[Bible] Episode 323: Andrew Tobolowsky- The Myth of the Twelve Tribes

The Bible For Normal People

The Bible for Normal People

Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.7 • 3.4K Ratings

🗓️ 6 April 2026

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this week’s episode of The Bible for Normal People, Pete and Jared talk with Andrew Tobolowsky about what scholars mean by “myth” and how that idea applies to the Bible. They explore the origins of the 12 tribes of Israel, examining the historical and textual evidence and why this tradition may be less straightforward than it seems. Together, they discuss how these stories developed over time and how they helped shape Israel’s identity, inviting listeners to think more critically about how the Bible tells its story of the past. Show Notes → thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episodes/episode-323-andrew-tobolowsky-the-myth-of-the-twelve-tribes Watch this episode on YouTube → https://youtu.be/EPPOlN4Rr1k 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.
0:11.9	Before we get started with our episode today, we wanted to let you know about our April
0:15.9	class.
0:16.8	Is this The Apocalypse with Dr. Robin Whitaker?
0:19.8	To be fair, it's not like we pick this topic for any particular reason.
0:23.6	You know, hopefully a few people will find it relevant.
0:26.2	Yeah, I hope so.
0:26.9	Well, the class is taught by Dr. Robin Whitaker, an associate professor at the Wesley Center for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy.
0:34.0	She specializes in the book of Revelation and the way the Bible gets used and
0:38.8	misused in public discourse. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but most importantly, and probably the work she's
0:43.4	most known and respected for is Revelation for normal people. That will carry her beyond the grave.
0:49.1	Exactly. In the class, Robin's going to cover what's meant by Apocalypse and why the language
0:53.4	we use matters,
0:54.5	how American evangelicals learn to read Revelation as an in-times manual, and why that's a problem.
0:59.7	How Jewish and Christian Apocalypses can be harnessed as texts of hope, not just catastrophe,
1:05.3	and how texts like Revelation can help us name and combat evil in times like these.
1:09.9	So if you've been hearing about
1:11.0	Armageddon or the apocalypse in the news and you want to know, well, is this the apocalypse?
1:15.9	This class is for you. Mark your calendars for Thursday, April 30th from 5 to 6.30 p.m. Eastern
1:21.5	time and then go to the Bible from normal people.com front slash apocalypse to sign up today.
	...

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