Conversion In Antiquity

Die paulinischen Briefe waren schon immer Gegenstand philosophischer Auseinandersetzungen. Gerade in den letzten Jahren erfährt die Paulus-Lektüre jedoch ein auffällig politisches Revival: Diese Debatte, vertreten durch Autoren wie Alain Badiou, Giorgio Agamben und Slavoj Zižek, entwickelt die Perspektive eines säkularen Messianismus. 2 Sie formuliert in einer säkularisierten apokalyptischen Situation eine materialistische Apokalyptik, die ohne Transzendenz auskommt-Apokalypse ohne Gott. Durch die Neuinterpretation der paulinischen Briefe aktualisieren sie klassische paulinischen Fragestellungen: Wie beeinflusst das Verständnis der Zeit als befristete Endzeit das Engagement in dieser Welt? Wer verzögert, wer beschleunigt diese Dynamik? Wem ist es wie möglich, ein Ende dieser Welt mit Freude zu erwarten? Und welche Rolle spielt dabei die paulinische Denkfigur des Als-Ob-Nicht?

An annotated English translation of the chapter of the Ethiopic (Ge'ez) Book of the Cock (Book of the Rooster / መጽሐፈ፡ ዶርሆ፡ (Mäṣḥafä Dorho))  recounting Judas' negotiations with the priests and doctors of the law, and his subsequent exchange of words with Jesus.

The Virgin Mary had come to represent The Church in many Patristic theologies.  In representing the universal Church or being an icon of the Church; the Virgin Mary alone knows, loves, and has faith in the Lord Jesus. In this bond between them, Jesus Christ, loves the Church represented by the Pure Virgin Mother, and reveals to the Church first, his victory over death; the foundation stone of the Apostolic Church.

Originally this bibliography was focusing on biblical texts only basing in great part on the works of John W. Welch – Daniel B. McKinlay, ed., Chiasmus Bibliography; Angelico di Marco, Il chiasmo nella Bibbia; and Jan H. Thomson, Chiasmus in the Pauline Letters. At the present time the bibliography is expanded and also includes the analysis of other texts like Qu’ran, Al-Hadith, Egyptian texts, and even more modern texts in which similar compositional features are found (e.g., Blaise Pascal, William Shakespeare, Robert Louis Stevenson).
It is a lists of publications showing different compositional features mainly in the biblical texts, but not only. It is available on the website of the International Society for the Study of Biblical and Semitic Rhetoric” (RBS). https://www.retoricabiblicaesemitica.org/en/publications/bibliographies/, where there is also a companion document arranged by the texts with different compositions presented by various authors.

The issue of eating meat offered to idols (εἰδωλόθυτα) arises first in 1 Cor 8. The problem was obviously brought up by the Corinthians in a previous letter sent to Paul. The eating of sacrificed meals was clearly too normal a custom to be avoided.1 And since it is mentioned in 1 Cor 8:10 and also is implied in 1 Cor 10:7–8, it appears that the dilemma of eating meat in a pagan temple became a real one for many in the church at Roman Corinth.

This essay argues that Paul's collection and the sponsorship of the Nazarite ritual in Jerusalem concern an identical historical object. Some reflections on the relationship between the collection/ritual and doctrinal issues are presented. It is argued that (a) Paul was in a subordinate position relative to the Jerusalem leaders (especially James); and (b) that the collection Paul performed amongst his own converts served to undermine his message. Game theory is applied to show how the Jerusalem leaders used the collection to pin down Paul and neutralize the latter's insubordination. A probable parallel with a collection in 2 Maccabees is drawn. The leaders' (especially James') application of Paul's collection can then be appreciated as a brilliant masterstroke.

The witer of the book of Hebrews is unknown, and has been the topic of much research and discussion. A careful scrutiny of the available information in the Bible, and of research and comments by others, has led the writer to believe that the writer was most probably John Mark, who also acted as writer for the Apostle Peter in recording the Gospel of Mark. The details are provided in this short communication

4.17 The Ethiopic Book of the Cock - The Cock's Story.
A Chapter from the Ge'ez Book of the Cock, translated into English.
The resurrected cock's report about Judas' activities does not have a counterpart in the Canonical gospels. Another story about a talking animal that served as a messenger is found in the Acts of Peter. The Acts of Peter contains a story about a dog that was miraculously granted the ability to speak carried messages between for Simon Peter and Simon Magus.
Other translated chapters of the Ethiopic Book of the Cock are available from this translator on this website.

Though he provides us with a variety of tantalizing clues, the author of this Gospel remains anonymous throughout his narrative. From the earliest period of its circulation, it was known as “The Gospel According to John,” but there were two disciples of Jesus named John who became prominent figures in the early church. According to Papias, one was John the Apostle, while the other was John the Elder. The conclusion arrived at in this study is that the Elder, rather than the Apostle, should be identified as the author of the Fourth Gospel. Additionally, there are three potential candidates for a person in such a position: 1) John the son of Caiphas, 2) John the son of Theophilus, and 3) John Mark the cousin of Barnabas.

