The biblical scholar Avigdor Horovitz wrote a brief email to Henrik Johnsson back in 1999 with some insightful advice on how to best study the Bible in its ancient Near Eastern context. Below is an image of the email exchange and my transcription. I got my hands on a copy of this exchange at some point … Read more
Pictured: an authentic ancient portrait of Aseneth dated to the New Kingdom (circa 1400 BCE). Today I taught lesson 12 in Sunday School on Joseph in Egypt. One verse I highlighted was Genesis 41:45. Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, as his wife. Thus … Read more
My friend Colby Townsend has an excellent post on the Old Testament apocrypha and pseudepigrapha at Rational Faiths. You should check it out! If you’re looking for good translations of the very exciting texts mentioned by Colby, I’d recommend these volumes.