A Virtual File Cabinet for Our Studies of Christian Origins & Hebraic Faith
Extract from Wikiversity here. The documentary hypothesis hypothesizes four primary sources (traditionally known as J, E, P, and D) for the Torah. These translations are based on the King James version of the Bible. This learning resource employs the latest iteration of the Documentary Hypothesis, known as the New Documentary Hypothesis. The New Documentary Hypothesis considers the four main sources […]
Continue ReadingBelow is ChatGPT’s summary of the transcript of the above very interesting video interview. The transcript is in his directory in DropBox. The transcript of Russell E. Gmirkin – Plato and the Creation of the Hebrew Bible (History Valley Podcast) presents Gmirkin’s argument that the Pentateuch was composed in the early Hellenistic period (around 270 […]
Continue ReadingFrom Claude.ai on 11/3/2025. Location and Context The Song of the Sea is found in Exodus 15:1-18, immediately following the narrative of Israel’s crossing of the Red Sea (or Sea of Reeds) and the destruction of Pharaoh’s army in Exodus 14. The song is sometimes called the “Song of Moses” or “Song of Miriam” (since […]
Continue ReadingSee Did God Write the Torah — and Does it Matter? For many Jews, the Torah’s authority does not derive from being a divine document. by Marc Zvi Brettler at MyJewishLearning.com. The article is in a Word doc in DropBox’s folder “Jewish Topics”. Claude.ai was asked to summarize the article and that summary is pasted […]
Continue ReadingDifferences in the Two Creation Stories [In addition to the information below, see the Genesis page on this site.] From OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com, 11/19/2024 The two creation stories in the Hebrew Bible in Genesis reflect differences in style, content, and emphasis. Scholars often attribute these to different sources: J (Yahwist) and P (Priestly). […]
Continue ReadingFrom Shabbat of the Full Moon: Early biblical laws demand a cessation of labor every seven days, but that was unconnected to Shabbat, which was originally a full moon celebration by Prof. Jacob L. Wright Summary: Two Separate Institutions The texts explored above suggest that the populations of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah commemorated […]
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT Several critical biblical scholars have made or supported the argument that the author(s) or redactor(s) of Samuel–Kings crafted the David narratives with subversive irony, meaning the stories appear to glorify David on the surface but subtly reveal his moral corruption and political ruthlessness to the perceptive reader. The idea is that the author […]
Continue ReadingAlso see https://theway.davisinterests.com/wp/king-david-the-mafia-don-war-lord/ Below are two ChatGPT summaries of the transcript of Dr. Joel Baden’s Lecture 11. Here’s the chronological outline of King David’s history according to Joel Baden’s lecture “The David Story Compiled,” now including precise chapter and verse citations beside each event. I. David’s Anointing and Saul’s Decline Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:1–23Summary: Baden’s […]
Continue ReadingThe post primarily contains information from an extensive article at BAS by Karel van der Toorn. The article was saved as a PDF file in the BAS directory in DropBox as downloaded from Egyptian Papyrus Sheds New Light on Jewish History Note the links at the bottom of the post to very good articles at BAS […]
Continue ReadingFrom Claude.ai Prompt – Do any critical bible scholars think that David being sent back in 1 Samuel 29:1-11 is not historical, so that David is not shown fighting his own people? Cite sources and scholars’ names. Response – Some critical biblical scholars interpret the narrative in 1 Samuel 29:1-11, where David is sent back […]
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