A good name is better than good oil, and the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth. Ecclesiastes 7:1 NASB Day of one’s death – Qohelet (Koheleth, “the Teacher”) is an empirical pessimist. That alone made the decision to place this work within the canon quite controversial. It’s virtually impossible that the material was written by…
Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness;” Genesis 1:26a NASB Mankind – A famously misunderstood verse! ʾādām in this English translation is rendered “mankind,” assuring that the reader will understand it as “everyone of the species.” Adapted from the paradigm of Greek philosophy, this verse appears to claim that all…
And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse Him. Matthew 12:10 NASB Is it lawful – Sometimes you can’t understand the text of the gospels without first understanding the context of the rabbis. This is one of…
“And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25:46 NASB Eternal life – There is no doubt that Christianity embraces a robust doctrine of the afterlife. In fact, I suspect that if you asked the common believer or non-believer about the most important teaching of the Church, it…
In a place where there are no people, strive to be a man. Rabbi Hillel Pirke Avot 2:6B No People – Hillel’s saying is not an endorsement of the monastic life. He is not suggesting that we strive to become truly human in the wilderness. What Hillel means is this: there are plenty of communities…
