Atonement! It's one of the central ideas of Christianity, and is absolutely essential to Christian theology... so what is it? You might be surprised to know that throughout Christian history, atonement has meant many very different things. On this week's show, we'll discuss the twists and turns this idea has taken, as influential thinkers have grappled with the idea of the atonement of Jesus.
Then, it's time to get lost in translation! Very few of us have put in the effort to actually learn to read ancient Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic, and the ones who have are just a bunch of show-offs (lookin' at you, McClellan!). So if we want to read the Bible, most of us are stuck with translations.
But here's the thing: a Bible translation is WAY more complicated than people might think! It's a shockingly in-depth process, where thousands of decisions have to be made, and those decisions can deeply impact the meaning that gets transmitted. Yes, we're talking about choosing how to render a certain phrase or ancient idiom, but it's more than that. They have to choose which source text to use! There are competing source texts! It's a mess.
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1:14:14
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1:14:14
Sister Wives
It's a lie! This week we're looking at a very odd falsehood in the Bible. And the really weird part is that it's told multiple times, by multiple important biblical people, including the grand-daddy of the biblical lineage himself, Abraham.
Then, we'll look an interesting little bit of home decor from biblical times. Teraphim seem to be little humanoid icons that folks kept around the house, but what was the purpose of them? Were they small? Big? Both? Were they decorative art pieces, or important religious oracles? Or maybe just dolls for the kids? Dr. Dan will walk us through it!
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For early access to an ad-free version of every episode of Data Over Dogma, exclusive content, and the opportunity to support our work, please consider becoming a monthly patron at:
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1:05:25
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1:05:25
Save Me!
What does it mean to be "saved" in that uniquely Christian sense? It makes sense, if you're going to talk about a savior, that you would have people that that savior is saving. But where does this idea come from, and to whom does it apply. Heaven knows, even various Christian sects can't agree on this, but as is our wont here on the Data Over Dogma show, we're going to dig in to the topic, and make a big mess.
Then, we dive face-first into Isaiah 6, which is one of those prophecies that reads like a fever dream. Six-winged seraphim, temples filled with... something.... Let's just say that it takes a lot of explanation to make it all make sense.
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For early access to an ad-free version of every episode of Data Over Dogma, exclusive content, and the opportunity to support our work, please consider becoming a monthly patron at:
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1:04:31
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1:04:31
Problematic Prophecy
Have all of the prophecies about Jesus' death and resurrection already happened? Did the apocalypse come and go, and now we're just coasting?
Here's the thing about prophecies: the good ones are never specific enough! Sure, every now and then someone will come along and give exact dates and times for when some apocalyptic event is going to happen, but those guys are inevitably just proven wrong.
Then there are the other prophets. The biblical ones. They use heavy metaphors, preferring to talk about statues made of different materials, or beasts with the head of one animal and the claws of another, and we're left to try and piece together what the heck they're talking about. This conundrum has led to countless schools of thought regarding biblical prophecy, and today we're discussing one fairly prevalent (if controversial) one known as preterism.
After that, we'll look at the grand-daddy of prophecy itself: Revelation! Fire-and-brimstone preachers love turning to the apocalypse of John to terrify their congregations into a constant state of anxious preparedness, but it's possible those congregants wouldn't be quite as worried if they knew the full history of that book. Did the early church leaders love it, or was there maybe some controversy about its veracity? (Spoiler: it's that second thing)
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For early access to an ad-free version of every episode of Data Over Dogma, exclusive content, and the opportunity to support our work, please consider becoming a monthly patron at:
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Have you ordered Dan McClellan's New York Times bestselling book The Bible Says So yet???
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58:30
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58:30
Tucker Vs Ted: The Israel Throwdown
Forget the fourth of July- if you want real fireworks, you gotta check out the incendiary interview between Tucker Carlson and Ted Cruz. It was... a lot. But when two insufferable gasbags collide that hard, you're going to get a gas giant explosion. Just be glad you couldn't smell it.
One of the points of contention had to do with Israel, and Cruz's insistence that the Bible commanded him (and all believers) to take care of it. Ol' Ted might not have known what the exact scripture was, but he was positive that it said that he had to defend Israel no matter what. Tucker had a different take.
So is that what the scripture says? Are believers obligated to back the actions of Israel because the Bible says so, or is there more to the edict in Genesis?
Then we head to the nine verses of Psalm 137 to explore one of the more disturbing imprecatory prayers in the Bible. It couldn't really mean that it wants people to dash children against a rock, right? That's gotta be just a metaphor, right? Right???
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For early access to an ad-free version of every episode of Data Over Dogma, exclusive content, and the opportunity to support our work, please consider becoming a monthly patron at:
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Have you ordered Dan McClellan's New York Times bestselling book The Bible Says So yet???
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This ain't your pastor's Bible podcast. This is a deep interrogation of the book, and we're bringing receipts. Bible scholar Dr. Dan McClellan and atheist podcaster Dan Beecher team up to discover what the Bible actually says, what it decidedly doesn't say (even if everyone thinks it does), and explore the history of the most popular book of all time.
South Africa