Does Evil Exist?

From ChatGPT on 9/11/2025. This post contains four Prompts/Responses with the prompts listed below. Scroll down to read the responses. 1st Prompt – Are there any critical bible scholars who discuss if evil or satan actually exists, or is what we call evil the absence of God? 2nd Prompt – Why do critical bible scholars […]

Continue Reading

Israelite Life Before the Kings***

Here’s a bullet-point outline prepared by ChatGPT based on the archaeological portrait from Robert D. Miller’s Archaeological Views: Israelite Life Before the Kings published in BAR, 2013. Israelite Life Before the Kings (1200–1000 B.C.E.) 1. Villages & Settlement 2. Homes & Families 3. Agriculture & Economy 4. Social Life & Leadership 5. Religion & Worship […]

Continue Reading

Haggai the Book

From Christine Hayes’ Lecture 23 Summary in Dropbox Post-exilic prophets like Haggai, Zechariah, and Third Isaiah articulated eschatological hopes to address the disillusionment of returning exiles. Haggai (520 BCE): Blamed the community’s hardships on their failure to rebuild the temple (Haggai 1:4-6) and saw Zerubbabel as a potential Davidic messiah. From Christine Hayes’ Lecture 23 […]

Continue Reading

OT Jumps to Wikipedia

Tanakh (Judaism) Torah (Instruction) GenesisBereshitExodusShemotLeviticusWayiqraNumbersBemidbarDeuteronomyDevarim Nevi’im (Prophets) FormerJoshuaYehoshuaJudgesShofetimSamuelShemuelKingsMelakhimLatterIsaiahYeshayahuJeremiahYirmeyahuEzekielYekhezqelMinorHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachi Ketuvim (Writings) PoeticPsalmsTehillimProverbsMishleiJobIyovFive Megillot (Scrolls) Song of SongsShir HashirimRuthRutLamentationsEikhahEcclesiastesQohelet EstherEsterHistorical — DanielDaniyyelEzra–NehemiahEzraChroniclesDivre Hayyamim Old Testament (Christianity) PentateuchGenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyHistoricalJoshuaJudgesRuth1–2 Samuel1–2 Kings1–2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherPoeticJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsPropheticMajor prophetsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielMinor prophetsHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiDeuterocanonicalTobitJudithAdditions to Esther1 Maccabees2 MaccabeesWisdom of SolomonSirachBaruch / Letter of JeremiahAdditions to DanielOrthodox only1 Esdras2 EsdrasPrayer of ManassehPsalm 1513 Maccabees4 MaccabeesOrthodox TewahedoEnochJubilees1, 2, and 3 MeqabyanParalipomena of BaruchBroader canon

Continue Reading

Joel the Book

From Christine Hayes’s Lecture 23 transcript in DropBox. Joel, a very short little book, probably the latest prophetic book, also contains apocalyptic material. The versification of Joel varies tremendously in different English translations, so I’m using the verse markings that are in the Bible you have. But if you consult another Bible some of them […]

Continue Reading

God’s Names, A Glossary

In 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 Reading

Zechariah: the book

Christine Hayes This page contains the teachings of two scholars. In addition, see the much more detailed paper of Christine Hayes’ Lecture 23’s transcript in Dropbox\Christianity\Scholars\Christine Hayes\Intro to the OT\Lecture 23 Transcript Ruth Haggie 1_2Zechariah 3Isaiah Joel Daniel.docx” Bart Ehrman Here is the ChatGPT summary of the part of Bart Ehrman’s textbook about the book […]

Continue Reading