John’s Abiding Love

John was one of Jesus’ twelve apostles, that group of disciples whom Jesus called to follow him. His divine call had a divine purpose. The twelve disciples whom Jesus called to follow him were to become the proclaimers of the new kingdom ushered in by Jesus, the Kingdom of God in the hearts of men and women everywhere.

Read more about the apostle John.

Here is the link: http://wp.me/p1un56-CT

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Is God Real?

“But the LORD is the true God” (Jeremiah 10:10).

People who do not believe in God generally present this challenge to people who believe: “prove that God is real.” People of the Bible were also confronted with a similar request: “Where is your God?” (Psalm 42:3). In response to those who ask this question, a psalmist wrote: “The fool says in his heart, ‘God does not exist’” (Psalm 14:1).

Today in my post I write about Jeremiah and the reasons he knew God is real.

Here is the link: http://bit.ly/qoy0Dt


My blog has moved to WordPress. Visit the new site of my blog, read my post today, then subscribe to my blog and receive all my posts as they are published. My new site is Dr. Mariottini.

Topics: Hebrew Bible, Old Testament, Jeremiah, Hebrew God, Atheism, False Gods, Images

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary



Technorati Tags: Hebrew Bible, Old Testament, Jeremiah, Hebrew God, Atheism, False Gods, Images

A City in David’s Kingdom

CNN has an interesting video on the archaeological excavation at Khirbet Qeiyafa, a site in the Valley of Elah. The site is important because it is from the 10th century BCE and because the site probably was part of David’s Kingdom.

Watch the video. Here is the link: http://bit.ly/pFaII9


My blog has moved to WordPress. Visit the new site of my blog, read my post today, then subscribe to my blog and receive all my posts as they are published. My new site is Dr. Mariottini.

Topics: Archeology, David, Israel Finkelstein, Khirbet Qeiyafa, Yosef Garfinkel

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary



Technorati Tags: Archeology, David, Israel Finkelstein, Khirbet Qeiyafa, Yosef Garfinkel

Metaphors in the Bible

Why is the proper understanding of metaphors important in Bible study? Because they have a richness of association in human experience; they are true to life, revealing a certain fitness with respect to that experience. They have a capacity to capture, organize, and communicate our experience and understanding of God; to focus our thinking, feeling, and living.

Read about an important metaphor for God in my post today.

Here is the link: http://bit.ly/pYPplq

My blog has moved to WordPress. Visit the new site of my blog, read my post today, then subscribe to my blog and receive all my posts as they are published. My new site is Dr. Mariottini.

Topics: Genesis, Image of God, Terence Fretheim, Suffering of God, Metaphor


Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary



Technorati Tags: Genesis, Image of God, Terence Fretheim, Suffering of God, Metaphor

Adam and the Animals

According to the book of Genesis, was Adam created before the animals or after the animals? Read the answer to this question by reading my post today.

Here is the link: http://bit.ly/qWUrzi


My blog has moved to WordPress. Visit the new site of my blog, read my post today, then subscribe to my blog and receive all my posts as they are published. My new site is Dr. Mariottini.

Topics: Hebrew Bible, Old Testament, Genesis, Creation, Translation Problems

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary


Technorati Tags: Hebrew Bible, Old Testament, Genesis, Creation, Translation Problems,

Yosef Bar Caiaphas

The recent discovery of an ossuary containing the bones of Miriam, the daughter of Yeshua Son of Caiaphas, has provided new historical information that was unknown before this discovery. According to the inscription on the ossuary, the family of Caiaphas was a member of the twenty-fourth division of Jewish priests. Read more about this archaeological discovery.

Here is the link: http://bit.ly/m0YKob

My blog has moved to WordPress. Visit the new site of my blog, read my post today, then subscribe to my blog and receive all my posts as they are published. My new site is Dr. Mariottini.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary



Technorati Tags: Archaeology, Miriam, Yosef Bar Caiaphas, Priests, Priesthood

An Answer from the Grave

John W. Loftus, the author of the blog Debunking Christianity recently wrote a post titled “Two Questions From the Grave, by Antony Flew and Carl Sagan.” In his story, Antony Flew, the famous atheist, asked a question about the existence of God. Read my answer to Loftus.

Here is the link: http://bit.ly/mxR9AI

My blog has moved to WordPress. Visit the new site of my blog, read my post today, then subscribe to my blog and receive all my posts as they are published. My new site is Dr. Mariottini.

Topics: Antony Flew, Atheism, John Loftus, Theology and Falsification, Parable of the Invisible Gardener



Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary


Technorati Tags: Antony Flew, Atheism, John Loftus, Theology and Falsification, Parable of the Invisible Gardener

The Creation of the Woman

A few days ago, I was reading the book of Genesis in The Jewish Study Bible (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004) and came to a statement that I felt I had to share with others. Read more about the creation of the woman in Genesis 2:18-24.

Here is the link: http://bit.ly/lioWZB

My blog has moved to WordPress. Visit the new site of my blog, read my post today, then subscribe to my blog and receive all my posts as they are published. My new site is Dr. Mariottini.

Topics: Genesis, Marriage, Promiscuity, Genesis 2, Women, Woman, Monogamy, Jon Levenson

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Technorati Tags: Genesis, Marriage, Promiscuity, Genesis 2, Women, Woman., Monogamy,
Jon Levenson,

Israel’s Mission in the World

After redeeming Israel from Egypt, Yahweh was about to establish a special relationship with the nation. Because of God’s mighty act of redemption, Israel would become God’s treasured possession among the nations and would carry out God’s mission in the world as a priestly kingdom in order proclaim God’s glory and mediate God’s blessings to all families of the earth. My post today deals with Israel’s mission in the world.

The link: http://bit.ly/jfKanU


My blog has moved to WordPress. Visit the new site of my blog, read my post today, then subscribe to my blog and receive all my posts as they are published. My new site is Dr. Mariottini.

Topics: Exodus, Abraham, Covenant, Gentiles, Mission, Promise

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tecnorati Tags: Exodus, Abraham, Covenant, Gentiles, Mission, Promise