Updating...
Showing 12 of 80
My God is YahwehNames are important in Western culture. Parents choose names for their children after much thought and discussion. For the rest of a person's life, he is identified by the name he was given before birth. But the significance of nam...
MORENot on Bread AloneIsrael is mostly rugged desert. The variety of Hebrew words for desert or wilderness indicates the significant role the landscape played in biblical history and imagery. For the Hebrews, the desert was far more formative than the...
MOREThe Province of Asia MinorThe remains of the towns and villages of Galilee give evidence to the simple lifestyle of the Jewish people of the first century. Few were wealthy but most were hardworking people living comfortable lives as extended fami...
MORERabbi and TalmidimThe people of Galilee were the most religious Jews in the world in the time of Jesus. This is quite contrary to the common view that the Galileans were simple, uneducated peasants from an isolated area. This perspective is probab...
MOREMarriage Customs In ancient Israel, when it was time for a man and woman to marry, both fathers would negotiate the bride price to compensate the bride-to-be's family. After exchanging a glass of wine to conceal the agreement, the couple was form...
MOREBelvoir's FortressBuilt by French Crusaders with a moat, outer walls, and an inner building, Belvoir looks like a European fortress transplanted onto Israel's soilBuilt by a group of French Crusaders, the Belvoir fortress stands in an area of nort...
MOREFour views of JudaismIn Jesus' day, there were varying philosophies within the Jewish faith. While some Jews embraced the Roman rulers, others resisted with violence. And whereas some Jewish believers lived a simple, isolated lifestyle...
MOREPhilistine ArmorArchaeologists discovered carvings of Philistine soldiers in the temple of Ramses III in Egypt. According to these carvings, the Philistines wore feathered helmets secured under their chins by leather straps. Headbands holding the ...
MOREOver 3,800 years ago, God spoke to Abraham: "Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you" (Gen. 13:17). From the outset, God's choice of a Hebrew nomad was linked to the selection of a specific land whe...
MOREQumran served as a study site for the Essenes, a Jewish sect existing in Jesus' day. Located at the edge of the Judea Wilderness, Qumran was an isolated community. The Essenes could live out their beliefs in separation from other religious groups ...
MOREOne of the writings of the Essenes found among the Dead Sea Scrolls; it describes the rules of the community.
MOREA small community near the northern end of the Dead Sea, inhabited from 130 BC to AD 70, probably by the Essenes. The Dead Sea Scrolls were found near this settlement.
MORE