Posts Tagged ‘history’
Was the Titus in the Bible the same as Titus Vespasianus?
Question: Is Titus Vespasian, who was involved with Bernice, the same as the Titus who traveled with Paul? Answer: Then as now, just because a person has the same name, it doesn’t mean they are the same person. There is only one Titus mentioned by name in the Bible and he was a preacher and…
Read MoreWhy was Haman’s face covered?
Question: In Esther 7:8 it reads, “As the word went out of king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.” Does this mean that his face was covered because he laying on her bed and was much too close to Esther, or that he was now marked for death? Was the covering of someone’s face a custom then?…
Read MoreDo we know the year Jesus was crucified?
Question: Regarding the sermon outline Three Days and Three Nights: “Amen.” Excellent work in putting this subject together. Appreciate the spreadsheet “visual” at the bottom. Three somewhat related questions: Do we know what year the crucifixion took place? Would a Jubilee year be in Jesus’ ministry years? Does Jesus’ anointed year fit with any of Daniel’s…
Read MoreWho did Aaron lead to the promised land?
Question: Who did Aaron lead to the promised land? Answer: Aaron was a leader in Israel, one of many actually. “These are the ones who were numbered, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, with the leaders of Israel, twelve men, each one representing his father’s house” (Numbers 1:44). However, he wasn’t the one in charge. God…
Read MoreWere the disciples rowing the boat for seven hours?
Question: In Mark 6:45, were the disciples rowing that boat for 7 hours? I know it says the “fourth watch” but is that equivalent to 7 hours like I heard a preacher say? Answer: In the days before timepieces, people tended to divide the days and nights into three-hour segments. While you might not know…
Read MoreHow Long Did the Judges Rule Israel?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton A passage that has given scholars difficulty over the years is Acts 13:17-20. The New American Standard renders it thus: “The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out from…
Read MoreHow did Israel get across land they were forbidden to travel if they came from the Sinai Peninsula?
Question: I have read in several places in the Bible where the southern border of the Promised Land is from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea (Exodus 23:31) If you look at a map you will see the Promised Land seals the Northern Sinai Peninsula from end to end. So, during the Exodus, how…
Read MoreI’ve read that Joshua’s conquest of Jericho and Ai could not have happened.
Question: I’ve been reading about archaeology and the city of Ai and that Joshua’s conquest could not have happened there as the Bible claims. I really could use some help with that. Answer: You need to keep in mind that the “datings” by archeologists are based on modern-day chronologies which have a likelihood of errors. What is…
Read MoreConstantine created the King James Bible
Question: Left unedited. I read “The Origin of the King James Version” and find it very interesting but you never say anything about the actual origin of the King James Bible. In short, this version was created by Emperor Constantine in the year 325AD. At this time, he was losing his hold on his empire…
Read MoreDid Christians have similar religious freedoms under Rome as the Jews?
Question: During Jesus’ generation and the Roman Empire, how much freedom did a person have under the Roman law to worship, conduct business and personal affairs? And, can you give references? Some treat the Romans as bullies and dictators, and some Caesars were, but the Bible puts many in a good reference. Paul was able to travel…
Read MoreI really appreciate “The Historical Accuracy of the Bible” article
Question: I just want to say that I really appreciate “The Historical Accuracy of the Bible” link you have up. Answer: Glad to be of service.
Read MoreDid Ahaziah begin to reign in the eleventh or twelfth year of Joram’s reign?
Question: I have another question regarding a couple of passages in II Kings. II Kings 8:25 and II Kings 9:29 concerning when Ahaziah began to reign as king. One passage says in the twelfth year of Joram and the other passage says in the eleventh year of Joram. This was brought up in our class…
Read MoreWas the famine mentioned in II Kings 8:1 the same famine mentioned in II Kings 6:24-31?
Question: Was the famine in II Kings 8:1 the same famine as in Samaria in II Kings 6:24-31? Did the famine in II Kings 8:1 include all the land of Israel? Answer: The first few chapters of II Kings are a bit difficult to place into a timeline because often the name of the current…
Read MoreDaniel’s Seventy Weeks
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton “Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at…
Read MoreDo we know if Namaan continued to live righteously?
