In Hebrews and the Temple Philip Church argues that the silence of Hebrews concerning the temple does not mean that the author is not interested in the temple. He writes to encourage his readers to abandon their preoccupation with it and to follow Jesus to their eschatological goal. Following extensive discussions of attitudes to the temple in the literature of Second Temple Judaism, Church turns to Hebrews and argues that the temple is presented there as a symbolic foreshadowing of the eschatological dwelling of God with his people. Now that the eschatological moment has arrived with the exaltation of Christ to the right hand of God, preoccupation with the temple and its rituals must cease.
Walk from creation to eternity in a way guaranteed to change your view of the world. You'll finally understand the war Satan is waging against God and how that conflict has affected history, including the persecution of Jewish people and Christians.
This book gives readers a fresh understanding of the life, ministry and teachings of Jesus. It helps to narrow the gap between 'the historical Jesus' and 'the Christ of faith'.
"New Testament writers drew heavily from Old Testament Scriptures as the demonstrated the fulfillment of the plan and promises of God in Christ. The New Testament is filled with such quotations, but their use raises several problems. How do we account for the occasions when the New Testament writers seem to take liberties with the Hebrew text, or when the wording of other New Testament citations of the Old Testament is closer to the Greek Septuagint (LXX) than to the original Hebrew? [The authors] have undertaken a systematic study of the use of Old Testament quotations in the New Testament. In three parallel columns for ready reference and study they have affixed the Masoretic Hebrew, Septuagint, and Greek New Testament texts pertinent to each quotation. A fourth column-- the largest segment of the valulable language tool--provides a critical commentary of orthographic, linguistic, and textual notes on the 312 entries. In addition, the authors include the results of a statistical survey in which every quotation is assigned to one of six levels to determine its degree of difficulty regarding the faithfulness of the New Testament to the Old Testament quotation. Helpful introductory material, including complete cross-references to the tool in both Old and New Testament order, make the work invaluable to scholars and students alike" -- BOOK JACKET from Moody Press.
The book of Hebrews appeared during a critical time in the history of the early church. The destruction of Jerusalem was impending and many of the believers believed the end of the world was near. However, Paul warned the church against entertaining a false hope, for he knew they were misguided with their beliefs. It was a critical time—the apostles were passing away, and soon the church would be left alone. It was in this hour of perplexity that the book of Hebrews appeared with needed light and comfort. The people needed a clear conception of the work Christ was doing for them in the courts above, and this book explained the delay in His return, and restored their wavering faith. The conditions and problems which the church then had to meet are not unlike those facing the church today. While the early church was living at the time of the fulfillment of the first part of Christ’s prophecy—the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the temple, we are living at the time of the fulfillment of the second part of the prophecy—the coming of the Lord Jesus in the clouds of heaven. As there was misconceptions of Christ’s work in the sanctuary then, so there are those now who likewise err. There is as much need today of a thorough study of the Scriptures as there was then, and more so. The book of Hebrews was a great factor in stabilizing the apostolic church in the crisis hour before the fall of Jerusalem, and it is hoped that a discussion of the mighty themes of the book of Hebrews will be of some help to the church of God today. All need to have their eyes fastened on our great High Priest and the work He is doing in the sanctuary above. And may it be the blessed privilege of many with “boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh.” (Heb. 10:19, 20.) This was the prayer and hope of the author of Hebrews, and this also is the hope of the author of this volume.
In the nineteenth century, it was a common belief that Native Americans were the descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. Ethan Smith wrote on this topic, and in so doing, challenged the dismissal of the Indigenous Americans by European settlers. Smith used biblical scripture, similarities in the Hebrew and Native American languages and their name for God, and other points of evidence to prove the connection between Israel and the First Nations. From there he showed how the reunited Hebrew tribes would be restored to Zion before the end of the world. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Smith's book is that it is said to have influenced the Book of Mormon, which was published about seven years after later. As a child, Smith moved away from religion after his parents died but found his way back before he turned 20 and worked in the ministry until his death. Smith wrote several books while serving in the ministry in which he explored prophecies and baptism, among other subjects. But this book remains one of the most controversial of all his publications.
The Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the book of Ben Sira can be properly understood only in the light of all contemporary Second Temple period sources. With this in mind, 20 experts from Israel, Europe, and the United States convened in Jerusalem in December 2008. These proceedings of the Twelfth Orion Symposium and Fifth International Symposium on the Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Ben Sira examine the Hebrew of the Second Temple period as reflected primarily in the Dead Sea Scrolls, the book of Ben Sira, Late Biblical Hebrew, and Mishnaic Hebrew. Additional contemporaneous sources—inscriptions, Greek and Latin transcriptions, and the Samaritan oral and reading traditions of the Pentateuch—are also noted.
