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The Contours of the Land in Israel's History
The Land of Palestine
The land of Palestine took its name from the Philistines (the Pelishtim in Hebrew) who settled along the Mediterranean coast from Joppa to Gaza about 1300–12...
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Was Jesus “Begotten” or Unique? - Mondays with Mounce
“Begotten” is the KJV translation of μονογενής in John 3:16. It describes the unique relationship of Jesus to the Father. However, the KJV ...
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How can I be Perfect? (Matthew 5:48) - Mondays with Mounce
Jesus asserts that unless a person’s righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees and scribes, they will not enter the kingdom of heaven (Mat...
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Biblical Contradictions: Jesus' Genealogy - Mondays with Mounce
Matthew and Luke have two different genealogies for Jesus, not even agreeing on the name of his grandfather. Is this a contradiction? I will...
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Concordance or Meaning? (Matt 7:13–14) - Mondays with Mounce
When the biblical writer sets a parallel structure, I think it is important to try and keep that parallelism in translation. But there are t...
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Developing a Definition for Evangelism
In Evangelism in a Skeptical World, Sam Chan offers tools to equip Christians to share the gospel in a world growing increasingly suspicious...
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Greek Word Order and Nuance (Eph 2:8–9) - Mondays with Mounce
There is meaning in Greek word order, but it is normally so nuanced that it can’t come out in translation. Ephesians 2:8–9 is one of the rar...
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Life after Death: the Afterlife in Greco-Roman Antiquity
The New Testament arises from a specific cultural context. Since we live in a post-New Testament world, it can be difficult to imagine that ...
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Phoebe: Deacon and Sister in the Early Church
Phoebe gets a lot of attention in discussions about New Testament gender roles. As the woman tasked with delivering Paul’s letter to the Rom...
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Jewish Sects During the Time of Jesus: The Revolutionary Movements
One mistake we make when approaching the New Testament is to assume that the culture in Israel was monolithic. At the time of Jesus, Israel ...
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Ruth and Boaz: A Cute Little Love Story or Much More?
In the second chapter of Ruth, we’re introduced to Boaz, a wealthy landowner and relative of Naomi’s late husband. Boaz treats Ruth with ten...
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The Curse of Ham and Biblical Justifications for Slavery
The ideological battle over slavery that led to the Civil War was fought on multiple fronts. For nineteenth-century churchgoers, this inclu...
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What Is the Nature and Purpose of the Gift of Prophecy?
One area where cessationists and continuationists can find themselves in sharp disagreement is around the topic of prophecy. In Understandin...
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The Myth of “Literal Translations” (1 Tim 4:13) - Mondays with Mounce
Have you ever noticed that when you see something, perhaps something new or different, all of a sudden you start seeing it everywhere? You s...
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The New Covenant, Hebrews 8, and Christianity’s Relationship with Judaism
On some level, the Book of Hebrews is a book about covenants. At its heart, Hebrews focuses on the superiority of Christ’s covenant, encoura...
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What Does the Bible Say About Faith? A Look at Hebrews 11
If you’re looking for a biblical definition of faith, the eleventh chapter of Hebrews is an inspiring and informative place to start. In The...
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Everything All of You Do Should be Done in Love (1 Corinthians 16:13–14)
Paul is ending his letter to the Corinthian church and concludes with a general admonition. V 13 illustrates the issue of aspect, and v 14 s...
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