Podcasts by Tales from Sacred Texts
The world is built on stories. From the beginning of time, humans have immersed themselves in legends and myth. When God himself wanted to explain to us what he was like, he didn’t push elaborate treatises, but instead told stories about humanity. In this podcast, I tackle the concept of religion through stories and legends. Told through a 21st century lens, I explain to religious and non-religious people alike the stories that lie at the very heart of the belief that maybe there is a God, and maybe he really is good. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/talesfromsacredtexts/support
Further podcasts by Caleb Howard
Podcast on the topic Religion
All episodes
323 - David: Hell to Pay from 2023-02-24T06:00:58
In the season 3 finale, we finally wrap up the story of David and Bathsheba as God steps in to wake King David out of his stupor. As he realizes the enormity of what he's done, David becomes ove...
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322 - David: Tyson vs. Douglas from 2023-02-03T06:00:58
Episode #50! David returns, but maybe we wish he hadn't. This story forever mars our unblemished view of the former shepherd boy, as David shows he will not stop at anything—including intrigue, ...
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321 - Holy War: Cry Uncle from 2023-01-13T06:00:36
Things get really bad for Diabolical and the people of Mansoul when God gets word of the demonic invasion. The result is a war of misinformation and fake news as Diabolical and his lackey, Will,...
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320 - Holy War: Impostor Syndrome from 2022-12-30T06:00:13
A demon troupe takes their first stab at doing evil when they attempt to trick the residents of the glorious city of Mansoul. They have nefarious plans for the city—and for God. Each of the city...
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319 - Daniel: Here, Kitty Kitty from 2022-11-11T06:00:45
Ever had co-worker trouble? Well, Daniel and his friends have co-workers that are constantly trying to get them tortured to death for just minding their business and worshiping their own God. Be...
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Supplemental: (Partly) Iron Man from 2022-11-10T06:00:10
An ancient world ruler's dream sends the kingdom into upheaval as the king erratically decides that he's going to torture his soothsayers to death for no good reason at all. Daniel shows up at t...
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318 - Ruth: Feet from 2022-10-07T05:00:33
How much feet is too much when it comes to romance? Apparently, there's no limit to the number of feet needed to tell a love story. Ruth is an inspiring story of love and loyalty framed by an au...
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317 - Holy Lance: Magna Carta from 2022-08-19T05:00:07
As promised, we've finally got a whole episode developed to relics. More specifically, one of the most famous relics. In this wild tale, a guy who really should have been on disability ...
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316 - Nehushtan: Rod of Asclepius from 2022-08-05T05:00:27
The Hebrews, once again, have gotten themselves in huge trouble, and this time it's a giant metal snake that bails them out. Themes of the gospel run from this story to an encounter between Jesu...
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315 - Jonah: Wellerman from 2022-07-22T05:00:05
A small-time prophet is ordered by God to warn a city full of brutal tyrants that their city is about to burn. Not wanting to be tortured to death, he tries to get as far away from the tyrannica...
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314 - Balaam: Wish Fulfillment from 2022-07-08T05:00:26
When given the once in the history of the world opportunity to talk to his pet, Balaam chooses absolutely the wrong words. Balaam is an absolute jerk to both his donkey and to God, but he's still s...
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313 - Daniel: Handwriting on the Wall from 2022-06-24T05:00:02
The book of Daniel recounts the stories of two proud and oppressive kings; one who changes his ways while another doubles down on his capricious nature. In both stories, God has to step in and d...
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312 - David: Seekers of the Lost Ark from 2022-06-10T05:00:31
We finish David's story arc (pun intended) with his attempt to establish himself as King and bring the Ark of the Covenant to his new capital city. David faces intrigue from within, challenges f...
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311 - David: God Help the Outcasts from 2022-05-13T05:00:42
The priests are dead, Saul is hunting David like a wild animal, and there seems to be no hope that David and his men will ever lead normal lives, but David refuses to give up his idealism. David wi...
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2022 Trailer from 2022-04-22T06:12:37
I briefly describe what my listeners can expect from Tales from Sacred Texts going forward and encourage everyone to check out this new season of my podcast.
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310 - David: Order 66 from 2022-04-22T05:00:37
The king of Israel brutally slaughters the priests of Yahweh, and we take a look back through time to figure out what led to such a horrifying event. We meet an ordinary boy who saves his countr...
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309 - Gideon: 300 from 2022-03-04T06:00
When all seems lost for the Hebrews, overrun by fearsome and brutal enemies, a young upstart destroys a national monument in support of one of the regional gods and claims Yahweh has given him a...
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308 - Xanthippe & Polyxena: Odyssey from 2022-02-18T06:00
Xanthippe discovers a new religion full of men that she fancies. The issue, of course, is that she's married. She tries to join the religion, but is hindered by her husband and demons of all sor...
