Gnosticism is among the many religious groups believed to have arisen during the early days of Christianity. Although the term is used monolithically, it is in fact broad in nature, encompassing an assortment of...

The Ebionites were an early Jewish sect, and its followers were amongst the earliest supporters of Jesus Christ. The term itself is Hebrew for "the Poor Ones," which is what Jesus named them in...

How did Christianity evolve to become the world�s most widely practiced religion, with some 2.1 billion followers world-wide? Originally a sect of Judaism, the true origins of Christianity has long been debated by a...

A central part of ancient Jewish burial practices and as a cornerstone of the Jewish religion�s belief in burial as a sacred way in which to bury the dead, the ossuary became a means...

Just like there were Jewish laws regarding the burial of everything else in ancient times, there were also laws regarding the burial of criminals. This is especially important for any study of the Jesus family tomb since...

In the time of Jesus, tombs were generally owned by men, as was other land. Therefore when it came time for men to be buried, they were buried in their own family's tombs, which...

In ancient Israel, burial practices were a sacred tradition that reflected the significance of death in Judaism. Ancient Jewish burial practices sought to celebrate the life of the individual while commemorating the deceased�s death. Death...

Around two thousand years ago, during the time that Jesus Christ lived, ancient Jewish burial customs thus far which included the internment of the deceased in a tomb, a practice referred to as primary...