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Biblical Time Machine

Biblical Time Machine

By: Helen Bond & Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
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Summary

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.

© 2026 Biblical Time Machine
Christianity Spirituality World
Episodes
  • The Bible in (Ancient) Pop Culture
    May 12 2026

    When we think of the Bible in the ancient world, we tend to think of bishops, priests and monks. But what did 'ordinary' people make of the Bible – and how did they engage with it? To find out, Helen and Lloyd take a trip in the Biblical Time Machine with Prof Lucy Grigg, an expert on ancient popular culture.

    Lucy Grig is Professor of the History of Late Antiquity at the University of Edinburgh. Among her many publications, she is the editor of ‘Popular Culture in the Ancient World’ (CUP, 2017) and has written on ‘The Bible in popular and non-literary culture’ as part of The New Cambridge History of the Bible (2013).

    Support the show

    Theme music written and performed by Dave Roos, creator of Biblical Time Machine. Season 4 produced by John Nelson.

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    40 mins
  • Erotica... In the Bible?
    May 4 2026

    The Song of Songs might be considered the Bible's steamiest book. But where would it sit on an ancient book shelf? Should we call it 'erotica'? And how did the book come to be associated with Solomon? To get to the bottom of this peculiar book, Helen and Lloyd are joined in the Biblical Time Machine by Professor Adele Berlin.

    Adele Berlin is the Robin H. Smith Professor of Biblical Studies (Emerita) at the University of Maryland. She is the author of Poetics and Interpretation of Biblical Narrative, and the co-editor of The Jewish Study Bible with Marc Brettler. She has also written the Song of Songs commentary in the Hermeneia series.


    Support the show

    Theme music written and performed by Dave Roos, creator of Biblical Time Machine. Season 4 produced by John Nelson.

    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
  • Signs in the Gospel of John
    Apr 27 2026

    One of the most distinctive aspects of John's gospel is his presentation of Jesus' miracles as semeia – 'signs'. To get to the bottom of why John is so fond of semeia, Helen and Lloyd enter the time machine with leading Johannine scholar Catrin Williams. They discuss whether there are really seven signs in the gospel, how John's signs relate to scripture, and whether they are history or fiction.

    Catrin H. Williams is Professor of New Testament Studies at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Lampeter. A Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales, she has published extensively on the Gospel of John, including a 2025 co-edited volume The Semeia Narratives in the Gospel of John.

    Support the show

    Theme music written and performed by Dave Roos, creator of Biblical Time Machine. Season 4 produced by John Nelson.

    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
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Also great fun! I particularly enjoy the banter but also the historical detective work involved in deciphering the history and lives of those living in biblical times.

Very interesting, informative

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