The Third Hour Podcast
Welcome to the Third Hour, a Latter-Day Saint home study podcast!This year we're doing a deep dive into the New Testament. Some of our talking points will be familiar. Other ideas may sound new. That's okay! Together, we'll learn something about the New Testament no matter what our starting level.Every week, we'll let you know which verses we're studying. If you miss some reading, we'll recap what's going on. And don't worry about spoilers; this stuff is two thousand years old.
Episodes
158 episodes
#61. Paneled Houses
Today we investigate the books of Haggai and Zechariah, which illuminate another perspective on the beginning of the Second Temple Period, and in some cases contrast with the narratives found in Ezra and Nehemiah.
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Season 3
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Episode 61
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1:06:06
#60. The Walls Came Tumbling Up
The Book of Nehemiah portrays yet another step in the reconstruction of post-Exile Jerusalem. Today on the Third Hour Podcast, we discuss some of the ways Nehemiah's priorities differ from Ezra's, the composition of the religious classes, and t...
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Season 3
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Episode 60
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1:00:32
#59. Endogamy
At long last, the Babylonian Exile is over! Thanks to the edicts of Cyrus the Great, the Jewish people have been released, allowing the reconstruction of Jerusalem as a client state of Persia. However, the state of affairs is far from perfect, ...
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Season 3
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Episode 59
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58:14
#58. Biblical Trash
The Song of Solomon, also known as the Song of Songs, doesn't have a good reputation in Mormonism. Today on the Third Hour Podcast, we discuss the reasons behind the poem's ignominy, as well as the beauty of its prose and some of the ways it ha...
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Season 3
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Episode 58
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1:04:55
#57. Mo'Job
The Book of Job has been interpreted and reinterpreted countless times across the centuries. Today, we look at two modern retellings: Joel and Ethan Coen's A Serious Man and Edward Greenstein's Job: A New Translation. Alo...
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Season 3
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Episode 57
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1:17:25
#56. Job
The Book of Job ranks among the Hebrew Bible's most poetic and enigmatic books, an examination of suffering and the answers we offer to that suffering. Today on a double-length episode of the Third Hour Podcast, we dig into the particulars of t...
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Season 3
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Episode 56
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1:57:17
#55. Lament & Wisdom
The Babylonian Captivity is the watershed event of the Hebrew Bible, a catastrophe that will preoccupy its latter books. Today we examine Lamentations and Ecclesiastes, which offer contrasting responses to the destruction of Jerusalem.
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Season 3
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Episode 55
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1:17:19
#54. Third Isaiah
Whoa! Another Isaiah! This week on the Third Hour Podcast, we discuss Trito-Isaiah in some depth, including the textual clues that have led most scholars to conclude that it was written by a different author than those who wrote the first two I...
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Season 3
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Episode 54
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54:12
#53. Second Isaiah
Early Christians often identified the Book of Isaiah as "the fifth gospel." Yet its theology, rhetoric, and even authorship complicates such easy description. Today, the Third Hour Podcast talks about the book's second major section. Who was De...
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Season 3
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Episode 53
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1:21:28
#52. Ezekiel, Part Two
In its second half, the Book of Ezekiel tones down the sexual imagery but becomes no less enigmatic. This week on the Third Hour Podcast, we investigate some of the book's most notable passages, including the valley of dry bones and the destruc...
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Season 3
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Episode 52
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1:13:46
#51. Ezekiel, Part One
Age Warning! The Book of Ezekiel has traditionally been withheld from students until the age of thirty — the reasons for which we will investigate in this episode as we discuss the extreme visions, behaviors, and ethical code that are the hallm...
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Season 3
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Episode 51
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1:31:29
#50. The Jeremiad, Part Two
In stark contrast to the first half of the Book of Jeremiah, the second half shifts tone, genre, and even theology. Join us for a discussion of Jeremiah's politicking, prophecy, and his unique approach to Babylon.
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Season 3
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Episode 50
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1:05:58
#49. The Jeremiad, Part One
The Book of Jeremiah is famous for its lamentations. What might surprise some listeners, however, is the ways that Jeremiah inverts expectations. In this episode, we discuss the prophet's laments, sarcasm, and perhaps most importantly, his inve...
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Season 3
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Episode 49
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1:29:50
#48. Four Minor Prophets
As the destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel progressed, the prophets of the Kingdom of Judah reacted in a variety of ways. Today on the Third Hour Podcast, we're looking at four such prophets, each with their own perspective on the inv...
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Season 3
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Episode 48
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1:10:04
#47. First Isaiah
You've heard it before: the Book of Isaiah is notoriously difficult, nigh impossible to decipher without a deep understanding of symbolism. Nothing could be further from the truth! Join the Third Hour Podcast as we discuss the particulars of Fi...
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Season 3
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Episode 47
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1:24:03
#46. Reap the Whirlwind
The Book of Hosea is a challenging text for a number of reasons: translation, transmission, and complex political dynamics, not to mention the distastefulness of its central metaphor. Join the Third Hour Podcast as we examine what we can learn ...
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Season 3
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Episode 46
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50:30
#45. The Day of the Lord
With the Book of Amos, we witness the birth of a new literary tradition, one that will continue throughout the remainder of the Hebrew Bible. Utilizing song, poetry, persuasive essays, oracles, and other forms, the author expresses a new ethica...
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Season 3
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Episode 45
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1:10:42
#44. Chronicles, Chronicles
The Books of Chronicles have always presented unique problems to Biblical scholars and religious authorities. Today on the Third Hour Podcast, we discuss not only what makes Chronicles difficult, but also why it can prove instructive to our und...
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Season 3
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Episode 44
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1:01:48
#43. Collapse
The final chapters of Kings cover two collapses as Assyria defeats Israel and Babylon defeats Judah. Interspersed with these disasters are accounts of kings both righteous and wicked — according to the Deuteronomist, that is. Join the Third Hou...
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Season 3
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Episode 43
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1:08:49
#42. Elisha
As successor to Elijah, Elisha immediately sets about either replicating or one-upping his predecessor's miracles — by having two bears chow down on some churlish adolescents. Join the Third Hour Podcast as we discuss Elisha and some bonus roya...
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Season 3
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Episode 42
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1:01:32
#41. Elijah
Elijah looms large in the imagination of multiple religions. Today on the Third Hour Podcast, we examine the passages behind that reputation and ask whether it comports to our understanding of this enigmatic figure.
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Season 3
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Episode 41
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1:02:57
#40. Two Kingdoms
The division of King David's United Monarchy marks a watershed moment in the Hebrew Bible, not to mention the Deuteronomistic History. Blending history, folktale, and propaganda, the feud between Rehoboam's Judah and Jeroboam's Israel soon beco...
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Season 3
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Episode 40
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1:04:31
#39. Solomon
The tale of King Solomon has inspired countless interpretations, filled with wisdom narratives about divided babies and flattering visits from the Queen of Sheba. But the story that comes to us is filled with editorializing from our good friend...
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Season 3
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Episode 39
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1:14:34
#38. David Finished
As we reach the conclusion of King David's life, readers of the Hebrew Bible are confronted with a troubling image: a feeble old man who in his last words requests vengeance against those who slighted him. Join the Third Hour Podcast as we disc...
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Season 3
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Episode 38
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56:15
#37. Absalom, Absalom!
The tale of Absalom — son of David, avenger of Tamar, murderer of Amnon, rebel king of Israel — is an enigmatic chapter in the long tale of King David. It's a story full of cowardly justice and bold injustice, one that touches upon courtly intr...
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Season 3
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Episode 37
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1:05:26
