The Mountain E2 — Ancient Israel’s neighbors believed that the world originated as a mountain rising up out of the chaos waters. The gods ruled from this great cosmic mountain, fighting battles with nature and issuing decrees that kept the world in order. So how did this surrounding culture impact the cosmology of the Bible? In this episode, Jon and Tim discuss what the cosmic mountain meant in the Ancient Near Eastern context and how the biblical authors adapted and subverted this symbol in surprising ways.
View more resources on our website →
Timestamps
- Chapter 1: Recap and Intro to Cosmic Mountains in the Ancient Near East (0:00-6:52)
- Chapter 2: Egyptian and Mesopotamian Cosmic Mountains (6:52-17:54)
- Chapter 3: Canaanite and Phoenician Cosmic Mountains (17:54-28:17)
- Chapter 4: Psalm 48: The True Cosmic Mountain (28:17-38:40)
Referenced Resources
- The Cosmic Mountain in Canaan and the Old Testament by Richard J. Clifford
- “The Common Temple Ideology of the Ancient Near East” by John M. Lundquist
- Check out Tim’s library here.
- You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.
Show Music
- “Are We There Yet?” by The Bridge, Efechto & D. Steele
- “Lozari” by L’indécis
- “Lily (Floriana)” by Timothy Brindle
- BibleProject theme song by TENTS
Show Credits
Production of today's episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer. Aaron Olsen edited today’s episode and also provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie.
Powered and distributed by Simplecast.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Male Room with Dr. Jesse Mills
As Director of The Men’s Clinic at UCLA, Dr. Jesse Mills has spent his career helping men understand their bodies, their hormones, and their health. Now he’s bringing that expertise to The Male Room — a podcast where data-driven medicine meets common sense. Each episode separates fact from hype, science from snake oil, and gives men the tools to live longer, stronger, and happier lives. With candor, humor, and real-world experience from the exam room and the operating room, Dr. Mills breaks down the latest health headlines, dissects trends, and explains what actually works — and what doesn’t. Smart, straightforward, and entertaining, The Male Room is the show that helps men take charge of their health without the jargon.