Paula Fredriksen, Paul: The Pagans' Apostle (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2017), 115. Israel's god, in Jewish tradition, stands at the apex of humanity. The other elohim bow down to him; he alone is supreme. But his universality is ethnically inflected: this god chooses Israel from among all the other nations, setting them apart... Continue Reading →
Candida Moss (University of Birmingham) wrote a piece back in March on Apollonius, the miracle-working son of God that is often compared to Jesus. In it Moss, a prolific writer and scholar, observes that many in the ancient Mediterannean were considered the son of this or that God and that the miracles of Jesus "weren't completely unprecedented."... Continue Reading →
It’s gotten all mixed up, you see, as it was bound to after thousands and thousands of years of dogma and tradition. Religion doesn’t spawn morality. Intelligence spawns morality,which inevitably gives birth (in intelligent enough species) to religion.Now, some people find that religion helps hone and focus their morality, that it gives their morality a purpose... Continue Reading →
Check these out, comrades! Twitter user @bibhistctxt continues his series over at his blog on ancient Israelite origins in "Israelite Origins: Late Date Exodus." The "late date" for the Exodus is sometime during the 13th century BCE, before 1207 and after 1270 or so. I briefly addressed some of the issues involved last year in... Continue Reading →
In the last "Musings on Mark" we began taking a closer look at Mark 6:45-52. Today we finish up looking at that passage. "He Intended to Pass Them By" We left off in the last post with Jesus seeing the struggle of the disciples as they tried to row "against an adverse wind" (Mark 6:48).... Continue Reading →
Few Christian doctrines are as bizarre as the doctrine of the Trinity. Most people have a vague understanding of what the doctrine entails but far fewer can articulate it without accidentally falling into some cesspool of heterodoxy. Lest I follow suit, I'll allow the Westminster Confession of Faith1 to define the doctrine: In the unity of... Continue Reading →
Here's the Weekly Roundup! I've really enjoyed @StudyofChrist's series on the Matthean genealogy. I'm slowly getting caught up on his videos and recently watched "More Complicated Issues" which covers issues surrounding the father of Zerubbabel (Matthew 1:12) as well as where in the world Abiud (Matthew 1:13) came from. Many of the names in the genealogy are... Continue Reading →
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