Best Dave Roos Podcasts (2025)

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Meet the New Team 31:09

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4d ago31:09

31:09

The Time Machine is back... with some changes! Join Helen and her new co-host, ancient history Prof. Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, as they discuss what they're working on at the moment: everything from ancient Babylon, the Hittites and Persia's first lady to ancient 'lives' and the historical Mary. They are also joined by the show's new producer, John Nel…

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Where are Helen and Dave? A BTM Update 6:10

1M ago6:10

6:10

It's been a while, but there are some big changes in the works for Biblical Time Machine! For more details, check out our post on Patreon. SUPPORT BIBLICAL TIME MACHINE If you enjoy the podcast, please (pretty please!) consider supporting the show through the Time Travelers Club, our Patreon. We are an independent, listener-supported show (no ads!)…

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S3E1 - Steven's AI Supermodel Love Affair / The Ghost Of Roo Part One 1:33:27

2M ago1:33:27

1:33:27

Welcome back! Kicking off season 3 of TBLP we get into some of Dave's personal ghost story, Steven's new love affair with an AI supermodel, some news from the desk of Tyler, a listener email and a quiz game. Enjoy! Write in to our Buzzsprout page here! - Send us your thoughts and/or ideas! @ [email protected] Follow us on Instagram! @the_b…

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AI, Control Points, and the Next Wave of Vertical SaaS with Tidemark Capital founder, Dave Yuan 47:49

3M ago47:49

47:49

In this compelling conversation, Tidemark Capital founder Dave Yuan shares his journey from Bain consultant to building one of the most thoughtful voices in vertical SaaS investing. Yuan reveals his "control point" philosophy—identifying the mission-critical systems that small businesses would turn off last before going bankrupt—and explains how th…

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Let's Talk About "Judeophobia" in the New Testament 52:26

3M ago52:26

52:26

Sadly, the origins of many antisemitic tropes and prejudices can be traced back to the New Testament, in which "the Jews" are cast as the religious "other" against which the Jesus movement is self-defined. As a result, Christians carry around a lot of un-historical and anti-Jewish assumptions are repeated in Sunday School classes and even the halls…

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Refounding in the face of AI with Des Traynor of Intercom 30:52

4M ago30:52

30:52

Orbit 48 sees Dr Amr Ellabban sit down with Des Traynor, co-founder and CSO of Intercom, to explore how AI requires revolutionary thinking from businesses. Des shares the pivotal moment when ChatGPT emerged in November 2022, spurring Intercom's bold 15-day pivot to develop Fin, their AI customer support agent. The conversation reveals how successfu…

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Why the Bible Loves Cyrus the Great 57:09

4M ago57:09

57:09

Cyrus II was the founder of the Persian Empire, arguably the greatest empire of the Ancient Near East. Cyrus wasn't only a hero to the Persians. In the Hebrew Bible, Cyrus is the only non-Jew that God calls His "anointed one" or "messiah." But does Cyrus really deserve his reputation as the "liberator" of the Jews from Babylon or is it all a piece …

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Biblical Law—Was 'Eye for an Eye' Really Enforced? 54:02

4M ago54:02

54:02

The laws and punishments meted out in the Bible sound pretty harsh. Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth—not to mention all of the commandments that are punishable by death! Ancient law expert Bruce Wells joins Helen and Dave to answer the question: were biblical laws really enforced? How did they compare with other law codes from the Ancient Near Eas…

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What Was the Council of Nicaea (Really)? 53:06

4M ago53:06

53:06

According to The Da Vinci Code, all sorts of wild things happened at the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE. Constantine, the first Christian Roman emperor, chose the books of the New Testament. The role of women in the Church was suppressed. And most importantly, a bunch of powerful bishops decided (by a slim margin) that Jesus Christ was actually divine…

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The End of the World According to Paul 55:09

4M ago55:09

55:09

Matthew Novenson is back and he's brought some exciting (wild, even) new ideas about our old friend Paul. In his latest book, Paul and Judaism at the End of History, Matt argues that Paul believed he was living through the end of the world. Paul wasn't "against" Judaism or the law—he simply believed that Jesus's death and resurrection had ushered i…

