A few years ago, Israeli archaeologists unearthed a beautiful and ancient stone in the city of Tiberius in Galilee. It is an impressive piece of basalt rock with an image of a seven-branched menorah. Menorah is a special temple lampstand that the Bible describes in detail. It is one of...
In Romans 11, Shaul, apostle to the gentiles, writes, “Have they [Israelites] stumbled so as to fall? Certainly not! But through their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make them jealous (παραζηλῶσαι αὐτούς; parazelosai autous).” It’s not uncommon to hear that, according to this verse,...
Some of my favorite things about the people who surround me are their warm and happy smiles. It does not take much to quickly crack a few muscles in your face, to smile, and show a positive disposition towards someone else. It takes so little effort, yet it can mean...
Thanks to new subscribers PSHIR.COM continues to grow! And growth is exciting because that allows me to plan for the future better and to develop new quality multi-media content. For me, healthy and steady growth translates to doing the things I envisioned doing before but lacked the resources to...
The New Testament records that some Jewish followers of Jesus from Cyrene were responsible for the first Gentile converts in Antioch. “So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to...
The Bible is full of customs, traditions, and rituals. Many Jewish cultural practices seem unusual to the rest of the world, and others were successfully assimilated via the broader Christian culture. People don't even think of them as Jewish but the gospels read by millions of non-Jews today...
Messiah’s famous words about Torah declare, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill” (Mat 5:17 NASB) This verse has been explained countless times in church sermons, academic lectures, and scholarly commentaries. What can...
The Third Book of Enoch (Hebrew Enoch), or "The Book of Palaces," is an ancient Jewish mystical composition. Though named after Enoch, it was not written by the biblical Enoch himself. He is, however, the main character in a story of Rabbi Ishamel’s ascent to see the...
The Third Book of Enoch (Hebrew Enoch), or "The Book of Palaces," is an ancient Jewish mystical composition. How ancient? Around the sixth century CE. The Third Book of Enoch is quite different from 1 Enoch and 2 Enoch. It does not sound like Second Temple Era Jewish...