New Books Network Podcast

Ministry of Ideas December 6, 2023

What Is Modernity?

Genealogies of Modernity Episode 2

Hosted by Zachary Davis

We often think of modernity as a distinct time period in history – one that is said to start at different places, but which always includes us. Yet people have …

The Imperfect Buddha Podcast December 4, 2023

David McMahan on Rethinking Meditation

David L. McMahan

Hosted by Matthew O'Connell

If anything, the Imperfect Buddha Podcast has been a rallying cry for the disruption of the myths that abound in the world of Buddhism and meditation. David L. McMahan professor …

Nomads, Past and Present December 2, 2023

Empires of the Steppes

A History of the Nomadic Tribes Who Shaped Civilization

Kenneth W. Harl

Hosted by Maggie Freeman

The “barbarian” nomads of the Eurasian steppes have played a decisive role in world history, but their achievements have gone largely unnoticed. These nomadic tribes have produced some of the …

Christian Studies December 2, 2023

Crucified

The Christian Invention of the Jewish Executioners of Jesus

J. Christopher Edwards

Hosted by Zalman Newfield

In his book Crucified: The Christian Invention of the Jewish Executioners of Jesus (Fortress Press, 2023), J. Christopher Edwards explores the early Christian teachings regarding who actually killed Jesus. Historians …

Indian Religions November 30, 2023

Vedic Texts, Indus Script, Aryan Migration

A Conversation with Asko Parpola

Asko Parpola

Hosted by Raj Balkaran

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Seasoned scholar Asko Parpola discusses his Indological career, from how it began in the 1960s to what he’s working on now. Key themes include his longstanding work on Sāmaveda Jaiminīya …

General History November 28, 2023

What the Greeks Did for Us

Tony Spawforth

Hosted by Morteza Hajizadeh

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Our contemporary world is inescapably Greek. Whether in a word like “pandemic,” a Freudian state of mind like the “Oedipus complex,” or a replica of the Parthenon in a Chinese …

Indian Religions November 23, 2023

The Brahmavaivarta Purana (Ganesa Khanda)

Ancient Indian Tradition and Mythology

Greg Bailey

Hosted by Raj Balkaran

Greg Bailey discusses his new translation of the Gaṇeśa Khaṇḍa of the Brahmavaivarta Purāṇa, one of the few texts dedicated solely to the popular elephant-headed Indian god Gaṇeśa. About the …

Indian Religions November 22, 2023

Gāyatrī

Mantra and Mother of the Vedas

Dominik A. Haas

Hosted by Raj Balkaran

The mantra known as Gāyatrī or Sāvitrī (Ṛgveda III 62.10) is one of the most frequently recited texts of mankind. Over the course of time it has not only been …

Indian Religions November 21, 2023

Visions and Revisions in Sanskrit Narrative

Studies in the Sanskrit Epics and Purāṇas

Raj Balkaran and McComas Taylor

Hosted by Raj Balkaran

Sanskrit narrative is the lifeblood of Indian culture, encapsulating and perpetuating insights and values central to Indian thought and practice. Raj Balkaran and McComas Taylor's edited volume Visions and Revisions in …

Christian Studies November 17, 2023

Hell Hath No Fury

Gender, Disability, and the Invention of Damned Bodies in Early Christian Literature

Meghan Henning

Hosted by Zalman Newfield

In her book Hell Hath No Fury: Gender, Disability, and the Invention of Damned Bodies in Early Christian Literature (Yale University Press, 2021), Meghan Henning illuminates how the bodies that …

Jewish Studies November 16, 2023

Fractured Tablets

Forgetfulness and Fallibility in Late Ancient Rabbinic Culture

Mira Balberg

Hosted by David Gottlieb

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The Rabbinic Sages of the Tannaitic era were fixated on memory and terrified of forgetfulness. In promulgating their own interpretations of Jewish law, the Tannaim not only took seriously Moses’s …

Biblical Studies November 16, 2023

Early Christ Groups and Greco-Roman Associations

Organizational Models and Social Practices

Richard S. Ascough

Hosted by Rob Heaton

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Exegetes have long relied on the framework of the Acts of the Apostles to understand the behavior and organization of Paul’s various ekklēsiai (assemblies), or church communities, from which Christ-groups …

Jewish Studies November 15, 2023

Sepher Yosippon

A Tenth-Century History of Ancient Israel

Steven B. Bowman

Hosted by Ari Barbalat

Today I talked to Steven B. Bowman about his book Sepher Yosippon: A Tenth-Century History of Ancient Israel (Wayne State UP, 2022). Sepher Yosippon was written in Hebrew by a medieval historian …

Indian Religions November 9, 2023

The Literary Life of Yājñavalkya

Steven E. Lindquist

Hosted by Raj Balkaran

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In The Literary Life of Yājñavalkya (SUNY Press, 2023), Steven E. Lindquist investigates the intersections between historical context and literary production in the "life" of Yājñavalkya, the most important ancient …

Buddhist Studies November 8, 2023

The Gathering

A Story of the First Buddhist Women

Vanessa R. Sasson

Hosted by Victoria Montrose

Vanessa R. Sasson's book The Gathering: A Story of the First Buddhist Women (Equinox, 2023) is a retelling of the story of the first Buddhist women's request for ordination. Inspired by …

Ancient History November 5, 2023

Contested Cures

Identity and Ritual Healing in Roman and Late Antique Palestine

Megan Nutzman

Hosted by Miranda Melcher

In the ancient Mediterranean world, individuals routinely looked for divine aid to cure physical afflictions. Contested Cures: Identity and Ritual Healing in Roman and Late Antique Palestine (Edinburgh University Press …

Biblical Studies November 5, 2023

Making Sense of the Divine Name in the Book of Exodus

From Etymology to Literary Onomastics

Austin Surls

Hosted by Michael Morales

The obvious riddles and difficulties in Exodus 3:13-15 and 6:2-8 have attracted an overwhelming amount of attention and comment. These texts make important theological statements about the divine name and …

Language November 4, 2023

A Lasting Vision

Dandin's Mirror in the World of Asian Letters

Yigal Bronner

Hosted by Malcolm Keating

A Lasting Vision: Dandin's Mirror in the World of Asian Letters (Oxford University Press, 2023) is a collaborative, interdisciplinary volume that introduces a remarkably long-lasting poetic treatise, the Mirror on Literature …

Medieval History November 4, 2023

Belisarius & Antonina

Love and War in the Age of Justinian

David Alan Parnell

Hosted by Evan Zarkadas

Belisarius and Antonina were titans in the Roman world some 1,500 years ago. Belisarius was the most well-known general of his age, victor over the Persians, conqueror of the Vandals …

Biblical Studies November 4, 2023

Biblical Heroes and Classical Culture in Christian Late Antiquity

Carson Bay

Hosted by David Kunsman

In this volume entitled Biblical Heroes and Classical Culture in Christian Late Antiquity (Cambridge UP, 2023), Carson Bay focuses on an important but neglected work of Late Antiquity: Pseudo-Hegesippus' On the …