The Book of Jude is fascinating, frustrating, and far too overlooked. It also opens a pretty big can of worms when it comes to understanding the inspiration and canon of Scripture.
Bible study
Early Christians Debated How to Interpret Genesis, Too
For many folks with a little exposure to church history, this is actually old news. Discussions of how to interpret the early chapters of Genesis are as old as Christianity. But since I’ve been reading through the major theologians of… Read More ›
Unraveling the Fabric of Inequity (A Reflection on Philemon)
While it may not explicitly discuss any technical matters of theology or ecclesiology, Philemon nonetheless furnishes the church at large with a powerful example of how the principles of the gospel utterly transform the norms and expectations of society when it comes to interpersonal relationships.
Irenaeus’s Against Heresies, but Just the Best Parts!
Against Heresies is one of the most important extensive works of ancient Christian theology. But it’s also incredibly hard to read. Here’s a handy guide to all the sections you should skip to.
Early Church Fathers Profile: Saint Irenaeus of Lyons
Probably my favorite theologian of the early church, Irenaeus was a thinker captivated by the pursuit of truth about God. Here’s a quick rundown of his life and legacy, as well as the elements of his theology that most stand out to me.
What Does It Mean that Believers Will Do “Greater Works” Than Jesus Did (John 14:12)?
Just what exactly is Jesus promising when he says, “Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do” (John 14:12)? In wrestling with this text, I’ve come to four major conclusions.
The Earliest Church Fathers on Election and Predestination (Part Two: Apostolic Fathers)
Christians have long wrestled with the subject of how God’s plans and actions in salvation interact with human responsibility and choice. And it is common for proponents of any theological system to appeal to the writings of theologians from the… Read More ›
The Earliest Church Fathers’ Views on Election and Predestination (Part One: Clement of Rome)
One topic that’s of perennial interest to Christians is the question of how God’s role in saving people intersects with human choice. How does God’s sovereignty (or, more accurately, his providence) relate to human responsibility? The question arises because the… Read More ›
The Apocryphal Book of Sirach and its Influence on Early Christianity
One of the apocryphal books I think is particularly interesting is the book called “The Wisdom of Jesus Ben Sirach.” It has also gone by a couple of other names, such as simply Sirach, Ben Sira, or Ecclesiasticus. It is… Read More ›
The Apocrypha in a Nutshell
Recently I’ve been working my way through the Apocrypha. If you aren’t familiar with these, they are a collection of Jewish writings composed during the time between the Old and New Testaments (400 BC to the first century AD). The… Read More ›
Theology Pathfinder 