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Bible
The Bible takes its name from the Latin Biblia ('book' or 'books') which comes from the Greek Ta Biblia ('the books') traced to the Phoenician port city of Gebal, known as Byblos to the Greeks. Writing became associated with Byblos as an...
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Passover in the Hebrew Bible
Passover is a Jewish festival celebrated since at least the 5th century BCE, typically associated with the tradition of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. According to historical evidence and modern-day practice, the festival was...
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Threshing Floors of the Bible
The threshing floors of the Bible were outdoor stone floors, usually circular in fashion, used by farmers to process the grain of their crops. For the larger community, like watermills of the recent past, they could be gathering places bustling...
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Ptolemy's Letter to Flora
Although many Christians, theologians, and denominations have advocated for the idea that all biblical texts within the canon are one in spirit, authority, and ultimate authorship, not every reader of the Bible has come to the same conclusion...
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Roger Williams' A Letter to the Town of Providence
Roger Williams (l. 1603-1683 CE) was a Puritan separatist who believed in and advocated for the separation of church and state, claiming that politics corrupted religion. He advocated for this policy in a number of his written works but...
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Lachish Letter II
This is Lachish Letter II, a pottery ostracon with Hebrew inscription. This ostracon is probably a fragment of a wheel-made storage jar. The so-called "Lachish Letters" are documents consisting of potsherds inscribed in black ink (known...
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Ignatius of Antioch & His Letter to the Ephesians
For many people, the origins of the Christian church are shrouded in obscurity outside of the biblical narratives concerning Jesus Christ and his Jewish followers. Yet, after the crucifixion of Jesus and the initial missions work across the...
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Tyndale Bible
A detail of a Tyndale Bible, the first English translations of that work, carried out by William Tyndale (c. 1494–1536). (Bodleian Library, University of Oxford)
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Gutenberg Bible
Gutenberg Bible, printed by Johann Gutenberg, Mainz, c. 1455.
Rare Books Division, Lenox Library.
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Bible Margin Note by Bach
A handwritten notation by the German composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) in his Bible. The passage is 2 Chronicles, ch. 5, verse 13. Translated, the note reads: "N.B. In the music of worship, God is always present with his grace".