Samson and Delilah story – Bible stories
Samson and Delilah story: Samson (or David?) wrestles the lion. Silk tapestry, probably from Syria, in the 600s AD Backstory of Samson and Delilah Just as the Jews were finally [...]
25
08, 2017
24
08, 2017
Persia and the Jews – West Asian history
Persia and the Jews: The remains of the Second Temple in Jerusalem The Persians let the Jews go home In 536 BC, Cyrus the Great, the king of the Persians, conquered the Babylonian [...]
24
08, 2017
Jewish history – West Asian religion
Jewish history: The Pharaoh's daughter picks Moses up out of his basket (synagogue at Dura Europos, Syria, 200s AD) Bible stories There are really three sets of articles here about [...]
24
08, 2017
Jews in Medieval Europe – History
Jewish money-lenders in medieval France - Jews in medieval Europe A hard time for the Jews The Middle Ages in Europe were a difficult time for the Jews. Many Jews lived [...]
24
08, 2017
Maccabees – Jewish history
Alexander the Great (before the Maccabees) Alexander and the Jews Under the Persians the Jews did very well. They were able to worship their own God, and even to travel around the [...]
24
08, 2017
First Jewish revolt – West Asian history
The Roman emperor Caligula: before the First Jewish Revolt The Romans conquer Israel The Roman conquest of Israel and Egypt in the last century BC brought many Jews into the Roman Empire (though many [...]
23
08, 2017
Esther – the story of Purim – Bible stories
Mordecai is leading Esther (on the horse) to talk to the Persian king. A fresco from the world's oldest preserved synagogue at Dura-Europos in Syria (244 AD) Who was Esther? [...]
23
08, 2017
Babylonian captivity – Jewish history
Seal of King Hezekiah, from Judah, about 700 BC Israel and Judah fight wars Unfortunately for the Jews, the Assyrians did not hold West Asia for very much longer. During the 700s BC, the Assyrians began [...]
23
08, 2017
What is tonsure? Medieval Christianity
Young tonsured monks at school Tonsure means to cut off someone's hair. Monks and nuns in the Middle Ages generally showed that they were monks by cutting their hair short (when most [...]
21
08, 2017
What is baptism? – History of Christianity
Torchlight parade (this one is actually in India) Baptism before Christianity Even before the time of Jesus, many mystery religions of the ancient Mediterranean had some sort of ceremony that people had to do in [...]
