Back in 2016, scholar of the Dead Sea Scrolls Kipp Davis (PhD, University of Manchester) gave a lecture on the prophet Jeremiah that discusses the ancient figure’s reputation in literature other than the canonical book that bears his name, particularly in the DSS. The talk, “Forging Reputations of National Icons: Chuck Norris and the Prophet Jeremiah,” opens... Continue Reading →
Biblical Historical Context, "Israelite Origins: The Song of Deborah" (8.10.20), biblicalhistoricalcontext.com. Using English translations of the Bible it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the uniform English we read represents a uniform Hebrew beneath it. What’s actually the case is that different phases of the development of the Hebrew language are represented... Continue Reading →
Over on his blog, blogger @bibhistctxt has posted the latest in his series on the origins of ancient Israel, this time covering the Song of Deborah found in Judges 5. There is a general consensus among scholars that the Song of Deborah is old, perhaps even one of the oldest texts in the Hebrew Bible. As @bibhistctxt points... Continue Reading →
Lawrence Stager, "Forging an Identity: The Emergence of Ancient Israel," in The Oxford History of the Biblical World, Michael D. Coogan, editor (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998), 95-96. After crossing the Jordan River, Joshua and his troops conquered Jericho (Josh. 6). They blew the rams' horns and shouted in unison until the walls of Jericho... Continue Reading →
I love listening to the Bible read aloud, especially the Gospel of Mark. Over the last couple of years I have listened to Max McLean read the Gospel (ESV) over at biblegateway.com. But recently, my friend @bibhistctxt sent me a link to David Suchet, a British actor perhaps best known for playing the Belgian detective... Continue Reading →
Joel Marcus, Mark 8-16: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2009), 930. While it is probable...that some members of the Jewish hierarchy pressed Pilate to put Jesus to death (Mark 15:1, 3, 11), and while a revolutionary ringleader may have been released at about the same time that... Continue Reading →
Joshua Bowen, Did the Old Testament Endorse Slavery? (Mechanicsville, MD: Digital Hammurabi Press, 2020), 196-197. Slavery was not endorsed arbitrarily, as it was part of a common economic system that existed in ancient Israel and in the wider ancient Near East long before the biblical period. Both debt-slavery and chattel-slavery were also part of the... Continue Reading →
Over at his blog, biblical scholar Bart Ehrman addressed a question asked of him by a parent wondering why he should send his son to the university where Ehrman teaches to take his class on the Bible if Ehrman doesn't actually believe in the book about which he is teaching. As Ehrman points out, going... Continue Reading →
Joshua Bowen, Did the Old Testament Endorse Slavery? (Mechanicsville, MD: Digital Hammurabi Press, 2020), 16. When discussing slavery in ancient Israel, we are more limited in our sources than if we were discussing slavery as was known in the wider ancient Near East. Generally speaking, we are usually restricted to the information we can gather... Continue Reading →
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