In his first appearance on Podcast for Inquiry, Dr. Josh Bowen compared what we know about history from archaeology and contemporaneous literature with the stories from the Old Testament.
In today’s episode, Dr. Bowen reveals what the Bible has to say about slavery and genocide, and goes a bit outside his comfort zone to talk about whether the Old Testament should be considered a guide to a moral and ethical life.
Referenced during the conversation:
- Read Dr. Bowen’s latest book: Did the Old Testament Endorse Slavery? (Extensively Revised and Expanded Second Edition)
- Watch Josh rap about Gilgamesh
- Subscribe to Megan Lewis’ podcast Misquoting Jesus with Bart Ehrman
Podcast for Inquiry is hosted by Leslie Rosenblood and brought to you by the Centre for Inquiry Canada. Support Podcast for Inquiry on Patreon: https://patreon.com/PodcastforInquiry. Send your thoughts and feedback to podcast@centreforinquiry.ca.
Did the Old Testament endorse genocide?
Simple answer: Read the “Book of Numbers,” chapter 31 (especially verses 17 & 18″). To my admittedly limited knowledge, it is the earliest purportedly first-hand account of a genocide (avant la lettre) in recorded history.
QED