Emperor Handbook Meditation New Translation Bible Verses Average ratng: 5,7/10 9323votes We’ve identified the most popular Bible verses people from all over the world search for and read on Bible Gateway and designed them into visually colorful and inspirational images. Each Visual Verse of the Day is from the, the most widely read Bible translation in contemporary English. Opens the way for sharing and engaging with Scripture in every possible medium. We give you every available tool to “fix these wordsin your hearts and minds”.
Our Visual Verse of the Day free email series is perfect for you, whether you’re a visual learner and want to memorize God’s words, or if you want to share your favorite verses with your friends. And enjoy seeing, reading, and sharing the Word every day!
Do you wish you knew the Bible better? Makes it easy. The Bible consists of separate books written by multiple authors over hundreds of years, yet it conveys a single concept.
has written (Crossway, 2017) to help readers grasp the overarching message of Scripture: God saving his people through their promised Messiah. The book traces the development of 16 key themes—creation, covenant, kingdom, temple, judgment, and more—from Genesis to Revelation, showing how both the Old and New Testaments come together to declare a single unified message. In the video above, Dr. Bruno discusses his book with Justin Taylor, senior vice president and publisher for books at Crossway.
Video interview timestamps are as follows:. 0:00 – What were you trying to do in the first book you wrote:?. 1:37 – What are you doing differently in your new book,?. 3:30 – Why did you begin with eschatology—the study of the end things—in your book?. 6:15 – Why are the themes of creation, covenant, and kingdom foundational for understanding the overall message of Scripture?
100 Verses eVeryone should Know by heart: study guide 2. What is your favorite Bible verse? What was the first verse you memorized?.
8:30 – Knowing this is a book on the Bible’s whole message, can you discuss the length and format of your book?. 11:21 – How do you hope a book like this will be used? Highlights the following (together with their connecting verses) 16 key biblical themes that are pivotal in the Bible’s story line: 1.
The End Old Testament: New Testament: 2. God Old Testament: New Testament: 3. Creation Old Testament: New Testament: 4. Covenant Old Testament: New Testament: 5. Kingdom Old Testament: New Testament: 6. Temple Old Testament: New Testament: 7. Messiah Old Testament: New Testament: 8.
Israel Old Testament: New Testament: 9. Land Old Testament: New Testament: 10. Idols Old Testament: New Testament: 11. Judgment Old Testament: New Testament: 12.
Exodus Old Testament: New Testament: 13. Wisdom Old Testament: New Testament: 14. Law Old Testament: New Testament: 15.
Spirit Old Testament: New Testament: 16. Mission Old Testament: New Testament: Bio: Chris Bruno (PhD, Wheaton College) is assistant professor of New Testament and Greek at Bethlehem College & Seminary, Minneapolis, MN. He has served at Northland International University, Cedarville University, and Trinity Christian School in Kailua, HI. Before that, he was pastor of discipleship and training at Harbor Church in Honolulu, HI. He’s written numerous articles and reviews. Along with being the author of, he’s the coauthor (with Matt Dirks) of (Crossway, 2014). Everybody has questions about the Bible.
With you’ll be ready to answer them! In, Matthew tells us that magi, or wise men, came from the east to visit him. Were there really three magi?
Contrary to, Matthew does not say there were three magi. We assume there are three because we know they bring three gifts——but we don’t know for sure how many there were. When did the magi come? They also didn’t arrive with the shepherds on the night of Jesus’ birth. Mary and Joseph are living in a house in Bethlehem when they come (according to ), and Herod the Great tries to kill the children in Bethlehem two years of age and under (according to ). This means Jesus may have been as old as two. Where did the magi come from?
The magi were probably Persian or Arabian astrologers who charted the stars and attached religious significance to their movements. They were not kings, as is sometimes supposed. While some have doubted the historicity of this visit, it bears the marks of credibility. Many people in the ancient world believe that stars announced the birth of great people. The Roman historians Suetonius and Tacitus even speak of an expectation that a world ruler would come from Judea.
It is not surprising that Eastern astrologers would see in a particular astral phenomenon the sign of the birth of a Jewish king. What happened when the magi met Herod? The ruler at the time of Jesus’ birth was, so the magi visited him first when they arrived in Judea. Warned in a dream of Herod’s evil intention to kill the child, where he remains until the death of Herod. While the historian Josephus does not mention Herod’s massacre of the infants of Bethlehem, this is not surprising since Bethlehem was a small village and the number of children could not have been large.
