“Samaritans” can refer to either: natives of the region of Samaria or members of a Jewish sect. The Samaritans date their history to Joshua building an altar at Shechem (Joshua 24). They saw themselves as the true Jewish religion.
These are the principal religious and political offices in Judaism at the time of Jesus.
Writers are usually told to start their books with a hook that will immediately engage their readers. Matthew begins his gospel with a list of names. Could anything be more boring? Yet Matthew did start with a bang. This list is relevant to every human being who ever lived.
When the Old Testament ends, Israel is under control of the Persian empire. When the New Testament begins, Israel is under Roman control. The switch occurred because of Alexander the Great. This historical background helps explain the political situation at the time of the New Testament.
Answers to basic questions about people in the Bible and biblical history.
There are 4 “James” in the New Testament and 2 of them are among the 12.
Jesus claimed that “all authority in heaven and on earth” has been given to him (Mt 28:18). If that’s true, and I believe it is, then we benefit by learning all we can about Jesus. Matthew wrote this gospel to tell us who Jesus is and what that means for us.
Prophets enforced the covenant between God and His People. Many people in Scripture prophesy occasionally but not all who do so hold the office of prophet. Therefore, scholars count the prophets differently.
Teaching through a gospel has long been on my teaching “bucket list”. I decided to tackle Matthew’s Gospel because he is famous for his use of the Old Testament and including 5 long discourses from Jesus.
Paul (Hebrew name: Saul) was an apostle of Jesus Christ and the author of most of the New Testament.
A 40-week Bible Study podcast series on the Gospel of Matthew chapters 1-7. Matthew gives us one of the earliest records of the teaching of Jesus.
Bible Study 101: Understand the practical steps and building blocks of doing good Bible study from Wednesday in the Word.
Krisan Marotta is a Bible teacher and host of Wednesday in the Word, the podcast about what the Bible means and how we know.