The first book of the Bible is one that has always intrigued its readers. Here’s a profile of the contents and context of this inspired work.
Earliest Date
The traditional view says that Moses composed Genesis during or shortly after the Exodus (1400-1200 BC). This was the standard belief of ancient Israel and early Christianity. Later, there was some debate (lacking satisfying proof) over whether it was written closer to 900-500BC. However, nearly everyone seems to agree that the accounts themselves preserve much older material.
Historical Coverage
Genesis spans from creation to the death of Joseph in Egypt. During this period, major events like the Flood, the Tower of Babel, and the Patriarchs. Depending on what source you use you’ll find timelines from 2,600 years (Masoretic chronology) to over 5,000 years (According to Flavius Josephus).
Incredible Accuracy
The universe had a definite beginning, but before that was acknowledged, it was something that even 19th century scientists resisted.
Humans are made from the “dust of the earth.” Modern biochemistry shows the human body is literally made of the same elements found in soil—carbon, iron, oxygen, trace metals.
Purpose
To explain the origins of the world and humanity. It answers big questions like where everything came from and why we exist. It explains why the world we live in is both beautiful and broken.
It establishes Israel’s Identity. The twelve tribes and their ancestry would trickle down through history to produce the promised Messiah (Gen. 49.8-12).
Genesis records those who lived for hundreds of years and it’s nearly unbelievable for some people and for others— it is. Look at some examples from Genesis chapter five:
V.17
“Thus all the days of Mahalalel were 895 years, and he died.”
V.20
“Thus all the days of Jared were 962 years, and he died”
V.27
“Thus all the days of Methuselah were 969 years, and he died.”
Some of the best historians of the first Century believed what the Bible says about how long people lived.
Here’s what Josephus has to say in regard to the ancients:
“God afforded them a longer time of life on account of their virtue, and the good use they made of it in astronomical and geometrical discoveries, which would not have afforded the time of foretelling [the periods of the stars] unless they had lived six hundred years; for the great year is completed in that interval. Now I have for witnesses to what I have said, all those that have written Antiquities, both among the Greeks and barbarians; for even Manetho, who wrote the Egyptian History, and Berosus, who collected the Chaldean Monuments, and Mochus, and Hestieus, and, besides these, Hieronymus the Egyptian, and those who composed the Phoenician History, agree to what I here say: Hesiod also, and Hecatseus, Hellanicus, and Acusilaus; and, besides these, Ephorus and Nicolaus relate that the ancients lived a thousand years.“
Many ancient mythologies and legends feature tales of humans living for thousands of years. While many of those tales are likely exaggerated or even entirely false, it makes one wonder where and why cultures around the world would “imagine” the same motif.
Here are just a few notable examples:
Sumerian King List:
This ancient text from Mesopotamia records kings who reigned for thousands of years before the Great Flood. The very first on the list being Alulim who was the first ruler of Eridu, Sumer. Not only was he believed to be a god for years after his death, but he’s believed to have reigned for over a thousand years. Some of the rulers are said to have had lifespans exceeding 10,000 years.
Hindu Mythology:
In Hindu texts, the concept of Yugas describes epochs of time, and during the Satya Yuga, it is believed that humans had much longer lifespans, sometimes said to be thousands of years.
Chinese Mythology:
Figures like Xuanzang (Tripitaka) and the Eight Immortals are often depicted as living for long periods. The legend of Queen Mother of the West also includes tales of long lifespans.
Greek Mythology:
Certain demigods and heroes, like Heracles, are granted extended lives or even immortality through various means, reflecting a belief in long-lasting life.
Norse Mythology:
While not explicitly stating that humans lived thousands of years, the concept of Ragnarök and the idea of the those living for very long periods contributes to this notion.
Egyptian Mythology:
Some of their first recorded pharaohs were believed to have existed for thousands of years.
Daniel prophesied of the Persian and Greek eras of Israelite history. The angel interpreted that for us, so there’s no mystery there. That mean man of the Diadochi, Antiochus Epiphanes, is described with his persecution lasting 2300 days. It was concluded by the Rededication of the Temple by Judas Maccabee, and that day became the Jewish Festival of Lights (John 10:22).
