Ancient Judaism

The Gnostic Gospels provides engaging listening for those seeking a broader perspective on the early development of Christianity. Author and noted scholar Elaine Pagels suggests that Christianity could have developed quite differently if Gnostic texts had become part of the Christian canon.

Discover a timeless journey with One God One People. The Monotheistic Message of the Torah. This enlightening exploration delves into the profound spiritual heritage captured within the ancient scrolls of the Torah. As you turn each page, uncover the profound wisdom and enduring relevance of its teachings, which have guided people for millennia. This book sheds light on the central theme of monotheism that weaves through the narratives, laws, and prophetic visions of the Torah, illustrating how the belief in one God has shaped societies, cultures, and personal faith throughout history. ...

It is time to survive the imminent and probable nuclear annihilation on EARTH from the current Russia-Ukraine war in Europe. It can explode into a deadly Earth shattering Third World War. We have just gone through a deadly pandemic- COVID 19, met with draconian and brutal response by governments, business and the medical fraternity. They All mandated every human receive shots of newly invented mRNA genetic vaccines. Humanity is calculatingly and inexorably being commandeered, by a real force, into the deep end. This is the main reason why you must own a hard copy of this book. To re-...

In a time of loneliness and isolation, social rupture and alienation, what will it take to mend our broken hearts and rebuild our society? Sharon Brous—a leading American rabbi—makes the case that the spiritual work of our time, as instinctual as it is counter-cultural, is to find our way to one other in celebration, in sorrow, and in solidarity. To show up for each other in moments of joy and pain, vulnerability and possibility, to invest in relationships of shared purpose and build communities of care.

Following up on the first volume, The Atheist Handbook to the Old Testament: Volume 2 takes up the challenge of providing a clear and useful guide to those wanting a better understanding of the Old Testament, including its cultural and historical background, as well as discussions on contentious topics like violence and genocide, and whether the Exodus was a real historical event. Volume two also covers the narrative of the Old Testament, from the conquest to the divided monarchy, and a brief history of Egypt to help situate the biblical text within agreed historical events.

David, King of the Jews, possessed every flaw and failing of which a mortal is capable, yet men and women adored him, and God showered him with many blessings. A charismatic leader, exalted as "a man after God's own heart", he was also capable of deep cunning and bloodthirsty violence.

Violence in the Old Testament has long been a stumbling block for Christians and skeptics alike. God Is a Man of War offers a fresh interpretation of Old Testament accounts of violence, by exploring them through the twofold lens of Orthodox tradition and historical context. Father Stephen De Young examines what these difficult passages reveal about the nature of Christ and His creation, bearing witness to a world filled not only with pain and suffering - often of human making - but also with the love of God.

Genesis 9 teaches that God gave moral law to all nations after the Flood. This is called Noahide Law. The apostle Paul taught that the Law of Moses, given at Mount Sinai, was added to Noahide Law to create a government structure for ancient Israel. Gentile nations were never under this Mosaic Covenant, and the Mosaic Covenant was set aside for the Jewish believers in Messiah at Jesus’ first coming. This is taught by Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox denominations, as well as most cults.

Unlock the wisdom of early Christianity with The Epistle of Barnabas: A Beginner's Guide. This essential volume offers an insightful exploration into one of the most profound texts that shaped the foundations of Christian thought. Are you ready to deepen your understanding of faith and uncover the spiritual insights hidden within ancient teachings? This guide takes you on a journey through the Epistle of Barnabas, revealing its timeless relevance and powerful messages. Dive into Spiritual Interpretations: Uncover the allegorical readings of Jewish laws, revealing deeper spiritual meanings ...

In this iconoclastic and provocative work, leading scholars Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman draw on recent archaeological research to present a dramatically revised portrait of ancient Israel and its neighbors. They argue that crucial evidence (or a telling lack of evidence) at digs in Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon suggests that many of the most famous stories in the Bible - the wanderings of the patriarchs, the Exodus from Egypt, Joshua’s conquest of Canaan, and David and Solomon’s vast empire - reflect the world of the later authors.

