Is Jesus the Founder of Christianity?
Christians have had a difficult time acknowledging that Jesus was a Jew, despite the obvious fact his mother was a Jewish woman. Therefore, he was a Jew. So, what’s the problem?
Exploring Ancient New Testament Gospel Manuscripts
This is a piece of parchment, animal skin, that was re-written not just once, but twice, with later texts. The first layer, the underlayer that is Matthew is written in Syriac, which is a form of Aramaic. An Interview with Dr. Jeremiah Coogan
Unraveling the Blood Curse in the Gospel of Matthew
The irony is that the history of Israel embodies the suffering innocent one. . . reminding us why we have to stay aware of the innocent one in our midst. An Interview with Dr. Arthur Dewey
How to Stop Worrying: The Biblical Remedy
When I looked into the realities of ancient clothing, however, I started to see how tied together clothing and the body – and beyond the body, the very stuff of self – really were, for Jesus’ audience.
Why Are There Multiple Christmas Stories?
The biblical accounts in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke have some similar features, such as Mary and Joseph attending the birth. But the details in both accounts are actually contradictory. Presenter: Dr. Shirley Paulson and Dr. Robert J. Miller (with host Hilary Barner)
The Magi in the Gospel of Matthew
This story [of the magi] encapsulates major themes of Matthew’s gospel. It prepares a reader for the story’s ending in the tragedy of Jesus’ execution. Sacred geography has been reordered.
What Is the Deeper Meaning of Christmas?
If we only celebrated the birth of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew, we’d have no angel speaking to Mary …. If we only celebrated the birth of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke, we’d have no flight to Egypt.
The Magi and the Star in the Christmas Story
All of the stories about Jesus’s birth are creative stories. People have imagined that story in many different ways. Birth stories of Jesus … do have some commonalities. But then they add details for their own purposes. An interview with Dr. Eric Vanden Eykel
How Did Mary Magdalene Lose Her Reputation?
"Now you know how she lost her reputation. I think it's time in our generation that we give it back to her. She was a noble follower of Jesus from the very beginning." A video featuring Dr. Brandon Scott.
Should “Ekklēsia” Really Be Translated as “Church”?
In the King James translation of the Hebrew scripture (so-called ‘Old Testament’), the translators consistently employed the gloss ‘assembly,’ while in the New Testament they used ‘church.’
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)
The Gospel of Matthew’s Problematic Prophecies
"Looking at contemporary writers helped me understand how Matthew was quoting the Old Testament—which ... turned out to be pretty much the common practice of the day." An Interview with Robert J. Miller.