Food and diet play a major role in the Hebrew Bible, beginning in the Garden of Eden. In this class, we discuss the biblical diets with a focus on the laws of Leviticus chapter eleven and Deuteronomy chapter fourteen. After covering some basic regulations and restrictions, the texts of Leviticus eleven and Deuteronomy fourteen are […]

The meaning, cause, and remedy of the biblical ‫צרעת‬ have been the source of much debate. Traditional translations have rendered the word as leprosy, usually with the somewhat confusing caveat that despite the retention of leprosy, it does not mean leprosy. The root צרע‬ yields our problematic ‫צרעת‬ , proper names, and three occurrences of […]

This class is based on material found in Leviticus 8, 9, and 10. In chapter eight, Aaron and his sons are consecrated for their role as priests. This involves an anointing ceremony from which all later “messiah” studies must be based. In the Pentateuch, only the priest was anointed and therefore referred to as hacohen […]

This is the opening class of the Book of Leviticus. The introduction provides some chronological framework for the Bible’s third book as well as basic information about the contents. The first seven chapters cover a series of types of sacrifices. According to Leviticus, expiation is tied to the sacrificial cult. Repentance alone, per Leviticus, is […]

Of course, we know there is no “DSS Bible” per se, but 40% of the scrolls are from Hebrew Bible texts–but they have significantly different readings, some of which agree with the Greek Septuagint (LXX) and the Samaritan Pentateuch. If you go to the site the live presentation will begin streaming. If you don’t see […]

Ezekiel ben Buzi, the priest and prophet described two “visions of God” in chapters one and ten. In these chapters, he attempts to describe what he saw using a series of similes. The two “visions” are one and the same. What was it that appeared to Ezekiel? And how do these visions relate to the […]

There is more on the Tabernacle than any subject in the Pentateuch, and the central piece of furniture within this holy tent is the chest that was constructed to contain the two tablets of the Testimony or Covenant. What do we know about the making of the chest? Who made it? What was it made […]

The Pentateuch contains two accounts of the sin of the molten calf. The basic story told in both books, says that during Moses’ forty-day stay in the mountain to receive the two stone tablets, the people make a molten calf. God told Moses what they had done and instructed him to go down, further threatening […]

In this teaching, Dr. James Tabor discusses the significance of the Hebrew word עדת – Eduth. The word is used to describe an important object, mentioned numerous times in the Pentateuch. Tabor carefully builds his case by working through the texts to answer the question – what is the Testimony?     Download and Print […]

The Pentateuch spends more time dealing with one subject than any other. It provides a running narrative that describes the command to make it, tells how it will be financed and by whom, and gives us the names of those who will actually construct all of its component parts. It is known as the Tabernacle […]