When I received the invitation from Dr. James Tabor Head of Religious Studies at the University of Carolina, Charlotte to attend a presentation about “The Oldest Biblical Text Ever Discovered,” I have to admit that I didn’t connect the dots. I was so busy finishing the Road to Reformation television series that I simply didn’t take time to read the details of the email. Sound familiar? Continue Reading…

Biblical Archaeology Society editors have hand-selected articles from the BAS Library that cast each of the canonical Gospels in a new light. They chose to republish an article by George Howard regarding the Hebrew Gospel of Matthew that shook the New Testament scholarly world back in 1987 when he wrote it, and is still causing tremors today!

“Although the debate has been extended and widespread, no one has ever claimed, however, to have found an original canonical Gospel in either Aramaic or Hebrew. I now make that claim, though with some qualification.” (George Howard, 1987)
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What is Hanukkah? Hanukkah is a celebration that starts on 25th of Kislev on the Jewish calendar, which means it falls sometime in November or December on the Julian calendar. This celebration lasts 8 days, commemorating the rededication of the altar and Temple in Jerusalem in 164 BC.

The Temple, as well as Israel, had been taken over by the Greeks over the years prior to 167 BC. Under Antiochus IV Epiphanes of the Seleucid Empire, Jewish ways were outlawed. He raided the Temple and carried away all the articles within the Temple and all the gold and silver he could find. A statue of Zeus was erected on top of the altar, and pigs were sacrificed regularly to Zeus. Antiochus declared himself god, Zeus incarnate, and demanded worship to himself as Zeus. A sacrifice to Zeus (Antiochus) was to be conducted on the 25th of every month, in celebration of Antiochus’s birthday. (By the way, Zeus’s “birthday” was December 25th.) Every Jewish town was to sacrifice a pig to Zeus, and all Scriptures were to be burned.
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I am so excited to be writing to all of you! If you are on the Biblical Foundations International web site, you are hungry for understanding more of God, and so am I. With that thought in mind, I am sharing with you my thoughts and understanding about Hanukkah. Whether you are just starting your journey into understanding this holiday, or have celebrated it for years, I hope you enjoy either learning something new or just reviewing your affection for this special holiday that is frequently misunderstood and misrepresented.

Enjoy, and Happy Hanukkah!
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Two minuscule 2,600-year-old inscriptions recently uncovered in the City of David’s Givati Parking Lot excavation are vastly enlarging the understanding of ancient Jerusalem in the late 8th century BCE.

The two inscriptions, in paleo-Hebrew writing, were found separately in a large First Temple structure within the span of a few weeks by long-term team members Ayyala Rodan and Sveta Pnik.

One is a bluish agate stone seal “(belonging) to Ikkar son of Matanyahu” (LeIkkar Ben Matanyahu). The other is a clay seal impression, “(belonging) to Nathan-Melech, Servant of the King” (LeNathan-Melech Eved HaMelech). Nathan-Melech is named in 2 Kings as an official in the court of King Josiah.

Read Full Times of Israel Article

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