Inaccuracy in translating either through ignorance or because of an obscure manuscript reading is to be expected, but to skew wittingly due to academic bias or religious tendentiousness smirches the reputation of a venerable profession.
God’s Mercy and Our Disobedience
Reading a passage from the New Testament against the backdrop of ancient Jewish tradition can sometimes add to the its significance. Romans 11:30-36 is one such passage, where without knowing the Jewish tradition to which Paul alluded, we run the risk of not hearing his emphasis clearly: God is merciful and his ways, incomprehensible.
Deliver Us From Evil
Just as good poetry can convey multiple allusions, so “Deliver us from evil” can carry a variety of notions of protection from doing and experiencing evil.
Noun Chains in the Gospels
Hebraisms in the Synoptic Gospels are as ubiquitous as cats in Jerusalem.
The Synagogue the Centurion Built
Would a Roman officer have had the means to finance the construction of a synagogue in the lakeshore town of Capernaum?
Insulting God’s High Priest
Recent research has shown that Sadducees, not Pharisees, were responsible for the death of Jesus. An incident recounted in the Book of Acts provides a glimpse of the Sadducean high priests’ corrupt behavior. Little wonder the Sadducees were despised by the common people.
Emulating the Ways of Sodom
As our disposable incomes have swelled and our pursuit of life’s finer things has gained momentum, has our concern for the destitute also swelled?
Character Profile: A New Portrait of Salome
Salome’s image has been obscured and marred due to the personas created for her by writers of the past 150 years. Salome is famous for the part she played in the execution of John the Baptist. Since 1863, she has been depicted in books and films as morally depraved. Diligent research reveals, however, that the real Salome is much different than popular portrayals.
Walk after Me!
Sharing personal insights from his own spiritual journey and his study of the Scriptures, the late Dwight Pryor, founder of the Center for Judaic-Christian Studies, reflects on the life of Jesus for Christian readers of Jerusalem Perspective (JP).
The Best Long-term Investment—Making Loans to God
In our day, the 20th-century disciple of Jesus feels the challenge of his call to lay up treasure in heaven more than ever. In the face of an emerging global society drunken with consumerism and materialism, Jesus’ words shatter the silence: “You cannot serve God and mammon!”
From Allegro to Zeitlin
In this article the author explains his view that the output of cheap, pseudo-scholarship has driven legitimate, serious scholarly information from the marketplace of ideas.
Has the Lost City of Bethsaida Finally Been Found?
The scholarly debate over the location of Bethsaida continues to rage. Now, Mendel Nun, an authority on the Sea of Galilee and its ancient harbors, weighs in on the side of el-Araj.
Robert L. Lindsey and His Synoptic Theory
In this article, Finnish scholar Risto Santala appraises the synoptic theory of Robert L. Lindsey and its importance for New Testament studies.
Enemies of the Harvest
In his famous Parable of the Sower, Jesus referred to seed sown in soil that was full of thistles. What did these thistles look like, and how did they succeed in choking the grain plants?
Ostracon from Qumran Throws Light on First Church
An inscribed potsherd discovered at Qumran provides an amazing parallel to a practice of Jesus’ first community of followers. According to the Book of Acts, members of that community sold their possessions and distributed the proceeds according to individual need.
The “Desert” of Bethsaida
By analyzing the meaning of the word translated “desert,” the topography at the Feeding of the Five Thousand can be clarified.