Anyone who has seen the classic 1956 film The Ten Commandments is familiar with the iconic scene of the Israelites walking through the Red Sea with walls of water on both sides of them. If we take a close look at the Bible’s description of this scene, found in Exodus chapter 14, we will see […]
TL;DR: Jesus likely traveled through Jericho via the Jordan River route to avoid dangerous Samaritan territory, where the famous encounter with Zacchaeus climbing a sycamore tree took place. According to the Gospels Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem only a handful of times in his life. Travelling from his hometown of Nazareth in the Galilee south to […]
In my previous post, I looked at three of the most important battles fought by the Maccabees prior to their cleansing and dedication of the Jerusalem Temple in December of 164 BCE. In this post I want to examine the holiday of Hanukkah that commemorates this event. Since today is the eighth and final day […]
This week Jews around the world celebrate the festival of Hanukkah. In Hebrew the word חנוכה (hanukkah) means “inauguration” or “consecration” and refers to the Maccabean capture of Jerusalem and the purification of the Temple on the 25th day of the month of Kislev in 164 BCE.
TL;DR: Psalm 89 blends themes of creation and kingship, written partly before and partly after the Babylonian exile, and a key verse references four sacred mountains to celebrate God’s creative power and the Davidic covenant. In this post I want to take a close look at one verse in Psalm 89. This psalm contains a fascinating blending […]
Having raised Lazarus, Jesus makes his way down the Mount of Olives entering Jerusalem on Sunday. We are told that the crowds wave palm branches and shout “Hosanna!” (Mark 11:9).
TL;DR: Jesus likely stayed in Bethany, a humble suburb of Jerusalem, during his visits to the city because he had few social contacts in Jerusalem itself and accommodations there were costly. It might seem surprising but Jesus probably only came to Jerusalem a handful of times during his short life. He spent the majority of […]
How did Jonah not obey the Lord’s calling? The answer lies in the geography of the holy land.
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