Considering Herod’s many ruthless actions in murdering sons, wives, and all manner of political opponents, this event was of little historical consequence. At the same time, Matthew’s account fits well with what we know of Herod’s paranoia and ruthless cruelty. The irony of the magi’s visit is that while even pagan astrologers come to worship the Jewish Messiah, the illegitimate king of the Jews seeks to destroy him. Learn more about the life and ministry of Jesus.
Sign up for the. This post is adapted from the, taught by Mark Strauss. Take a look at the FREE introductory video from Dr. Do we have anything in common with the bad guys of the Bible? How do we guard against the sins of wrath, idolatry, and abuse of power? Minitab quality companion 3 keygen for mac pro. How can we learn at the warnings of lives gone wrong?
Bible Gateway interviewed about his book, (InterVarsity Press, 2017). Please explain the title. Forasteros: There are three answers to this question. First, I love the play on the Rolling Stones song, Sympathy for the Devil. Second, because the difference between and Sympathy is really important. To have empathy doesn’t require that we agree with or condone the actions of another person, only that we understand them.
It’s something I think we’re deeply lacking in our contemporary world. We turn our enemies into devils far too easily. With that in mind, third, I thought if I could invite my readers to have a tiny bit of empathy even for Satan, then it shouldn’t be so hard to bridge a cultural, religious, or political divide at home, work, or church. Are you using in this book similar literary techniques C.S. Lewis used in? Forasteros: Yes and no.
Does use fiction, but in a slightly more realistic way (mostly) than what Lewis did. I chose seven of the Bible’s worst villains to investigate. As I was working through the historical material on them, I realized that just presenting a history lesson wouldn’t get at how I wanted readers to identify with these villains. Psychologists tell us that reading fiction is one of the best ways to practice empathy, because in fiction, we get to live inside the mind of another person. So I set out to write fictionalized reimaginings of each villain’s big moment.
Obviously, with Satan’s story being set in Heaven, I had to get even more creative, but I did try to keep it—ahem—grounded in visions of the Heavenly throne room we find throughout Scripture (like, and. The biggest difference between and is probably that I really want you to like Satan and find his fall tragic. We forget, I think, that God loves Satan as God loves everything and everyone God created. That, and my fiction is somewhat less didactic than Lewis’, I think. How did your visit to the Dachau Nazi concentration camp shape your thinking? Forasteros: We always wonder how the German people could’ve participated in the Holocaust. Dauchau—which is named for the city by which it was built—answers that question very dissatisfactorily: no one (except Hitler) got up one day and decided to murder millions of Jews.
It happened slowly, one day after another, in a million little compromises and decisions to look the other way. Dachau showed me that the path to villainy is easy to walk and hard to differentiate from the path of ‘just getting along.’ In fact, they begin in the same place.
Emperor Handbook Meditation New Translation Bible Verses For Kids
How do we begin to rediscover empathy by looking at the villains of the Bible? Forasteros: When we find ourselves marveling at how much we have in common with, or how bad we feel for or maybe even guilty for how ill we’ve thought of, it should give us pause when we turn to vilify those we’ve declared our enemies.
These villains let us practice that timeless biblical wisdom: “Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” What villains do you explore in the book? Forasteros: My seven villains are Cain , Delilah , Jezebel , Herod , Herodias , Judas and Satan. I begin with Cain’s name. It means strength or spear while his brother’s means vapor or mist. It’s not hard to tell that Cain was the favorite son, which is no surprise in a culture that placed so much value on the firstborn son. He put his identity in being best, first, most important. Then God rejects his offering and doesn’t tell him why (no one in the story seems to know why, though we’ve got our explanations ready today).
And then God asks why he’s angry and promises, “If you do right, you will be accepted.” Which seems to indicate that God hasn’t rejected Cain yet. I spend the chapters exploring Cain’s anger and our anger and how all that’s tied to our identities. I ask if anger might be God’s way of warning us that something’s wrong inside of us and that lashing out in anger, as Cain did, actually keeps us from encountering not only each other, but God. Who did you have in mind as you wrote your book and why?
