Biblical Heritage Center Blog

Some are named for their first word, others for their first significant word. What about the rest? Read the complete article at -- http://mosaicmagazine.com/observation/2016/06/how-the-books-of-the-hebrew-bible-got-their-names/

King Agrippa I resented the great hope that direct Roman control over the Land of Israel would end and a semblance of Jewish sovereignty would be restored. Agrippa was the grandson of despised Herod the Great and his wife Mariamme, a princess from the line of the Maccabees. That Agrippa was alive was a miracle in itself: Herod murdered Mariamme and most of her family. These Maccabees posed a threat to the Idumean descendant of proselytes Herod and, in his paranoia, led to their murder. Caesar Augustus once quipped, “I would rather be Herod’s pig than his son.” But Agrippa managed to survive despite the cruelty of his tyrant grandfather. Despite Agrippa’s dual identity – firmly in the world of Rome and appointed to his monarchy by Emperor Claudius in 41 CE but a proud Jew as well – he was a popular figure among the Jews in Judea.  Read the complete article at -- http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/King-Agrippa-I-The-last-Maccabee-455481

The time has come, Rabbi Kahana explained, to encourage the world to begin to relate to Israel from a spiritual perspective, rather than a political or economic one.  “Disputations” are defined as “public debates on religious subjects between Jews and non-Jews.” Rabbi Kahana believes that the time has come for the spiritual character of Israel to take center stage. “Israel’s present political and financial interaction with the gentile world is a total distortion of why HaShem (God) has placed us in this world!” he wrote in his call for the disputation. Further, he expects that such an event “could create an avalanche of interest among the gentiles,” in a Jewish message. Read Rabbi Nachman Kahana’s complete article at -- http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/68414/rabbi-calls-for-a-public-disputation-about-god-05-16/#lm71hAjXMKqglyDE.97

Yeshua said, “ It was also said, `Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you, `Whoever divorces his wife, except for the matter of fornication causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. ’” (Matthew 5:31-32) This is probably one of the most discussed and debated teachings of Yeshua in history. The first step in working with any text is to define the context in which it appears. In this case, the context began in verse 27. (Yeshua said,) “You have heard that it was said to those of old, `‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you, `Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ‘” (Matthew 5:27-28) The section on divorce is a subsection of his teaching about adultery.  So, let’s begin by defining what adultery was during Yeshua’s time. Sexual intercourse of a married woman with any man other than her husband. Adulter...