The anti-Christian political climate behind the January 2019 berating of Catholic Teens & Christian schools in Washington D.C. ominously echoes the year Tiberius expelled the Jews from Rome 2,000 years ago, in 19 A.D.
Will the Real Jesus Please Stand
False Apostles, painting False 'Jesus's have always been around. Paul described them, and the phenomenon continues today.
Septuagint (LXX) vs. Hebrew Text: Which does the New Testament quote more often?
Today I wondered which NT books relied more heavily on the Septuagint vs. the Hebrew text. I found this book which interests me: and this webpage: Protestants should not hesitate to read / study the list contained in the site above. While I was raised thinking that Jesus did not quote the Apocrypha, I was … Continue reading Septuagint (LXX) vs. Hebrew Text: Which does the New Testament quote more often?
Mary Magdalene
posted December 18th, 2017
I need to put a date on an important hypothesis of mine. I am not sure if others have come to a similar conclusion, but for at least several months, I’ve seen the lack of information about Mary Magdalene, Lazarus, & Nicodemus, in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, as being a wise & deliberate act of obscuring their identities in order to protect them, as living witnesses at the time of authorship. This concept is far reaching, and is supported by writers such as Arthur Stapylton Barnes.
Mary Magdalene in particular was a key eyewitness.
It was she who wet Jesus pre resurrection feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair, then clasped the post resurrection feet.
While it could be argued that, in some instances, the disciples simply thought they saw Jesus, Mary Magdalene on the other hand, was acquainted with the living, the dead, and the resurrected feet…
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Peter: The Black Hole
Peter’s enormous influence, conspicuous absence, and deliberate concealment in the New Testament likens him to a black hole: When an important figure like Silas got near, he too was blacked out, impossible to locate, made invisible by Luke and Paul.
A Black Hole is “a celestial object that has a gravitational field so strong that light cannot escape it and that is believed to be created especially in the collapse of a very massive star.” (Merriam Webster)
According to my simplified definition, it is something so massive that its gravitational pull lets no light escape. It is there, but it cannot be seen. To the naked eye, it looks like nothing is there. But the absence is conspicuous. Anything around it disappears.
Sometime between September 2016 and July 2017 I began to map out every minor name in the New Testament, from Epaphras to Sosthenes. I wanted to know where…
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James’ Execution: Too Close to Home
Jesus’ mother, Mary, was cared for by John. When John’s brother, James, was executed by Herod, this must have sent a chill through the early Christian community.
I speculate that when James the brother of John was executed by Herod, this was an alarm signal to the Apostles. Usually our attention goes right on to Peter who was next. We know that he miraculously escaped, but what I wish to draw our attention to is this:
James was the brother of John.
John was the one to whom Jesus had entrusted the care of his mother, Mary.
Therefore John was a highly esteemed pillar, one whose identity and whereabouts had to be kept under close guard. He was too valuable a witness, as was Mary, to write to, or write about in the early history of the church. Certainly Luke did write about him, along with Peter, in the…
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Wikipedia Theology: Reader Beware
What if you discovered that your doctor, dentist, or orthopedic surgeon graduated from an institution that chose textbooks that could be edited by anyone in the world at any moment? What if I could go in and change the recipes at your favorite restaurant any time I wanted to? What if anyone in the world … Continue reading Wikipedia Theology: Reader Beware
Adolf Harnack Let’s ’em have it
The Introduction to Adolf Harnack's 1909 "The Acts of the Apostles" ends with a sharp rebuke. Critics who were eager to dismiss a document in its entirety over any perceived discrepancy were not left uninformed of Harnack’s opinion of their views. Today, the introduction reminds us that “Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus” (false in … Continue reading Adolf Harnack Let’s ’em have it
On Sejanus, Pilate’s Fear, and the Date of Christ’s Crucifixion
John's Gospel says that Pilate was fearful. Why? Pilate's association with Sejanus, who Tiberius executed 31 A.D., explains Pilate's dilemma.
The New Testament Writers
A snapshot of the nine writers: 3 disciples, 2 brothers, Mark, Luke, Paul, and the anonymous author of Hebrews. Includes links from John Wenham's 1991 article on Luke as Lucius of Cyrene, plus George Edmundson's 1913 case for Barnabas & Paul as co-authors of Hebrews.
Who Wrote the Gospels? 