From Deborah, the first female judge, to Samson, the man with supernatural strength, the book of Judges tells the story of the nation of Israel before they united under a king. What makes Judges special? Judges is part of the great story, from Deuteronomy through 2 Kings, that tells… Read More

The “Old Testament” is the name Christians have given to the Jewish Scriptures and the first part of the Christian Bible. When the earliest Christians quoted from “Scripture,” they quoted from the Jewish Scriptures. The “Old Testament” is the name Christians have given to the Jewish Scriptures and the… Read More

The “Pentateuch” is a term used to describe the first five books of the Old Testament (Genesis—Deuteronomy). In the Jewish Scriptures these books are referred to as the Law, or Torah, a Hebrew word that means “guide” or “instruction”. The “Pentateuch” is a term used to describe the first… Read More

The Hebrew Scriptures are the oldest section of the Bible. Find out how these Scriptures were collected and the genres that each book belongs to. The books in the Old Testament section of the Christian Bible are translations of the Hebrew Scriptures still used by the Jewish people… Read More

The book of Ruth is a love story, a history and account of Jesus’s ancestors. Through the story of this young Moabite woman, the book brings a message of God’s love and redemption. What makes Ruth unique? The book of Ruth is set in the time of the judges,… Read More

The story of Noah and the Great Flood conjures images of a cartoon ark bobbing in blue seas. Yet a flood the magnitude of the one described in the Biblical text would more closely resemble total devastation on a massive scale. How did this story become a part of the… Read More

The Bible offers stories on how God created the world. Yet in the beginning, “the earth was barren, with no form of life,” and “there was no one to work the land”. If no people were there to witness the events of creation, how did the Biblical writers know what… Read More

Agricultural practices provided a framework for the lives of many Ancient Israelites. It’s no accident that the Bible is filled with farming and land references and metaphorsmost people were immersed in this work. Agricultural practices provided a framework for the lives of many Ancient Israelites. It’s no accident… Read More

Education in Israel remained a constant and powerful force in Israelite homes and society. The form and content of education changed with the needs of various times and places. In early days, the educational needs had primarily been served by the tribe and the family. By the first century B.C.,… Read More

Even before the time of Jesus, Jewish teachers had discussed the Law of Moses and whether there were one or more commands that summarized the whole law. This debate is easily seen in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. The debate also seems to be behind Luke’s account, which immediately… Read More