Daniel 11-12
The number of days in this query are set in a prophetic history that covers the entire second temple era of Judaism.
It relates the Persian kings to the conquest of Alexander the Great, to the break-up of that empire into the Diadochi, to the rise of Antiochus Epiphanes and the Maccabees, to the Roman conquest of the East, to Herod the Great, and to the final Destruction of Judea by the Roman generals and the Zealots.
Some of the final verses in this vast prophecy are referred to by Jesus in the address on Mount Olive (Dan. 12:1,11; Matt.24:15,21).
The interpretation of these number of days must fit into this first century time period (the end of the Second Temple Era).
Abomination of Desolation
According to the synoptic section in Luke, the Abomination of Desolation (that which makes desolate) was the Roman Legions (Luke 21:20). The number of days that those armies marched up and down the land of Judea was 1290! Recall that Jesus warned His disciples to flee Judea, not just Jerusalem.
This devastation was widespread with villages being torched in Galilee, Perea, Samaria, and Judea proper, with supply lines cut off from Jerusalem. When the soldiers finally besieged Jerusalem their fate was sealed— literally! All of this time period (with dates) is recorded by an eyewitness Jewish general by the name Flavius Josephus who had been captured.
The 1335th Day
The city of Jerusalem had its three defensive walls breached. The inhabitants were slaughtered. The Temple was burned and torn down just like Jesus said. Everything was trampled down except for a Herodian palace in the Upper City where the last Jews barricaded themselves and refused to surrender. It’s estimated that they had plenty of water and food supplies to last for an unknown period of time. The walls were so thick the Roman General, Titus, decided to wait it out.
But amazingly, the remaining Zealots opened the gates on the 1335th day of this war!
Note the remarks of Josephus’s history concerning Titus’s surprise:
“Now when Titus came into this (upper city), he admired not only some other places of strength in it, but particularly those strong towers which the tyrants in their bad conduct had relinquished; for when he saw their altitude, and the largeness of their several stones, and the exactness of their joints, and also how great was their breadth, and how extensive their length, he expressed himself…’We have certainly had God for our assistant in this war, and it was no other than God who ejected the Jews out of these fortifications; for what could the hands of man or any machine do towards overthrowing these towers?’” (Wars, VI,9:1)
If the tyrants had stayed in the fortress, the Roman Legions would have stayed around the territory and continued to massacre the Jewish people. The soldiers had seen the despicable display of gross inhumanity the Zealots committed on each other and innocent people, and they had no mercy for them. But as Jesus said, with the mysterious surrender— the killing would stop:
“And except those days be shortened, there would no flesh be saved, but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”
(Matthew 24:21-22)
Conclusion
These days, 1290 and 1335, are seen fulfilled by recorded history. There is no need for guessing or speculation. They fit the time period required by the chapters 11-12 which end with the topic of the Ending of the Jewish Era. It is this same topic that Jesus dealt with in the first half of the Olive lesson, which Jesus said was to occur within that generation (30-70 A.D).
No, these days do not refer to any Great Tribulation at the End of the World. These prophesied days were fulfilled to the day— in the first century! They’re important because they mark the end of the Old Testament economy, and the rise of the fantastic Kingdom of God.
(Hebrews 8:13, Luke 13:35, 16:16; the years 30-70 A.D. were transitioning times)
Previously we have discussed the importance of knowing for certain that Jesus lived on this earth. The power of His resurrection begins with the hope of His birth. We are all in need of a Savior. Thankfully, 2,000 years ago God sent His Son to take on flesh. He willingly came and left an example for us to imitate. Secular historians all agree that Jesus of Nazareth really did exist. But there’s more to this that we need to study. He lived, oh yes, He LIVED. But we also need to understand that He Died.
Scripture says that, in John 19:18, “There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between.” Mark 15:39 adds, “When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
Scripture tells us that not only did Jesus live on earth, He was also put to death. John tells us that Jesus hung on a cross between two criminals. Mark records the response of a Roman centurion who saw the way Jesus died and said, “Truly this man was the Son of God.”
God in flesh and blood hung on a cross for my sins, for the sins of the world. For me, having several biblical authors record the death of Jesus is more than enough proof. But let’s see what secular history has to say about His death.
