Features

Did the Synagogue Replace the Temple?

In 0 C.E. Roman legions destroyed the Jerusalem Temple, Judaism’s holiest structure and the “dwelling place of God’s name.” Despite this loss, Judaism was to survive and prosper. In the following centuries, the synagogue itself came to be seen as a “holy place.” Does this mean, as some people suppose, that the synagogue as […]

Who Returned First—Ezra or Nehemiah?

Forty-seven years after the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in 586 B.C.E. and deported many of the people to exile in Babylon, Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, who had conquered the Babylonians and ruled most of the then-known world, allowed the Jews to return to their ancient homeland. They returned in waves. […]

Why Christians Must Search for the Historical Jesus

Luke Timothy Johnson’s recent article in BR and the book on which it is based raise a question of profound importance for Christian faith and theology. The question is immediately clear from their titles. The book is called The Real Jesus and subtitled The Misguided Quest for the Historical Jesus and the Truth […]

Departments

Lex Talionis and the Rabbis
The Talmud reflects an uneasy rabbinic conscience toward the ancient law of talion, “eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” By Jacob Milgrom
Glimpses of Mary
Although the Gospels appear to give scant attention to Mary, they tell us more than we imagine. By Beverly R. Gaventa