A Virtual File Cabinet for Our Studies of Christian Origins & Hebraic Faith
From ChatGPT on 7/25/2025. Critical Bible scholars widely acknowledge that the name “Moses” (Hebrew: Mosheh, מֹשֶׁה) is likely of Egyptian origin and is related to the Egyptian word “ms” or “mes,” meaning “child of” or “born of,” commonly used as a suffix in Egyptian theophoric names. In Egyptian, the verb ms(i) means “to give birth,” […]
Continue ReadingThree Responses from ChatGPT 7/23/2025. In Hebrew and Aramaic, the terms “mishpat” (מִשְׁפָּט) and “tzaddik” (צַדִּיק) have deep and interconnected meanings rooted in justice, righteousness, and social ethics, especially in biblical contexts. 1. מִשְׁפָּט (Mishpat) – Hebrew 2. צַדִּיק (Tzaddik) – Hebrew In Short: Word Language Root Meaning מִשְׁפָּט Hebrew ש־פ־ט Justice, judgment, legal decision […]
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT on 7/14/2025. Prompt: In ancient Israel and Judah, what did the priests do with the body of the sacrificed animals? Cite all sources. [Below the response is a Follow-up Prompt – How did the priest make money from the skins and meat? Cite all sources.] In ancient Israel and Judah, the treatment of […]
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT on 7/1/2025 The text below is a summary prepared by ChatGPT of the a transcript of Dr. Joel Baden’s Lecture 6 from The Rise and Fall of Biblical Israel, focusing on Solomon’s reign. Below is a comprehensive summary, highlighting the main themes, events, and scholarly interpretations presented in the lecture: Overview: This lecture […]
Continue ReadingThe transcript of Joel Baden’s Lesson 5, titled “The Historical David,” from his series “The Rise and Fall of Biblical Israel” at BSA, was summarized by ChatGPT, which also prepared a timeline based on the same lesson. Both are below. The transcript is in his DropBox directory, and the audio file is in his LgFile […]
Continue ReadingFrom Bart Ehrman’s post here. One of the most mysterious and even bizarre stories in Genesis happens right at the beginning of the flood narrative, where we are told that the “sons of God” looked down among the human “daughters,” saw that they were beautiful, and came down and had sex with them leading, to […]
Continue ReadingHow Many Prophecies Did Jesus Fulfill? Written by Marko Marina, Ph.D. Posted at BSA on May 29th, 2025. The table and text below are extracts from his excellent article, which includes brief discussions of the sources listed in the table below. Twelve of the most frequently mentioned prophecies Jesus is said to have fulfilled, served up in […]
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT 6/10/2025. Here is a table comparing the events of each day in the Genesis 1 creation story (1:1–2:3) with the creation narrative in Genesis 2 (2:4–25). These two accounts differ significantly in structure, emphasis, and theological purpose. Day Genesis 1 Creation Story (Priestly Source, Gen 1:1–2:3) Genesis 2 Creation Story (Yahwist Source, Gen […]
Continue ReadingFor info on Teraphim, see https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/teraphim Explanatory Responses from Claude.ai Sonnett 4 on 5/28/2025 Prompt: Tell me the Hebrew Bible story and verses about after years working for Laban, Jacob decides to leave with his family and possessions. Unknown to Jacob, Rachel steals Laban’s teraphim. How do critical bible scholars view that story? The story […]
Continue ReadingAt the BAR Library — When Did Ancient Israel Begin? New hieroglyphic inscription may date Israel’s ethnogenesis 200 years earlier than you thought. By Hershel Shanks This is a very good article about a paper by scholars Manfred Görg, Peter van der Veen, and Christoffer Theis, based on their understanding of a pharaoh’s “name ring” on […]
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