Showing titles in Biblical History & Culture

While it is easy to discover archeological artifacts, interpreting them is not always that easy. Also, artifacts need much historical background to interpret them. Thus written material is of great importance in archeology. This volume offers a select look at some of the important inscriptions that have a bearing upon biblical archeology. A few important discoveries have been left in this volume as they will be covered in detail in the next few volumes.

In Holy Disunity: How What Separates Us Can Save Us, Layton E. Williams proposes that our primary calling as humans is not to create unity but rather to seek authentic relationship with God, ourselves, one another, and the world around us. And that means actively engaging those with whom we disagree. Our religious, political, social, and cultural differences can create doubt and tension, but disunity also provides surprising gifts of perspective and grace.

Through thousands of years of interpreting the Bible through the lens of changing languages and societies, and varying regard to females and feminine qualities, the concept of God has become more and more male to the exclusion of God's female side of wisdom, mercy, grace, and nurture. Let us attempt to rediscover the truth and expand our understanding of the complete and perfect God. If God is our creator and we were made in the image of God, then God is both our father and our mother.

“The covenant is the Lord’s blueprint for lifting the people of the earth to a higher plain – to walk before Him and be perfect.” – Thomas G. Davies In perhaps the most exhaustive and complete historical investigation of God’s covenants with Man and the Ten Commandments, biblical scholar Thomas G. Davies and his son reveal a new understanding of God’s Word, the establishment of Zion, and the basis for the Christian, Jewish and Mormon faiths in Covenant Makers. Davies takes readers far beyond traditional Bible study and church sermon discussions of the Abrahamic covenant and ...

This first part of this series about the minor prophets covers the book of Hosea through the book of Amos. The Prophet Hosea lived during the middle Eighth Century BC and prophesied to the northern kingdom of Israel. He was the prophet when the northern kingdom fell to Assyria in 722 BC. He was probably even killed during that time or taken into exile. The historical record is not clear about that point. But he had prophesied gloom and doom to the northern kingdom over its idol worship, while the false prophets at that time had been painting a rosy picture for the kingdom because of its ...

The Book of Enoch is a significant historical text that describes important facets of life, with rich words that deserve deeper exploration.

Who were the Nephilim? What dark truths lie behind the Tower of Babel? Could Atlantis have been more than myth? And what do these mysteries reveal about our world today? In Ancient Cities and the gods Who Built Them, Micah Van Huss pulls back the veil on the lost civilizations, fallen angels, and divine conflicts that shaped human history—topics your Sunday school teacher didn’t talk about. Rooted in a solid biblical foundation, this book fearlessly explores the days of Noah, the giants who walked the earth, and the chilling parallels between Scripture and ancient mythology.

I recently read a statistic by the American Bible Society that only 30% of Christians actually read their Bibles on a regular basis. For many Christians, their morning devotional time, if they even have one, consists of reading a quick Bible verse or two. On New Year’s Eve, pastors hand out pamphlets that lay out a daily reading plan to read through the whole Bible in one year. Most Christians can’t even do that. But I believe most, if not all, Christians, desire to study the Bible more; they just don’t have the motivation. They have heard all the Bible stories and countless sermons. ...

You had a first day of school, a first date, a first kiss, a first job. But here’s something you may not have considered—faith has a starting point. Starting Point is a conversational environment where you can explore faith and experience community. It's a safe place for you to ask questions...

Joseph Lumpkin's compelling short study on the Book of Leviticus delves into the essential role shared laws and beliefs play in maintaining societal cohesion. Just as a nation thrives on a unified language, culture, and legal system, so too does a religion rely on a common set of beliefs. These elements are intertwined, with religion shaping culture, culture influencing religion, and language reflecting both. Leviticus serves as a foundational blueprint, ensuring religious, legal, moral, and cultural unity for a fledgling nation—a theocracy led by Moses.

