Early Christianity - Science topic

PhD course: Foucault: Organization, Technology, and Subject-formation LINK to the course site: https://phdsupport.nemtilmeld.dk/38/ Copenhagen, Monday 16th June at 09:00 to Thursday 19th June 2025 at 16:00 Registration Deadline: 16th May 2025 at 23:55 Location: Room TBA, Campus TBA, 2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark Course coordinator: Kaspar Villad...

The revival of interest in Gnosticism across modern philosophy, psychology, and theology points to its enduring resonance. Ancient Gnostic texts speak of a divine spark trapped in the flawed material world, with liberation coming not through faith or doctrine, but through gnosis—a direct, inner awakening. While the early Christian Church condemned...

Christian worship has always involved song, but the sound of that song has changed dramatically across centuries. From the solemn chant of early house churches to the soaring harmonies of Orthodox cathedrals and the amplified praise of modern Charismatic gatherings, Christian music reflects not only cultural change but theological evolution. This p...

This study explores the multifaceted ways in which early medieval Christianity perceived non-Christian groups, specifically Jews, pagan Romans, and Muslims. It aims to comprehend how these groups influenced the identity and self-image of early Christian communities during this period. By analyzing a diverse range of sources—including religious text...

This article examines the decline of authentic Christian expression under the weight of religious institutionalism and historical criticism. Drawing from biblical texts (Acts 2:44–45; Acts 4:32–35; Psalm 90:4, KJV) and modern scholarly works by Chris Keith (2014) and Michael Knox Beran (2008), it critiques how theological gatekeeping and elite cont...

New excavations and radiocarbon data from Mitzpe Shivta-a site closely linked to monasticism and pilgrimage-enable to locate, for the first time, the previously overlooked site within the broader chronology and cultural-historical narrative of the Negev Desert (Israel). While early explorers emphasized a Late Byzantine-period (550-638 CE) settlemen...

This paper analyzes the specificity of the Old Believer (Eastern [Russian] Orthodox) rite of baptism – the sacrament of initiation into the Holy Church of Jesus Christ – rooted in the tradition of early Christianity. It is based on a literature review and narratives recorded in the eastern region of Latvia (Latgale) from the 1970s to 2021 during or...

Turkey, once the center of early Christianity, now faces significant challenges in maintaining its Christian identity amidst the dominance of Islam marked by complex ambivalence. Although there are various freedoms guaranteed by the constitution, in practice, the Christian community often experiences discrimination and difficulties in carrying out...

This article addresses the misinterpretation of the apostle Paul as solely a patriarchal figure. While critiques often focus on his alleged adherence to patriarchal norms, this study identifies a gap in exploring his broader social and rhetorical roles, particularly in nurturing in 1 Corinthians 3:1–4. The objective is to demonstrate that Paul func...

This study demonstrates that Luke presents the earliest followers of Jesus as steadfast Sabbath observers, challenging the common assumption that they abandoned or disregarded this practice. By closely examining the references to the Sabbath in Luke’s Gospel and Acts, it is observed that Luke consistently depicts Sabbath worship as a standard pract...

The new Indonesian Criminal Code, Law No. 1 of 2023, Article 463, permits abortion up to 14 weeks of pregnancy for women who are victims of rape or sexual violence. In contrast, the previous exemption under Article 75 of Law No. 36 of 2009 on Health was limited to pregnancies up to 6 weeks. This change introduces a further challenge to bioethics fr...

Proba’s Cento Vergilianus contains a corruption at line 42, sometimes printed as two half-lines separated by a lacuna (42a–b). Previous attempts to emend the passage based upon the four classical elements have met with limited success. This article argues for a novel reconstruction of the passage based upon the six days of the biblical creation, su...

This study aims to analyze the primary sources and historiographical approaches in studying early Christian communities. Using a historical and textual analysis method, the research examines canonical and apocryphal sources, apologetic writings, and archaeological evidence to understand the development of Christian thought and its institutionalizat...

