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history

A collection of 26 issues

Dead Sea Scrolls & Biblical Theology

With the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) in 1947, manuscripts were discovered which give us a window into the specific beliefs and practices of a certain Jewish group living around the area of Jerusalem. One such scroll is known as the Community Rule, and highlights some of the

Justin’s Knowledge of Paul

The following is taken from the Biblical Criticism & History Forum. Justin Martyr and the apostle Paul. * Post by Ben C. Smith » Sun Oct 22, 2017 4:54 pm On the thread about the reception history of the NT books the question came up of whether or not Justin Martyr

PETRINE PRIMACY & ROMAN SUPREMACY

Here I cite snippets from two fourth century AD references affirming the primacy of Rome due to its relationship to Peter, the chief of the holy Apostles. All emphasis will be mine. Athanasius Apologia Contra Arianos (Athanasius), Part I Chapter 2. Letter of Julius to the Eusebians at Antioch. Eusebius

Muhammad’s Jewish Sex-Slave

According to the Sunni traditions, Muhammad had at least two sex slaves that he did not marry, namely, a Christian Coptic girl named Mariyah and a Jewish concubine named Rayhanah. I have written at length about Mariyah so here I will focus on Rayhanah. Here is what a modern biography

Muhammad’s Bribing People to Be/Remain Muslims

The Quran states that part of the money given in charity is to go towards enticing individuals to become Muslims. In other words, Allah sanctions Muslims to buy off or bribe non-Muslims to embrace Islam: As-Sadaqat (here it means Zakat) are only for the Fuqara’ (poor), and Al-Masakin (the poor)

Islam’s Adulterous She-Monkey Exposed

The following post is taken from the now defunct Muslim website named Islamtoday.com. The site itself can still be accessed on the web archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20001028211320/http://islamtoday.com/Default.htm. Here is the original URL for the post: http://islamtoday.com/show_detail_section.

John of Hyrcanus Among the Prophets?

Jewish historian Flavius Josephus writes about a high priest during the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes IV and the Maccabean period, named John Hyrcanus. The historian claims that Hyrcanus was given the gift of prophecy and that God spoke to him and enabled him to foretell future events. Here’s what

Gamaliel Cites Jesus?

There is an interesting anecdote found in the Babylonian Talmud where the renowned rabbi Gamaliel, who was the son of another prominent rabbi named Hillel, quoted the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here’s the Talmudic extract: לְמָחָר הֲדַר עַיֵּיל לֵיהּ

Pope Gregory VII, Muslims & God

The following Latin text is taken from the epistles of Pope Gregory VII, specifically in his letter to the Muslim king Anzir, written in 1076 AD. The epistle can be found on pp. 450-452 by clicking on this link: (https://archive.org/details/patrologiaecurs02unkngoog/page/n228/mode/2up. In his

Talmud, Maimonides, Minors, Puberty & Sex

I will be quoting from rabbinic sources in respect to the laws concerning sexual intercourse between various age groups, including minors as young as 3 years old, as well as the punishments incurred for illicit sexual acts. The readers will see firsthand that the rabbinic laws discriminate between Jews and