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"The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea." (Hab 2:14)

I would like to invite you to look around my web-site. I do hope and pray that you will find it a help and an encouragement. The main aim is to provide a helpful resource for people wanting to know more about the Bible and how to understand it better.

The Bible study resources are described below. There is a large collection of different articles giving information about the cultural or historical background to the Bible, as well as on more topical subjects. These can all be accessed using the menu to the left of the page.

You can search for page titles using a key word or phrase with the 'Search for page by title' search box at the top of each page. This auto-completes, showing all the pages whose title contains the search word(s). The 'Advanced Search' allows you to search the content of each page by a word or phrase, as well as by Bible books and chapter. At the top right of each page is the Google Translate facility, so you can read the pages in your own language.

There is more information about my background and academic qualifications on the Teaching Ministry page.

Recent additions to the site

A number of new pages have been added recently.

I have added a page which enable a search of archaeological artefacts connected with the Bible which are housed in museums around the world. Links are given to the page on the museum's website which contains high-resolution photographs and more information about the artefact. New artefacts are being added regularly. Currently there are over 200 artefacts from 19 different museums listed. The list can be filtered by the Bible period, ruling empire, the name and location of the museum and by the type of object.

A second search page enables a search of geographical locations mentioned in the Bible. Links are given to Google road maps and satellite view, as well as pages on Wikipedia and Holy Land Photos, if they are available. Currently there are about 90 locations listed in 13 different modern nations. The list can be filtered by the Bible period, and by the modern nation.

There is a new page which provides a facility to convert talents and shekels into modern weights and values. There are many places in the Old Testament where weights of gold and silver are given in Talents and Shekels. It can be interesting to calculate what these would be worth in today's prices.

In the summer of 2023 this site reached another significant landmark. It has now had visitors from two hundred and twenty-five different countries or dependent territories with a unique country code top-level internet domain. There are about 240 different country code top-level internet domains in total, so this site has now had visitors from over 90% of them. It is unlikely that many more will be added, as the remaining ones are mostly small islands.

Bible Study Resources

I have included over three hundred articles covering various areas of Biblical studies. Some contain general information for the historical and cultural background of the Old or New Testaments. Others contain more topical discussions on some controversial subjects. Do take time to browse through them. Over the next months and years, I will be adding many more articles, so do bookmark this site and return again.

Unless otherwise noted, each quotation from the Bible is from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

I have arranged the articles in a number of different categories. Please select the link on the left or below:

The Bible

Pages which look at issues relevant to the whole Bible, such as the Canon of Scripture, as well as doctrinal and theological issues. There are also pages about the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha.

Old Testament Overview

This is a series of six pages which give a historical overview through the Old Testament, showing where each OT book fits into the history of Israel.

New Testament Overview

This is a series of five pages which give a historical overview through the New Testament, focusing on the Ministry of Jesus, Paul's missionary journeys, and the later first century. Again, it shows where each book of the NT fits into the history of the first century.

Old Testament Books

This is an almost complete collection of introductions to each of the books in the Old Testament. Each contains helpful information about the authorship, date, historical setting and main themes of the book.

New Testament Books

This is a collection of introductions to each of the 27 books in the New Testament. Each contains information about the authorship, date, historical setting and main themes of the book.

Old Testament Background

Information about the different nations surrounding Israel, and other articles concerning Old Testament history.

New Testament Background

Articles which give additional information about the history and culture of the first century, giving helpful background knowledge for the Gospels and Paul's travels.

Old Testament Studies

A selection of studies on topics connected with the Old Testament.

New Testament Studies

A collection of in-depth studies on a variety of topics arising from the New Testament.

Old Testament Commentaries

This section includes more detailed commentaries on a selection of Old Testament books, normally working through the text systematically, giving explanations and interpretations. A complete commentary is included for Isaiah and Daniel.

New Testament Commentaries

This includes more detailed commentaries on a selection of New Testament books, normally working through the text systematically, giving explanations and interpretations. A complete commentary is included for the following books: Romans, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Philemon, Hebrews and Revelation.

Inductive Bible Study

Some practical instruction in how to study the Bible inductively, including how to observe, interpret and apply the text.

Types of Literature

This section gives some helpful principles for understanding each of the main types of literature found in the Bible, such as law, prophets, gospels and Revelation.

