First of all, what is Charoset? It is a special Passover menu item found on every Jewish table that celebrates the exodus from Egypt. Today Charoset (חֲרֽוֹסֶת), a sweet brown mixture eaten as a part of the memorial meal that looks back to the slavery of...
The Jewish Passover Celebration is a remembrance of the chosen people’s exodus from Egypt. During this celebration, a special plate with symbolic items is set as the centerpiece of every festive table. One of the items on this special plate is a bone. The traditional name of the bone...
Egypt is a key ancient power to be understood by any serious student of the Bible. But who has the time to study their vast culture in detail? Thankfully general understanding of the topic can be gained pretty fast these days, and Encyclopedias are a huge help here. This is...
This multi-part seminar, "The World of Hebrew Prophets," explores the ancient messages by seeking to understand the world, the events, and the circumstances that surround the lives of prophets and their audiences. These recordings are segments of an undergraduate class I taught at a Christian college. These are...
What kind of wine would Jesus drink in his lifetime? Leonardo Da Vinci’s iconic painting, “The Last Supper,” missed a few marks, but it got the wine part right. Biblical historians have long pondered what dishes may have been on the table at the Last Supper. One thing that’...
Since most Enoch scholars agree that the text was originally Aramaic or Hebrew, this new translation seeks to create a sense that one is reading a Semitic text periodically using Hebrew vernacular alongside English. Thus, my new text has a different feel. By the way, I recently published two books:...
In the Torah (Genesis 28), we encounter a story of Jacob meeting his relatives in Haran. Jacob waters Rachel’s flock. He kisses her and breaks down crying. He tells her that he is Rebekah’s son. Rebekah was her aunt. When Rachel realizes that he is her relative from...
The world of the Bible is full of symbolism that modern readers at times notice and do not appreciate, but very often miss entirely. People’s customs, traditions, and folkways about most ordinary matters of life often reflect deep into their spiritual thinking. But our own culture obscures that and...
An amazing discovery has been just recently unveiled in Jerusalem: a seal that possibly belongs to Isaiah the Prophet. Archaeologists have been digging south of the walls of old Jerusalem in the area known as Ophel. Though outside of the current walls of the city, this is one of the...
