Biblical History
The near sacrifice of Isaac is an unusual biblical story that has drawn much attention over the centuries from both rabbinic and messianic readers.
If Jesus was really the Messiah, one would expect that our ancestors would have noticed and then all Israel would have followed him.
The New Testament has not one, but two genealogies of Jesus—tracing his family tree back to David. Why are there two, and why are they so different?
Historians agree, Jesus was a first-century teacher of Judaism, a rabbi. But then what kind of Judaism did Jesus teach?
Many see a historical error among the accounts of Jesus’ life in the New Testament. Was his famous last supper a Passover Seder or not?
Is the Birth of Jesus based on the Legends of Caesar? Similarities between the stories raise surprising parallels and striking differences.
Ruth is a mold-breaker. Her society was full of boxes, and she broke pretty much every box that can be broken without engaging in immorality.
The Passover elements symbolize God’s character and have formed Jewish identity for generations by retelling the story of our liberation from Egypt.
The Bible challenged ancient culture and included a place for women to participate in every aspect of life except the Temple priesthood.
Why does Jesus ignore this Gentile woman’s cries for help, tell his disciples that he won’t help anyone who’s not Jewish, then seem to insult her?
An exploration of the two descriptions of the Messiah in the book of Zechariah, plus the Jewish understanding of Messiah ben Joseph and Messiah ben Da...
The historical record is very clear. Jesus did exist. So, how did his existence come to be questioned by so many modern people?
Unfortunately, one of the most common phrases a Jewish person can hear is this: “The Jews killed Jesus.” Such condemnations have plagued the Jewish pe...
Scholars debate the particular kind of Judaism Jesus represented, but did he found a new religion—Christianity? Is a religion based on the teachings o...
Jesus is often misunderstood because he’s taken out of context. We have to understand him within the world of first-century Jewish life.
The New Testament says from the first page that it’s the story of the Jewish Messiah, the Son of David and Son of Abraham.
Who are God’s chosen people, and what does it mean He selected them for a specific purpose and task? So what is it the Jewish people were set apart to...
Was Jesus’ Last Supper a Passover Seder similar to what Jewish people experience today? Should his followers be remembering this event in a “more Jewi...
A chronological guide to the last week of Jesus’ life, from his entry into Jerusalem, to his celebration of Passover, to his death and resurrection.
Passover culminates in the hope that the herald, the messenger, Elijah, will come and drink from his cup. But what would his arrival mean?
Whatever else may be in question, we all agree that in the Jewish religion there is only one God. Yet there is disagreement as to the origin of Jewish...
Celebrating Purim as a boy, I saw Mordechai as the main hero. It took time to fully appreciate Esther’s humble courage and heroic role in her story.
The tallit & tzitzit in the Bible serve as physical reminders for Israelites of their identity as God’s people and their having been set apart fr...
My interest in JESUS — i.e. in the name of Jesus — dates back to 1976-78, when I lived in Jerusalem: While being a Danish pastor in Jerusalem in those...
