Rome was one of the great powers of the ancient world and it was a powerful factor in the spread of Christianity. Find out more about the history of this mighty empire. In 700 B.C., Rome was a small city in Italy that controlled only the area close around… Read More

As Hellenism spread through the ancient world, literacy increased and people began to value stories, especially romance fiction. This popular genre even influenced religious writings. Read more here. After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C., Greek culture continued to spread through the areas his armies had… Read More

Before the King Solomon built the temple, worship in Israel revolved around the Sacred Tent, or Tabernacle. Read about the origin of this tent and its role in the Israelites’ worship practices. When God gave Moses the Law at Mount Sinai, God also gave him instructions for making a sacred… Read More

The covenant defined God’s relationship with his people, and Shavuot celebrates this covenant relationship that appears in Exodus 24. Shavuot (the plural version of the Hebrew word shavuah, or “week”) is the third and last of the annual, weeklong biblical pilgrimage festivals to the holy Temple in Jerusalem, the… Read More

Jews have celebrated this festival for thousands of years. Find out the significance of this celebration and why it has endured. In ancient rabbinic tradition, Sukkot, sometimes called the “Feast of Booths,” is referred to as he-chag, or The Holiday. Today, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are viewed by the… Read More

How many languages were used to write the Bible? Where did these languages come from? Who spoke these languages? This article gives a brief overview of each of the Bible’s major languages. The original language of most of the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible). Hebrew appeared first in a written… Read More

Context is important. Find out how the social, religious and political context of Israel influenced biblical events and literature. Ancient Document and Date Language Chief Enemy Gilgamesh Epic around 1700 B.C.; some versions circulated as early as 2100 B.C. Akkadian Gilgamesh, the ruler of Uruk,… Read More

The invention of money transformed the ancient world. Find out how the emergence of the monetary system influenced the biblical world. As trade increased in Israel during the time of Solomon, so did the use of gold and silver to pay for goods. Around this time, merchants and a… Read More

Biblical characters couldn’t use trains, planes or buses, but they did use camels, chariots, sailing boats and the occasional giant fish. Means of Travel Distances Examples Walking about 20 miles per day Peter walks 40 miles from Joppa to Caesarea in two days (Acts 10.23-25) Camels As a pack… Read More

The Bible isn’t the only ancient text with a flood story. Read about the flood stories other flood stories in the ancient world and why these accounts are important. Many ancient Near Eastern stories describe a terrible flood that destroyed much of humankind. Ancient flood stories are also… Read More