A Virtual File Cabinet for Our Studies of Christian Origins & Hebraic Faith
Four responses from ChatGPT on 8/30/2025. One response lists how early Christian writers (especially Origen and others) explained it with quotes from their writings. In Jesus’ time, the Romans didn’t crucify people for just any crime—it was a punishment with a very specific social and political purpose. Crucifixion was considered the most degrading, public, and […]
Continue ReadingFollow the great scholars’ reasoning in all these BAS articles from their email on 8/17/2025.
Continue ReadingWhat did Jesus Actually Look Like? (Skin, Hair, Clothes, and More!) post at BAS by Marko Marina, Ph.D. written: August 4th, 2025 Extracts from Dr. Marina’s great post are below.
Continue ReadingChatGPT responses included the number of translations, when they were created, and which group preferred which ones. There is no universally agreed-upon number of English Bible translations, but as of 2025, there are over 100 complete or partial English translations of the Bible. The total depends on how one defines a “translation” versus an “edition” […]
Continue ReadingBelow is from BAR here. The Bible records that the Phoenicians had a close relationship with the Israelites: Their royalty married each other; they traded with each other; and, significantly, they never went to war with each other. Who were the Phoenicians? Where did they come from? With whom did they trade? In this BAS […]
Continue ReadingChurch-of-the-Apostles-Found-on-Mt.-Zion-Pixner-BAR by Bargil Pixner. The PDF is also in his directory in Dropbox. The link is to the pdf at Tabor’s site and is recommended by Dr. Tabor. It contains great info about synagogues, tombs, various locations of Zion, etc.
Continue ReadingSee Joel Baden’s Rise and Fall of Biblical Israel, Lesson 5 transcript in Dropbox. Joel points out numerous places where David puts a show (so the writer says) that he is innocent of killing his rivals, and to prove it he kills the killers who had been his accomplices. Ironically, all of Saul’s heirs to […]
Continue ReadingWhat Is the Arava? The biblical land of wandering at BAS by Nathan Steinmeyer, July 28, 2025. Within the Bible, the name Arava often refers to the entire Jordan Rift Valley, the narrow stretch of land running from the Sea of Galilee all the way down to the Red Sea, passing through the Dead Sea, the […]
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT on 7/28/2025. The Byzantine and Crusader periods were two major eras in the history of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant, particularly significant for understanding Christian history, the development of church infrastructure, and interactions between Eastern and Western powers. 1. Byzantine Period (c. 324–638 CE) Overview: Characteristics: Sources: 2. Crusader Period (1099–1291 CE) […]
Continue ReadingIn addition to the post below, see the post on this site, Sea of Galilee became Sea of Tiberias and Fishing. From ChatGPT on 7/21/2025. In Jesus’ time, several species of fish were prevalent in the Sea of Galilee, which was a major hub of fishing activity. Archaeological evidence, ancient texts, and modern ichthyological studies […]
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