A Virtual File Cabinet for Our Studies of Christian Origins & Hebraic Faith
From ChatGPT on 10/27/2025. “I hold as a core personal belief that one cannot ignore the context, structure, and history of scripture and still take scripture seriously — if it deserves to be understood, then it deserves to be understood on its own terms.” — Schaun Wheeler whose forum member byline at BSA is “Faith […]
Continue ReadingBelow are three responses from ChatGPT in this very long post. Practical Summary – Copied from the end of the last prompt/response. Critical scholars see the evolution of Satan as a response to historical and theological pressures: Result: Satan evolves from God’s permitted tester → semi-independent cosmic adversary → ultimate rebel doomed to defeat, but […]
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT. The Greek word lēstēs (λῃστής) — meaning robber, bandit, or revolutionary/insurrectionist — appears several times in the New Testament, especially in the Gospels. Here are the occurrences, with context and English translation (NRSV). Pronunciation: lay-STACE. Scroll to the bottom for info and links about Dr. James Tabor’s translation of the term λῃστής (lēstēs) as […]
Continue ReadingExtracts from the “Did Jesus see himself as the Messiah?” roundtable post by Michael Waddell at BSA. From a post here containing ChatGPT’s summary of the transcript of Paula Fredriksen’s Lecture: “Turning the Tables on the ‘Purification’ of the Temple” in NINT 2025. Jesus did not heal the man with a “skin disease” NRSVue [“leper” […]
Continue ReadingExtracts from the BAS article Phoenicia and Its Special Relationship with Israel by Ephraim Stern. The Phoenicians were the nearest people to the ancient Israelites in every respect. They spoke the same language and wrote in the same script. Even their religion was similar, at least during the First Temple period. The Phoenicians and the Israelites built […]
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT Here are some solid, free online Bible commentary resources with notes on what they offer: General, Multi-volume Commentaries Critical / Academic Resources Historical / Patristic These are all freely accessible in a web browser and include both classic devotional material and critical scholarship.
Continue ReadingFrom Bart Ehrman‘s response on April 28, 2025, at 9:03 pm here: There is certainly a good bit of “anti-Judaism” in parts of the NT and a whole lot more as we moved into the second century and beyond. But none of this is “anti-semitism” in the modern sense. Anti-semitism is hatred/persecution of Jews because […]
Continue ReadingIn addition to the list below by Bernard Lang, see What Is God’s Name? Pronouncing the Tetragrammaton by John Drummond, published at BAS on January 13, 2026. Extract of 2003 the article “Why God Has So Many Names,” by Bernard Lang in Bible Review 19.4 (2003): pp. 48–50. Lang is a Professor Emeritus in Religion at the University […]
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 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) […]
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