Michael Stone, now retired from Hebrew University, but as active as ever in his scholarly investigations and publications, is one of the most engaging scholars in the general area of Jewish texts and traditions of the late 2nd Temple period. I still consider his little book, Scriptures, Sects, and Visions…
In Romans 4:3 Paul quotes Genesis 15:6 about the “faith of Abraham,” being “reckoned” as “righteousness,” which is a meaning quite opposite to the original context and literal Hebrew phrasing. And yet, this along with Romans 1:17, are the TWO PILLAR texts of his entire understanding of what he calls…
Paul’s foundational verse for what he calls “my gospel,” is taken directly from a quotation of the Hebrew Prophet Habakkuk–seldom read by hardly anyone. However, he completely reverses its meaning! https://youtu.be/ZCshIENR8xw
Blast from the past…I gave this lecture in 2007 at an academic conference. Don’t miss the Q&A at the end. I refer to many major scholars along the way who were in the room. In these intervening years, although I have further developed these views, by and large I remain…
Yesterday, based on the previous blog post, I recorded this video. The TITLE is too long–No One Will Choose this Video…or maybe not…let’s see…And note my interesting P.S. at the end: https://youtu.be/VcYUhI765H0 I want to also note that I am very familiar with theories of Hitler fleeing Germany to…
SPOILER: I am very familiar with theories of Hitler fleeing Germany to South America or other proposals. The series “Hunting Hitler” is one of my favorites. But THIS is not about that–it is about a place and a time–and a MAN, who embodied the figure in Isaiah 14 as close…
In this ongoing short series on the Top Seven Fateful texts of the N.T. I select another from the apostle Paul–which taken out of context downplays this present world as passing, almost an illusion or shadow, in favor of a future Heavenly World to come. I call this the “Bad…
April 26, 2024 FIRST: I want to strongly recommend the upcoming 8-lecture on-line course that Bart Ehrman is offering “The Bible and the Quran: Comparing Their Historical Problems,” which you can watch live Sat & Sun May 4th and 5th. See link below for full details and how to sign…
The first Waco memorial was held on April 19, 1994–precisely one year after the Tragic Fire in which 74 men, women, and children burned to death. Although memorials have been held each year–including this year of 2024–there will never be another like this one. The surviving Branch Davidians who were…
I just received this archive footage of the very first Memorial at the Mt Carmel Center outside Waco, TX after the tragic fire that killed 74 men, women, and children on April 19, 1993. This was in 1994–and I could not have told you what I said and listened to…