Category Archives: Daily Quiet Time

Bible Question: Why Didn’t Joseph Contact Jacob?

Posted on July 7, 2016 by jamesbradfordpate

I have heard a particular Bible question three times in my life.  The question concerns the story of Joseph in the Book of Genesis. You may know the story.  Jacob loved his son Joseph more than his other sons.  Jacob’s … Continue reading →

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Does God’s Knowledge Mean God’s Justice?

Posted on June 30, 2016 by jamesbradfordpate

Is God right just because God knows more than we do?  That question entered my mind years ago when I was reading the Book of Job in the Bible.  And it entered my mind recently when I was going through … Continue reading →

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Were the Pastoral Epistles Responding to the “Acts of Paul and Thecla”?

Posted on May 18, 2016 by jamesbradfordpate

I recently read the “Acts of Paul and Thecla” in The Lost Books of the Bible and the Forgotten Books of Eden. I think it was in an introductory New Testament class that I first heard the idea that the … Continue reading →

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When the Bad Side Can Do Miracles, Too: Apocalypse of Elijah 3 and Gospel of Nicodemus 5

Posted on May 16, 2016 by jamesbradfordpate

Christianity has long regarded Christian miracles as signs that the Christian religion is true: God, through the miracle, is authenticating to people the truth of the Christian religion.  Yet, there appears to be some acknowledgment within the Old and New … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Bible, Daily Quiet Time, Religion | 1 Comment

Exodus 22:2-3 and Self-Defense

Posted on March 26, 2016 by jamesbradfordpate

Exodus 22:2-3 posits a situation in which a thief is breaking into somebody’s home: 2 If a thief is found breaking in, and is beaten to death, no bloodguilt is incurred; 3 but if it happens after sunrise, bloodguilt is … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Daily Quiet Time, Exodus, Rabbinics, Religion | 1 Comment

Not All Together: The Exodus, Prophets, and Kings

Posted on March 15, 2016 by jamesbradfordpate

This will be somewhat of a rambling post, but not horribly rambling.  I will start out with what Philo says about the Exodus in Special Laws II:217-219.  Then, I will interact with a fictional book that I recently read about … Continue reading →

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Leavened and Unleavened Bread in Philo’s Special Laws I-II

Posted on March 14, 2016 by jamesbradfordpate

I have been reading Philo’s Special Laws.  Philo was a first century C.E. Jewish exegete in Alexandria, Egypt.  He interpreted the Torah in light of Greek philosophy.  In Special Laws, he attempts to give a rationale for various laws in … Continue reading →

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Wanderlust: The Parable of the Prodigal Son, Star Trek, and Philo

Posted on March 6, 2016 by jamesbradfordpate

At church this morning, the pastor preached about the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). Earlier in the service, there was a skit about the parable. The pastor made a point about the parable that overlaps with other themes … Continue reading →

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A Comparison of Philo’s Special Laws I with the Epistle to the Hebrews

Posted on March 5, 2016 by jamesbradfordpate

I recently finished Philo’s Special Laws I for my daily quiet time.  Yesterday, I moved on to Special Laws II.  Philo was a first century C.E. Jewish thinker in Alexandria, Egypt.  He interpreted the Torah in light of Greek philosophy. … Continue reading →

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Philo, the Torah, and the Invention of the Cities of Refuge

Posted on March 3, 2016 by jamesbradfordpate

I have been reading Philo’s Special Laws I for my daily quiet time.  Philo of Alexandria was a first century C.E. Jewish thinker in Alexandria, Egypt.  He interpreted the Torah in light of Greek philosophy. Sometimes when I read ancient … Continue reading →

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