Last night on the Jewish calendar marked the beginning of one of the lessor known festivals in the biblical calendar by our general secular/Christian society. Many non-Jews have heard of Passover, Pentecost (Shavuot), Rosh HaShanah, and Yom Kippur, but the larger culture knows little about Sukkoth–sometimes called the “feast of…
As many of you know I have a new translation of The Book of Genesis now available in print and Kindle editions via Amazon. I have also begun a weekly series working through the book of Genesis, bit by bit, with hosts Jono Vandor and Ross Nichols on the Truth2U.org…
If Genesis 1:1 is the best known verse in the Bible, and I think it well might be–even over John 3:16–isn’t it quite remarkable that it is mistranslated–and thus badly misinterpreted. This goes back centuries. I have a replica of the Geneva Bible, published in 1560, that was the standard…
I am very pleased and excited to announce the inauguration of a new weekly series you can listen to or download on the internet in which I discuss week-by-week the new Transparent English Bible’s “Book of Genesis,”–just released last week. You can get your copy at Amazon, US and International…
Last week I posted an article I published some years ago dealing with Paul’s idea of “Apotheosis,” or “Divinization,” i.e. “becoming Divine.” Several readers wrote me that the extensive use of Greek in that published article, made it difficult for them to follow. I apologize for not noticing that. It…
Nietzsche said the Christian decision to make the world ugly and evil has made the world ugly and evil. Of course the Christians were only mimickers and mirrors of the neo-Platonism and Gnostic perspectives that became so influential in late Antiquity. Quite a contrast to the Hebrew Bible. Demons, Satan…
Jews, Christians, and Muslims all affirm the doctrine of “resurrection of the dead” as a central tenet of eschatology–that is, the understanding of the “last things” or how human history is to end. One common misunderstanding, especially among Christians, is that resurrection of the dead is equivalent to the idea…
This post is continued from the previous one here. Here are the last three in this two-part posting. You will find a full exposition of these ideas, chapter by chapter, in my book Paul and Jesus. At the Recently Discovered “Tomb of Paul” in Rome 4) Already but Not Yet.…
December 25th as the date of the birth of Jesus can be traced back to the early 3rd century CE although it did not achieve more universal recognition until the late 4th century. It is common to hear the charge that “Christmas is pagan,” based on the popularity of the…
From the lovely, elegant, and scholarly 1985 JPS translation, to the unparalleled Oxford maps, the extensive scholarly, well-balanced notes (including academic as well as rabbinic perspectives), the essays, tables, and charts in the back, with additional maps and charts splashed on the pages throughout, printed on high quality “Bible” paper…