Rephonic
Artwork for Biblical Time Machine
New Testament
Christianity
Jesus
Hebrew Bible
Judaism
Roman Empire
Early Christianity
Gospels
Jerusalem
Old Testament
Ancient History
Biblical Texts
Gnosticism
Christmas
Gospel Of Mark
Ancient Israel
Hanukkah
Demons
Biblical Studies
Magi

Join Helen and Lloyd as they travel back in time (metaphorically… it’s a podcast) to explore the real history of the people, places and events of the Old Testament, New Testament and everything in between.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes255Founded4 years ago
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ChristianityReligion & SpiritualityHistory

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Artwork for Biblical Time Machine

Latest Episodes

Helen and Lloyd have been on many adventures in the Biblical Time Machine this academic year. Season 4 has taken them across the ancient world – from the great Empires of Babylon and Persia to the early Church and beyond. They’ve explored what daily ... more

Colossians is chock-full of historical and theological mysteries. Did the apostle Paul really write it? Who were the false teaches troubling the church at Colossae? And was is the meaning of its famous Christological ‘hymn’ – was it truly sung? To ge... more

Babylon is one of the most famous cities and empires in human history. To many people, it conjures images of Hanging Gardens, the Tower of Babel, Nebuchadnezzar, and the exile of the Jewish people. But how much of this is historical fact, and how muc... more

The Pharisees are among the most villainised groups in Jewish history. For centuries, Christians read them as legalists, religious hypocrites and bitter opponents of Jesus. But have we got the Pharisees all wrong? 

To find out, Lloyd takes a trip in... more

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Recent Guests

Cor Bennema
Head of Research and Professor of New Testament Studies
London School of Theology
Episode: Imitation in Early Christianity
Tawny Holm
Professor of Hebrew and Aramaic Studies
Penn State University
Episode: The Bible in Aramaic
Brandon Hurlbert
Teaching fellow in Hebrew Bible and Ethics at the University of Durham
University of Durham
Episode: The Judges of Ancient Israel
David Shepherd
Professor in Hebrew Bible at Trinity College Dublin
Trinity College Dublin
Episode: King David – Hero or Villain?
Daniel B. Glover
Assistant Professor of New Testament at Lee University
Lee University
Episode: Reading Luke as a Cultural Elite
Lucy Grigg
Professor of the History of Late Antiquity at the University of Edinburgh; editor of Popular Culture in the Ancient World (2017)
University of Edinburgh
Episode: The Bible in (Ancient) Pop Culture
Adele Berlin
Professor Emerita and renowned scholar of the Hebrew Bible
University of Maryland
Episode: Erotica... In the Bible?
Robert Garland
Classical historian and philologist, Emeritus Roy D and Margaret Wooster Professor of Classics at Colgate University
Colgate University
Episode: What to Expect When You're Dead
Amy-Jill Levine
Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace
Hartford International University for Religion and Peace
Episode: Who is the Suffering Servant?

Hosts

Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
Professor of Ancient History at Cardiff University; host
Helen Bond
Co-host; Professor of Christian Origins; affiliated with University of Edinburgh

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 630 ratings
  • Interesting topic, but…

    … please, please learn the basics of podcasting like not talking over each other, listen more and talk less. Help the guests to be more distinct. Avoid humming and sounding validation. Etcetera. Still, the topics are interesting. :)

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    Queenbusybee
    Swedena month ago
  • Ideal way to better your knowledge of the Bible

    Podcast Addict
    5
    Yk92
    a month ago
  • Still love this show

    Love both hosts! Llewelyn-Jones doesn't appear as a co host on the Apple description. He is more churchy than the previous host/show creator but I still enjoy his commentary very much. I could listen to Helen Bond talk about anything.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Djcnfusianfbisrufndmskdbfjisk
    United States3 months ago
  • Can Dave return?

