Category: Bible
The Words of Gad the Seer: Thoughts on a “Lost Book” Preserved by the Jews at Cochin, India
The cover of the Hebrew edition of Meir Bar-Ilan’s The Words of Gad the Seer An old Jewish manuscript said to contain writings of Gad the Seer, one of the…
News from Mount Ebal: An Ancient Hebraic Inscription on Metal, a Chiasmus, Possibly Dating to the 13th Century BC or Earlier
An ancient Hebraic text dating to the 13th to 14th century BC has been discovered by sifting through the detritus of an archaeological dig at Mount Ebal in Israel. The…
The Valediction of Moses: A 2,700-Year-Old Biblical Document Long Said to Be a Forgery Gains New Respect
A version of the book of Deuteronomy, long said to be forgery, has just been declared authentic after all, making it the most ancient biblical scroll known in the modern…
Understanding the God of the Old Testament: An Evangelical Scholar Explains the Meaning of “God Is Love”
Evangelical Bible scholar Ben Witherington has written a deeply interesting essay on the meaning of “God is love” for Biblical Archaeology’s “Bible History Daily” column. After explaining the wrong assumptions…
Four Types of Chiasmus in Deuteronomy and Jeremiah, with Implications for the Book of Mormon
Students of biblical literature and of the Book of Mormon can now access an important new volume on chiasmus, Chiasmus: The State of the Art, just published as a special…
Turning Gems into Dirt: The Case for Adam Clarke as a Source for the “Inspired Translation” of the Bible
John Dehlin with his podcasts and videos criticizing the Church has recently stirred up a lot of interest in the “amazing” and “historic” case of “plagiarism” against Joseph Smith based…
A Christmas Surprise: An Ancient Jewish Temple at the Same Time as Solomon’s Temple
The Dec. 23 newsletter from the Biblical Archaeology Society surprised me with a report about another ancient Jewish temple outside of Jerusalem. See “A Rival to Solomon’s Temple” by Marek…
The Book of Mormon’s Ties to the Northern Kingdom of Israel: New Research from Dr. Richley Crapo
One of the more novel arguments I’ve seen against the Book of Mormon was the graduate work of Kyle Beshears, “Davidic References in the Book of Mormon as Evidence Against…
The Book of Mormon’s Interesting Uses of Isaiah 25:8, “Death Swallowed Up”
There’s no question that the Book of Mormon has great intertextuality with the Bible, frequently drawing upon its language to convey its stories and concepts in familiar sacred language. The…
Sights from a Trip to Israel and Jordan
One of the advantages of working in China is having long national holidays like the Chinese New Year, making it easier to take interesting trips to other lands. There’s a…
