Old Testament
Esau McCaulley remembers his past, dreams of the Promised Land in new book
By Bob Smietana — August 24, 2023
(RNS) — In a vulnerable and inspiring new book due out in September, the New Testament scholar and writer recounts the story of his father's fall from grace and his long journey home.
Is this antisemitism, or something else?
By Jeffrey Salkin — January 4, 2023
(RNS) — It’s not Jew hatred. But even still, it stings.
If American history read like the Bible
By Thomas Reese — November 8, 2022
(RNS) — If the Bible exposes the flaws of our spiritual forefathers, why should American history cover up the failings of our founders?
‘Lo, a virgin shall conceive’ … or not, depending on the translation
By Jana Riess — December 17, 2020
(RNS) — Had Isaiah wanted to say 'virgin' or predict a miraculous birth, he would have used different Hebrew words, say biblical scholars Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler.
Billy Graham drew less from Old Testament as years went by, new exhibit shows
By Menachem Wecker — August 14, 2018
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Poring over some 1,300 sermon notes from 'America’s pastor,' Museum of the Bible associate curator Anthony Schmidt has tracked Graham's evolution as a preacher from the Cold War into the 2000s.
Why I decline to sign ‘prophetic’ declarations
By Richard Mouw — December 7, 2017
(RNS) — I talked a lot about being 'prophetic' in my early days of social activism, but I don’t use that word much these days.
Author of 10th-century Hebrew biblical text is identified
By Madeleine Buckley — July 7, 2017
(RNS) He's Samuel ben Jacob, a historic figure who also wrote the the earliest known complete copy of the Hebrew Bible.
Is the Bible more pro-woman than you assume?
By Jonathan Merritt — June 30, 2017
Conservative Christian writer Wendy Alsup says God was the first feminist and that the Bible, rightly understood, is pro-women.
Is the Old Testament dying?
By Yonat Shimron — May 18, 2017
(RNS) A scholar argues that many contemporary Christians have lost biblical fluency and can no longer speak the language of more than half their sacred Scripture.
Old Testament Quiz
By RNS staff — May 17, 2017
RELATED: Is the Old Testament dying? [gravityform id=”31″ title=”false” description=”true”]
Jesus is never mentioned in Psalms, but best-selling author Tim Keller sees him there
By Jonathan Merritt — November 19, 2015
The New York Times best-selling author finds Jesus in book compiled centuries before Christ's birth. "There are two ways to read the Bible," Keller says. "The one way to read the Bible is that it’s basically about you. ... Or you can read it as all about Jesus."
Who are ‘the least of these’? Scholars say Mother Teresa and others may be wrong
By Jonathan Merritt — May 22, 2015
The common understanding of Jesus’ famous phrase may be inaccurate and inconsistent with the way most Christians throughout history have understood it.
Did God command genocide in the Bible?
By Jonathan Merritt — January 12, 2015
Can you imagine someone ripping a newborn baby from its mother's breast and severing its head from it's body? The Bible seems to say that God once commanded such actions.
5 myths of ‘Biblical spanking.’ Taking the text literally would land you in jail.
By Jonathan Merritt — October 3, 2014
Pro-spanking Christians don’t actually read the Bible as literally as they think. If they did, they wouldn’t be defending their views on Twitter. They’d be complaining to the warden.
Mega-church pastor Adam Hamilton’s scandalous take on Scripture
By Jonathan Merritt — May 1, 2014
The pastor of the largest United Methodist congregation in America is sparking intense debate with his provocative new take on the Bible.
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