Tag Archives: ancient history

Theophilus: The Man Who Helped Give Us a Gospel and Acts

Posted on January 4, 2026 by nathanalbright

[Note:  This is the prepared text for a sermonette given to the Portland, Oregon congregation of the United Church of God on Sabbath, January 3, 2026.] When we open the New Testament, we tend to focus on the big names—Jesus … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Providence, Permission, and the So-Called “Fall”: A Biblicist Examination of Genesis 2–3

Posted on December 25, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary An enduring theological dispute concerns whether the sin of Adam and Eve should properly be called “the Fall,” or whether it should instead be understood as a deliberately designed and planned act within God’s redemptive purposes. Some argue … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Literacy of Joseph and the Patriarchs: A Biblicist Analysis

Posted on December 23, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This white paper examines the question of literacy among Joseph and the broader patriarchal figures in Genesis (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants). From a biblicist perspective, literacy is understood not as a universal social skill but as … Continue reading →

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The Origins and Development of Scribes as a Profession: A Biblicist White Paper

Posted on December 21, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This white paper examines the origins, development, and operational roles of scribes in biblical times from a biblicist perspective. It argues that the scribal profession emerges not merely from literacy, but from covenantal administration: because God reveals Himself … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Mothers of the Kings of Judah: A Biblicist Examination of Maternal Backgrounds, Status, and Theological Significance

Posted on December 15, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary The biblical record of the kings of Judah is unique among ancient Near Eastern royal annals in its consistent naming of the king’s mother (Hebrew: ’ēm hammélek). Far from being incidental genealogical detail, this pattern signals theological, moral, … Continue reading →

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Rejoicing in the Birth of Jesus Christ Around the Feast of Trumpets: A Biblicist White Paper on Timing, Theology, and Liturgical Meaning

Posted on December 14, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This white paper argues that rejoicing in the birth of Jesus Christ in connection with the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah) is biblically defensible, theologically coherent, and spiritually fruitful—particularly within a biblicist framework that prioritizes scriptural patterns over … Continue reading →

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Egypt’s Repeated Efforts to Project Power into the Levant during the Third Intermediate Period (c. 1069–664 BCE): A Biblicist White Paper

Posted on December 14, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary The Third Intermediate Period (TIP) marks Egypt’s transition from New Kingdom imperial dominance to a fractured landscape of Libyan dynasties, rival priesthoods, and regional strongmen. Modern historiography often emphasizes decline and disunity. The biblical record, however, fills in … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Fragile Logistics of the Mycenaean World

Posted on December 4, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary The Mycenaean civilization (ca. 1600–1200 BC) flourished as a network of palace-centered kingdoms across mainland Greece and the Aegean. Despite their monumental architecture, sophisticated administration, and extensive trade networks, Mycenaean logistics were profoundly fragile. Their economic and military … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Designing Historical Wargames of the Bronze Age

Posted on December 3, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary The Bronze Age (ca. 3300–1200 BCE) offers one of the richest yet least standardised eras for historical wargame design. This period’s combination of sparse but evocative textual sources, rapidly evolving military technologies, fluid political systems, and distinctive battlefield … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Massive Textual Archives of the Ancient World: What We Have Deciphered, What Remains Locked, and What May Yet Be Found

Posted on December 1, 2025 by nathanalbright

Abstract Over the past 150 years, archaeology has uncovered immense textual archives from the ancient world—royal libraries, palace accounting systems, civic records, and religious corpora—many of which have been at least partly deciphered. Yet critical gaps remain: some writing systems … Continue reading →

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