Tag Archives: ancient history

White Paper: A Sweet Aroma to God: A Biblical Theology of Fragrance and Divine Pleasure

Posted on September 24, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary The theme of a “sweet aroma” before God runs through both Old and New Testament, functioning as a metaphor for divine acceptance, satisfaction, and relational harmony. What begins as a liturgical phrase in the sacrificial system of Israel … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Relationship Between Linear A and the Cretan Isolate in the Greek Alphabet

Posted on September 22, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary The decipherment of Linear A remains one of the central unsolved challenges in Aegean linguistics. The language encoded in Linear A is widely regarded as pre-Greek, unrelated to Indo-European, and possibly a “Cretan isolate.” Centuries later, in the … Continue reading →

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White Paper: How Ancient “Para-” Languages Illuminate Language Development and Relationships

Posted on September 18, 2025 by nathanalbright

Case studies: para-Munda (South Asia) and Para-Mongolic (Inner Asia) Abstract Scholars sometimes label ancient, poorly attested (or fully unattested) languages that are inferred from substratal effects or fragmentary records with the prefix “para-”: languages that are typologically or historically close … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Political History of Laconia: Bronze Age Foundations

Posted on September 15, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Laconia’s political history cannot be understood without tracing its roots back into the Bronze Age. Long before Sparta’s rise as a hegemonic power, the Eurotas valley and its surrounding regions formed part of the Mycenaean world, with elite … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Ekklesia in Ancient Greece and Its Implications for the Church as God’s Government

Posted on September 6, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This white paper explores the ekklesia—the assembly of citizens in Ancient Greece, especially in Athens—as a political institution of rights, powers, and responsibilities. It then examines how the New Testament’s adoption of this term for the people of … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Preserving Contemporary Writings — Threats and Opportunities Compared to Antiquity

Posted on September 4, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary The survival of human thought across time has always depended on the fragility of its mediums and the institutions that guard it. Antiquity left us with fragmented, biased, and selective records of human expression, while countless works vanished … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Two Sticks, One Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Examination of Israel and Judah Under the Same Divine Standard

Posted on August 16, 2025 by nathanalbright

Abstract Throughout the biblical narrative, Israel and Judah—once united under a single monarchy—are portrayed as distinct entities, yet bound together under one covenant with God. Ezekiel’s vision of the two sticks (Ezek 37:15–28) symbolizes their eventual reunification, but the prophetic … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Faithless Israel, Treacherous Judah, and the Covenant Call: A Biblical-Theological Analysis of Jeremiah 3 in Light of the Law of God, the Sabbath Covenant, and Apostasy Imagery

Posted on August 16, 2025 by nathanalbright

Abstract Jeremiah 3 stands as a pivotal prophetic indictment, contrasting the responses of the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah) to covenant obligations under God’s law. This paper explores the chapter in its historical and theological context, considering … Continue reading →

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White Paper: “Physician, Heal Thyself” — A Biblical Principle for Self-Examination Before Calling for Change

Posted on August 15, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary The proverb “Physician, heal thyself” appears in Luke 4:23, attributed to Jesus as a common saying He anticipates His listeners will direct toward Him. This aphorism functions as both a cultural idiom and a moral principle: those who … Continue reading →

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White Paper: “A Dog Returns to Its Vomit” and “A Pig Returns to the Mire” — Peter’s Metaphor in Biblical and Ancient Literary Context

Posted on August 15, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary In 2 Peter 2:22, the apostle closes a sharp denunciation of apostate teachers with two vivid images: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.” These paired … Continue reading →

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