Gospel music, an integral part of Christian worship, holds profound theological and historical significance, particularly in its role as a vehicle for spiritual liberation. Rooted in the traditions of early Christian worship, gospel music has evolved as a unique genre that expresses faith and serves as a powerful tool for spiritual warfare and deli...

Introduction Computed tomography (CT) images can provide information about anatomical structures and pathological processes in ancient skulls. A previous study on the teeth and jaws of 171 individuals in a late Swedish Viking age population, dating around the 10 th –12 th century made clinical examinations that included intraoral radiographs. Curre...

Katelis Viglas’ book: Saint Paraskevi, the end of the ancient world and our dystopian future. Examples from Science Fiction, is an analysis of the phenomenon of power, based on the life of Saint Paraskevi who was martyred during the reign of the Roman emperor-philosopher Marcus Aurelius (2nd century AD). The book focuses on the conflict between the...

Uma das grandes mudanças nos estudos teológicos em torno de grupos minoritários, no século XX, foi à abertura à fontes não canônicas. Durante parte da história moderna os estudos se debruçavam sobre fontes indiretas, sobretudo os Pais da Igreja. Porém, de um tempo para cá, tanto a codicologia quanto a arqueologia vem contribuindo para essa área. In...

This article presents a comprehensive analysis of synodality as a foundational dimension of ecclesial life, tracing its evolution from biblical origins to contemporary practice. Through careful examination of etymological roots, scriptural foundations, and historical development, the study demonstrates how the concept of "walking together" has shap...

The Greek term Koinǒnia has been for everyday usage, contextually meaning many things – relationships, fellowship, participation, and communion in usages. This paper situates koinonia within the context of communion, evoking a special usage in Christendom. It applies an intercultural and interreligious linkage of the term to an agelong practice of...

This article, “Philosophy for Understanding Theology,” examines the crucial connection between philosophy and theology and claims that a greater understanding of religious ideas requires philosophical investigation. The article illustrates how ancient and contemporary philosophical ideas have influenced theological growth and tackled important issu...

This study examines the Thomas/twin motif in the Gospels of John and Thomas, which plays a significant role in each. By analyzing the motif’s meaning, deployment, and development in the two Gospels against Mesopotamian models, this study brings a fresh perspective to the much-debated topic of the Gospel of Thomas’s place of origin. This study demon...

The study of the early Christian texts brings to light beliefs and perceptions that derive from the New Testament years and at the same time highlights aspects of the life of the early Christian community. The contact with these texts is therefore of great importance because they serve as a link with the era of the New Testament and reveal to us ho...

Introduccion to Early Christianity section

The judge in Luke 18:5 is afraid that a widow is going to give him a black eye. Is this rooted in every day experience? The article looks for evidence for every day physical violence used by women. Every now and then we have petitions from Egypt accusing women of violent behavior. An analysis of this material generates some patterns regarding viole...

The broader challenge remains—the recolonization of ideas about India and Hinduism, with Brahmins often at the center of these false narratives. The crusade against Brahmins is part of an ongoing effort to reshape the global understanding of caste and reframe Hinduism as an inherently oppressive religion, rather than recognizing its deep spiritual...

This paper focuses on analyzing Gregory of Nazianzus’ poem (II 1, 41) against his rival Maximus the Cynic, aiming to reconsider the role of women in Early Christianity from a gender-oriented perspective. In a specific passage (v. 49-53), the author appears to reference female assistants who allegedly supported Maximus’s betrayal, yet this allusion...

This paper draws attention to Foucault’s 1981/82 lecture series on The Hermeneutics of the Self . These contain perhaps the only direct reference Foucault ever made to the topic of old age. In them, he observes how, in the first and second centuries of the Common Era, Greco-Roman philosophy shifted its emphasis from ‘knowing thyself’ to ‘becoming o...

This manuscript offers a comprehensive analysis of the philosophical and historical dimensions of social support systems, aiming to establish a foundational body of knowledge to guide future research in this domain. By examining various philosophical traditions, the study delves into the evolution of social support concepts, encompassing Greek soci...

