A Podcast All About Christianity
One of the tools that historians use is something called multiple attestation. Multiple attestation simply means that something is more likely to be historical if it is attested in multiple sources. It is often used to examine the words and deeds of Jesus in the Gospels. In general (not just when applied to the Gospels), … Read More “What is Multiple Attestation?” »
Most scholars are agreed that the traditions about Jesus were passed along as an oral tradition before being written down in the four Gospels. But what does that mean for their historical reliability? Some people have compared this oral period to the telephone game. The telephone game is a fun activity that children (used to) … Read More “Is the Telephone Game a Good Analogy for the Jesus Oral Traditions?” »
Although I love history, my formal training is in the area of the New Testament. I have come across some very helpful books over the years and I thought I would share what I think are the top five. Please note that I’m an Amazon affiliate and if you purchase any of these, you are … Read More “5 Books on the New Testament That I Recommend” »
One of the most influential figures in all of Christian history is Martin Luther. Love him or hate him, we must admit that he had a great impact and his legacy lives on. PBS put out a documentary on Martin Luther that you might find interesting.
Pentecostalism became a major Christian movement early in the twentieth century and continues to have an impact worldwide. Although many Pentecostals are trintarian, there is also segment that are Oneness or Jesus Only Pentecostals. Oneness Pentecostals deny the trinity but still affirm the divinity of Jesus. It is related to an early division within the … Read More “How Did Oneness Pentecostalism Start?” »
The Apostle Paul is one of the most influential thinkers and writers in the history of Christianity. It could be argued that his impact is second only to Jesus. But how well do we really know him? Here are five things you may or may not have known about the Apostle Paul. Paul never mentions … Read More “5 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About the Apostle Paul” »
Although many Christians accept that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John wrote the Gospels attributed to them, scholars will state emphatically that the Gospels were originally anonymous. But what does that even mean? When we hear that the Gospels were originally anonymous, very specific thoughts come to mind. It sounds as if no one knew who … Read More “What Do We Mean When We Say the Gospels Were Originally Anonymous?” »
I have been reading through the Ante-Nicene Church Fathers (church fathers before the Council of Nicaea). As a history podcaster, that might not surprise you. However, I started reading the Church Fathers long before I considered a church history podcast. Why would I read the Church Fathers? There are traditions within Christianity that heavily rely … Read More “Why I Read the Church Fathers” »
Historians who look at Jesus through the Gospel sources quickly notice that there is a relationship between them. Matthew, Mark and Luke (as opposed to John) have similar stories and at times match each other word-for-word. The nature of the relationship is called the synoptic problem (Matthew, Mark and Luke are the synoptic Gospels). Stanley … Read More “The Synoptic Problem: Four Views – Review” »
One of the criteria that historians use to determine the authentic sayings of Jesus from the Gospels is something called double dissimilarity. Double dissimilarity basically means they look for sayings in the Gospels that don’t look too Jewish or too Christian. If it is dissimilar to both Jewish and Christian teachings, then it probably goes … Read More “The Problem With the Criteria of Double Dissimilarity” »
