Few Bible students realize that some of the key texts in the Hebrew Bible about the “wilderness” or “desert” are specific references to what is called in Hebrew, the “Arava,” the rift valley that runs down to the Dead Sea–the lowest spot on earth–all the way into Africa. For example,…
Over the decades I have heard dozens of interviews with John Crossan, listened to his lectures, read his books, and spent time together in Jerusalem in 2007 with him and his wife Sarah, in endless conversation, visiting some of the “off the beaten tourist paths” places with Shimon Gibson. He…
I have written and lectured a lot on “When Prophecy Fails,” that is how various groups over the past 2500 years, both Jewish and Christian, have had their hopes and expectations dashed by what one might call the “brick wall” of historical reality. In times of global unrest and uncertainty,…
The three hundred year period of Jewish history from 150 BCE to 150 CE was characterized by the utter failure of all apocalyptic expectations of the End of the Age arriving. These failed hopes and dreams shape collectively what might be called “The Great Disappointment.” This included a variety of…
Delivered at the American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting, 1997 Since the release and subsequent study and translation of the entire Dead Sea Scrolls corpus in 1992, it is now possible to sketch out what I would characterize as a rather full and reliable portrait of the community that produced…
One of my main areas of focus and expertise over the decades has been the broad understanding of what might be called “Biblical Prophecy Belief,” from ancient to modern times–let’s just say from the Dead Sea Scrolls through contemporary Christian and Jewish interpretations in the 21st century. I gave this…
Please visit my Youtube Channel and Subscribe, for much more to come. I regularly teach a course called “The End of the World as We Know It,” with thanks to REM and Leonard Cohen’s, “The Future.” I did this thirty-minute overview with Derek Lambert, the dynamic host of MythVision Podcasts–which…
Another great blog post over on “Scribes of the Kingdom.” Alex never disappoints. I highly recommend his site and all that he posts. He is careful, dives deep, and always offers fresh new insight on biblical things–especially early emerging Christianity. Don’t miss this one: https://scribesofthekingdom.com/2021/10/17/gods-unfailing-wrath-divine-violence-and-the-cruciform-mirage/
I have another guest post over on Bart Ehrman’s blog. I encourage my readers to head over there and check it out: Is the Book of Revelation a Revised Version of a non-Christian Apocalypse? This post is a bit special in that it not only responds to the question in…
When I speak of God, that word means to me the unseen force of all forces that drives this universe and cosmos of which we are cognizant and makes you and me the creatures we are with all the mystical existence we know and enjoy upon this earth. Jack Pyle,…