Bible Interpretation

Bible Interpretation Latest

Jul 4 Blog

Job Challenges God by Suing: God Responds

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

After losing his health, wealth and children in inexplicable tragedies, the righteous and devout man Job questions God as to what he must have done to deserve such a heavy punishment. When he can think of nothing else, Job challenges God by suing God to provide evidence of his wrongdoing.

Jun 26 Blog

How the Serpent Became Satan

By: Shawna Dolansky

The serpent in the Garden of Eden is portrayed as just that: a serpent. The story in Genesis 2–3 contains no hint that he embodies the devil, Satan or any other evil power. So where does the devil come into the details of Eden? Biblical scholar Shawna Dolansky examines how the serpent became Satan.

Jun 23 Blog

Who Were the Essenes?

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

A recent study has sought to determine by sophisticated methods whether Khirbet Qumran was home to a community of sectarian Jews, the Essenes.

Jun 21 Blog

Jesus Before Pilate

By: Marek Dospěl

The Gospels offer a surprisingly excusatory depiction of Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect of Judea directly responsible for Jesus’ death. While the contemporary sources do not mention Pilate’s fatal involvement with the itinerant rabbi from Galilee, they reveal a governor determined to promote Roman religion in Judea and to ruthlessly suppress any form of dissent.

Jun 12 Blog

Solomon, Socrates and Aristotle

By: Theodore Feder

A wall painting found in the House of the Physician in Pompeii contains the earliest known depiction of a Biblical scene. Two onlookers in the crowd appear to be the Greek philosophers Socrates and Aristotle, according to author Theodore Feder. What do the onlookers reveal about the place of Biblical culture in the Greco-Roman world?

Jun 2 Blog

Understanding Israel’s 10 Commandments

By: Shawna Dolansky

Are the 10 Commandments really a moral code, or did the ancients understand them rather as the constitutional basis of a political theocracy?

Jun 1 Blog

The Split of Early Christianity and Judaism

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Northern Renaissance painter Robert Campin’s Marriage of the Virgin dramatically captures the split of early Christianity and Judaism.

May 31 Blog

Alternative Facts: Domitian’s Persecution of Christians

By: Mark Wilson

“Alternative facts” and “fake news” are not just a contemporary phenomenon. On occasion ancient writers similarly tried to spin their version of the truth. One such claim was that Roman emperor Domitian was a great persecutor of Christians.

May 25 Blog

Who Were the Ammonites, Moabites and Edomites in the Bible?

By: Megan Sauter

During the Iron Age, when Israel and Judah ruled Canaan, the kingdoms of Ammon, Moab and Edom ruled east of the Jordan River. Recent archaeological discoveries vastly increase our understanding of these kingdoms and their religion.

May 23 Blog

Cain and Abel in the Bible

By: Elie Wiesel

World-renowned author and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel reflects on the Biblical figures Cain and Abel in a Supporting Roles column for Bible Review.

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