In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, the king begins a restoration of the Temple. The writer of Chronicles informs us that “the kings of Judah had let [it] go to ruin.” In this class, we go through the texts of the books of Kings and Chronicles, comparing and contrasting the accounts of each from […]

To understand a text, we need to know the circumstances that form the setting. We need to know the context. The words of Jeremiah then MUST be understood within his world, the events of which are presented in 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, the prophetic books of Jeremiah, Zephaniah, and some of Ezekiel. Context provides clarity. […]

His “ministry” began 40 years before the destruction of the Temple and a great exile. He predicted that the beautiful Temple which he called a den of robbers (or cave of violent ones), would be destroyed. The priests considered him enemy number one and plotted against him, even seeking his life. He criticized his people […]

We learn from the Book of Jeremiah that his prophetic career overlaps the days of King Josiah. Jeremiah first hears the word of the LORD in the 13th year of Josiah’s reign, and his prophecies extend until the captivity. The Books of Kings and Chronicles say that during Josiah’s days, a significant revival/reform took place, […]

What do we know about prophecy in the time of Josiah (640-609 BCE)? According to the biblical narrative sources, we know that Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:1-3) and Zephaniah (Zephaniah 1:1) were hearing from God during the reign of Josiah. But readers of these texts are left with questions. Did Josiah even know these two prophets? The […]

Many have noted that the Bible’s Book of Jeremiah, in its present form, is NOT in chronological order. To properly understand the World and Words of the Prophet Jeremiah we must first determine the correct order and arrangement of the materials and THEN study the words, prophecies, and narratives. In this class we show that […]

This series covers the World and Words of the Prophet Jeremiah. In this class we begin to sort out the events from the beginning. In order to do so we orient ourselves to the unfolding narratives contained in Jeremiah by providing the background to some of the characters mentioned in the book. We also uncover […]

This series covers the World and Words of the Prophet Jeremiah. In class one, I introduce the new series and show multiple scribal hands in the Book of Jeremiah. I also shed light on Jeremiah’s village of Anathoth. We learn in the superscription that Jeremiah is of the priests in Anathoth in the land of […]

Jews and Christians believe that Moses wrote the Torah. Scriptural evidence supports this view.  According to the texts of the Hebrew Bible, the Torah that Moses wrote is referred to by several phrases: Sefer ha-Torah, Sefer Moshe, Torat Moshe, Sefer torat Moshe, and torat Moshe avdi. This class works through each of these, establishing that […]

In 1875, Cecil Francis Alexander penned a poem called The Burial of Moses. The opening stanza says By Nebo’s lonely mountain On this side Jordan’s wave In a Vale in the land of Moab There lies a lonely grave And no man knows that sepulcher And no man saw it e’er For the angels of […]