By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2021-04-07T00:42:50-04:00April 7th, 2021|Tags: Apocrypha, Apocryphal Texts, Early Christian Texts, Early Church, Janet Spittler, 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 Elli Elliott|2021-02-24T03:04:57-05:00February 24th, 2021|Tags: Early Christian Texts, Early Jesus Followers, Elli Elliott, Poverty, Shepherd of Hermas|
"For Hermas, self-control meant a redirection of desire by taking pleasure in the joy of helping the poor. Such redirection was a means to overcome double-mindedness by reorienting wealthier members to focus on the community rather than themselves."
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2021-02-07T23:30:31-05:00February 4th, 2021|Tags: Dead Sea Scrolls, Early Christian Texts, Jesus, Judaism, Mark M. Mattison, Odes of Solomon, Samuel Zinner|
"Some think these Odes of Solomon are words of praise to Jesus. … But these are Jesus's praises of God, not the worship of Jesus." An Interview with Samuel Zinner, PhD, and Mark M. Mattison.
By Mark M. Mattision|2021-02-28T06:40:34-05:00January 28th, 2021|Tags: Early Christian Texts, Early Jesus Followers, Mark M. Mattison, Music, Odes of Solomon|
"Virtually unknown until ancient manuscripts began to surface in 1785, this surprising and superlative collection of odes offers a rare glimpse into the unbridled spirituality of early Eastern followers of Jesus."
By Dr. Hal Taussig|2021-01-25T04:21:35-05:00August 27th, 2020|Tags: Early Christian Texts, Gospel of Thomas, Spirituality, Wisdom|
Spend five to ten minutes a day contemplating just one saying, letting it roll around in your head and heart and noticing what else it brings into your mind.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2021-01-25T04:21:48-05:00August 13th, 2020|Tags: Compassion, Early Christian Texts, Secret Revelation of John, Uncertainty|
I feel the tears in my city and from people everywhere who have become untethered from the promise of security. … a voice is speaking. “It is I, the compassionate.”
By Dr. Hal Taussig|2021-01-25T04:22:18-05:00July 19th, 2020|Tags: Early Christian Texts, Hal Taussig, The Thunder Perfect Mind|
She has much power, speaks her own truth even when it is not easy, brings different persons and characteristics together in herself, and enacts surprising connections.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2021-01-25T04:14:57-05:00July 9th, 2020|Tags: Early Christian Texts, Gospel of Philip, Injustice, Salvation|
Am I (and everybody else) supposed to work on my own behavior alone with God, or … should I sell everything I have and give to the poor, as Jesus teaches (Mark 10:21)?
By Dr. Hal Taussig|2021-01-25T04:15:04-05:00June 25th, 2020|Tags: Ancient Writings, Bible, Early Christian Communities, Early Christian Texts|
I have worked for thirty-plus years on early texts from the Christ movements, the rest of the Bible, and all kinds of ancient writings, because it has been one of the ways I claim meaning.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2021-01-25T04:15:15-05:00June 11th, 2020|Tags: Early Christian Texts, Immovable Race, Injustice, Racial Justice, Secret Revelation of John|
But it’s neither a form of escapism, nor privilege for a favored few. It requires faithful living with the gifts of the spirit, not the alluring attractions of materialism.
