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Wednesday in the Word

what the Bible means and how we know

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Background & History

Sheep & Shepherd Imagery in Scripture

September 7, 2022 by Krisan Marotta

Metaphors about sheep and their shepherd have a rich background in the Old Testament that continues in the New Testament. Without a shepherd, sheep can easily end up hungry, lost and the victim of predators.

Filed Under: Background & History Tagged With: sheep, shepherd

Simple overview of biblical history

September 3, 2021 by Krisan Marotta

Whenever you study Scripture, it’s important to know where your particular passage fits into biblical history. As Karl Barth said: “The Bible is not a philosophical book, but a history book, the book of God’s mighty acts, in which God becomes knowable to us.” Here’s a simple overview of biblical history.

Filed Under: Background & History Tagged With: history, Overview

Empires of the Ancient World

June 4, 2021 by Krisan Marotta

Over the course of biblical history, the children of Israel were challenged, threatened and conquered by several other ancient empires. Understanding something about those empires can inform your biblical understanding.

Filed Under: Background & History Tagged With: empires

How the Apostles died

May 28, 2021 by Krisan Marotta

Scripture records the deaths of only 2 apostles: James (Acts 12:1-2) and Judas Iscariot (Matthew 27:5). Most of what we know about the deaths of the other apostles comes from early christian writers and church tradition. Most scholars think the Apostle John is the only apostle who died of natural causes. The exact dates are unknown, most are estimates.

Filed Under: Background & History Tagged With: apostles

Israel’s 3 Temples

May 24, 2021 by Krisan Marotta

Israel had 3 temples during its Old & Testament time period. The original temple was built by Solomon. After the exile, a second temple was built under Zerubbabel. Finally, Herod the Great expanded and enlarged the temple during his reign.

Filed Under: Background & History Tagged With: Temple

Kings of Persia in Biblical Times

May 21, 2021 by Krisan Marotta

The Persian Empire was founded by Cyrus the Great who conquered Babylon in 536 BC. Cyrus issued the decree for the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. Under Darius the second Temple of Zerubbabel was completed; and under Xerxes, or Ahasuerus, the events recorded in the Book of Esther in the Bible happened; under Artaxerxes the Jewish state was reformed by Ezra, and the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt by Nehemiah. The capital of the Persian Empire was Shushan. The Empire lasted a little more than 200 years, and came to an end in 330 BC.

Filed Under: Background & History, Charts OT Tagged With: Kings, Persia

Kings of Babylon in Biblical times

May 14, 2021 by Krisan Marotta

The Babylonian Empire became a world power in 625 BC after the fall of Assyria. Babylon continued its reign until 536 BC. Nebuchadnezzar, its greatest king, reigned in the days of Daniel and took the southern Kingdom of Judah into captivity after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Babylon was finally captured by the Medes and Persians under Cyrus as predicted by the prophet Daniel, and the Babylonian Empire came to an end in 536 BC.

Filed Under: Background & History, Charts OT Tagged With: Babylon, Kings

Jewish Day (1st Century) explained

May 10, 2021 by Krisan Marotta

What does the first watch mean? What is the “third hour”? The Jewish day ran from sunset to sunset and was divided in 8 equal parts called watches and hours. Here’s what they mean.

Filed Under: Background & History, Charts NT Tagged With: Jewish Day

Kings of Assyria in Biblical times

May 7, 2021 by Krisan Marotta

The Assyrian Empire is important to biblical history for devastation the kingdom of Israel and taking the 10 northern tribes into captivity in 722 BC.

Filed Under: Background & History, Charts OT Tagged With: Assyria, Kings

Geography of the New Testament

April 9, 2021 by Krisan Marotta

A basic understanding of the geography of the New Testament world can be helpful in Bible study. Below is a list of the major cities, provinces, seas and islands at the time of Jesus.

Filed Under: Background & History Tagged With: geography, New Testament

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