Bible History Daily

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Ten Top Biblical Archaeology Discoveries

This free eBook brings together the exciting worlds of archaeology and the Bible in ten top Biblical archaeology discoveries! Learn the stories behind Biblical archaeology finds like the Pool of Siloam in Israel, where the Gospel of John says Jesus miraculously restored sight to a blind man.

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Frank Moore Cross: Conversations with a Bible Scholar

Celebrate the 90th birthday of renowned Biblical and archaeological scholar Frank Moore Cross with a comprehensive but readable overview of his scholarship. This collection of five interviews with Cross by BAR editor Hershel Shanks is a treasure. Professor Cross, who has held the Hancock chair at Harvard for 35 years, is generally regarded by his colleagues with awe.

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James, Brother of Jesus: The Forgery Trial of the Century

After five years, the “forgery trial of the century” has concluded in a Jerusalem courtroom. Defendants Oded Golan and Robert Deutsch await the judge’s verdict, and so does the rest of the world. In this free eBook, Hershel Shanks explains why he believes the now-famous “James Ossuary” inscription is authentic. Plus, he provides behind-the-scenes analysis of the trial and its key players. Be among the first to receive this free eBook—immediately—as soon the trial verdict is handed down. As an added benefit, we’ll send you an English translation of the verdict.

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The Holy Bible: A Buyer’s Guide

Walk through the religion section of any major bookstore, and you’ll see an amazing array of Bibles. The broad selection of translations (also called versions)—and the seemingly endless ways in which they are packaged—is without historical precedent. Rather than the “blessing” it could and probably should be, it may be off-putting. In this free eBook, prominent Biblical scholars expertly guide you through 21 different Bible versions and address their content, text, style and religious orientation.

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The Dead Sea Scrolls—What They Really Say

What are the Dead Sea Scrolls? Why are they important? Learn where the Scrolls were found and by whom, how they came to be acquired (some were even offered for sale through an ad in the Wall Street Journal!) and, most important, how they add to our knowledge of how the Bible was formed and how they illuminate our understanding of Christianity and Judaism.

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I Volunteered for This?! Life on an Archaeological Dig

Ever wondered what it’s like to volunteer on an archaeological dig? This free eBook gives you the know-how to get around and to be forewarned on what to expect from life at an dig site. You’ll be glad to have this informative, amusing and sometimes touching collection of articles by archaeological dig volunteers.

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The Galilee Jesus Knew

Galilee is one of the most evocative locales in the New Testament—the area where Jesus was raised, where many of the Apostles came from, and where Jesus first began to preach. This free eBook focuses on several aspects of Galilee: how Jewish the area was in Jesus’ time, the ports and the fishing industry that were so central to the region, and several sites where Jesus likely stayed and preached.

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Real or Fake? A Special Report

The Biblical Archaeology Society recently convened a conference in Jerusalem of leading scholars from all over the world to assess a number of well-known artifacts that had in recent years been labeled as forgeries. If these artifacts are in fact genuine, they would have a major impact on our knowledge of the Biblical world. Biblical Archaeology Review editor Hershel Shanks offers a detailed report on this important conference in this free eBook.

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The Burial of Jesus

Filmmakers James Cameron (who directed Titanic) and Simcha Jacobovici claim to have identified the tomb of Jesus and his family. The merits of the case will likely take months and perhaps even years to sort out. To get a better sense of the issues involved, consult this free eBook, with articles by prominent archaeologists on the burial customs in ancient Jerusalem, what Jesus’ tomb would have looked like and what we know of Jesus’ family.

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Island Jewels: Understanding Ancient Cyprus and Crete

Take a journey to Cyprus and Crete, two stunning history-laden lands in the Mediterranean. Visit several key historical places on both islands and discover many of the great objects that have been unearthed there by archaeologists. Let the island hopping begin in this free eBook!

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Exploring Jordan: The Other Biblical Land

Other than Israel, no country has as many Biblical sites and associations as Jordan: Mount Nebo, from where Moses gazed at the Promised Land he could not enter; Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John baptized Jesus; Lot’s Cave, where Lot and his daughters sought refuge after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; Madaba, home of a stunning mosaic map of the Holy Land; the lands of the ancient kingdoms of Ammon, Moab and Edom, and many more. Travel with us on our journey into the past in this free eBook.

