Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
What do the laws of God have to do with the terms forced on conquered territories by tyrannical rulers? Last week we talked about Deuteronomy's rules of war and Assyrian vassalage treaties, but only scratched the surface of that lunacy! Did God copy from the notes of Assyrian rulers? Is this connection valid or a stretch? And who is S. R. Haddon?
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For early access to an ad-free version of every episode of Data Over Dogma, exclusive content, and the opportunity to support our work, please consider becoming a monthly patron at:
patreon.com/DataOverDogma
Follow us on the various social media places:
facebook.com/DataOverDogmaPod
twitter.com/data_over_dogma
Have you ordered Dan McClellan's New York Times bestselling book The Bible Says So yet???
Buy at this link: static.macmillan.com/static/smp/bible-says-so-9781250347466
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Chapters:
0:00 Intro: Data Over Dogma and today’s topic
0:47 Deuteronomy and ancient treaties
1:28 The vassal treaty of S.R. Haddon
3:44 Why S.R. Haddon matters historically
4:01 What is a vassal treaty?
5:12 How vassalage actually worked
6:34 Structure of Assyrian treaties
7:35 Divine witnesses and enforcement
8:08 Covenant “love” as loyalty language
8:45 Parallels with Deuteronomy and the Shema
9:49 Dating Deuteronomy and authorship issues
11:13 Exclusive loyalty and “no other gods”
12:40 Blessings, curses, and siege language
13:56 Graphic curse parallels
15:26 Assyrian influence on covenant theology
16:36 Fear, punishment, and belief
19:12 Coercion, incentives, and modern theology
21:06 Assyrian brutality and historical context
22:29 God modeled after empire?
22:55 Final thoughts
23:41 Wrap-up and support
____________________________________________
#podcast #oldtestament #bible #biblestudy #biblestories #biblereading #bibleteaching #religion #Jesus #jesuschrist #god #adonai #athiest #athiesm #faith #faithjourney #podcasting #podcastclips #podcastlife #podcasters #podcastshow #skeptic #skepticism #judaism #hebrew #hebrewbible #christianbible #christianity #newtestament #christian #christianity #christianityexplained #holybible #doubt #believe #believer #belief #utah #saltlakecity #lds #mormon #scholar #middleeast #israel #religious #church #assyria
What do the laws of God have to do with the terms forced on conquered territories by tyrannical rulers? Last week we talked about Deuteronomy's rules of war and Assyrian vassalage treaties, but only scratched the surface of that lunacy! Did God copy from the notes of Assyrian rulers? Is this connection valid or a stretch? And who is S. R. Haddon?
----
For early access to an ad-free version of every episode of Data Over Dogma, exclusive content, and the opportunity to support our work, please consider becoming a monthly patron at:
patreon.com/DataOverDogma
Follow us on the various social media places:
facebook.com/DataOverDogmaPod
twitter.com/data_over_dogma
Have you ordered Dan McClellan's New York Times bestselling book The Bible Says So yet???
Buy at this link: static.macmillan.com/static/smp/bible-says-so-9781250347466
_____________________________________________
Chapters:
0:00 Intro: Data Over Dogma and today’s topic
0:47 Deuteronomy and ancient treaties
1:28 The vassal treaty of S.R. Haddon
3:44 Why S.R. Haddon matters historically
4:01 What is a vassal treaty?
5:12 How vassalage actually worked
6:34 Structure of Assyrian treaties
7:35 Divine witnesses and enforcement
8:08 Covenant “love” as loyalty language
8:45 Parallels with Deuteronomy and the Shema
9:49 Dating Deuteronomy and authorship issues
11:13 Exclusive loyalty and “no other gods”
12:40 Blessings, curses, and siege language
13:56 Graphic curse parallels
15:26 Assyrian influence on covenant theology
16:36 Fear, punishment, and belief
19:12 Coercion, incentives, and modern theology
21:06 Assyrian brutality and historical context
22:29 God modeled after empire?
22:55 Final thoughts
23:41 Wrap-up and support
____________________________________________
#podcast #oldtestament #bible #biblestudy #biblestories #biblereading #bibleteaching #religion #Jesus #jesuschrist #god #adonai #athiest #athiesm #faith #faithjourney #podcasting #podcastclips #podcastlife #podcasters #podcastshow #skeptic #skepticism #judaism #hebrew #hebrewbible #christianbible #christianity #newtestament #christian #christianity #christianityexplained #holybible #doubt #believe #believer #belief #utah #saltlakecity #lds #mormon #scholar #middleeast #israel #religious #church #assyria