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S2E8: The Black Lodge Baby 1:05:21

4M ago1:05:21

1:05:21

Welcome back AGAIN! Today, we bring in a special guest! We talk WrestleMania 41, which fictional realm we would like to spend Halloween night in, and we talk ghosts and haunted locations! Come hang out! Write in to our Buzzsprout page here! - Send us your thoughts and/or ideas! @ [email protected] Follow us on Instagram! @the_black_lodge_p…

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A Second Look at the Second Coming 50:26

5M ago50:26

50:26

With Easter in the rear view mirror, we take a long-overdue look at the next chapter in the story of Jesus: the Second Coming. Scholar Tucker Ferda is making waves with some compelling new ideas about the origins of Second Coming prophesies. He joins Helen and Dave to discuss what Jesus himself might have believed about the End of Days and His role…

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A golden age of software engineering with Russell Kaplan, Founding President of Cognition 39:53

5M ago39:53

39:53

What happens when AI can code? In this illuminating conversation with Cognition's Founding President Russell Kaplan, we explore how AI is fundamentally transforming the landscape of software development. Drawing from his journey through Tesla's Autopilot team and Scale AI, Kaplan shares profound insights on leadership in rapid technological change,…

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Easter: What's the Story with Barabbas? 44:13

5M ago44:13

44:13

The enigmatic figure of Barabbas appears in all four gospels as a "bandit" or "insurrectionist" who is released from prison by Pontius Pilate instead of Jesus. In this special Easter episode, Helen and Dave explore the (many) theories about Barabbas' backstory and what he may have represented to the gospel authors. SUPPORT BIBLICAL TIME MACHINE If …

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The Bible Says What?! with Dan McClellan 1:05:14

5M ago1:05:14

1:05:14

What does the Bible really say about controversial topics like slavery, abortion, homosexuality, Satan and the Apocalypse? Everybody has their take, but few have the ability to interrogate the texts and their ancient origins with as much insight as our guest, Dan McClellan. Dan McClellan is a public scholar of the Bible and religion with a PhD in t…

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Ancient Synagogues and the New Testament 1:02:54

5M ago1:02:54

1:02:54

Before it was called Christianity, the "Jesus movement" was born in 1st-century synagogues. In today's episode, Anders Runneson joins Helen and Dave to talk about the important role of ancient synagogues of both civic and religious institutions, and how a better understanding of synagogues can shape our reading of the New Testament. You can downloa…

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S2EP7 - Occultist Ball Gazing 1:57:09

6M ago1:57:09

1:57:09

Welcome BACK AGAIN to our One Year Anniversary episode! Today, Pete, Steven and Dave discuss the occult and some occultist figures (John Dee, Peter J. Carroll and Michael Angelo Arquino), the ball gazing they've done, Wobbledog breeding and so much more. Thank you all for the time you've spent listening to us do our thing. Cheers to another year of…

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Quick and dirty prototypes with Andrew Ng 29:16

6M ago29:16

29:16

In this episode of Orbit, Matthew Brockman, Managing Partner at Hg, sits down with renowned AI pioneer Andrew Ng to explore the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Andrew, who has led ground-breaking initiatives at Stanford AI Lab, Google Brain, and Coursera, shares fascinating insights on building in the AI era, including how the falling costs of proto…

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Introducing Wisdom Literature, a Biblical Oddball 55:05

6M ago55:05

55:05

The books of the Hebrew Bible known as "wisdom literature" — Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes — are a strange fit for the biblical canon. They're ahistorical (not interested in Israel's history) and areligious (not interested in God, covenants, the temple or any other pillars of Israelite religion). So where did these funky books come from and how di…

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Animal Studies Gets Biblical 46:01

6M ago46:01

46:01

What can Bible stories about animals tells us about power dynamics in the ancient world? A lot, it turns out! Suzanna Millar joins us to talk about the fascinating new field of Animal Studies and how the Hebrew Bible can open windows into studying human-animal power dynamics 2500 years in the past. For more on this emerging field of biblical studie…

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S2E6 - Ghost In The VCR (Cursed Media) 1:12:41

