The publication of this revised and expanded 4th edition of my book Restoring Abrahamic Faith has been delayed over the past months due to pending research that I want to include. The official publication date is now October 3, 2024. The book will be published on Amazon in Kindle, Paper,…
Good morning everyone from the Old City of Jerusalem! In this post I want to encourage you to register for this fabulous upcoming conference sponsored by Bart Ehrman. Some of you might have already signed up, but if you have not, take a look here at the speakers and the…
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…
I am at the ATL airport, for a flight connection, with one thing on my mind. April 19th, 1993. I am tuned in now to the Memorial Service via Zoom, which I can’t attend this year due to an out of town conference. Some of you will perhaps remember that…
Here is a link to my Contributor page on Dr. Robert L. Kuhn’s amazing program, “Closer to Truth,” that has videos of all my interviews, as well as other information. I have known Robert for 56 years–his Ph.D. is in Brain science; mine in ancient Mediterranean history and religion. In…
I loved this relaxed conversation with John Pinna, one of the hosts of the podcast “Crossing Faiths” (https://www.crossingfaiths.com). Check out his podcast and subscribe, the range and topics are fascinating. The Qur’an never mentions the apostle Paul, although John the Baptizer, Mary mother of Jesus, and Jesus himself are referenced many…
I have recently formed a “Research Community” for anyone interested in my academic work. I post several things a week related to my own research and my field in general, whether breaking news, book recommendations, videos, and articles, as well as sharing and discussing inside material even before it is…
I would love to meet and spend time with some of my blog readers this Fall in San Antonio, November 17-19 for the “26th annual “Bible and Archaeology Fest.” Click on the link for all the details. I have been at these for all but two of the 25 years!…
In this fourth of my series on “Death and Afterlife in the Ancient Western World,” I offer a very brief overview of ancient Egyptian views of death and the underworld. These views go back 5000 years and set the stage for later developments in moving religious concepts from “this world”…
I am beginning a new teaching series on Youtube this week on the topic of “What the Bible Really Says About Death, Afterlife, and the Future.” You can download my article by this title free at the link in the description. Here is the short Intro video I recorded yesterday.…