Home » The Bible and Beyond
Enjoy posts about a variety of subjects, all designed to help you look at religion, the Bible, and early Christian texts in a new way.
By Eric C. Smith, PhD|2022-08-10T08:55:54-04:00August 10th, 2022|Tags: Bible, Christian Canon, Early Christian Art|
Is a t-shirt with John 3:16 on it bible? It’s not a bible, it’s not the Bible, but it’s bible, in some sense.
By Dr. B. Brandon Scott|2022-07-12T14:57:54-04:00July 20th, 2022|Tags: Gospel of Mark, New Testament, Translation Issues|
Looking over my shoulder as I translate gives you some idea of the many decisions that must be made to reach a good translation.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2022-07-12T07:17:04-04:00July 13th, 2022|Tags: Community, Fear and Protection, Letter of Peter to Philip, Violence|
We’ve prayed before. We’ve cried before. We’ve blamed others before. Have we run out of options? That’s the question that brings me back to the only ancient Christian text I’m aware of that deals so directly with violence.
By Dr. Hal Taussig|2022-06-19T03:00:02-04:00June 22nd, 2022|Tags: Biblical Violence, Humor, Violence|
Here’s to humor that paints a dark, funny, and different perspective. Here’s to letting the people who look like they are in trouble chuckle about their future. Here’s to violent legions rushing toward their own demise.
By Dr. B. Brandon Scott|2022-06-12T16:10:30-04:00June 15th, 2022|Tags: Bible, Fundamentalism, Translation Issues|
A translation can become fixed, immutable, and sacred. … All too often a translation becomes an idol. Bible translations tend to become THE BIBLE for a community and substitute for the original languages.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2022-06-07T23:39:29-04:00June 7th, 2022|Tags: Healing, Salvation, Savior, Secret Revelation of John|
The meaning of salvation has shifted from an original focus on rescue from danger, disease and sin. The Secret Revelation of John is an example.
By Dr. Hal Taussig|2022-05-23T09:12:55-04:00May 25th, 2022|Tags: Community, Crucifixion, Letter of Peter to Philip, Violence|
We are finding that facing Russian violence needs ... complex combinations of courage, creativity, community, hidden transcripts, and aliveness by regular people.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2022-05-15T08:05:03-04:00May 18th, 2022|Tags: Christian Heresies, Empowerment, Gnosticism, Nag Hammadi, Secret Revelation of John|
For those who want to hold power and authority over others, the value of this ancient text remains controversial, because it discusses the kind of freedom that offends authoritarian control.
By Dr. B. Brandon Scott|2022-05-06T09:22:39-04:00May 11th, 2022|Tags: Gospel of Luke, Parables, Thecla, Translation Issues|
The elder is not simply a son; he is the father’s child, … In the terms of first century cultural expectations, the observant reader will notice that this father is playing the role of a mother.
By Dr. Hal Taussig|2022-04-27T02:01:13-04:00April 27th, 2022|Tags: Concepts of God, Gender Issues, Gratitude, Nag Hammadi, Prayer of Thanksgiving|
Take in, if you can, the depth of this Divinity, and the way it is expressed. Notice how it proposes that Divinity itself is characterized primarily by growth.
