk turns to public scholarship. Dan M wants to open the ivory tower to the crowds, Gravity Falls style, and explains why buying his book would only support SBL Press. Colleagues at SBL recognize him even through a pandemic mask. A Community episode where Jeff Winger Hulks out serves as a warning about what all that praise might do. Episode 34 Not Named After Orrin Hatchwith The Lion's DenIn the mailbag: Maggie asks how time was measured across the Bible and whether weeks always had seven days. The answer passes through the Babylonian exile and a hunch about a Sabbath kept in time when there was no temple space. Maggie sneaks in a second question about Reza Aslan's Zealot. Jose asks whether there is a Spanish equivalent of the New Oxford Annotated Bible, and Dan M resorts to some live Googling. Episode 33 Raised Right-Handedwith The Bible and Disability with Isaac SoonFrom there, a soccer coach's complaint leads Dan M to discover he was born left-handed, and his family has a confession. Isaac raises a live question in disability theology about what healing means for resurrected bodies. Dan B remembers a London trip where a friend in a wheelchair needs three buses to cover a 15-minute Tube ride. Episode 32 Mushroom Nuggets at Yarnton Manorwith The End is Near?In the mailbag: Michael asks whether the Bible speaks with one voice on vegetarianism and veganism. The answer detours through Yarnton Manor, where a kosher spread once offered nuggets that were not chicken. Satan Matt asks about the 144,000 in Revelation, and Dan M on what John hears versus what he sees. Nathan asks whether Genesis condemns Adam and Eve, and Esther Hamori's God's Monsters gets a reading. Plus: Dan B's public service announcement on raw freshwater fish, prompted by a viral claim that Jesus ate sushi. Episode 31 A Foot of Snow in Oxfordwith The Ten (ish) CommandmentsIn the mailbag: Christopher asks whether the rise of storm gods tracks the spread of settled agriculture, and Dan M weighs rain against war. Jay asks about a claim from the Gnostic Informant channel that "Israel" on the Merneptah Stele is really Jezreel, with Israel Finkelstein supposedly on board. A question from Kyle turns out to be a rerun. Plus: Dan M packs for a family trip to London and Oxford mid-recording, and remembers the snowfall that shut Oxford down. Episode 30 Howdy, Howdy, Howdywith Christian Nationalism Ain't Christian: With Andrew WhiteheadDan B asks how women fit into the movement, and Andrew's survey data has a surprise, along with a paper on biblical literalism he has loved for years. Then the talk turns to small towns: Andrew's Indiana hometown of about 1,500, Dan M's mission in a Uruguayan town called Fraile Muerto, and why some people treat cities as places to fear. Episode 29 The Luggage Preacherwith God's Big Fish StoryIn the mailbag: Kyle asks about 1 Corinthians 11:14 and all those long-haired European Jesuses, and Dan B brings up Samson. Corey asks for a bibliography of books mentioned on the show. Kirk wants a Bible for his daughter, who is new to the stories. Jim asks whether the pyramid builders were really "slaves." Landry asks about Richard Carrier's case against a historical Jesus, and Dan B turns out to have asked Carrier himself. Episode 28 The Grumpy Pinwith Angels and DemonsThen Dan M decodes the alien script on the Guardians of the Galaxy queue signs, to his daughters' dismay. He once did the same with a screen on The Mandalorian, posted it on Twitter, and met every Star Wars nerd on the planet. Dan B shows off a vintage Empire Strikes Back lunchbox. Plus: Dan M teases an airport encounter with a patron, saved for next time. Episode 27 Cannabis on the Altar at Aradwith Where Angels Fear to SwimThen John of Patmos's imagination raises the question of drugs in ancient worship. Dan M points to residue found on an incense altar at Arad, burned right in front of the Holy of Holies. From there, a Pew poll shared by sociologist Samuel Perry shows how broad questions tap identity more than policy, and why criticizing a group can sting like criticizing the person. Episode 26 No Market for Comic Book Artwith A Jewish Paul with Matthew ThiessenFrom there, Dan M floats a plan to poll thousands of SBL attendees and put real numbers on scholarly consensus. A patron's