1.
Phylactery – You know when you read segments of
scripture that say something like this, “fix these words of mine in your hearts
and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads”?(Deuteronomy
11:18)
This wasn’t just a
figure of speech. Pious Jews actually
wrote down scripture, mounted it in small cases and wore the cases on their
foreheads or left arms. This was called a
phylactery.
2.
Apparently we’ve gone away from using the terms
BC (before Christ) and AD (anno domini or after death) as designations when referring
to calendar dates. The terms BCE (before
the Common Era) and CE (Common Era) are now used, at least in the world of academia,
when referencing dates.
3.
I now know the difference between Pharisees and
Sadducees. Pharisees were based in rural
areas and factored greatly in Jesus’ ministry in the Galilean region. They were associated with the synagogues and
were primarily teachers. They focused on
maintaining Israel’s relationship with God through strict obedience to the law
and believed in resurrection of humans to life after death.
Sadducees were the upper class, mostly
residing in Jerusalem, and were associated with the temple. They were primarily priests and were
committed to maintaining Israel’s relationship with God through the sacrificial
system. They did not believe in
resurrection to life after death. They
were primarily responsible for the plot to have Jesus put to death.
About the only thing the Pharisees and Sadducees had in common was the fact that they both believed Jesus was a threat.
4.
The Septuagint is the Greek translation of the
Jewish Bible and is abbreviated as LXX.
5.
The letters from Paul in the New Testament are
arranged from longest to shortest.
6.
An amanuensis was a secretary or scribe who was
trained in letter writing. Most people
in the Roman Empire were illiterate so the process of letter writing generally
was designated to someone skilled in that area – an amanuensis.
7.
There are four different “Herod’s” in the New
Testament:
Herod The Great –
ruled all of Palestine on behalf of Rome and was in power when Jesus was born.
Herod Antipas – Herod
the Great’s son - ruled the territories of Perea and Galilee. Was in power during the time of Jesus’
ministry and death. Had John the Baptist
beheaded.
Herod Agrippa I –
ruled Judea and Samaria. He is the Herod
mentioned in Acts 12 that persecutes the believers and kills the apostle
James.
Herod Agrippa II –
The last ruler of the Herodian dynasty. Paul appears before him as a prisoner in Act
25.
8.
I now know what eschatology means – the study of
“last things” like the return of Christ, the final judgment, and other things
associated with the end times. I’d heard
the word used, but didn’t know what it meant.
9.
I didn’t know all the gospels were anonymous
documents. We are able to track back
through historical documents to support various authorship of each gospel, but
the original documents were anonymous.
This is probably not new information for some you and I’m sure you’re wondering
if I’ve been living under a rock. When
it comes to historical knowledge, yes, I have been living under a rock. But I’m loving learning all this information
and getting a better understanding of the New Testament.
Things To Think About
Is there something in the bible you've been wondering about? Ask your pastor to help you figure it out.
