Millions around the world viewed the “Great Conjunction” of Jupiter and Saturn in the southwest sky Monday evening as Jupiter “caught up with” and passed Saturn, appearing as one bright star from our earthly vantage point even though their orbits are millions of miles apart. This close a conjunction between…
Major story breaking this morning on the 920th anniversary of the July 15, 1099 Crusader siege of Jerusalem, one of the bloodiest and most savage events in western history. We had amazing confirmation of the siege on the southern end of the city at our Mt Zion dig this summer.…
Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus centers around a quotation from Isaiah 7:14. Let’s look at the verse as Matthew presents it: Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found…
Historically most interpreters of Paul have understood his teaching of “justification by grace through faith” based on the atoning blood of Jesus Christ as his greatest and most central insight. From Augustine to Luther, through Bultmann and Barth, the banner of the “Reformation” was centered on this fundamental precept. Wayne Meeks…
I recently posted detailed information on the area south of Jerusalem, today called East Talpiot, where the so-called “Jesus family tomb” was discovered in 1981, with maps and diagrams of the modern streets and apartments in the area, see “Where are the Talpiot Tombs Located?” Apparently, judging from the thousands…
I am pleased to report that the new long-awaited biography of the extraordinary career of David Horowitz (1903-2002), veteran United Nations correspondent and founder of United Israel World Union has been published and is now available through all major book outlets. It is a gripping readable account that will rivet…
In our New Testament gospels there are three women named Mary who are closely associated with Jesus: His mother, who raised him and a large family of four other boys and at least two girls (Mark 6:3) Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus (Luke 10:38-42; John 11:1-5;…
This extended tribute to the memory and work of Jonathan Z. Smith by by Russell T. McCutcheon, University of Alabama in Religious Studies News is particularly noteworthy. https://rsn.aarweb.org/articles/memoriam-jonathan-z-smith-1938–2017
Quintessential JZ Smith…if you never had the pleasure of hearing him…his Plenary Address to the American Academy of Religion in 2010. https://vimeo.com/20286150 You can read an informal fascinating interview with Mr. Smith (as Chicago professors are called–no titles please!) published in The Chicago Maroon in 2008 here. Don’t miss this one!…
Fundamentalism relies on two pillars. First one needs an inspired and Holy Book, and second one must forget that that book has a history… Joseph Hoffmann (paraphrased)