Using Hebrews as a test case, we investigate how an author’s participation in his literary network influences his writing habits. Our theoretical framework is that no author writes in a vacuum: all authors recycle stylistic habits from their literary contemporaries. We develop and implement a statistical procedure to trace stylistic influences, bot...

Church ministerial conflict resolution in Acts 6:1-7, which sustained the peace unity and welfare of the early Christian community, is vital to peace-building and sustainable development in Nigeria. Previous studies on Acts 6:1-7 have discussed neglecting widows, intra-church dialogue and ethnic conflict resolution, socio-rhetorical analysis, ethic...

Tabithan Mission in Acts 9:36-43 showcases the relevance of women’s role towards church growth in the early Christian community. Existing studies in Acts 9:36-43 have focused mainly on the success of the Apostolic Mission with special emphasis on Apostle Peter and the miracle that God did through him, a study on female disciple, the Gazelle of Jopp...

Hrang Nawl (1934 – 2004) was a prominent intellectual among the Chins, and one of the world’s youngest Parliamentarians elected in the 1956 ‘Burmese General Election’. He was merely 21 years of age when he was elected to the Chamber of Nationalities, the Upper House of Parliament of Burma (now Myanmar) in 1956. He was also the first Chin revolution...

In Mark 9:43–48, Jesus suggests amputating an eye, hand or foot in response to sinfulness. This article contextualises Jesus’s sayings among ancient Jewish traditions of the body and the demonic. Several ancient Jewish texts associate demons with specific body parts. The author here argues that it is not unreasonable to propose that Jesus’s command...

This article is about Roman Catholic belief on the origin and the promises of the Rosary Prayer. In particular, we review the history of the rosary from the roots in several early Christian prayer traditions with similar formats to the rosary, with repetitive structures and prayers. Furthermore, the history of the Virgin Mary presenting a string of...

This essay explores the historical and theological development of the ensoulment debate, centering on the question of when the human embryo receives its soul and attains personhood. The concept of ensoulment, understood as the soul's entry into the embryo, has been interpreted variably, reflecting differing views on the soul as the body's form and...

This paper examines the possibility that the first "national" saints in Nemanjić Serbia and medieval Hungary were conceived in triads, resembling the image of the Holy Trinity or the triune God. During the Middle Ages, for peoples without direct representatives in Christian history, "national" saints-whether individuals or groups-were shaped accord...

Gregory E. Lamb, Review of: David Lincicum, Ruth Sheridan, and Charles M. Stang, (eds.). Law and Lawlessness in Early Judaism and Early Christianity WUNT 420 (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2019).

Jeremias and others include the 'three days' motif in their reconstruction of Jesus's prophecy about the temple's destruction in Mark 14:58. While the arguments in the literature present a plausible case for authenticity, it is more likely an inauthentic pre-Markan innovation. Even so, its placement and form in 14:58 is surely the result of Markan...

Abstract Allah Almighty has periodically sent prophets and messengers to guide humanity towards growth and prosperity, among whom is Jesus Christ, upon whom God revealed a formal scripture. After the departure of Jesus from this world, his disciples managed to preserve and propagate his teachings for a brief period. However, with Paul’s acceptance...

The review is devoted to the latest scientific publications in English, which examine the role of women in the formation, development and spread of Christianity from the first centuries to the present day. In particular, the monograph of Ally Kateusz “Mary and Early Christian Women: Hidden Leadership”, which provides a lot of literary and artistic...

Medieval writers designated Siena as a “new city”. Seemingly confirming this assessment, the Sienese Church possessed no hagiographic tradition of early bishops that would prove that their urban settlement was a true civitas in late antiquity. As part of their effort to verify that their city had not only Roman but also early Christian origins, the...

The aim of this article is to reconstruct and describe the cosmology of Hermogenes of Carthage, an early Christian theologian of Greek and Syrian origin. A secondary objective is to verify the available accounts on his teachings found in the works of Christian writers, especially Tertullian. The analysis of this issue starts by presenting the accou...