6M ago1:12:41

1:12:41

Welcome back AGAIN! This episode was sort of an impromptu. We've all been busy this month, but Tyler and Dave are back with some spooky cursed media to talk about. Come hang out! Write in to our Buzzsprout page here! - Send us your thoughts and/or ideas! @ [email protected] Follow us on Instagram! @the_black_lodge_podcast…

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The Sabbath—Its Ancient Origins and Evolution 56:56

6M ago56:56

56:56

The Jewish sabbath (Shabbat), observed from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, is one of the oldest continuously observed holidays in existence. At first glance, the sabbath seems pretty straightforward; it's a "day of rest" that God commanded his people to observe on the 7th day. But when you read the Hebrew Bible really closely—like our guest Jo…

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How the Gospels Were Actually Written 58:45

7M ago58:45

58:45

This is a Biblical Time Machine first—a historical reenactment of how the gospel writers wrote (and rewrote) the books of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John. Our guest James Barker made his own scrolls, wax tablets and ancient writing implements to see what the gospel-writing process was really like. It gave him all sorts of fascinating new insights into…

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Kosher—The History of Forbidden Foods 53:30

7M ago53:30

53:30

Why were certain foods "forbidden" in the Hebrew Bible? And how did the pig attain ultra-non-kosher status among ancient Jews? Guest Jordan Rosenblum joins Helen and Dave as they try to pinpoint the origins of Jewish dietary laws and how they've been interpreted over time. Check out Jordan's terrific new book, Forbidden: A 3,000-Year History of Jew…

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Move Over, Josephus—Here Comes Philo! 1:08:42

7M ago1:08:42

1:08:42

Josephus will always be our pal, but it's time to meet another super-important ancient Jewish writer: Philo of Alexandria. Living in the vibrant intellectual hub of 1st-century Alexandria, Philo applied Greco-Roman philosophical ideas to the Hebrew Bible and wrote some of the first books about biblical interpretation. Today Helen and Dave Learn all…

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The Madness of King Nebuchadnezzar 42:37

7M ago42:37

42:37

To the authors of the Hebrew Bible, King Nebuchadnezzar was a grade-A jerk. In the 6th century BCE, he and his army sacked Jerusalem, destroyed the First Temple and carried the Judahites into exile in Babylon. All of that stuff actually happened, but things really start to get wild in the book of Daniel. In that much later text, Nebuchadnezzar goes…

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S2E5 - Close Encounters of the Drunk Kind 1:33:36

7M ago1:33:36

1:33:36

Welcome BACK AGAIN! Today we discuss UFOs, conspiracies surrounding them and we play a little quiz game based on extraterrestrial things. Come hang out! Write in to our Buzzsprout page here! - Send us your thoughts and/or ideas! @ [email protected] Follow us on Instagram! @the_black_lodge_podcast…

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A glimpse of the next generation: Zoe Zhao and Annalise Dragic, co-founders of Azlin Software 29:03

8M ago29:03

29:03

As AI beds into the business world, a new breed of company is being born where the latest technology is built-in. Helping them to grow is an equally new breed of investor.In the first Orbit of 2025, Nic Humphries hosts sits down with Zoe Zhao and Annalise Dragic, co-founders of Azlin Software. With backgrounds in venture capital, M&A, and Hg's own …

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What Was Travel Like in Biblical Times? 47:25

8M ago47:25

47:25

Did Roman roads have rest stops? How bad were the snacks on a sea voyage across the Mediterranean? Did Paul get frequent sailor miles? On today's episode, we answer all of your questions about travel in the ancient world. Our guest (live from an Egyptian desert) is Robert Cioffi, who wrote a terrific article titled "Travel in the Roman World." You …

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A Historian's Take on Josephus and 'The Jewish War' 1:07:56

8M ago1:07:56

1:07:56

Today's guest, historian Steve Mason, has called Josephus's The Jewish War "perhaps the most influential non-biblical text of Western history." And he's got a point! Read alongside the Bible, The Jewish War tells the "rest of the story" — specifically, how the Romans came to destroy the Temple in 70 CE. The trouble is, The Jewish War isn't "history…

