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The Queen of Sheba
The Queen of Sheba’s visit to Solomon is one of the most famous diplomatic visits in the Bible, but we know very little about this powerful monarch. Her visit appears in religious texts sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, however, her name was never mentioned. We are not exactly sure where “Sheba” even is. She is described as a “Queen from the South”, who came to visit King Solomon to test his great wisdom. She brings with her a treasure trove of frankincense, myrrh, gold and jewels as well as a head full of riddles. He answers them to her satisfaction and converts her to worship Yahweh. Then she returns…
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The James Ossuary
Today I have chosen to discuss the “James Ossuary”. The infamous bone box was obtained by an antiquities collector in the 1970’s from an unknown source in Jerusalem, and left in a cellar for nearly 30 years, until the owner asked a renowned expert to decipher the inscription on the ends. The inscription translated to say the ossuary belonged to James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus. The box was then offered to a museum in Canada, for display for a period of time. The owner claimed no knowledge of the context in which the ossuary was obtained at source, nor realisation of the historical and archaeological importance of the…
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The Lost Tribes of Israel
Jacob had twelve sons, and the descendants of those sons became the twelve tribes of Israel. They settled in the promised land, then divided into to two kingdoms. Everyone was living happily, more or less, until the conquest of the northern kingdom. The Bible discusses the lost tribes of Israel in 2 Kings 17:6: “In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes.” The Assyrians conquered all of Israel and destroyed the First Temple. Once in exile, this left only the Tribe of…
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JESUS OF NAZARETH
This article is going to be controversial, and I fully accept that, but I want to establish that this article is meant to engender conversation not provoke an Internet Holy Flame War. What I write here comes from an educated place. I have done an in depth study of several versions of the Bible (NIV, KJV, and a terrible translation of WYC), the Torah, the Koran, the Book of Mormon (Latter Day Saints), as well as many different teachings of Buddhism and Hinduism. A good portion of this is also based around the book “Zealot” by Reza Aslan, a noted and respected historian. Also note – There is SO MUCH…
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Archangel
Following on from our recent post regarding Lilith (who legend states married an archangel – Samael – after being expelled from the Garden of Eden) and questions we have received regarding the differences between Angels and Archangels we have put this little post together to guide you through the most common references you are likely to come across. An archangel (literally means chief angel) is an angel of high rank. Beings similar to archangels are found in a number of religious traditions; but the word “archangel” itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions. When thinking of Archangels Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael probably come to mind. They are venerated in…
