What was “the sign of Jonah”? This LOY segment offers a new and surprising answer.
Teaching with Authority: The Development of Jesus’ Portrayal as a Teacher within the Synoptic Tradition
When Jesus’ teaching is falsely portrayed as entirely new, it obscures what in Jesus’ message is truly unique.
Innocent Blood
How well-read was Jesus? The LOY segment entitled Innocent Blood probes the possibility that Jesus read and quoted a no-longer-extant Second Temple-period Jewish literary work that warned against violent religious extremism.
Audio JP: Like Lightning from Heaven (Luke 10:18): Jesus’ Apocalyptic Vision of the Fall of Satan
Listen to Joshua Tilton’s JP article “Like Lightning from Heaven (Luke 10:18): Jesus’ Apocalyptic Vision of the Fall of Satan.”
Audio JP: “Shake the Dust from Your Feet”: What Did the Apostles’ Action Signify?
Listen to Joshua Tilton’s JP article, “‘Shake the Dust from Your Feet’: What Did the Apostles’ Action Signify?”
Audio JP: Gergesa, Gerasa, or Gadara? Where Did Jesus’ Miracle Occur?
Listen to Ze’ev Safrai’s JP article “Gergesa, Gerasa, or Gadara? Where Did Jesus’ Miracle Occur?”
Generations That Repented Long Ago
Did Jesus condemn his contemporaries for failing to recognize him as the Messiah or for something more insidious?
Character Profile: Mary Magdalene
In place of accurate facts about Mary Magdalene, strange ideas and fabulous speculations have arisen that have diminished the true image of one of the most important women in the New Testament.
Woes on Three Villages
The Woes on Three Villages express Jesus’ sorrow that Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum had not responded to his warning not to get sucked into the black hole of violent religious nationalism.
Notes on the New Testament as a Witness for Broader Jewish Patterns in Jesus’ Times
This essay probes a number of Matthean and Lukan contributions to the shared Synoptic narrative, in search of possible reflections of contemporaneous Jewish customs and beliefs with broader circulation.
Did Jesus Save the Life of an Adulteress?
A fresh look at the text and at the historical evidence yields a version of the story of the Woman Caught in Adultery that turns out to be surprisingly different from the way it is usually portrayed.
Indispensable Resource Now Free
The Jewish People in the First Century is now available to all users of the internet who have registered with the Internet Archive for an e-library card.
Joseph’s Silence
Scripture does not record a single word Joseph ever spoke. But Joseph’s example of quiet faithfulness encouraged others to trust God.
Gospel Postcard: The Garden of Gethsemane
The traditional location of the Garden of Gethsemane is on the lower slopes of the Mount of Olives opposite the Temple Mount and its Golden Gate.
LOY Excursus: Sources of the “Strings of Pearls” in Luke’s Gospel
The “strings of pearls” (Luke 8:16-18; 9:23-27; 16:16-18; 17:1-6) offer an example of the outsized influence of the First Reconstruction on the synoptic tradition.