Tag Archives: ancient hebrew culture

Laying Claim to Shalom

Posted on June 13, 2021 by ehurst

While attending college at Oklahoma Baptist University in the mid-1970s, a lot of good things happened to me. I don’t remember them as good years in my life, but the Lord was at work, reshaping me. One of the most … Continue reading →

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New Testament Doctrine — Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:1-7

Posted on May 22, 2021 by ehurst

We continue our efforts to demythologize the gospel. Upon returning from her three-month visit with Elizabeth, Mary had no doubt that she was pregnant. It would start to show soon. We can be sure she tried to explain the whole … Continue reading →

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It’s a Miracle

Posted on March 7, 2021 by ehurst

I’ve studied the cultures and civilizations of the ANE. I assure you that there is so much to know about this stuff that only a tiny handful of people can actually claim any expertise. I’m not one of them. However, … Continue reading →

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How Much Shalom?

Posted on December 18, 2020 by ehurst

How much shalom do you want? Sometimes you have to spell things out for people, because they can’t even think like heart-led people of faith. I’ve spent a lot of time studying the Hebrew culture and history specifically, and for … Continue reading →

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Lust for Sex or Control?

Posted on October 12, 2020 by ehurst

When your conscious awareness is heart-led, you will find that a lot of moral truth lies dormant until provoked by the need of the moment. It’s a sense that, if the right question comes along, the Spirit of the Lord … Continue reading →

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The Answer Lies in Your Heart

Posted on August 20, 2020 by ehurst

This may be difficult to follow, but I am obliged to try explaining it: Many of the controversies and theological debates of the Early Church Fathers were inherently false from both sides. That’s because they were asking the wrong questions. … Continue reading →

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Thinking Hebrew, Writing Greek

Posted on August 18, 2020 by ehurst

Let’s look at an example of Paul writing Hebrew thoughts in the Greek language. Keep in mind that Paul grew up bilingual in Greek and Aramaic (the “Hebrew” of his day), and appears to have been familiar with a couple … Continue reading →

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Don’t Blame God

Posted on April 5, 2020 by ehurst

So far as we can tell, one of the earliest theological controversies in New Testament times was the business of God’s sovereignty and our temptation. The real issue was the difference between the ancient Hebrew intellectual traditions versus the Hellenized … Continue reading →

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Uncovering Nakedness

Posted on February 16, 2020 by ehurst

In the Old Testament, the phrase “uncovering someone’s nakedness” was invariably a reference to sexual intercourse. Even if it was a private thing, as sex should be, it could be tantamount to a public humiliation. It was something degrading and … Continue reading →

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Why We Teach Biblical Law

Posted on November 25, 2019 by ehurst

Among the many different ways we might formulate an answer to the question in the title, there’s one that really matters: keeping morality conscious. The power of human coercion is emotion. The negative emotions that bind us all tend to … Continue reading →

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