Investigators Guide to the Bible Podcast
After 30 years, as a counterintelligence agent, investigator, and director of a large analytic center, Tony Devlin is turning his investigative and analytic experience toward making sense of the Bible. We will pick apart the stories you know and love, always seeking to understand what is in the Bible and what it means. Join us for the Investigators Guide to the Bible! investigatorsguidetothebible.substack.com
Episodes
35 Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury
Hey there. Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible for the final episode on the case of Joseph’s Ordeal. Take a deep breath, grab a cookie to go with your coffee, and settle in for the Summation to the Jury. If you have not figured …
34 Why We Say What We Say
Hey there. Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. It is just about put up or shut up time. We’ve talked about sources and analysis. We’ve talked about evidence and how to view it. It is time to start putting all the facts together…
33 Getting My Clocks in a Row
Investigative Timeline: Getting My Clocks in a RowHey, there. Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. This is it! Get your pens and notepads ready because this is where you get to check my notes to see if I got the timeline right. …
32 O Little Cave of Bethlehem
Hey, there. Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. When we left our intrepid couple, Mary and Joseph, they were deciding if they should move to Bethlehem. Let’s look at some more concrete reasons why a move to Bethlehem, rather th…
31 A Counting They Will Come
Hey, there. Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. It’s hard to believe we are getting to the end, but we’re not done yet! Today, we are going to talk about all of the things Luke left out of his Gospel. I know he had to jam every…
30 Shazam, It's Go Time!
Hey, there. Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. Today, we’ll talk about two events that set the stage for everything else that happens in the New Testament. It kind of feels like we should understand what really happened, right…
29 Introducing Joseph of Nazareth
Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. The prosecution is about to rest and the defense is starting to take the stage! It really is time we get to know Joseph of Nazareth. This guy has been getting a bad rap for two thousand years…
28 Introducing Mary of Nazareth
Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. I feel like I’ve been building up to these next three episodes forever! So, let’s stop wasting time. There is probably no more controversial subject in Christianity than Mary, the mother of J…
27 O Little Town of...Nazareth?
Hey, there. Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. We ended last time in the hills of Galilee so let’s move west of there to a little town called Nazareth! I have to be honest. When I started this investigation, I never realized h…
26 The Essenes: The Hills Are Alive!
Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. We will stay on the topic of the Essenes one more time to explain what was going on with these guys around the rest of first century Israel. It could get a little weird! We’ll challenge a lon…
25 The Essenes: Beyond the Scrolls
Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. I thought we would get out of Jerusalem this episode, but we have to clean up a few of the controversies, first. So, we’ll stick around Jerusalem, wander over to Qumran, and hit the points in…
24 Dead Sea Scrolling
Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. In a wildly exciting episode, we’ll talk about dusty old scrolls, treasure hunts, and hidden secrets of ancient Israel. I’m already captivated, how about you? Like and subscribe for new episo…
23 I Scribe, Therefore I Am
Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. We’ll stick around Jerusalem for one more episode and close out our deep dive into the nonstop party that was the religious scene in ancient Israel, two thousand years ago. I'm Tony, I'm the …
22 The Pharisees: The OG Deep State
Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. We are still hanging out in Bad Guy Central, this time, to learn about the Pharisees. Let’s see if I can dredge up a detail or two you didn’t know about them. I'm Tony, I'm the author, and th…
21 The Sadducees: Who's Who In The Zoo, Too
Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. This episode, we dive into Bad Guy Central and learn about the Sadducees. Boo! Hiss! Let’s see if all the bad stories about them are true. Like and subscribe for new episodes. Share the episo…
20 Who's Who In The Zoo
Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. This episode, we cover the Sanhedrin, Snidely Whiplash and answer the age-old question, “Can we end world hunger with a Vatican yard sale?” We’ll probably throw a couple other stories in, too…