Geography

A section containing pages looking at the geography of the Bible. It includes a pages to search for geographical sites mentioned in the Bible, photographs of Corinth and Ephesus, and pages to trace Paul's missionary journeys using Google Maps.

Early Church History

A growing collection of short articles about the history of the early church up until around the year 500, including the lives and works of the early church fathers, theological controversies and well-known heretics.

British Museum Tour

A series of pages with photographs and descriptions of archaeological artefacts held in the British Museum which have a connection to the Bible.

Museums - Israel Museum

A collection of photographs of archaeological artefacts from the Israel Museum in Jerusalem which have a connection to the Bible.

Historical Documents

A collection of historical documents from church history or secular history which are relevant to Biblical studies.

Life Questions

This contains a collection of articles about the more perplexing issues arising from the Christian faith, including: the problem of suffering, whether there is such a thing as just war, and the question of those who die without hearing the Gospel.

How to Preach

For those who believe that God is calling you to preach his Word, these are pages which give very practical instructions on how to prepare a message, and some help in the frightening challenge of public speaking.

General

You are welcome to make copies of any of the articles, and use them for study, teaching, or to hand out to students. They are not copyrighted. However I would ask that you give credit to me as the author.

If you have any suggestions for articles on any additional topics, please let me know, and I may be able to write one. If you have any comments, or questions, please send me a message using the Contact Julian link.

I have included a number of articles which were not originally written by me, but by other staff or leaders of the SBS. I have indicated these by writing “Unknown author” at the top. Please let me know if you are the original author of one of these, and you can receive the credit you deserve.

Cookies

This site only uses a single cookie to remember the language if one has been selected from the Google Translate facility, so each page on the current visit, or future visits to the site, will be translated automatically. There are no tracking cookies.

The Bible

Pages which look at issues relevant to the whole Bible, such as the Canon of Scripture, as well as doctrinal and theological issues. There are also pages about the Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha and 'lost books' of the Old Testament.

Also included are lists of the quotations of the OT in the NT, and passages of the OT quoted in the NT.

Old Testament Overview

This is a series of six pages which give a historical overview through the Old Testament and the inter-testamental period, showing where each OT book fits into the history of Israel.

New Testament Overview

This is a series of five pages which give a historical overview through the New Testament, focusing on the Ministry of Jesus, Paul's missionary journeys, and the later first century. Again, it shows where each book of the NT fits into the history of the first century.

Introductions to Old Testament Books

This is an almost complete collection of introductions to each of the books in the Old Testament. Each contains information about the authorship, date, historical setting and main themes of the book.

Introductions to New Testament Books

This is a collection of introductions to each of the 27 books in the New Testament. Each contains information about the authorship, date, historical setting and main themes of the book.

Old Testament History

Information about the different nations surrounding Israel, and other articles concerning Old Testament history and the inter-testamental period.

New Testament History

Articles which give additional information about the history and culture of the first century, giving helpful background knowledge for the Gospels and Paul's travels.

Old Testament Studies

A series of articles covering more general topics for OT studies. These include a list of the people named in the OT and confirmed by archaeology. There are also pages to convert the different units of measure in the OT, such as the talent, cubit and ephah into modern units.

More theological topics include warfare in the ancient world, the Holy Spirit in the OT, and types of Jesus in the OT.

Studies in the Pentateuch (Gen - Deut)

A series of articles covering studies in the five books of Moses. Studies in the Book of Genesis look at the historical nature of the early chapters of Genesis, the Tower of Babel and the Table of the Nations.

There are also pages about covenants, the sacrifices and offerings, the Jewish festivals and the tabernacle, as well as the issue of tithing.

Studies in the Old Testament History Books (Josh - Esther)

Articles containing studies and helpful information for the history books. These include a list of the dates of the kings of Israel and Judah, a summary of the kings of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and studies of Solomon, Jeroboam and Josiah.

There are also pages describing some of the historical events of the period, including the Syro-Ephraimite War, and the Assyrian invasion of Judah in 701 BC.

Studies in the Old Testament Prophets (Is - Mal)

Articles containing studies and helpful information for the OT prophets. These include a page looking at the way the prophets look ahead into their future, a page looking at the question of whether Satan is a fallen angel, and a page studying the seventy weeks of Daniel.

There are also a series of pages giving a commentary through the text of two of the books:
Isaiah (13 pages) and Daniel (10 pages).

