The Naked Archaeologist Season 2, Episode 25: Bilaam: The Story of a Talking Donkey

1

The Would-be Messiah

One hundred years after Jesus was crucified, a warrior hailed by rabbis as the Jewish messiah led a massive rebellion against Roman occupation in Israel. Who was this would-be messiah? This is the story of the rabbis' best kept secret.

60 min

2

The Search for St. Peter

Host Simcha Jacobovici tracks down the last footsteps of St. Peter.

60 min

3

A Nabatean By Any Other Name

The Nabateans, an ancient and mysterious people, are responsible for the construction of the hidden city of Petra.

60 min

4

Chasing the Temple Booty – Part 1

Part 1 of 2. New clues take host Simcha Jacobovici around the world on a hunt for the treasures of King Solomon's Temple.

60 min

5

Chasing the Temple Booty – Part 2

Part 2 of 2. Searching for the treasures of King Solomon's Temple; host Simcha Jacobovici.

60 min

6

The Legacy of King Solomon – Part 1

King Solomon has been the source of great debate in recent years: Was he, or wasn't he, a real historical figure? Taking clues from the Bible, the Naked Archaeologist attempts to separate fact from fiction and figure out what legacy King Solomon left behind

60 min

7

The Legacy of King Solomon – Part 2

In part two, the Naked Archaeologist takes his investigation of King Solomon up a notch, and makes some amazing discoveries that just might prove that Solomon really was the King of Israel in the 10th Century BCE.

60 min

8

Decoding Ezekiel's Vision

Since the beginning of time, man has searched the heavens for answers to the meaning and purpose of life. But what did the ancients know about the make-up of the universe? And what archaeology is out there that can tell us how they mapped the stars?

60 min

9

Jewish Rome

The Catacombs, the Vatican, the Churches--to much of the world Rome IS Christianity. But with the oldest European Jewish community in the world, is there another story under Rome? Starting in the historic streets of the Jewish Ghetto and ending in the rarely seen Jewish Catacombs, the Naked Archaeologist digs down to an older, deeper layer of Rome--one that predates Christianity by centuries.

60 min

10

The Giants of Genesis

Archaeology helps explain the origins of biblical giants; host Simcha Jacobovici.

60 min

11

All in the Family

If the Bible was rated the way movies are, it wouldn’t even get close to a family rating. But even by that standard the story of Lot and his daughters is racy. Few people remember that Lot had a drunken fling with his daughters after his wife was killed as they all escaped from Sodom. But why is Lot venerated as a Saint. And more to the point, what were they doing in Sodom that was so bad it makes incest look good? The Naked Archaeologist is on a quest to find evidence of ancient Sodom, find out what really went on there and to find out if the story of Lot and his daughters is true

60 min

12

The Curse of the Macabee Tomb

Everybody knows Chanukah: that holiday in mid December that doesn’t involve reindeer. But where does it come from? The Naked Archaeologist explores the “miracle of the oil” and the Maccabees, who freed the Temple in Jerusalem and without whom we wouldn’t celebrate Chanukah. But he’s also on a mission: the tomb of the last king of the Maccabee dynasty was found recently in Jerusalem. Now the Naked Archaeologist is determined to find the tomb of the founders of the dynasty.

60 min

13

The Search for King David's Harp

The instrument and music of the biblical king of Israel, King David.

60 min

14

Hangin' with Judas

Tracking down whether Judas Iscariot really betrayed Jesus or was a scapegoat.

60 min

15

The Miracle Workers of Galilee

A miracle is a concrete example of divine intervention and proof of the supernatural power of God. The Christian Bible tells us that Jesus performed at least 36 miracles in his lifetime, most of them in the Galilee. But was Jesus the only miracle maker of his time? What if we look at the Jesus miracles through the lens of first century Judaism? Can the archaeology of this time illuminate the phenomenon of 1st century miracles and tell us why the Galilee was miracle central?

60 min

16

The Collector

Shlomo Moussaieff has one of the most impressive, and most controversial collections of antiquities in the world. We profile this fascinating character and get a rare look at artifacts that are rarely seen. From 2500-year-old magic bowls to erotic temple cult objects, the Naked Archaeologist is hands on with the Moussaieff collection…and he starts a collection of his own.

