The Bible and Beyond Discussions Archive2023-08-20T06:41:58-04:00

The Bible and Beyond Discussions Recording Archive

Monday Textual Study Archives

Once a month, at 8:00–9:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday nights (generally the fourth of the month), Early Christian Texts hosts a presentation and discussion of one of the early Christian texts.  Dr. Shirley Paulson generally leads the sessions by first sharing a well-framed overview of the particular subject and after that providing time for all participants to ask questions or share their own insights.

There is no charge, but attendees are invited to donate or become a Bible and Beyond patron. You may attend any or all sessions — you are welcome any time.  We look forward to your participation.

Learn more and sign up for reminder emails here.

Subscribe to the Bible and Beyond Discussions recordings on the Early Christian Texts YouTube Channel.

2510, 2021

Humor and Joy in Mark, Thomas, Matthew, and Luke

Within the gospels of Mark, Thomas, Matthew, and Luke is a large set of pithy sayings whose primary meanings are humor and joy.  It is probable that most of these sayings existed before these gospels were written and were for generations part of oral lore. Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig (with host Shirley Paulson, PhD)

2709, 2021

Rethinking the Revelation to John

This last book in most (but not all) canons of the New Testament was contested even before there was a notion of canon or New Testament.  It was contested in a number of the pre-canonical lists of books to be read, including by the likes of Martin Luther 1300 years later. Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig (with host Shirley Paulson, PhD)

2607, 2021

The Mother, Eve, and Norea Among the Christ People

Unlike in later and present Christianity, Eve was often known especially among both the Christ People and the people of Israel as the mother of humanity, and was often in this dimension a powerful salvific figure for all time. Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig (with host Shirley Paulson, PhD)

2806, 2021

Violence in the Letter of Peter to Philip

In the “Letter of Peter to Philip,” the Christ people ‘ambassadors’ (traditionally transliterated as apostles’) cry out to God and Jesus Christ for help against the Roman rulers who are threatening to kill them just as they killed Jesus. Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig (with host Shirley Paulson, PhD)

2405, 2021

The Life of Polycarp’s Death

Most stories of Polycarp have him being killed by Roman rulers in his old age, after having been a successful leader of a Christ group of the second century in Smyrna. Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig (with host Shirley Paulson, PhD)

2604, 2021

Luke, Didache, and Prayer of Thanksgiving: It Began with Meals

The study of these three texts helps point to the very meal-based practice of the first two centuries of Christ people gatherings and the early lack of the later church-based liturgical and mass-related ‘worship services.’ Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig (with host Shirley Paulson, PhD)

2203, 2021

Light and Fragrance in the Gospel of Truth

The Gospel of Truth—written sometime in the second century—is almost certainly the most lush and sensuous of early Christ literature. Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig (with host Shirley Paulson, PhD)

2202, 2021

Jesus Sophia in the Bible

 Gender bending, gender pluralism, and divine-human figures provided backdrops for understanding the intersections of Wisdom, Jesus, and Sophia in ancient literature and contemporary theology and spirituality. Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig (with host Shirley Paulson, PhD)

2501, 2021

Stories of Jesus’s Resurrection, Especially Gospel of Peter

The Gospel of Peter has a story of the resurrection of Jesus like no other.  The story starts in ways that are like some of the stories in the Bible, and then it veers wildly with intense metaphor that opens up completely new interpretations. Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig (with host Shirley Paulson, PhD)

2812, 2020

The Gospel of Mary

The Gospel of Mary is a document whose attractiveness is still on the rise since its discovery about 120 years ago.  This discussion focuses directly on the character of the gospel and whether it makes a difference for the principle challenges and opportunities of our day. Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig (with host Shirley Paulson, PhD)

2311, 2020

Jesus’s Beginnings in the Gospel of John

The Gospel of John is based in two different story-like persona: the figure of the Word or Logos from ancient Greek philosophy and the figure of Wisdom or Sophia from Hebrew wisdom literature. Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig (with host Shirley Paulson, PhD)

2610, 2020

The Relationship of ‘The Odes of Solomon’ to Jesus

Despite being called 'The Odes of Solomon,' implying directly that the songs (odes) are from King Solomon of Israel about a thousand years before Jesus, many of the songs in this text (if not all of them) are clearly about Jesus. Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig (with host Shirley Paulson, PhD) Includes transcript!

2809, 2020

Israel Everywhere: Clement II

Clement II is quite a precious early writing in that it shows clearly how it belongs thoroughly to greater Israel, even while being devoted to Jesus. Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig (with host Shirley Paulson, PhD)

2408, 2020

Thecla, Paul, Jesus, and Family

The earliest version of The Acts of Paul and Thecla explicitly picture her as never having submitted to a Roman death. This study will also continue with these themes, but we will also look substantially into the very experimental role she played in challenging traditional family values. Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig (with host Shirley Paulson, PhD)

2707, 2020

The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (the Didache)

Thought of by many as the first community handbook written for communities of Christ and Jesus peoples, The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles has a fairly complicated organization and set of teachings. Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig (with host Shirley Paulson, PhD)

2206, 2020

Gender Creativity and Problems in the Gospel of Thomas

Jesus himself in the Gospel of Thomas is not singly gendered, and is pictured more than once like the female divine Wisdom/Sophia. A close look at its whole teaches us much about the complexities of gender in the ancient Mediterranean world and our own. Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig (with host Shirley Paulson, PhD)

106, 2020

Creativity in and Rejection of Hebrews

The creative metaphors for life in Jesus Christ in the Letter to the Hebrews are some of the most imaginative to come out of the first two centuries. But Hebrews has been mostly ignored by official Christendom. Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig (with host Shirley Paulson, PhD)

2303, 2020

Many Jesuses or Just One? (Part II)

When we compare the Jesus in the Gospel of Mark with the Jesus in the Gospel of John, we notice many major differences. So many, in fact, that it raises the question of whether this is even the same Jesus! Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig (with host Dr. Shirley Paulson) Includes transcript!

2402, 2020

Many Jesuses?

With more and more different documents about Jesus discovered, a certain kind of question is being asked more frequently. The question goes something like this, "Since Jesus seems quite different and quite attractive and meaningful in many texts, can we think about one Jesus? Or would it help to think of different Jesuses?" Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig (with host Dr. Shirley Paulson)

2701, 2020

Parables of Jesus in the Gospel of Thomas

Gospel of Thomas has more or less three kinds of parables: those with almost exact parallels with Matthew, Mark, or Luke; those with similar story-lines to canonical gospels but with strikingly different meanings; and those that have little or no similarities to canonical gospels. Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig (with host Dr. Shirley Paulson)

3012, 2019

First Revelation of James

 James and the Lord talk at some length about the reputation that the Jesus movement welcomes women. Indeed in this document Jesus seems to be known for his association with four women leaders. Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig (with host Dr. Shirley Paulson)

2511, 2019

The Gospel of Mark

One of the recent interests in the Gospel of Mark are its resistance and responses to (especially) violence through its comical, flexible, and complicated identity constructions. Presenter: Dr. Hal Taussig (with host Dr. Shirley Paulson) Includes transcript!

Get email updates.

Support Early Christian Texts



All donations support the website, blog, and podcast of Early Christian Texts.  Please be advised that we do not have a nonprofit legal designation at this time. Contributions to Early Christian Texts are greatly appreciated though not tax deductible in the US.

Go to Top