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Easter: Exploring the Resurrection of Jesus

Not even the intense drama and tragedy of Jesus’ trial, passion, death and burial can prepare one for the utter shock at what comes next in the well-known story: Jesus’ resurrection. In this free eBook, expert Bible scholars and archaeologists offer in-depth research and reflections on the resurrection story.

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The First Christmas: The Story of Jesus’ Birth in History and Tradition

Interested in the Christmas story, and what it meant to the earliest Christians? In this free eBook, expert Bible scholars and archaeologists offer glimpses of the first Christmas as recounted and understood by those who first told the beloved story.

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The Olympic Games: How They All Began

Every two years, the Olympics will draw global attention as people follow the modern version of the world’s most ancient and venerable competition. But what are the origins of this 2700-year-old event? Tracing the enigmatic, mystical genesis of the Greek Olympiad, this free eBook takes us on a journey to ancient Greece with some of the finest scholars of the ancient world. Ranging from the original religious significance of the games to the brutal athletic competitions themselves, this free eBook paints a picture of the ancient sports world and its devoted fans.

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From Babylon to Baghdad: Ancient Iraq and the Modern West

This free eBook brings together ancient Iraq and the cultures of modern Western societies. Learn about the fight to preserve Iraq’s cultural heritage, to save the ancient sites, museums and precious artifacts damaged during the Iraq war.

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Islam in the Ancient World

Interested in the ancient places, people and events of Biblical history that are also a part of the Islamic tradition? This free eBook explore some of Islam’s significant history and sites, bringing a new perspective to Biblical history and traditions. Featuring the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Fihrist, Abraham in the Bible and the Qur’an, Domat Al-Jandal and Qasr Marid.

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Israel: An Archaeological Journey

As the point where three of the world’s major religions converge, Israel’s history is one of the richest and most complex in the world. This free eBook is a collection of articles written by scholars who have first-hand knowledge of their subjects. Sift through the archaeology and history of this ancient land, and get a view of these Biblically-significant sites through an archaeologist’s lens.

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Morris covers topics such as evolution, Darwinism, slavery, apostasy, occultism, and even science and technology, and shows how they correspond to the end-time events.

Morris also steps through the end-time events such as Gog and Magog, Israel becoming a nation, Babylon, the seven-year tribulation, Daniel’s 70^th week, the two witnesses, the image of the beast, the woman in the wilderness, the anti-christ, the millennium, the final judgment, and more, and shows how this war of Satan’s began at the beginning.

This is primarily a book on prophecy, but instead of only focusing on the end-times Morris shows events in history, such as the trouble in the Middle East, and how they all tie together with end-time events. Morris shows how the signs that are given in Scripture of the second coming directly stem from humanism. Morris even explains why we can’t know the time of the rapture.

This book is a fascinating look into end-time events. I was especially interested in the points about science. This book is much needed because it not only covers the ‘how’ of the end-time, but also covers the ‘why’. Without the ‘why’, the purpose of the tribulation and second coming loses its impact. I highly recommend Creation and the Second Coming by Henry Morris.

New Leaf Press provided this book free for this review. I was not required to give a positive review- only an honest review.

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The DVDs include five hours of classroom lectures which covers 10 lessons on archaeological finds and how those finds correlate to events in the Bible, showing the Bible to be accurate and reliable through external corroboration.

The book is a companion to the lectures and includes questions from the lectures, archaeological facts, photos of archaeological artifacts, interviews with archaeologists, a glossary for each chapter, lots of fun cartoons, and more.

The lectures are given by Dr. Stephen Meyer. They are well delivered and filled with fascinating information. Meyer uses visuals and shows what we find in Scripture, and then shows external archaeological evidence that backs up the Bibles’ claims. Meyer delivers strong evidence that the Bible is reliable from an archaeological standpoint.

The companion guide is meant to help guide you through the lectures. It does contain some facts and photos, but there’s not enough in it to use as a carry-with-me defender’s guide. The real strength in this series is the DVD lectures. You’ll want to watch it several times and I recommend taking notes to build your own defender’s guide.

I recommend Is the Bible Reliable? DVD set, as I contains some of the best information out there on Biblical archaeology and puts it in simple enough terms that you don’t have to have a college degree to understand it. These lectures equip you to defend the accuracy of Scripture- and that’s something that is always valuable, both to ourselves and those around us.

Tyndale Publishing provided this review copy for free. I was not required to give a positive review- only an honest review.

