BROWSE THE COLLECTION
Author: Marc Bates
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Matthew 12: An Exegetical and Biblical-Theological Commentary
Matthew 12 marks a critical turning point in the Gospel narrative, shifting from initial heraldic proclamation to overt conflict between the Messiah, Jesus, and the ruling religious establishment. Within the overarching framework of God’s promise-plan, this chapter demonstrates…
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Psalm 7: An Exegetical and Biblical-Theological Commentary
Psalm 7 functions as a pivotal individual lament within the early Psalter, situated within the unfolding architecture of God’s promise-plan. The superscription attributes the psalm to David as a
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The Order of Melchizedek:
The figure of Melchizedek presents an unusual hermeneutical phenomenon: an obscure patriarchal character confined in the Hebrew Bible to Genesis 14 18 20 and Psalm 110 4 who nevertheless becomes a cornerstone of Second Temple eschatology and New…
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The Ashtiname of Muhammad and the Corpus of Prophetic Covenants:
This essay offers a historical-critical, codicological, and biblical theological appraisal of the Ashtiname of Muhammad—the charter of protection traditionally associated with Saint Catherine’s Monastery at Mount Sinai—and of the broader corpus of so-called Prophetic Covenants.
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The Resurrected Body and the Future of Human Identity: An Exegetical, Canonical, and Promise-Plan Synthesis
This essay examines the relationship between the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ and the destiny of human identity, drawing primarily on Carmen Joy Imes’s
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Ethical Unity and Moral Failures in the Old Testament
The perceived moral disparity between the Old and New Testaments remains one of the most persistent hermeneutical challenges in biblical studies. Skeptics and some critical scholars cite ethically offensive traits and actions of Old Testament figures—ranging from Abraham’s…
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Architectural Polemics: The Marwanid Origins of the Dome of the Rock and the Unfolding of the Biblical Promise-Plan
This essay examines the historical, architectural, epigraphic, and theological setting of the Dome of the Rock (Qubbat al-Ṣakhra), constructed in Jerusalem under the Umayyad caliph ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwān and dated by its mosaic inscription to 72 AH…
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Matthew 11: An Exegetical and Biblical-Theological Commentary
Following the second major teaching block in the Gospel—the Mission Discourse of Matthew 10—Matthew 11 marks a critical narrative pivot from the instruction of the Twelve to widespread public evaluation and opposition. Positioned within Walter C. Kaiser Jr.’s…
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The Torah as Prophetic Narrative
This essay examines the purpose of the Mosaic Pentateuch through the literary thesis of Postell, Bar, and Soref 2019 , the compositional analysis of Sailhamer 2009 , and the promise-plan theology of Kaiser 2008 . It addresses a…
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The Quranic Preservation Debate: Manuscript Evidence, Historical Critique, and the Promise-Plan of Divine Revelation
This essay offers a historical-critical examination of the traditional claim that the Qurʾan has been preserved letter for letter from the seventh century to the present. Drawing on paleography, codicology, and the history of the qirāʾāt, it argues…