New Testament Studies

A series of articles covering more general topics for NT studies. These include a list of the people in the NT confirmed by archaeology.

More theological topics include the Kingdom of God and the Coming of Christ.

Studies in the Four Gospels (Matt - John)

A series of articles covering various studies in the four gospels. These include a list of the unique passages in each of the Synoptic Gospels and helpful information about the parables and how to interpret them.

Some articles look at the life and ministry of Jesus, including his genealogy, birth narratives, transfiguration, the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and the seating arrangements at the Last Supper.

More theological topics include the teaching about the Holy Spirit as the Paraclete and whether John the Baptist fulfilled the predictions of the coming of Elijah.

Studies in the Book of Acts and the New Testament Letters

A series of articles covering various studies in the Book of Acts and the Letters, including Paul's letters. These include a page studying the messages given by the apostles in the Book of Acts, and the information about the financial collection that Paul made during his third missionary journey.

More theological topics include Paul's teaching on Jesus as the last Adam, and descriptions of the church such as the body of Christ and the temple, as well as a look at redemption and the issue of fallen angels.

There are a series of pages giving a commentary through the text of five of the books:
Romans (7 pages), 1 Corinthians (7 pages), Galatians (3 pages), Philemon (1 page) and Hebrews (7 pages)

Studies in the Book of Revelation

Articles containing studies and helpful information for the study of the Book of Revelation and topics concerning Eschatology (the study of end-times).

These include a description of the structure of the book, a comparison and contrast between the good and evil characters in the book and a list of the many allusions to the OT. For the seven churches, there is a page which gives links to their location on Google maps.

There is a page studying the important theme of Jesus as the Lamb, which forms the central theological truth of the book. There are pages looking at the major views of the Millennium, as well as the rapture and tribulation, as well as a list of dates of the second coming that have been mistakenly predicted through history.

There is also a series of ten pages giving a detailed commentry through the text of the Book of Revelation.

Inductive Bible Study

These are a series of pages giving practical help showing how to study the Bible inductively, by asking a series of simple questions. There are lists of observation and interpretation questions, as well as information about the structure and historical background of biblical books, as well as a list of the different types of figures of speech used in the Bible. There is also a page giving helpful tips on how to apply the Scriptures personally.

Types of Literature in the Bible

These are a series of pages giving practical help showing how to study each of the different types of book in the Bible by appreciating the type of literature being used. These include historical narrative, law, wisdom, prophets, Gospels, Acts, letters and Revelation.

It is most important that when reading the Bible we are taking note of the type of literature we are reading. Each type needs to be considered and interpreted differently as they have different purposes.

Geography and Archaeology

These are a series of pages giving geographical and archaeological information relevant to the study of the Bible. There is a page where you can search for a particular geographical location and locate it on Google maps, as well as viewing photographs on other sites.

There are also pages with photographs from Ephesus and Corinth.

Early Church Fathers

These are a series of pages giving biographical information about some of the more significant early church fathers, such as Irenaeus, Origen and Tertullian, as well as some important groups and events in the first centuries of the church.

Artifacts in the British Museum relevant to Biblical studies

These are a series of pages describing artifacts in each gallery of the British Museum, which have a connection with the Bible.

Biblical Archaeology in Museums around the world

A page with a facility to search for artifacts held in museums around the world which have a connection with the Bible. These give information about each artifact, as well as links to the museum's collection website where available showing high resolution photographs of the artifact.

There is also page of photographs from the Israel Museum in Jerusalem of important artifacts.

Historical documents

These are a series of pages containing historical documents which give helpful information for Biblical studies. These include Hittite suzerainty treaties with a similar structure to the Book of Deuteronomy, different lists of the New Testament books and quotations from Josephus and other ancient writers.

Life Questions

These are a series of pages looking at some of the more difficult questions of Christian theology, including war, suffering, disappointment and what happens to those who have never heard the Gospel.

How to Preach

These are a series of pages giving a practical step-by-step explanation of the process of preparing a message for preaching, and how to lead a small group Bible study.

Information for SBS staff members

Two pages particularly relevant for people serving as staff on the School of Biblical Studies (SBS) in YWAM. One gives helpful instruction about how to prepare to teach on a book in the SBS. The other gives a list of recommended topics which can be taught about for each book of the Bible.