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Real Time Travel with Ancient Papyri 54:52

8M ago54:52

54:52

Of course Helen and Dave have a fully functioning, very real Time Machine. But if you can't wait your turn (the line is ridiculously long), check out "documentary papyri." These scraps of ancient writing — letters, legal documents, shopping lists — offer a firsthand glimpse into everyday life in the 1st century CE. Even better, scholars like our gu…

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"Unto Us a Child is Born" Was Isaiah Talking About Jesus? 1:04:16

8M ago1:04:16

1:04:16

The prophet Isaiah lived in the 8th century BCE, yet his writings are quoted throughout the New Testament and especially around Christmas. Who was the historical Isaiah? And who (or what) was he writing about when he prophesied the birth of a king 700 years before Jesus? For this special holiday episode, Helen and Dave are joined by Daniel Stulac, …

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S2E4 - Deck the Halls with Blood and Booze 2:02:42

9M ago2:02:42

2:02:42

Merry f*ckin' Christmas! Hang with us as we talk some beloved Christmas (and not so Christmas) movies and memories, play a spooky quiz game, get some news you can use, some HOT Krampus talk and maybe have one too many eggnogs on our holiday celebration episode! Write in to our Buzzsprout page here! - Send us your thoughts and/or ideas! @ theblacklo…

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Ancient Censuses — Does Luke's Christmas Story Make Sense? 48:16

9M ago48:16

48:16

In the Gospel of Luke, Joseph and a very pregnant Mary travel to Bethlehem because Caesar Augustus has ordered a census of the entire Roman Empire. But does Jesus's birth story in Luke align with what we know about censuses in the ancient world? How were people counted? Who conducted these censuses? And did people really need to travel back to thei…

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Hanukkah: All About Menorahs and Ancient Oil Lamps 48:00

9M ago48:00

48:00

Hanukkah celebrates a miraculous event, when the eternal light of the temple burned for 8 days without being extinguished. In this special holiday episode, scholar Gregg Gardner tells Helen and Dave all about ancient oil lamps, including the magnificent and mysterious 7-branched menorah of the Second Temple. If you'd like to make your own potato la…

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Incubation, experimentation and implementation: the real business case for AI today 53:24

9M ago53:24

53:24

In our latest episode Hg’s Managing Partner, Matthew Brockman, presses two CEOs and an AI insider on how a business leader can usefully integrate generative AI into their business workflows. David Carmona, a VP and CTO at Microsoft, Avaneesh Marwaha, CEO of US legal tech producer Litera, and Soeren Brogaard, CEO of Danish construction innovators, T…

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Boy Jesus: Taking the Nativity Stories Seriously 1:01:41

9M ago1:01:41

1:01:41

Most biblical scholars — including us! — are quick to dismiss the Nativity stories in Matthew and Luke as later theological additions. But what if there are important cultural and even historical memories handed down through these well-worn Christmas stories? According to our guest Joan Taylor, there may be much more to the Nativity stories than we…

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Risk-taking & Resilience with Sukhinder Singh-Cassidy CEO of Xero 42:54

9M ago42:54

42:54

Hg’s Joe Jefferies sits down with Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, the CEO of Xero, to unravel the intricacies of leading a global software company and the personal journey that brought her to the helm. With a history of bold moves at tech behemoths like Amazon and Google, Singh Cassidy shares her philosophy on risk-taking, revealing how a series of strate…

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Before Heaven and Hell: Afterlife in the Bible 54:01

9M ago54:01

54:01

Every good churchgoer knows that after we die the faithful will be welcomed into a heavenly paradise and the baddies will be consigned to eternal damnation. But don't go looking for any of that stuff in the Bible! As our guest James Tabor explains, ancient people had very different conceptions of the afterlife, including the authors of the Hebrew B…

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S2EP3 - NPCs Gone Wild 1:26:07

9M ago1:26:07

1:26:07

Welcome back! Tonight we attempt to discuss what we think living in a simulation would mean. And a Happy Birthday to one of our favorite listeners! Enjoy! Write in to our Buzzsprout page here! - Send us your thoughts and/or ideas! @ [email protected] Follow us on Instagram! @the_black_lodge_podcast…

