A Virtual File Cabinet for Our Studies of Christian Origins & Hebraic Faith
The paragraphs below are the intro to the BAR article The Samaritan Schism, Schisms in Jewish History: Part 2 by Lawrence H. Schiffman March 01, 2025. There is considerable scholarly controversy regarding the date of the Samaritan schism. Although some seek to identify the origins of the Samaritans in the Hellenistic period, their beginnings should be […]
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT on 3/3/2025 [For more on the theater and Sepphoris, see Antipas—The Herod Jesus Knew by Morten Hørning Jensen] There is no direct scholarly consensus that Jesus explicitly referenced Roman theater in his parables or sayings. However, some critical biblical scholars suggest that certain words and themes in Jesus’ teachings might reflect knowledge of Greco-Roman theatrical […]
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT, 2/26/2025. Here’s an updated timeline with the inclusion of William Tyndale’s English translation of the Bible: Timeline of the Protestant Reformation 1517: Martin Luther, a professor of biblical studies, becomes aware of the sale of indulgences by Johann Tetzel, which purportedly offer forgiveness of sins in exchange for money. In response, Luther drafts […]
Continue ReadingFrom Claude.ai on 2/12/2025. Prompt: Provide information critical bible scholars offer about the transition from the priesthood first located in Shechem and later moving to Shilo in ancient Israel. Cite all sources. I (Claude.ai) want to be upfront that while I can discuss what biblical scholars have written about the transition of priesthood from Shechem […]
Continue Reading2/9/2025 BAS editors created this Special Collection specifically for people like you. Here you’ll find all of the above intriguing details, including all of these articles:
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT/Scholarly mode who “Talked to sider.ai”. Prompt: Provide critical bible scholars understanding of Aaron’s failure to sanctify God at Meribah, resulting in both him and Moses being denied entry into the Promised Land. Provide all sources. Critical Biblical Scholarship on Aaron’s Failure to Sanctify God at Meribah and Its Consequences The incident at Meribah […]
Continue ReadingAll text below is from Claude.ai in Explanatory mode. In the responses everywhere “I” or “me” is speaking that is Claude.ai—not this web guy. Below Prompt 1 are the following prompts and responses. Prompt 1: Did Yohanan ben Zakkai ever live in the Galilee? Site all sources. Let me (Claude.ai) address this historical question carefully. […]
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT Prompt: Which versions of the ancient manuscripts were used to create the NRSV and the ASV bibles? Cite the sources. The American Standard Version (ASV) and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) were based on different sets of ancient manuscripts, reflecting the textual scholarship of their respective times. American Standard Version (ASV) (1901) […]
Continue ReadingFrom OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com. Below Chat’s response is the scholarly response from Claude.ai, which has a lot more story as well as the name of the Jewish Rabbi that divided the Hebrew Bible into verses. The same question was posed to both. Prompt: Provide dates and who was responsible for dividing […]
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