The Roman historian Tacitus said this in AD 117, “Their originator, Christ, has been executed in Tiberius’ reign, by Pontius Pilate.” Even Jesus’ worst enemies record His death. The Jewish Rabbis and Religious leaders wrote this in the Talmud, “Jesus of Nazareth was a transgressor in Israel who practiced magic, scorned the words of the wise, led the people astray, and said that he had not come to destroy the law but to add to it. He was hanged on Passover Eve for heresy and misleading the people.”
The truth is, Jesus surely died for you and me. Scripture clearly teaches this, and so do many secular historians. For us to fully grasp the power of what comes next, we’ve got to believe that Jesus lived and that He died on a cross for you and me.
“The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them; the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown.”
(Gen.6.4).
“And there we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak who come of the Nephilim; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”
(Num.13.32-33).
A HUGE HISTORY
The Sumerian culture has become famous for their giants. However, nearly every ancient culture had legends and records of either a co-existence with giant races or knowledge of them. Some of their megalithic structures were even allegedly built by them, with many ancient cultures indicating that they were ruled by giants. The Norse, Egyptians, Greeks, Native American, Mesopotamian, and South American cultures represent just a fraction of the ancient societies whose legends and early mythology are dominated by tales of giants.
SUPERSIZED SIDE-BY-SIDE
GOLIATH – 11th Cen. BC – Height: 9’9”
KING OG – 11th Cen. BC – Height: ~12’
KING GILGAMESH – 26th Cen. BC – Height: 18’
ENOCH’S GIANTS – 200-300 BC – Height 450’
The following accounts and descriptions come from a Newspaper published in 1905 called the Lawrence Daily Journal (03, JUN, Pg. 3)
ROUEN GIANT
“In 1830 one of these giants, who was exhibited at Rouen, was ten feet high…
FANNUM
“…lived in the time of Eugene II., was 11 feet in height.”
TENERIFFE GIANT
“The Chevalier Scrog in his journey to the Peak Teneriffe found in one of the caverns of that mountain the head of a giant who had 60 teeth and who was not less than 15 feet high.”
KENTOLOCHIS REX
“In 1623 near the castle in Dauphine a tomb was found 30 feet long. 16 feet wide and eight feet high. on which were cut in gray stone the words “Kentolochis Rex.” The skeleton was found entire and measured 25¼ feet high, ten feet across the shoulders and five feet from breastbone to the back.”
FARRAGUS
“Slain by Orlando, the nephew of Charlemagne, according to reports, was 28 feet high.”
ISOLENT
“In 1814 near St. Gernad was found the tomb of the giant who was not less than 30 feet high.”
HOGSHEAD
“Near Magrino, in 1816, was found the skeleton of a giant of 30 feet, whose head was the size of a hogshead and each tooth weighed 5 ounces.”
SICILY GIANTS
“Near Palermo, Sicily, in 1516 was found the skeleton of a giant 30 feet high, and in 1559 another 44 feet.”
What Happened To The Giants?
The post-fall and post-flood world began the slow decline in height and strength of the giant races. Thoughtful theories and speculations are proposed such as the deterioration of their DNA through genetic lines, radical changes in earth’s atmosphere, and possible health-related issues. While the more scientific explanation(s) could shed light on their decline and ultimate disappearance, the philosophy of Occam’s razor says that the most simplistic answers are the closest to the truth.
The simple answer? Many accounts describing giants depict them as mighty warriors. Their heads were highly coveted trophies of war and any giant-slayer was surely bound to be immortalized in history. The harrowing attempts to kill a giant on the battlefield were successful and those men reached legendary status— their stories told for thousands of years (2 Samuel 23.8-38).
While the regional and genetic factors play a part in the shrinking stature of giants in the archeological record, it seems that their height may also give one an indication of their age and placement on the historical timeline. The closer to the present day period, the smaller they became. The days of lumbering 40’ tall terrors were numbered and their descendants were born with heads much closer to the ground.
Non-Canonical Coincidences
JOSEPHUS
Ist Century Historian Flavius Josephus writes in his Antiquity to the Jews, “For which reason, they (Israelites) removed their camp to Hebron; and when they had taken it, they slew all the inhabitants. There were till then left the race of giants, who had bodies so large, and countenances so entirely different from other men, that they were supposing to the sigh and terrible to the hearing. The bones of these men are still shown to this very day, unlike to any credible relations of other men.”
