The Bible and Interpretation

Metallurgy, the Forgotten Dimension of Ancient Yahwism

By Nissim Amzallag

The book of Genesis advises us that the worship of YHWH is as old as the first flickerings of history—first evinced upon the birth of Enosh, son of Seth and grandson of Adam: “It was then that people began to call upon the name of YHWH” (Gen 4:26). Consequently, Abraham was not the first worshipper of YHWH, the first discoverer of the supreme divine being. At best, the patriarchs promoted an original form of worship of YHWH that their contemporaries either forgot or denatured. What is the nature of this primeval Yahwism? To what extent does it differ from Israelite Yahwism, the theology advanced in the Bible? See complete essay

Magdala's Stone of Contention

By David Gurevich

“I referred to this trend as the” "Da Vinci codification" of our culture”, stated recently Steven Fine, the Director of the Center for Israel Studies in the Yeshiva University, assessing the scholarly debate which developed around the famous Magdala Stone. Fine addressed his comments to the theories of the Hebrew University professor Rina Talgam, an archaeologist of the Kinneret Academic College, Mordechai Aviam, and a few notable scholars outside Israel. The story takes us to Migdal where a decorated stone was discovered in-situ in the 1^st century CE synagogue. See complete essay

The Impact of Sargon & Enheduanna on Land Rights in Deuteronomy Preliminary Report

By Don C. Benjamin

Parallels between the Birth Stories of Moses (Exod 1:22 — 2:10) and the Birth Stories of Sargon I (2334 - 2279 B.C.E.) may suggest that the way Moses and women distribute land use rights in Deuteronomy is modeled on the way land use rights were distributed in Akkad by Sargon and the woman Enheduanna, whom he appointed high priest of Inanna at Ur. See complete essay

Rahab of Jericho: The Power of Storytelling

By Andrzej Toczyski

H. C. Goddard once wrote that “the destiny of the world is determined less by the battles that are lost and won than by the stories it loves and believes in”.1 In fact stories have shaped the beliefs of individuals and communities since the dawn of civilisation. They have either moved people to action or prevented them from so doing and have thus played a significant role in shaping people’s perceptions of history See complete essay