Podcast Interview
I recently appeared on The God Above podcast to discuss my new book, The Case for a Proto-Gospel. If you care to listen in here is the link.
Category: Uncategorized
Biblical Studies Carnival for July 2020
Here is the link to the July 2020 Biblical Studies Carnival. Catch up to some of last month’s interesting posts about the bible.
Slow Posting, Sorry
My posting has slowed down over the last couple of weeks because of a perfect storm of projects crashing down on me. I’ve been feverishly taking advantage of a creative spurt on my Volume 2 follow-up to Genesis Chronology and Egyptian King-Lists, which I would like to get out by the end of the year. I am working on a major revamp of this blog site, which will also add a lot of content to be accessed. I’ve been working an an article for publication, hopefully to be out soon. And I have to prepare a paper for what is now a virtual ASOR Annual Meeting. Oh, and also some time-consuming personal projects. I hope to get over the hump in the next few days. Be patient with me.
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June 2020 Biblical Studies Carnival
Catch up in the June 2020 Biblical Studies Carnival roundup of some of the interesting bible-oriented posts you may have missed. Just don’t think you arrived at the wrong place when you take a fast look at the header. This month’s host, Jim West.
Interested in hosting a future carnival. Jim posts the following message from Phil Long, the carnival organizer.
Here are the upcoming hosts. No hosts for October 2020 (Due November 1) and after. I am willing to take a later month if someone wants August. July 2020 (Due August 1) – Bob MacDonald @drmacdonald
August 2020 (Due September 1) – Phillip Long, Reading Acts @plong42
September 2020 (Due October 1) – Brent Niedergall’s blog. https://niedergall.com @BrentNiedergall
Are you new to blogging? Are you a lapsed biblioblogger? James McGrath has some encouraging words for you.
Would you like to see your posts included in a future carnival? Start by writing a quality academic post, perhaps a book review. Then send the link to the upcoming host. It is entirely their decision to include your post in their carnival, but you can at least nominate yourself for inclusion. Sometimes you have to toot your own horn.
If you have questions about what writing a carnival involves, contact me via email, plong42@gmail.com or twitter DM @plong42. I would be happy to answer any questions.
About that Nazareth inscription?
A 2000-year old tablet, written in Greek and thought to come from Nazareth based on a cryptic message accompanying it, announced the Roman emperor’s warnings against grave robbing. Housed in the Louvre since the 1930s, scholars have debated whether tit could be connected to Jesus. A new study suggests that the tablet has no connection to Nazareth.
Upcoming Interview
I’ll be recording an interview tomorrow night with Aeon Byte Gnostic Radio, for later broadcast. Once it’s on-line I’ll publish a link.
Dead Sea Scrolls and DNA
Hey!! Secret Origins Revealed. Using DNA techniques on fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls has led to a number of insights about where certain texts may have come from and whether some fragments are related to other fragments. The scrolls were made from animal hides, and, as such, were subject to DNA testing. Some prior theories are proving wrong and others are being supported.
So, where did the holiday name Easter come from?
The name “Easter” is widely used for the holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, but the word doesn’t appear to have any biblical origins. The linguistic evidence suggests that the name is a variation on the name of several “dawn” goddesses in the Indo-European language families. More specifically, Eostre was a Germanic goddess whose name was assigned to the month in which the celebratory event usually occurred. Eventually, the coincidence of the holiday falling in the month named after the goddess led to the holiday being called Easter. At least that’s one widely held theory. Here’s a link to a Wikipedia article that discusses some of these issues.