Loading...I’ve done a number of interviews over the years for my trade books (for general audiences), but almost NEVER for one of my academic books. But here is one, on my recent book Journeys to Heaven and Hell: Tours of the Afterlife in the Early Christian Tradition. The book is geared to academics (as you’d see from the very opening), but some is accessible to general readers (including the bits on wealth I’ve been summarizing here).
This interview is *completely* accessible, and it’s done by a very good interviewer, Mitch Jeserich for the podcast Letters and Politics. He knows a lot about the history of early Christianity and the broader ancient world, and he asks well-targeted questions. Some interviews are a bit of a pain; this one was all pleasure. See what you think.
Do your scholarly books makes the same points as your books for general audiences, just in far more detail?
My book Journeys is actuallyon a different topic than my book Heaven and Hell. The latter, a popular book, focuses on where the idea that your soul goes to either heaven or hell when you die comes from, since it’s not in the Old Testament and not in the teachings of Jesus himself. The Journeys book is a scholarly analysis of how fictional trips to the realms of the dead function in early Christianity — that is, what are these writings trying to achieve in their readers (in relationship to comparable accounts in Greek writings going back to Homer, Roman writings such as Virgil’s Aeneid, and Jewish writings such as 1 Enoch).
I can’t regret the cancellation of the trip to Split-Croatia, but the chosen group led by you today, according to the schedule, are enjoying the beauties of SORRENTO / HERCULANEUM / POMPEII!
I hope that Split, Hvar, Dubrovnik will be one of the following itineraries, and now I wish you good weather !!!
Yup, just flying back now. Fantastic trip!
Excellent video. The interviewer was on the ball, too.
What aspect of interviews would you most like to avoid or change?
I usually enjoy interviews. Except when the person is clueless about what we’re supposed to be talking about, which happens sometimes (e.g., when someone interviews me about one of my books they haven’t read!). But not with any of the ones I post.
I agree that it’s a good interview.
What I’d like to know, Bart, is whether those are new glasses you’re wearing. I think they are and that they really suit you.
Relatively new. Thanks.
Bart,
David is listed as the most ancient figure mentioned in the Tanakh with archaelogical support (Tel Dan Stele) in the article below by Purdue University scholar Lawrence Mykytiuk
But Rameses is mentioned as a place name several times in the Tanakh (Gen 47:11, Ex 1:11, etc) so why wouldn’t that count? It seems the mention of a place name would hold at least some weight pointing to a historical person. But in this article on biblical archaeology he isnt even mentioned and Shishak is the most ancient pharaoh mentioned with support:
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/50-people-in-the-bible-confirmed-archaeologically/?_ga=2.32425398.980068255.1653822372-1276227307.1653822372
What are your thoughts?
TY! Have a wonderful day!
I think he is referring to early evidence of a biblical figure — i.e., an ancient Israelite. Yes, Rameses etc. would have een long before that.
I don’t know exactly where to ask this, but do you think any biblical author had a view on predestination? Like Calvinism or whatever the term is? My old church used to teach something like that, and it’s got me curious!
There are lots of passages in the Bible that believers in predestiniation appeal to (e.g., Romans 8:29-30). But in most cases the biblical author was especailly interested in affirmoing the Sovereignty of God for the nation of Israel and his own people, not in coming up with a detailed doctrine of how it all worked for individuals (as in Calvinism)