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I recently had the chance to make it to Answers in Genesis’ Creation Museum in Petersburg Kentucky (seven miles west of Cincinnati OH.). It was well worth the trip. It took a full day to go through the museum and we could have stayed longer. The museum focuses on creation, but also includes lots of information from creation up to present day including Adam and Eve, Noah’s flood, Abraham, Jesus, the printing press, and more.

There are many video presentations throughout the museum. Some of them are shown in their own theater, including one big special effects theater that includes rain, lightning, and wind. Others are shown along with the exhibits.

One of the main focuses of the museum is Earth science with an impressive explanation as to why the Earth is the way it is today. There are lots of emphasis on geology, fossils, and the flood of Noah.

There are many life-size dinosaur models located throughout the museum. There is a video in a theater room that talks about dragon legends, and explains when the dinosaurs lived and what happened to them.

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There is a life-size construction of Noah’s Ark with animatronic workers building the ark. The model of the ark is around 45 feet high and 20 feet long. You can walk around the ark and see the inside. I liked the technology they show as possible methods used to build the ark. There are several models and cross-sections of the ark with videos that explain the flood.

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There are many models, posters, and videos that give scientific explanations of Earth’s geology. There are many fossils of fish and animals that were buried rapidly. There are two fossils of dinosaur footprints from the Paluxy River. There are several models of landscapes including the Grand Canyon.

Outside there is a botanical garden and a petting zoo that includes a Zorse (cross between a Zebra and a Horse) and a Zonkey (cross between a Zebra and a Donkey).

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There are three food venues and a very nice gift shop that includes many books and videos.

The Creation Museum is very informative and well worth the trip. I highly recommend making a visit to Answers in Genesis’ Creation Museum.

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The authors show why the universe and everything in it seem to be designed by answering the question, are the things of nature the product of mindless forces alone, or did creative reason play a role? They build an argument for intelligent design using science and logic in a way that is easy to follow and understand. They give many examples and analogies that make sense, giving the reader a solid foundation in the concepts of intelligent design.

The science in this book includes many references to other writings such as Michael Behe’s Darwin’s Black Box and Dembski’s own Design Inference, among many others. Scientific topics include problems with Darwinism, the laws of probability, and shows research by many scientists.

The logical arguments build on fallacious analogies that work really well to demonstrate the point. For example, someone seeing Mount Rushmore and coming to the conclusion that it is a natural phenomenon. Other examples used include The Grand Canyon and the shape of Mona Lisa painted into grass. These examples show logical conclusions of something that looks designed.

The book includes current research by design theorists that shows original research that tests claims of materialism and intelligent design.

The information is not bogged down with incomprehensible jargon. Instead, it is very readable, understandable, and memorable. It is a very easy book to recommend, both as an introduction and as a solid resource for intelligent design. Five out of five stars!

I would like to thank InterVarsity Press for this free review copy. My opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.

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Through the complex laws of probability, Rubik’s Cube supports the theory of Creation while disproving the theory of evolution. The basis behind the theory of evolution is that things move from simple to complex by random chance (Ferrel, 2001, p. 777). The theory of evolution claims that random chance is responsible for the existence of life and the universe. Marshall Brain states:

Billions of years ago, according to the theory of evolution, chemicals randomly organized themselves into a self-replicating molecule. This spark of life was the seed of every living thing we see today (as well as those we no longer see, like dinosaurs). That simplest life form, through the processes of mutation and natural selection, has been shaped into every living species on the planet (n.d., How evolution works).

Marshall goes on to say, “Through random mutations and natural selection, evolution has produced mammals of striking diversity from that humble starting point” (n.d., How evolution works). The laws of probability cannot allow this to happen any more than randomly twisting Rubik’s Cube would result in a solved puzzle.

Dr. Henry Morris of the Institute for Creation Research explains the difficulties of probability of random chance:

For example, consider a series of ten flash cards, numbered from one to ten. If these are thoroughly and randomly mixed, and then laid out successively in a linear array along the table, it would be extremely unlikely that the numbers would fall out in order from one to ten. Actually, there are 3,628,800 different ways in which these numbers could be arranged, so that the “probability” of this particular ordered arrangement is only one in 3,628,800. (This number is “ten factorial,” written as 10!, and can be calculated simply by multiplying together all the numbers from one to ten.) (2004, Probability).

Random twisting would not even allow you to see all 43 quintillion (43,252,003,274,489,856,000 to be exact) combinations. As Joyner explains, “Twisting the cube at random would never allow every combination to be seen, no matter how long the cube is twisted and turned” (2001, Mathematics of Rubik’s Cube). Rubik’s Cube cannot be solved by random twists; however, using intelligently designed patterns, Rubik’s Cube can be solved within seconds.