Pilate, the Roman governor known for "washing his hands" in the trial of Jesus, is often perceived by Christians as the official who failed to free Jesus, yielding to the demands of the crowd and Jewish religious leaders. Pilate thus emerged as a symbol of a leader who evaded responsibility. This study aims to examine Pilate's role and accountabili...

Christian martyrdom can be seen as an expression of the counter-cultural reality of the Church, her conflicting tension between the world and the coming kingdom of Heaven. In this context, it is also a problematic concept that, in many cases, leads to violence and avoids the possibility of dialogue; however, it inseparably belongs to the heart of C...

British and French colonial administrations exploited various aspects of the histories of Cyprus and Tunisia to justify their occupation of those countries during the late 19th and 20th centuries. There, archaeologists unearthed Greek, Roman, Christian, and medieval artifacts that testified to the Mediterranean’s rich, complex history and the vario...

Mandaeism is the only ancient Gnostic religion surviving to the present day from antiquity. ‘Gnosticism’ was a block of creative religious activity mostly responding to the early Christian teachings in unusual ways of cosmicizing Jesus, and presenting a challenge to the ancient church fathers in the first-to-third centuries CE. Mandaeism, by compar...

The paper analyzes several works of Ihor Kostetsky’s experimental prose, in particular his unfinished novels “The Three Look in the Mirror” and “There Are No More Dead,” as well as the stories “Saint’s Day” and “The Story of Monk Heinrich,” focusing on genre, style, literary technique, and ideas. There is a noticeable connection between the writer’...

Th e aim of this book is to make the Gospel of John accessible simultane- ously to intermediate students of Ancient Greek and Latin. Th ere are lots of resources available for the study of John’s gospel, particularly in Greek, but this edition juxtaposes the Greek text to one of its most famous translations: the ren- dering into Latin by St. Jerome...

In the context of pastoral care, the Church of the Archdiocese of Semarang has created a policy of establishing small base groups among the community. Each parish in the Semarang Archdiocese is subdivided into sub-groups, which are then referred to as kring or lingkungan. The existence of ‘lingkungan’ certainly cannot be separated from the pastoral...

Publication of two liturgical papyri from the collection of the Bodleian Library, Oxford. The first papyrus is a large fragment of a double leaf from a codex of the 5th or 6th century with a notably idiosyncratic early redaction of the anaphora of St. Mark. It belongs to and joins with P.Gen. IV 153 (re-edited here). The second papyrus is a small f...

This study explores the concept of “pure and undefiled religion” in Jas 1,26-27, a central passage of the epistle that emphasizes the relevance of practical faith, evidenced through concrete actions. It is one of the seven texts referred to as catholic, universal, general, or non-Pauline letters, written by apostles from the group of twelve (James,...

Celem badawczym artykułu jest przedstawienie i przeanalizowanie patrystycznej interpretacji stworzenia świata flory (Rdz 1,11-12), aby ukazać, jak pisarze wczesnochrześcijańscy rozumieli opis biblijny. Badania zostały ograniczone do pisarzy greckich działających do końca III w. Najpierw ukazano jak pisarze wczesnochrześcijańscy rozumieli przekaz bi...

This essay summarises the evolution of the concept of tyranny from classical antiquity through late medieval Europe, examining its application to both secular and ecclesiastical figures. Beginning with Aristotle’s characterisation of tyranny as unconstitutional rule, the essay explores how classical definitions influenced early Christian thought, p...

Abstract Spanish: Los bienes eclesiásticos acompañaron a la Iglesia desde su estado germinal, como lo practicaron los primeros cristianos y lo entendieron los Padres de la Iglesia, teólogos, juristas y gobernantes a lo largo de la historia de la Cristiandad; esto, a pesar de las opiniones en contra que argumentaban que la Iglesia tenía que ser pobr...

Martyrdom plays a fundamental role in shaping the identity and faith journey of Christians in Asia. This study aimed to obtain understanding the factors that shape Christian martyrdom in Asia, especially the role of political power, religious rivalry, and xenophobia. Using a historical-comparative method, this study analyzed cases of persecution fr...

