The Bible and Beyond

An Interview with Shawna Dolansky
Historian Shawna Dolansky invites listeners to rethink the story of Eve in Genesis. Rather than a villain responsible for humanity's fall, Eve may be the story's protagonist—reasoning, choosing, and moving history forward. Dolansky explores how ancient readers understood the Eden story, how later interpreters—from Ben Sira to Augustine and Milton—reshaped it, and why recovering the story's ancient Near Eastern context can change how we understand Genesis today.
Professor Shawna Dolansky is an historian who specializes in the emergence of the Hebrew Bible within its ancient Near Eastern context. Her work cuts across disciplinary boundaries of religious studies, literature, history, anthropology, and archaeology. Current research interests include a study of the history of Adam and Eve in popular culture and re-thinking the figure of Jezebel in the Hebrew Bible in light of historical and archaeological considerations. Both interests are part of a larger digital humanities graphic history project, "Women of the Ancient World," which is coming soon to woawhistory.com.
Dr. Dolansky will be presenting during the upcoming virtual conference "New Insights into the Hebrew Bible (NIHB)" offered by Bart Ehrman. NIHB is a three-day virtual conference (March 20-22, 2026) for people interested in serious biblical scholarship. The conference brings together leading experts to present focused, insightful talks on Genesis. Registration is open now. Click here for registration and more information.

An interview with Nathan Houstin
Nathan Houstin discusses the often-overlooked role of Joseph as the father of Jesus based on his reading of the New Testament, the Infancy Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Philip (which depicts Joseph as the carpenter of the cross!). Taken together, these texts illuminate Joseph's portrayal and significance in the context of Jesus' dual parentage. They highlight theological implications, the nature of fatherhood, and how these concepts resonate in contemporary understandings of family.
Nathan Houstin is a doctoral student in New Testament and Early Christianity at Loyola University Chicago. He holds a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Prior to his theological studies, Nathan worked in healthcare as a respiratory care practitioner, and he continues to practice this profession beside his doctoral work. His scholarly interests range from gender studies, health and medicine in Antiquity to infancy gospels and Nag Hammadi texts.

In this Bible and Beyond podcast episode, Shirley Paulson interviews Dr. Karen L. King, a prominent scholar of the early text, the Gospel of Mary. In this podcast, Shirley and Karen explore the portrayal of Mary Magdalene as a leader and the implications for women's roles in early Christianity. They also discuss themes of identity, the nature of sin, the journey of the soul, and the concept of the good in relation to ethical living. Dr. King's insights highlight the relevance of the ancient teachings in contemporary spiritual and social contexts.
Dr. Karen L. King is the Hollis Research Professor of Divinity, Harvard University's oldest endowed professorship (1721), and is the first woman to hold this chair. Her particular interests are in discourses of difference (orthodoxy and heresy), gender studies, and religion and violence. She completed her Ph.D. in History of Religions: Early Christianity at Brown University.  She also studied in Berlin at the Free University (West) and with the Koptisch-Gnostische Arbeitskreis (Coptic-Gnostic Working Group) at Humboldt University (East). She has received numerous awards for excellence in teaching and research.
A written transcript is available on the show notes page here:
 https://earlychristiantexts.com/karen-king-mary-magdalene

An Interview with Dr. Meredith J. C. Warren
How did anti-Jewish interpretations become embedded in readings of the New Testament? In this Bible and Beyond Podcast episode, Shirley Paulson speaks with biblical scholar Meredith Warren about "Judeophobia"—its historical context and the responsibility of modern Bible readers. Drawing on her new co-edited volume, Judeophobia and the New Testament, Warren explores how later interpretations distorted ancient texts—and how reading critically and kindly can help prevent harm today.
Dr. Meredith J. C. Warren is a Senior Lecturer in Biblical and Religious Studies at the University of Sheffield, editor-in-chief of The Journal of Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies, and author of several other insightful works. She is known for her views on the New Testament and early Judaism, and has been featured by media outlets including The Washington Post and BBC radio. This podcast interview highlights the book she co-authored with Eric Vanden Eykel and Sarah Rollens.
A transcript is available here: https://earlychristiantexts.com/anti-jewish-readings-distort-new-testament/

An Interview with Dr. Ward Sanford
Dr. Ward Sanford recounts the dramatic history of the ancient Romans' destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. His historical novel weaves fictional characters into well-researched events, bringing the story alive for modern readers. The full arc, from 63 CE to 70 CE, unfolds across four books. In this interview, he focuses on the forces at play in the first volume, covering 63 to 66 CE, when tensions between Rome and Jerusalem began to erupt.
Before becoming a novelist, Dr. Ward Sanford enjoyed a 35-year career as a highly respected scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Now he brings the same intellectual rigor and curiosity to his research and writing. He is passionate about helping believers see the historical and cultural context of first century Judea in which the earliest Christian church struggled to survive. Dr. Sanford has also been a Christian counselor for the past 13 years.
The Cry for Jerusalem series discussed in this podcast explores the spiritual tensions, political chaos, and prophetic significance of a nation on the brink, as seen through Josephus's eyes. Ward has also written dozens of highly popular blogs concerning the subject matter of first century Judea and related Christian apologetics.
A complete transcript is available on the Bible and Beyond website.