Bible Review

Midrash is a homiletic exposition of the biblical text by the rabbis of the Talmudic period (70-600 C.E.) and later. The term refers both to individual interpretations of this sort and to anthologies and compilations of such.

The essentially synonymous term Adonai (literally “my Lord,” from ’adon, “Lord,” eventually became the preferred title of YHWH. It, too, now functions as a name. In Jewish practice to this day, out of respect for God’s name, wherever the Hebrew text of the Bible says YHWH, it is usually pronounced Adonai and not Yahweh.

The name of the deity YHWH, the God of Israel, often appears in shortened form as Yeho- or Yo- (“Jeho-” or “Jo-” in translations) when used at the beginning of a name, and -yahu, -yah, or -yo (“-iahu,” “-iah/jah” or “-io” in translations) at the end of a name.

Jack Finegan, “The Death and Burial of St. Peter,” Biblical Archaeology Review, December 1976.

See Julie Skurdenis, “City of the Dead,” Archaeology Odyssey, March/April 2001.

Paul’s tradition thus disagrees with the gospels of Matthew and John, which claim that Mary Magdalene, either alone or in the company of other women, was the first to see the resurrected Lord (Matthew 28:9–10; John 21:11–18).

See Ben Witherington III, “Bringing James Out of the Shadows,” BR, June 2003.

Scholars generally agree that the New Testament letters 1 and 2 Peter were written by someone else, in about 100 C.E., long after Peter had died.