THE BOOK OF ENOCH
Extra-biblical texts such as the famous book of Enoch and its accompanying Book of Giants serve as valuable supplementary material backing the biblical claims of giants and their existence. While mere fragments were recovered from the Qumran site in the 1950s, the texts are fascinating. Here’s a portion from the manuscripts translated by Dr. H. B. Henning, a German scholar and expert in Iranian languages:
“Thereupon the giants began to kill each other and [to abduct their wives]. The creatures, too, began to kill each other. . . before the sun, one hand in the air, the other . . . whatever he obtained, to his brother . . . . imprisoned . . . . . . over…To the angels . . . from heaven. to . . . threw (or: was thrown) into the water. Finally. . . in his sleep saw three signs, [one portending . . .], one woe and flight, and one . . . annihilation. Narīmān saw a gar[den full of] trees in rows.”
TIMELINE OF ACCOUNTS
1519 – Diaz Castillo sees the remains giants who once roamed the land in ancient Tlaxcala, Mexico. In his book, “The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz Del Castillo,” he recalls, “They (the Tlaxcalan tribe) said their ancestors had told them that very tall men and women with huge bones had once dwelt among them. But because they were very bad people with wicked customs they had fought against them and killed them, and those of them who remained had died off. And to show us how big these giants had been they brought us the leg-bone of one, which was very thick and the height of an ordinary-sized man, and that was a leg-bone from the hip to the knee. I measured myself against it, and it was as tall as I am, though I am of a reasonable height. They brought other pieces of bone of the same kind, but they were all rotten and eaten away by soil. We were all astonished by the sight of these bones and felt certain there must have been giants in that land.”
1520 – Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition chronicler writes about a race of giants they encountered while in Patagonia, “But one day we saw a giant who was on the shore, quite naked, and who danced, leaped, and sang, and while he sang he threw sand and dust on his head. Our captain [Magellan] sent one of his men toward him, charging him to leap and sing like the other in order to reassure him and to show him friendship. Which he did. Immediately the man of the ship, dancing, led this giant to a small island where the captain awaited him. And when he was before us, he began to marvel and to be afraid, and he raised one finger upward, believing that we came from heaven. And he was so tall that the tallest of us only came up to his waist. Withal he was well proportioned…” Interestingly, the name Patagonia means “Land of the Bigfeet.”
1608 – Captain John Smith explores the Chesapeake Bay and Lower Susquehanna River where he runs into a tribe of giant Indians. He describes them as “…a giant-like people. They measured the calf of the largest man’s leg, and found it three-quarters of a yard about (twenty-seven inches), and all the rest of his limbs were in proportion.”
1857 – Chief Rolling Thunder of the Comanches, a tribe from the Great Plains, gave the following account of an ancient race of white giants. “Innumerable moons ago, a race of white men, 10 feet high, and far more rich and powerful than any white people now living, here inhabited a large range of country, extending from the rising to the setting sun. Their fortifications crowned the summits of the mountains, protecting their populous cities situated in the intervening valleys.”
1881 – Prof. Timmerman was exploring the ancient ruins of the Isis temple on the banks of the Nile— sixteen miles below Najar Difard. It was here where several tombs dating back to the year 1043 B.C would be excavated for the first time. Inside, not one, but sixty giant skeletons had been buried. The smallest skeleton was an astonishing seven feet and eight inches in length, the largest being eleven feet and one inch. Many stone memorial tablets were also discovered, but there was no record that indicated that they were in memory of the giants. It’s believed that the tombs date back to the year 1043 B.C.
1899 – Horatio Bardwell Cushman penned the following in his book, History of the Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Natchez Indians,
“The tradition of the Choctaws did tell of a race of giants that once inhabited the now State of Tennessee, and with whom their ancestors fought when they arrived in Mississippi in their migration from the west. … Their tradition states the Nahullo (race of giants) was of wonderful stature.”