    The 2 Eggheads Talking to Theyselves deal is wearing thin. Really thin.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Jammyjimmy
    Canada3 months ago
  • New guy

    I love this podcast but the new expert professor guy is talking way too much. Just like in all podcasts where you have a man and a woman. A shame.

    And no, the river Styx is from the 8th century. In the Iliad and Herodotus.

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    nucuplmnjuyh
    United States3 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Guests are consistently high-caliber and on-topic
Some listeners wish for more lay-friendly episodes, not just scholarly depth
The show is valued for its engaging discussion and clear pedagogy
Audience appreciates the multi-disciplinary approaches to biblical history
Listeners praise the hosts' mix of depth and accessibility

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#156
United States/History
Apple Podcasts
#109
United Kingdom/History
Apple Podcasts
#142
Canada/History
Apple Podcasts
#101
Australia/History
Apple Podcasts
#162
France/History
Apple Podcasts
#56
Austria/History

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

What to Expect When You're Dead
Q: How did Eleusinian mysteries influence later ideas about the afterlife?
Initiates were promised blessedness in the afterlife (olbios), suggesting a more selective assurance of a better fate for the elect, which stood in contrast to the harsher, static underworld depictions and foreshadowed Christian reinterpretations of afterlife reward.
What to Expect When You're Dead
Q: What is the earliest evidence for how ancient people understood afterlife concepts?
Garland points to early written records, especially Egyptian, where the afterlife is framed through ritual checks like the negative confession and judgments before Osiris, showing a cognitive before life beyond death rather than a simplistic afterlife concept.
The Bible in Aramaic
Q: Where do you want us to go with the Time Machine in this Aramaic literature focus—any places you'd like to visit?
The host prompts a two-location time-travel plan: (1) the court of Assurbanipal in the 7th century BCE to explore education in royal circles, (2) Elephantine in the 5th century BCE to examine women in public life and temple donations, highlighting gender roles and social organization in Aramaic-speaking communities.
The Bible in Aramaic
Q: If we look at some of the texts you've worked on, can we see a picture emerging which might help us begin to understand what Daniel is all about?
Holm explains Daniel as a composite book with court tales and vision narratives. The Aramaic portions highlight international and intercultural settings, underscoring Aramaic as a language of the courts and of diaspora communities, while Hebrew sections frame national identity toward the end of the book.
The Bible in Aramaic
Q: I mean, there's a lot in Papyrus Amherst 63; what are some of the significant differences between these Aramaic texts and their Hebrew parallels, like Psalm 20?
Holm notes that the Aramaic Psalm version emphasizes different aspects of salvation and includes references to multiple deities, contrasting with the Hebrew Psalm 20's focus on Zion and a single deity. The differences illustrate how Aramaic texts can reinterpret familiar biblical themes in a broader polytheistic or henotheistic context and reflect cross-cultural exchange.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Biblical Time Machine

What is Biblical Time Machine about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Scholarly yet accessible discussions on biblical history, archaeology, and reception across ancient cultures. The show often analyzes how texts from the Old and New Testaments interact with Greco-Roman culture, language, and visual/public culture, featuring guests who are leading academics in biblical studies, classics, and archaeology. A notable strength is the blend of rigorous textual analysis with contemporary cultural examples (film, art, reception studies), plus a transatlantic host pairing that balances historical depth with clear communication. Listeners may find the content especially valuable if they want a multi-disciplinary, history-forward look at biblical history and its modern representations; the format also encourages guest... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Biblical Time Machine?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Biblical Time Machine:

1. Misquoting Jesus with Bart Ehrman
2. Data Over Dogma
3. The Ancients
4. Gone Medieval
5. Not Just the Tudors

How many episodes of Biblical Time Machine are there?

Biblical Time Machine launched 4 years ago and published 255 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Biblical Time Machine?

Recent guests on Biblical Time Machine include:

1. Cor Bennema
2. Tawny Holm
3. Brandon Hurlbert
4. David Shepherd
5. Daniel B. Glover
6. Lucy Grigg
7. Adele Berlin
8. Robert Garland

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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