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The Book of Sirach, also known as Ecclesiasticus or Ben Sira, is a Jewish wisdom text from the Second Temple period, written by Jesus ben Sira around 180-175 BCE in Jerusalem. It is part of the Apocrypha in many Christian traditions and is included in the Septuagint, though it is
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A portion of Psalm 103 paints a powerful reality that calls all of us to join the praises of angels and all of God's creation. They already praise the Almighty, so why can't we join them? Below is the song and the words to another musical
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The books of Enoch preserve many curious visions. At times, they present ideas not mentioned by anyone else. And what always amazes me personally are all the rich details that Enoch texts include. Take this seemingly typical scene where Enoch describes what he saw in heaven, "I saw a
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Marvin R. Wilson is an experienced educator who invites his readers to rediscover the Hebrew foundations of Christian beliefs and practice as he attempts to bridge the worlds of Judaism and Christianity with clarity, depth, and warmth. Wilson presents Christianity as rooted in the story of Israel, the covenant with
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What comes to mind when you hear the word "angel?" Most people visualize some sort of human-looking figure with wings. Yes, some angels do have wings, but wings are not their most common feature. Best we can tell, there are many types of angels, and their duties, not
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The Prophets tells us a story of extraordinary friendship that tests the strengths of family loyalty against true friendship. Samuel’s books tell us that Jonathan loved David deeply as a friend: “he loved him as his own soul.” They have been friends ever since David killed Goliath. Jonathan and
The themes of ruin and restoration are at the core of the Jewish apocalyptic genre. Even the most bitter laments are accompanied by hope when one is tethered to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That is precisely what you will find in The Books of Baruch. This edition
Over the years of teaching, I have often referred my students to the books of Enoch. But most of the time, I did so with some reservations. I knew that the broadly distributed copies they would likely come across would be littered with archaic and hard-to-digest language. Finally, between 2023
If you like perusing Pshir.com, then what are the odds you might enjoy my books? I invite you to consider the titles I highlight below in print, in digital format, or as audiobooks. Paid Subscribers can flip through full digital versions of all these titles inside the READ section.
Do you like to listen to your books? I am excited to announce that thanks to my partnership with Amazon and Audible, some of my new translations are now available as audiobooks! The Apocalypse of Abraham HERE and The Apocalypse of Moses HERE. I personally love holding paper books in
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To put things simply... Because ancient stories about the inner workings of the divine realm, the angels, both fallen and faithful, the origins of corruption, sin, and forbidden knowledge, the visions of the Messiah, and the coming judgment are scattered across ancient books like Enoch. These stories were never meant
I wish to share with you a curious ancient discussion about the inner workings of the temple that once stood in Jerusalem that I came across. Apart from the slaughter of the animals and the smoke that carried the flavor of sacrifices to the heavens, the Jerusalem Temple was a
I would venture to say that most of us have never seen angels, or maybe we have, and we had no idea we even had such an encounter. That, of course, all depends on what you think angels are and what you expect them to look like. The writer of
The Books of Baruch: Four Oracles in New Translation" - this edition presents you with a new, easy-to-read, and culturally nuanced English translation of four ancient oracles: 1 - The Book of Baruch, 2 - The Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch, 3 - The Slavonic Apocalypse of Baruch, and 4
I rarely run into people who tell me that Leviticus is one of their favorite books in the Bible. Many people simply skip most of this book when they read the Bible because it does not speak to them on a spiritual level and does not even make much sense.
Have you ever seen a sign that simply says "Jesus is Coming"? My wife pointed out a better one for me as we traveled together recently. It read, "Jesus is coming, clear your browser history!" Even in modern times, purity is a tangible concern. Naturally, we
There are numerous Bible translations available in English. The number of options is related to the consumer market. English speakers spend more money on Bibles than many others; hence, the marketplace offers consumers a greater variety of choices competing for prominence and influence. Ultimately, publishing books is a complicated undertaking,
Archaeological evidence from the First Temple era is very rare. The main reason is that the temple site has been off-limits for study and excavation in modern times. However, in 2013, a volunteer looking through the dirt that had been excavated from Robinson’s Arch found a 1-centimeter seal impression.
This series of lectures on Paul’s Letter to the Romans explains familiar concepts from a vector you may not have heard before. The structure of the letter itself informs us which topics are primary and which are peripheral. We move chapter by chapter, zeroing in on the most complicated
Miracles of multiplication are great, but they don’t happen every day. And sadly, Elisha is not walking around for us to ask for his help. It’s really something extraordinary and unique as we read these stories. How, besides us running out and getting all the empty jars in
Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans is not easy reading. In my opinion, it is written from the perspective of a missionary to non-Jews, who wants them to understand that they are not the axis, but a part of a much bigger ancient plan. In this message, Paul speaks
Because 1 Baruch was incorporated into the Greek Septuagint (LXX), some are familiar with this ancient text. But many do not realize there are actually four books of Baruch in existence. Therefore, this edition presents a collection of four ancient texts attributed to Baruch in a new, modern, and culturally