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Ancient History
Biblical Studies May 28, 2023

Armageddon

What the Bible Really Says about the End

Bart D. Ehrman

Hosted by Frances Sacks
A New York Times bestselling Biblical scholar, reveals why our popular understanding of the Apocalypse is all wrong—and why that matters.You’ll find nearly everything the Bible has to say about the …

Ancient History

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Interviews with scholars of ancient history about their new books.

Biblical Studies May 26, 2023

Before There Was a Bible

Authorities in Early Christianity

Lee Martin McDonald

Hosted by Rob Heaton
Before There Was a Bible: Authorities in Early Christianity (T&T Clark, 2023) is a natural outgrowth from McDonald’s significant and ongoing work in the field of canon studies, which traces the …
Medieval History May 23, 2023

Rome and the Invention of the Papacy

The Liber Pontificalis

Rosamond McKitterick

Hosted by Miranda Melcher
The remarkable, and permanently influential, papal history known as the Liber pontificalis shaped perceptions and the memory of Rome, the popes, and the many-layered past of both city and papacy …
Indian Ocean World May 21, 2023

India in the Indian Ocean World

From the Earliest Times to 1800 CE

Rila Mukherjee

Hosted by Ahmed Almaazmi
India in the Indian Ocean World: From the Earliest Times to 1800 CE (Springer, 2022) integrates the latest scholarly literature on the entire Indian Ocean region, from East Africa to China. Issues …
Biblical Studies May 13, 2023

The Secret Gospel of Mark

A Controversial Scholar, a Scandalous Gospel of Jesus, and the Fierce Debate Over Its Authenticity

Geoffrey S. Smith and Brent C. Landau

Hosted by David Kunsman
In The Secret Gospel of Mark: A Controversial Scholar, a Scandalous Gospel of Jesus, and the Fierce Debate Over Its Authenticity (Yale University Press, 2023), Geoffrey S. Smith and Brent C. Landau present …
Ancient History May 10, 2023

The Scent of Ancient Magic

Britta K. Ager

Hosted by Miranda Melcher
Magic was a fundamental part of the Greco-Roman world. Curses, erotic spells, healing charms, divination, and other supernatural methods of trying to change the universe were everyday methods of coping …
Indian Religions May 10, 2023

The International Association of Sanskrit Studies

A Discussion with Dipti Tripathi, president of the IASS

Dipti Tripathi

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
The newly-elected first female president of the The International Association of Sanskrit Studies, Dr. Dipti Tripathi discusses Association’s genesis, mandate, and potential in honour of its 50th year. Raj Balkaran is …
Madison's Notes May 8, 2023

The Education of Cyrus

A Conversation with Shilo Brooks

Shilo Brooks

Hosted by Annika Nordquist
Can we learn how to rule? How do military innovations change civil society? What did Machiavelli learn from Xenophon? Shilo Brooks, Faculty Director and Teaching Associate Professor in the Engineering …
Madison's Notes May 5, 2023

Plato’s Symposium

A Conversation with Marcus Gibson

Marcus Gibson

Hosted by Annika Nordquist
Why doesn't Socrates get drunk? Is love finding your "other half"? What's the relationship between comedy and tragedy, love and immortality? Marcus Gibson, Director of the Princeton Initiative in Catholic …
Madison's Notes April 28, 2023

Plato's Republic (Books VIII and IX)

A Conversation with Marcus Gibson

Marcus Gibson

Hosted by Annika Nordquist
Are Books VIII and IX the climax of the Republic? Is 21st century America a democratic or oligarchic society? Are democratic societies destined for tyranny? Marcus Gibson, Director of …
Jewish Studies April 21, 2023

For Out of Babylonia Shall Come Torah and the Word of the Lord from Nehar Peqod

The Quest for Babylonian Tannaitic Traditions

Barak S. Cohen

Hosted by Ari Barbalat
In For Out of Babylonia Shall Come Torah and the Word of the Lord from Nehar Peqod (Brill, 2017), Barak S. Cohen reevaluates the evidence in Tannaitic and Amoraic literature of …
Madison's Notes April 21, 2023

The Apology of Socrates

A Conversation with Marcus Gibson

Marcus Gibson

Hosted by Annika Nordquist
Was Socrates guilty? What is the relationship between the philosopher and the city? What does it mean to live an "examined life"? Marcus Gibson, John and Daria Barry Postdoctoral Research …
Jewish Studies April 20, 2023

The Legal Methodology of Late Nehardean Sages in Sasanian Babylonia

Barak S. Cohen

Hosted by Ari Barbalat
Barak S. Cohen's The Legal Methodology of Late Nehardean Sages in Sasanian Babylonia (Brill, 2011) consists of a systematic analysis of the halakhic/legal methodology of fourth and fifth century Nehardean …
The Imperfect Buddha Podcast April 17, 2023

The Ancient Greek Version of Buddhism

A Discussion with Douglas C. Bates

Douglas C. Bates

Hosted by Matthew O'Connell
“It is not events that disturb us, but what we believe about them.” Is this true? Well, apparently Pyrrho, a rather obscure Greek philosopher claimed it to be the case …
Madison's Notes April 17, 2023

Plato and the Dialogues: A Conversation with Marcus Gibson

A Conversation with Marcus Gibson

Marcus Gibson

Hosted by Annika Nordquist
Why and how should we read Plato? Why did Plato write dialogues? Is Plato a friend to democracy? Dr. Marcus Gibson, John and Daria Barry Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Princeton …
Indian Religions April 13, 2023

The Philosophy of the Brahma-sutra

An Introduction

Aleksandar Uskokov

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
The Brahma-sutra, attributed to Badaraya (ca. 400 CE), is the canonical book of Vedanta, the philosophical tradition which became the doctrinal backbone of modern Hinduism. As an explanation of the …
Madison's Notes April 12, 2023

How to Save the West

Ancient Wisdom for 5 Modern Crises

Spencer Klavan

Hosted by Annika Nordquist
"The narrative that old books are worthless is designed to keep you from discovering that they are not." Spencer Klavan, author of How to Save the West: Ancient Wisdom for …
Indian Religions April 10, 2023

A Chat with Sanskrit Scholar John Brockington

John Brockington

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
Senior scholar John Brockington discusses his scholarship, his role in establishing key conferences, and his work on an online research archive on the spread of the story of Rāma. Professor …
Literary Studies April 3, 2023

Ancient Greece and Rome in Modern Science Fiction

Amazing Antiquity

Ross Clare

Hosted by Carrie Lynn Evans
Ancient Greece and Rome in Modern Science Fiction: Amazing Antiquity (Liverpool UP, 2022) by Dr. Ross Clare introduces and analyses the reception of classical antiquity in contemporary science fiction. By using …
Buddhist Studies March 25, 2023

Toward a New Image of Paramartha

Yogacara and Tathagatagarbha Buddhism Revisited

Ching Keng

Hosted by Jessica Zu
Today I talked to Ching Keng about his book Toward a New Image of Paramartha: Yogacara and Tathagatagarbha Buddhism Revisited (Bloomsbury, 2022). Yogacara and Tathagatagarbha are often regarded as antagonistic Indian Buddhist …