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Magic, Death, and Necromancy with Justin McDaniel

**Warning: This episode contains potentially disturbing content!** On this episode of the Black Beryl, I sit down with Justin McDaniel, a scholar of Theravada Buddhist literature and art. Together we explore the darker side of Thai Buddhism,...

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Ayesha Jalal, "Muslim Enlightened Thought in South Asia" (Routledge, 2025)

In Ayesha Jalal’s latest work Muslim Enlightened Thought in South Asia (Routledge, 2024) readers are introduced to the “roshan khayali” (enlightened thought) of South Asian Muslim thinkers spanning from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. In...

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Angela Roskop Erisman, "The Wilderness Narratives in the Hebrew Bible: Religion, Politics, and Biblical Interpretation" (Cambridge UP, 2024)

What is the function of the wilderness narratives for understanding the Pentateuch and Israel and Judah’s historical experience? Drawing from literary and historical criticism, Angela Erisman creates a synthesis to offer a novel journey through the...

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Episode 96: "Render Unto Caesar" with Congressperson Eric Swalwell

This week we're talking government on the Data Over Dogma show, and woof! It's a doozy! First, we're going into the belly of the beast and talking to and actual, honest-to-goodness United States congressperson. Eric Swalwell has a D next to his...

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Cyrus Ali Zargar, "The Ethics of Karbala: Myths, Modernity, and Virtues of Nobility" (Routledge, 2024)

The Ethics of Karbala: Myths, Modernity, and Virtues of Nobility (Routledge, 2024) investigates the relationship between sacred narratives and the development of character. Focusing on the warrior ethos expressed in accounts of the Battle of...

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Shmuel Goldin, "Unlocking the Haggada: The Complete Haggada With In-Depth Commentary" (OU Press, 2018)

Who wrote the Haggada? Is there a thematic roadmap to the structure of the Seder? Why is the meal eaten in the middle of Hallel? These and many more questions could be asked in one's struggle to discern what the Seder is really about. All the more...