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…
Parallels Between A New Dead Sea Scroll Fragment (4Q521) and the Early New Testament Gospel Tradition One of the more intriguing of the Dead Sea Scrolls released in the 1990s, after being held by the DSS committee for decades, is a fragment that most now title “Messianic Apocalypse” (4Q521).…
And he will rule the nations with a rod of iron shattering them as earthen pots I wanted to recommend another post by fellow-blogger Alex Finkelson of “Scribes of the Kingdom.” ((Search “Finkelson” on my TaborBlog for previous posts that Alex has done that I have put up on my…
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…
In this video lecture I survey what might be called the “dynamics of Messianic identity”–or even “self-identity,” in the late 2nd Temple period of Judaism, as well as the emergence of what eventually became “Christianity.” For more resources related to this topic see these blog posts as well as my…
Here is a lecture version of my previous post, “Dead Messiahs Who Don’t Return.” Please Like, Share, and Subscribe to my YouTube Channel, and click the “bell” on Youtube if you want notifications. I am uploading dozens if lectures from my decades long career in March. https://youtu.be/rMe0g52O-OY
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…