Happy Christmas to those of you that celebrate! Have a nice December break or holidays to others!

I’ll point you to some holiday-related posts of the past and a new Christmas album post (which may solve the mystery of the caption above) on my other blog:

• The Little Drummer Boy and Protevangelium of James (NT Apocrypha 2)
• ‘Tis the season . . . : Jewish and Roman holidays
• Humorous Hannukah interlude
• Favourite Christmas album: Ella Fitzgerald’s Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas

This second episode on Paul’s letter to the Galatians looks at Paul’s response to the situation involving opponents that were advocating circumcision. I discuss a plausible apocalyptic rationale for Paul’s notion that circumcision was not an entrance requirement for Gentiles to belong to the Jesus groups. In the process, I also begin to deal with Paul’s complicated positions regarding the Torah (the law) and its relation to non-Judeans (approx. 35 minutes). This episode is part of series one (“Paul and his Communities”) of the Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean podcast.

Podcast 1.8: Paul’s response to the Galatians (mp3; archive.org page with various downloading options here).

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

You may also subscribe to this and subsequent episodes through iTunes or another podcatcher. View credits for my introductory music remix.

This episode looks at the situation in Galatia that led Paul to write his letter in the mid-first century. Here I explore the rationale of Paul’s opponents who advocated circumcision among Gentiles (non-Judeans) as a symbol of belonging to God’s people and an entrance requirement into this Jewish movement that considered Jesus the Messiah (approx. 25 minutes).  This episode is part of series one (“Paul and his Communities”) of the Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean podcast.

Podcast 1.7: Paul and the situation in Galatia (mp3; archive.org page with various downloading options here).

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

You may also subscribe to this and subsequent episodes through iTunes or another podcatcher.  View credits for my introductory music remix.

Well, my uncertainty as to whether or not anyone would actually listen to my podcasts on Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean (mainly early Christianity) is dispelled. The number of subscribers to my bi-weekly podcast is now over 200 within just two months (mainly through iTunes). This crawls towards the number of subscribers to my blog itself (in the low 300s), which has been around for years. I can say that the podcasts will indeed continue. I’m glad my breath is not wasted.

You can subscribe to my podcast with a podcatcher (like iTunes).