Rethinking Eve: New Insights into the Genesis Story
“Eve is the protagonist. She’s the one who reasons; she weighs options; she acts, and she moves history forward. It’s a deliberate, reasoned choice.” An interview with Shawna Dolansky.
Christianity by the Century: Fifth Century CE (400-500)
While Nicene Christianity remained dominant in the Eastern Empire, Arian rulers governed much of the West, often tolerating Nicene Christians but maintaining separate ecclesiastical systems. Thus theological division mirrored geopolitical division.
Two Fathers of Jesus: A New Perspective
It could be useful to read this text—to kind of really reflect on these human and divine identities and natures of Jesus and how to balance those, even if it's not in line with doctrinal teachings. An interview with Nathan Houston.
The “Parting of the Ways” between Judaism and Christianity
When, how, and why did the Jesus movement—a small Jewish group born and nourished within a first-century Jewish matrix—come to be "Christianity," a religious movement that defined itself as separate from, and even in opposition to, Judaism? An interview with Dr. Adèle Reinhartz
The Gnostic and Magical Solomon
How did King Solomon wind up in later Christian traditions? The Revelation of Adam—a second-century book from Nag Hammadi—claims that the great Seth became incarnate in a human being who was born of a virgin. He sounds a lot like Jesus with a twist! An interview with Dr. David Brakke
Christianity by the Century: Fourth Century CE (300-400)
The fourth century stands as a decisive turning point in Christian history. Communities that had once defined faith through suffering and martyrdom now faced the challenges of legitimacy, authority, and power.
Karen King Discusses Mary Magdalene as a Leader in Early Christianity
The Gospel of Mary talks about spiritual life both in terms of space and something that happens after death, but it's also very much a spiritual path in this life as one prepares for that. An interview with Dr. Karen L. King.
The Fate of the Apostles in the Gospel of Judas
The Gospel of Judas is often read as a harsh rejection of Jesus’s disciples and their successors. But when the disciples express remorse and ask Jesus to cleanse them, does the text show unexpected sympathy?. An interview with Dr. Lance Jenott
Christianity by the Century: Third Century CE (200-300)
It was during the third century CE that suffering became a defining marker of Christian identity—socially, politically, and theologically. By the start of the third century, the term ‘Christian’ began to gather specific meaning.
How Later Anti-Jewish Readings Distort the New Testament
How have anti-Jewish ideas shaped readings of the New Testament? Meredith Warren explores “Judeophobia,” historical context, and responsible interpretation in this Bible and Beyond podcast conversation. An interview with Dr. Meredith J. C. Warren.
Wishing You An Apocryphal Christmas
Ever wonder why Mary was chosen or how shepherds knew of Jesus’s birth? Early Christians filled in the missing details with imaginative stories that deepened faith in Jesus as God’s promised messiah. An interview with Dr. Tony Burke
Christianity by the Century: Second Century CE
The second century CE was a time of upheaval and creativity. Jesus’s followers wrestled with questions of identity, authority, and faith. Amid trauma and transformation, the century gave birth to Christianity’s astonishing diversity and its enduring theological foundations.