We read in the New Testament gospels of the “baptism of John,” spoken of quite specifically, with Jesus and his core original followers all joining that movement through baptism (Mark 27-33; Acts 1:21-22)–but then also the “one” baptism “into Christ” that Paul administers–which in fact makes one “united” with the…
I am honored to be featured in the popular Bible History Daily feature published by the Biblical Archaeology Society. If you are not a subscriber, it is free–I highly recommend, see this link. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/new-testament/the-strange-ending-of-the-gospel-of-mark-and-why-it-makes-all-the-difference/
The Didache was discovered in 1873 in a library at Constantinople by a Greek, Priest Father Philoteus Bryennios. This precious text, dating to the late 1st or early 2nd century CE, is mentioned by early Christian writers but had disappeared. Father Bryennios discovered it in an archive of old manuscripts quite by…
When I speak of God, that word means to me the unseen force of all forces that drives this universe and cosmos of which we are cognizant and makes you and me the creatures we are with all the mystical existence we know and enjoy upon this earth. Jack Pyle,…
Most of my readers know that the anonymous author of the writing we refer to as the “Gospel of Luke,” in fact, wrote a second volume to his work–known to us today as the “Acts of the Apostles.” The author refers to himself in the first person in the opening…
My favorite Blog dealing with biblical matters, other than my own (!), is “Scribes of the Kingdom” run by Alex Finkelstein, whom I have met only on line through email letting him know how much I appreciate his work. He is one of the most thoughtful students of early Christianity…
Dale Allison, of Princeton University, is the New Testament scholar from whom I have learned the most on the methods, process, and results of the “Quest for the Historical Jesus.” Here is his interview with Paul Williams, who hosts the program “Blogging Theology,” with whom I interviewed a couple weeks…
Millions around the world viewed the “Great Conjunction” of Jupiter and Saturn in the southwest sky Monday evening as Jupiter “caught up with” and passed Saturn, appearing as one bright star from our earthly vantage point even though their orbits are millions of miles apart. This close a conjunction between…
A Preliminary and Expanding Bibliography and Reading List I am beginning to upload all sorts of new materials and resources to my blog–publications, documents, resources, maps, photos, links, and so forth. Here is the first of several between now and the end of the year. I want to share more…
Josephus (b. 37 C.E.) is our best literary source for the practice of crucifixion in Palestine during the Greco-Roman period. As a general in command of the Jewish forces of Galilee in the Great Revolt against Rome (66-73 C.E.), he reports his attempts to save the lives of three crucified…