Josephus’ writings are the most important extra-biblical account and are of immense value in relation to Jewish history and the Bible. They are of great significance regarding biblical background and also the intertestamental period,
Tacitus provides the important and well-known reference to Jesus being executed during Tiberius’ reign by the governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate. What is not so well known are the other references to the biblical
In addition to the famous extra-biblical reference to Jesus, Suetonius gives useful background on the Caesars mentioned in the Bible and historically corroborates other Bible characters including Felix, Berenice and Quirinius (Acts 23-25; Luke
The book of Daniel foretells Alexander’s meteoric world conquest and that even when he would be strong, his empire would split into four (Daniel 8:5-8; cf. 21-22). Alexander died in his early thirties. 1
Reading both secular and theological books on ancient history, will inevitably engage the reader with the Bible. Earlier this year, I read ‘Egypt of the Pharaohs’ by Sir Alan Gardiner, ‘Assyria’ by Eckart Frahm,
Herodotus (c.490-425BC) was one of the foremost writers in classical literature and some of his historical accounts relate to biblical settings, locations and characters. Cicero famously honoured him with the title, ‘The Father of
Some people assume that since there are historical accounts that adulate the winners and erase their shortcomings, the Bible should be regarded in the category of ‘history written by the victors.’ To answer this
Some hymnal traditions have made great use of singing metric psalms. The psalms were of course set to music and singing Scripture helps us to memorise parts of the Bible and to retain a
The Torah is unequivocally clear that the Israelites are God’s chosen people and also states exactly why. Deuteronomy 7:7-9 explains, “The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you
In the 18th and 19th century, there was an abundance of philosemitic hymns in the United Kingdom. Since so many hymns from that era have been written, I narrowed my search to survey ‘Grace
Is the existence of Israel today an anomaly of history, or a miracle? David Ben Gurion, first prime minister of Israel affirmed, “In Israel, in order to be a realist, you must believe in
Tikvah Films have produced a series of compelling documentaries explaining Britain’s exceptional historical link with Israel as a ‘Cyrus’ nation. This prequel to the Forsaken Promise series commences shortly before the Temple was destroyed
We live in exciting times since several biblical prophecies have been fulfilled in our era, particularly with reference to the re-establishment of Israel as a nation on May 14th, 1948. The prophecy of the
The valley of the dry bones coming to life is probably the most well known passage in the book of Ezekiel and one of the most misinterpreted. It has roused artists and musicians as
In this chapter we see the encouraging dawn of blessings already fulfilled though there are further blessings to come in the Messianic Age. Israel has been inhabited, Jewish people have returned to Israel from
It was a blessing a few years ago when I attended a large gathering in Israel comprised of Messianic Jewish believers and Christian Arabs united in fellowship through Messiah Yeshua. I was encouraged to
On each occasion that I have visited Israel it has never ceased to amaze me that there are rows upon rows of fruit and crops growing in the desert. It is a surreal sight
Since Biblical prophecy is so stunningly accurate, it can be likened to history written in advance. It was written in ancient times, even a few millennia ago that Israel would be scattered and regathered
It is incredible that Eastern European Jewry survived in the light of the pogroms in addition to being systematically brutalised and slaughtered, Jewish people were forced to live in designated areas. The Fiddler on
The Middle Ages and Jewish History in England Until the Modern Age The crusades resulted in a brutal period in Jewish history resulting in intense persecution. Countless lives were cruelly taken, and this was
The history of the Jewish people has been preserved through the Torah, the feasts, archaeology, the land and of course the people themselves. It has been marvelled at by commentators worldwide. If one were