The nation of Israel was a strategic trade location. Check out what they traded and how trading shaped the culture of the Ancient Near East. The earliest Israelites traded in animals, milk, cheese, and wool. Even after they settled in Canaan, the Israelites were farmers and herders, but few… Read More
Most of the Israelites were nomads. Find out where and how they traveled in the Ancient Near East. Before they settled in Canaan, the earliest ancestors of the Israelites were nomads, which means that they lived by moving herds of sheep and goats from place to place to… Read More
In the beginning . . . human societies interacted with each other. See how they did it. No clear evidence has been found to show how the earliest human beings traveled. Archaeologists date the earliest evidence of any kind of travel from the end of the “Ice Age,” about… Read More
Scripture is full of promises that people make to God and that God makes to people. Find out what some of these promises are and how they apply to our everyday lives. Vows are spoken promises made to God, and are often made in response to help received from… Read More
Justice, generosity, kindness. All of these ideas are involved in the biblical understanding of mercy. In the Bible, God’s people are encouraged to respond to God’s blessings by helping others and giving generously to the poor. The giving of gifts (alms) to the needy is strongly encouraged, and those… Read More
The word “redeemer” appeared in the Old Testament, but the idea carried over into the New Testament. Learn more about the background of this idea. In the Old Testament, a redeemer ( goel in Hebrew) was a person who bought back property or a house that had… Read More
It’s easy to get dirty. You could touch a dead animal, eat the wrong kind of food or be exposed to a contagious skin disease. Read about why purity is important in the Old and New Testaments. Ancient Israel defined being pure in three ways: (1) to be free… Read More