60 min

17

Cleanliness is Next to Godliness

Who was Pontius Pilate? Was he a brutal dictator with a habit of crucifying dissenters, or just an easy-going guy who had a fetish for keeping his hands clean? Following the latest evidence and talking to leading experts the Naked Archaeologist is determined to find out.

60 min

18

What Happened to the JC Bunch? Part 1

Part 1 of 3 - Two thousand years ago there were no lines drawn between Jewish and Christian. The earliest Christians were in fact Jews - essentially, a Jewish sect of Jesus followers. They followed Jesus and respected his teachings as if he were much like a modern-day rabbi. And they adhered to the laws of Moses - which means they circumcised, ate Kosher, and respected Saturday as the Sabbath. So why is there such a separation between Judaism and Christianity today? What happened to make these two faiths so different?

60 min

19

What Happened to the JC Bunch? Part 2: Tracking the Tribe

Part 2 of 3 - Two thousand years ago there were no lines drawn between Jewish and Christian. The earliest Christians were in fact Jews - essentially, a Jewish sect of Jesus followers. They followed Jesus and respected his teachings as if he were much like a modern-day rabbi. And they adhered to the laws of Moses - which means they circumcised, ate Kosher, and respected Saturday as the Sabbath. So why is there such a separation between Judaism and Christianity today? What happened to make these two faiths so different?

60 min

20

What Happened to the JC Bunch? Part 3: The Early Christian Underground

Part 3 of 3 - Two thousand years ago there were no lines drawn between Jewish and Christian. The earliest Christians were in fact Jews - essentially, a Jewish sect of Jesus followers. They followed Jesus and respected his teachings as if he were much like a modern-day rabbi. And they adhered to the laws of Moses - which means they circumcised, ate Kosher, and respected Saturday as the Sabbath. So why is there such a separation between Judaism and Christianity today? What happened to make these two faiths so different?

60 min

21

Babes, Brothels and Baths

Prostitution: the world’s oldest profession. The Hebrew Bible mentions prostitution in lots of places. But the juiciest sex story involving a prostitute is the one about Judah and Tamar in Genesis 38—where prostitution is the lynch pin to the whole plot. So how do you go from prostitution and non-marital sex not prohibited in the Bible, to the prudery of the New Testament. Is there anything archaeology can tell us about this shift?

60 min

22

The Beloved Disciple

Who was the Beloved Disciple? Mentioned five times in the gospel of John, but never named, scholars have speculated about the identity of the “disciple whom Jesus loved” for centuries. Could it be John himself, or Peter, or even Mary Magdalene? Or is it a code for a disciple whose identity had to remain secret? It’s a two thousand year old mystery, and the Naked Archaeologist is on the case.

60 min

23

Who Were the Danites

There’s a curious sentence in Judges 5:17, “and Dan remained in ships.” In this episode of the Naked Archaeologist we try to determine whether some of the Dan took to the sea and became part of a Mediterranean confederation of Sea Peoples. Are the Danoi, a people mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey, really the Dan? Is there any light archaeology can shed on the age old mystery of why Dan remained in ships?

60 min

24

Coat of Many Colors

Can ancient rags and roots and herbs lead us to the famous coat of many colours that the Bible tells us Joseph wore? Well, pretty close...The Naked Archaeologist takes a CSI look at remnants of ancient material, brews up some dyes made of roots and plants, and gives viewers a pretty accurate look at the coat that made Joseph's brothers so jealous.

60 min

25

Bilaam: The Story of a Talking Donkey

A talking donkey, an angel of the lord, and a curse against the Children of Israel. These are just a few of the clues that the Naked Archaeologist investigates as he uncovers archaeology about Balaam, the pagan prophet who tried to stop the Jews from entering the Holy Land.

60 min

26

Holy Threads

The Bible instructs men to wear fringes on the corners of their garments as a constant reminder of God. Can we trace these holy threads back to ancient times and learn more about their significance? One of the threads of these fringes is supposed to be a particular colour blue - made from the blood of a shellfish. In this episode Simcha and chemist Zvi Koren try to track down the dye using ancient clues and tests them with modern science.

60 min