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307 - Pilgrim's Progress: Giant Problems from 2022-02-04T06:00
The two pilgrims, still trapped in Giant Despair's dungeon, make their desperate bid for freedom. They exploit his greatest weakness to get back on the path to the Celestial City, where they mee...
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306 - Pilgrim's Progress: Kangaroo Court from 2022-01-21T06:00
The Pilgrim encounters his latest challenge in the form of a court unlike any you will ever see where the judge and jury are overtly evil. Judge Hate-Good pronounces his sentence, a new characte...
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305 - Pilgrim's Progress: Devil May Cry from 2021-12-17T05:00
The Pilgrim ups the stakes of his Progress by fighting one demon, and then an entire valley of them. After making it through the gauntlet of demonic beings desperate to destroy him, the Pilgrim ...
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304 - Pilgrim's Progress: This is the Way from 2021-12-03T06:00
The first episode in my re-telling of Pilgrim's Progress, an epic tale by John Bunyan of a man who finds his way to Heaven while meeting a lot of people whose names aptly describe their characters,...
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303 - Esther: A Fool for a Client from 2021-10-08T05:00
Watch anti-Semites get their comeuppance as the corrupt but somewhat incompetent Haman, who loves being worshipped and has it in for the Jews, makes a easily hateable villain as he meets his doo...
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302 - Huss and Jerome: Through the Fire and Flames from 2021-09-24T05:00
Two men believe that the church is corrupt and start preaching Jesus Christ. Unsurprisingly, the traditionalists don't like it, and order the two men tortured to death. The brave men refuse to g...
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301 - Jehu: Red Wedding from 2021-09-10T05:00
A oddly-dressed traveling prophet convinces Jehu to overthrow Ahab's dynasty, which he does with a combination of crazy driving, intimidation, trickery, and throwing a woman out a window. Jehu t...
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Season 3 Trailer from 2021-08-17T23:00
Here's what's coming up in Season 3!
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215 - Some Notes on Faith: Rock Hyraxes from 2021-08-13T04:00
For all the stories from the Bible I've told and all the times I've mentioned that Christianity will lead to more happiness here on earth, I've never really explained what following Jesus means,...
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214 - Prodigal Son: Fire in Bone from 2021-08-06T04:00
A young son gets a bit overconfident in his ability to manage money and forces his dad to give him coin on the threat of death. We examine the love of a father as despite the son's horrific acti...
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Supplemental - Apocalypse: A Hell of a Re-recording from 2021-07-30T04:00
A re-recording of one of my favorite episodes. We join Jesus and Peter on a rollicking journey from the Mount of Olives to Heaven to the depths of Hell and we find out the punishment that high p...
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213 - Golden Calf: The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors from 2021-06-25T04:00
With Moses gone into the mountains to see Yahweh, the Hebrews freak out that he isn't coming back and feel like insulting Yahweh by making a new god is the best option in this situation. They ma...
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Supplemental: Say Shibboleth from 2021-06-18T05:00
We mention Jephthah's use of the word Shibboleth to identify fleeing members of a rival tribe. This supplemental explores in detail the use of similar words and catchphrases as passwords through...
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212 - Jephthah: Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things from 2021-06-18T04:00
A bastard rises up the ranks to be the leader of his people. In an attempt to thank God for his recent change in status, he does a stupid but absolutely run-of-the-mill act for the book of Judges t...
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211 - Eternal Torment: One Hell of a Bird from 2021-06-11T04:00
In this unusual episode, I will be taking a strong position on debunking Eternal Conscious Torment, the theory that sinners will be tormented forever and ever. It is unbiblical and [should be] h...
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210 - Samson: We'd Eat You Up (We Love You So) from 2021-06-04T04:00
Give a self-absorbed man who only cares about booze and prostitutes superpowers during intense tribal warfare and see what happens! That's basically what happens in the book of Judges and SPOILE...
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209 - Tobit: Tomorrow Holds Such Better Days from 2021-04-16T17:45:38
This is a reboot of the Tobit story because I sold the story so short the first time. Tobias quests for a wife and some cash aided by magical fish entrails, an angel companion who gives him advi...
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208 - Job: I Thought the Book of Job Was a Job from 2021-01-01T05:00
Job's life becomes a nightmare overnight as mysterious tragedies happen one right after the other. Job bewails his misery, but is not aware that his problems are much bigger than himself. He has...
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207 - Judas: The Madness Within from 2020-12-25T05:00
A man who spent three years of his life hanging out with God Himself decides to sell out. What brought him to this point? And if someone that close to Jesus wasn't safe from falling to temptatio...
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206 - Korah: Insurgent from 2020-12-18T06:00:25
Using the Caleb and Joshua debacle to their advantage, three Hebrews try to take command and kill Moses and Aaron. God, who is used to this kind of thing by now, does everything he can to help them...
