Recently, I saw someone post on Facebook about the Hebrew verb יסף (ysf). This is a pretty common word in the Hebrew Scriptures. It is the root of the name Joseph (יוסף), but as a verb it appears over 200 times. This particular Bible Know-It-All argued that a particular English translation intentionally violates the text… Read More »
Over the years, I have written quite a bit about the various things that pertain to Christmas. Sometimes, it is about smashing myths. But mostly, they are about a deeper knowledge of the Scriptures. The Virgin Birth 1. Introduction 2. Miraculous Conception 3. Virginity 4. Silence of the Apostles 5. Some Questions Other Christmas Questions… Read More »
Yesterday at Bedford Road, I spoke on David’s song from 1 Chronicles 16. The song is a composite of Psalm 105:1-15, 96:1-13, and 106:1 and 47-48. It is a great example of the way the Scriptures were viewed in the Judaism that formed in the early Achaemenid Period. There are only a few subtle changes… Read More »
Canned bread. Bread in a can… I did not believe that such a thing as a canned bread existed until someone showed it to me in their cupboard. Apparently, B&M – a Portland, Maine, based company – manufactures and cans this stuff. There are plenty of people here in New England who love it. They eat… Read More »
On Sunday, I mentioned that one of the ways I read the first portion of Genesis is through something I called The Creation Cycles. Here is a basic summary of the structure: The Earth Cycle (1-4) Opening Summary (1:1) Earth as Creation: The Annals (toledeth) of the Earth (1:2-2:4) Earth as Creature: The Annals of Adam (2:5-5:2) The… Read More »
Recently, I saw a video of a supposed Messianic Jewish rabbi talking about Luke 2:12. After declaring Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem, the angelic host tells the shepherds: And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. This rabbi goes on to say… Read More »
Many Christian apologists who answer Mormon doctrine do so on the basis of looking deep into their lesser known beliefs and pointing out that there is some wild stuff going on there. For example, Joseph Smith taught that Methuselah and Abraham used the urim and the thummim as magical telescopes to discover the star Kolob,… Read More »
While our congregation is reading through Exous, Leviticus and Numbers, I thought I would add some daily notes of things that caught my imagination. Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me,… Read More »
As a student of history and the Bible, I often find myself telling people to learn the background and context of things before making definitive statements. As of late, however, I am discovering that the only thing more dangerous than ignorance of historical context is the abuse of incomplete knowledge of history. People who develop… Read More »
Have you ever gotten to the bottom of a cup of coffee and taken that last swig only to encounter a mouthful of coffee grounds? Is there anything more surprising than expecting a beverage in your mouth and discovering what essentially amounts to bitter-tasting dirt? Those of us who came out of established (and sometimes… Read More »
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