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The Bible For Normal People

[Bible] Episode 322: Cynthia Shafer-Elliott - Where Archaeology Intersects with the Bible

The Bible For Normal People

The Bible for Normal People

Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.73.4K Ratings

🗓️ 30 March 2026

⏱️ 56 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete talks with archaeologist Cynthia Shafer-Elliott about what archaeology can—and can’t—tell us about the Bible. Cynthia explains how archaeologists excavate ancient sites, highlights key discoveries like the Tel Dan Stele and the Lachish reliefs, and explores what everyday artifacts reveal about life in ancient Israel and Judah. Together they discuss how material culture complicates simple claims that archaeology either proves or disproves the Bible, offering instead a richer picture of the ancient world behind the text. Show Notes → https://www.thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episodes/bible-episode-322-cynthia-shafer-elliott-where-archaeology-intersects-with-the-bible Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.be/7FFxqydz0Vc ********** This episode is sponsored by Factor. Head to Factormeals.com/normalpeople50off and use code normalpeople50off to get 50 percent off and free daily greens per box, with new subscription only, while supplies last until 09/27/2026. (See website for more details) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

You're listening to the Bible for normal people, the only God-ordained podcast on the internet.

0:05.0

I'm Pete N's.

0:05.7

And I'm Jared Baez.

0:11.8

Ever wonder what people mean when they say that the Bible clearly defines marriage?

0:16.2

You ever wonder how a biblical scholar might respond to that?

0:19.4

This is the last call to pay what you can for our

0:21.8

March class. What is biblical marriage with Dr. Jennifer Bird? Dr. Bird is a New Testament scholar

0:28.1

who breaks down the actual passages people use and misuse to define marriage and asks whether

0:34.0

those passages are saying what we think they are. In this class, Jennifer's going to

0:38.2

cover the four key passages that are most used to define biblical marriage within Christian context.

0:43.4

Then she's going to zoom out and ask, what does marriage actually look like across the Bible,

0:47.5

not our idealized version, but the real thing, helping us understand the differences between

0:52.2

marriage in the Bible and modern marriage.

0:54.7

We're going to look at some overlooked passages from the prophets in Jesus that dramatically

0:59.4

shift how we approach the Bible for guidance about marriage. And then lastly, we're going to

1:04.3

look at helpful ways to reframe that question entirely. So mark your calendars for tomorrow,

1:09.6

Tuesday, March 31st from 8 to 9. p.m. Eastern Time, and then go to

1:13.8

the Bible for normal people.com front slash biblical marriage to sign up today and pay what you can.

1:20.5

As always, the class will be recorded so you can watch it back later if you can't make it to the

1:24.8

live session, and after tomorrow, the class will be available

1:27.6

for $25.

1:28.9

We're even better.

...

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