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I’ve just discovered the Jewish roots of my Christian faith. What should I read to learn more?
We have a number of book suggestions and online resources for you to get started!
The Numbers Game: Bible Codes (Numerology and Gematria)
Biblical writers infrequently consciously used numerical patterns or codes in their compositions.
The Textus Receptus, or “Majority Text,” Theory
Have you read a book called New Age Bible Versions by Gail Riplinger?
Is the Search for Literary Sources of the Synoptic Gospels Futile?
Indeed, the search for literary sources that may be reflected in a piece of writing can be risky business. In the case of the Synoptic Gospels, however, we possess multiple accounts of the same events—events that originally occurred in a Hebrew-speaking environment, but were eventually recorded in Greek.
The “Hypocrisy” of the Pharisees
Without reading the Scriptures carefully, and without a familiarity with Second Temple-period extra-biblical sources, a simple reader of the New Testament might assume that a majority of the Pharisees were hypocrites and that the Pharisees as a movement were indeed a “brood of vipers.” As a result of this common Christian assumption, the word “Pharisee” has become a synonym for “hypocrite” in the English language.
How should I cite material taken from your site?
Due to the nature of Internet publishing, content found on Web sites can be updated, corrections and improvements being inserted whenever an author desires. Sometimes, an article’s revision involves no more than a word or two. An online article might be revised, for example, twenty times in one day. Consequently, online articles are usually accompanied by a “Last Revised” date and the “Date Read” (date of access)
What is the meaning of “firstborn male” in Luke 2:23?
Is the consecration of the boy only done if he is the firstborn? Or is it done if he is simply the oldest?
How should Jesus’ Hebrew name be transliterated to English?
I was puzzled by David Bivin’s January/February column (“Understanding the Roots of the Bible”) [in Ministries Today (Strang Communications, Lake Mary, Florida)] inasmuch as Bivin makes a case against spelling the name Y’shua with an apostrophe.
Doesn’t the Bible Call Jesus a Rabbi?
From the Gospel accounts, Jesus clearly appears as a typical first-century Jewish sage, and was famous enough to draw students to himself.
What language did Jesus speak?
The following two articles by Shmuel Safrai are the most essential reading on this question: “Spoken Languages in the Time of Jesus” and “Literary Languages in the Time of Jesus.”
Did women go through a mikveh (ritual immersion pool) after childbirth?
According to Leviticus 12, the presenting of the two turtledoves constituted the purification for childbirth. And in fact, the same thing seems to be implied concerning a woman’s menstrual period (Lev. 15:19ff.). Anyone who touches her or anything she has touched has to purify himself by washing, but nothing seems to be said about the woman washing herself at any time, either after childbirth or after her monthly period.
Are you suggesting that the canon of Scripture is incomplete?
There is something scary in the suggestion that there may be an additional Gospel. The canon of Scripture is, after all, complete. And I hope you don’t suggest otherwise.
Matthew 24:20: Why did Jesus advise people to pray that their flight not be on the Sabbath?
The biblical prohibition against working on the Sabbath, as interpreted by the rabbis, included carrying burdens (Mishnah, Shabbath 7:2). If one had to flee on the Sabbath one would be forced to leave behind nearly all of one’s possessions. One would not be permitted to take any money, would be allowed to carry only enough food for three meals and a maximum of eighteen different pieces of clothing (Mishnah, Shabbath 16:2, 4).
Shouldn’t the word “Christ” be translated “Messiah” in our English Bibles?
Strong’s Analytical Concordance shows that the word “Christ” appears 570 times in the New Testament. Why can’t this transliterated word be given its translated form, “Messiah,” in our Bibles instead of the transliteration?
Did Jews in the first century know their tribal affiliation?
The New Testament mentions individuals who belonged to this or that tribe. Did Jews in the first century know their tribal affiliation, and did it affect people’s daily life in any way?
What is your reaction to the Jesus Seminar’s work?
Scholars of the Jesus Seminar are strongly influenced by the theory of dissimilarity.