Chess has been popular in the West for centuries. It is thought to have originated in India during the Gupta Empire (A.D. 280-550) and to have been called chaturanga. It has changed names, designs, and rules since then. The current name “chess” is likely derived from an English corruption of the Persian word shah, meaning “king.”

Affirming Evidence from Science

Darwinism is in decline. Oh yes, most in the professional sciences and even many lay people would not yet admit it. Belief in evolution has become a passport to admit people into the “camp” of respectability. To suggest that Darwin’s mechanism of natural selection may be flawed can cost you your job, and certainly raise eyebrows about your educational legitimacy. That is beginning to change. Why?

Here’s a chance to take advantage of some of what is happening at FaithSearch International.

Perhaps nearly every tourist who visits Israel goes to Masada. It is striking to behold. The legendary Herodian pleasure-palace sits on a cliff rising dramatically above an austere desert landscape. Its history is pure drama. The Roman siege in A.D. 73, ended with the 960 Jewish Zealots committing mass suicide rather than submitting to live out their lives as Roman slaves. Is this all there is to know about Masada?

It has been over sixty years since perhaps the most significant archaeological discovery of the twentieth century was made: the unearthing of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The discovery was extremely significant for Christians and Jews because the hundreds of scrolls moved the manuscript evidence for nearly the entire Old Testament about a thousand years closer to the original text recorded between 1,500-400 B.C. The congruence between the previously known A.D. eighth century manuscripts and the Dead Sea Scroll manuscripts dating from the second century B.C. was profound, indicating excellent transmission accuracy.