Let's dive deep into life and its complexities
As a gospel that had disappeared from ancient existence, but then reappeared in 1945, when it was unearthed with a collection of other scrolls (Irvin and Sunquist 57), the Gospel of Thomas is enshrouded in layers of mystery. This mystery began in the second century: As the Church’s evangelization efforts and liturgy format were primarily…
Here in the West, it’s been said that the pronoun *YOU* is the most powerful word in the English language. The main reason is that “you” is often used in a more personal, direct, intimate, or commanding way when compared to other pronouns, such as he or she, which tend to me used more indirectly…
Could the letter to the Hebrews could be a gateway to other disputed letters in the NT, including I Peter, Jude, and II Peter? Let’s start specifically with I Peter. And why 1 Peter? Because although the author of Hebrews is considered anonymous (Brown 693), while the author of 1 Peter is most likely pseudonymous…
First, a disclaimer: This article was originally going focus on pseudonymity in the ancient world, while using I Thessalonians and II Thessalonians as examples. However, there are apparent eschatological differences between II Thess and I Thess – and that Paul himself possibly did not write II Thess — this means bridging any connections between pseudonymity…
Borrowing from Hamlet’s famous line, “To be or not to be?”, reading Paul’s approach to the resurrection of the dead creates another dilemma: To be or not to be – raptured? For instance, take Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, covered in Module 5 in this course: In 1 Thess 4:13-18, Paul is preparing the Thessalonians…
If the discussion about the “bread of life” discourse is already challenging enough, this next discussion is the equivalent of “hold my beer.” That is, the debate over justification by faith versus justification by works (or sometimes defined as works of the Law). The “works” position is often the most contentious part of the debate, as…
One of the most hotly debated topics between Catholic Christians and Protestants is the Bread of Life discourse in John 6:1-71. At the center of this is John 6:51-58, in which Jesus repeatedly emphasizes, both literally and metaphorically, that he is the bread of life. However, the situation gets dicey as Jesus includes this to…
If there is one word that encompasses much of Catholic Christian theology and its two wings of Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, it is koinonia. Although a seemingly bizarre, broad sounding word at first – and not nearly as common as the English words, Gospel, Confession, Liturgy, and Eucharist, when describing Catholic Mass or Sacraments…
Of the four Gospel authors, who appears to be the most concerned with Jewish history and Jesus’ links to the Old Testament / Hebrew Scripture? Who makes a point of including numerous references to the OT prophecies fulfilled by Jesus, a birth narrative that remarkably resembles Moses’ birth, and phenomenal events – signs from the…
Borrowing from the old adage, “all roads lead to Rome”, it appears that all ancient Mediterranean cities led to Christianity. Even despite Christianity being a minor movement in the first century, the sophisticated (for ancient times), Roman-designed travel routes throughout the Mediterranean and Asia Minor allowed early Christians to mingle with other cultures and gain…
