The lotus image on this ivory from Samaria was originally an Egyptian symbol of the life-giving power of the god Ra—experienced through the fragrance of the flower—and of the afterlife.
Often I receive letters from children who read my stories, and one question that is nearly always put to me in the letters is: “Did it really happen?” But, you see, I cannot always answer this…
Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. He did what was displeasing to the Lord, following the abhorrent practices of the nations that the…