Cataloging the New Testament's Hebraisms: Part 1

The most frequent question Jerusalem Perspective receives from readers is: "Have you published a list of Hebraisms in the New Testament?" In an attempt to respond to JP readers' interest, we launch a series of blogs on Hebraisms in the New Testament. In this series, David Bivin identifies and clarifies the meaning and personal, practical significance of hundreds of Hebraisms buried in the Greek of the New Testament.

The "Hypocrisy" of the Pharisees

Without reading the Scriptures carefully, and without a familiarity with Second Temple-period extra-biblical sources, a simple reader of the New Testament might assume that a majority of the Pharisees were hypocrites and that the Pharisees as a movement were a "brood of vipers."

Sensational New Articles at JerusalemPerspective.com!

JerusalemPerspective.com has become synonymous with the clearest, most accurate and most up-to-date information about the life and words of Yeshua (Jesus). Jerusalem Perspective does not rest on its laurels, but works continuously to add content to an already important learning resource.

Why Learn to Speak a Dead Language?

You might inquire, “Now that you’re a pensioner, what, for Heaven’s sake, do you do with all your spare time?” Well, other than playing with my four grandsons, ages 7, 5 and 3 (twins), I don’t have much to do. ☺

JerusalemPerspective.com Can Help You Find Answers!

You are studying your Bible and you read Jesus' words in Matthew 6:22-23, "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness" (KJV). You scratch your head wondering what Jesus meant by "single eye" and "evil eye." JerusalemPerspective.com can help you find the answer.

What's Happening to the Holy Tongue?

Day by day, Modern Hebrew is enriched by the vocabulary of many languages, but particularly by English, the world's "international language." Hebrew picks up hundreds of English words each year. Such borrowings from English, written in Hebrew letters, feel Hebrew to most Israelis. Usually, Hebrew speakers are not aware that such loan words did not originate in Hebrew.

Our Knowledge of Greek: An Embarrassment to the Profession!

We New Testament scholars and Greek professors are often embarrassed by our level of Greek fluency, even after, as in my case, 35 years of studying this ancient biblical language. A lack of true fluency in Greek, active knowledge of the language as opposed to passive, is the scourge of our professions. Finding ourselves in this situation, our disappointment is real, but it is kept hidden from the general public.

New Basic Book for Jewish Roots Studies

"Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus" has just appeared, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Please read this book, and then tell your friends about it. Spangler and Tverberg's book is the best entry-level introduction to the subject of "Jewish Roots" that has been written. By the way, Dr. Tverberg was co-editor (with Bruce Okkema) of my "New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus."

Hebrew as a Spoken Language in First-century Israel

An extremely interesting discussion is now taking place on the Bible Translation Discussion List (Bible-Translation@lists.kastanet.org). Jack Kilmon has stated (13Nov08), “Jesus/Yeshua's native language was Aramaic. That is no longer disputed in serious scholarship,” and (15Nov08), “There is no evidence whatsoever...

Views That Have Vanished: The Photographs of David Bivin

I have wonderful news to share with you. Forty-five years ago, when I first came to Israel, I was an avid photographer. Throughout the 1960s, I traveled all over the country with my camera in hand, taking pictures of beautiful landscapes, archaeological excavations, and cultural events. After about a decade and several thousand photographs, I put the camera aside and turned to other pursuits. When publishing Jerusalem Perspective magazine (in the 1980s and 1990s), I had great need of images for the magazine, but time and technology never allowed me to make use of those photos. About four years ago, I approached Todd Bolen (founder of BiblePlaces.com) with the idea of creating a digital collection from the best of my photographs. Today, I am pleased to announce that the collection is finished and available.