964. Jericho is the world's oldest city. It was founded about 3500 B.C.
965. Polytheism, the belief in more than one god, distinguishers our age from that of the Bible more than any other cultural issue.
966. The name Jesus is the Greek version of the name Joshua.
967. David, the shepherd, warrior, and king of Israel, broke half of the Ten Commandments, from what we are told in the Bible. More than likely he broke all ten!
968. Frankincense and myrrh are both fragrant resins imported from India, Arabia, or Africa. They were therefore costly and precious in the Holy Land.
969. The star. About the time of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, a phenomenon occurred in the night sky. There has been considerable dispute about what this bright star of Bethlehem may have been. Whatever the astronomical phenomenon was exactly, it did not go unobserved in the ancient home of astronomy, Mesopotamia. The wise men or magi who saw the star and believed that it heralded the birth of Jesus were probably astronomers.
970. Magus is a Persian word that referred to the priests of Persia, and from magus we get our English word magic. In the ancient world the priests who could predict eclipses and the motions of the planets must have seemed to possess magical powers.
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