Category Archives: Jewish studies

How the Biblical texts became Holy Scripture

Posted on August 25, 2009 by

After reading Bible scholar James Kugel’s great book, How to Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture, Then and Now I was thrilled to find his lecture Can The Torah Make Its Peace With Modern Biblical Scholarship? (website). Kugel was … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic podcasts, Bible, Five-star professors, Idea of the week, Jewish studies, Lectures, Religion | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Two views of Israel at 61

Posted on May 1, 2009 by

In honor of Israel’s 61st birthday this week, here are two interesting lectures about the Jewish state. First, historian and veteran peacenik Tom Segev gives a sobering assessment of prospects for peace in Understanding The Israelis (website). In this University … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic podcasts, History, International Relations, Jewish studies, Lectures | Leave a comment

Pondering a leap of faith

Posted on April 30, 2009 by

If you’ve been following UC Berkeley Professor Ron Hendel’s excellent course The Bible in Western Culture (feed), you know that he’s been looking at understandings of the Bible, beginning in ancient times and moving through the Middle Ages into modernity. … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic podcasts, Bible, Courses, Five-star professors, Idea of the week, Jewish studies, Philosophy, Psychology, Religion | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The Bible Through Literary Eyes

Posted on March 12, 2009 by

When we are accustomed to a literary genre, such as the Western, we have certain expectations. We expect that a manly hero, who is good with a gun, will defeat some dastardly foe. A writer of the Western can then … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic podcasts, Bible, Five-star professors, Jewish studies, Lectures, Literature, Religion | Tagged | 2 Comments

More Jewish studies resourses

Posted on February 5, 2009 by

Here are some more Jewish studies resources I’ve recently discovered. From Israelite to Jew (iTunes, website), Michael Satlow, Brown University. Satlow, a professor of Religious and Judaic Studies, covers the history of ancient Israel in the Biblical period in these … Continue reading →

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The Bible’s Buried Secrets on TV & YouTube

Posted on December 8, 2008 by

In the past 50 years archaeologists have done much to illuminate the world of the Bible and challenge traditional notions of how the Bible was written. Last month PBS broadcast The Bible’s Buried Secrets, a special two-hour edition of its … Continue reading →

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Hartman Institute update

Posted on September 12, 2008 by

Alan Abbey, website director of the Shalom Hartman Institute, wrote in to announce that the institute’s lectures are now being posted as podcasts on iTunes. Enjoy.

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Lectures from Shalom Hartman Institute

Posted on September 8, 2008 by

Here’s a treat for fans of Jewish Studies lectures. The Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, Israel is a world renowned educational institution which provides continuing studies for rabbis and Jewish studies scholars from around the world. Its founder, philosopher and … Continue reading →

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Muscular Judaism

Posted on May 19, 2008 by

Filmmaker and photographer Eli Ungar did the do-it-yourself scholars of the Bible a favor when he posted the audio recordings of his Muscular Judaism class on iTunes and on his website. This class examines the biblical book of Sampson line … Continue reading →

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Judaic studies podcasts

Posted on March 12, 2008 by

Here are some great resources on the Web for Judaic Studies podcasts: Center for Jewish History — Website Here you will find audio and video recordings of events at New York’s Center for Jewish History. Programs include Michael Walzer speaking … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic podcasts, Jewish studies, Lectures | Tagged , | 1 Comment