A Virtual File Cabinet for Our Studies of Christian Origins & Hebraic Faith
From ChatGPT, 12/14/2021. The tradition of translating certain names of God as LORD in most English Bibles, especially in the Old Testament, stems from a combination of Jewish reverence for the divine name and translation practices that developed over centuries. Here’s a summary of the key reasons: 1. The Divine Name: YHWH (Tetragrammaton) 2. Septuagint […]
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT 12/14/2024. Here is a comparative analysis of the Ten Commandments as presented in Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21 from the American Standard Version (ASV), along with scholarly commentary on the differences between the two passages. Textual Comparison (ASV) 1. Introduction (Identical in both versions.) 2. Sabbath Commandment Key Differences: 3. Other Variations Key […]
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT 12/13/2024 Below is the expanded James vs. Paul timeline with a third column for Peter as a mediating figure, kept within the same historical framework and chronology used by Dr. James Tabor.All New Testament citations are NRSV; Hebrew Bible quotations/allusions are ASV. Historical framing reflects Tabor’s analysis of Second Temple Judaism . James […]
Continue ReadingFrom OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com Prompt – What was the relationship between King Hezekiah’s and King Josiah? King Hezekiah and King Josiah were both kings of Judah, but they were not contemporaries. Hezekiah was Josiah’s great-grandfather. Hezekiah had a son named Manasseh, who succeeded him as king of Judah. Manasseh’s son, Amon, […]
Continue ReadingFor an interesting article at BAR see Hezekiah’s Religious Reform—In the Bible and Archaeology, What was King Hezekiah’s reform like on the ground? by David Rafael Moulis; December 12, 2024. From OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com Scroll down to see Follow-up prompts: Initial Prompt – How do the actions of King Hezekiah in the Hebrew […]
Continue ReadingFrom OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com Prompt – Provide a timeline of when critical historical bible scholars believe the various parts of the Hebrew and New Testament Bible were written. List all sources at the end of the response. Below is an overview of when critical historical scholars generally date the composition of […]
Continue ReadingThe Mesha Stele The Mesha Stele, also known as the Moabite Stone, is a stele dated around 840 BCE containing a significant Canaanite inscription in the name of King Mesha of Moab (a kingdom located in modern Jordan). Mesha tells how Chemosh, the god of Moab, had been angry with his people and had allowed them to be subjugated to the Kingdom of Israel, but at length, Chemosh […]
Continue ReadingFrom BAR/BAS – Biblical Peoples, The World of Ancient Israel. The pdf is in the BAR directory in DropBox. This is a collection of articles published in their magazine with photos and maps. A great resource. CONTENTS AMMON The Hebrew Bible’s usual designation of the Ammonites as “the children of Ammon” (bĕnê ‘Ammôn, e.g., 1 […]
Continue ReadingBelow are excerpts from my transcript of Bart Ehrman’s interview with Megan titled Gospel Discrepancies: Why Matthew and Luke Tell Different Christmas Stories. He explains why discrepancies are not bad and should be viewed independently to gain the different insights of the different authors. Well, the one thing I’ll say is that knowing these discrepancies […]
Continue ReadingExtracts below are from Bart Ehrman’s post: Mark: The First Gospel in 19th Century Research dated February 8, 2019. Over the years, three arguments have proved widely convincing for establishing Mark’s priority to Matthew and Luke: Patterns of Agreement – The reason then that Matthew and Luke rarely agree against Mark in the wording of […]
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