J-M's History Corner

Here is my Restored English Translation (RET) of Beresheet ( Genesis ) chapter 10.  As usual, it contains the  Hebrew names (and a glossary of them is provided at the end).  However, I will not be including the Aleph Tavs any more, as they are merely a Hebrew grammatical quirk .  However, for those interested, I will at the end provide a chart of all the Aleph/Tavs that appear in the chapter, and where. One thing that will stand out to those who have studied the text is the genealogy.  In most translations, verse 24 reads “And Arpachshad fathered Salah [or Shelah], and Salah father Ever” .  However, the Septuagint text of this passage reads, “And Arpachshad father Cainan, and Cainan fathered Salah, and Salah fathered Eber.”   Which is right?  Was there originally a Cainan in the genealogy, missed by later transcribers?  Well, the answer is found elsewhere in Scripture, in Jubilees and Luke : In the twenty-ninth jubilee,...

The canon of Scripture is a settled issue, isn't it?  You've got your 66 books total, 39 in the Old Testament (24 by the Jewish counting) and 27 in the New Testament.  However, when you do the research, things are not so simple.  There are many "other" books claiming to be Scripture, a number of them accepted by various denominations and/or included in various Bibles over the years.  Are they Scripture?  Or just heretical additions? The most well-known (and most widely accepted) body of these "extra" works is the Apocrypha (which means "Hidden").  People disagree as to which books constitute the Apocrypha.  For the purpose of this article, the word refers to the following 18 books: Baruch Letter of Jeremiah Tobit Prayer of Manasseh Psalms 151-160 Wisdom of Solomon Wisdom of Ben Sirach (also known as Ecclesiasticus) "Additions" to Esther Judith Prayer of Azariah Susanna Bel and the Dragon 1 Ezra 2 Ezra 1 Maccabees 2 Macca...