By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2026-04-29T04:18:36-04:00May 6th, 2026|Tags: Apocryphal Texts, Christian Heresies, Gnosticism, Magic, Peter|
“On the basis of the Acts alone, we certainly cannot conclude that Simon is—as you mentioned—a scumbag, nor is he portrayed as an ally of evil, as he will be portrayed in later sources.” An interview with Dr. Benjamin DeVos.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2026-05-19T00:52:01-04:00February 26th, 2025|Tags: Ancient Writings, Apocrypha, Apocryphal Texts, Christian Canon|
By themselves, the Apocryphal writings are fascinating, and historically, they have much to tell us about the ancient state of religious thought. An interview with Dr. Matthew Goff
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2024-07-08T18:09:04-04:00May 1st, 2024|Tags: Ancient Writings, Apocryphal Texts, Gospel of Mark, Sex, Tony Burke|
After Smith's death, it [the claim of forgery] accelerated in part because now you can't sue people for libel. People can make whatever charge they want against them. And there's a certain animosity toward Smith. An interview with Dr. Tony Burke.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2026-02-14T05:04:49-05:00September 6th, 2023|Tags: Apocryphal Texts, Christian Canon, Dr. James McGrath, Genesis, Mandaeans, Noncanonical Texts|
Throughout most of Christian history – even when there was a canon – people felt it was worth telling other stories around the edges and in between the scenes of the canon. An interview with Dr. James McGrath.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2024-06-07T04:04:16-04:00July 25th, 2023|Tags: Ancient Writings, Apocrypha, Apocryphal Texts, Apostles, Tony Burke|
Cutting-edge research on ancient lists of apostles reveals their connection with the apocryphal acts of the apostles and shows why they (the lists) offer such important new information about the apostles. Presenters: Dr. Tony Burke and Dr. Shirley Paulson
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2023-08-01T05:46:57-04:00April 6th, 2022|Tags: Apocryphal Texts, Christian Heresies, Empowerment, Sex, Theology|
From then on, illness is associated with heresy, mostly because of the way it spreads. Diseases spread [when] you talk to somebody, and the ancients were aware of that type of dissemination. An interview with Dr. Jennifer Barry.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2026-02-14T05:19:37-05:00September 1st, 2021|Tags: Apocrypha, Apocryphal Texts, Dead Sea Scrolls, Noncanonical Texts, Religion|
Apocrypha give us some real insights into beliefs and practices across Judaism and Christianity, across many cultures and thousands of years. An interview with Dr. Brandon Hawk.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2026-02-14T05:26:29-05:00April 7th, 2021|Tags: Apocrypha, Apocryphal Texts, Early Christian Texts, Early Church, Noncanonical Texts|
"Christian believers for the past two millennia haven’t distinguished between canonical and noncanonical sources. Lots of stories in noncanonical texts have been just as much true stories for believers as canonical texts. Lots of stories in noncanonical texts have been just as much true stories for believers as canonical texts." An interview with Dr. Janet Spittler.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2026-02-14T05:23:02-05:00March 17th, 2021|Tags: Apocryphal Texts, Dead Sea Scrolls, Hebrew Bible, Nag Hammadi, Oxyrhynchus, Tony Burke|
"I would suggest keeping a cool head and reserving judgment. Good scholarship takes time—thinking about … all the stuff that comes out on the internet very, very rapidly." An interview about the Shapira Scroll with Dr. Tony Burke.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2026-02-14T05:24:26-05:00July 1st, 2020|Tags: Apocrypha, Apocryphal Texts, Magic, Noncanonical Texts, Tony Burke|
"There are some strange things in these texts, and even Thomas’s skin is one of them. But … there’s plenty of strangeness in the New Testament as well. " An interview with Dr. Tony Burke.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2022-12-27T18:57:34-05:00September 10th, 2019|Tags: Apocryphal Texts, Extracanonical Texts, Mary, Protevangelium of James|
I was trained in traditional texts, but drawn to non-normative books and what they can reveal about gender and the construction of one’s identity. Franҫois Bovon considers the Protevangelium of James to be “useful for the soul.” An Interview with Dr. Lily Vuong.
