People, like great novels, have themes.
Blog and Vlog
The death of James the Great is described in the NT. Outside the NT, however, his story lives on. Part of that story is dedicated to an epic journey, and part of that story is dedicated to a post-death appearance. Both of these accounts teeter wildly into the area of myth but never say that to a Spaniard. It may cost you an eye.
I hold Josephus by the hand and squint into the wind.
Our view is good, but Herod’s was better. I sit with students on the stump of a tower (or “keep”) estimated to have been 120 feet tall. Herod could climb the stairs of this structure (now tumbled downslope) and scan the horizon from a lofty perch. Looking north along the Judean backbone, he could pick out the Mount of Olives. It cast a shadow over Jerusalem every morning. Looking south, he could see, or almost feel, really, the opening up of a vast desert.
