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.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2020-06-04T08:31:23-04:00June 4th, 2020|Tags: Deb Saxon, Early Christian Texts, Natalie Renee Perkins, Odes of Solomon|
Wow! Those are some really important words, and they went by so quickly. So, how can I (a composer) stretch them, so they have more weight to them than the textual space allows? An Interview with Natalie Perkins and Deborah Saxon.