Forasteros: Ultimately, I wrote this book for the church in my context: evangelical America (I pastor in Texas). Our culture is deeply divided, and rather than offer a holy alternative, the church is leading the charge, deepening the divide. I pray that this book engenders empathetic conversations. What do you mean “there’s no such thing as monsters”? Forasteros: Monster-making is a form of scapegoating (that’s what I’m working on in my next book).
Kisner And Colby Therapeutic Exercise 5th Edition Free. Rather than face the darkness in our own spirits, we cast it outside of ourselves and onto someone else—usually someone who can’t defend themselves. But if we’ll look more closely, we’ll find one who bears the image of God peeking out from behind the monstrous mask. What do you want readers of your book to learn? Forasteros: That we have more in common with the people we demonize than we’re comfortable admitting.
And that there is deep spiritual value in becoming a good empathizer. This is a practice the church definitely needs to recover. What is a favorite Bible passage of yours and why? Forasteros: I’ve long been in love with. “Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.
In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him.” I’ve been captivated by the incarnation since before I knew the fancy theological term for it. I love that Jesus willingly embraced our humanity for no gain of his own. I love that we can learn faithfulness by following in his footsteps. It’s a radical idea that is as challenging as it is simple: for God to work in us, we have to let God work in us. What are your thoughts about Bible Gateway and the Bible Gateway App?
Forasteros: I love Bible Gateway. As a pastor, I use it nearly daily.
I love how accessible it makes the Scriptures! I also just used it to double-check before I cited it. Is there anything else you’d like to say? Forasteros: I’m grateful to Bible Gateway for featuring this interview. It’s a true honor! Forasteros is an author, pastor, and podcaster. He serves as the teaching pastor at Catalyst Church in Dallas, TX.
He blogs on faith and pop culture at and co-hosts the and podcasts. He offers a weekly email newsletter on faith and pop culture called. He and his wife Amanda love roller derby, cooking and travel. Get biblically wise and spiritually fit with. As a lifelong student of Scripturehas always desired a deeper understanding of God’s Word and a deeper knowledge of God himself. But it wasn’t until she began studying the biblical texts in their original Hebrew and Greek—along with actually hiking the ancient paths of Israel—that she found the fulfillment of those desires.
In her forthcoming new book (Thomas Nelson, 2018), you’ll be able to walk with Kathie Lee on a journey through the spiritual foundations of her faith:. The Rock (Jesus Christ): Hear directly from Kathie about her life-changing and ever-deepening connection with Jesus, the Lover of her soul. The Road (Israel): Explore dozens of ancient landmarks and historical sites from Israel, the promised land of God’s covenant. The Rabbi (God’s Word): Go beyond a “Sunday school” approach to the Bible by digging into the original languages and deeper meanings of the Holy Scriptures.
You’ll also find additional content from Messianic Rabbi Jason Sobel throughout the book. Jason’s insight into the Hebrew language, culture, and heritage will open your eyes to the Bible like never before. To begin your journey toward a deeper faith through, read this excerpt (and to get an exclusive sneak peek of the “Bethlehem” chapter from Kathie Lee’s new book): Bethlehem Church of the Nativity But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.
— I was deeply disturbed when our tour group visited modern-day Bethlehem. Scripture tells us Bethlehem was the birthplace of Jesus, the Messiah, prophesied in sometime between 750 BC and 686 BC (700 years before Jesus’ birth): “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Today, the city of Bethlehem is controlled by the Palestinian Authority, and it feels—as my daughter, Cassidy, described it—“darkly oppressive.” There are military checkpoints as you enter and exit.
It hardly feels joyful or anything like the way the shepherds would have experienced it two millennia ago, as a place of great rejoicing at the Savior’s birth. To Bethlehem!
The Significance of Bethlehem Shortly after the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, an angel of the Lord appeared to shepherds guarding their sheep at night and announced to them, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord”. And the sign given to them was that they would find “a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger”.
Of all the possible signs that could have been given to these shepherds, why did the Lord choose a baby lying in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes? Why was this so significant? To answer this question, we need to dig deeper and explore the Jewish context in which the New Testament was written. Good students of the Bible are like detectives who ask lots of questions of the text. The first questions we need to ask is: Who are these shepherds? Is there anything unique about them? To get an exclusive sneak peek of the “Bethlehem” chapter from Kathie Lee’s new book, The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi.
