A Virtual File Cabinet for Our Studies of Christian Origins & Hebraic Faith
From Claude.ai on 6/1/2026 for the prompt: List other places in John where the author uses the literary device of a deliberate misunderstanding. The literary pattern in John is remarkably consistent: the Johannine Jesus says something, one or more other characters misunderstand him, and Jesus slowly brings the dialogue partner(s) to a deeper understanding. The […]
Continue ReadingFrom Claude.ai on 6/1/2026. This is a rich and genuinely fascinating area of critical scholarship. Here is a thorough breakdown: John 3:3 — Anothen: “Born Again” or “Born from Above”? The verse in question, using your preferred NRSV translation, reads: “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being […]
Continue ReadingFrom BAS here. OP – Adonai Tzevaoth by Avery Barron on 5/29/2026. I’m very curious about the recurring tendency to render this phrase as “Lord of Hosts” in the overwhelming majority of English translations. Robert Alter’s translation opts for “Lord of Armies,” which, despite the apparent academic consensus that this is the actual way to […]
Continue ReadingFrom Claude.ai as a follow-up to the post here on 5/31/2026. Yes — the history of Trinitarian theology is essentially a long series of attempts to resolve the tension between God’s unity and the distinction of the three persons, and each attempted resolution tended to err in one direction or another. Here is a comprehensive […]
Continue ReadingFrom Claude.ai Here is a thorough overview of how critical Bible scholars define these two major Trinitarian heresies, along with the key teaching analogies scholars use to illustrate them. Arianism Definition Arianism is a Christological doctrine that rejects the traditional notion of the Trinity, teaching that Jesus was created by God and is therefore distinct […]
Continue ReadingFrom the video at Academia.edu “Eleven days from Horeb”: Deuteronomy 1:1-2 and Har Karkom” by Deborah A Hurn, Bar-Ilan University, PhD, Avondale University, NSW, Australia 2016-22 BTheo (Hons), Vose Baptist Seminary, WA, Australia 2011-15.
Continue Reading5/18/2026: 1) This is a Claude.ai’s summary of Tabor’s informal lecture to his tour group when at Tamar. The transcript is in his directory in Dropbox. 2) Below the response are links to Deborah Hurn’s video as cited by Tabor. She presents her proposed understand on the descriptions of the journey and reconstruction of how […]
Continue ReadingFrom Claude.ai on 5/16/2026. This post contains two responses, with the second one being “How does the view presented in the Gospel of John align with the sayings of Jesus in the Synoptics? Cite all sources in line.” Prompt: What do critical bible scholars say about the gospel of John not having any of Jesus’ […]
Continue ReadingNote: I added this post for future reference; i.e. talking purposes, although archaeologists have concluded that Jericho was destroyed long before the Israelites allegedly entered the “promise land”. The value of the article is that the author points out one of the many issues with the lack of vowels in early Hebrew. This post contains […]
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT on 5/11/2026. Scroll below the first prompt/response for a great table – The Main Theories of Israelite Origins in Canaan Prompt: Provide links to articles by critical bible scholars related to the origins of Israel in Canaan: an examination of recent theories. Here’s a curated list of scholarly articles and resources by critical […]
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