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.
What Was Simon Peter Wearing When He Plunged into the Sea?
Was Peter actually fishing naked, or was he merely “stripped to the waist,” as the Living Bible says? And what did he put on before swimming to Jesus?
“And” or “In order to” Remarry?
Apparently, contrary to normal Greek usage, Greek’s kai (“and”) in the sense of “in order to” occurs in the Synoptic Gospels.
Matthew 16:18: The Petros-petra Wordplay—Greek, Aramaic, or Hebrew?
The pinnacle of the Gospel story may be Jesus’ dramatic statement, “You are Petros and on this petra I will build my Church.” The saying seems to contain an obvious Greek wordplay, indicating that Jesus spoke in Greek. However, it is possible that “Petros…petra” is a Hebrew wordplay.
Is the Sage Worth His Salt?
The Gospels record that questions were sometimes put to the sage Jesus of Nazareth in order to “test” him. According to Joseph Frankovic, the questioner’s intent may not always have been hostile.
The Place of Women in First-century Synagogues
Today, public worship can take place in a synagogue only if at least ten adult Jewish males are present. Women do not qualify as part of this quorum. Furthermore, women are separated from men within the synagogue: women worship in an ezrat nashim, a balcony, or section with a divider, located beside or behind the men’s section. Things were considerably different in Jesus’ day.
That Small-fry Herod Antipas, or When a Fox Is Not a Fox
We need to start translating “fox” with its proper Hebraic cultural meaning.
The Rich Young Ruler Story: Personal Application
God will probably test our commitment to him at its weakest, most vulnerable point or points, those areas in our lives that we have made more important than him.
Scirbal Scribal Errors
There are about 1,500 scribal errors in the Hebrew Scriptures. The letters vav and yod, for instance, were often confused by ancient copyists of the Bible. The two letters are so similar that they are easily confused. In fact, writing by mistake a vav instead of a yod, or vice versa, is the most common scribal error.
The Fallacy of Sacred Name Bibles
Some Christian teachers argue that it is wrong to translate God’s personal name as “LORD,” and that English Bible translators should use “Yahweh” instead.