Kathie Lee Gifford is the three-time Emmy-winning cohost of the fourth hour of TODAY, alongside Hoda Kotb. The Gifford-Kotb hour has been hailed as “appointment television” by Entertainment Weekly, and “ TODAY’s happy hour” by USA TODAY. Gifford has authored three New York Times bestselling books, including Just When I Thought I’d Dropped My Last Egg and I Can’t Believe I Said That. Rabbi Jason Sobel is a thought leader, spiritual guide, and Jewish follower of Yeshua (Jesus).
He is cofounder of Fusion with Rabbi Jason, a ministry dedicated to sharing teachings and resources that reconnect ancient Jewish wisdom with the teachings of the New Testament. Find out what you’re missing by not being a member of! Approaching the Bible for the first time can be intimidating. At 66 books, nearly 800,000 words, and numerous kings, prophets, and deliverers, as well as priests and apostles, where should you begin? In what order should you read it?
Is there an alternative to reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation? Bible Gateway interviewed about his book, (InterVarsity Press, 2017). Explain the history and composition of the Bible for someone new to it. John Goldingay: The Bible is a collection of writings by lots of different people written over maybe a thousand years, from a number of centuries before Jesus to a century after Jesus.
I often like to refer to it as “the Scriptures” (which is the word that comes in the Bible itself), to make that point about it being lots of writings that were originally separate. What these writings have in common is that “the Old Testament” is writings that grabbed the Jewish people; writings that convinced them that they were God’s word to them. And “the New Testament” is writings that grabbed people who believed in Jesus in the same way. So put together, they’re a collection of what Christians need to know about Christian faith. Why do Catholic and Orthodox Bibles have more books in them than do Protestant Bibles?
John Goldingay: Because the church came to accept some of Jewish writings as scriptures which the Jewish people themselves had not accepted. Then when church people realized what had happened, some of them thought we should take out those extra ones. Why do you spend time in the book describing the land of the Bible? John Goldingay: Because the stories and the messages refer a lot to the land where the stories happened and where the teaching was given, so understanding what the land was like helps you to understand the stories and the teaching. You group the books of the Bible into three categories: the story of God and his people, the word of God to his people, and the people’s response to God. Which books go where and why? John Goldingay: The story is roughly to and to.
The word of God to his people is roughly the Prophets and the Letters of Paul and other people. And the response is chiefly the.
They go there because that’s the nature of the thing that they are: stories or God speaking to people or people speaking to God. What are some of the dominant themes running through the Bible of which the modern reader should be aware?
John Goldingay: That God is real and has been involved with the world and with Israel over the entire story that it tells. That God has been working at a purpose to have a good world. That he’s spoken to people and explained things so that we can understand what he’s been doing and is going to do and can come to understand ourselves. And that he wants to hear from us.
Why do you say, “In some respects, the Epistles are the most surprising part of the Bible”? John Goldingay: Because you might expect a religious book to be a collection of teaching that looks timeless and designed for everyone, whereas the epistles are letters that address particular people in particular contexts. Of course there’s a sense in which they are timeless—they speak beyond their particular time. And there’s a sense in which they’re designed for everyone—God designed them that way! How should a person use your book in connection with reading the Bible? John Goldingay: I guess you could read a chapter about a particular book, then read the book, then maybe read the chapter again. What’s a favorite Bible passage of yours and why?
John Goldingay: “Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which he has given to you under the sun.” That’s. I like the invitation to enjoy life, to enjoy love, to see life as a gift from God, but also to be real about the fleeting nature of this life. (The word for “fleeting” is the word for a breath.) What are your thoughts about Bible Gateway and the Bible Gateway App? John Goldingay: I LOVE the online scriptural resources—for example, all. I used it to get a translation of that verse that I liked. I use them nearly every day. Is there anything else you’d like to say?
John Goldingay: I’m excited about the fact that some people seem to be interested in because I’m excited about the Scriptures themselves and I’m sad that Christians don’t read them for themselves. Many people rely on what their Sunday School teacher tells them the Scriptures say or on what their pastor says instead of reading the Scriptures themselves. So if this book helps one or two people to read the Scriptures, I shall be excited!
Bio: John Goldingay (PhD, University of Nottingham; DD, Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth) is David Allan Hubbard Professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary. He was previously principal and a professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at St John’s Theological College in Nottingham, England.
