Where the Idea of Christian Atonement Came From
Dying for the people’s sins and resurrection are tied together from this period forward. The Jesus group who originated the piece of tradition in 1 Corinthians 15:4-5 was not innovating.
Did Jesus Go to India?
Jesus going to India comes up because we love mysteries. The Jewish rabbi and scholar Sameul Sandmel once said, “Minimal evidence leads to maximal theories.” And where there is no evidence, you are free to make it up.
Was Jesus the Expected Jewish Messiah?
Was Jesus the expected Jewish Messiah? The primary problem is that Jesus was crucified, executed by the Romans. Nothing in Jewish expectation about the Messiah expected the Messiah to lose, much less be executed by Israel’s enemies.
Is Jesus the Founder of Christianity?
Christians have had a difficult time acknowledging that Jesus was a Jew, despite the obvious fact his mother was a Jewish woman. Therefore, he was a Jew. So, what’s the problem?
Inconsistencies in the Gospel of John
The tradition of the Fourth Gospel sought to preserve and pass on a unique insight about Jesus. The extensive father/son language, unique to the Fourth Gospel, is at the center of this insight.
Who Was the Beloved Disciple?
What counts about the student is not his name but that he is loved by Jesus, is in his bosom. That is how he is to be known.
Five False Assumptions about Jesus
Literacy is at the heart of protestant Christianity. Reading the Bible is the way to salvation, a notion unknown before the reformation. . . But the Bible in our sense is unknown in the ancient world.
Five Misconceptions about Jesus
Did Jesus study with Buddhist monks in India? Were the official documents from Jesus’s trial before Pilate kept in Rome? Did Jesus establish the Christian church?
A Better Way to Hear the Hebrew Bible: The Everett Fox Translation
The Hebrew Bible as originally created "was meant to be heard, not read silently. By reading it aloud you will discover, even feel, its rhythm. This text demands performance."
How to Choose the Best Bible Translation
Whatever translation you’re using, switch to another. You will gain a new point of view on your favorite scriptures. A switch will remind you that translations are not THE BIBLE, but versions of the Bible.
The Magi in the Gospel of Matthew
This story [of the magi] encapsulates major themes of Matthew’s gospel. It prepares a reader for the story’s ending in the tragedy of Jesus’ execution. Sacred geography has been reordered.
Basileia: Kingdom of God or Empire of God?
“The (Father’s) empire is inside you and outside you.” The various performances of the right answer suggest the oral tradition had a hard time finding the gist for the correct answer.