Season 3: Episode 98
The Madness of King Nebuchadnezzar
Date Aired: 1/28/2025
To the authors of the Hebrew Bible, King Nebuchadnezzar was a grade-A jerk. In the sixth century BCE, he and his army sacked Jerusalem, destroyed the first temple and carried the Judahites into exile in Babylon. All of that stuff actually happened, but things really start to get wild in the book of Daniel. In that much later text, Nebuchadnezzar goes mad, grows feathers and eats grass for seven years. Where did that colorful story come from and does it have any basis in reality? Today’s guest Peter Atkins has some pretty intriguing theories! Peter is the author of The Animalising Affliction of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4: Reading across the Human-Animal Boundary.
Listen to the episode on the Biblical Time Machine website or wherever you get your podcasts.
Disclaimer: The Society of Biblical Literature is not responsible for the content of this podcast. The opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Society of Biblical Literature, its members, or its staff.
