INTRODUCTION Early Gospels [a-pok'-ri-fal gos'-pels] The introduction to the third canonical Gospel shows that in the days of the writer, when the apostles of the Lord were still living, it was a common practice to write and publish accounts of... Continue Reading →
First Century AD Christianity found itself at odds with the culture, which dominated the Roman Empire at the time. Just as the Jewish Maccabees rejected the Greek culture two centuries before, so did the early Christians who would not pay... Continue Reading →
[A.D. 272 – 337.] Many Christian scholars have given Roman Emperor Constantine the expressions “saint,” “thirteenth apostle,” “holy equal of the apostles”; while others describe Constantine as “bloodstained, stigmatized by countless enormities and full of deceit, . . . a... Continue Reading →
In recent years, a number of scholars have suggested that Jesus could not read, and that in all likelihood none of his disciples could read either. They maintain this because of studies that have concluded that rates of literacy in... Continue Reading →
James Stalker and updated by … It has been mentioned that the third missionary journey closed with a flying visit to the churches of Greece. This visit lasted several months; but in the Acts it is passed over in two or... Continue Reading →
The Church Fathers were prominent theologians and Christian philosophers who lived between the second and fifth centuries C.E. More broadly speaking, Robert M. Grant writes, “In Christian thought since the eighth century, a church father (pater ecclesiae) is a teacher living... Continue Reading →
Marcion of Sinope: He was a rich young man who was also a significant leader in early Christianity (c. 85 – c. 160 C.E.). He publicly stated that Christians should reject the Old Testament. The other Church leaders would eventually... Continue Reading →
Another primary source for recovery of the original text of the New Testament is the enormous number of quotations from the early Christian writers (apologetic works, epistles, commentaries, sermons, and the like). “Apostolic Fathers” is the descriptive term used for... Continue Reading →
James Stalker and Updated by ... The First Journey From the beginning, it had been the customary behavior of the preachers of Christianity not to go alone on their expeditions, but two and two. Paul improved on this practice by going... Continue Reading →
