A Virtual File Cabinet for Our Studies of Christian Origins & Hebraic Faith
Below is a response to a post at BSA regarding who or what God is and how we perceive Him/Her. The OP asked, “Are we in the process of creating god?” After Andrew’s response, the focus turned to concerns about AI. Response by Andrew M Koke – Historian I’ve gone down this wormhole a bit […]
Continue ReadingBelow are extracts from Bart Ehrman’s slides used in his lecture series on Luke at BSA titled Luke’s Maverick Gospel: A Vision of Reversals, Lecture 5: The End that Has Not Come. Minor formatting, emphasis, and several scriptural full-text insertions are mine. The Apocalyptic Message of the Jews The Apocalyptic Message of Jesus The Apocalyptic […]
Continue ReadingThis long page contains multiple responses from ChatGPT in the order provided on 6/3/2025. See responses in the last half regarding Mary Magdalene. All references to “I” are ChatGPT speaking. The idea that people in the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) were given new names to reflect their identity, destiny, or transformation is a well-established theme, […]
Continue ReadingBelow is an extract from Dr. Joel Baden’s book The Historical David: The Real Life of an Invented Hero. This extract was posted at BSA here. Jerusalem had a cult before David, but it was not an Israelite cult because Jerusalem was not an Israelite city. As the very name of the city shows, Jerusalem […]
Continue ReadingFrom Claude.ai, Sonnet 4 in Explanatory Mode. Prompt: Explain the differences, scholars who support each, and when they appeared of the ransom theory of atonement; the substitutionary theory; and the alternative moral exemplar theory. To understand these three theories of atonement, let’s first establish what we’re exploring: how does Christ’s death on the cross accomplish […]
Continue ReadingFor info on Teraphim, see https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/teraphim Explanatory Responses from Claude.ai Sonnett 4 on 5/28/2025 Prompt: Tell me the Hebrew Bible story and verses about after years working for Laban, Jacob decides to leave with his family and possessions. Unknown to Jacob, Rachel steals Laban’s teraphim. How do critical bible scholars view that story? The story […]
Continue ReadingMultiple Responses from Claude.ai in Explanatory Mode on 5/26/2025. All emphasis is mine. Prompt 1 – How do critical bible scholars contrast Paul’s views of a required sacrifice to atone for mankind’s sin with the many places in the Hebrew Bible where Yehweh says he does not ask for and does not want sacrifices? Cite […]
Continue ReadingClaude.ai Prompt 1 in Explanatory Mode – Did the killing of fish have any religious requirements? This is actually a fascinating question that reveals something quite profound about ancient Jewish religious thinking and how they categorized the natural world. To understand the religious requirements around fish, we need to think about how ancient Jewish law […]
Continue ReadingTwo responses from Claude.ae Sonnet 4 in Explanatory Mode. Below prompt 1 are: Prompt 1: Explain the everyday aspects of slaughtering animals for food and sacrifice. Were animals sacrificed by the average family or did the killing and blood letting have to be by priests in the time of Jesus. Cite all sources. Let me […]
Continue ReadingAt the BAR Library — When Did Ancient Israel Begin? New hieroglyphic inscription may date Israel’s ethnogenesis 200 years earlier than you thought. By Hershel Shanks This is a very good article about a paper by scholars Manfred Görg, Peter van der Veen, and Christoffer Theis, based on their understanding of a pharaoh’s “name ring” on […]
Continue Reading