The books beginning with Isaiah and ending with Malachi belong to a section of the Christian Bible called the Prophetic Books. These books record God’s messages to the people of Israel and Judah in the form of speeches or sermons, visions, and life experiences of prophets who preached between about… Read More

Images of water pervade the Gospel stories, symbolizing chaos, rebirth, and new life. Jesus was baptized in water, walked on water, and turned water into wine. These and other narratives are grounded in the stories and experiences of the ancient Israelites, who used ideas about water to better understand their… Read More

What role does the Holy Spirit play in the lives of believers? Check out what the Old and New Testaments say about the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God’s presence at work in the world. The Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament) declare that the Spirit of… Read More

For many North Americans, interactions with animals are summarized neatly in terms of pets, pests, and meat. Yet the lives of the ancient Israelites and the early Christians were filled with animals. They play important roles in Biblical stories as a source of praise to God and revelation of the… Read More

The Letters of Paul include some of the oldest writings in the New Testament. The dates of his earliest letters most likely fall in the period A.D. 50–60 and were written before the Gospels, Acts, and other New Testament writings. The Letters of Paul include some of the oldest… Read More

Jews in Jesus’ time believed that God revealed his will not only through the written Torah, but through unwritten traditions as well. The rabbis claimed that the oral law, transmitted by word of mouth, was also given to Moses at Mount Sinai. The term “law” in the English Bible… Read More

Jerusalem is a key city throughout the Old and New Testaments. Learn about how Jerusalem turned into a city and why it featured so prominently in Scripture. The story of the Good Samaritan takes place on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Is the reference to Jerusalem important for… Read More

Jericho is located near the southern end of the Jordan Valley. It has been an oasis and a population center in the otherwise mostly barren valley. Some scholars think Jericho is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. Jericho is located near the southern end of the Jordan… Read More

The phrase “to inherit eternal life” reflects more than a simple description of a time line. Its deeper meaning hints at a life where one is free of the restraints typical of human existence. In the phrase “to inherit eternal life” the focus is not so much on… Read More

The Greek term for feeling compassion is used by Luke in several key stories, including the Widow of Nain and the Prodigal Son. This verb includes a physical aspect in the tone of its feeling because the related noun means “bowels, viscera.” Both the Greek verb and noun match our… Read More