Is anyone else here a Podcast listener? If so, what are some of your favorites, and what are you listening to now?
Here's some of the Podcasts that I listen to regularly on my phone while driving around or working out.
I'll start with some great history podcasts:
1. Saga Thing - This is a podcast about the Icelandic Sagas. A super enjoyable show by two scholars of medieval literature who banter about the Norse Sagas and Eddas. lots of vikings, and ancient Norse mythology, and medieval Christianity. One of my recent favorites! Still active.
2. The History of Rome - This is the podcast that spawned a hundred "History of..." copycats. Its the history of Rome from the early kingdom to its fall in the early middle ages. Done by a well read nonprofessional, but with impeccable research. Its one of the top, if not the top, historical podcast. This podcast has since been concluded, but is still a great place to start if you're interested in the topic.
3. History of Byzantium - The unofficial official continuation of the History of Rome podcast that explores the history of Rome in the East. This podcast was created by another amateur podcaster, but keeps the same spirit as the original History of Rome podcast. Extremely well read, and informative, and is still active.
4. Dan Carlin's - Hardcore History - Man this podcast is good. Its done by a professional journalist who has a passion for all things historical. It skips around history highlighting different eras, but in epic scale. The podcasts are thoroughly researched, and cover a range of topics including the Viking age, WWI, Genghis Khan, etc. Carlin is extremely passionate, and puts you right there in the midst of the action. Never a boring episode. The episodes range in length from 40 minutes to, more recently, 3 or more hours. Can't recommend enough. Still active.
5. Communio Sanctorum: The History of the Christian Church - Influenced by the History of Rome podcast, this podcast by Pastor Lance Ralston, pastor of Calvary Chapel of Oxnard (Ventura County, California) delves into the history of, well, the Christian church. I love this podcast. Very well researched. He puts a lot of work into it, and you can tell. He tries to be as historically objective as possible while discussing the subject, but sometimes can't help but be a pastor from time to time. I talked to him a bit about working on objectivity so that more people could get more out of it, and feel he really took that to heart when he relaunched the podcast by redoing the earlier episodes. Very occasionally he'll get into a side subject about his heart on a certain topic, but reminds the listener that this is his personal take one whatever. Anyways, I can't recommend this podcast enough. Still active.
6. The History of China - Another great amateur podcast that probably started thanks to the History of Rome podcast. This podcast is, again, very well researched, and is very interesting, but, for me personally, it can be a bit of a struggle to get through. I blame that mostly on the fact that all of the names seem to blend together for me. This podcast can be a bit dry, but mostly because it sticks to the ruling class. Occasionally it dips into things like Chinese mythology and religion, but not enough for my tastes. Still active.
7. The History of Iran - This is a podcast by a scholar of the "late antique Near East, mostly interested in the Sasanian and Byzantine empires and the early Islamic period". Its still getting on its feet, and there are occasional delays between episodes because he tends to move around a lot. The podcaster is very interesting to listen to, but because he's still new to this, it can be a little hard to follow. There's a sense with this podcast that he isn't sure if he wants to get super academic, or talk to a more general audience. I have hope that it'll get better over time. Still active.
8. NT Podcast - This is the podcast of professor Mark Goodacre. Very informative. Always fun to listen to. The podcasts are short, maybe 10-15 minutes or so, but packed with interesting content about the New Testament and early church. Sporadically updated.
9. Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean - This is a podcast by the Canadian scholar Philip Harland. I never noticed how often Canadians say "aboot" before listening to this podcast. Its again, very well researched, very informative, but is a bit more sophisticated than the average audience is probably used to. He has a very secular historical view of the religions of the ancient Mediterranean with a focus on 1st through 3rd century Christianity, but touches upon ancient Jewish, Zoroastrian, and Roman Pagan beliefs. The podcast can be sort of dry because he's mostly taping his college lectures with interspersed podcast commentary. I don't always agree with the presentation of the material since he does lean rather moderate/skeptical, but its good stuff all the same. Still active.