1907 – Friar Alonso de Espinosa travels to Tenerife, the largest island of the Canary Islands, to convert the natives. In Espinosa’s book he writes about the locals, “This people had very good and perfect features and well shaped bodies. They were of tall stature, with proportionate limbs. There were giants among them of incredible size; and that it may not appear fabulous, I will not repeat what is said on the subject. Of one it is generally said, as verified and ascertained fact, that he was fourteen feet high and had eighty teeth in his mouth. It is said that the great body is in Guadamoxete, the ancient burial place of the Kings of Guitar, whose nephew he was. He fell in a battle with the King of Tegueste, and they say that, having been killed by the enemy, one of his lineage took his banot (a kind of weapon) to avenge his death, which he did.”
I’ve got a jar on my desk and members of the Tompkinsville church of Christ have filled it with some very interesting questions! Here’s some of the latest for your enjoyment.
Q. Does God Change His Mind?
A. No, but He is merciful and at times His anger relents towards the sinful. When a sinner turns to God, He doesn’t change His mind but rather follows through with His predestined promise to save.
“God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem.But as the angel was doing so, the LORD saw it and was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough!”
– I Chron. 21.15
And he (Jonah) prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.
– Jonah 4.2
See also Hebrews 13.8 to read more about God’s unchanging nature.
Q. When a young man is baptized, should he still be taught by a lady?
A. Check out the article “Baptized Boys And Bible Class” on this blog. It goes into greater detail, but here’s an excerpt.
“First, it misses who is included in 1 Timothy 2:12. The Greek word translated “man” is the verse specially means “man, husband, sir.” All males are not under consideration. The Greek has words for child, including “infant” or “half-grown child” (Mat. 2:21), “child,” “son” or “daughter” (Mat. 10:21), and “young man” (Mat. 17:18). None of those words is used in 1 Timothy 2:12. The Holy Spirit chose the specific word meaning “adult man.” Boys eleven or twelve are not men!”
Q. Was John the Baptizer the first to baptize others?
A. He was the first one mentioned to be baptizing in the N.T. (Matt. 3.4-5) but he wasn’t the first to perform or facilitate a baptism. This goes all the way back to the book of Leviticus where ritual cleansing was common. You can still find ancient Mikveh’s in Jerusalem today were Jews would purify themselves according to their practices. The concept of submersion wasn’t a cultural novelty— but its significance changed with the arrival of Jesus.
Q. 1 John speaks of a plurality of “anti-Christ’s,” does that mean they’re multiple and also the end of the world is near?
A. An “anti-christ” is simply one who is against Christ. While there seems to be an individual known as “The Man of Lawlessness” who will make an appearance in the last days, his identity is speculated.
“Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.” – 2 Thess. 2.3
This topic is still hotly debated within the church. Throughout the years many have pondered over who the individual(s) might be. Names like Hitler, Pol Pot, the catholic papacy, and even an abstract idea where the Man of Lawlessness is simply “evil personified.” A modern idea that seems to be gaining traction is that artificial intelligence could be the “man” referred to in 2 Thess. The author of this post isn’t entirely sold on any of these ideas.
Q. Did all the animals talk in the Garden of Eden?
A. It’s interesting to note that the text in Genesis doesn’t indicate that Eve was surprised or frightened by a speaking serpent. We know that the serpent was among the “wild animals” God had made and is described as “crafty” (Gen. 3.1). The word “crafty” doesn’t necessarily indicate that it was the only animal that had the ability to speak. While Martin Luther believed the serpent was possessed by Satan, Flavius Josephus seemed to believe that all animals could speak during this time.
“At that epoch all the creatures spoke a common tongue” (Jewish Antiquities, I .41).
We won’t know one way or the other on this side of eternity, it’s interesting to read about a conversation between a man and a donkey in Numbers 22.
Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”
Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.”
The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?”
“No,” he said. – 22.28-30
Once again, if Balaam was taken back by his donkey’s sudden ability to speak, the text doesn’t record that reaction.
In 2018 a team at the Marineland Aquarium in Antibes, France, taught an orca whale named Wikie to speak. She was able to say the words “hello,” “good bye,” and “one, two, three.” Orcas and several species of birds have the vocal ability to speak the human tongue, so perhaps there’s some truth to Josephus’ claim.