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Who Tried to Erase Mary Magdalene? 55:28

10M ago55:28

55:28

Mary Magdalene is one of the most intriguing figures in the New Testament. She clearly held a special place in Jesus's heart and in his ministry, but that popularity also made her controversial. In today's episode, scholar Elizabeth Schrader Polczer presents compelling evidence that someone in the early Church tried to erase (and replace) Mary Magd…

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Historical Jesus—What More Can We Know? 53:25

10M ago53:25

53:25

Scholars have been searching for the Historical Jesus for centuries, but have they been looking in the wrong places? Chris Keith and James Crossley think it's high time to reimagine and reinvigorate the "quest" for the Historical Jesus, opening up the field to entirely new and exciting lines of inquiry. Check out their new edited volume (featuring …

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Biblical Archeology: The Untold History of Ancient Judah 52:10

10M ago52:10

52:10

You're in for a treat. Israeli archeologist Oded Lipschits knows more than anyone about the archeology of the ancient Kingdom of Judah. In this episode, Dave and Helen travel back to the 8th century BCE and learn how the biblical authors interpreted (and reinterpreted) historical events to fit their changing theological and political realities. If …

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Vulnerability as strength in business: Nick Mehta of Gainsight 37:47

10M ago37:47

37:47

In this enlightening episode of the Hg podcast series Orbit, host Joe Jefferies converses with Nick Mehta, the long-standing CEO of Gainsight, about the intersection of vulnerability and leadership in building a successful software company. Nick candidly describes his philosophy of "human-first" leadership, which has become a cornerstone of Gainsig…

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The Biblical Guide to Marriage, Adultery & Divorce 54:11

10M ago54:11

54:11

Marriage is between one man and one woman. Adultery is bad. (Prostitution is worse.) And divorce should be avoided at all costs. The Bible is perfectly clear on these and other moral topics, right? Ha! As our guest Jennifer Knust explains, the Bible is a product of the ancient world, where laws about sex, marriage, adultery and divorce had more to …

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Ancient Jewish Magic 47:20

10M ago47:20

47:20

Just in time for Halloween, we're talking magic, incantation bowls and a pinch of necromancy with Gideon Bohak, author of Ancient Jewish Magic: A History. NEW COLLEGE FESTIVAL If you're anywhere near Scotland from November 7-9, you're invited to attend the New College Festival "Books and Belief" at the University of Edinburgh. Come say Hi to Helen!…

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S2EP2 - The Four Belsnicketeers (Halloween Extravaganza!) 1:13:57

10M ago1:13:57

1:13:57

Halloween is here! Come hang and talk all things Halloween! We have some Halloween zeitgeist origins stories, some news from the desk, a quiz game, and stay tuned to the end for a list of cool Halloween facts! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! Write in to our Buzzsprout page here! - Send us your thoughts and/or ideas! @ [email protected] Follow us on Inst…

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Cult of Dead Kin: Honoring the Dead in Ancient Israel 1:02:56

11M ago1:02:56

1:02:56

Across the Ancient Near East, it was common to offer food and sacrifices to appease dead ancestors and "hangry" ghosts, but the Hebrew Bible is largely silent on interactions between the living and the dead. Our guest Kerry Sonia pieces together archeological evidence with clues from the Bible to paint a picture of what she calls the "cult of dead …

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Thousands of small experiments: Merete Hverven of Visma 40:00

11M ago40:00

40:00

As the CEO of Scandinavian software success story, Visma, this is Merete Hverven's second appearance on Orbit. Last time she pondered the reasons behind the Nordics' outsized contribution to the world of software, this time the same values of openness, competency over hierarchy and willingness to experiment come into play when running a scaled mult…

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What is "Ancient Media Culture"? 44:03

11M ago44:03

44:03

In the 1st century, very few people "read" the Hebrew scriptures. Instead, they were "heard" — read aloud (or performed) in the synagogue and other spaces. In this episode, Catrin Williams joins Helen and Dave to discuss "ancient media culture," the different ways that people consumed biblical texts in the time of Jesus, and how literacy, orality a…