Rubik’s Cube demonstrates the impossibility of random chance bringing order to chaos. As explained by Henry Morris, “Creationists maintain that highly ordered systems could not arise by chance, since random processes generate disorder rather than order, simplicity rather than complexity and confusion instead of ‘information’” (2004, Probability). It took intelligence, not random chance, to create the universe and everything in it. Likewise, it takes intelligence, not random chance, to solve Rubik’s Cube. Rubik’s Cube supports intelligent design.

Henry Morris goes on to say, “..the probability of the chance occurrence of any kind of “information” in a system is very small, and that this probability rapidly diminishes as the complexity of the system increases” (2004, Probability). Morris concludes, “…whenever one sees any kind of real ordered complexity in nature, particularly as found in living systems, he can be sure this complexity was designed” (2004, Probability). The universe is no more a product of random occurrence as is Rubik’s Cube.

Comparing the cubes that make up Rubik’s Cube to DNA, we see that Rubik’s Cube, when taken apart, would reach just a couple of feet across the table. DNA, on the other hand, would stretch to the moon and back 130,000 times (Stanford, 2004). If just a couple of feet of cubes could not happen by chance, or requires intelligence to solve, it is not possible, let alone probable, that DNA could happen by random chance.

Billions of years of random chance did not result in Erno Rubik’s puzzle. Billions of years of evolution did not bring the universe into existence. The existence of Rubik’s Cube demands a designer. More importantly, the existence of the universe demands a designer. There is an intelligent, loving creator and we are his special creation.

References

Brain, M. (n.d.). How evolution works. Retrieved 12-11-2004, from,

http://science.howstuffworks.com/evolution.htm/printable

Ferrel, V. (2001). The evolution cruncher.

Altamont: Evolution Facts, Inc.

Joyner, W. (2003). The mathematics of Rubik’s Cube. Retrieved 10-31-2004, from,            

http://web.usna.navy.mil/~wdj/rubik_nts.htm

Morris, H. (2004). Probability and order versus evolution. Retrieved 12-11-2004, from,           

http://www.icr.org/pubs/imp/imp-073.htm

Rubik’s.com (2004). Cube facts. Retrieved 10-31-2004, from,

http://dev.rubiks.com/lvl3/index_lvl3.cfm?lan=eng&lvl1=inform&lvl2=medrel&l vl3=cubfct Seven Towers, Ltd. (nd) Solutions hints booklet Hong Kong: Winning Moves, Inc.

Standford (2004). What is a gene? Retrieved April 19, 2010 from,

http://www.thetech.org/genetics/feature.php

This article was taken from my final paper for my technical writing class. To read the complete article, which includes instructions to solve Rubik’s Cube in one minute, go here: http://brownsconnection.netfirms.com/rubik%27s_cube.htm

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This is an interesting book. It is easy to read and held my attention through each chapter. The book contains solid information about each theory and lots of references to further your study.

I was impressed with the amount of information about each theory. I also enjoyed the evaluations of the theories. Hundley shows what we should not be concerned about, what we should be concerned about and how we should react to those concerns.

Hundley includes interviews to substantiate his evaluations. For example, he tells what the Mayans REALLY said, how Mayan descendants have understood those predictions, and further shows why we shouldn’t even be concerned with Mayan predictions in the first place.

Even thought this is a Christian perspective, Hundley covers several religious views and treats them all fairly.

I highly recommend this book. The information is straightforward and level headed without even a hint of sensationalism. 5 out of 5 stars!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I’d like to thank Thomas Nelson Publishers for providing me this Book free as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Contents include chronological reading guides, book introductions, and outlines for every book of the Bible. The book is divided into nine epochs, which build a time-line from the beginning of time until the end. The epochs remain interesting through to the end of the book.

This is a beautifully made book. It has full color on every page and the pages are a thick, glossy paper. The articles are very enlightening about the history behind each book, and of the cultures and customs of the time.

This is a well written book. The information is easy to follow and understand, and held my attention. It contains plenty of Biblical paintings, pictures, maps, and time-lines, and makes chronology a very interesting topic.

I highly recommend the Chronological Guide to the Bible. Five out of five stars!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I’d like to thank Thomas Nelson Publishers for providing me this Book free as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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