In fact the “kerygma” or “preaching” of the apostles according to Luke, as reflected in Peter’s speeches in Acts 2:22-38 and 3:11-26, is pure “Paulinism” in terms of its basic parameters–that Christ was sent from God as Messiah, that he died for the sins of mankind, that he was raised…
This semester I am offering an advanced undergraduate/graduate seminar on “The Dead Sea Scrolls and Earliest Christianity.” In preparation for this course I have been re-reading all of the published Dead Sea Scrolls as well as many of the secondary publications related thereto published over the past three decades. One…
Grafton relies on new evidence taken from Smith’s recently published correspondence with his life-long friend, the great Jewish scholar Gershom Scholem. These letters make it clear beyond any reasonable doubt that Smith could not have forged either Clement’s letter or the passages of “Secret Mark” contained therein. Over the…
From the lovely, elegant, and scholarly 1985 JPS translation, to the unparalleled Oxford maps, the extensive scholarly, well-balanced notes (including academic as well as rabbinic perspectives), the essays, tables, and charts in the back, with additional maps and charts splashed on the pages throughout, printed on high quality “Bible” paper…
I am contacted two or three times a year by various student directors of campus chapters of an international organization called Ratio Christi. Usually these students email me to ask if I would be willing to have a public debate with one of their associates, most often on the topic of…
As most of you know, I have taught in the Department of Religious Studies since coming to UNC Charlotte in 1989, as well as serving as Chair of the Department for 10 years (2004-2014). If you haven’t been keeping up with the amazing and explosive growth of UNC Charlotte (30,000…
Here is a short summary of our fabulous 2018 dig season at our Mt Zion site in Jerusalem with a pictorial essay at the end. Enjoy! The 2018 Mt Zion season in Jerusalem focused on four major goals this past summer: 1) setting up our new Mt. Zion Archaeological Excavation Headquarters; 2) doing post-excavation work on the finds…
I want to recommend to my readers this wonderful and important article by David Bentley Hart. I thank my colleague Dr. James Philip Arnold of Reunion Institute in Houston, TX for pointing it out to me. Philip earned his Ph.D. from Rice University and wrote his dissertation on Paul–so he…
Given my chosen field of study, namely “Christian Origins,” I am often asked by students and attendees at my lectures whether there are any reference to Jesus and the early “Christian” movement outsidethe New Testament. The following references, from a diverse collection of Roman writers around the time of the…
I have posted quite a few things lately on the relationship between the gospels of Mark and the gospel of John. I want to strongly recommend Paul Anderson’s recent piece with the fascinating title, “A Bioptic Hypothesis: A Theory of Influentiality Between the Johannine and Markan Gospels,” along with the…
