The opening chapters of the biblical book of Genesis are among the most closely read words in the history of Western civilization. The story of the creation of the world has been endlessly quoted, analyzed and commented upon. Yet, one question that does not get enough attention is: why did God create Eve from the rib […]
The recently retired US marathoner Ryan Hall is very outspoken about his faith. In numerous interviews, he speaks very publicly about how his Christian faith has been instrumental in guiding his running career. Examples of how Hall uses the Bible to guide his training include the following: He takes one day off a week, just […]
The article explores five biblical locations connected to Samson, set against the backdrop of ongoing conflict between the Israelites and Philistines during the Period of the Judges. Of all the nations that have a bad rap in Western civilization, perhaps none has a more unfavorable reputation than the Philistines. In modern English, we use the term “Philistine” […]
TL;DR: The Israelite slaves in Egypt did not build the pyramids, which predate their enslavement by over a thousand years; according to Exodus, they actually built the supply cities of Pithom and Rameses. Let’s Take Five #2. Many of us make a very common historical error when reading the Bible. We open up the first few […]
In the next few blog posts, I will be doing something a bit different than I have in the past. Rather than addressing a Scriptural question about geography as I typically have, my aim will be to introduce you to a series of five sites that are interconnected thematically. I call this series Let’s Take Five. The themes linking […]
The Christian ritual of receiving bread and wine observed by billions around the world has many different names: holy communion, the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist, to name a few. Despite contemporary denominational differences, the common root of this widespread ritual is the Scriptural account of the Last Supper, quoted here: On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, […]
During the Hebrew month of Elul, which begins this week, it is customary for pious Jews to rise before dawn to recite Selichot. These are special penitential prayers asking God for forgiveness in order to spiritually prepare oneself for the upcoming New Year (“Rosh Hashanah”). One of the highlights of the Jewish New Year season […]
Moses is the most towering character of the first five books of the Bible. He is the template of the biblical leader, the model to which all subsequent biblical prophets and kings aspire. But he was an unusual leader in the sense that he was not a charismatic public speaker. What gave Moses’ words their […]
TL;DR: The Hebrew word ‘Shekinah’ refers to the divine presence of God descending to dwell among humans, a concept central to Judaism’s explanation of how a spiritual God interacts with the physical world. Every religion struggles with a basic conundrum. How to explain the involvement of a purely spiritual God in the details of a […]
If you are a regular reader of this blog or have ever done any reading about the first century Land of Israel (other than the New Testament itself) chances are you will have come across the name “Josephus”. His name seems to pop up incessantly both in scholarly literature and in popular books on early Christianity, ancient […]
Fill in your details and we will contact you shortly