His include, and. He has also authored the and the. Goldingay also serves as priest-in-charge at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, Pasadena. He holds membership in the Society of Biblical Literature and the Society for Old Testament Study, and served on the Task Force on Biblical Interpretation in the Anglican Communion and the editorial board for the Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies. Get to know your Bible better! Try right now!
This is the in and pastor Mel Lawrenz’. If you know someone or a group who would like to follow along on this journey through Scripture, they can get more info and sign up to receive these essays via email.
Special note see Mel Lawrenz’s “” in text, printable PDF, or audio. It is inevitable that, when we talk about “living the,” our minds will drift toward verses and passages that are commands or laws which seem to beckon us toward obedience to God. “You shall not commit adultery,” or “you shall not murder,” or “you shall not steal,” and other parts of the, for instance, seem pretty straightforward. But the New Testament writers tell us that, with the coming of Jesus, everything has changed.
It is not that the old covenant has been contradicted, but it has been fulfilled. Whereas the covenant God gave the Israelites included the more than 600 laws in the first five books of the Bible, in the new covenant God has advanced his relationship with us by internalizing the law: “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts”. That is why the law-obsessed became, the “Apostle of the heart set free” as F.F. Bruce put it. Paul offered a revolutionary new view of how God’s “law” works.
He asserted that we have “died to the law through the body of Christ, so that we might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God”. In other words, the fruitful, productive, good life is truly possible when we come to live within the higher law of Jesus Christ, which is not a system of rules and mechanical conformity, but a new “law of the Spirit who gives life and sets us free from the law of sin and death”. This could be confusing, so let’s be careful here. The word “law” in the Old and New Testaments is used in different senses. It is used in the Old Testament for the body of laws given to Israel, which define the boundaries of their covenant relationship with God, but “law” can also refer to the first five books of the Old Testament, or the specific body of laws contained in them. In the New Testament, “law” can refer to Mosaic regulations, or to the Scriptures as a whole, or to governing principles of life or spiritual dynamics, as in “the law of sin and death” or “the law of Christ”. To sort this out, let’s focus on the example of Paul whose teaching is consistent with the rest of the New Testament, including that of Jesus himself who said that he did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.
When Paul wrote to the from his imprisonment, thinking he may be living in the last days of his life, he wrote about his prior “confidence” in following the law of God as a Pharisee: “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.” And then he says: “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith”. That is the personal testimony of a man who was expert in obedience to laws, but who found that to be rubbish compared with the righteousness that comes from God by faith.
In Paul explains why “dying” to the law, or “the way of the written code” is necessary for us to live in “the new way of the Spirit” and so “bear fruit.” If anything, the laws of Scripture reveal how incapable we are to live rightly. The law is like a tutor, leading us to Christ.
This should not make us think the laws of the Old Testament are wrong. “The law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good”. Looking at these and many other New Testament passages about “law,” the fundamental point is this: Scripture does not contain laws so that we can read them and simply obey them, and so live good and right lives. Sin has a crippling effect.
We need God’s grace and power to carry us toward righteousness. We need to be freed from the curse of sin and freed toward life in the Spirit, which is how obedience is possible.
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” is how Paul put it in. But he then goes on to warn people not to think that they are “free” to live however they want. “Do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”. (To be continued) Get by Mel Lawrenz to read in December If you believe this series will be helpful, this is the perfect time to forward this to a friend, a group, or a congregation, and tell them they too may Mel Lawrenz trains an international network of Christian leaders, ministry pioneers, and thought-leaders. He served as senior pastor of Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin, for ten years and now serves as Elmbrook’s minister at large. He has a PhD in the history of Christian thought and is on the adjunct faculty of Trinity International University.
Mel is, including and (Zondervan, 2012). See more of Mel’s writing. One of the central figures in the Christmas story is Herod the Great, who was king of the Jews when Jesus was born. Herod and his sons ruled Judea during. But who was this man? And why was he so hostile to the news of the birth of Jesus?
How Herod Got His Power Herod “the Great” ruled as king of the Jews under Roman authority for thirty-three years, from 37–4 BC. It is this Herod who appears in the account of Jesus’ birth (; ). From the start, Herod proved to be an extraordinary political survivor. When civil war broke out in Rome between Mark Antony and Octavian, Herod first sided with Antony and his ally Cleopatra VII, queen of Egypt. Then, when Octavian defeated Antony and Cleopatra at Actium in 31 BC, Herod immediately switched sides, convincing Octavian of his loyalty. Following his victory, Octavian returned to Rome, where the Roman senate made him imperator, or supreme military leader, and gave him the honorary title “Augustus” (“exalted one”).