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205 - Caleb: Only the Young Can Break Away from 2020-12-05T06:00
There is unrest in the camp of Israel as there is a dispute about whether entering the Promised Land is safe. When a mob forms, God is forced to intervene, but a lot of people aren't happy with ...
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204 - Josephus: Trickster from 2020-10-09T04:00
Josephus saves his own life at the cost of his people and gets his name in a math textbook as a result. This episode examines the story and legacy of one of the most prolific and accurate ancien...
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203 - Judith: Poisonous Lipstick from 2020-07-17T04:00
A feel-good story about a Jewish woman defeating evil and creepy invaders using a rather common trope about women. It's an attempt at a strong female lead, and we discuss whether or not the stor...
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202 - Ehud: Power of One from 2020-07-03T04:00
A Hebrew outcast has a nefarious plan for an obese tyrant, and a young prince goes up single-handed against one of the biggest military machines of his day.
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201 - Ahab: Dress Up from 2020-06-19T04:00:45
Ahab returns to commit another crime and gets caught by our old friend, Elijah. Two prophets warn him of impending doom, but will Ahab listen or continue to brazenly rebel against God? --- This ...
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113 - Apocalypse: A Hell of a Time from 2020-01-23T05:00
In this equally ridiculous prequel to the Acts of Peter, Peter gets to visit heaven and hell. He gets to see what Jesus and his angels get up to in their spare time, and learns what horrors wait...
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112 - Gibeah: The Violence Inherent in the System (Of Anarchy) from 2020-01-09T05:00
In possibly the darkest story in the Bible, one man's quest to win back his wife turns into something out of a nightmare. The entire country gets involved in a twisted tale of violence, mayhem, ...
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Supplemental: There Be Basilisks from 2019-12-19T06:00
I mentioned the basilisk in my previous episode, here's a little more historical background on their place in legends and myths from the Middle Ages. In addition to creating the Sahara desert, t...
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111 - Patrick: Parselmouth from 2019-12-19T05:00
Patrick argues with legendary warriors and talks with snakes in this episode of fantastical tales of Saint Paddy's life. There's a bonus section with ridiculous Christmas gift recommendations if th...
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110 - Patrick: Six Years a Slave from 2019-12-12T05:00
We introduce the legends of Patrick with the story of a young English boy and his enslavement by the Irish. The stories of Patrick escalate from normal and believable to some pretty crazy magic ...
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109 - Daniel: Elementary, My Dear Watson from 2019-12-05T08:00
Daniel is constantly proving to be a voice of reason in Babylon, thinking of very obvious things that nobody else seems to be capable of considering, and discovering stunning new evidence that coul...
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108 - Moses: His Judgment Cometh, and That Right Soon from 2019-11-21T08:00
Moses and Aaron step up from magic staff-snakes to full-scale plagues that devastate the country. The Pharaoh will give up basically anything, including his own country, to keep his slaves. How man...
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107 - Moses: There and Back Again from 2019-11-14T08:00
The Pharaoh, in his fear of a slave uprising, unwittingly creates the very leader that will free the slaves. God teaches this leader to do some very interesting things to gain the respect of Heb...
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106 - Women: Sic Semper Tyrannis from 2019-11-07T05:00:33
Two tyrants from the book of Judges go up against women, and both heroes and villains feel that their masculinity is challenged by the women taking an active role. --- This episode is sponsored ...
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105 - Elijah: Weather Wizard from 2019-10-31T04:14:37
Elijah is a prophet of Yahweh who is constantly antagonizing the king, the people, and the prophets of Baal. He learns how to deal with lack of food, ridicule people from other religions, a...
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104 - Tobit: Fish Ex Machina from 2019-10-24T04:00
Tobias, on his quest with the angel, finds a fish that is the cure to all of his troubles, and Sarah, plagued by a demon, desperately prays for a solution. The angel finds a surprising way to de...
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103 - Peter: You Can't Lock Up the Darkness from 2019-10-17T06:00
Peter uses dark magic to wreak havoc on the lives of people, and particularly to keep women in their place. When a miracle-working deceiver shows up in town, it is up to Peter to prove that he i...
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102 - Dinah: Revenge is Best Served Violent from 2019-10-17T05:00
After Dinah is taken advantage of by a local man, her brothers look for revenge, and they find it in a bizarre, over-the-top way by taking advantage of the gullible locals. The only problem is t...
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101 - Tobit: What's His Family Name from 2019-10-17T04:00
Tobit does some good deeds that get him into a lot of trouble, and he sends his son Tobias questing to solve all their family problems. But he wants to make sure that Tobias picks somebody from ...
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100 - Trailer from 2019-10-17T01:00
Here's what this podcast is all about and some of the stuff you can look forward to if you keep listening!
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