The Bible Rules
2014 · Vice TV · 60 min · 1 season
S01E06 · Ancient Slavery
Mon, 21 Apr, 12:00 pm
Whether in Rome or Greece, Egypt or Israel, human beings lived under bondage, but there were surprising laws in place to regulate the practice
About
Everyone knows the Bible has Ten Commandments, but there are, in fact, more than 2000 additional rules and laws in its pages. These rules govern almost every sphere of human activity, from love and war to food and drink and from how to pray to what to wear. Yet they are also a portal to the ancient world, opening a window on civilizations that vanished thousands of years ago, whether Rome, Egypt or Mesopotamia. Each rule launches an investigation into a lost landscape of history, shining a light on the way peoples in distant times lived, loved, thought and fought. For instance, if a rule warns people that "he who curses his parents should be put to death", the show will explore the historical reality lying behind that surprising command, delving into ancient parenthood and the role of curses in that time.
Episodes
- E01
The Curse
Mon, 17 Mar· 60 minExplore the ways ancient people attempted to control the dark forces in their lives. It's a launch pad for a deep investigation into the mindset of people who walked the earth millennia ago.
- E02
Sex
Mon, 24 Mar· 60 minDecode the world in which the Bible's often bizarre rules about sex were established to u how everything from Greek statues to mortality rates influenced the reality of human sexual relations.
- E03
War
Mon, 31 Mar· 60 minThe Bible forbids Israelite armies from cutting down the trees of enemy cities. Is this a clue to a 3000-year-old green movement or is something else going on here? Hint: It's all about the olives.
- E04
Ancient Vice
Mon, 7 Apr· 60 minIt comes as no surprise the Bible has a lot to say on the subject of alcoholic beverages. Yet wine and spirits played a very different role in the ancient world than they do today.
- E05
False Prophets
Mon, 14 Apr· 60 minPlunge into a world of otherworldly gods, who had to be fed, clothed and coddled by their believers.
- E06
Ancient Slavery
Mon, 21 Apr· 60 minWhether in Rome or Greece, Egypt or Israel, human beings lived under bondage, but there were surprising laws in place to regulate the practice
Cast
Jake Robards
Narrator