19 Is Prophecy Reliable?
Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. We’ll take one more pass at the Prophets and lay out why we should pay any attention to them, at all. If you like prophets, this should be a hoot! If you don’t like prophets, come on! It’ll s…
18 Jesus and Operations Security
Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. We’re back in prophecy world where we’ll ask the age-old question, “Lord, why won’t you just tell us what You want us to know?” What’s the worst that could happen? We promise we won’t be sitt…
17 Forward Into the Past!
Last time, I promised a trip in the Wayback Machine because, obviously, only going back two thousand years might be getting passee. If we’re going to understand what happened in ancient Israel, though, we have to go back to even more ancien…
16 Nobody Saw Nothin'!
Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. We need to slow down a bit in this episode and develop a witness list. Who should we question when any witnesses related to this case would be, um...dead? Did any of the people who interacted…
15 Not So Fast, Smart Guy!
What is an Investigative Plan and how do you put one together? More importantly, how does it pertain to Biblical research? Join us this episode to take some time to build a convincing case, along with some wildly entertaining stories that m…
14 You're All Wrong!
Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. So far, there are seven reasons why Saint Joseph might have wanted to divorce Mary. The suspense is building. Are there other theories? Can I convince you that two thousand years of super sma…
13 Ordeal: What Went Wrong?
Hey, there. Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. In today’s episode, we finally get to start tearing into Joseph’s Ordeal. Mary and Joseph had the perfect life planned until.....something changed. What went wrong, up in sunny, s…
12 The Lay of the Land
Today’s episode of the Investigators Guide to the Bible is called “The Lay of the Land.” Let’s dig into some of the backstory for The Greatest Story Ever Told. Why do Matthew and Luke give completely different family trees for Jesus? Is it …
11 Prelude To Ordeal
Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. Today’s episode is called “Prelude to Ordeal.” Ooh, suspenseful! So let me ask you: what do Scriptural analysis, spy stories, a Pixar movie and the zombie apocalypse have in common? I managed…
10 Knock, Knock, Knockin' On Temple's Door
Hey, there. Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible, the blogpod for people who read the Bible and say...What?...what does THAT mean? I am super excited to get started and share something with you today. As I was prepping for this w…
9 Conspiracies and Stuff
Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. Today’s episode is called “Conspiracies and Stuff.” Okay, now we’re getting somewhere! Like we did in the last couple episodes, we will cover some of the good and some of the bad you will fin…
8 Evidence, Part 2
Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. Today’s episode is called “Evidence, Part 2,” which is my catchy little naming device to clue you into the possibility that there was a Part 1 and might even be a Part 3! Does it get any bett…
7 Evidence, Part 1
Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. Today’s episode is called “Evidence, Part 1.” I hope these few episodes give you some tools to sift through the billions of sources, all claiming to give you the inside scoop on what happened…
6 Reading Statements Horizontally
Hey, there. Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. Today’s episode is called “Reading Statements Horizontally,” and your response should be, “Um, yeah, reading statements horizontally is generally what we do. Most of us have been …
5 Vetting Your Sources
Notes and References1  Charlesworth, James H., and Mordekhai Aviʿam. "Reconstructing First-Century Galilee: Reflections on Ten Major Problems." Jesus Research: New Methodologies and Perceptions: 103-137. United Kingdom: Eerdmans Publishing …
3 Asking Good Questions
Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. Today’s episode is called “Asking Good Questions,” where we will talk about asking questions; why we should ask them and even what kind of questions to ask. As always, I will throw in a coupl…
4 Choosing Good Sources
Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. Today’s episode is called “Choosing Good Sources,” where I will talk about some of the primary sources I use on the page and why we should or should not trust them. I also get to use cool wor…
2 Setting the Scene
Welcome to the Investigators Guide to the Bible. Today’s episode is called “Setting the Scene,” where I try to explain why I decided to talk about something other than what I told you I would talk about in this episode. I’m Tony. I’m the au…
1 Getting Started
After 30 years, as a counterintelligence agent, investigator, and director of a large analytic center, Tony Devlin is turning his investigative and analytic experience toward making sense of the Bible. We will pick apart the stories you kno…