Maybe the Nativity doesn't look quite like we think it does
The history of the Mesopotamian Empires as they affect nativity story. Assyria, Babylonia, Seleucia, Parthia; and the nativity story from the point of view of the Magi.
I’m flying solo this week. Michael will rejoin us soon. Today I discussed the origins of God Save the King (the first books I read that hypothesized that Jesus was not born on December 25), how we got the title Read More …
I just finished recording the first episode of God Save the King for Truth Be Told Radio Network. Excited to be a part of this world-wide network. Guest Michael Parker and I discuss the origins of God Save the King, Read More …
El Brocense defended his critique in writing, which became a part of the official Inquisition records. As a result, the files of the Spanish Inquisition contain one of the earliest historical/exegetical arguments contradicting the traditional nativity story. Read More …
Author’s note: The above representation is technically incorrect as it shows the Woman Clothed with the Sun in darkness (and therefore clearly visible) above the horizon despite the sun not having set. This is a visual aid to help us Read More …
We can trace the origins of many of the traditions found in nativity plays to what are known as the infancy gospels, pseudepigraphal works written much later than what we now refer to as the canonical gospels. The oldest and most Read More …
The “morning” observation took place during the darkness before sunrise and then continued until the sun’s brightness occluded most other celestial objects. The “evening” observation worked in reverse. It began with the sun still above the horizon when most other celestial objects were still “invisible,” until the sun set enough for twilight to begin and these other celestial objects to start to become visible. Read More …
Marco Polo was an Italian merchant, explorer, and writer born in the Republic of Venice in 1254. In 1269 he traveled with his father Niccolo and uncle Maffeo to China on a series of adventures. They returned wealthy men in Read More …
When the Roman General Pompey annexed Syria, the Romans entirely redesigned Damascus as a Roman city. Still today, “Old Town” Damascus retains its rectangular Roman design and seven extant ancient gates. The name “Ester Gate” predates the Romans, so it Read More …
My vision for God Save the King breaks down into three primary components I call Chronicles. The Judean Chronicle focuses on Judean perspective, the nation of Judea, and the Judean characters in the nativity story—Elizabeth and Zechariah, Joseph and Mary, the baby Jesus, the Read More …
There are over 350 catalogued books and articles concerning “His star” (Matthew 2:2) in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. (1) Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from Read More …