Historians mark this event as the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire, the transfer from rule by the senate to rule by a supreme emperor. Under the patronage of Octavian—now Caesar Augustus—Herod’s position as king of the Jews was secure. For his Roman soldier part, Herod would prove to be a loyal subject to his Roman overlords, maintaining order in Israel and protecting the western flank of the Roman Empire.
What Herod Was Like Herod was a strange mix of a clever and efficient ruler and a cruel tyrant. On the one hand, he was distrustful, jealous, and brutal, ruthlessly crushing any potential opposition. The Jews never accepted him as their legitimate king, and this infuriated him. He constantly feared conspiracy.
He executed his wife when he suspected she was plotting against him. Three of his sons, another wife, and his mother-in-law met the same fate when they too were suspected of conspiracy. Herod, trying to be a legitimate Jew, would not eat pork, but he freely murdered his sons!
Matthew’s account of Herod’s slaughter of the infants in Bethlehem fits well with what we know of the king’s ambition, paranoia, and cruelty. Was there a good side to Herod?
Herod wasn’t all bad. He presented himself as the protector of Judaism and sought to gain the favor of the Jews. He encouraged the development of the synagogue communities and in time of calamity remitted taxes and supplied the people with free grain. He was also a great builder, a role which earned him the title “the Great.” His greatest project was the rebuilding and beautification of the temple in Jerusalem, restoring it to even greater splendor than in the time of Solomon. Judea prospered economically during Herod’s reign. He extended Israel’s territory through conquest and built fortifications to defend the Roman frontiers. Herod was a committed Hellenist and an admirer of Roman culture.
He built Greek-style theaters, amphitheaters, and hippodromes (outdoor stadiums for horse and chariot racing) throughout the land. While this earned him the favor of many upper-class Jews, it brought disdain from the more conservative Pharisees and the common people. The Herodians mentioned in the Gospels (; ) were Hellenistic Jewish supporters of the Herodian dynasty, who favored the stability and status quo brought by Roman authority. The Death of Herod Herod died in 4 BC (cf. ), probably from intestinal cancer. As a final act of vengeance against his contemptuous subjects, he rounded up leading Jews and commanded that at his death they should be executed.
His reasoning was that if there was no mourning for his death, at least there would be mourning at his death! (At Herod’s death, the order was overruled and the prisoners were released.) Herod’s Sons But wait—if Herod died in 4 BC, who was the Herod who appears later in the Gospels—the Herod Jesus interacts with? There was actually more than one. Herod had changed his will several times during his life, and after his death it was contested by three of his sons. They appealed to Caesar Augustus, who divided the kingdom among them.
Archelaus Archelaus (4 BC–AD 6) became ethnarch of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea, with the promise that if he ruled well, he would be made king. Instead, he proved to be oppressive and erratic, and Augustus removed him from office in AD 6. Matthew notes that Joseph and Mary moved to Galilee to avoid Archelaus’s rule. When Archelaus was removed from office, Judea and Samaria were transferred to the control of Roman governors, known as prefects and, later, procurators. The most important of these for the study of the New Testament is Pontius Pilate (AD 26–36), under whose administration.
Other governors who appear in the New Testament are Felix (AD 52–59) and Festus (AD 59–62), before whom Paul stood trial. Herod Antipas Herod Antipas became tetrarch of Galilee and Perea from his father’s death in 4 BC until he was deposed by the emperor Caligula in AD 39. The title tetrarch originally meant ruler of a fourth part of a region but came to be used of any minor ruler.
This is the Herod of Jesus’ public ministry. He imprisoned and eventually executed John the Baptist when John spoke out against his marriage to Herodias, his brother Philip’s ex-wife (; ). He also wondered about Jesus’ identity when people speculated that John had risen from the dead (Mark 6:14–16, par.). When warned by some Pharisees that Herod was seeking his life, Jesus derisively called him “that fox,” probably a reference to his cunning and deceit. Eventually, Antipas got his wish to see Jesus when Pilate sent Jesus to stand before him at his trial (; cf. Herod Philip Herod Philip became tetrarch of Iturea, Trachonitis, Gaulanitis, Auranitis, and Batanea, regions north and east of Galilee.
