Background If, as we believe, Yeshua was a genuine, fully human Jewish prophet, called by God, and that he was a real person who really existed, what biographical details in the synoptic gospels are safe to assume are from its genuine, earliest layer, and which can we...

Question to ChatGPT: In Mark 1:9-11, a dove appears and a heavenly voice speaks. According to scholarly consensus, in Mark’s understanding of what he himself wrote, did John the Baptist or anyone else present see the dove, or hear the voice? I felt this question was...

Background The documentary ‘Caesar’s Messiah’ centres on the claims of Joseph Atwell that the Flavian dynasty of Caesars invented Jesus, wrote the gospels, and created the Christian religion. I’m not really concerned about the claims regarding the formation of the...

Shalom everyone, Some people believe that because Scripture speaks of an “end of days,” there is no point in working for peace or justice in the present age. According to this view, deadly wars and worldwide destruction are inevitable, even divinely intended, and...

Nowadays, there are too many people in the West who believe there are only two options: either you support the oppressed Palestinians, or you support an evil Israel; there is no middle ground allowed. This is a false binary — a form of moral laziness — and is a...

Shalom everyone, Are you someone who thinks along the lines of, “Look at the terrible things that far-right Jews are doing to non-Jews in Israel! Therefore all Israelis are wicked, Israel is evil, and should not exist!“ The conclusion does not logically follow on from...

I realise that some people have a deep, emotional connection with the term ’Essene’, and firmly believe that Yeshua’s community was part of the Essene movement. However, as individuals who take a scholarly approach to ancient religious history, we have to be realistic...

This article is basically a reference article containing all the quotes of Josephus about the Essenes. 1. The Jewish War Book II, Chapters 8.2–13 (Whiston §§119–161) This is Josephus’s longest and most detailed description of the Essenes. Book II, Chapter 8, Sections...

This is the final part 3 of a 3-part series on the Essenes, comparing their teachings and beliefs with those of Yeshua: Part 1: Were Yeshua and Yaakov Essenes? A Comparison of their Similarities Part 2: The Shocking Similarities between Paul’s teachings and Essene...

This is part 2 of a 3-part series on the Essenes, comparing their teachings and beliefs with those of Yeshua: Part 1: Were Yeshua and Yaakov Essenes? A Comparison of their Similarities Part 2: The Shocking Similarities between Paul’s teachings and Essene beliefs Part...