question about his personal beliefs prompts a different answer: why he keeps them out of his public work. The talk ends in reality TV, with two separate House Hunters International insiders and a survivalist who films himself. Episode 25 The Gospel Formerly Known as Markwith A Beatitude Adjustment for Jordan PetersonIn the mailbag: Zoliaster asks what actually counts as scholarly consensus, and a poll taken at a British New Testament conference comes up. Nathan wants critical scholarship on the Quran, and Dan M opens a Google Scholar tab on the spot. Nate asks whether Bible studies has its own dark matter. Jordan asks how the Gospels are dated and whether early readers believed the names on them. Plus: Dan B asks a question of his own, and Dan M reveals the New Testament translation he's writing for ten-to-twelve-year-olds. Episode 24 Chad, Intern to the Angel of Deathwith Tiptoe Through the Talmud with Miriam AnzovinThen Anzovin talks about her most-viewed TikTok, on the Talmud's marital obligations by profession, and the rabbi who quoted it from a podium. She and Dan M compare notes on moderating comment sections, then turn to medical advice in Yevamot involving barley bread and ants, and to Rabbi Yochanan. Plus: the origin story of Chad, the Angel of Death's inept assistant. Episode 23 The Data Over Dogma Drinking Gamewith Abortion and the BibleDan B asks how the Bible could be used well in this debate. Dan M points to the Jewish principle of the rodef, the pursuer, and to his own stated bias toward the less powerful. Then the Dans take on "Judeo-Christian" and George Washington's principles. Dan M also recalls voters he met while running for the Utah legislature who would never vote for a Democrat. Episode 22 In the Big Housewith Connecting With SourceDan M brings up the Ketef Hinnom silver amulets and the priestly blessing. Then Feldman recalls a synagogue talk she agreed to give without mentioning composition, using clips from Raiders of the Lost Ark and Ghostbusters, and the Q&A question that undid the plan. Plus: a rabbi asks her to make Sargon relevant next time. Episode 21 Your Gray Beard Instructs Youwith Did the Exodus Really Happen?The Dans come down from a heavy episode on child sacrifice. Dan M brings up schismogenesis, which Dan B takes for an '80s new wave band. Dan M uses it to explain how Israel may have taken a practice it gave up and turned it into the mark of the bad guys across the valley. That leads to prosociality, the post-9/11 claim that monotheism breeds violence, and a well-respected book whose author's name Dan M can't quite remember. Then Dan M describes a listener meetup at Denver's Stanley Marketplace, which sits on the old Stapleton Airport runways, and the Dans ask patrons what they'd like in return for their support. Dan B takes up pickleball with mixed results. Talk of graying beards brings up Asherah flattering El and the KJV's hoary head. Episode 20 Yippee-Ki-Yay, Mother Scratcherwith I Knew a Guy Who Was SO OLD...Eventually they get back to the patriarchs, starting with Noah waiting until 500 to have kids. Dan B reports from a Jordan Peterson Bible study group on Facebook, where the firmament is supposedly an ice dome that kept the air extra oxygenated. That leads to black-and-white thinking, polarized politics, and Dan M's best TikToks drawing the fewest views. Peter asks for notes on the scholars and books mentioned, and Dan B admits he should have lined up some questions. Episode 19 A Passport and Two Weeks Offwith I'll make you a STAR! With David A. BurnettThen Dan B asks about the monotheism conference coming up at Brown, planned over Chipotle at the last SBL with Josiah and Saul Olyan. Burnett goes through the lineup, from Paula Fredriksen to Emma Wasserman, and makes clear the point is history, not bashing anyone's faith. Dan M explains the title's nod to Wilfred Cantwell Smith and why the conference will stream for free. Episode 18 Where Did the S Go?with The Devil Made Us Do ItDan M compares reading the Bible straight through to looking down a stack of a thousand lenses at once. He adds that the picture on the puzzle box was painted by tradition. That turns into ritual theory and practices that are "causally opaque." Dan B offers a secular example: Henry Ford's push to get