A Virtual File Cabinet for Our Studies of Christian Origins & Hebraic Faith
From ChatGPT 9/12/2025. In the Hebrew Bible the word Leviathan (לִוְיָתָן, liwyātān) appears as a name for a massive, chaotic sea creature—sometimes poetic, sometimes mythic. Critical scholars generally see it as Israel’s version of the Near Eastern chaos-monster motif rather than a literal zoological animal. Note in two verses, YHWH is playing with Leviathan like […]
Continue ReadingFrom 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 ReadingHere’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 ReadingBart Ehrman’s Series of Posts Genesis and the Moses Story By Konrad Schmid, Professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Judaism, University of Zurich, Switzerland, October 2010 Genesis and the Moses story were two competing myths of origin for Israel that were literarily and conceptually independent from each other. They both explained in different ways how […]
Continue ReadingThis post contains multiple prompts from ChatGPT on 9/1/2025. Along with the misappropriations, the responses at the end shows how he combined Hebrew Bible verses to create a different meaning. The responses drill further into Paul’s use and abuse of the Hebrew Bible. NOTE: The link to the source below cited as Scribd goes to […]
Continue ReadingFrom 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 ReadingTanakh (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 ReadingFrom 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 ReadingIn 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 ReadingSee Joel Baden’s Rise and Fall of Biblical Israel, Lesson 5 transcript in Dropbox. Joel points out numerous places where David puts a show (so the writer says) that he is innocent of killing his rivals, and to prove it he kills the killers who had been his accomplices. Ironically, all of Saul’s heirs to […]
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