What did the ancient world really believe about the gods? And how did humanity move from countless divine beings to the bold claim that there is only one God?

In this episode of The Dig In Podcast, Pastor Johnny Ova sits down with Dr. Michael Hundley, professor of Religious Studies at the University of Memphis and Ph.D. graduate of the University of Cambridge. Dr. Hundley’s research focuses on the intersection of the human and the divine in the Hebrew Bible and the ancient Near East. He has taught at Georgetown, Syracuse, and other universities, and is the author of several books exploring how ancient cultures understood gods, divine councils, and the rise of monotheism.

Together they unpack:

• The religious landscape of the ancient Near East before Israel
• Why Israel’s God stood apart in a world full of competing deities
• The role of wars, exile, and empire in shaping faith and exclusivity
• How angels, demons, and divine councils fit into the bigger picture
• Why monotheism still influences culture, morality, and identity today

This conversation will change the way you think about the Bible, ancient faith, and the story of how one God came to stand against the gods.

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Today on The Dig In Podcast, Johnny Ova welcomes Dr. Guy MacLean Rogers, one of the world’s leading historians of the ancient world, for a deep dive into the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 AD. This is the moment that forever changed Jewish life, shook the Roman Empire, and influenced the rise of Christianity.

Dr. Rogers is Professor of History and Classical Studies at Wellesley College. He earned his PhD in Classics from Princeton University, has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Philosophical Society, and All Souls College, Oxford, and is an award-winning author. His acclaimed book, For the Freedom of Zion: The Great Revolt of the Jews against Rome, 66–74 CE (Yale University Press), was named an Outstanding Academic Title by Choice. You can grab it here: https://a.co/d/chKjInN

In this conversation we explore:

• The explosive tensions that led from uneasy peace to open revolt in Judea
• Josephus, Roman inscriptions, and archaeology as our key sources
• Messianic and apocalyptic expectations in the first century
• The siege of Jerusalem and the burning of the temple under Titus
• How Rome celebrated this “victory” and what it meant for the empire
• How Jewish life shifted from sacrifice to scripture after the temple’s destruction
• The ripple effects on the early Christian movement

This is not just history, it’s the story of identity, empire, and faith colliding in one of the most dramatic turning points of the ancient world.

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What did worship in ancient Israel actually sound like? Were the Psalms quiet devotionals, or loud, communal songs that echoed through the temple courts? In this episode, Dr. Kevin Foth, Academic Dean at Prairie College and author of Semantics and Poetics of the Righteous and the Wicked in the Psalms, joins Johnny Ova to bring the Psalms to life.

Together they explore how the Psalms were sung, the instruments and voices that may have filled the temple, and how these songs carried Israel through exile, injustice, and joy. We also dive into why lament was central to worship, how Israel wrestled with God’s silence, and why these ancient songs still challenge and comfort us today.

📖 Check out Dr. Foth’s book here

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