When His Breath Fades Away: How did First Century Jews Mourn for the Dead?
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days . . . And many of the Jews…
When his Breath Fades Away: Burial Rites of First Century Jews
During the last few weeks, I've been finishing up edits on The Tomb, a Novel of Martha, the third book in The Living Water…
A UK Adventure: History, Hiking, and Selfies
How does a trip to the UK with 4 teenagers sound? Exciting? Energetic? Exhausting? Absolutely. And also a great way to make memories as my…
What animals belong in the Creche?
Given my interest in Biblical history, it's no surprise that Christmas decorating at my house includes a lot of nativity scenes. We have plenty…
Unwed and Pregnant in Ancient Israel?
This post received an honorable mention from the Catholic Press Awards when it was published with permission by the Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine in 2018.…
From Laxatives to Brain Surgery: Ancient Medical Practices
In the Old Testament, illnesses were often God’s punishment for sins: “Yahweh will afflict you with consumption, fever, inflammation, with fiery heat and…
What was Ritual Purity in First Century Judaism?
As I’ve said in previous posts, I’m in no way a Jewish scholar. Yet learning about the practice of ritual purity can give us…
Christians and Jews: A Common Foundation in the Word of God
First, let me say that I don't claim to be an expert on Judaism. Still, as I’ve immersed myself in research for The Well,…
A Fall Gourmet Dinner, Biblical Style
When we think of Biblical food, we often think of simple fare: the bread and fish fed to the 5,000, the locusts and wild…
What do demons in the Bible tell us about Jesus?
For the past two weeks,I've shared some of my research into demons and demonic possession in first century Israel and the surrounding lands. I've…