Showing results for "Religion" in Biblical History & Culture

Mary Magdalene is one of the most influential symbols in the history of Christianity - yet, if you look in the Bible, you'll find only a handful of verses that speak of her. How did she become such a compelling saint in the face of such paltry evidence? In her effort to answer that question, Cynthia Bourgeault examines the Bible, church tradition, art, legend, and newly discovered texts to see what's there.

Beginning with Jesus' birth, Ken Bailey leads you on a kaleidoscopic study of Jesus throughout the four Gospels. Bailey examines the life and ministry of Jesus with attention to the Lord's Prayer, the Beatitudes, Jesus' relationship to women, and especially Jesus' parables. Through it all, Bailey employs his trademark expertise as a master of Middle Eastern culture to lead you into a deeper understanding of the person and significance of Jesus within his own cultural context.

Lo que saben los rabinos, y que nunca aprendí en la iglesia es un examen revelador de lo que los cristianos pueden aprender sobre Dios de aquellos que lo llaman Adonai. El autor Chaim Bentorah ha pasado cuarenta años hablando con rabinos, aprendiendo de ellos y estudiando con ellos para que los cristianos puedan experimentar el evangelio a través de una nueva lente.

Each Christmas, adults and children alike delight at the story of the kings from the East who followed the star to Bethlehem to offer gifts to the newborn Christ. While this familiar tale is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, another little-known version later emerged that claimed to be the eyewitness account of the wise men. This ancient manuscript has lain hidden for centuries in the vaults of the Vatican Library, but through the determined persistence of a young scholar, Brent Landau, this astonishing discovery has been translated into English for the very first time as the Revelation of the Magi.

Welborn begins by showing how, paradoxically, language around the concept of democracy is largely absent from political thinkers in the first century. By contrast, we learn that Paul's Corinthian correspondence is full of vocabulary associated with democracy, not only the term we know as "Church" (ekkesia) or "people's assembly", which the Christ-group adopted as a self-designation, but other terms with a democratic history and resonance such as eleutheria ("freedom"), paressia ("freedom of speech"), koinonia ("partnership"), isotes ("equality").

By exploring the stories of the Bible in their actual locations, and the stories of the complex human beings who lived them, you’ll gain fascinating and illuminating new dimensions of the texts. In this visually stunning course, you’ll also experience the Bible’s connection to both the real world and ancient history while you’ll engage with the past in a way that is both immediate and tangible.

In Unearthing the Bible, Dr. Titus M. Kennedy presents 101 objects that provide compelling evidence for the historical reliability of Scripture from the dawn of civilization through the early church. Gathered from more than 50 museums, private collections, and archaeological sites, these pieces not only reinforce the reliability of the biblical narratives but also provide rich cultural insights into the ancient world.

Who was Priscilla? Readers of the Bible may know her as the wife of Aquila, Paul's coworker, or someone who explained baptism to Apollos. Biblical references to Priscilla spark questions: Why is she mentioned before her husband? Does the mention of her instruction of Apollos mean that women taught in the church? What is her story?

A vast readership wants better access to the ancient words and ideas of the Bible. In The Bible Doesn't Say That, Dr. Joel M. Hoffman walks the listener through dozens of instances of mistranslations, misconceptions, and other misunderstandings about the Bible. In 40 short chapters, Hoffman covers fundamental theology, morality, lifestyle, and biblical imagery.

Have you ever wondered what the Old Testament - especially the Old Testament law - has to do with your Christian life? You are not alone. Some Christian leaders believe we should cast off the Old Testament now that we have the New. Carmen Joy Imes disagrees. In this warm, accessible volume, Imes takes listeners back to Sinai, the ancient mountain where Israel met their God, and explains the meaning of events there. She argues that we've misunderstood the command about "taking the Lord's name in vain." Instead, Imes says that this command is about "bearing God's name."

Traditional interpretations of the creatures of the Bible have sanded down their sharp, unsavory edges, transforming them into celestial beings of glory and light—or chubby, happy cherubs. Those cherubs? They're actually hybrid guardian monsters, more closely associated with the Egyptian sphinx than with flying babies. And the seraphim? Winged serpents sent to mete out God's vengeance. Demons aren't at war with angels; they're a distinct supernatural species used by Satan and by God. The pattern is chilling. Most of these monsters aren't God's opponents—they're God's entourage.

Although most people acknowledge that Jesus was a first-century Jew, interpreters of the Gospels often present him as opposed to Jewish law and customs—especially when considering his numerous encounters with the ritually impure. Matthew Thiessen corrects this popular misconception by placing Jesus within the Judaism of his day. Thiessen demonstrates that the Gospel writers depict Jesus opposing ritual impurity itself, not the Jewish ritual purity system or the Jewish law.

Distinct from the Greek Books of Maccabees found in other traditions, it blends powerful exhortations and vivid narratives that call God's people to reject idolatry, remain faithful under corrupt rulers, and live with repentance and hope in God's justice. Listen as this ancient text challenges the heart and strengthens faith.

Have you ever seen the Bible used to hurt someone—or has it been used to harm you? Have you sometimes gotten the feeling that people were misapplying verses but been unable to explain how? Do you wish you could better understand what may look like contradictions in the text? If so, you're not alone. But thankfully, better ways to read and understand the Bible are within your grasp. That's because this user-friendly introduction to biblical interpretation teaches how you can interpret Scripture, both for yourself and for those you love.

The Israel Decree meticulously traces the historical, political, legal, and scriptural foundations of Israel's God-promised right to the land. Writing with clarity and commitment to biblical truth, bestselling author and native Israeli Amir Tsarfati helps you: understand how today’s Israel is a continuation of the ancient biblical nation, fulfilling a divine promise made millennia ago; live with greater expectancy and hope in light of what Bible prophecy says about the rapture and tribulation; and be encouraged by God’s wonderful character as you see it on display.

The recent rise in Christian nationalism and religious violence demands new approaches to scriptural interpretation that are rooted in nonviolence and moral seriousness. In The Accessorized Bible, David Dault explores the ethical implications of how we use scripture as an accessory, whether as an accessory to our fashion choices or as an accessory to our crimes and violence against one another.

Challenging the dominant narrative about the history of the Qur'an and the emergence of Islam in a predominantly pagan context, Gabriel Said Reynolds presents the Qur'an as a text born within a largely Christian culture.

The church has too often lost its way in reading the Old Testament for lack of sound principles of interpretation. When careless habits get us off track, we can lose sight of what the Bible is really saying, derailing our own spiritual growth and even risking discredit to God's word. We need a consistent approach to give us confidence as faithful interpreters. In Wisdom for Faithful Reading, trusted Old Testament scholar John Walton lays out his best practices developed over four decades in the classroom.

This fundamental historical question and its complex answer speak penetratingly to the spiritual impulses, concerns, and beliefs that have played a seminal role in our world, even as they reveal the foundation of history’s most global religious movement, and fresh insights into the Western world's single most influential human being. Tackling all of these matters and more, Great Courses favorite Professor Ehrman returns with the unprecedented historical inquiry of How Jesus Became God.

How do you introduce something so groundbreaking and new, yet also so ancient that it deals with the very first moments of Creation? Most people know about the 22 letters of the Hebrew Alphabet, and many have studied a bit of quantum theory. However, one thing has been missing that has to do with the divine language of Eden and the reset back to Eden and beyond.