A Podcast All About Christianity
I enjoy the “A Very Short Introduction” series of books. Of course the authors are limited in what they can write in these short books. The book on Paul is written by E.P. Sanders. Sanders is an influential New Testament scholar. He was one of the pioneers of what is known as the New Perspective … Read More “Paul: A Very Short Introduction – Review” »
Preachers will commonly describe the “conversion” of Paul (Saul) on the road to Damascus in Acts 9. But was this truly a conversion? It depends on how you define “conversion.” Paul is sometimes presented as converting from Judaism to Christianity. That is not exactly accurate and I don’t think that Paul would have understood that … Read More “Was Paul “Converted” On the Road to Damascus?” »
One of my favourite writers on early Christianity is N.T. Wright. I have read many of his books and when I was asked what I wanted for my birthday, I knew it was Paul: A Biography. Wright has written many books on Paul but this one is unique. In some ways it is a bridge … Read More “Paul: A Biography – Review” »
One of the most important figures for understanding the early church is the Apostle Paul. However, when it comes to studying Paul, we have two different sources to examine. There are Paul’s letters and Luke’s account of his ministry in Acts. While most scholars do not struggle with using the epistles (or at least the … Read More “Paul in Acts – Review” »
My intention is not to make a theological critique of Peter as pope but rather a historical one. Having said that, I am a protestant Christian and so I do have some theological opinions on the matter. I am just putting my bias on the table. Roman Catholics and protestants debate the meaning of Matthew … Read More “Was Peter the First Pope?” »
It has been common from time to time to suggest a strong conflict between James and Paul in the early church. This was especially true during the time of Adolf von Harnack, who relying Hegelian philosophy, saw Judaism as the thesis (represented by James) and Hellenism as the antithesis (represented by Paul), resulting in a … Read More “Were Paul and James Enemies?” »
The early church was born into a fertile garden of philosophy. Platonists, Epicureans, Stoics and Cynics were active far beyond the area that we think of today as Greece. But what is the relationship between Christianity and philosophy? Specifically, did Paul, who was so influential in the development of Christian theology, reject philosophy? Some Christians … Read More “Did the Apostle Paul Reject Philosophy?” »
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 my favourite New Testament scholars is N.T. Wright. He is an incredible historian who brings a fresh reading to the text through a close examination of the context. In this video, Wright is interviewed by Michael Bird (another NT scholar I respect). They discuss Wright’s book, Paul and the Faithfulness of God. If … Read More “Paul and the Faithfulness of God” »
A lot of people, Christian or not, have great respect for Jesus. He may be seen as a great ethical and religious teacher. He may even be considered a prophet of some kind. Some of those who have respect for Jesus, have much less respect for Christianity. They like Jesus but dislike some of the … Read More “Did the Apostle Paul Create Christianity?” »
