When people in ancient Israel died and were buried, it was believed that their souls went down and stayed in the dark underworld called “Sheol” or “Hades.” Later, when the people of Judah were in exile in Babylon about 600 years before Jesus was born, some prophets announced the… Read More

Find out what different faith traditions in Western Christianity say about the Deuterocanonical books and what role these books play in the Old Testament canon. The term “apocrypha” is Greek for “hidden or secret (things).” When Jerome translated the Scriptures into Latin in the late fourth century, he noted… Read More

Throughout the Old Testament, the Day of the Lord, a time of punishment for the wicked and blessing for the righteous, brought hope to faithful Israelites. The “Day of the Lord” refers to a future time when the Lord will act in history to punish his enemies and to… Read More

In the ancient world, blood was a symbol of life and sacrifice. Consequently, it played an important role in the Old Testament sacrificial system. In the Bible, the power of life is understood to be present in blood. This is true of animals (Gen 9.4) and of humans (Lev… Read More

The Bible is full of dreams, visions and fantastic images. How should the modern reader understand these apocalyptic writings? Read more to find out. Apocalyptic Writing The word “apocalyptic” comes from a Greek word, “apokalypsis,” meaning revealing or unveiling. In the Bible, Daniel in the Old Testament and Revelation in… Read More

Angels are popular images in the modern world. But what does the Bible say about angels? Find out here. The word “angel” in English is based on the Greek word angelos, which means “messenger.” Most often in the Bible, this is exactly what angels do—bring messages from God to… 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

Where was Phoenicia and why was it important? Find out now. Learn more about the ancient land of Phoenicia and the role that it played in ancient times.  The ancient Greeks were probably the first to use the name “Phoenicia” to refer to a specific area of Canaan. Around… Read More