If you have ever doubted your calling from God…If you have ever ceased to hear His voice…If you have ever felt Abandoned and alone…The heart cry of John the Baptist will call you home to your Savior and Lord.

After her brother died unexpectedly and her mother moved into a dementia-care facility, spiritual travel writer and Episcopal deacon Lori Erickson felt called to a new quest: to face death head-on, with the eye of a tourist and the heart of a pastor. Blending memoir, spirituality, and travel, Near the Exit examines how cultures confront and have confronted death by investigating Egypt's Valley of the Kings, Mayan temples, Colorado cremation pyres, Day of the Dead celebrations, Maori settlements, and tourist-destination graveyards.

Was Paul truly against the Law—or have we misunderstood his words for nearly two millennia? In Not Against the Law: The Apostle Paul in His Own Words, author Michael Antonio Jeter takes readers on a powerful journey into the heart of Paul’s teachings—through the lens of Scripture, history, and Hebraic context. This groundbreaking book dismantles centuries of doctrinal confusion and reveals the apostle’s unwavering commitment to Torah, covenant, and the teachings of the Messiah. Drawing directly from Paul's epistles and supported by historical and biblical references, Jeter ...

How did the Bible come to us—and why does it still matter today? If you have ever asked who wrote the Bible, how its books were chosen, whether it was changed over time, or why it still speaks so powerfully to people today, Unveiling the Bible was written for you. This clear and engaging second edition takes readers beyond surface-level answers and into the real story of Scripture—how it was written, preserved, passed down, translated, interpreted, and trusted across generations. Rick Wehrle brings together history, faith, culture, and biblical insight in a way that is easy to ...

The God of the Old Testament commanded and endorsed many practices that we find morally reprehensible today. High on the list was the institution of slavery, which features prominently in several sections of the Hebrew Bible. Fathers could sell their daughters into slavery, masters could beat their slaves, creditors could carry off children for failure to repay a debt, and foreigners could be kept for life, passed down as inherited property. How are we to make sense of all of this from our modern point of view?

For over a century, the foundations of the Christian faith have been shaken by a quiet but profound controversy: Which text of the New Testament truly reflects the words God preserved for His people? In an age of multiplying Bible versions, shifting footnotes, and growing uncertainty, believers are left asking a pressing question: Can we still trust that we possess the inspired Word of God? In this timely and eye-opening work, James White—a bold defender of biblical authority in the nineteenth century—exposes the spiritual, historical, and theological issues behind the rise of the ...

If Christians were to be presented with an opportunity to create a new government, what would we create? Would we try the Constitution again or would we try something new? Did those who came before us do everything perfectly, or are we suffering needlessly in areas where we have strayed from God's divine revelation? In other words, how can we fix the mistakes of our Founding Fathers? Did they make mistakes at all, and how would we know if they did? By what standard does does a people look to establish justice in the land?

John Montgomery examines Martin Luther and the German Reformation; Ulrich Zwingli and the Swiss Reformation; the principles for interpreting the Bible by comparison of the approaches of Zwingli and Luther; the life, times, and thought of John Calvin; and the influence of the Bible Reformers, especially Martin Luther, on artists such as Bach and Mendelsohn compared to 20th century artists such as Picasso.

This book covers the material which has been removed from the Book of Daniel, over time. There is a lengthy and historical introduction, discussing the various pieces and explaining their content and finally, the text of the passages themselves. This includes: The Prayer of Azariah, The Song of the Three Holy Children, the story of Susanna and the Elders, the story of the Priests of Bel, the story of Daniel Slaying the Dragon, the story of Daniel Returning to the Lion's Den and the rarely seen Seventh Vision of Daniel.

How did we get the Bible? And why does it matter? History reveals that Scripture can be used for both life-giving and destructive purposes. Discovering the Bible’s origins makes all the difference for fostering redemptive interpretation of Scripture. Bringing together both historical criticism and theology, this investigation examines ancient scribal culture through the lens of faith. What we find is a divine-human collaboration that points to the character of God and the value of human agency.