The most obvious reason is: the Sea of Galilee is in Galilee. That allows Mark to have characters who are fishermen, and to stage scenes that involve boats. Second, Galilee is near enough to Jerusalem that Jesus and his entourage can plausibly, in the world …
Read MoreQuestions and comments about the book
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Read MoreWhy is “Thomas” used in the name of a sayings collection (the Gospel of Thomas)?
“Thomas” means “twin.” The name was used to designate the author of a sayings collection used by Judean/proto-Christian congregations. The meaning that first comes to mind is “identical twin.” But that meaning does not add any value: why attribute sayings to an identical twin? I suggest …
Read MoreSeleucid time-keeping and apocalypses
Beginning in 311 BCE, the Seleucids began counting history going forward as “n+1,” forever and ever. In contrast, formerly and elsewhere, time was marked by local events or consulships or years since the start of a monarchy. In an article entitled “A Revolution in Time,” …
Read MoreWhat are the orantes in the catacombs?
There are orante figures in the very earliest Christian catacombs of Rome. The orantes are praying females or males. Century and # of images I: 0, II: 5, III: 57, IV: 92, Later: 3 (Lamberton, Clark D. “The Development of Christian Symbolism as Illustrated in …
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