“The Fall of Babylon” by English painter John Martin depicting Cyrus the Great’s forces overwhelming the Babylonian army. Circa 1831. Source: CC BY 4.0 by the Wellcome Collection.

Of War & Hope: Lessons From History For Israel & Iran

Once again history repeats itself. The Middle East finds itself in the grip of a catastrophic conflict, with recent missile exchanges between Israel and Iran inflicting devastating losses. Recent missile strikes, including one targeting Israel’s Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva, and retaliatory airstrikes on Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, have left devastation in their wake.

The high priest with his hoshen, in which was kept the Urim and Thumimm, in this detail from David and Saul by Camillo Procaccini. Source: Camillo Procaccini / Public Domain.

Urim and Thummim: How God Told the Hebrews What to Do

Urim and Thummim are an enigma, both at the same time a vital central aspect of the Bible and almost willfully obscure. In a narrative where God appears regularly but only when He chooses, they seem to be a way for the Hebrews of David’s kingdom to call Him directly. This could be useful, as

The Bronze Sword of Ramesses II (Interesting Engineering / Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities)

3,000 Year Old Sword of a Pharoah Discovered in Egypt

An excavation team led by Dr. Ahmed Saeed El-Kharadly have uncovered an ancient sword in Egypt’s Beheira Governate in the north of the country, between Alexandria and Cairo and in the heart of ancient Egypt. The sword was found at the Tell Al-Abqain archaeological site, in what appears to have been a military storage complex

666: John’s visions from the Book of Revelations, including the awkward creature with seven heads and ten horns. Source: Dion Art / CC BY-SA 4.0.

666: Making Sense of Revelations and the Roman Connection

The Book of Revelations is a total trip. It is hard to read its apocalyptic foretellings and warnings of chaos and catastrophe without feeling that someone, somewhere, was smoking something pretty strong. Perhaps the most strange thing in all this strange psychic fantasy is its inclusion at all. There have been weirder books and writings

An example tablet from the Michigan Relics, including crude and inaccurate representations of Egyptian headwear. Source: James E. Talmage / Public Domain.

The Michigan Relics, and the Greatest Fraud in American History

The year is 1890, and James O. Scotford of Edmore, Michigan, is about to make an astonishing claim. Scotford reveals to the world his “discoveries”: a series of relics including a cup and several flat panels covered in what appear to be hieroglyphics. These were only the first finds, and more and more artifacts began

The Cave of Hebron today. Do the Biblical Patriarchs truly lie buried beneath? Source: Djampa / CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Cave of Hebron: Tomb of the Patriarchs?

The first books of the Bible are deeply intriguing for those inclined to try to pick apart history from mythology. For many, the key issue is simply where to draw the line.  Most would look to the reign of King David as that key moment in the Biblical narrative when historical fact, albeit heavily massaged,

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