Social representations theory (SRT) refers to an approach within social psychology focusing on systems of beliefs, concepts, and values that establish social order and allow for individuals and groups to identify and understand themselves vis-à-vis others. It involves the ascription of meaning to phenomena so that the unfamiliar is made familiar, a...

The ancient Roman catacombs are an integral part of the history of Christianity. They are fascinating buildings that attract people’s attention even today. In ancient Rome, they served as underground Christian cemeteries, where Christians buried their dead, and also prayed, confessed their faith, read biblical texts, etc. On graves and walls, early...

This article explores the doctrine of apocatastasis, or universal restoration, in the thought of St. Gregory of Nyssa, one of the leading figures of early Christian theology. Central to Gregory's vision is the idea that all of creation will ultimately be restored to its original goodness through the transformative power of divine love. The first se...

A propósito del libro del autor holandés Martijn Linssen: «Gospels, Epistles, Old Testament – The order of books according to Jesus Christ», publicado a finales del pasado año 2023. Un libro realmente sorprendente e innovador que presenta una radical ruptura con los convencionalismos tradicionales en torno a los orígenes del cristianismo primitivo....

Ḥizzuq ʾEmunah (Faith Strengthened), written by the 16th-century Karaite Jewish scholar Isaac ben Abraham of Troki (Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth), was one of the most renowned Hebrew anti-Christian polemical works, meriting translation into most European languages. Troki authored his book during the Polish Reformation, a period marked by intense...

This study presents an exegetical examination of 1 Corinthians 15:29, a passage that has long intrigued scholars due to its reference to “baptism for the dead.” The purpose of the paper is to elucidate the historical, linguistic, and theological contexts surrounding this verse, with the goal of clarifying its meaning and significance within early C...

In most African nations, including South Africa, the history of religious education is closely linked to the nation’s experience of colonization and later racial segregation under apartheid. Christian religious education in particular came to be used as a proselytizing tool through the advocacy of early Christian missionaries. In addition to such p...

Jesus was strategic in his earthly ministry by going to places to preach and heal. He went about proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and making the sick, afflicted, and oppressed whole again in their body, soul, and spirit. For continuity and the growth of the church, Jesus raised his disciples and gave them the mandates and strategies to go,...

Infanticide has been a subject of scholarly fascination, attracting researchers from diverse disciplines, and leading to the abundance of scholarly literature on this topic. However, historians frequently employ the term "infanticide" broadly, encompassing both the deliberate act of murdering one's newborn child and other forms of child disposal, s...

The Bible is swarming with serpents – from the introductory chapters of the Book of Genesis, through numerous hymns in the Books of Psalms, to the memorable verses of the Book of Revelation. Early Christian artists adopted several ophiographic narratives from the Hebrew tradition – specifically, the story of Adam, Eve, and the Serpent in the Garden...

The Bible is swarming with serpents – from the introductory chapters of the Book of Genesis, through numerous hymns in the Books of Psalms, to the memorable verses of the Book of Revelation. Early Christian artists adopted several ophiographic narratives from the Hebrew tradition – specifically, the story of Adam, Eve, and the Serpent in the Garden...

This paper was delivered on 24 November 2024 in the Rhetoric and Early Christianity section at the Society of Biblical Literature's (SBL) Annual Meeting. This paper examines Tertullian’s use of the “chair of Moses” saying (Matt 23.2–3) in chapter 8 of De Monogamia with special attention to its situation within the treatise’s larger argument and t...

This article explores the decline of the early Christian church in North Africa and its implications for the contemporary Nigerian church. By examining historical, sociopolitical, and theological factors that contributed to the disintegration of a once-thriving ecclesiastical community in 2nd – 7th Century, the study aims to draw meaningful lessons...

For early Christian missionaries, Chinese proverbs were an invaluable resource for learning the language, understanding the culture, and carrying out religious evangelization. While existing research has predominantly focused on collections of Chinese proverbs by Protestant missionaries, Catholic missionaries’ efforts in gathering Chinese proverbs...