Question: In II Kings 5, we learn about Naaman being saved from leprosy, and also that he does finally acknowledge the one true God (vs.15). But do we ever really know his relationship with God, as far as his soul and the way he worshipped God from then on? Answer: Not much is said about…
Read MoreDoesn’t the Scriptures say that Edom took over Israel’s identity?
Question: I agree with you on Ezekiel 35, but according to Scripture Edom still exists. The Scriptures clearly show that Edom assumed true Israel’s identity when Israel was forced out of Samaria and Judah. The so-called Jew today is Edom according to Scripture. Please read Jeremiah 25. Moreover, read Ezekiel 35:9-15 again. According to the word, Edom…
Read MoreDo you know of some good visuals on Herod’s family tree?
Question: I’ve been trying to study the role of Herod The Great and those of his family tree because of the impact they played in the Scriptures. Are you aware of a good web site where I can find visuals of Herod’s family tree? Along with this, I’m trying to figure Herod’s bloodline. Does it have…
Read MoreHow long did it take for Jacob’s children to be born?
Question: At our Wednesday evening class, the teacher said all of Leah and Rachael’s children were born within 7 years. Another man in the class, who is very intelligent, was puzzled by that and asked several questions for clarity. After about 5 minutes of discussion with the teacher, who is also very intelligent, was convinced,…
Read MoreAre the twelve Jordan crossing stones still visible today at Gigal?
Question: Are the twelve Jordan crossing stones still visible today at Gigal? Answer: “And the children of Israel did so, just as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the midst of the Jordan, as the LORD had spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and…
Read MoreAre the trials of Jesus historically accurate?
Question: Are the trials of Jesus historically accurate? I ran across a web site that claims that some of the details of the trial were not historically accurate, but rather made up. The web site also claims that Pilate was not portrayed accurately and that the trial before the Sanhedrin (or I assume the questioning…
Read MoreThe Historical Accuracy of the Bible
by Jim Sasser To be divinely inspired, a book must be historically accurate. For if its credibility cannot be established on the basis of known events, it certainly cannot be relied upon as an adequate guide in matters beyond our ability to check. On the other hand, if we can demonstrate that such a book…
Read MoreWhat happened before the Restoration movement?
Question: I have been discussing with a lady about the importance of worshiping God in “spirit and in truth.” I told her that the seed was planted in America according to the biblical pattern. Her question is “what happened to all the people between the time of the early church and the restoration of the church…
Read MoreWho was High Priest when David ate the showbread, Abiathar or Ahimelech?
Question: Can you please help me with this supposed contradiction? In Mark 2:23-26, Jesus talks about how David went into the house of God and ate the showbread “in the days/in the time” of Abiathar the high priest. In 1 Samuel 21, it says that David came to Ahimelech, not Abiathar when he eventually ate…
Read MoreHow can you say there is no symbolic meaning in the name “Hebron?”
Question: In light of II Samuel 5, I do not understand how you can say that the meaning of the word “Hebron” has no symbolic or deeper meaning in the Bible. Since David ruled from there for 7 1/2 years and then the leaders of the tribes asked him to unite Israel and rule over the…
Read MoreWhy did Nehemiah have to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem? What happened to it?
Question: Why did Nehemiah have to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem? What happened to it? Answer: God had the Babylonians come to take Israel into captivity because of Israel’s sins. The Israelites resisted and the Babylonians (also called the Chaldeans) broke into Jerusalem and leveled the city. “And in the fifth month, on the seventh…
Read MoreDid Asa and Jehoshaphat’s reigns overlap in Judah?
Question: From the dates I can find, King Asa and Jehoshaphat overlapped in their reigns as kings. 873 – 870. Is that correct? And why the overlap? Also, when Elijah was fleeing from Jezebel and went to Judah do we know for sure which king was reigning over Judah (Asa or Jehoshaphat). Answer: Asa is…
Read MoreHow long did the exodus from Egypt take?
