Bibhistctxt: The “Surprising Twist” in the Dating of the Song of Deborah

Biblical Historical Context, "Israelite Origins: The Song of Deborah" (8.10.20), biblicalhistoricalcontext.com. In a surprising twist, the consensus view of modern scholars dates the song to an earlier period than traditional views would. As we’ve seen, modern scholarship dates the written form of the song to the 12th/11th centuries BCE, but the Talmud, in Baba Batra 14b, explains that “Samuel wrote the... Continue Reading →

29 Sep 2020 0

Chuck Norris and the Prophet Jeremiah: Kipp Davis on Jeremiah’s Reputation in the Dead Sea Scrolls

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 →

24 Sep 2020 1

The Song of Deborah and Israelite Origins: The Latest Post from @bibhistctxt

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 →

22 Sep 2020 0

Lawrence Stager: The Miracle at Jericho Has “No Archaeological Reflex”

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 →

22 Sep 2020 1

Yale Bible Study on First Isaiah

Those readers acquainted with biblical scholarship know that there is a general consensus that the book of Isaiah was not entirely penned by the eighth century BCE prophet. That the book underwent some kind of editing is virtually undisputed. For example, chs. 36-39 contain material lifted directly from the Deuteronomistic History (i.e. 2 Kings 18-20),... Continue Reading →

1 Sep 2020 0

Invasion of the Bible Snatchers: Ray Comfort’s ‘Scientific Facts in the Bible’ – The Roots of the Mountains

To see other posts in this series, please go to the series’ page. If your upbringing was anything like mine, every Sunday morning, come rain or shine (but not blizzards), you were sitting in Sunday school hearing stories from the Bible. One of the many that probably stuck out was that of Jonah and “the whale.”... Continue Reading →

27 Aug 2020 2

Evangelical (Atheist) Eisegesis: Samson and the Lion

It seems like social media these days is little more than memes, and if you’re getting your Bible from memes, well, you should expect problems. Here is a recent one that appeared on Twitter. I first came across this meme after it had been shared by a few atheists. Its aim is perfectly simple: to... Continue Reading →

26 Jul 2020 0

“Out of the Strong Came Sweetness” – Bees in Carcasses

I’ve recently started reading Robert Fagles’ translation of Virgil’s Aeneid[1] for the first time,[2] beginning with the introduction to it written by the late classicist Bernard Knox. Knox traces Virgil’s works, beginning with his Eclogues, moving on to the Georgics, and concluding with the Aeneid. Concerning the Georgics, Knox notes that it is divided into four books: the first concerns farmers,... Continue Reading →

23 Jun 2020 1

Bart Ehrman: The Isaian Suffering Servant

Bart D. Ehrman, Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2020), 113. Another reason for thinking Isaiah 53 does not refer to just one person, the future messiah who would die for sins, is that the passage describes the suffering of the servant as a past event, not future:... Continue Reading →

11 Jun 2020 0