This brief article is a rejoinder to John Solheid’s “Origen of Alexandria and Human Dignity” (2023), which offers a critique of my “Origen of Alexandria and the History of Racism as a Theological Problem” (2020). While I appreciate Solheid’s substantial engagement with my work and welcome his efforts to find inspiration in Origen for “a theology of...

This article analyses the semantics of εἴδωλον, εἰκών, and ὁμοίωμα in the LXX in light of Greek literary and documentary evidence. By addressing the issue of the relationship between the vocabulary of images and the vocabulary of idols, (1) it deconstructs some oppositions inherited from early Christian interpretations of biblical passages (especia...

Jerome of Stridon was one of the most important biblical exegetes in early Christianity. Analyzing letters as well as prefaces to biblical commentaries written by Jerome, this article discusses four criteria which he considered to be necessary for orthodox exegesis to take place: 1) education and learning; 2) studying the Scriptures as part of an a...

Lactantius lived through the Great Persecution of 303-13. His treatise On the Anger of God, written in the years immediately afterwards argues that it is theologically correct to conceive of divine anger being deployed to correct and eliminate evildoers. His circumstantial invective On the Deaths of the Persecutors, written around the same time, il...

In this paper, I provide a close examination of early Christian biographical sources through the heuristic lens of “home studies”, tracing a thread from the New Testament Gospels to martyrdom texts, the apocryphal Acts literature, Eusebius’ biography of Origen in his Church History, and finally, Athanasius’ Life of Antony. I demonstrate that the le...

A pesquisa dos textos do Cristianismo Primitivo numa perspectiva literária permitiu que se aproximasse de diferentes teóricos e seus conceitos arrojados. Neste artigo iremos analisar o texto de Lucas 7,36-49 a partir do conceito de polifonia de Mikhail Bakhtin, utilizado como método de análise literária. Desejamos pensar os processos de transmissão...

This article examines the concepts of violence and religion as social phenomena of modernity. Religion and the church are presented not as specific organizations or denominations, but as important social institutions and are reflected in philosophical and anthropological terms. I carry out the idea that religion as a modern social institute in coop...

This study investigates the development of creation narratives within Patristic literature, focusing on key theologians from the Apostolic to Medieval periods, such as Augustine, Origen, and Gregory of Nyssa. The primary issue explored is the theological theme of chaos and cosmos, which illustrates how God transforms chaos into order through His cr...

Paul's missionary journeys to the province of Asia occurred during a pivotal period in the history of early Christianity. This was a time of great change in religious discourse, during which the question of integrating aspects of Jewish law into Christian practice was a key issue under discussion. The attitudes of Peter and Paul towards gentiles we...

It is a well-known history that the Dutch church in South Africa’s Cape colony up until the early 19th century had readily accommodated the institution of slavery as commonly practiced within Cape Dutch society. Slavery was not seen as “good” but generally accepted as an unfortunate reality of life. Some groups of people, particularly those of non-...

The purpose of the publication is to introduce into the scientific space of Ukraine a translation from the ancient Greek of one of the works of the most eloquent among the early Christian apologists, Athenagoras of Athens – "Embassy for the Christians". The style of his works and the way of expressing his thoughts reveal his prominent knowledge of...

a wholly the review of churches and safety buildings destroyed at different times because of historical storms or survived on the modern territory of Samegrelo (from Tskenistskali to river Enguri, districts: of Zugdidi, Khobi, Tsalenjikha, Martvili, Senaki, Abasha and c. Foti) from ancient time till now. Samegrelo preserves centuries-old historical...

Исследований, посвященных богословию святого Павла, в современной библеистике немало, однако не так много исследователей изучают исторические обстоятельства, которые привели к появлению Павлового корпуса как собрания писем. «Павлов корпус в раннем христианстве» — это новый анализ как исторических, так и литературных свидетельств о развитии собрания...