Question: How long did it take Israel to travel out of Egypt? I know that they wandered for 40 years in the wilderness of Sinai, but how long did it take them to walk the journey from Egypt to the crossing of the Red Sea? Answer: The Exodus started on the fourteenth day of the…
Read MoreThank for the refutation on Dan Billingsly’s teachings and the information on the historical accuracy of the Bible
Question: I came across your site twice in two days. Once when I was looking for refutations to the teachings by Dan Billingsly and now when I was looking for information on the historical accuracy of the Bible. Thanks for the help. I also came across a reference to the Mesha Stele in Wikipedia that supports the reference in II…
Read MoreThe Church in 1492
by Kent Heaton The world of 1492 was very small. Men knew very little about the earth as we know it today. Christopher Columbus sailed this important year with a crew of 87 to discover a new world. His adventure literally changed the face of the world and man came to realize the world was…
Read MoreThe Mesha Stele
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton In 1868, a stone monument was found at the ancient site of Dibon, once the capital of Moab. The site is currently located in the modern country of Jordan. The black basalt stele is a record of King Mesha of Moab recounting his rebellion against Israel. “Now Mesha king of Moab…
Read MoreHow did Simeon and Levi manage to wipe out Shechem?
Question: I have a question regarding Genesis 34:29. I was wondering how the two sons, Simeon and Levi, were able to carry captive all the women after they killed all the male Hivites? Would these two persons have enough binding material to bind a whole town? Also, how did Simeon and Levi kill all of…
Read MoreCould Hegesippus have been mistaken and John was sent to Patmos in A.D. 70?
Question: Ran into your article, Dating the Book of Revelation, on the net. The Hegesippus evidence is actually addressed in John A. T. Robinson’s “Redating the New Testament.” Both Domitian and Nerva were in Rome during 69 and 70 AD, while Vespasian and Titus were campaigning in Palestine. They had delegated imperial authority in Vespasian’s absence. …
Read MoreWhere can I find the early church father’s writings and evidence that Jesus lived and died?
Question: All these early church writing, such as Justin Martyr, Irenaeus and Tatian, the Epistle of Barnabas, Papias, and the Shepherd of Hermas, do you know where I could read their writings? Also, where can I find proof of the existence of Jesus and his death? Do you know of any sources where I can…
Read MoreWho was Flavius Josephus?
Question: I am wondering about something: Often I hear about a historian, named Flavius Josephus. His writings are referred to many times, but I am wondering just how reliable is his writings? Do you believe this resource to be as useful as others seem to? How can we be sure he wrote about things correctly?…
Read MoreHow could Herod, an Idumean, end up ruling Israel?
Question: I found the article on the Internet concerning Edom quite informative. I am reading Josephus Flavious and have some interest in what the secular historians say in regard to biblical times and places. Josephus states that Herod was an Idumean. My question is, since Ezekiel’s time, when the land was uninhabited, how a personality…
Read MoreWhat happened to Barabbas?
Question: Does the Bible say what happened to Barabbas after the crucifixion of Jesus? How would I find out? Answer: The world contains a lot of people and the history of most is not recorded. We know about Barabbas solely because he was offered as an alternative to releasing Jesus. We know that he was…
Read MoreIs there something indicating that Bathsheba was an Israelite?
Question: Is there a particular scripture that tells that Bathsheba was an Israelite? Answer: Bathsheba was married to a Hittite, but we can surmise that she was an Israelite because her father’s name was Eliam (II Samuel 11:3) or Ammiel (I Chronicles 3:5). These names are Hebrew. Eliam means “God of the people” and Ammiel…
Read MoreWhy was the kingdom divided in the Old Testament?
Question: Why was the kingdom divided in the Old Testament? Answer: “But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites- from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor…
Read MoreWho are the 10 tribes of the Northern Kingdom and the 2 tribes of the Southern Kingdom?
Question: I Kings 11:35-36 – 10 tribes would be given to Jeroboam and one tribe (Judah) to Rehoboam. But doesn’t that include Benjamin as well (I Kings 12:21)? Who are the 10 tribes of the Northern Kingdom and the 2 tribes of the Southern Kingdom? Answer: “Now it happened at that time, when Jeroboam went…
Read MoreDid David do some of the preparatory work for the Temple?
Question: I know Solomon built the temple; David couldn’t because of the wars he had been involved in (I Kings 5). But didn’t David prepare some of the material for the building of the temple? Or was he involved a little in the preparation? Answer: “Now it was in the heart of my father David to build…
Read More