Posts Tagged: Ancient Near East

Idols: Then & Now

In our westernized, Christian worldview, the idols of old made of stone and wood make little sense.  We wonder how the peoples of the Ancient Near East (ANE) could be so foolish as to think that a statue of some sort was worthy of worship.  How stupid could they have been back in those days? …

Ezra’s Conundrum

The story of Ezra returning to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple has a disturbing account at the end of the book.  The leaders come to Ezra and inform him in Ezra 9:1-2 (ESV) that: “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with…