He died without an heir, and his territory became part of the Roman province of Syria. He is mentioned in the New Testament only in (the Philip of cf. is a different son of Herod the Great).
Herod the Great’s Grandsons Only two other members of the Herodian dynasty appear in the New Testament, both in Acts. Herod Agrippa I was the son of Aristobulus and the grandson of Herod the Great.
He executed James, the brother of John, and arrested Peter. His death at Caesarea as judgment by God is recorded both by Luke and by the Jewish historian Josephus (; Josephus, Ant. 19.8.2 §§343–52).
Herod Agrippa II was the son of Agrippa. It was this Herod, together with his sister Bernice, who was invited by the Roman governor Festus to hear Paul’s defense at Caesarea. Another sister, Drusilla, was married to the Roman governor Felix.
Learn more about Herod by signing up for the. This post is adapted from the, taught by Mark Strauss.
Take a look at the FREE introductory video from Dr. What is Christian hospitality and how important is it?
How is God’s relationship to us fundamentally an act of hospitality to strangers? How is hospitality part of the salvation message? Bible Gateway interviewed about his book, (Wm. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2017). Define what you mean by hospitality. Jipp: Hospitality is the process whereby space is opened up for a stranger or outsider, such that the stranger is transformed into a friend.
Hospitality is not safe, tame, or always domestic. There’s risk involved as we either enter into (as a guest) a space where we’re the stranger, or where we extend welcome to someone who’s not part of our normal, comfortable friendship network. The portrays Abraham, for example, as one whose eyes are attentive toward travelling strangers, who takes the risk to invite them into his space, and who extends kindness upon them through granting food, drink, and shelter. What leads you to say that too few Christians understand how hospitality to strangers and the marginalized is an essential part of the church’s identity? Jipp: My guess is that most Christians undervalue the extent and forcefulness of the Scriptural teaching of hospitality to strangers. The Scriptures demand that Israel extend welcome to the immigrant because God loves the immigrant and because they know what it’s like to be exploited as a people of immigrants from their time in Egypt (;;; ). In the, Jesus declares that the sheep and the goats will enter into their eternal reward or judgment based upon whether or not they showed hospitality to “the least of these my brothers and sisters”.
Jesus consistently extends God’s hospitality and his saving presence to those on the margins through sharing meals with sinners, tax-collectors, and the poor (;;; ). It’s precisely Jesus’ practice of extending hospitality to “the wrong people,” so to speak, that elicits such anger from some of Israel’s religious leaders and results in the stereotype of Jesus as a “glutton and drunkard, a friend of sinners and tax collectors (; also, ). Why do you say hospitality is at the heart of Christian faith? Jipp: I argue that there’s a pattern that pervades the Christian Scriptures that can be summarized in this way: God’s hospitality elicits human hospitality. Stated another way, humanity’s fundamental problem is that it’s alienated from God and from one another.
God’s hospitality, made known climactically in Jesus, transforms us into friends. This divine hospitality demands that God’s people be characterized by friendship with one another and ever seeking to extend this welcome to others. Explain the meaning of the book’s title. Jipp: The title of the book originates from an early Christian writing called 1 Clement. The author is a bishop in Rome who’s responding to divisions and in-fighting taking place in the Corinthian congregations.
One of the antidotes for this internal strife is hospitality. Clement argues that Abraham, Lot, and Rahab were saved due to their faith and hospitality (1 Clem. 10:6-7; 11:1; 12:1-3).
It’s interesting that we find a similar theme in the where he argues that saving faith is demonstrated by Abraham, Rahab, and others who have a faith that produces good deeds. I take this as a jumping off point for arguing that hospitality is inextricably connected with how a variety of biblical authors depict God’s salvation. So exhibiting hospitality is not optional for a Christian? Jipp: Since our identity as the church is rooted in God’s hospitality to us, extending hospitality to one another and to strangers is a non-negotiable practice for God’s people. This is why we find a variety of biblical authors commanding the church to practice hospitality to strangers and upholding it as a necessary virtue for leaders in the church (;;; ).
I believe, therefore, that the church is at its best when it’s seeking to extend God’s presence and gifts to all people, rather than hoarding the gifts of God. The tells us that the early church was devoted to apostolic teaching, prayers, and eating together in each other’s homes and that it was in this way that the Lord “was adding to their midst those who were being saved each day”. What is a favorite Bible passage of yours and why?
