A Virtual File Cabinet for Our Studies of Christian Origins & Hebraic Faith
From ChatGPT 6/30/2025. Here are the elevations (in feet above/below sea level) for the major cities and villages along the Central and Eastern routes from Capernaum to Jerusalem, as traveled in Jesus’ time: CENTRAL ROUTE (Through Samaria) Location Elevation (feet) Notes Capernaum –700 ft Sea of Galilee shore; lowest point on route Magdala –625 ft Fishing village […]
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT on 6/29/2025. 1st Prompt – What are the elevations and differences between the Sea of Galilee, Jerusalem, and Caesarea Maritima and the elevation changes along the walking routes in the time of Jesus? Provide all measurements in feet and miles. Cite all sources. Here are the elevations and elevation changes (all in feet […]
Continue ReadingWhat’s Missing from Codex Sinaiticus, the Oldest New Testament? by Biblical Archaeology Society Staff Compare differences between the King James Version and Codex Sinaiticus, March 20, 2025. Extracts from that very good article are listed below. Significant omitted verses King James Version Codex Sinaiticus Luke 24:51: “And it came to pass, while he blessed them, […]
Continue Reading3/21/2025 – Claude.ai prompt in Explanatory mode: What are the differences in modern English and koine Greek? Cite all sources. Modern English and Koine Greek: Key Differences Modern English and Koine Greek represent two linguistic systems separated by both time (about 2,000 years) and linguistic family. Let me explore the major differences between these languages […]
Continue ReadingThe scholarly methodology that led to the positing of the existence of a Deuteronomistic school is redaction criticism. Redaction criticism grew out of a weariness with source criticism and other forms of biblical criticism that fragmented the text into older sources, genres, or tradition units in order to arrive at a history of Israelite religion, […]
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT, 3/2/2025. In Jesus’ time, a person traveling a 30-mile journey would likely walk the entire distance unless they had access to a donkey or another form of transport. Walking was the primary means of travel for most people in ancient Judea and the surrounding regions. Historical Walking Distances If someone undertook a 30-mile […]
Continue ReadingItalicized paragraphs below were extracted from Christine Elizabeth Hayes’ book Introduction to the Bible (The Open Yale Courses Series) (pp. 187-189). Yale University Press. Kindle Edition. In the book, they are one long paragraph. The layout below is my addition to assist in learning the pieces. It has often been pointed out that in the […]
Continue ReadingBy Michael L Waddell – I’m honored that my Flashcard tool for learning Greek is highlighted as a resource in this community! I wanted to share some free resources that I found particularly useful, and to invite you all to share any free resources you know of that others here might benefit from. By Joel […]
Continue ReadingFrom: ChatGPT, 2/10/2025 Prompt: Cite the locations in the bible where critical bible scholars point out that the division into chapters and verses misleads the reader as the divisions interrupts the story or in someway changes the meaning. Cite all sources. There are several instances in the Bible where critical scholars argue that the division […]
Continue ReadingBelow is a response to the question posed by Estelle at BSA. An answer to the question was posted by scholar Robyn Faith Walsh on 2/3/2025 that is inserted below. Hi, Estelle! There are a few reasons to support the idea that the gospels were first written in Greek, although I’ll grant you that this […]
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