The Hidden Orchard Project

The Criminals On the Cross Through the Lens of Midrash
New Testament Insights

The Criminals On the Cross Through the Lens of Midrash

Few images in Christian tradition are as recognizable as the three crosses of Golgotha. But the picture Luke paints weaves in references to the third heaven, garments divided by lots, the words of Isaiah 53, and Joseph's cellmates in the prison of Pharaoh.

Athens to Jerusalem: Four Shifts for Learning the Bible
Torah

Athens to Jerusalem: Four Shifts for Learning the Bible

Truly understanding the Bible means closing knowledge gaps most readers don't know exist. Going deeper isn't about acquiring more information; it's more like a complete change of operating system. Four shifts in thinking will help one begin the journey from Athens to Jerusalem.

She’ol, Hades & Gehenna: Mapping the Biblical Underworld
Torah

She’ol, Hades & Gehenna: Mapping the Biblical Underworld

What is She'ol? Korach's descent into the earth opens a study of the Jewish concept of the underworld, its gates, chambers, and appearances of this tradition in the New Testament.

The Cursing of the Fig Tree as Midrash: Has Israel Been Replaced?
Gospels

The Cursing of the Fig Tree as Midrash: Has Israel Been Replaced?

Learn how the Cursing of the Fig Tree, though taught as a pillar of Replacement Theology, might actually be a Midrash on two well-known prophetic passages.

Aliens, Idols, Demons, and Angels
Mysticism and Spirituality

Aliens, Idols, Demons, and Angels

What does the Jewish tradition say about phenomena like Aliens, or extra-terrestrial beings? And, is there any overlap with the broader categories of Angels and demons?

The Shaliach: Agency and Representation in Jewish Tradition
New Testament Insights

The Shaliach: Agency and Representation in Jewish Tradition

Can someone speak, act, forgive, heal, or even claim unity with G_D without collapsing the boundary between the human and Divine? Is there a precedent in the Torah that helps us understand this idea?

Was Thomas a Doubter? The Pharisees' Tradition and the Resurrection.
New Testament Insights

Was Thomas a Doubter? The Pharisees' Tradition and the Resurrection.

Thomas's refusal to believe in the resurrection without seeing Jesus's wounds is typically read as a failure of faith. But against the backdrop of rabbinic tradition, the Gospel of John affirms details of the Pharisaic tradition of the Resurrection of the Dead.

Was Pinchas Reincarnated into Elijah?

After Aaron's grandson killed two people engaged in sin, he was rewarded with a covenant of peace. Tradition says he later became the Prophet Elijah, and the New Testament seems to affirm this idea. Let's retrace this idea, beginning with the story of Pinchas.

James - The Hidden Orchard Soul