A true-life thriller about the journey of one of the world's most precious manuscripts - the 10th-century annotated Hebrew Bible known as the Aleppo Codex - from its hiding place in an ancient Syrian synagogue to the newly founded Israel. Using his research, including documents that have been secret for 50 years and interviews with key players, AP correspondent Friedman tells a story of political upheaval, international intrigue, charged courtroom battles, obsession, and subterfuge.

This 2000-year-old scroll reveals the chronology from Creation through Cyrus' decree that freed the Jews in 536 BC. The Ancient Seder Olam uses Biblical prophecy to prove its calculations of the timeline. We have used this technique to continue the timeline all the way to the reestablishment of the nation of Israel in AD 1948.

In this book, we will explore Gnosticism and the Divine Feminine through the lens of two great Gnostic texts. We will see the influence of Gnosticism and how their idea of the Divine Feminine effected orthodox or mainstream Christianity. The treatise of Eugnostos the Blessed (50-150 AD) and the gospel called The Sophia of Jesus Christ (50-200 AD) are presented together in a single volume, due to their close and undeniable connection.

This deeply researched and insightful book examines the causes, course, and historical significance of the Jews' failed revolt against Rome from 66 to 74 CE, including the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. Based on a comprehensive study of all the evidence and new statistical data, Guy Rogers argues that the Jewish rebels fought for their religious and political freedom and lost owing to military mistakes.

They’ve been called legalists, hypocrites, and the ultimate villains of the Gospels. But what if everything you think you know about the Pharisees is wrong? For centuries, they’ve been cast as rigid enforcers of outdated laws, standing in opposition to everything good and true. But history tells a different story. The Pharisees weren’t just rule-makers—they were the architects of a religious revolution. They took Judaism out of the Temple and into the home, shaping a faith that could survive war, exile, and destruction. Their debates laid the groundwork for modern Jewish thought, ...

In our modern age the biblical Genesis flood account has been probed and analyzed for answers to scientific, apologetic, and historical questions. It is a text that has called forth flood geology, fueled searches for remnants of the ark on Mount Ararat, and inspired a full-size replica of Noah's ark in a biblical theme park. Some claim that the very veracity of Scripture hinges on a particular reading of the flood narrative. But do we understand what we are reading? Longman and Walton urge us to ask, what might the biblical author have been saying to his ancient audience?

Step into the realm of the divine and unravel the mysteries of two of the most enigmatic spiritual texts in human history. "Divine Discoveries" is your gateway to understanding the profound wisdom encoded within the Nag Hammadi Library and The Dead Sea Scrolls. Dive into the Nag Hammadi Library: Uncover the secrets of the Gnostic texts that have intrigued scholars and theologians for decades. From the Gospel of Thomas to the Apocryphon of John, explore alternative Christian teachings that challenge conventional beliefs and open a window to early Christian thought and its diverse landscapes....

The writings of Josephus contain one of the few historical accounts of the wars of the Jews and the destruction of Jerusalem during the Roman occupation of Palestine in 70 A.D. Born in Jerusalem in 37 A.D. and raised in both the Hellenic and Jewish traditions, Josephus spent his life trying to accommodate his admiration for the Romans with his loyalty to his Jewish heritage.

Surprised by Christ combines an engrossing memoir of one man's life in historic times and situations from the Six-Day War to the Civil Rights Movement to the Jesus Movement in Berkeley with an examination of the distinctives of Orthodox theology that make the Orthodox Church the true home not only for Christian Jews, but for all who seek to know God as fully as he may be known.

The Jewish sect which ascribed Jesus the title of Messiah was eventually transformed into a non-Jewish movement wholly separated from its Jewish context. The transformation was not instantaneous, and there were deviating or at the least parallel streams of Jesus supporters early on. A critical mistake which has been made, in my opinion, is the assumption that the Jesus movement was uniform even among its early Jewish followers. Analyzing the original movement(s) in the first centuries of the Common Era can reveal how the schism between Judaism and Christianity evolved.