Jipp: One of my favorite biblical texts is Luke’s depiction of how the risen Jesus reveals himself to the two disciples on the Emmaus road. The disciples are walking together with the risen Jesus, and it’s not their sight of him before the eyes that enables them to recognize Jesus. Jesus even explains how Israel’s Scriptures had foreshadowed that the Messiah would suffer and then be raised on the third day. But it’s only when the two disciples welcome the traveling stranger into their home and when Jesus breaks bread with them that their eyes are opened and they see that they’ve been traveling, conversing, and now eating with the risen Jesus. I love the passage because it’s filled with irony, suspense, and drama. But even more, I love that the resolution of the suspense comes through table fellowship. I believe one of the calls here to the church is that we can continue to know and experience Jesus when we eat together in his presence (so ).
Bio: Bio: Joshua W. Jipp has taught New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School since 2012. He completed his PhD at Emory University, ThM at Duke Divinity School, and MDiv at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
He is the author of Divine Visitations and Hospitality to Strangers in Luke-Acts (Brill), (Fortress), and most recently. He lives in Chicago with his wife and two boys. Get to know your Bible better! Twitter: biblegateway. ➡️Read the Bible on Bible Gateway ➡️Bible saved Marine’s life at Iwo Jima in WWII. RT: Four Things to Remember When Praying for Your Prodigal via. RT: Just read the book mentioned in this interview.
I highly recommend. What Can We Learn from the Bad Guys of the Bible?: An I. 'I was deeply disturbed when our tour group visited modern-day Bethlehem.' Read this excerpt from.
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Luke 2 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) The Birth of Jesus 2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole empire should be registered. 2 This first registration took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So everyone went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David, 5 to be registered along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was pregnant. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 Then she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and she wrapped Him snugly in cloth and laid Him in a feeding trough—because there was no room for them at the lodging place.
The Shepherds and the Angels 8 In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: 11 Today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David. 12 This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in cloth and lying in a feeding trough.” 13 Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying. 14 Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors! 15 When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the feeding trough. 17 After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
19 But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard, just as they had been told. The Circumcision and Presentation of Jesus 21 When the eight days were completed for His circumcision, He was named Jesus —the name given by the angel before He was conceived. 22 And when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were finished, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (just as it is written in the law of the Lord: Every firstborn male will be dedicated to the Lord ) 24 and to offer a sacrifice (according to what is stated in the law of the Lord: a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons ).
Simeon’s Prophetic Praise 25 There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking forward to Israel’s consolationand the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he saw the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Guided by the Spirit, he entered the temple complex. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform for Him what was customary under the law, 28 Simeon took Him up in his arms, praised God, and said. 29 Now, Master, You can dismiss Your slave in peace, as You promised.
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation. 31 You have prepared it in the presence of all peoples— 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory to Your people Israel. 33 His father and mother were amazed at what was being said about Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and told His mother Mary: “Indeed, this child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed — 35 and a sword will pierce your own soul—that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Anna’s Testimony 36 There was also a prophetess, Anna, a daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well along in yearshaving lived with her husband seven years after her marriage37 and was a widow for 84 years. She did not leave the temple complex, serving God night and day with fasting and prayers.
38 At that very momentshe came up and began to thank God and to speak about Him to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. The Family’s Return to Nazareth 39 When they had completed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 The boy grew up and became strong, filled with wisdom, and God’s grace was on Him.
In His Father’s House 41 Every year His parents traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. 42 When He was 12 years old, they went up according to the custom of the festival. 43 After those days were over, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but His parents did not know it. 44 Assuming He was in the traveling party, they went a day’s journey.
Then they began looking for Him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for Him. 46 After three days, they found Him in the temple complex sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all those who heard Him were astounded at His understanding and His answers. 48 When His parents saw Him, they were astonished, and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You.” 49 “Why were you searching for Me?” He asked them.
“Didn’t you know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what He said to them. In Favor with God and with People 51 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them.
His mother kept all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with people. Footnotes:. Emperor who ruled the Roman Empire 27 b.c.–a.d. 14; also known as Octavian, he established the peaceful era known as the Pax Romana; Caesar was a title of Roman emperors.