A Virtual File Cabinet for Our Studies of Christian Origins & Hebraic Faith
Cliffe’s [Knechtle] MOST COMPELLING case for GOD’S existence In the Facebook 15-minute video of Cliffe Knechtle debating with a college student he presents convincing arguments. His five arguments that God exists are the italicized text below that were extracted from my transcript. The transcript is in the Gods Existence directory in DropBox. From ChatGPT 4o, […]
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT – Q: List of monarchs from Jacob to Zedikiah The monarchs of the Kingdom of Judah from Rehoboam (son of Solomon) to Zedekiah (the last king before the Babylonian exile) are as follows. Since you’re asking from Jacob (Israel’s patriarch) to Zedekiah, note that Jacob’s name was changed to Israel and was the […]
Continue ReadingBart Ehrman’s post, Oral Traditions and the Dates of Our Gospels, October 23, 2024, provides extracts from the 8th edition of his textbook The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the New Testament (Oxford University Press, 2024), Below are extracts from the post that provides basic reasons for the traditional dates of when the Gospels were […]
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT, 10/24/2024 — Q: Does the Bible’s instructions to fear the Lord really mean respect the Lord? Yes, in many instances, the Bible’s instruction to “fear the Lord” is often understood as “reverence” or “respect” for God rather than fear in the sense of being afraid. The biblical use of the word “fear” comes […]
Continue ReadingExtracts from my Kindle copy of Who Wrote the Bible? by Richard Elliott Friedman. The following are examples of Solomon’s policy toward northern Israel from pages 44 and 45. Those policies lead to the split into Israel and Judah. Freidman explained the new leadership here. The Shiloh prophet Ahijah instigated the northern tribes’ secession, and he designated […]
Continue ReadingGenesis 28:1 — Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, “You shall not marry one of the Canaanite women. 2 Go at once to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father; and take as wife from there one of the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. 3 May God Almighty [Traditional rendering […]
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT: In the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible, the phrase “God is love” is found in 1 John 4:8 and 1 John 4:16. Here’s what these verses say: These verses emphasize the nature of God as love and the importance of love in understanding and relating to God. From ChatGPT: The […]
Continue ReadingA New Reconstruction of Paul’s Prison The link above is to a BAR article with maps, layouts and photos about the building of the temple Mount to incorporate The author’s proposed location of Herod’s Antonia fortress; i.e. the praetorium. The two images and the two italicized paragraphs below are extracts. The Antonia, the palace/fortress lavishly […]
Continue ReadingJesus in Arabia: Tracing the Spread of Christianity into the Desert Published by BAR; written by Ahmad Al-Jallad. This is a very detailed article with maps and photos. Read it here. The Earliest Evidence of Christianity in Arabia? A rock inscription from the Jordanian desert invokes Jesus at BAR by Marek Dospěl July 25, 2023. Read it […]
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