Much maligned, perhaps King Herod the Great wasn’t as terrible as is sometimes thought.

Many Jewish around the turn of the millennium lived outside of Judaea. Where were these Greek-speaking Jews and what do we know about them?

Several Jewish sects, especially Pharisees and Sadducees, emerge into the historical record at this time. Who are they?

The Maccabees were successful. The dynasty they began, perhaps not so much.

Why did the Maccabees revolt around 165 BCE? This episode explores both the revolt of the Maccabees and the origins of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

A discussion of two books dating from the third or second centuries, BCE, Jubilees and 1 Enoch. Both books, part of a collection traditionally known as "the Pseudepigrapha," testify to a Jewish understanding of continuing direct divine revelation in the Hellenistic period.

A discussion of Alexander's conquest of west Asia and its aftermath (323 - 200 BCE). What is "Hellenism," and how did the Jews react to it?

A discussion of the historical formation of the Torah, or Pentateuch, and an introduction to the documentary hypothesis.