In the last podcast episode we continued our series on studying the Bible in a way that amounts to more than reading by taking a look at the legal genre in Old Testament books. This time I focus on another genre military annals. I think the best way of illustrating...
journal articles
Transporting the Trilithon Stones of Baalbek: It’s About Applied Physics, Not Ancient Aliens
PaleoBabble readers know that ancient astronaut theorists suffer from a fixation on megalithic construction. The “impossibility” of moving stones of great size and tremendous weight appears to them as proof of alien assistance. This argument of course is simply...
Ancient Construction: No Aliens Needed
Yeah ... scholars are so overwhelmed by the building projects of the ancients that they just have no idea how it was done. They're so frightened by the clarity of the ancient alien visitation idea that they remain silent. There's just no way to explain the precise...
Did the Religion of the Biblical Writers Evolve from Polytheism to Monotheism? A Paper and Response to Thom Stark
[Note: For other posts on Mike's work on the divine council, click here for the archive.] Here is my second ETS paper, entitled, "Does Divine Plurality in the Hebrew Bible Demonstrate an Evolution from Polytheism to Monotheism?" My answer is "no, and the question is...
Dan Brown and the Grail That Never Was
That's part of the title of this 2004 scholarly article that examines Brown's Jesus bloodline mythology. I don't believe I've posted it before (going through the archives this weekend). The author is apparently a medievalist. It's a succinct, readable dismantling of...
Tools for Biblical Research, Part 1: Toward the End of Bible Study as Most Think of It
In addition to my day job at Logos I'm an adjunct distance ed professor of biblical studies at the seminary level. One of the more common questions I get from students is about sources for biblical research papers. Poor sources are the bane of both the student who...
Aryan Mythology as Science and Ideology
I recently came across this interesting scholarly article on how Aryan Paleobabble was used by the Nazis. It's a good academic introduction tracing their rationale and (mis)use of archaeology, linguistics, and social science data.
Yahweh and Asherah: More Archaeo-Porn for the Masses
[ADDENDUM: March 23, 2011 I just wanted to direct readers to three items I have written, two of which are free. I offer them since the issue below gets into the issue of monotheism in Israel. First, there is a pre-publication version of an article that was published...
Dinosaur Petroglyphs and a Lesson in Intellectual Dishonesty
I was alerted to a new scholarly article today on the issue of so-called dinosaur petroglyphs. Here is the citation (the article is free): Senter and Cole. 2011. "Dinosaur" petroglyphs at Kachina Bridge site, Natural Bridges National Monument, southeastern Utah: not...
Women as Ministers: Update and Some Scattered Thoughts
Previous post on "women in ministry": Responding to John Hobbins on Women as Ministers A couple updated items on the "women's ordination" issue. First, Suzanne McCarthy has sent me a short commentary essay on Romans 16:7. She argues for Iounian being a woman. This is...
Another Bart-Sequitur
Well, Bart Ehrman is at it again. Not content with his all-or-nothing illogic concerning the transmission of the text (and so the concepts) of the New Testament, professor Ehrman is once again coming to a Barnes and Noble near you (and maybe a Fantasy Channel ... er,...
Did Jesus Endorse the Idea of Reincarnation?
I just saw that my old published journal article on this subject is no longer accessible online (it appeared in a peer-reviewed e-journal back in the day). Here is the citation, along with the PDF. Heiser, Michael. "Did Jesus Allow for Reincarnation? Assessing the...
Free PDF Books on Ancient Sumerians, Akkadians, Etc.
Courtesy of the University of Chicago. Here are some titles (but follow that link): Gelb, The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character Gelb, A Study of Writing Frankfort, Kingship and the Gods: A Study of Ancient Near Eastern Religion as the Integration of...
“Giant” Third Dynasty Pharaoh Study in the News
I'm referring to this recent two-page (!) study in a medical journal: "Oldest case of gigantism? Assessment of the alleged remains of Sa-Nakht, king of ancient Egypt," Lancet: Diabetes and Endocrinology 5:8 (August 2017): 580-581. Several folks have emailed me about...
Giant 5th Dynasty Skeleton from Giza, Egypt
I came across this article tonight -- it's accessible online: D. M. Mulhern, "A Probable Case of Gigantism in a Fifth Dynasty Skeleton from the Western Cemetery at Giza,Egypt," International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 15 (2005): 261–275. In contrast to the wild,...