Were Jesus, Mary, and Joseph Undocumented Immigrants?

Every year at Christmas time there are attempts to equate Joseph, Mary, and Jesus’ flight from Bethlehem to Egypt to the plight of illegal immigrants—claiming that they too would have been “undocumented” and therefore turned away at the border. While Read More …

Parthian Graffiti

Dura Europos was a Greek, then Parthian, then Roman city on the western bank of the Euphrates River approximately 310 miles northwest of the Parthian capital of Ctesiphon on the Tigris. It was founded around 300 BCE by Seleucus I Read More …

The House of Suren

Surena, also known as Rustaham Suren, was a Parthian general during the first century BCE. He is best known for defeating the Romans, under the command of triumvir Marcus Licinius Crassus at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BCE. According Read More …

The Records of the Grand Historian

German-American sinologist (expert in Chinese studies) Friedrich Hirth (b.1845-d.1927), wrote China and the Roman Orient: Researches into Their Ancient and Medieval Relations as Represented in Old Chinese Records in 1885. In his book, he cites The Records of the Grand Read More …

The Parthian Legislature

The Parthian legislature was a bicameral institution. “Camera” is Latin for “chamber” hence, bi-cameral = two chambers. (Not to be confused with “two camels”.) The “upper house” was essentially the royals, or royal family—the Arsacid dynasty. The “lower house” consisted Read More …

What You Didn’t Know About the “Census” of Luke 2

(1) And it came to pass in those days {that} a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. (2) This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. (3) So, all went to Read More …

Callirrhoe: What’s in a Name?

“…and went beyond the river Jordan, and bathed himself in the warm baths that were at Callirrhoe…” Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 17.6.5 “Callirrhoe” (pronounced kal-eer-ho-ee) in Greek means, “beautiful stream”. The phrase therma kallirhoes means, “warm beautiful stream”. In Read More …