Category: Characters in the Hebrew Bible
Invasion of the Bible Snatchers: Ray Comfort’s ‘Scientific Facts in the Bible’ – Seed of a Woman
A response to Ray Comfort’s claim that the “seed of the woman” in Genesis 3:15 is an ovum.
The Metaphor of Sexual Violence in the Hebrew Bible: A Recent Post by Non-Alchemist
“I will lift up your skirts over your face; and I will let nations look on your nakedness and kingdoms on your shame.” Nahum 3:5, NRSV The Bible is full of sex. This is sometimes masked by English translations of the text, but it is most… Continue Reading “The Metaphor of Sexual Violence in the Hebrew Bible: A Recent Post by Non-Alchemist”
ReginaldODonog1 on Solomon as “Master of the Birds”
Back in July, blogger @ReginaldODonog1 wrote a short piece on the biblical king Solomon and his relationship to the fowl of the air entitled “Solomon, Master of the Birds.” In it, he discusses the possible sources of the Quranic passage wherein Solomon is said to have… Continue Reading “ReginaldODonog1 on Solomon as “Master of the Birds””
Paula Fredriksen: Israel’s God is “Jewish”
Paula Fredriksen, Paul: The Pagans’ Apostle (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2017), 115. Israel’s god, in Jewish tradition, stands at the apex of humanity. The other elohim bow down to him; he alone is supreme. But his universality is ethnically inflected: this god… Continue Reading “Paula Fredriksen: Israel’s God is “Jewish””
Wayne Pitard: Garbled Facts in Oral Tradition and the Book of Genesis
Wayne T. Pitard, “Before Israel: Syria-Palestine in the Bronze Age,” in The Oxford History of the Biblical World, Michael D. Coogan, editor (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998), 27. There are many reasons to be skeptical of [the Patriarchal] narratives as historically accurate accounts of… Continue Reading “Wayne Pitard: Garbled Facts in Oral Tradition and the Book of Genesis”
The Weekly Roundup – 2.21.20
What did ex-pagans and Jews expect when they became followers of Jesus? This is the question that Alex Finkelson addresses in his recent post “What kind of blessings did the churches inherit from Israel?” As Finkelson discusses, the various promises made to the patriarchs… Continue Reading “The Weekly Roundup – 2.21.20”
The Weekly Roundup – 2.14.20
Happy Valentine’s Day! To both of my readers, I love you! Over at Is That in the Bible? readers can find a lengthy post on the story of Joseph entitled “From Robes to Riches: The Fairytale of Joseph.” In this piece, Paul Davidson discusses… Continue Reading “The Weekly Roundup – 2.14.20”
Jay Williams on The Serpent of Genesis 3 and the Tree of Life
Over at the website The Bible and Interpretation there is a piece by religious scholar Jay Williams on “Eden, the Tree of Life, and the Wisdom of the Serpent.” It is at once both a very interesting and very bizarre piece. Williams points out not long… Continue Reading “Jay Williams on The Serpent of Genesis 3 and the Tree of Life”
Quora Questions w/the Amateur Exegete: #4 – The Proof for Mosaic Authorship of the Torah
Texts discussed: the Pentateuch; Exodus 17:14-16, 24:4; Ezra 3:2. Recommended reading: John Frederick Jansen, “Pentateuch,” in ‘The Oxford Companion to the Bible,’ Bruce M. Metzger and Michael D. Coogan, eds. (Oxford University Press, 1993), 580.
The Weekly Roundup – 6.14.19
Candida Moss (University of Birmingham) wrote a piece back in March on Apollonius, the miracle-working son of God that is often compared to Jesus. In it Moss, a prolific writer and scholar, observes that many in the ancient Mediterannean were considered the son of this or… Continue Reading “The Weekly Roundup – 6.14.19”
The Amateur Exegete 