"Biblical Names" Article Items

The Hittites were an ancient civilization that arose and fell several times during Old Testament times.  They were a powerful group with a formidable army that was powerful enough to invade Babylon. In fact, they eventually grew so strong and expanded their empire so widely that they became an ancient superpower on the same level as Egypt and Assyria. Battle of Kadesh The two kingdoms would eventually clash in the region where they meet each other – modern-day Syria.  The Battle of Kadesh is dated to 1274 BC and represents the earliest battle in recorded history for which detailed battle… Read More »

The Shishak invasion of Israel by the Egyptian armies of Shishak is described in Scripture and illustrated on a wall located in Egypt. The reign of King Rehoboam was tumultuous.  He was the son of Solomon and a grandson of David.  The Kingdom of David was still united when Rehoboam took over after the death of Solomon, his father. Solomon, the King of Israel, had broken the Mosaic mandates of the Torah by taking wives who were not Jewish.  The clear reason for this mandate was to prevent non-Jewish customs and beliefs from infiltrating into the Jewish community and turning… Read More »

The Ivory House is mentioned in the Bible as a minor reference concerning the ancient Kings of the Northern Kingdom.  Its construction was influenced by Phoenician culture brought into Israel by Queen Jezebel. King Ahab was one of the more wicked kings of the Northern Kingdom of Israel reigning during the 9th century, BC.  Ahab along with his wife Jezebel greatly expanded worship of Baal and brought Phoenician customs into Israel.  These included such things as child sacrifice, fertility rights, idol worship, and sacrifices to a false god. The Bible gives them both a very negative portrayal and they both… Read More »

The Upper Room is one of the most venerated places in Jerusalem.  It is a site featured in the New Testament Gospels as the place where Jesus had his Last Supper with his disciples, and where he later appeared to them after the Resurrection.  It is also the place where the first believers gathered together to await the arrival of the Holy Spirit. The  Biblical Archaeology Society has an excellent article showing possible ancient renderings of the Upper Room in various churches throughout the ancient world.  This article has these renderings in order for the readers to make their own… Read More »

In one of the more interesting passages in Scripture, there are two disciples of early Christianity walking on the road to Emmaus shortly after the crucifixion of Christ. They were discussing the amazing events of the past few days including the trial and execution of their leader. The story occurs in the Gospel of Luke and gives one of the disciples the name of Cleopas. While walking on the road, they met another person apparently walking the same road whom they did not recognize. These disciples discussed how grief-stricken they were as the ministry of Christ had apparently ended so… Read More »

Most Christians are not familiar with the ancient Jewish legal and so are unfamiliar with a bulla and how the bulla affirm the Bible. Many Scripture characters were important people in their time and produced bulla during their lifetimes. Today, we have legal contracts where a signature is confirmed by a notary public or other means. This was not possible in ancient Israel. Bible bulla are clumps of dried clay into which a carved stone seal was impressed. The impression often had both writings identifying the owners of the seal, and images. These images might reflect the national state if… Read More »