10. The Septuagint Sessions
Here's some of the Podcasts that I listen to regularly on my phone while driving around or working out.
I'll start with some great history podcasts:
1. Saga Thing - This is a podcast about the Icelandic Sagas. A super enjoyable show by two scholars of medieval literature who banter about the Norse Sagas and Eddas. lots of vikings, and ancient Norse mythology, and medieval Christianity. One of my recent favorites! Still active.
2. The History of Rome - This is the podcast that spawned a hundred "History of..." copycats. Its the history of Rome from the early kingdom to its fall in the early middle ages. Done by a well read nonprofessional, but with impeccable research. Its one of the top, if not the top, historical podcast. This podcast has since been concluded, but is still a great place to start if you're interested in the topic.
3. History of Byzantium - The unofficial official continuation of the History of Rome podcast that explores the history of Rome in the East. This podcast was created by another amateur podcaster, but keeps the same spirit as the original History of Rome podcast. Extremely well read, and informative, and is still active.
4. Dan Carlin's - Hardcore History - Man this podcast is good. Its done by a professional journalist who has a passion for all things historical. It skips around history highlighting different eras, but in epic scale. The podcasts are thoroughly researched, and cover a range of topics including the Viking age, WWI, Genghis Khan, etc. Carlin is extremely passionate, and puts you right there in the midst of the action. Never a boring episode. The episodes range in length from 40 minutes to, more recently, 3 or more hours. Can't recommend enough. Still active.
5. Communio Sanctorum: The History of the Christian Church - Influenced by the History of Rome podcast, this podcast by Pastor Lance Ralston, pastor of Calvary Chapel of Oxnard (Ventura County, California) delves into the history of, well, the Christian church. I love this podcast. Very well researched. He puts a lot of work into it, and you can tell. He tries to be as historically objective as possible while discussing the subject, but sometimes can't help but be a pastor from time to time. I talked to him a bit about working on objectivity so that more people could get more out of it, and feel he really took that to heart when he relaunched the podcast by redoing the earlier episodes. Very occasionally he'll get into a side subject about his heart on a certain topic, but reminds the listener that this is his personal take one whatever. Anyways, I can't recommend this podcast enough. Still active.
6. The History of China - Another great amateur podcast that probably started thanks to the History of Rome podcast. This podcast is, again, very well researched, and is very interesting, but, for me personally, it can be a bit of a struggle to get through. I blame that mostly on the fact that all of the names seem to blend together for me. This podcast can be a bit dry, but mostly because it sticks to the ruling class. Occasionally it dips into things like Chinese mythology and religion, but not enough for my tastes. Still active.
7. The History of Iran - This is a podcast by a scholar of the "late antique Near East, mostly interested in the Sasanian and Byzantine empires and the early Islamic period". Its still getting on its feet, and there are occasional delays between episodes because he tends to move around a lot. The podcaster is very interesting to listen to, but because he's still new to this, it can be a little hard to follow. There's a sense with this podcast that he isn't sure if he wants to get super academic, or talk to a more general audience. I have hope that it'll get better over time. Still active.
8. NT Podcast - This is the podcast of professor Mark Goodacre. Very informative. Always fun to listen to. The podcasts are short, maybe 10-15 minutes or so, but packed with interesting content about the New Testament and early church. Sporadically updated.
9. Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean - This is a podcast by the Canadian scholar Philip Harland. I never noticed how often Canadians say "aboot" before listening to this podcast. Its again, very well researched, very informative, but is a bit more sophisticated than the average audience is probably used to. He has a very secular historical view of the religions of the ancient Mediterranean with a focus on 1st through 3rd century Christianity, but touches upon ancient Jewish, Zoroastrian, and Roman Pagan beliefs. The podcast can be sort of dry because he's mostly taping his college lectures with interspersed podcast commentary. I don't always agree with the presentation of the material since he does lean rather moderate/skeptical, but its good stuff all the same. Still active.
10. The Septuagint Sessions
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