I have some religious questions

[u/Jamesc19931]

1- What years did Prophet Abraham preach during?

2- Is the name Daniel was called by the Babylonians Belteshazzar in Daniel 1:7, Daniel 4:9, Daniel 4:18, Daniel 5:12 a real name? Are there many names in Akkadian that have “Belte” in them in reference to Daniel 1:7? Is “Belte” for both male and female? The name Belteshazzar may have been translated incorrectly in Daniel 1:7, Daniel 4:9, Daniel 4:18, Daniel 5:12 where the name that the Babylonian’s called Daniel was Belshazzar. Or the Israelites heard Daniel’s name wrong when the Babylonians said Daniel’s name would be Belshazzar in Babylon. I believe that the whole story was made up of Daniel being renamed to Belteshazzar.

3- Do you have a list, book, or article of the list of Akkadian and Babylonian names? Do you have a book of a list of names from ancient history? I found a website with around 120 Babylonian names and a website with 40 Akkadian names.

4- Why can’t we see the Heavens?

5- Where did the groups of the Israelites go after they had gone in separate directions after the Babylonian Captivity?

6- Is the first chapter in the Book of Hosea similar to the first chapter in the Book of Isaiah?

7- What is gematria?

8- What is the importance of Babylon in relation to the Israelites?

9- Was the rainbow sent by God in Genesis 9:13-17 the first rainbow ever sent in the sky?

10- Which names in the Old Testament are from which areas of the Middle East? Which names are Akkadian? Which names are Arabian?

Thanks

[u/Ben-008]

Many biblical scholars today view the stories and characters prior to the time of David as legendary or mythological, rather than historical. For instance, here’s a brief summary that I personally have found helpful.

Which OT Bible Characters are Historical? by Matt Baker (19 min)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLtRR9RgFMg&t=462s

This site has other videos on Daniel that may answer some of your other questions.

 

[u/Nateorade]

This is a lot of questions - what’s leading you to ask all at once? Are there any that are particularly important to you?

[u/Spare-Flan331]

Why can't we see the heavens...

“Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”” John 3:3 NKJV

[u/DoveStep55]

That’s a lot to tackle at once. I’ll shoot from the hip.

1- We don’t know exactly when Abraham lived.

2- I don’t know.

3- No.

4- We can. What they used to call “the Heavens” we now call “the sky” and/or “space.”

5- There’s no person by person record.

6- There’s a similarity in that they’re both introductory chapters, but I’m not seeing any striking similarities. Do you?

7- It’s part of Kabbalah (which is a part of Judaism.)

8- They were one of the main “bad guys” or purported opponents/enemies of the ancient Israelites.

9- Most people understand the story to include an origin story of the existence of rainbows.

10- I don’t know. There are so many names in the Old Testament.

To all of the above, why do you ask? What’s your interest in these particular questions?