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The Bible Today, Issue #001 -- Father Abraham: Man or Myth? November 16, 2014 |
Issue #1, Nov. '14
Welcome to The Bible Today! Each month we take a look at the latest news concerning the Bible, Israel, God and Christianity from history, archaeology, science, space, politics and world news. Additionally, each month a Featured Topic from the Bible is closely analyzed, with various articles throughout the e-zine dedicated to the latest news on that Featured Topic. Always be sure to check out The Grab Bag for unusual and curious tidbits sure to intrigue. Also please visit the website at www.israel-a-history-of.com for more fascinating articles, maps & information. Enjoy! WHAT'S INSIDEI. Featured Topic: Abraham, the Father of Many NationsTake a fascinating glimpse into the life of the great patriarch. Journey back in time to find out what we know and don't know about God's faithful servant. II. The Bible Past & Present Read interesting news and articles on the Bible in the past, as well as the present. III. Digging in the Bible Catch up on the latest news in archaeology, both Biblical Archaeology and the science of Archaeology as as a whole. IV. The Science Section Can Science & Religion get along? Sometimes. V. The Bible in Space God was not only the creator of man and earth, but of heaven, the stars and planets, and everything else in the realm of space. VI. World News & Politics View the latest from Israel and the Middle East. Stay on top of the latest from around the globe. VII. The Grab Bag Interesting, unusual, odd and unique news on the Bible and related topics from around the world. I. FEATURED TOPICAbraham: The Father of Many NationsThough archaeology has yet to produce any solid evidence of Abraham, the narrative itself has provided details of accuracy concerning the time period involved which lend enormous amounts of credence and legitimacy to the Biblical story. Though not certain by any means, the generally agreed upon approximate date is 2000 BC.The Bible tells us he came from Ur, though it also mentions he has family already living in Haran. The text itself seems to suggest the family originated from Haran, in northwest Mesopotamia. The cities of Haran and Nahor are names of his brothers. Abraham and his father, Terah, along with their nephew Lot had traveled south to Ur, located in southern Mesopotamia near the Persian Gulf. Thus it was from Ur that the Bible picks up as God called he and Terah from there. After a brief stop in Haran, Abraham received another call from God that it was time to leave his father's land and journey to another land - one Abraham knew very little about. God called him to the land of Canaan, where his burial cave rests to this very day at Machpelah in Hebron, now a Palestinian controlled city. Explore the life and times of Abraham by clicking on the links below!
Abraham
Explore the life and times of Abram in great detail.
In the Footsteps and Spirit of Abraham
Abraham and Hagar
II. The Bible Past & PresentExplore the bible and its impact on mankind's history, as well as its continuing impact on our civilization today.
Abraham in World History
The Almighty's Supreme Call to Man
The Story of Abraham
Headline News
The Bible warns Israel repeatedly of the danger of the Canaanite religions and idolatry. It depicts Israel surrounded by pagans, which had existed in Canaan for thousands of years prior to Israel’s arrival under Joshua. This article reveals yet another pagan complex in Israel approximately 3300 years old, or dating to ca. 1300 BC. This was the time period of the Judges, arguably around 1400 - 1100 BC.
Images of a Beardless Jesus
Early Images of a Beardless Jesus. Since Jesus walked the earth some 2000 years ago man has been obsessed with His appearance. The traditional look of Jesus depicted him variously with long hair and short hair, but always with a beard – which was standard for males in first century AD Israel. Yet now images have surfaced which show a beardless Jesus.
The Israeli - Palestinian Conflict
Eric Golub takes a look at his view concerning the facts of the Israeli - Palestinian conflict.
III. Digging in the BibleFierce arguments flow when discussing the Bible in terms of Archaeology. What cannot be denied, however, is that the Bible has helped identify many locations and places for Archaeology; and conversely Archaeology has shed invaluable light on the people and places mentioned in the Bible. For instance, the Philistines were once thought to be a mythical people, created by ancient Israel. That line of thought was debunked when archaeology turned up evidence of the Sea Peoples, and their cities were exactly where the Bible had placed them.
Featured Topic
Alden Bass explains how archaeology has helped shed light on Abraham, despite not producing any direct evidence for the patriarch's existence.
4000 Year Old Complex Near Ancient Ur
by Jane Arraf
Headline News From Archaeology
by BAS Staff
Wanna Dig?
Are you interested in digging? Look at these websites to find interesting excavations from all over the world!
Archaeology Digs
IV. The Science SectionAre Science & Religion always at odds with each other? If one believes in Science, can one not also believe in God? Are the two so fundamentally different reconciliation is impossible? Faith is believing without seeing. Science is believing by seeing. Does middle ground exist?
Featured Topic
by Gordon Govier
The Creation & Evolution Debate
by Ken Ham
Why Evolution Is True
The Monthly Science Report
What, exactly, was the Bible's Leviathan? The Bible gives fascinating glimpses into an ancient beast from the sea known as Leviathan. Few glimpses are given, and details are scant - but the Leviathan was a very powerful creature. Job 3:8 - "May those who curse days curse that day, those who are ready to rouse Leviathan." Job 41:1 - "Can you pull Leviathan with a fishhook or tie down its tongue with a rope?" Psalm 104:25-26 - "There is the sea, vast and spacious...and Leviathan, which You formed to frolic there." Science has discovered ancient sea creatures that were massive in size and ruled the ancient oceans. Could Leviathan have been an ancient giant shark?
V. THE BIBLE IN SPACEFascinatingly enough, discoveries in deep space have been shown to actually corroborate parts of the Creation narrative in Genesis. The Bible contains numerous verses on the heavens and stars, and the ancients were obsessed with space - thus it is important to stay in touch with what's going on up there.
Topic of the Month
Mysteries of Space & the Bible
The Bible is full of mysteries. One of its most intriguing and puzzling mysteries is in Genesis 6, when the “sons of God” came down and mingled with the “daughters of men”, and together they produced the Nephilim, “men of old, men of renown”. Life on earth became exceedingly wicked, perverted and corrupt. The earth became so corrupt that only one man and his family could be found as worthy of saving – Noah. Yet, fast forward millennia in time to Moses and the Israelites wandering out of Egypt. In Numbers 13:33 Israelite spies reported seeing “the Nephilim, and we became like grasshoppers in our sight, and so we were in their sight”. Where did these Nephilim come from? Were they not destroyed in the Flood? Could some of them have been spared? Where could they have gone?
Ancient Mars Could Have Held Life
REVELATION 8:8
Mountain Sized Comet Zips By Mars
The God of Space
Psalm 115:16
Stephen Hawking Fears Higgs Boson Doomsday
VI. POLITICS & WORLD NEWSNews and articles from around the world, including the latest from Israel and the Middle East - the Promised Land of the Old Testament.
Live From Israel & the Middle East
Latest News
Israel Treats Hamas Leader's Daughter
Chomsky - Palestinian Statehood Rests on US
Leading American political activist Noam Chomsky commended the British parliamentary vote to recognize the Palestinian Territories as a state, but stressed that the US held the keys to a Palestinian state.
Say What?
World News Report
Pope Argues Homosexuality WIth Bishops
VII. The Grab BagStrange, unique and unusual news from across the spectrum of issues and topics. Spinx From 'Ten Commandments' Unearthed
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