This one is like Part 2. I'm sharing my notes on nephesh now that I'm through all 50 pages of the PDF. Here are my notes on the range of meanings. My next step is to take my notes on ruach and nephesh and starting raising some questions and drawing some conclusions...
Hebrew
Does Hebrew bara’ Mean “to Spatially Separate” Instead of “Create”?
That's the contention of Dr. Ellen van Wolde. The problems in translation and interpretation in Genesis 1:1-3 are well known to Hebraists, but it's rare for any of them to claim that the Bible teaches that God did *not* create matter, which Dr. van Wolde claims as a...
New Online Site for Public Domain Bible Reference Works
Check out Bible Ref Shelf - a very useful (if small) site for public domain Bible study materials. Editor's note: additional info provided.
Returning to Sheol
I've been getting asked about Sheol and the afterlife a lot recently, so I thought I'd return briefly to the topic. (I had blogged about this in relation to ghosts in the OT). Specifically, here is the question: does the OT contain the idea of either a blissful...
The Name of Jesus: Does it Matter?
One of the most frequent email questions I get concerns the name "Jesus." More specifically, the question goes something like this: "Isn't the name ‘Jesus' a pagan invention? Shouldn't we say "Yeshua" or Yahshua" instead?" I'm not sure what motivates people who...
Great Moments in Pulpit PaleoBabble
Here's a YouTube video that's a real treat (if you like PaleoBabble on Sunday morning). The sermon is about "alpeh and tav" -- the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The minister (?) equates this with the description of Jesus as the first and the last,...
Back from a short hiatus
Sorry it's been a while. I noted on my main blog that I'd be away for a bit. Back now, so blogging will resume. Here's one item of interest right away - the Westminster Leningrad Codex is now available online.
Exposing the Work of Zecharia Sitchin, Part 2: Does the Bible Have the Gods Creating Humankind?
This is a Sitchin signature teaching. In an effort to marry his notion that the Anunnaki (a group of gods in the Sumero-Mesopotamian pantheon) created humankind to the biblical story, Sitchin teaches that the Bible itself has plural gods creating humankind in Genesis....
Exposing the Work of Zecharia Sitchin, Part 1: ELOHIM in the Hebrew Bible
Prior to this blog, I created a website devoted to exposing the flawed teachings and research of Zecharia Sitchin. Next to Erik von Daniken, Sitchin is easily the most well-known articulator of the ancient astronaut theory--the idea that the gods of ancient texts and...
ET Gods in the Garden of Eden?
I thought I'd share a recent email I received from someone with a question about a new book that claims that one version (source) of the book of Genesis teaches readers that humankind was created by a group of gods: >> Hello Michael, I was talking with Kevin...