The Herodian dynasty actually began during the civil wars of the first century B.C., when Palestine passed from Hasmonean (a Jewish family that included the Maccabees) into Roman rule. “The name ‘Herod’ is Greek and originated with a shadowy ancestor about whom, even in antiquity, little was known. Two ancient traditions make him either a descendant of a notable Jewish family with a lineage traceable to the Babylonian exile or a slave in the temple of Apollo in the Philistine city of Ashkelon. Neither can be proved” (Achtemeier 385). For well over a century and a half, the Herods would figure prominently in the Roman government under a multitude of emperors from 67 B.C. to about 100 A.D. The first ruler of this dynasty is Antipater I, who is appointed governor of Idumaea by the Hasmoneans. The Idumaeans are forced to “convert” to the Jewish faith, making them Jews at least in name. Meanwhile, Antipater’s son, Antipater II, through military and political savvy, earned Roman citizenship for his family and positions of power for his oldest two sons, Phasael and Herod. The latter was named governor of Galilee and was ultimately known as “Herod the Great.”
“Herod the Great” is the first of this dynasty to be mentioned in Scripture. He has a long reign characterized by guile, violence, and political alliance. By the time we read about him at the birth of Jesus, he’s months from dying. He had had ten wives and borne several sons who would fight with each other before and after his death. He had won acclaim among the Romans for his grandiose building projects, including the city of Sebaste, Strato’s Tower, Caesarea Maritime, Masada, Machaerus, the Herodium in Perea, the Alexandrium, Cypros, Hyrcania, and the Herodium southeast of Bethlehem (ibid. 386-387). No doubt his greatest architectural achievement was the extravagant rebuilt Jewish temple in Jerusalem, which the disciples of Jesus took such great pride in (Mark 13:1).
This Herod is shown to be cunning (Mat. 2:7), deceitful (Mat. 2:8), violent-tempered (Mat. 2:16), and vicious (Mat. 2:16-19). Information gleaned from outside the Bible confirm these character traits. Josephus especially chronicles Herod’s depravity with reams of material about murders he committed, intrigues he entered into, and power struggles he fought (Antiquities 14-18). Blomberg observes,
It is often observed that there are no other historical documents substantiating Herod’s “massacre of the innocents.” But given the small size of Bethlehem and the rural nature of the surrounding region, there may have been as few as twenty children involved, and the killings would have represented a relatively minor incident in Herod’s career, worthy of little notice by ancient historians who concentrated on great political and military exploits (68).
In addition to what we read of him in Matthew 2, “many of Herod’s building projects serve as backdrops for events of the New Testament” (Winstead, n.p.). Bethlehem is near the Herodium. Gospel writers repeatedly reference his rebuilt Jerusalem temple (John 7-10). The book of Acts refers to his coastal city of Caesarea, called Caesarea Maritima (Acts 8; 21:8; 23:33)–different from Caesarea Philippi in Matthew 16:13. As a living legacy to his wickedness, three of his sons disputed over what and how much territory they would rule. Augustus Caesar settled the matter by dividing the kingdom “but withholding the royal title of “king” from all of the heirs” (Garcia-Treto 378).
The most notable thing about a man who pursued and was granted a measure of earthly greatness is the contrast between himself and the baby Jesus, “king of the Jews” (Mat. 2:2). He sought power and greatness. Jesus emptied Himself to be born in our likeness (Phil. 2:5-7). Herod sought self-preservation, but Jesus came for our preservation (1 Tim. 1:15). Herod jealousy guarded his position, but Jesus “gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). We will see the contrast between Jesus’ kingdom and the sordid legacy of King Herod, revealed in what the Bible says of his wicked descendants.
Sources Cited
Achtemeier, Paul J., Harper & Row and Society of Biblical Literature. Harper’s Bible dictionary 1985 : 385. Print.
Blomberg, Craig. Matthew. Vol. 22. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992. Print. The New American Commentary.
Garcia-Treto, Francisco O. “Herod.” Ed. Mark Allan Powell. The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (Revised and Updated) 2011 : 378. Print.
Winstead, Melton B. “Herod the Great.” Ed. John D. Barry et al. The Lexham Bible Dictionary 2016 : n. pag. Print.
Herod’s Palace at Masada (Photo Credit: Kathy Pollard, July 2017)
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