By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2026-03-01T03:41:55-05:00December 23rd, 2025|Tags: Infancy Gospel of Thomas, Nativity Story, Religious Boundaries|
Ever wonder why Mary was chosen or how shepherds knew of Jesus’s birth? Early Christians filled in the missing details with imaginative stories that deepened faith in Jesus as God’s promised messiah. An interview with Dr. Tony Burke
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2026-03-01T03:42:15-05:00November 25th, 2025|Tags: Gospel of Luke, Gospel of Matthew, Infancy Gospel of Thomas, Jesus, Nativity Story|
Join the conversation with scholar Joan Taylor, exploring the world Jesus was born into. Discover how Roman violence, and migration to Nazareth shaped his earliest years and influenced the man he became. An interview with Dr. Joan Taylor
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2024-08-27T04:33:54-04:00August 27th, 2024|Tags: Gospels, Mary, Nativity Story, Women|
Women like Mary, the mother of Jesus, were influential leaders and have been largely written out of the story. But Mary—more like the 'Godmother'—is rightly the real 'Founder' of the movement. Presenter: Dr. James Tabor with host Dr. Shirley Paulson
By Dr. B. Brandon Scott|2022-12-28T09:06:33-05:00December 28th, 2022|Tags: Biblical Violence, Gospel of Matthew, Magic, Nativity Story, Translation Issues|
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.
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2026-02-14T05:07:59-05:00December 7th, 2022|Tags: Christmas, Gospel of Matthew, Nativity Story, Protevangelium of James|
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
By Shirley Paulson, PhD|2021-01-06T09:03:13-05:00December 12th, 2019|Tags: Christmas, Gospel of Luke, Gospel of Matthew, Nativity Story|
I was afraid to consider the implications, because Christmas had become a profoundly religious experience for me by now. Was this discovery going to shatter my faith?
