A Virtual File Cabinet for Our Studies of Christian Origins & Hebraic Faith
From ChatGPT on 5/11/2026. Scroll below the first prompt/response for a great table – The Main Theories of Israelite Origins in Canaan Prompt: Provide links to articles by critical bible scholars related to the origins of Israel in Canaan: an examination of recent theories. Here’s a curated list of scholarly articles and resources by critical […]
Continue ReadingFrom Claude.ai on 5/11/2026 in relation to the post Egypt, Assyria, and the Levant: A Chronological Narrative. Prompt: When do critical bible scholars say that Moses and the isralites that left Egypt arrived in Canaan? Cite sources in line. Claude responded: What Critical Scholars Say About When the Israelites Arrived in Canaan The Majority View: […]
Continue ReadingFrom Claude.ai on 5/10/2026. Follow-up to the summary of Ehrman’s interview of Collins here. Prompt: Collins mentions [in the summary linked above] the intellectual class in Yavne and Babylonia. Provide context and background to the people to whom he is referring and their history. Cite all sources in line. Claude responded: Here is a detailed […]
Continue ReadingClaude.ai’s summary of 10 Things to Know About the Assyrian Empire, Who were the Assyrians? at BAS by Robin Ngo; published on July 17, 2025. The PDF of the article is in the Assyrian Empire directory in Dropbox.
Continue ReadingFrom Claude.ai on 5/7/2026. – Summary of the article at BAS: “Judah’s African Ally: Taharqa and the Kingdom of Cush” By James K. Hoffmeier, Biblical Archaeology Review 51.2 (2025). Following the summary are two followup responses from Claude and one includes a Hyksos to Cush timeline.
Continue ReadingBelow is a summary by Claude.ai of an interview of John J. Collins by Bart Ehrman titled Surprising Origins of Judaism Before Jesus in advance of Collins’ 20-lecture course at BSA in the summer of 2026. The transcript of the interview sent to Claude.ai is in John Collins’ directory in Dropbox. Prompt: Summarize the attached […]
Continue Reading[Nan] Shepherd knew the Bible, including the story of the burning bush, well enough to also know the significance of the words I am. When Moses, as we have already noted, is described in the Book of Exodus encountering a bush that is on fire with divine presence without being consumed, he asks, “What is […]
Continue ReadingExtracts from a Forum post at BSA here. Below the extracts is a long Response from Claude.ai. Original Post from a new member: I noticed there are strikingly extensive overlaps between Jewish Apocalypticism and Zoroastrianism, the religion of ancient Persia. These overlapping beliefs include (somewhat simplifying): It seems hard to believe that all of this […]
Continue ReadingThis post contains a post by Michael Waddell to a BAS forum here about when the stories of Abraham were composed. Credit is fully his, other than the added emphasis that is mine and Byron’s comments as pasted at the bottom. I [Michael Waddell] really enjoyed watching Dr. Kent Sparks’ NIHB lecture, where he argued […]
Continue ReadingSee Joel Baden’s NIHB 2026 lecture on Genesis 18:23-33 that is the passage where Abraham seems to haggle with God to determine exactly how many righteous people would have to be in Sodom before God would refrain from destroying the city. See the PDF in the Sodom and Gomorrah directory in dropbox of “Shall Not […]
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