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Daniel 9:25 has been a bit of an intriguing language puzzle, since in ancient times they didn't use punctuation marks. The verse runs in Hebrew: ותדע ותשכל מן־מצא דבר להשיב ולבנות ירושלם עד־משיח נגיד שבעים שבעה ושבעים ששים ושנים תשוב ונבנתה רחוב וחרוץ ובצוק העתים׃ Word for word, this says...

The conflict in Ukraine is sad for me. Russians and Ukrainians are brothers with a long close history and culture. The Ukrainian Anthem calls Ukrainians members of the "Cossack Generation", and Cossacks are both Russian and Ukrainian. The Don and Kuban Cossacks are two of the most famous, and...

The CP makes new chrism every 10 years, and it is scheduled to make its next batch around Paskha this year. How does the status of the CP’s new joint CP-OCU Chrism affect the CP and recipients of this chrism from the perspective of those of us (technically most EOs worldwide) who consider the...

Rev. Dr. Dieter Reinstorf writes in a brief commentary on the Smalcald articles calls them articles of faith: I don't know if John Frederick himself used that term in his request to Luther, but I read Lutheran Assertions online that the articles of such Lutheran "Confessions" are "Articles of...

Is 4 Maccabees considered part of the "Deuterocanonical books" in the Georgian Orthodox Church, or is it considered outside the canon totally like Slavonic 3 Esdras / Vulgate 4 Esdras is? I am currently listening to lectures about the biblical "Deuterocanonical" books, since I am just familiar...

There is a common theory that other religions may not have the full truth, but that they have pieces of truth or that they have picked up elements from other religions. One hypothesis is that the Egyptian god Seth was an Egyptian version of the Biblical story of Seth. Another hypothesis could be...

At 1 Minute 30 seconds in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Episode 2, according to the English subtitles, the noblewoman prays to "God" in front of a shrine. I am wondering, since I can't understand Chinese, is this referring to Tien/Heaven/Heavenly God, or to another specific deity?

Robert Hall, in his essay, "The Ascension of Isaiah: Community Situation, Date, and Place in Early Christianity", points to John 3:13, which says, "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven." He also notes how John 6:46 says, "Not...

The Christian "Odes of Solomon" are poems written in Syriac somewhere in around the 2nd Century AD. You can read them here: The Odes of Solomon Scholars are divided on whether they are mainstream, orthodox Christian songs or Gnostic ones, but my own careful analysis did not turn up anything that...

The Testament of Adam was composed in Syriac from around 100 AD to about the 5th Century AD. In the Testament, Adam retells to his son Seth God's revelations to Adam. The first part (Chapters 1-2) of the Testament narrates the events that occur at each hour of the day, like angels praising God...

Now with so many people staying home, here is a review of some parishes with live streaming of services. (Consider what kinds of services they have, whether there is a sermon, video and audio quality, artwork) Holy Trinity Orthodox Church (OCA), East Meadow (Long Island), NY Wednesday, March 25...

Does Book VIII, Lines 650-663, oppose the Old Testament sacrifices of animals, which were part of the Day of Atonement in Judaism? Or does the passage only oppose sacrificing animals as part of certain banned pagan rituals? (Yes to the second Question. See Resolution #2 Below) J.J. Collins...

(UPDATE: SEE MY FOLLOW UP MESSAGES. I think that the answer is No and that they are the four kingdoms of Daniel 2.) In Book VIII of the Christian Sibylline Oracles, the author sees the 4 wounds on Christ's limbs as representing the world, and writes that "so many royal powers" consummate...

(Update: The answer is that it looks like it is not a common idea, as Charlesworth's source, a German Encyclopedia, apparently only cites the Gospel of Peter as an early writing with this idea.) Book VI of the Sibylline Oracles has an address to the Cross: James Charlesworth writes in his...

(Update: Based on the research and discussion below, the answer is basically Tertullian and Origen) Book I of the Christian Sibyllines from the first few centuries AD appears to describe the foundation of the church of the Christians who follow the New Covenant, then the leading of the church...

(1) How does Josephus' depiction of John the Forerunner's baptism compare with the Christian understanding of Christian baptism? (2) Does Christianity follow this model: The believer repents of their sins, accepts Christ's sacrifice, receives the...

Since Messianic Judaism has a special focus on Judaism and the TaNaKh, I want to please see if you may have ideas on this topic. First, I want to show you the Biblical and Jewish passages that refer to the Upper Floor(s) of Solomon's Temple. None of the passages seem to say what was in it, other...

The Psalms were played with accompaniment in Jerusalem's Temple, and so the subtitles for several Psalms apparently refer to musical instruments for playing with the Psalms. For example, Psalm 4 says that it is to be played on a stringed instrument, Psalm 5 says that it is to be played on a...

Yeshua pointed to Messianic prefigurements in the TaNaKh like the story of Jonah's release from the Fish, and Messianic Jews have an especially close reading of the TaNaKh. I want to please ask if you share my sense that (A) Yael's nailing Sisera through the temples or (B) Jotham's escape from...

In Josephus' defense of Judaism, Against Apion, he defended against the slander that Jews worshiped a donkey/ass. In many ancient cultures, some major deities were associated with specific animals. I understand that certainly the Jews did not worship a donkey idol or a donkey's head because the...