The Great Sanhedrin in Jerusalem was the highest religious, political, legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews during the Second Temple period. This book contains six sermon outlines dealing with the history, organization, and power of the Sanhedrin. It also covers the trials of Christ and His apostles. The book also covers the legal procedures of the court, as well as how punishments were administered. The final lesson discusses the relationship of the apostle Paul to the court and considers where he could have been a member of the august body.

Protopresbyter Gavrilo Kostelnik. Apostle Peter and the Roman popes, or the dogmatic foundations of the papacy. Chapter 6. Was Apostle Peter the bishop of Rome? Vatican dogmas curse anyone who claims that the Roman bishop is not the successor of the Apostle Peter in jurisdictional primacy. Such dogmas would be-to some extent-understandable if the Holy Scripture clearly and explicitly testified that Apostle Peter was a bishop in Rome and died there. But from the data found in the Holy Scripture, we cannot even guess that Apostle Peter was ever in Rome. Therefore, the Roman Church "infallibly" resolves even uncertain historical facts and curses anyone who contradicts it. Roman tradition says that Apostle Peter founded a Christian community in Rome, was its first bishop for 25 years (somewhere between 42-67 AD), and died there as a martyr during the time of Nero. But this is clearly at odds with certain data found in the Holy Scripture. Therefore, even here, the glorification of Rome is evident, which, as we see, the popes themselves so heartily embellished.

Antioch is often understood as James interfering with Paul's mission, but that does not tally with the situation. The situation is given in Galatians 2 11-21 : But when Cephas was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Cephas before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus

The first thing we have to do is look at the manuscript evidence. The Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament says that the textual evidence is almost equally divided. The majority of the UBS Committee voted to retain the word two in the text but to enclose it in brackets to indicate that there is doubt that it belongs there. With the textual evidence evenly divided, it is not surprising that translations are also divided. In general, it can be said that translations in the King James family favor 70, but that there is a strong trend in recent translations toward 72. The tendency in favor of the number 70 was so strong in older translations that the term The Seventy became an established name for the order of preachers that Jesus sent out after the Apostles, who had been called The Twelve. Since the textual evidence is indecisive, can the context help us decide between 70 and 72? Seventy is a number which is important in Jewish history. There were 70 elders in the Sanhedrin. There were 70 nations of the world in Genesis 10. The number 72, on the other hand, is not prominent in the Hebrew Bible. Nevertheless, there is good reason to prefer the number 72 here. It seems that that the reason that there were twelve apostles was so that they would represent all Israel, that is, the twelve tribes of Israel. At the time when the Seventy Two were sent, Jesus' immediate mission was to Israel (Matthew 10:5-6 and 15:24). Since the missionaries in Luke 10 were a multiplication of the apostles' ministry to Israel, it seems likely that they were a multiple of twelve (12 x 6 = 72).

The mystery of the resurrection is actually a new framework invented by the evangelists, who reinvented it by turning a prodigious recovery into a myth. Jesus was taken down while still alive, he would be dormant during his stay in the tomb, he is cured with aloe and myrrh, he did not reach rigor mortis. On the third day, Mary Magdalene skips the impurity laws of the Passover and goes there, she discovers that he is still alive. Jesus before the seventh day regains consciousness and wakes up, they warn his relatives James the Just or Emmaus encounter and Judas Thomas who returned to Galilee. Recall that in the first appearance of John 20:24, Thomas was not there. Jesus overcame the shiva or the first seven days that the Judaism of that time believed as the maximum time that the soul hovered around the body of the deceased before leaving it. This exceptional fact of recovery was later interpreted by the evangelists as a resurrection in body and soul and beyond. Jesus, according to Acts 1:3 and 13:31, survived up to forty days and spoke to them about the Kingdom, ate and drank with them. They returned to Galilee, only two scenes have remained to us:

The mystery of the resurrection is actually a new framework invented by the evangelists, who reinvented it by turning a prodigious recovery into a myth. Jesus was taken down while still alive, he would be dormant during his stay in the tomb, he is cured with aloe and myrrh, he did not reach rigor mortis. On the third day, Mary Magdalene skips the impurity laws of the Passover and goes there, she discovers that he is still alive. Jesus before the seventh day regains consciousness and wakes up, they warn his relatives James the Just or Emmaus encounter and Judas Thomas who returned to Galilee. Recall that in the first appearance of John 20:24, Thomas was not there. Jesus overcame the shiva or the first seven days that the Judaism of that time believed as the maximum time that the soul hovered around the body of the deceased before leaving it. This exceptional fact of recovery was later interpreted by the evangelists as a resurrection in body and soul and beyond. Jesus, according to Acts 1:3 and 13:31, survived up to forty days and spoke to them about the Kingdom, ate and drank with them. They returned to Galilee, only two scenes have remained to us:

Have you ever wondered why the Gospels frequently refer to "the brothers of Jesus" when the Church doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary holds that Mary was a virgin before, during, and after the birth of Jesus? St. James, whose apocryphal Gospel we will discuss here and who was appointed the first bishop of Jerusalem and chaired the first Church Council, was referred to as "the cousin and brother of the Lord" within the Gospels of Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3 and even by the Fathers when they refer to the biblical "Letter of James." The footnotes of these passages state that "brothers" refers to relatives and not just siblings. A cousin can be a relative descended from a common ancestor, such as a half-brother, which is relevant to this essay. But what if Joseph was the natural Father of James and the stepfather of Jesus-thus sharing the same Father Joseph in scripture? Protestant theologians have used this contradiction to deny the perpetual virginity of Mary, which James' Gospel proves explicitly, as you will see.