square dancing taught in schools. The Dans also agree on exactly one Richard Dawkins book. Then Dan B, back from Greece during a record heat wave, reports that he has learned most of the Greek alphabet. He wants to know why the Latin-letter signs keep dropping the final S. Dan M explains the vocative using a man named Spiros, points out the Greek-and-Latin mix in "telestial," and says why he uses modern Greek pronunciation instead of Erasmian. Episode 16 Not in Bushwoodwith Apostlepalooza!That leads to where the ESV came from: Wayne Grudem, the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, and a gender-inclusive NIV that Grudem answered with, in Dan M's words, "not in Bushwood." Then Dan B, a longtime Shakespeare actor, asks about "Jesu" and all the Joves on the Elizabethan stage. That leads to cross-dressing in theater, today's drag bans, and a clip of Ronald Reagan in drag. Plus: Dan B still can't get over the fact that the Gospels don't agree on who the twelve apostles were. Episode 15 Rowed Out Into the Lakewith The Dans Go to HellDan M then lays out a theory that the Judas of Mark is no villain. He's a guy trying to set up the big final showdown, and Dan B recasts him as Fredo. The talk moves to Josephus and the Testimonium Flavianum, Pliny checking in with the emperor, and Bart Ehrman's Jesus Before the Gospels. That leads to how unreliable memory is, and to John Dean's Watergate testimony compared against the tapes. Episode 14 The Same Shopping Cart of Ideaswith Lilith UnfairDan B can't settle whether 'the wind beneath our wings' counts as quoting song lyrics. Then the Dans return to Lilith, and how the idea of Adam's first wife takes off on TikTok once it serves a community. Dan M introduces credences from the cognitive science of religion: beliefs held less because of evidence than because accepting them is valuable. Politics works the same way, he argues, with parties offering voters a ready-made shopping cart of ideas. Dan B notes that abortion only became an evangelical issue around the 1980s, and Dan M names Falwell and Paul Weyrich. The 1990s view of presidents who cheat gives way to talk of a Cyrus. Dan B predicts that religious opposition to LGBTQ people will fade faster than Dan M expects. Dan M explains why the line between religion and politics is a modern invention. Episode 13 An Enormous Hole with Nothing in Itwith Does God Regret this Podcast?Then comes the real Pool of Siloam. After years of pressuring a church to sell its land, excavators dug a trench where the pool should end and found nothing. Dan M explains what a tel is, which gives Dan B an idea for a future tour stop at Tel Dan. They also talk about a Palestinian Christian guide in Bethlehem and how often Palestinian Christians are overlooked. Plus: the Tel Motza temple under a highway, the Temple Mount Sifting Project, and some high-end bar mitzvahs near the Western Wall. Episode 11 A Hammock on the Beach in Nadiwith Will the Best Bible Please Stand Up?The travel stories follow: a 2 a.m. arrival at a marble hotel in Malta, a five-hour hammock nap on a beach in Nadi, Fiji, and Dan B fighting sleep in the front row of an Iraq War play at the Royal Court Theatre. Then the Dans take up the Japanese village where Jesus supposedly retired as a garlic farmer, the claim that he spent his missing years in India, and cannabis residue on the altars at Arad. Episode 10 Forty Years Wandering Around in That?with Adam and Steve (what the Bible says about homosexuality)Dan B once Google Mapped the Exodus and wondered how anyone wandered forty years in that. Dan M's dissertation supervisor crosses the Sinai on foot in a few days. Dan B pitches the only hovercraft tour of the Holy Land. Dan M recalls a Segway pileup in Athens and gives Dan B metro tips for his July trip. Plus: a long hunt for the mall pretzel stand. Episode 9 The Star-Lord Dummywith The Mark of the BestThe new Guardians of the Galaxy movie comes up, along with the life-size Star-Lord dummy Karen Gillan had to carry. The director then kept it lying around his office. Dan B asks patrons to write in and decide what this thing should be. He briefly considers handing out Dan M's phone number to top donors, and Dan M promises to change it.
Every bonus episode above is included at the $10 tier.