A Virtual File Cabinet for Our Studies of Christian Origins & Hebraic Faith
This post contains Claude.ai’s summary of and extracts from the very good article by Paul Davidson: Sheol’s Origins as a Hurrian Goddess of the Netherworld. First is the YouTube embed that is him reading the article while archeological and graphic images help depict the issues. Then there is a Claude generated summary table that preceeds the […]
Continue ReadingFrom Claude.ai on 10/7/2026. Provide a table that lists the different creation and flood myths in the Ancient Near East and Mesopotamia. Include a brief summary of the story and characters amd when each is estimated to have been written and where. Include a column citing where scholars believe each one contributed to the Hebrew […]
Continue ReadingHere is a summary of the article “The Hittites: Between Tradition and History” from Biblical Archaeology Review (42.2, 2016). Below that is a Chronology as contained in that article. Biblical References and Context Archaeological and Historical Overview Political and Military History Collapse and Neo-Hittites Hittites in Biblical Narratives Religion and Culture Conclusion This article blends […]
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 BAS LIbrary – Why Did the Israelites Make a Golden Calf? by John Drummond, April 09, 2025 Extract – Another possible reason for choosing a calf to represent Israel’s God might not have anything to do with Egyptian religion at all. Across the ancient Near East, cultures represented deities standing atop bovines. Often the depicted […]
Continue Reading4100-2900 BCE – The Uruk Period The Ubaid Period (c. 5000-4100 BCE) when the so-called Ubaid people first inhabited the region of Sumer is followed by the Uruk Period (4100-2900 BCE) during which time cities began to develop across Mesopotamia and Uruk became the most influential. The Uruk Period is divided into 8 phases from […]
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT Prompts – Add to the last response [See ChatGPT response on this page] dates, events, and context for the Mitanni empire and any interaction with Abraham. Sub-prompt: Add to the response dates, events, and context for Hurrian influences. The Hurrians were a significant cultural and political group in the ancient Near East, active […]
Continue ReadingThis post references two BAS articles and includes comparison maps. Where Is Abraham’s Ur? by Cyrus H. Gordon, published in 1977, and Abraham’s Ur—Is the Pope Going to the Wrong Place? by Hershel Shanks. Shank’s article references the one by Gordon. The following is Claude.ai’s summary of the first article. The PDF is in the BAS directory in […]
Continue Reading