New Header Image and Updated ‘Mystery’

Because of my love for the Gnostics (and ancient mystery religions in general) I have thought it useful to update my blog header image and the ‘Of the Muses’ (upper-left column) information. I will not give out the passage of the Greek text (though many of you students of intertextuality and mimesis will pick up [...]

Some Clarifications on Heb. 2:17

I wanted to make this post separate of my apology to James, mainly because I feel that apologies should stand alone as they are, without dirtying them with lots of explanations and whatnot.  I hold firm to my apology to James and am glad to hear he accepted it, but now I must press on [...]

Heb. 2:17 and οφειλω κατα παντα τοις αδελφοις ομοιωθηναι

It seems I owe James McGrath and apology.  (I’m sorry, James!) In an earlier post, I stated that words he had bolded in a translation did not appear in the text.  In fact they do appear in the Greek, but they can be read in a different order than how James’ translation had placed them [...]

Defining Mythicism: Paul, Jesus, and Understanding the Context

In James’ recent review of Ch. 9 of Earl Doherty’s book, he makes the following claim: In addition to the passages we have mentioned so many times already which hint at Jesus’ humanity through their mention of his brother, his blood, his death by crucifixion, and his descent from David according to the flesh, consider [...]

‘Monotheism’ in 1 Corinthians 8:6

James asks this question on his blog: What do you think Paul meant in this passage? Was Paul a monotheist in exactly the same sense as his other Jewish contemporaries? Please answer in the comments here, or on your own blog! via Paul’s Expanded Shema in 1 Corinthians 8:6 | Exploring Our Matrix. I would [...]

Richard Carrier Blogs on Pauline Interpolations

This blog was quite interesting and I am glad I took the time to read it.  I believe you will enjoy it as well. In the New Testament, at least two passages have been interpolated into the letters of Paul: 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16 and 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. Today I’ll present the evidence for this conclusion [...]

What Drives Churches?

Jim West writes: What drives too many Churches isn’t the Gospel, it’s the marketplace. It’s Not Far From the Emergent Truth. But while this is true in many parts of modern Christianity (e.g. televangelism), I don’t believe that its necessarily true.  I don’t think the two are incompatible.  Society, more than anything, drives churches to [...]

Narrative Function in Luke-Acts: Did Luke Have a Historical Source?

James McGrath had an interesting discussion on Paul and mythicism on his blog a few weeks back (alas, I am far behind on my blogging! Still working on a syllogism post which is nearly complete!); while I am still in the process of working on my next installment of ‘Defining Mythicism’ and the ongoing discussion [...]

RBL: Richard I. Pervo’s ‘The Making of Paul’

A review by James Aageson for the RBL of Pervo’s new book The Making of Paul: Constructions of the Apostle in Early Christianity is now available online!  I am anxious to pick up a copy of this volume myself.  I have been waiting for someone to tackle this subject and Pervo’s scholarship is generally as [...]

Historical Ownership and Identity of Cultures, People, and Tradition

I have been thinking lately about the ongoing political debate between Israel and Palestine over the Dead Sea Scrolls; part of this debate has been around longer, and of course has focused on the very state of Israel itself (i.e., whose Israel is it?).  But the debate over cultural identity and what belongs to which [...]