A Virtual File Cabinet for Our Studies of Christian Origins & Hebraic Faith
Below is Claude.ai’s summary of Richard Elliott Friedman’s paper titled “Taking the Biblical Text Apart”. A PDF version is in his directory in Dropbox. Overview Richard Elliott Friedman’s article introduces and defends the Documentary Hypothesis, the most widely accepted scholarly explanation for how the first books of the Bible were composed. Rather than being written […]
Continue ReadingThe defensible position is that Japha was walled by 66-67 CE, and whether it had any wall in Jesus’ lifetime is unknown. A fully walled city in the Mediterranean sense seems unlikely, since Josephus calls it a village (kōmē), but that is an inference. Scroll down for 2nd Prompt – Why do so few maps […]
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT on 2/24/2026. Below is a recalculated list of known 1st-century CE settlements within a strict 25-mile (40 km) radius of Nazareth. Method Major Urban Centers (1st Century CE) 1. Sepphoris (Zippori) Distance: ~4 mi NWArea: 40–50 acresPopulation: 8,000–12,000Administrative capital of Galilee before Tiberias. 2. Tiberias Distance: 18–20 mi EArea (early phase): 40–50 acresPopulation: […]
Continue ReadingThis post contains Claude.ai’s 1,000-word summary of the article at BAS by Gabriel Barklay, published April 1986, here. The PDF copy is in the BAS directory in Dropbox. The Garden Tomb: Was Jesus Buried Here? — Summary Gabriel Barkay’s article examines the archaeological credentials of the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem, one of two sites competing […]
Continue ReadingFrom BAS’s email on 2/22/26. In Easter and the Death of Jesus, BAS editors have carefully compiled a special collection of articles from Biblical Archaeology Review and Bible Review that reveal the Easter story in all its rich and rewarding facets. To truly understand the passion, crucifixion and resurrection, you’ll want to read all of the articles, of which these […]
Continue ReadingThis post contains Claude.ai’s summary of my transcript (in Dropbox) of Richard Friedman’s lecture on BAR/BSA here. I find his views very reasonable of what originally happened and how it came to be the story we know. Here is a summary of Richard Friedman’s argument in approximately 1,000 words: Summary: “The Exodus Based on the […]
Continue ReadingFrom Michael Waddle’s response—my first introduction to Western noninterpolations on 2/21/2026—in a post at BSA here: What are the Western noninterpolations? (The link is to Wikipedia, where there are ranked lists of citations and the supporting manuscripts.) This is the name scholars give to a small set of passages in the Gospel of Luke (and […]
Continue ReadingFrom BibleMapper.com
Continue ReadingThis post contains my end-of-class “sermon” delivered at the end of the Preaching & Teaching course by Rev. Dr. Rob Couch at Christ United Church. In it, I told about the history of Micah in Lachish and Moreshet. The Claim – Micah, a prophet from a town southwest of Jerusalem, shared what Jehovah does and […]
Continue ReadingWhat’s Missing from Codex Sinaiticus, the Oldest New Testament?Compare differences between the King James Version and Codex Sinaiticus by BAS Staff, February 19, 2026. Below is the BAS staff’s comparison of the narratives in the KJV and the Codex Sinaiticus. The paragraphs before the table are very interesting but not included here. One other omission in […]
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