Exploring the Bible

The caves overlooking the Dead Sea and the ancient site of Qumran have given up more of their valuable treasures. It has been more than 60 years since the last of the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. That all changed earlier this year. In March of 2021, in a previously searched cave, scientist have discovered additional scroll fragments. In what is known as Cave 8 researchers performed a more detailed and extensive excavation of the cave. Their efforts were not in vain. Cave 8 is also known as the Cave of Horror. The name is partially a reference to the cave's location which is in the side of a sheer cliff and can the climb or descent to reach the entrance can be horrifying. Simply reaching the cave is dangerous and not for the faint of heart. The name is also a reference to the fact the remains of 40 Jewish refugees were discovered in the cave when the cave was first explored in the 1960's.  These people are believed to have died here after hiding from the Romans in the cave...

The Biblical Lands of the 1st century are often thought of as a period of simplistic people, limited scientific knowledge and little if any technology. Some critics point to this as a potential reason for how a charismatic person, such as Jesus, could have such a profound affect on the people of His day. The idea of this time period being simplistic is a major misconception. While it is all but impossible to gauge the mental ability of these people as individuals, it is perhaps possible to use another method to help us judge the sophistication of this time period. In many cases, the advancement of a people or culture is based on the tools and instruments they made and used. In this case, we will not look so much at the tools of the day, but the technology. There are many examples of amazing technology present during the time when Jesus walked the earth. These include chemical warfare, literature, engineering, medical sciences, world commerce, electronics and even an early form of a com...

  In 2002 a bone box, or ossuary was presented to the world. The unique feature of this ossuary was an inscription which read, “ James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus ”. It was immediately assumed this ossuary had once held the earthly remains of James, one of Jesus’ half brothers. Almost as quickly critics began questioning the authenticity of the artifact and what followed was called the fraud trial of the century . The defendants were eventually found innocent but doubts remained concerning the  ossuary.  After careful review by some of the top experts in the world, the evidence for this being an authentic find began to mount. While there are still some who claim the engraving is a forgery, many scholars now believe the ossuary to be from the first century A.D., but one question still lingers unanswered. If it is authentic, this in itself makes the artifact both interesting and important, but does the inscription “ James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus ” refer to th...

The Gospel of John tells the story of Jesus cleansing the temple of merchants and money changers. These people were doing business with the large crowds who were coming to the temple in preparation for Passover and Jesus drove them out using a whip made of cords. Interestingly this is the only recorded act of violence by Jesus toward a person. "When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” - John 2:13-17 The crowds were coming to the temple from all over Israel and the surrounding r...

  In 1986 a most unlikely discovery was made on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. Buried in the mud and reeds a pair of brothers, fishermen by trade, found a wooden boat. It quickly became obvious this was no ordinary boat. To the amazement of the brothers and experts alike, it was found the boat was some 2,000 years old, dating back to the time of Jesus. While there was no physical evidence to connect the find to Jesus, other than the dating, it quickly became known as 'The Jesus Boat' . It is also known as the 'Sea of Galilee Boat' . While no actual connection can be made to Jesus, the boat appears to be an exact match to the boats mentioned in the Gospels. How does this boat fit into history, what does it reveal and could it in fact have any relation to Jesus? The Sea of Galilee and the surrounding area are mentioned prominently in the Bible. The Sea of Galilee would have been a major source of income and food for many of the people living on or near its sh...

The James Ossuary, first announced to the world in a Washington D.C. news conference on October 21, 2002, is perhaps the discovery of the century. The artifact was hailed as the first direct archeological evidence related to Jesus. The sensation was quickly dampened when the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced the inscription was, according to their analysis, a modern day forgery. Other experts insisted the Ossuary and the inscription were authentic. The battle lines had been drawn. Since it was brought into the public spotlight the James Ossuary has climbed to the top of multiple lists. It is one of the best known of any  archeological discoveries, and certainly of any artifact related to the Bible. The Ossuary is also without doubt one of the most controversial artifacts in modern times. The ossuary, as presented, is inscribed with the words “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus ”. If authentic, this is certainly one of the most important and sensational archeological...

Are Medical Miracles real? - It would seem nearly 8 out of 10 Americans believe they are. In a recent survey 79% of American said they believe in miracles. What may be more surprising to many is the fact that 75% of doctors surveyed said they also believed in miracles. Even more surprising may be the fact 55% of doctors said they have seen miraculous results in their own patients.  How many miracles take place, and can they be confirmed? There are no real statistics kept for the number of miracles which take place. The Catholic church does not keep track of miracles except when they are related to the canonization of a saint. In these cases, a complete investigation is done, and all claims are carefully researched and confirmed before the miracle is deemed to be authentic. Since the Catholic church tracks these miracles, and has a trial for each miracle, I will be using their methods and numbers in this post. The first order of business is to determine what is a miracle? The church...