See a visualization of the Herodian family tree and key events in the New Testament related to members of the Herodian family. Read more…
People & Cultures in the Bible
Groups of people and cultures in the Bible such as the Israelites, the Egyptians, the Samaritans, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, as well as Biblical figures such as Adam, Eve, Moses, Rachel, Sarah, Mary the mother of Jesus, Joseph the father of Jesus, John the Baptist, and the disciples of Jesus.
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Herod the Great and the Herodian Family Tree
• 01/10/2019
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New Testament Political Figures: The Evidence
• 01/03/2019
Archaeology has confirmed 53 people from the Hebrew Bible. What about the New Testament? In BAR, Lawrence Mykytiuk examines the political figures in the New Testament who can be identified Read more…
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How December 25 Became Christmas
• 12/25/2018
Theological scholar Andrew McGowan examines how December 25 came to be associated with the birthday of Jesus and became Christmas, a holiday celebrated by Christians around the world. Read more…
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Bible Scholar Brent Landau Asks “Who Were the Magi?”
• 12/23/2018
A lost Syriac manuscript, the Revelation of the Magi, translated into English by Bible scholar Brent Landau, may help answer that key question from the Christmas story: “Who were the Read more…
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Why Did the Magi Bring Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh?
• 12/21/2018
Were the gifts of the magi meant to save Jesus from the pain of arthritis? It’s possible, according to researchers at Cardiff University in Wales who have been studying the Read more…
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Christmas Stories in Christian Apocrypha
• 12/19/2018
The modern Christmas nativity scene is drawn from apocryphal texts in addition to the infancy narratives of Matthew and Luke. Read more…
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Has the Childhood Home of Jesus Been Found?
• 12/18/2018
The childhood home of Jesus may have been found underneath the Sisters of Nazareth Convent in Nazareth, Israel, according to archaeologist Ken Dark. Read more…
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Who Was Jesus’ Biological Father?
• 12/17/2018
Was Joseph Jesus’ biological father? If not, who was Jesus’ biological father? Andrew Lincoln examines what early Christians thought about conception and explains how views about this subject have changed Read more…
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When Was Jesus Born—B.C. or A.D.?
• 12/12/2018
In which year was Jesus born? While this is sometimes debated, the majority of New Testament scholars place Jesus’ birth in 4 B.C. or before. This begs the question: How Read more…
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Where Was Jesus Born?
• 12/09/2018
If Jesus was born in Bethlehem, why is he called a Nazorean and a Galilean throughout the New Testament? Philip J. King addresses this question in his Biblical Views column. Read more…
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Herod’s Death, Jesus’ Birth and a Lunar Eclipse
• 12/08/2018
Read letters published in the Q&C section of BAR debating the dates of Herod’s death, Jesus’ birth and to which lunar eclipse Josephus was referring. Read more…
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The Three Magi
• 12/01/2018
Bearing gifts for the infant Jesus, the three wise men from the east traversed afar to reach Bethlehem. What do we really know about the magi, who are so central Read more…
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Biblical Pharisees and Jewish Halakhah
• 11/29/2018
Were the Biblical Pharisees really as bad as the New Testament makes them seem? Professor Roland Deines of the University of Nottingham thinks not. Read more…
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The Miracles of Jesus
• 10/30/2018
How are we to understand the miracles Jesus performs, as related in the New Testament? BAS editors have compiled articles that explore the key sites and ancient belief systems to Read more…
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Hasmonean Rulers Between Piety and Luxury
• 10/29/2018
Take a close look at how aspects of Hellenism played out in Hellenistic Judea, specifically under the Jewish dynasty of Hasmonean kings. Read more…
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Who Was Isaiah?
• 10/18/2018
Isaiah is arguably the most popular of all the Hebrew prophets who wrote their oracles. In this BAS Library special collection, gain fascinating insights into Isaiah the prophet. Read more…
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Jesus as Lord of the Dance
• 10/02/2018
The apocryphal Acts of John describe the dance of Jesus and the apostles. How widespread was the ritual of dance in Christian worship? Read more…
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The Sayings of Jesus in the Gospel of Thomas
• 09/30/2018
New Testament scholar Simon Gathercole examines what the sayings of Jesus in the Gospel of Thomas reveal about the early Christian world in which they were written. Read more…
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The Gospel of Thomas’s 114 Sayings of Jesus
• 09/30/2018
Read the 114 sayings of Jesus from the Gospel of Thomas as translated by Stephen J. Patterson and James M. Robinson. Read more…
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Who Was Thecla?
• 09/24/2018
The leading lady of the apocryphal work the Acts of Thecla may not be a well-known figure today, but nearly every early Christian knew her name. Read more…
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James or Jacob in the Bible?
• 09/15/2018
How did the Jewish name Ya’akov, properly translated as Jacob, become James in English versions of the Bible? Read more…
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Barnabas: An Encouraging Early Church Leader
• 09/08/2018
Who is Barnabas in the Bible? In part one of this two-part study, Robin Branch describes the traits that define Barnabas as an early church leader. Read more…
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Part II—Barnabas: An Encouraging Early Church Leader
• 09/08/2018
Who is Barnabas in the Bible? In part two of this two-part study, Robin Branch further analyzes the traits that define Barnabas as an early church leader. Read more…
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Lydia and Tabitha in the Bible
• 08/29/2018
While the majority of the leaders of the early Christian church were men, the New Testament describes several prominent women leaders as well. Teresa Calpino analyzes two of these women—Tabitha Read more…
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Scandalous Women in the Bible
• 08/16/2018
Mary Magdalene, Jezebel, Rahab, Lilith. Today, each are popularly considered scandalous women in the Bible. Are these so-condemned salacious women misrepresented? Read more…
