Christian Publishing House Blog
Apologetic Defense of the faith, the Bible, and Christianity
Biblical scholars have been jubilant over the discovery of law tablets and other literature from the ancient Near East as well as the ruins of structures such as multichambered temples. Such discoveries have done much to help us understand the cultural and literary climate in which Israel and its Scripture arose and developed.
Jacob’s journeys encompassed almost as much territory as those of his grandfather Abraham. Unlike Isaac, who was content to live in the Negev, Jacob roamed from northwest Mesopotamia to Egypt.
According to the traditional view, Abraham began his migration from Ur in the southern Mesopotamian plain. Some scholars, however, prefer an Ur located in northwestern Mesopotamia, noting that all other references to the patriarchal homeland point to that direction.
After the collapse of urban civilization, powerful states reappeared beginning about 2000 B.C. In southern Mesopotamia the city-state of Ur had already gained control of the surrounding territory. Ur-Nammu, greatest king of the Third Dynasty of Ur (ca. 2113–2006 B.C.), erected a great ziggurat (temple tower) and encouraged art and literature.
Amorites. Semitic people found throughout the Fertile Crescent of the Near East at the beginning of the second millennium BC. Amorites are first mentioned in the Bible as descendants of Canaan in a list of ancient peoples (Gen 10:16; cf. 1 Chr 1:13–16).
"To most people, ancient Roman homes bring to mind the beautiful Roman villas seen in Roman peplum movies, with a courtyard or an atrium and beautifully decorated rooms. These villas were called domus and only the very rich could afford to live in them." - romae-vitam.com
The Hebrew and Greek words rendered “food” have various literal meanings, such as “thing eaten,” “nourishment,” “bread,” and “meat," or "flesh.” After God had created Adam and Eve, he said: "'Look, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is a living soul, I have given every green plant for food.' And it was so.” Gen. 1:29-30.
Nimrod, living in the latter part of the third millennium B.C.E., established Babylon as the capital of the first human empire.
The Israelites were not a distinctively warlike people, and their glory has been won on other fields than those of war. But Canaan, between the Mediterranean and the desert, was the highway of the East and the battle-ground of nations.
The Bible is not squeamish about sexual relations, and we do well to follow that example, if we are to help our young ones avoid the pitfalls of this world.