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“Compared to the ancient world, the modern world is so impoverished in its ideas. We have such a narrow range of ways of responding to situations and issues, compared to all the ideas that people had before. So I’ve always just kept going, looking farther and farther to find all of these rich ideas that have been forgotten but people thought of long ago.”
— Dr. Jason BeDuhn in “Early Christians Answer ‘Where Is God When Things Go Wrong?‘” (Episode 33)
The Bible and Beyond podcast has been created for everyone who would like to sit down with scholars and ask them about their latest research in the world of the earliest Jesus followers.
The podcast explores historical and spiritual questions about Jesus, gender, women, salvation, healing, and the meaning of life in a series of interviews with scholars who are able to unlock mysteries from extra-canonical books, forgotten scriptures, so-called ‘gnostic’ gospels, and the Bible. In some cases, their discoveries leave us feeling somewhat uneasy, because they don’t fit with what we’ve been told through the ages. On the other hand, the scholars keep uncovering a kind of deep intimacy with Jesus — his love for humanity and his love for God. It’s a liberating message, inspiring us to let go of some heavy, unnecessary church-baggage and consider what these texts might mean for modern-day followers of Jesus.
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Is the Book of Acts Historically Accurate?
One of the issues that’s really beginning to affect these communities and the second and third generation is the question of authority. … How do we know that our group is doing things right? An interview with Dr. Perry Kia.
A Jew and a Christian Discover Commonality
This blew me away. This was a reminder, one of the things both as a Jew and somebody who works to end discriminatory thought and action, I thought this was a game-changer. An interview with Dr. Jennifer Stollman
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
Mary Magdalene Was Probably Not from Magdala
It’s possible she is Lazarus’s sister. … Mary from Bethany who possibly gave the central Christological confession in John’s gospel … she was given the name ‘Mary the Tower’ for her faith. An interview with Elizabeth Schrader Polczer.
Correcting the Mary Magdalene Smear Campaign
The journey, the spiritual journey for men, is just as important for them to tap into that divine feminine as it is for women. An interview with Rev. Kyndall Rae Rothaus.
Manichaeans and the Insider-Outsider Debate
Some scholars treat Manicaheism the same way Americans treat Asian-Americans. They’re from somewhere else. Guests, but not from here – they’re outsiders. An interview with Dr. Jae Han.
An Ancient Gold Glass Challenges Biblical Boundaries
So when we see, for example, a painting, in the catacombs of Jonah being cast out of the big fish, is it Bible itself? An interview with Eric Smith, PhD.
The Secret Behind the Secrets in So-Called Gnosticism
Here’s a saying [of Jesus] that nobody else knows about! And if you can figure out this …or really understand what’s going on here, you will have a certain kind of power. An interview with Nicola Denzey Lewis.
Why Should We Believe Anything in the Secret Revelation of John?
The canon is not something that is happening in the second century. It becomes an issue particularly in the fourth century. Canon, before, simply meant “these are the top ten books in my group.” A discussion between Dr. Shirley Paulson and Dr. Art Dewey.
What Kind of Person Was Judas Really?
Jesus is explaining it’s not a good thing that you’re going to have to do, Judas. But it’s part of what must happen for God to set the universe right. An interview with Dr. David Brakke.
How Illness and Heresy Became Entangled in Christianity
From then on, illness is associated with heresy, mostly because of the way it spreads. Diseases spread [when] you talk to somebody, and the ancients were aware of that type of dissemination. An interview with Dr. Jennifer Barry.
Thecla’s Fight for Independence
Thecla is willing to die, but she doesn’t patiently endure violence toward her. … So that’s a very different dynamic than what is often presented as the pattern that a good submissive woman should follow. An interview with Dr. Deborah Niederer Saxon.
Noncanonical Texts Illuminate the Bible
"This is the biggest thrust from After Jesus Before Christianity. How will we end up talking about those first two centuries, now that you’ve exposed that these words don’t work right?" An interview with Dr. Shirley Paulson.
Finding Depth in Jesus’s Farmer Parables
"There are long traditions in Greek and Roman and Judaean writing, using farming to think about important aspects of life like morality, wisdom, virtue, and education." An Interview with Dr. Ian Brown.
More Answers to the Question “Where is God When Things Go Wrong?”
"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.
Marcion Answers “Where Is God When Things Go Wrong?”
When you have a God that is very different, you get very different human possibilities... An Interview with Dr. Stephen A. Cooper
Early Christians Answer “Where Is God When Things Go Wrong?”
The modern world is so impoverished in its ideas. We have such a narrow range of ways of responding to situations and issues compared to all the ideas that people had before. An interview with Dr. Jason BeDuhn.
What Is the Apocrypha and Why Read It?
Apocrypha give us some real insights into beliefs and practices across Judaism and Christianity, across many cultures and thousands of years. An interview with Dr. Brandon Hawk.
Was Adam the Original Sinner?
Who actually is the culprit in the book of Genesis? Is it Adam? Is it Eve? Is it God himself? The main story is in Genesis. An Interview with Dr. Lance Jenott.
Who Are All the Marys in the New Testament?
I can say that there are at least seven Marys, depending on how you count them. I’ll start off with those seven and explain how we get to that seven. An Interview with Anna Cwikla.
Christian Heresy: Is the Idea Still Relevant?
So they feel there’s a need to say, 'OK, we know this is a time of crisis, so we need to know who counts in our group and who doesn’t.' An Interview with Chance Bonar.
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