A Virtual File Cabinet for Our Studies of Christian Origins & Hebraic Faith
Extracts from Biblical Profile: The Birth of Noah by Jaap Doedens at BAR; Summer 2021. … During the reconstruction process, it was found that the fourth scroll contained stories, written in Aramaic, about the patriarchs known from the biblical Book of Genesis. The scroll enhances the biblical narratives with interesting details. Since the first parts of the […]
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT 12/20/2025. When scholars speak of the Joseph and Moses time frame in the Hebrew bible do they call it the middle bronze age or what? Short answer: they usually do not call the Joseph–Moses span a single archaeological period, and when pressed, scholars split it between the Middle Bronze Age and the Late […]
Continue ReadingFrom Claude.ai Based on my (Claude’s) research, I can now provide you with a comprehensive answer about Egyptian control over Canaan during the time periods relevant to the Joseph narrative. The evidence varies significantly depending on which timeframe we’re examining. Egyptian Control of Canaan: Historical Context The historical records show dramatically different situations in Canaan […]
Continue ReadingMultiple responses from ChaptGPT with the first that is a followup prompt from here, and where this thread began here. Overview What follows is a step-by-step trace, as reconstructed by critical biblical scholarship, of how southern YHWH theology is thought to have entered early Israel via Midian, using only textual, comparative, and historical arguments. This […]
Continue ReadingFrom Claude.ai, another perspective on the time period of Joseph and his family in Egypt and their return to Canaan, as cited in a separate post by ChatGPT here. Let me [Claude] search for information about the Amarna Letters to get more details about Egyptian administration in Canaan. Based on my research, I can now […]
Continue ReadingFrom Claude.ai on 11/3/2025. Location and Context The Song of the Sea is found in Exodus 15:1-18, immediately following the narrative of Israel’s crossing of the Red Sea (or Sea of Reeds) and the destruction of Pharaoh’s army in Exodus 14. The song is sometimes called the “Song of Moses” or “Song of Miriam” (since […]
Continue ReadingPrompt to Claude.ai: Provide the Song of Deborah from the Hebrew Bible, its context and info about it being the oldest part of the bible. Provide all sources. [ Also see https://www.thetorah.com/article/composing-the-song-of-deborah-empirical-models] Response on 11/3/2025. I’ll search for information about the Song of Deborah, its context, and its status as one of the oldest parts […]
Continue ReadingThe Evolution of the Idea of God in the Bible—The Evolution of a Relationship With an Imaginary Friend, or an Actually-Existing God? by Charles Bledsoe. Posted at BSA on Oct 17, 2025. [Below is his post for which he is the author and it is posted here for my personal reference only.] From my theological […]
Continue ReadingA: During the Hasmonean/Maccabean period, when they needed laws, and took up the laws written by the past scribes who wanted the average folks to obey, but few had done so. [my understanding] “When did Judaism begin?” is not a naive question. Every answer to this question would require presenting an acceptable definition of Judaism. […]
Continue ReadingDifferences in the Two Creation Stories [In addition to the information below, see the Genesis page on this site.] From OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com, 11/19/2024 The two creation stories in the Hebrew Bible in Genesis reflect differences in style, content, and emphasis. Scholars often attribute these to different sources: J (Yahwist) and P (Priestly). […]
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