Was the Gospel of John Originally Favored by the Heretics?
In the modern church, there’s little doubt that the Gospel of John is one of the most—if not the most—beloved Gospels. If forced to pick just one Gospel, many would prefer the Gospel of John. On the rare occasion when a singular Gospel is published as a stand-alone book (or booklet), it is almost always John.
And the reasons for its popularity are not hard to find. Along with an accessible and flowing style, John contains some of the most memorable descriptions and teachings of Jesus: the poetic prologue (1:1-18), the changing of water to wine (2:1-12), the conversation with Nicodemus (3:1-21), the healing of the man born blind (9:1-41), … Continue reading...
Class on the Origin and Authority of the New Testament Canon
This week, Aug 4-8, I am teaching my long-running elective at RTS Charlotte entitled, “The Origin and Authority of the New Testament Canon.”
In this class, we will be covering not just the history and development of the canon, but also its theological meaning, and its epistemological foundation. In other words, we will not only discuss when these books were recognized, but we will explore how we know which books belong and which do not.
So, the class will cover the various canonical models present in theological circles today, as well as responding to modern historical-critical scholars who attack its integrity.
One other interesting part of the course is that
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Is the New Testament Historically Reliable? My Conversation with Rebecca McLaughlin
I recently was a guest on Rebecca McLaughlin’s podcast, Confronting Christianity. We had a fun time discussing a wide range of issues related to the historical reliability of the New Testament, even delving a bit into my forthcoming Oxford volume, Miniature Codices in Early Christianity. Enjoy!
Returning to My First Love: My Exciting New Role at RTS
The other day I was telling my kids about how, many years ago, I used to sit in a pub named the Jolly Judge on cold winter days in Edinburgh, Scotland, tucked up close to a coal-burning fire and talking with my doctoral advisor Larry Hurtado about ancient Christian manuscripts.
We used to spend hours there, just reflecting upon the nature of early Christian texts, the role of the codex and nomina sacra, and how books were read and transmitted in the ancient Roman world.
Even as I told the story, I was reminded of how fortunate I was to study at a place like Edinburgh and with a scholar … Continue reading...
Here’s the Cover for My New Oxford Volume on Miniature Codices
As I have mention in a prior post, I am thrilled about my forthcoming volume with Oxford University Press entitled, Miniature Codices in Early Christianity. It is in the proof stage now, and should be out sometime this Spring/Summer.
I have been working on the subject of miniature codices for more than twenty years now, ever since doing my thesis a while ago under Larry Hurtado on the apocryphal gospel fragment, P.Oxy. 840. I have also written on the miniature codex P.Ant. 12 (0232) which contains 2 John (see here, and inset picture), and a recent overview article on miniature codices in Paratextual Features in Early New Testament … Continue reading...