There are many expressions in the Greek texts of Matthew, Mark and Luke that seem to derive from Hebrew idioms. These are phrases that mean something different from the literal meaning of the words they use. Every language has its own idioms, many of which seem strange when translated literally out of their native setting.
Hebrew Nuggets, Lesson 21: Israel (Part 3)
Part three of a four-part series on the Hebrew word Israel.
Hebrew Nuggets, Lesson 20: Israel (Part 2)
Part two of a four-part series on the Hebrew word Israel.
Hebrew Nuggets, Lesson 19: Israel (Part 1)
Part one of a four-part series on the Hebrew word Israel.
Hebrew Nuggets, Lesson 15: Shalom (Part 1)
First of a two-part series on the well-known Hebrew word Shalom.
Scholarly Assumptions about the Historical Jesus
Many scholars today feel that it is impossible to know what the historical Jesus really said.
Jesus’ Education
One can form a reasonably accurate picture of what Jesus was doing in his childhood and adolescence.
Hebrew Nuggets, Lesson 14: menorah (Part 3)
The third part of a three-part series on the word Menorah.
Who Was Jesus?
TIME magazine’s August 15, 1988 issue presented a sad picture of the current state of scholarly knowledge. After 200 years of “scientific” investigation into New Testament records of the life of Jesus, scholars are more divided than ever as to who Jesus was and who he thought he was. Even sadder, the Herculean efforts of generations of scholars have brought Jesus no nearer to the ordinary believer.
First-century Discipleship
Like other sages of his time, Jesus demanded his disciples’ total commitment. They were to put the “kingdom of Heaven” (Jesus’ band of full-time disciples) before all else. They were to “hate,” that is, put second, father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and themselves, as well (Luke 14:26). Following Jesus to learn Torah from him was to take precedence over every other endeavor.
Gospel Translation
Hebrew words usually have many shades of meaning, and the Greek translator of the conjectured Hebrew “Life of Jesus” could convey only one sense of each Hebrew word’s meaning. When the standard Greek translation of a Hebrew word became fixed, Greek translators often employed this standard translation even when the Hebrew word it translated appeared with an obviously different meaning.
Mary and Martha: The Rest of the Story
In Robert L. Lindsey’s theory of gospel transmission, the Hebrew version of Jesus’ biography and its Greek translation have both been lost. Although none of the synoptic Gospels preserves the original text in its entirety, together they do preserve all, or nearly all, of the stories in the original work.
Hebrew Nuggets, Lesson 12: menorah (Part 1)
Menorah is one of the many Hebrew words that have entered the English language.
At the Feet of a Sage
Jewish sages and their disciples were dependent upon the hospitality of the communities they visited.