Episode Notes We say goodbye to Daddy Jacob, and in his final moments he blesses all of his sons--though some of them seem a little more like curses to us. We follow Jacob and Joseph to the ends of their lives in Egypt, and that's where we leave the Israelite tribe at the end of the Book of Genesis. We discuss family forgiveness as queer people, and draw on not only Joseph but also Saint Dolly Parton to explore dynamics of power and grace in the act of forgiving and coming out. Next time in the Season Finale, we'll discuss the entire book of Genesis with special guest Joy Ladin! Looking forwar ..read more

The Joseph cycle continues. Now Joseph is the second most powerful person in the known world, and his brother's have fallen on hard times. When they show up in Egypt to beg for food, they don't recognize Joseph, but he sure does recognize them. He decides to have some fun at their expense, but he can't fully hide that the sight of his family moves him to tears. Once again, Sue is well-versed due to Misters Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. J, David, and Sue discuss how this story brings up our adult queer kid feelings of familial rejection and complicated familial love. How does our relationsh ..read more

We're back to the story of Joseph, as our young dreamer finds himself in Egypt in the service of a eunuch named Potiphar. While Joseph distinguishes himself via his excellent leadership skills, his luck doesn't last long, and he eventually winds up in prison. Will his dream-interpretation skills come to the rescue? We consider midrashic thoughts about castration, discuss which boy band Joseph would belong to, and debate how much he has in common with Bella from Twilight. Sue knows an uncanny amount about this story due to a certain musical by a certain Andrew Lloyd Webber, so the format is sli ..read more

It's another challenging episode as we look at the story of Dinah. Leah and Jacob's only daughter, Dinah, is "violated" by a prince of Shechem. The young man then offers to pay her bride price to Jacob and his sons, who despise the foreigner. They request that everyone in town get circumcised in exchange for Dinah's hand in marriage, and while the townsmen are recovering, Dinah's brothers, Simeon and Levi, murder every male in the city. While this story is often called "the r*pe of Dinah," scholars and writers point out that in the text, Dinah's consent is not the issue at stake--it is in fact ..read more

We have arrived at one of the most iconically queer scenes in the book of Genesis, but first, Jacob is reunited with his estranged brother, Esau, whom he screwed over so long ago. They make up, much to everyone's relief, but Jacob isn't ready to follow his brother home. Instead, he waits by the river where a tall, mysterious stranger wrestles with him till dawn. When he comes out of the situation, he's a new man with a new name and a limp. David discusses the fluidity of Jacob's identity and name change while J is characteristically obsessed with ancient penises. The hosts also discuss modern ..read more

Episode Notes The sun sets on Sarah and Abraham's time as matriarch and patriarch, and in their place, we meet, Rebekah, a buff twink maiden who will determine the course of the future. Rebekah and Isaac meet and fall in love instantly, and they bury Isaac's parents before setting up their new life together. We see a THIRD sister/wife story, this time with Rebekah and Isaac, and at Dad's funeral Isaac's estranged half-brother Ishmael returns. We discuss the possibility of ancient gender fluidity as reflected in an evolving language, as Rebekah might not fit neatly into a modern gender binary s ..read more

Episode Notes J, Sue, and David catch up on personal life developments from the past year, including a new human and a marriage! Then they outline what the next season of It's in the Book: A Queer Bible Podcast has in store--we will FINISH the book of Genesis! Mark your calendars for Wednesday, September 14th, 2022, because that's when the first full episode of season 2 will drop. Can't wait to get into this ancient family drama with you all! Find out more at https://its-in-the-book.pinecast.co ..read more

How do we make meaning from a 3000-year-old story that asks a father to kill his son and rewards him for being willing? We discuss real and metaphorical child sacrifice in ancient religion and ask what it means to be religious if not to be comforted. We also see a series wrap on Hagar and Ishmael, who get pretty close to a happy-ever-after ending, at least in biblical terms. We will see you next fall with Season 2 and the second half of Genesis. Until then, feel free to find J. Sylvan on instagram at j.sylvan.themself, or sign up for the mailing list for Beloved King: A Queer Bible Musical at ..read more

A special interlude episode looking at the biblical Annunciations of unnatural children such as Isaac and Jesus. And Sue and J have an annunciation of their own... David is on vacation this week. We'll be back May 12th with The Binding of Isaac. Find out more at https://its-in-the-book.pinecast.co ..read more

Episode Notes In another challenging story, J, David, and Sue begin to look at the two Abrahamic Covenant stories and the story in between them: that of Hagar the Handmaid. Hagar can be read as an early touchstone character for marginalized people, enslaved people, and abuse survivors, and we'll do an imperfect job of exploring some of these themes. We will wrestle with a story that doesn't end the way we want it to, and another that's nearly inscrutable. We float cancelling God. But it's not all depressing. We learn of David's time working at a Brazier Dairy Queen (which has nothing to do wit ..read more