Category: Biblical History

Who were the Nephilim? 6

WHO WERE THE NEPHILIM?

Who were the Nephilim? The word nephilim appears twice in the Old Testament of the Bible. They are first mentioned in Chapter 6 of the Book of Genesis and then again in Numbers 13:33. But their brief mention in the Bible has led to an ongoing debate as to who or what the Nephilim were. Read more…

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THE HERETICAL PENTAGRAM: FIVE QUESTIONS FEATURING BRENT LANDAU

Jenny Kile recently interviewed Brent Landau and asked him Five Questions. In this interview, he focuses his attention on the New Testament and early Christian writings, with a particular interest in apocryphal and canonical stories about Jesus’ birth. His expertise on these interests is apparent, and unlike some scholars who seem unreceptive to contradictory stories to religious belief, he seems to welcome them, as clues to Truth might be found in all of them. Read more…

Hero of Alexandria and his Magical Jars 2

HERO OF ALEXANDRIA AND HIS MAGICAL JARS

The most famous and successful of the scientists and engineers from the first century was Hero (Heron) of Alexandria, who was conjuring up all kinds of weird and wonderful mechanical gadgets and steam engines that both entertained the royalty and dumbfounded the faithful in the temples. The ancestry of Hero is unknown. He came from Alexandria in Egypt, but Carl Boyer, a historian of science and mathematics, has said that his work and mathematics demonstrate that Hero must also have had Parthian and Greek influences. Read more…