I wonder if the fact that the topic of religion is always coming up actually fosters belief in such things as the resurrection of Jesus? Perhaps being inundated with discussion of a highly improbable event works to overcome its implausibility in our minds? Maybe we hold contradictory views that we know the miraculous is ridiculously … Is A Religious Culture Self-Perpetuating

Like the false brethren and false apostles I dealt with in previous posts, we analogously have the pseudoprophētōn or “false prophets” of Matthew 7. We read: Again we have this idea of people who seem to be sincere followers of Jesus but are viewed as fundamentally wrong about something. This seems to refer to believers … The False Prophets And The Christ Myth Theory

Paul says one of the necessary conditions of being an actual apostle is having seen the risen Christ.  He asks “Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?“  This is not a sufficient condition, since he says the 500 saw the risen Christ without being apostles, but such an experiences was … For Paul, What Was Required To Be An Apostle?

Josephus, Antiquities, 18.116-119Written c. 94 CE. Some have disputed the authenticity of this passage, but it is extant as early as 248CE, as it is referred to in Origen’s Contra Celsus 1.47. The relevant text reads (my highlighting) Source: LCL 433:81-85 It’s unclear whether to make a case of an interpolation by a Christian scribe … Josephus On The Death Of John The Baptist: Interpolation Or Late Date For Mark?

So, in this series of post I talked about the meaning of the death of Jesus. The previous posts were: The Peculiar Case Of The Martyrdom Of Polycarp and interpreting the Death of Jesus (2/2) The Peculiar Case Of The Martyrdom Of Polycarp and interpreting the Death of Jesus: Erasing The Cross From History Paul … Jesus Died According To The Scriptures (Conclusion)

So, in my last three posts I’ve been talking about the question of whether Jesus died by crucifixion, or for some other reason: The Peculiar Case Of The Martyrdom Of Polycarp and interpreting the Death of Jesus (2/2) The Peculiar Case Of The Martyrdom Of Polycarp and interpreting the Death of Jesus: Erasing The Cross … Jesus According To The Scriptures Wrap Up

I talked a bit last time about how the theologizing of Jesus’s death as crucifixion puts into question the historicity of the crucifixion (Jesus could have died another way).  And, in fact we seem to have early Christian groups who did not see the crucifixion or resurrection to be germane to their faith.  The Didache, … Paul And The Super-Apostles

Last time I touched on the problematic historical problems caused by Mark theologizing his portrayal of the cross with Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22 (and Wisdom of Solomon with Matthew), and Paul theologizing the cross with Deuteronomy 21:23 (“Hung on a tree”) in Galatians 3:10, 13. When Paul says at its very core the cross … (2/2) The Peculiar Case Of The Martyrdom Of Polycarp and interpreting the Death of Jesus: Erasing The Cross From History

Martyrs are one of our noblest types of heroes. Scott Myers points out, typically, we associate the term with someone who suffers persecution or even death for their religious or political beliefs. There are plenty of movie examples of this iteration including Braveheart, Ghandi and Silkwood. Myers comments: In previous posts I’ve talked a bit … The Peculiar Case Of The Martyrdom Of Polycarp and interpreting the Death of Jesus

The Unforgiveable Sin Have you ever wondered, if Jesus’s death paid the sin debt in full, why there is an unforgiveable sin: blaspheming the Holy Spirit?  Our earliest gospel Mark comments: This blaspheming the holy spirit is a type of breaking the 3rd commandment, knowingly perverting the will of God like those Jewish elite who … The Unforgivable/Eternal Sin