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Category Archives: Historical Jesus
Vegetarianism and Christianity — why don’t they mix?
The San Francisco Vegetarian Society has now uploaded the YouTube video of my talk, “Vegetarianism and Christianity — Why Don’t They Mix?” This talk was given on Sunday, October 7, 2012, in San Francisco at the World Vegetarian Festival. Let … Continue reading
This Just In: Jesus was Married!
Karen King, a Harvard Divinity School scholar whom I greatly respect, has submitted a draft of an article for the Harvard Theological Review discussing a Coptic gospel fragment which refers to Jesus having a wife. This is now all over … Continue reading
Status
I am honored to have been invited to speak to the World Vegetarian Congress in San Francisco, which goes from October 5 to October 8. I’ll be speaking on: “Vegetarianism and Christianity: Why Don’t they Mix?” The talk will be … Continue reading
Vegetarianism and Christianity
If you want to promote vegetarianism among Christians, there are basically two schools of thought. (1) Some people cite the Bible, admit that Jesus wasn’t vegetarian (Luke 24:42-43), but say that vegetarianism is still a good idea because it is … Continue reading
The Jesus movement and the Dead Sea Scrolls
Here’s what James Tabor says about the connection between the Jesus movement and the Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran: “The Jesus movement can best be described as a radical, nationalistic, anti-religious establishment, messianic, apocalyptic, baptizing, new covenant, wilderness-way movement–and … Continue reading
The Fish Stories in the New Testament
One of the big problems that people have with the idea that Jesus was a vegetarian is the “fish stories” in the New Testament — stories in which Jesus distributes fish as food to people, or in one case actually … Continue reading
Did the First Followers of Jesus have a Bible?
There is a marvelous passage relating to scripture, reflecting Ebionite views, in Homilies 8.10: “The only good God having made all things well . . . appointed a perpetual law to all, which neither can be abrogated by enemies, … Continue reading
Are the Divisions in Early Christianity Unique?
All of the major religions have some sort of factionalism. Within Buddhism, you have Theravada, Mahayana, Zen, Pure Land; within Islam, there are Sunni and Shia; within Judaism, Orthodox, Conservative, Reform. Is early Christianity any different? In fact, the divisions … Continue reading
Eating at the Table of Demons
One of the critical issues in the early church was the “table of demons.” Both the Ebionites and Paul discuss this with great energy. So, what is the “table of demons” and should we avoid eating there?
Jesus in the Temple
Just before his death, Jesus went into the temple and disrupted the business supporting the temple operations, by driving out all those who were buying and selling the sacrificial animals. It was this act which led to his arrest … Continue reading