Archaeologists from Israel have determined through radiocarbon dating that the arrival of domesticated camels in the Middle East happened much later than the events in the Bible suggest. In Genesis 12:10-20 Abram goes to Egypt to escape famine and he … Continue reading
I’ve grown a bit tired of all the listicles floating around on Facebook these days, but it would seem that BuzzFeed put one together that’s too relevant for Holey Books to ignore. The list is called The 16 Most Bizarre Moments … Continue reading
At Salon, a post about abortion and the Bible gets a lot—although not everything—right: Given the amount of effort and political capital the religious right puts into trying to restrict abortion, you’d guess that opposition to women’s choice must take … Continue reading
As we have already discussed, the Book of Judges contains the stories of the Israelites’ leaders (termed “judges”). One of them, who possesses a more memorable name (at least to this blogger), mostly thanks to the Supreme Court case and … Continue reading
Deborah One of the most popular leaders in the Book of Judges has long been Deborah: an early example of a woman leader—and the only female “judge” (read: chief)—she has rightfully drawn a lot of attention because of her unique … Continue reading
Today the United States Supreme Court heard arguments on California’s Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in the state. At this moment it is unclear how the court will rule, or how far. Our hope is that the Court remembers … Continue reading
If the Book of Judges is an accurate guide, the ancient Israelites can perhaps best be compared to a herd of sheep: without a shepherd, without a strong guide, they flounder and, inevitably it seems, end up breaking covenants and worshipping … Continue reading
From The Washington Post, a guest column by Charles C. Haynes examines how Texas schools may be subverting what is supposed to be unbiased comparative religious education: Conducted by religious studies professor Mark Chancey of Southern Methodist University, the study examines … Continue reading
The Book of Judges, I recently posted, is not in fact about judges. While the name stems from a translation issue—the ever-shifting meaning of language—regardless of what we call them, the judges in the Book of Judges will, to paraphrase … Continue reading
As we’ve seen previously, Joshua and the Israelites conquered the promised land with very little regard to the people already living there. That, of course, is a little too kind. Joshua and the Israelites repeatedly wiped out whoever was in … Continue reading