本文以「AI與宗教研究：早期基督宗教研究的重要性」為題，探討AI與宗教研究中，早期基督宗教研究的價值與重要性。文章分成兩大部份：第一部份說明AI與宗教研究，指出AI對宗教的影響是多重的，它既為宗教學研究與宗教生活實踐提供了創新的工具與方式，另一方面也可能導致宗教信仰對象的轉移、信徒的背教以及宗教團體權威的下降。第二部份說明早期基督宗教研究中，例如諾斯底主義研究、教父奧力振思想研究（自由意志論與創造論）天啟末日思想等豐富研究成果，在嶄新的「AI與宗教」研究中仍有貢獻並具有啟發意義。本文認為，無論宗教界或宗教學界對於AI海嘯來襲，無從閃躲，只能正面迎接，積極投身與AI相關的宗教研究中。This article, entitled 'AI and Religious Studies: The Si...

The book Knowledge, Faith, and Early Christian Initiation by Alex Fogleman is reviewed.

Este é um artigo de divulgação científica que aborda a presença dos monstros na literatura bíblica. Por que já tantos monstros nos textos do cristianismo primitivo? E por que é importante enfrenta-los, mesmo que isso nos apresente uma face violenta e disruptiva do sagrado?

This is a scientific dissemination article that presents the theory of monstrosity and its importance for biblical interpretation. It seeks to answer the question: why are there so many monsters in the texts of early Christianity? What kind of experience of the sacred does it express?

This paper examines the pivotal role of women in the ministry of Jesus Christ, going beyond the often limited historical representation. A comprehensive analysis of the Gospel texts reveals the diverse roles women played, ranging from financial support and direct service to Jesus—such as Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Salome, who remained faithfully b...

This article examines the different uses made of a marble ostotheke (ossuary) that was discovered in 2021 during archaeological excavations in and around the church in the Araplıtepe district, near the ancient city of Metropolis. Information about the chest’s original use as a funerary object and its production date and ownership is followed by a d...

This research paper delves into the assimilation of Stoic philosophical principles into the early Christian teachings and actions of Saint Paul, particularly in the context of Roman society. By examining the extent to which Stoic philosophy influenced Saint Paul's approach to establishing Christianity amidst a predominantly Stoic culture, this stud...

The church's mission (Missio Ecclesia) is to positively impact lives by bringing transformation to man and their environment. The Missio Ecclesia seeks to bring man back to God, acknowledging that, irrespective of man's situation, every human has a part of God (Imago Dei). The early European Missionary enterprise in Africa, therefore, in an attempt...

Citation: Oye-oluwafemi F.A., Oye-oluwafemi O.A., and Adebua B. (2024) Comparative Studies of the Oral and Literary Culture in the First Century and Its Implications for African Christianity Today, British Journal of Multidisciplinary and Advanced Studies: 5(5),66-84 ABSTRACT: This study explores the interplay between oral and literary traditions i...

The overwhelming majority of early Christian authors considered humour and laughter inappropriate. A significant exception to this is Tertullian, who ‒ as a trained orator ‒ was well aware of the importance of verbal humour, particularly as manifested in his apologetic works. In his disputes with heretics and pagans Tertullian practically destroyed...

The study analyses of the bronze mounts of the Orpheus casket with biblical and mythological representations. The casket was recovered in two stages, in 1903 and 1967 in the disturbed late Roman grave 1023 of the southeastern cemetery of Intercisa (Dunaújváros). After a brief iconographical analysis of the depictions of the casket, the contribution...

Greed The association of Jews with money, and the depiction of Jews as a uniquely greedy and rapacious people, is one of the oldest of antisemitic myths. Writings, speeches and imagery portraying Jews as grasping, avaricious and miserly, ever ready to lie and trick their way to a profit, and willing to sacrifice all morality in pursuit of riches, c...

Since the announcement of the punishment in the Apocalypse of John, the sentence of the godless in the lake of fire has occupied a central role in early Christian apocalypses. The punishment for the wicked in the lake of fire has acted as a deterrent and paints a terrible portrait that awaits the evil and the unbelievers. During the development of...