Podcast · Devotional & Spiritual

History's Last Stand

by Premier · English · Devotional & Spiritual

History is under siege. In History’s Last Stand, Michael Bird brings leading historians into lively, accessible conversations about the people, events and ideas that shaped our world. From ancient empires, biblical and Church history, Rome, the Crusades and the Reformation to revolutions, wars and m

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 38 min
Latest: 14 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

14 Oct 2026 · 35 minNew

The stolen Gospel scandal: An Oxford professor and First Century Mark w/ Stephen Carlson

Was a sensational discovery of the earliest Gospel of Mark too good to be true?When rumours emerged of a first-century fragment of Mark's Gospel, biblical scholars and Christian apologists were electrified. Such a discovery could bring us astonishingly close to the original New Testament writings. But the manuscript's story took an extraordinary turn.Dr. Mike Bird is joined by Dr Stephen Carlson of Australian Catholic University to investigate the First Century Mark controversy, involving a renowned Oxford papyrologist, American manuscript collectors, allegations of stolen antiquities and a…

Play episodeWhatsApp Download

Earlier episodes 12 most recent

7 Oct 2026 · 30 min
The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife: How a biblical forgery fooled the experts
Did Jesus have a wife? For a brief moment, a tiny piece of ancient-looking papyrus appeared to offer extraordinary new evidence. The so-called Gospel of Jesus’ Wife was unveiled by a Harvard scholar and made headlines around the world. But there was a problem: the fragment was almost certainly a modern forgery. New Testament scholar Stephen Carlson joins Mike Bird to uncover the extraordinary story behind the papyrus. How did suspicious Coptic, material copied from the internet and a mysterious collector eventually expose the hoax? And what does the scandal reveal about money, academic…
1 Oct 2026 · 49 min
The Secret Gospel of Mark: Christianity’s Greatest Hoax?
A lost gospel. A missing manuscript. And an extraordinary accusation of forgery.Mike Bird talks to New Testament scholar Stephen Carlson about the Secret Gospel of Mark, the sensational text discovered by Morton Smith in 1958.Was it an authentic window into early Christianity, an ancient fake, or an elaborate modern hoax?Carlson reveals the linguistic clues, anachronisms and apparent “Easter eggs” that led him to make the case against one of biblical scholarship’s most controversial discoveries.Subscribe & Support👉 Support thought-provoking conversations and help keep the show going at…
23 Sep 2026 · 43 min
Artemis, Paul and “saved through childbearing” | Sandra Glahn
Why does Paul say women will be “saved through childbearing”? Mike Bird is joined by Dr Sandra Glahn, author of Nobody’s Mother, to explore Artemis of Ephesus, one of the ancient world’s most powerful goddesses. They uncover a cult intertwined with childbirth, magic, wealth and civic life, and ask how understanding Artemis changes the way we read Acts 19 and 1 Timothy. Was Paul’s controversial teaching about women understood very differently by its first-century audience? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
17 Sep 2026 · 21 min
Bonhoeffer’s legacy: The martyr the Nazis couldn’t silence
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed by the Nazi regime in April 1945. But his death was only the beginning of his extraordinary influence.In the final episode of this three-part series, Mike Bird talks to Bonhoeffer expert John McCabe about what happened after his execution, why many Germans initially regarded him as a traitor, and how his writings eventually made him one of the most influential Christian thinkers of the 20th century.They explore Bonhoeffer’s continuing influence on Christians confronting authoritarianism, apartheid and political oppression, including his surprising legacy…
10 Sep 2026 · 45 min
Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s final days: Did he really plot to kill Hitler?
Mike Bird continues his conversation with historian John McCabe, tracing Bonhoeffer’s involvement in the German resistance and reconstructing the extraordinary final days before his execution.Bonhoeffer had once seriously considered studying nonviolence with Gandhi. Yet faced with Hitler’s regime, he came to support the terrible choice that the Führer had to be removed. McCabe explains what Bonhoeffer actually knew, how deeply he was connected to the resistance and why the Gestapo eventually arrested him. Then the story becomes a dramatic countdown through a collapsing Germany: overcrowded…
2 Sep 2026 · 39 min
Bonhoeffer Historian: "The Film Invented A Different Man"
