Reconstructed Bible (Michael)

Reconstructing the underlying narratives, arguments and situations that the Biblical authors were interacting with.

[Reconstructed Bible (Michael) @ReconBible]

Was Eli the real father of Samuel?

1 Samuel 1 contains some strange clues: Hannah’s “maidservant” language, Eli mistaking her for a drunk, and Samuel’s unexplained connection to the sanctuary.

What if they point to a scandalous older tradition?

https://t.co/5uMfjTqKaI

[Reconstructed Bible (Michael) @ReconBible]

What if the Ark of the Covenant wasn’t originally the Ark of Yahweh?

I trace its possible evolution from Philistine treaty chest → Ark of El → Ark of Yahweh, using clues preserved in 1 Samuel 4–6 and Psalm 78.

The seams are fascinating.

https://t.co/i5vCoqaKc2

[Reconstructed Bible (Michael) @ReconBible]

Ezekiel 28 isn’t a biography of Satan.

It’s another Yahwist sandwich: older poems about the king of Tyre wrapped in Yahwistic framing, with traces of El, the divine mountain, the Garden of Elohim, and a guardian cherub.

The seams reveal the story.

https://t.co/vw3mQoyJlc

[Reconstructed Bible (Michael) @ReconBible]

What if “Lucifer” in Isaiah 14 isn’t Satan at all?

My latest blog post examines the possibility that the poem originally targeted Sargon II of Assyria, not a Babylonian king.

The strangest clue? An unburied king.

Read it: https://t.co/UkMHyATUdO

[Reconstructed Bible (Michael) @ReconBible]

Why does the Book of Jonah end so abruptly?

I argue the original story had a proper ending, but a later Yahwist author reshaped the narrative, moving scenes, changing Jonah's journey to Sheol into a fish story, & leaving clues to the earlier version.

https://t.co/Iwgsc4vfhk

[Reconstructed Bible (Michael) @ReconBible]

@cdhtrigger @MatthewHartke Thanks so much, Chris! I'll check out your blog!

[Reconstructed Bible (Michael) @ReconBible]

My latest blog engages with @MatthewHartke's work on Cognitive Dissonance Theory, highlighting where my reconstruction agrees and where it differs. Please consider supporting Matt as he recovers from surgery. 🔗https://t.co/Aoimi2Noc3

[Reconstructed Bible (Michael) @ReconBible]

What if the Gospel of John hid Judas in plain sight?

After re-examining the Last Supper and the Beloved Disciple, I ended up with an unexpected conclusion:

Judas Iscariot may have originally been the Beloved Disciple.

https://t.co/5xKDjbGlIf

[Reconstructed Bible (Michael) @ReconBible]

What if Peter never made it to Rome?

Acts abruptly drops Peter from the narrative after Acts 12. Later tradition fills in the gaps, but does the earliest evidence point somewhere else?

A look at the textual clues:

https://t.co/UvcfqRFXbK

[Reconstructed Bible (Michael) @ReconBible]

What if the Gospel bread stories were never about food?

The feeding miracles, the "one loaf" in the boat, and even the Last Supper may preserve traces of an older metaphor where bread represented a Messiah's doctrine.

My latest post:

https://t.co/cNCsnS6W8K

[Reconstructed Bible (Michael) @ReconBible]

What if Jesus washing Peter’s feet wasn't about humility, but a power move to crush a rival movement?

My new blog post breaks down a new theory: "feet" was originally a metaphor for Israel's outcasts.

https://t.co/RlR72ihPPT

[Reconstructed Bible (Michael) @ReconBible]

In this article, I explore the possibility that Peter/Cephas and Simon may have originally been separate people and how that could reshape several New Testament passages. Perhaps it will help @BartEhrman make up his mind on the topic 😁

https://t.co/cohPvTrDlU

[Reconstructed Bible (Michael) @ReconBible]

The more I examined the New Testament texts, the harder it became for me to assume that “Peter” and “Cephas” were originally the same figure. There are strange tensions in Paul, odd narrative seams in the Gospels, and historical questions that don’t fully go away.

[Reconstructed Bible (Michael) @ReconBible]

I look at:
• Amos 4–5 and cosmic hymn language
• “Yahweh is His name” as possible theological propaganda
• Amos 9’s mythic imagery
• and whether older traditions still survive beneath the final text

https://t.co/dc17CAgixn

[Reconstructed Bible (Michael) @ReconBible]

What if parts of Amos are actually ancient literary remixes?

My latest post explores how the Book of Amos may reuse older hymns, taunt songs, and mythic traditions from the ancient Near East to elevate Yahweh into a cosmic creator deity.

[Reconstructed Bible (Michael) @ReconBible]

I believe it was a mythic mountain of the gods, a Canaanite Mount Olympus. ⚡️

In my new post, I dig into:

How Zion shares DNA with the Baal Cycle

Biblical "propaganda" and narrative shifts

Why "clunky" Hebrew reveals an older world

Read more: https://t.co/0H0lDKJj5y

[Reconstructed Bible (Michael) @ReconBible]

Is Amos 6:1 a "glitch" or a mythic fossil? 🔍⛰️

Amos was a prophet to the North, so his Zion reference feels out of place. I once thought it was repurposed text, but I’ve changed my mind. I'm now proposing "Zion" wasn't originally a street address in Judea.

[Reconstructed Bible (Michael) @ReconBible]

What if Psalm 110 isn’t about one divine figure—but two?

A contradiction of "lords"
A deity erased
Where does Melchizedek fit in?

Something deeper is going on beneath the surface.

See it for yourself: https://t.co/3tJYeUmL3Y

[Reconstructed Bible (Michael) @ReconBible]

If humans are God’s images, idols verses, the temple-as-cosmos, and Adam & Eve all read differently. Genesis becomes a story of embodiment, origin, and belonging, not just morality or sex. This one changed how I read the Bible. https://t.co/uWBpv4Mcim

[Reconstructed Bible (Michael) @ReconBible]

In my 4th and final video of sharing my thoughts on God’s Propaganda by @DrKippDavis, I tackle The Image of God. What if “made in God’s image” isn’t symbolic, but physical? Humans as embodied representations of God, not abstract traits.