בית פודקאסטים Histories of the Holy Land Podcast
Histories of the Holy Land Podcast

Histories of the Holy Land Podcast

Shaiel Ben-Ephraim 64 פרקים אוק׳ 5, 2026

Histories of the Holy Land Podcast is a chronological survey of the land of Israel and Palestine, from prehistoric times to the modern hi-tech era. Host Shaiel Ben-Ephraim explores a region of immense religious significance that everyone has an opinion about, aiming to separate fact from myth. Episodes cover the full sweep of the country's contested past in an accessible narrative form. The show promises a complete and factual account of this beautiful but disputed land.

פרקים

64 - Putting Manasseh On Trial
64 - Putting Manasseh On Trial אוק׳ 5, 2026 2403 Send us Fan MailThe Book of Kings calls Manasseh the worst king in Judah's history and blames him for the fall of Jerusalem. So we put him on trial.The evidence: an Assyrian tax notice from the Ophel. A palace garden with no water. A Jerusalem official with Yahweh in his name and an Assyrian demon on his seal. Cannabis on a temple altar. A workshop that mass-produced goddesses a few hundred m
63 - The Curse of Nahum
63 - The Curse of Nahum ספט׳ 7, 2026 2131 Send us Fan MailSoldiers from Judah were there when an Assyrian army conquered Egypt. But the book of Nahum says that the city was destroyed, when it wasn't. Why? We show how fake news traveled through Assyria, while Egypt proved more resilient than anyone imagined. mosaic: Exploring Jewish Issuesmosaic is Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County's news magazine show, exploring...Listen on: App
62- Assyrian Curses
62- Assyrian Curses אוג׳ 31, 2026 1828 Send us Fan MailWhen Esarhaddon, the king of Assyria's father was murdered by his brothers, he became a highly paranoid individual and had everyone swear loyalty and risk terrible cruses if they disobeyed. His demand for total loyalty and worship put Manasseh, king of Judah, in a bind. What happened next shaped Judah for a generation and also inspired the writing of the Book of Deuteronomy. m
61 - Sennacherib’s Campaign and the Siege of Lachish
61 - Sennacherib’s Campaign and the Siege of Lachish יוני 18, 2026 1895 Send us Fan MailThe Assyrian siege of Lachish is one of the best-documented military events in the ancient world, and one of the strangest. Sennacherib dedicated an entire room of his palace to a city most people have never heard of, while saying nothing about Jerusalem. Why? In this episode, we follow the three million stones of the siege ramp, a toilet installed inside a holy shrine, an unexplai
60 - The Last Philistine
60 - The Last Philistine מאי 1, 2026 1963 Send us Fan MailIn 604 BCE, a Philistine king wrote a desperate letter to the pharaoh of Egypt. It was written not in his ancestors' Aegean tongue, but in Aramaic. The letter made it to Egypt. The help never came. Within weeks, Nebuchadnezzar turned Ashkelon into a heap of ruins — a phrase we can verify because the Babylonian Chronicle and the destruction layer match down to the month. But th
59 - The Five Lords: How the Philistines Governed a Civilization
59 - The Five Lords: How the Philistines Governed a Civilization אפר׳ 22, 2026 2402 Send us Fan Mail Every kingdom in the ancient Near East had a king. The Philistines said no thanks. Instead, they brought something from the Aegean: five cities, five lords, collective rule. Their rulers weren't called kings. They were called seranim, a word linguists connect to the Greek tyrannos. They met in council, argued, voted, and overruled each other. When the people of Ekron disagree
58 - Philistine DNA: The Infant, the Swan, and 700 Dogs
58 - Philistine DNA: The Infant, the Swan, and 700 Dogs אפר׳ 14, 2026 2013 Send us Fan Mail In 2013, archaeologists found an infant buried beneath a family's floor. When they extracted DNA from those tiny bones, they found a genetic signature that appeared out of nowhere, and then vanished within a few generations. An entire people's blood, dissolved. And yet the culture kept going for four hundred years. A painted swan. A goddess no scholar can identify. Seven
57 - Graves of the Sea People
57 - Graves of the Sea People נוב׳ 11, 2025 1946 Send us Fan Mail Ever heard of a graveyard where the coffins are shaped like humans—some lifelike, others downright bizarre? In this episode, we dig into the secrets of the Philistines at Beit Shean: a crossroads of kings, conquerors, and cultures. It’s biblical drama, ancient mysteries, and archaeological surprises—buried, literally, in the dirt of the Holy Land. mosaic: Exploring Jewish Issuesmo
56 - Were The Philistines Migrants or Invaders?
56 - Were The Philistines Migrants or Invaders? אוק׳ 20, 2025 1925 Send us Fan MailThe first portrayal of the Philistines can be seen in the reliefs of the Medinet Habu monument. It shows their warriors, but also their women and children on ox-carts. They came to conquer, but also to live. They fought and contributed culturally, bringing their influences from the Aegean. But were they just a bunch of foreign invaders, or were they migrants integrating into the lo
55 - The Philistines
55 - The Philistines ספט׳ 10, 2025 2549 Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we bring the Philistines into the story. Unfortunately, we do not have rich texts that they wrote about themselves. So we have to rely on the Bible for our understanding of the Philistines. But who were they, and how accurately are they portrayed in the biblical stories? We introduce these important players to our story. mosaic: Exploring Jewish Issuesmosaic is Jew
54 – Josiah and the Book of Deuteronomy
54 – Josiah and the Book of Deuteronomy מאי 18, 2025 2487 Send us Fan MailA lost scroll. A boy king. And a revolution that remade a nation. But was Deuteronomy really ancient law—or a bold new manifesto, crafted to legitimize power? In this episode, we look beyond the legend to ask: Was Josiah’s great reform inspired by divine revelation, or was it a brilliant act of political theater? Join us as we question the story behind Deuteronomy and explore how o
53 - The Story of Manasseh: The Evil King Who Saved Judah
53 - The Story of Manasseh: The Evil King Who Saved Judah אפר׳ 14, 2025 2476 Send us Fan MailHistory remembers King Manasseh as Judah's most wicked ruler, but archaeological evidence tells a different story. For 55 years, he kept his tiny kingdom alive through shrewd diplomacy and careful governance, transforming defeat into survival. While his father Hezekiah's rebellion against Assyria had devastated the kingdom, Manasseh took a pragmatic approach - restoring l

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