10
votes
In Genesis 1:29 why was Abel a shepherd when vegetation was the only permitted food?
Sheep provide wool for clothing. And Abel sacrificed to God from his flock, following the example God had set with regard to the provision of a covering of skins for Adam and Eve. There is no ...
- 29.7k
9
votes
Is the story of Barabbas possibly fabricated?
There would be no reason to doubt the veracity of the bible on the subject of the story of Barabbas and the custom of releasing a prison from prison at the time of the Passover. There is in fact ...
- 3,052
6
votes
Accepted
How far was a "Sabbath's Day Journey"?
The Rabbis determined their answer based on Joshua 3:4 where the distance from the tents to the Tabernacle was about 2000 cubits (.5+ miles). So the Jewish people would have been allowed to travel at ...
- 396
6
votes
Accepted
Is Mark 12:13-17 a reference to the Fiscus Judaicus?
Unfortunately OP provided no references, and I am only aware of Zeichman making this claim - which is not accepted by the majority of scholars (I even doubt Udoh would accept it) and is a minority ...
- 8,244
5
votes
Luke 23:3 - Why Wasn't Jesus' Claim to be King Unlawful?
Pilate was a skilled politician, and typical Roman tactics were to be unconcerned with the internal politics of vassal regions. As long as tributes were paid and there were no uprisings, the Roman ...
- 7,652
4
votes
What about Psalm 29, specifically, makes somes scholars think it was originally a hymn to Ugaritic Baal?
religionthink.com says that, although debate continues on the details of the hypothesis, almost all scholars agree that Psalm 29’s background is Baal worship, as portrayed in the tablets from Ugarit. ...
- 12.5k
4
votes
Accepted
Luke 23:3 - Why Wasn't Jesus' Claim to be King Unlawful?
"Did Pilate acknowledge Jesus as the King of the Jews - challenging Herod's own claim?"
Have a look at this:
John 19:10-12 ESV
So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know ...
- 282
4
votes
In John 1:36 what is the background of the term "Lamb of God"?
The Passover Lamb
Conceptually, the Passover Lamb makes sense. It is chosen, without blemish, killed (and eaten) on the Passover, and it's blood is used to make the sign which will cause the house to ...
- 15.5k
4
votes
Accepted
How can we trust the Gospels if nobody was there to witness?
He may have spoken to the apostles off screen about it (during one of the post Resurrection appearances in example one).
However both of your examples have other possible explanations
In example one ...
- 208
4
votes
Accepted
If the LXX version of Judges 18:30 states "Μωυσῆ" (Moses), why would New Testament bibles prefer מְנַשֶּׁ֜ה (Menasseh) from Tanakh's MT?
You ask: "What makes the Tanakh's "Menasseh" מְנַשֶּׁ֜ה more accurate than the LXX Μωυσῆ "Moses"?"
It's actually the other way around! משה is more original than מנשה.
The ...
- 7,182
4
votes
Was the author of Daniel 7-11 a traditionalist?
If the Maccabean hypothesis is correct, we can still be reasonably sure that the author of chapters 7-11 was a traditionalist. The reason is that the Maccabean Revolt was essentially a traditionalist ...
- 10.4k
3
votes
How far was a "Sabbath's Day Journey"?
It was a little over 1/2 mile. As the comment above notes, the common cubit was about 18 inches, or 1.5 feet. Multiplied out, then 2,000 cubits comes to 3,000 feet, or 0.56 miles.
Excerpt from Barne'...
- 9,793
3
votes
Accepted
1 Samuel 20:18: How was the First of the Month / New Moon Determined?
Genesis 1:14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the
heavens to separate the day from the night, and they shall serve as
signs and for seasons, and for days and years;
Psalm 104:19 ...
- 3,854
3
votes
Accepted
Is the story of Barabbas possibly fabricated?
The name abbas was particularly popular. The more popular the name, the less likely that the name would have been fabricated for thematic purposes. It simply wouldn't be interpreted metaphorically. To ...
- 375
3
votes
Why do scholars think Abraham came from Ur in Mesopotamia?
The matter at issue here is the identification of the Hebrew word: כַּשְׂדִּי (Kasdi or Kasdimah) which is uniformly translated Chaldea. That is, כַּשְׂדִּי is identified with the ancient Chaldean ...
- 96.1k
2
votes
Accepted
What is the best book(s) giving an unbiased guide to Biblical interpretation for beginners?
Because the historical and linguistic context of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and Christian New Testament are significantly different, each testament (for lack of a better term) is treated—at ...
- 144
2
votes
Matthew vs Levi in the Gospel according to Matthew
Regarding the difference in names, we recognize that the Disciples generally went by two different names: one Greek, and one Aramaic (or Hebrew). Simon (bar-Jonah), for example, was also known by ...
- 12.1k
2
votes
Can John's Passion chronology be reconciled with that of the Synoptics?
I will address only the first two issues in the question, regarding dates. The bottom line of my answer is that John is factually accurate and that he intentionally deviated from the Synoptics for the ...
- 1,005
2
votes
Can John's Passion chronology be reconciled with that of the Synoptics?
Question
Can John's Passion chronology be reconciled with that of the Synoptics?
Answer:
A "High Day", (John 19:31), is indicative of a "High Holy Day Sabbath".
There were two Sabbath's that ...
- 5,311
2
votes
Accepted
John 1:1 - How would Λόγος (Logos) be understood in Hellenistic philosophy?
Introduction
While researching an answer to another question, I inadvertently discovered the answer to this question.
It appears that this most likely would have been understood in the context of ...
- 7,652
2
votes
Luke 1 - What time of the year were John and Jesus born?
A couple of people have already mentioned the animals grazing in the fields at night. I think this does indicate a time of year. The Babylonian Talmud, a collection of Jewish teachings, substantiates ...
- 375
2
votes
Did Luke have a priestly source?
The evidence that Luke might have used a priest as one of the sources for his gospel can be broken down into statistical evidence of a focus on the temple or on the priesthood, and evidence that would ...
- 12.5k
2
votes
Are there any Architectural Similarities between Herod's and Ezekiel's Temples?
Yes there is Talmudic evidence that - at least - some parts were modeled after Ezekiel's temple. There are few places in the Mishna in Middot (2:5; 3:1; 4:1; 4:2) where it is explicitly stated that ...
- 7,182
2
votes
Accepted
In Jeremiah - Who is the "Queen of Heaven"?
This "queen of heaven" is unlikely to be Babylonian goddess, since the story takes place in Egypt, and the worshipers came directly from Judea. The people are a little more specific on who she is when ...
- 3,738
2
votes
How can we trust the Gospels if nobody was there to witness?
1. Question Restatement
How can we trust the Gospels if nobody was there to witness?
Note: There seem to be two different questions here: 1. What is the standard for determining the truth of indirect ...
- 5,311
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