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Nazareth Then and Now
Ancient Nazareth lacked the critical advantages for its development as a significant settlement: abundant water supply, an elevated site for defensive purposes, and strategic location adjacent to a major highway. The most comprehensive recent study of the archeology of ancient Nazareth and its local region was completed by Ken Dark over several seasons between 2004…
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The oldest hatred
Presentation to a panel discussion sponsored by the Jewish Council of Australia at St John’s Cathedral, Brisbane on Monday, 29 September 2025. The topic of the event was: Should anti-Semitism be exceptionalised or should we combat all forms of racism together? Co-hosts for the event included: Doykeit (a local Jewish group in Brisbane), St John’s…
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The Baptism of the Lord (13 January 2013)
Contents 1 Lectionary 2 Introduction 3 The baptism of Jesus in early Christian tradition 4 Commentary 5 Jesus Database 6 Liturgies and Prayers 6.1 Music Suggestions Lectionary Isaiah 43:1-7 and Psalm 29 Acts 8:14-17 Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 Introduction In the introduction to An Uncommon Lectionary, John Beverley Butcher comments on the pivotal significance of…
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Re-dating the Galilean synagogues
Interesting to see Jodi Magness is now arguing that the Galilean type synagogue was not developed until a couple of hundreds year later than most scholars had previously proposed: see the Biblical Archaeology Review story Christian and Jewish scholars tend to like dates as early as possible, as that suggests greater historicity for the biblical…
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The Epiphany of the Lord (6 January 2013)
Contents 1 Lectionary 2 Introduction 3 Commentary and Critical Notes 4 Jesus Database 5 Liturgies and Prayers 5.1 Music Suggestions Lectionary Isaiah 60:1-6 and Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14 Ephesians 3:1-12 Matthew 2:1-12 Introduction The Feast of the Epiphany of our Lord concludes the traditional twelve days of Christmas with a celebration of the universal significance…
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Christmas 1C—Feast of the Holy Family (30 December 2012)
Contents 1 Lectionary 2 The Childhood and Family of Jesus 3 Jesus Database 4 Liturgies and Prayers 4.1 Music Suggestions Lectionary 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26 & Psalm 148 Colossians 3:12-17 Luke 2:41-52 The Childhood and Family of Jesus The first Sunday after Christmas is often observed as the Feast of the Holy Family. In…
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Advent 4C (23 December 2012)
Contents 1 Lectionary 2 Overview 3 Categories of Birth Stories 4 Major Sources for the Birth Stories of Jesus 4.1 Paul 4.2 Gospel of Mark 4.3 Gospel of Matthew 4.4 Gospel of John 4.5 Gospel of Luke 4.6 Infancy Gospel of Thomas 5 Important Questions 6 “sons of God” in ancient Rome 7 Jesus –…
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Advent 3C (16 December 2012)
Contents 1 Lectionary 2 Introduction 3 First Reading: Zephaniah 3:14-20 4 Second Reading: Philippians 4:4-7 5 Gospel: John and Jesus 6 Jesus Database 7 Liturgies and Prayers 7.1 Music Suggestions Lectionary Zephaniah 3:14-20 & Isaiah 12:2-6 Philippians 4:4-7 Luke 3:7-18 Introduction The third Sunday of Advent is traditionally known as “Gaudete Sunday” from the opening…