The following translation is based on the Greek text printed in Ronald F. Hock's The Infancy Gospels of James and Thomas. The text, which provided the basis for the Jesus Seminar's "Scholars Version" translation of the Infancy Gospel of James, has been divided differently than in earlier critical editions to encourage precise notation. CHAPTER 1 (1) In the histories of the twelve tribes of Israel, Joachim was an extremely rich man. (2) He always brought a double offering to the Lord, (3) telling himself, "My offering for all the people is from my surplus and my own offering to the Lord God is for forgiveness, to atone for my sins.

The thrust of this thesis is encapsulated in the title - Paul, Jerusalem and the Judaisers: The Galatian Crisis in Its Broader Historical Context - which reflects the author's insistence that reconstructing all the events surrounding the crisis that impelled Paul to compose his letter to the Galatians is essential to understanding this letter. The position taken in this study is that the Galatian crisis was initiated by a group of Judaising opponents acting under the direct authority of the Jerusalem church. The origins of this controversy can be traced back to the early dispute between the Hellenists and the Hebrews described in the Acts of the Apostles, which led to the expulsion of the Hellenists from Jerusalem and the establishment of the community in Antioch. Paul's opponents apparently cited Jerusalem as the source of and the warrant for their Law-observant gospel. In Galatians, Paul alludes to events involving Judaising opponents that transpired in Jerusalem and Antio...

Biblical Lament What in the world is happening in our readings today? I am going to try my best to explain the cultural context of both Isaiah's vision and Jesus' parable this morning and see what we can glean from these passages. But it is hard to hear Isaiah's prophecy: "You have made the city a heap of rubble, the fortified town a ruin, the foreigners' stronghold a city no more; it will never be rebuilt" (25:2), and not think about the war between Hamas and Israel right now.

What Seems to Be the Truth Did Cicero Apply a Consistent Theology to his Philosophical Writings?Contrary to a widespread opinion that Cicero was an eclectic philosopher with no real mind of his own, this article argues that he offered consistent and coherent answers to a series of questions regarding, among other things, the nature of the gods, the meaning of fate, and, not least, the art of divination, which he rejected precisely on philosophical grounds. Cicero put forward these ideas in the period 46-44 BCE. In an earlier phase, 54-52 BCE, he appears to have operated on another, less consistent platform. This does not imply that Cicero developed his thoughts on these issues according to an evolutionary pattern where »philosophy« gradually replaced »religion«. Rather, the difference reflects the substitution of one viewpoint by another; however, they were both grounded in religion. As soon as we recognize that Cicero in three important works sometimes – amidst dialogic polyphony –...

Migdal Eder, located about 2,000 paces from Bethlehem, was a tower on the road between Bethlehem and Jerusalem and is mentioned in the Old Testament by the prophet Micah who foretold the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, and He would come to “the tower of the flock.”
Donna Gawell.

This investigation was provoked by a Wikipedia Article which became a battle between two very prejudiced groups who spent their days replacing other post with their own. As of November 2023 there have been at least 500 revisions since 2009, making the whole article of no value whatsoever. An impartial and through investigation was obviously needed.

The Lord's Prayer as the most known prayer among Christians generates many questions and even debates. In these days, prayer and especially the Lord's Prayer, has a strong tendency to navigate from rational activity to stereotypy. Many people use to pray without having a good understanding of what the Lord intended by those words included in his example of prayer. The custom of praying is vitally important for any believer but even more important is a good understanding of the principles of prayer inserted in the Lord's Prayer. In order to help the reader to be conscious of the importance of the words used in prayer, the author makes an exegetical exercise on Matthew 6:9-13 trying to find an answer to the most common issues related to the understanding, usage and meaning of the proposed prayer: how to hollow the name of the Lord, how to understand the coming the Kingdom, what is the meaning of our daily bread, who are one's debtors` or what is the meaning of the leading into temptation.

In this paper I have tried to present the “Journey narratives in Acts.” I have covered the purpose of the book of Acts, journey motifs in the Luke-Acts covering the journey from Galilee to Jerusalem and Jerusalem to the ends of the earth briefing with the narrative internal trace of the Gospel journey from Jews to Gentiles. The paper is not just highlighting each individual involved in the mission but also places highlighted with special interest. Without missing out to mention three missionary journeys of Paul. Whole research is carried out using the existing resources both in the library as well as in digital form.