From a Persian’s point of view, to be an Israelite meant one worshipped the Israelite god and followed Israelite religious customs. This meant that it was in the best interest of the Persian state for the formal worship of the god in the kingdom in Judah to continue undisturbed and in accordance with the proper rules of the Torah. However, I seriously doubt the Persian king new anything about how different the Temple in Jerusalem was from other temples. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/29bc20997d77/the-first-truth-claim-of-the-wisdom-of-genesis
I handed different versions of the Bible to two people, Bob and Susan. I asked Bob to read Genesis 1:1. This is what he read: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Then I asked Susan to read the same verse. This is what she read: “When God began to create heaven and earth - . . .” Bob was reading, “The Reader’s Digest Bible” and Susan was reading the “Tanakh.” Did “God” refer to the same “Being” in both Bibles? Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/a27fc42070dc/whose-words-are-you-reading-in-your-bible