A Virtual File Cabinet for Our Studies of Christian Origins & Hebraic Faith
In the BAR magazine of July/August September/October 2019, there is the very interesting article titled Reactivating Remembrance, Interactive Inscriptions from Mt. Gerizim by Anne Katrine de Hemmer Gudme. This post contains Claude.ai’s summary of the article of which the PDF copy is in the Dropbox directory titled “Samaria”. Following the summary is a followup prompt/response […]
Continue ReadingThis post contains a question/response from Tabor’s new Circle site, and below that extract is a Claude.ai Prompt/Response. 6/23/2026 – OP’s Question: What are some thoughts out there about the thought that the Maccabees heavily redacted Deuteronomy to support their legitimacy? Response by Annette Cloutier Sean, this is a fascinating line of inquiry. The Hasmoneans/Maccabeans […]
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 ReadingThis is a follow-up post to The Rise of the Maccabees & Synagogue-based Torah Instruction at this site. Scroll below this response for one that incorporates the Quram community. Below is a direct contrast between the Maccabean-era synagogue/Torah-institutionalization model and Second Temple priestly continuity models, keeping the focus on critical scholarship and embedding sources directly […]
Continue ReadingThis is a summary prepared by ChatGPT of a BAR article. Below is a chronological timeline of the major events in Andrea M. Berlin, “The Rise of the Maccabees,” Biblical Archaeology Review 49.2 (2023), with historical and archaeological context drawn directly from the article. The original timeline was expanded to integrate events and developments proposed […]
Continue ReadingThe Hasmoneans were a Jewish dynasty that ruled Judea and the surrounding regions during the 2nd and 1st centuries BCE. They emerged as leaders of the Jewish people after the Maccabean Revolt (167–160 BCE) against the Seleucid Empire, a Greek-Macedonian dynasty that controlled much of the Near East following the conquests of Alexander the Great. […]
Continue ReadingClick here for an extensive Timeline of Jewish History. The table below was extracted from that page on 5/12/2026.
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT 11/23/2024. Jump to the second chat below “The Transition from Ptolemaic and Seleucid Rule in Judea to the Hasmonean Dynasty, the Qumran Community, and Rome’s Conquest including the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Jump to a concise chronological list of events. The Transition from Seleucid Rule in Judea to the Hasmonean Dynasty and Rome’s Conquest […]
Continue ReadingClick here for an extensive Timeline of Jewish History. From OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com Prompt – Provide a timeline of the Seleucid empire, the Macabean revolt and dynasty, and the Qumran Dead Sea Scroll community. Cite any scripture in from the ASV and list all sources at the end of the response. […]
Continue ReadingClick here for an extensive Timeline of Jewish History. From ChatGPT. Prompt – Prepare a timeline of the Maccabean revolt in Judea citing the sources in a list at the end. The Maccabean Revolt was a Jewish rebellion that took place from 167 to 160 BCE, driven by opposition to the Seleucid Empire’s oppressive policies […]
Continue Reading