Musings on biblical studies, politics, religion, ethics, human nature, tidbits from science
A first century Greek named Strabo documented an account he heard or read on the founding of a colony at present day Marseilles, southern France. The founders were from the Greek city-state of Phocaea, present day Foça on the Turkish coast. The date of the founding was around 600 BCE. In 2005 Vetus Testamentum published … Continue reading “Two Foundation Stories: Dan by the Danites, Massilia by the Greeks”
. Russell Gmikin’s Plato and the Creation of the Hebrew Bible led me to another work, one cited by Gmirkin, Weinfeld, Moshe. 1993. The Promise of the Land: The Inheritance of the Land of Canaan by the Israelites. Berkeley: University of California Press. The opening pages describe a typological comparison of the roles of the … Continue reading “Rome’s and Israel’s Ancestor Traditions: How Do We Explain the Similarities?”
There is a review by Stéphanie Anthonioz of Russell Gmirkin’s Plato and the Creation of the Hebrew Bible on The Bible and Interpretation site. Review of Russell E. Gmirkin, Plato and the Creation of the Hebrew Bible I have been discussing this book — see Archives: Gmirkin: Plato and Creation of Hebrew Bible — and … Continue reading “Plato and the Creation of the Hebrew Bible – review”
In some texts written by authors who had lost their state and been conquered by others, as may have been the case with the Yahwist, one can also see evidence of culture myths being used to delegitimize the conquering state. McCants, William F.. Founding Gods, Inventing Nations: Conquest and Culture Myths from Antiquity to Islam … Continue reading “Christianity as a counter-cultural myth to delegitimize Rome”
One of the oddities for us moderns of the Genesis creation account is that the sun, moon and stars are not created until the fourth day of the week even though light was created on the first day and vegetation on the third. How can light exist without the sun? That’s our first thought. (If … Continue reading “Why the Sun, Moon, Stars Were Created So Late in the Week”
Continuing directly on from my previous post I address here the two most well-known Athenian trials that mirror the Pentateuchal laws against private and innovative religious practices and deities. We saw that biblical law condemned all worship that was not centred on the official public shrine or temple. Any form of insult towards the gods … Continue reading “Socrates as Anti-Hero according to Biblical Law”
Posts in this series are archived at Gmirkin: Plato and the Creation of the Hebrew Bible –o0o– Popular culture presents us with an image of ancient classical Athens, the days of Pericles, of Socrates, the mocking playwrights and the democratic assemblies, as a time of free-thinking, exploratory enlightenment. It is difficult to imagine some of … Continue reading “The Law of Moses, a Reflection of the Law that Condemned Socrates and Other Greek Philosophers”
We think of Hellenism as the enemy against which the Maccabees fought to the death. But consider the following . . . . To celebrate the recapturing and re-dedication of the Jerusalem Temple in 164 BCE the Maccabees instituted the festival of Hannukah [=Dedication]: Judah and his brethren and the whole congregation of Israel ordained, … Continue reading “Those Hellenistic and Hellenizing Maccabees and Pharisees”
Continuing from previous posts, the following draws upon a secondary source used by Russell Gmirkin in Plato and the Creation of the Hebrew Bible in his discussion of military law as set out in Deuteronomy. The extracts that follow are from Anselm C. Hagedorn’s Between Moses and Plato: Individual and Society in Deuteronomy and Ancient Greek Law. … Continue reading “Deuteronomy’s Military Law — So Very Greek”
As per the previous posts, the table here is a simplified summary of some of the points Russell Gmirkin discusses in Plato and the Creation of the Hebrew Bible. It is far from being a complete representation of his discussion. It is best read as an easy reference guide in conjunction with the detail covered … Continue reading “Plato’s Influence on the Bible’s Property and Agricultural Laws”
As per the previous posts, the table here is a simplified summary of some of the points Russell Gmirkin discusses in Plato and the Creation of the Hebrew Bible. It is far from being a complete representation of his discussion. It is best read as an easy reference guide in conjunction with the detail covered … Continue reading “Slavery and Social Welfare (if any) Legislation in the Biblical and Neighbouring Worlds”
As per the previous posts, the table here is a simplified summary of some of the points Russell Gmirkin discusses in Plato and the Creation of the Hebrew Bible. It is far from being a complete representation of his discussion. It is best read as an easy reference guide in conjunction with the detail covered … Continue reading “Comparing Biblical Laws on Marriage, Inheritance and Sexual Relations with Other Ancient Codes”
As per the previous post, the table here is a simplified summary of some of the points Russell Gmirkin discusses in Plato and the Creation of the Hebrew Bible. It is far from being a complete representation of his discussion. It is best read as an easy reference guide in conjunction with the detail covered … Continue reading “Biblical assault and theft laws compared with Mesopotamian and Greek counterparts”
The table here is a simplified summary of some of the points Russell Gmirkin discusses in Plato and the Creation of the Hebrew Bible. It is far from being a complete representation of his discussion. It is best read as an easy reference guide in conjunction with the detail covered in the book. The table … Continue reading “Table Comparing Homicide Laws: Biblical, Mesopotamian and Greek”