Hi there, you're listening to the Hellenistic Age podcast.

Interview episode, Antik is the fourth epiphanies in the Jewish tradition with Dr. Joseph Scales.

Hello everyone.

Joining us on the podcast today is Dr. Joseph Scales, an independent scholar of Judaism and Jewish history.

Dr. Scales focuses primarily on Second Temple Judaism.

Between 515 BC and 70 AD, which includes the Hellenistic period.

He has published articles relating to Queen Salome, Alexander of the Hasmanians, and Antiochus

the Fourth Epiphanies of the Salucate Empire. And today he is here to talk about the portrayal and

perception of Antiochus the Fourth in the Jewish tradition. Firstly, let me just say thank you

very much for taking the time to join the podcast.

Thank you.

I'm really excited to talk to you.

Now, would you care to give us a bit about your background and how you found yourself

attached to the Hellenistic period as relating to Jewish history?

Sure.

So I kind of started doing degrees in theology and religion, kind of with a particular interest

in biblical studies, particularly lots of New Testament.

I was interested in learning Greek, so read the New Testament in its quote-unquote original form,

let's say.

And as I kind of pursued undergrad degrees and a master's degree, I became more and more interested in

cultural background to lots of these texts. So what was happening in the history, other comparative

texts, things like archaeology, and moved over from an initial interest, let's say in the New

...