By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2026-03-09T02:26:33-04:00December 11th, 2025|Tags: Christian History by the Century, Concepts of God, Early Jesus Followers, Irenaeus, Marcion, Valentinus|
The second century CE was a time of upheaval and creativity. Jesus’s followers wrestled with questions of identity, authority, and faith. Amid trauma and transformation, the century gave birth to Christianity’s astonishing diversity and its enduring theological foundations.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2024-07-31T00:59:04-04:00July 31st, 2024|Tags: Christian Heresies, Concepts of God, Genesis, Gnosticism, Irenaeus, Material World|
Irenaeus may remain the champion of the God who made a difficult place for humans to grow, but the gnostic thinkers should be granted champions of the God who created the inherently good creation.
By Dr. Marko Marina|2024-07-28T20:41:20-04:00April 10th, 2024|Tags: Christian Heresies, Irenaeus, Material World, Nag Hammadi, Valentinus, Valentinus Series|
Despite Irenaeus's effort to discredit Valentinus's Christian contribution by sounding too strange, these Valentinian ideas were similar enough to some other authentic Valentinian texts to suggest that Irenaeus did not invent his "Great Account" entirely himself.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2025-08-12T17:50:53-04:00April 3rd, 2024|Tags: Ancient Writings, Bible, Christian Canon, Irenaeus, Shepherd of Hermas|
If written in 200, the traditional interpretation of it—which I am challenging—is that this is an attempt to form a closed canon, the kind I had said we don't really see until the 300s. An interview with Dr. David Brakke.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2026-02-14T05:18:31-05:00December 1st, 2021|Tags: Concepts of God, Demiurge, Dr. James McGrath, Irenaeus, Mandaeans, Plato|
"When you come to the point where you encounter powers that are antithetical to God, then the question of how this could have happened becomes a pressing one." An Interview with Dr. James McGrath.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2024-07-28T20:41:26-04:00March 23rd, 2020|Tags: Early Jesus Followers, Irenaeus, Jesus|
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!
