The links on this page are to a series of articles that appear semi-periodically – often as once every month; but now, as my wife and I, begin the design and execution phase for our new house in Missoula, MT, the frequency will decline drastically.
Each article will present a view of the Holy Scriptures that is rooted in the linguistic, cultural and historical context of the peoples of the Ancient Near East. The content is written to be understandable to, and appreciated by, anybody seriously interested in a deeper engagement with its wisdom as they are divined from the ancient Hebrew’s cultural context and their languages of that day – principally Hebrew and Koine Greek.
No prior knowledge of these languages is necessary (or even recommended).
Available Articles
- December 2017: Slavery in the Hebrew Bible
- November 2017: The Good Shepherd
- October 2017: Whose Righteousness – God’s or Abram’s?
- May, 2017: Knowledge of Good and Evil
- April 2017: Male-Male Homosexuality
- March 2017: Trees of Fruit
- February 2017:You Must Rule Over Your Emotions
- January 2017: On Being Human
- October 2015: What Does It Mean To Be Free From Sin
- September 2015: Trees of the Field
- July 2015: Lost in Translation Part II
- June 2015: Lost in Translation Part I
- May 2015: Eve Misrepresents God
- April 2015: Why Adam and Eve Did Not Die
- March 2015: Was the Fruit Really Forbidden
- February, 2015: When Evil Triumphs
- January, 2015: Intro to the Creation Narratives
- November, 2014: Because It Had Not Rained
- October, 2014: On Vacation
- September, 2014: Part III – Do Good Intentions Matter?
- August, 2014: Part II – Do Good Intentions Matter?
- July, 2014: Part I – Do Good Intentions Matter?
- June, 2014: The Biblical Nature of Evil
- May, 2014: Does God Say Please?
- April, 2014: Part II – Do Husbands Rule Over Their Wives?
- March, 2014: Part I – Do Husbands Rule Over Their Wives?
- February, 2014: Faith and Reason
- January, 2014: Is Lust a Sin?
- December, 2013: Passing on the Faith
- November, 2013: Part II – The Sabbath
- October, 2013: Part I – The Sabbath
- September, 2013: Thou Shall Have No Other Gods
- August, 2013: Introduction to the ten commandments
- July, 2013: The Bloods of Your Brothers
- June, 2013: The Ninth Commandment
- May, 2013: Grace and Atonment
- April, 2013: What did Paul mean by ‘in’ Christ’?
The content is largely non-denominational and focuses on how the Bible was meant to be understood within its authors’ historical and cultural context. The advantage of this approach is that it recognizes that, while the Bible was revealed to a specific people (the nation of Israel) at a specific place and time (Canaan), they were written for everyone, everywhere. Of course this means that, while understanding the Scriptures’ truths would have been straightforward to the ancient Israelites, for us to understand God’s word we must be cognizant of how the Bible’s authors viewed the world around them. In the absence of that context, we necessarily limit (and in some cases pervert) our understanding of God’s truths.
Now, go and study