What happened to the sacred “Ark of the Covenant” (Hebrews 9:4 LSV) that was kept in the Holy of Holies at “the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness” (Acts 7:44 LSB), and later at “God’s Temple” (2 Chronicles 4:19; 2 Chronicles 5:1 NIV) in Jerusalem that was built by Solomon?
The final direct mention of the physical Ark in canonical Scripture is found in2 Chronicles 35:3, which records King Josiah, in 622 BCE, telling the Levites to put the holy Ark back into the temple built by King Solomon.read more
The Bible is popularly viewed as a mixture of fact, fiction, and folklore. In this article, we will explore the subject of “When was the book of Lamentations written, and why is it important for us to know that?”
The relatively short five chapter Old Testament Bible book isn’t used very much these days. In fact, many Christians are unaware that the book even exists, and even many of those who are aware, would struggle to find its place in the Bible. This is ironic, because an older song often sung in Christian Church services, weddings and funerals, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”, is based on Lamentations 3:22-23. read more
Did Moses Write the Torah, or Pentateuch? – Why It Matters
Many modern “scholars” believe the first five books of the Bible, called the Torah, or Pentateuch, written after the exile, that is, after 586 BCE, while the older Jewish and Christian view is that Moses wrote it. Did Moses write the Torah, or Pentateuch? Why does it even matter?
The Torah was originally one scroll when originally written in ancient Hebrew, which had no written vowels. The reader would supply the vowel sounds, and people would listen when it was publicly read by the priests so they could learn the correct pronunciations. Later, in the 3rd century BCE, when the Torah was translated into Greek, which had written vowels, it became necessary to divide the Torah into five parts, which came to be called, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. From this the name Pentateuch was used to describe these five books, which were originally only one scroll in the ancient Hebrew. In any case, the entire Torah, or Pentateuch, is often referred to in the scriptures as, “the Law”, “the Law of Moses”, or sometimes, as just “Moses”.read more
Could Jonah have been swallowed by a whale?
According to the biblical narrative, Jonah was swallowed by a “great fish” (Jonah 1:17 ESV), and spent three days and three nights in its belly before being spat out, unharmed. However, skeptics have long dismissed the tale as fantastical, citing physiological impossibilities. Could Jonah have been swallowed by a whale, or a “great fish”?
A very modern event reminds us not to be too quick to dismiss Biblical accounts as fictional. The BBC reports:
=&0=&
Should Pseudepigrapha (Books By Fake Authors) Be In the Bible?
Increasingly claims are being made that many worthy books were omitted from the Bible, and thus raising doubts in people’s minds that “the Scriptures” of the Bible are “the word of God” (John 10:35 NLT). Pseudepigrapha, meaning “false title,” or books by fake authors, refers to Jewish books that falsely claimed to have been written by Moses, Enoch, Abraham or some other ancient hero of the faith, and are supposedly arbitrarily omitted from the Bible.
Most pseudepigrapha, or books by fake authors, were written between 250 BCE and 200 CE. Why aren’t they part of the 66 book Biblical cannon of inspired books/ The Pseudepigrapha books compared with what is genuinely “all Scripture . . . by God” (2 Timothy 3:16 LSB) solves this puzzle.
EXAMPLES OF NOTABLE PSEUDEPIGRAPHAL WORKS
Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs: A series of documents claiming to be the “testaments” of the patriarchs of the tribes of Israel, in which they by turn give exhortations to their descendants. This work was probably written in the second century BCE, but its present form seems to reflect revision by a Christian. Depending upon interpretation, it may present a doctrine of two messiahs: a priestly messiah (from Levi) and a royal messiah (from Judah). In a manner typical of intertestamental Judaism, this work describes the Mosaic Law as the wisdom of God but reflects also the influence of Stoicism, a Hellenistic school of philosophy.
