A Virtual File Cabinet for Our Studies of Christian Origins & Hebraic Faith
Here is the condensed 5-minute version based on this page. Lent: Its Roots in Passover and Pentecost A 5-Minute Talk for Senior Sunday School Good morning, everyone. We’re well into Lent, and I thought it would be meaningful to ask a question we don’t often think about: Where did Lent actually come from? The answer […]
Continue ReadingFrom Claude.ai. Below are key passages in the Hebrew Bible where God is described with the cluster of attributes: merciful/gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and faithfulness (or close equivalents).All quotations are from the American Standard Version (ASV), as requested. Across the passages below, especially from Exodus 34:6–7, the Hebrew Bible consistently describes […]
Continue ReadingMary Joan Winn Leith has a very interesting discussion of this question in her article “Biblical Views: Who Did Cain Marry?” in the Biblical Archaeology Review 39.6 (2013): 22, 82–84. Her article was summarized by ChatGPT and the summary is below. Summary of Mary Joan Winn Leith, “Biblical Views: Who Did Cain Marry?” Mary Joan Winn Leith […]
Continue ReadingDetailed Summary by ChatGPT of the transcript of Tabor’s Lecture 5 in his Christianity Before Paul course on MVP, focusing on the four scriptures Tabor cited in the related post James the Just: Tabor’s Sources and Why Below is a detailed, text-by-text account of the specific clues Dr. Tabor identifies in the four Johannine passages to support […]
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT on 12/20/2025. When did Moses go to Midian, marry, and hear his pagan father-in-law praying to YHWH? Short answer (critical-scholarly view) Most critical scholars place Moses’ flight to Midian, his marriage, and his exposure to YHWH worship there in the late Middle Bronze / early Late Bronze transition, roughly ca. 1400–1250 BCE, depending […]
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT Here is a flowchart showing how major ideas about God/YHWH and “dimensions beyond spacetime” branch from the ancient/classical view → modern philosophical developments → physics-integrated models → explicitly trans-dimensional models in a true flowchart layout using indentation and arrows. Flowchart: How Models of God and Dimensions Develop How to Read This Flowchart By […]
Continue ReadingMy Preface: From ChatGPT in response to the prompt: Have any critical bible scholars suggested that the verse in Matthew 16 that includes “and on this rock I will build my church.” is an interpolation to raise Peter’s status above that of James the brother of Jesus? Yes — several critical (historical-critical) scholars have suggested […]
Continue ReadingFrom Claude.ai on 8/27/2025 [Scroll down to read ChatGPT’s response.] Hebrew Divine Titles in English Bible Translations Overview of the Five Major Hebrew Divine Titles Hebrew Title Transliteration Meaning/Significance Frequency in Hebrew Bible יהוה YHWH/Yahweh The personal covenant name of God ~6,800 times אלהים Elohim God/gods (plural form, often singular meaning) ~2,600 times אל El […]
Continue ReadingMultiple responses from ChatGPT on 7/18/2025. Here’s how critical biblical scholars, especially those who avoid apologetic or traditional devotional interpretations, typically interpret Paul’s description of his “trip to heaven” in 2 Corinthians 12:1–10—with full citations. 1. Paul’s Vision as a Literary and Rhetorical Strategy Many critical scholars view Paul’s account not as a boast, but as part […]
Continue ReadingHachlili, Rachel. “Synagogues: Before and After the Roman Destruction of the Temple,” Biblical Archaeology Review 41.3 (2015): 30–38, 65. Church-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. Extracts listed below. Ryan, […]
Continue Reading