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a pastor, theologian and opponent of Hitler who was executed by the Nazis aged just 39. But has the Bonhoeffer of history become obscured by the Bonhoeffer of legend?Mike Bird is joined by historian John McCabe for the first of three episodes exploring Bonhoeffer’s life and death.They discuss the Confessing Church, his radical seminary at Finkenwalde, his decision to return to Germany as war approached and the difficult line between Christian discipleship, resistance and survival.McCabe also explains why he believes some modern portrayals have created an “imaginary…
27 Aug 2026 · 33 min
Has Christianity forgotten its own history? Why the past still matters
What happens to Christianity when Christians forget their own past?Historian Sarah Irving-Stonebraker joins Mike Bird to argue that losing touch with 2,000 years of Christian history can leave faith vulnerable to consumerism, celebrity culture and even theological drift.From ancient Christian practices and the idea of becoming “priests of history” to the extraordinary story of Indigenous Australian Christian activist William Cooper, this conversation asks whether recovering the past could help Christians navigate the present.Subscribe & Support👉 Support thought-provoking conversations and…
20 Aug 2026 · 49 min
Why history matters in an ahistorical age | Sarah Irving-Stonebraker
What happens to a society when it forgets its history, or rewrites the past to serve the politics of the present?Historian and Priests of History author Sarah Irving-Stonebraker joins Mike Bird to explore why history departments are disappearing, why the past has become a battleground in today’s culture wars, and whether any historian can truly escape ideological bias.From the British Empire and Indigenous Australia to Marxism, Christianity and the origins of human rights, this is a fascinating conversation about who gets to tell our history, what happens when we lose it, and why the past…
12 Aug 2026 · 41 min
Who seized Alexander the Great’s empire?
Alexander the Great is dead, but the struggle for his empire is only getting bloodier. Mike Bird and Tristan Hughes trace the rise of Antigonus, Seleucus, Ptolemy and Cassander as alliances collapse, royal heirs are murdered and rival generals declare themselves kings. Discover how Seleucus retook Babylon, why Demetrius earned the name “the Besieger”, and how the failed siege of Rhodes helped create one of the wonders of the ancient world. The story culminates at the Battle of Ipsus, where hundreds of war elephants decide the fate of Alexander’s empire. Mike and Tristan also explore the…
4 Aug 2026 · 31 min
Alexander’s empire implodes
Alexander the Great is dead, and his generals are tearing his empire apart. In episode two of History’s Last Stand, Mike Bird and historian and The Ancients podcaster Tristan Hughes explore the brutal struggle for power that followed Alexander’s death. Ptolemy seizes Alexander’s body and takes it to Egypt, while Perdiccas launches a disastrous invasion to recover it and secure his claim to rule. What follows is a gripping story of military deception, war elephants, a catastrophic Nile crossing, soldiers devoured by crocodiles, and betrayal inside Perdiccas’ camp. As rival commanders battle…
28 Jul 2026 · 38 min
Tristan Hughes joins Mike Bird to uncover the Wars of the Successors
History is under siege, and Mike Bird is taking a stand. In the launch episode of Premier Unbelievable’s podcast, the host of Ask NT Wright Anything joins Tristan Hughes, presenter of The Ancients, to explore the violent aftermath of Alexander the Great’s death. With no undisputed heir, Alexander’s generals, soldiers and family plunge the empire into crisis. Perdiccas rises as regent, Meleager meets a brutal end, Ptolemy claims Egypt, and rival commanders divide the conquered world at the Partition of Babylon. Then comes one of antiquity’s most audacious heists: the seizure of Alexander’s…
23 Jul 2026 · 3 min
Welcome to History's Last Stand
History's Last Stand is coming soon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

About History's Last Stand

History's Last Stand is a English devotional & spiritual podcast from Premier. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Premier
Language: English
Category: Devotional & Spiritual
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 38 min
Latest episode: 14 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id6793986584
Rights: Premier

RSS feed Apple Podcasts

More English devotional & spiritual

Take it with you

The Melo app keeps playing with the screen off, works in the car and on your watch, wakes you to your station, and browses the whole catalogue offline. Free, no ads, no account.