Author Archives: Ian Adamson

Herod the Great       When the second Temple had stood for 500 years, it began to show signs of structural decay. And so Herod, named the Great, in order to reconcile the Jews to his government under Rome … Continue reading →

Qumran       The word “Essene” means “healer” in Aramaic which was the language spoken by Jesus, and “Therapeutae” is the Greek equivalent. Medicine occupied a considerable part of their attention which seems to have been connected with inquiries … Continue reading →

In the year 332 BC the Near East fell to the all-conquering Greek, Alexander the Great. In that year also Alexander founded a Greek city on the island of Pharos in Egypt. This city, named Alexandria after its founder, was … Continue reading →

The Phoenicians were a mercantile nation, akin to the Jews, whose commercial greatness was established on trade with Tarshish, the west of Europe, and its Atlantic seaboard, including the British Isles. Even before David’s time relations between Jews and Phoenicians … Continue reading →

The focal point in world history for the Family of Bangor was a low hill, just outside the city of Jerusalem, in the early days of the Roman Empire. This hill was popularly known as Golgotha, which is to say, … Continue reading →

Many centuries ago, in the days of the Cambro-Normans, there existed a tradition in Ireland which was already an ancient one. It was said that when St Patrick and his companions came one day to a certain valley in the … Continue reading →

Bangor is one of a small group of Irish placenames which are well known to scholars in many European countries.  Students of hagiography meet it in the lives of Columbanus and Gall.  Students of the Irish annals meet it in … Continue reading →

  Sermon on the Mount by Carl Bloch The Sermon on the Mount 1  And seeing the multitudes, he (Jesus) went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2  and he opened his mouth, … Continue reading →

The Gospel of Thomas is of another kind, a “Sayings” Gospel, which records 114 of Jesus’s sayings rather than the story of his life, death and resurrection. Its purpose is to promote the secret teachings of Jesus and explain to the … Continue reading →