generic decline message
This paper explores the life, apologetic, and polemic impact of Hippolytus of Rome, reviewing his historical impact and considering how his approach applies today. It highlights his background, ideological perspective, and selections from Hippolytus’ main extant apologetic work, The Refutation of All Heresies. Looking at his historical context suggests he acted at a critical time … Read more
In her Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation (2021), Kristin Kobes Du Mez offers a sweeping critique of the transformation and decline of white evangelicalism in America between the 1920’s and the 2016 presidential campaign that culminated in the election of Donald J. Trump. The book is … Read more
The narrative of Samson (Judg 13-16) occupies a prominent place within the book of Judges. This narrative, settled between the failed kingship of Abimelech in Judges 9, and several narratives containing the refrain “in those days there was no king in Israel” (Judg 17:6, 18:1, 19:1, 21:25; indicating the apparent societal failures in the absence … Read more
Paul’s farewell address to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:17-35 is a climactic speech in Paul’s ministry and a remarkable piece of rhetoric. The enigmatic quotation of Jesus’ words in Acts 20:35 has sparked much inquiry and speculation with little consensus as to its origin. Nevertheless, Paul’s address is anchored in the memory of Jesus’ … Read more
The church has long struggled with the sexual language in the Song of Songs. The Jewish rabbis and early church primarily interpreted it allegorically instead of wrestling with the sexual themes. Many within the modern church have rejected an overt allegorical interpretation, but they still indirectly apply the Song of Songs to one’s relationship with … Read more
Regardless of upbringing, education, economic situation, or geographical location, most people in the so-called western world have seen or heard perhaps the most famous verse in the Bible: John 3:16. Yet, do they know the occasion or setting when it was written? Are they aware of the surrounding context of the verse—from the most immediate … Read more
Some have argued that Jesus yielding his πνεῦμα in Matthew 27:50 is an anthropological indirect reference to Jesus’ life. However, a close study of the words, grammar, and syntax of the passage suggests that is a direct reference to the Spirit of God. In fact, the baptism, the tearing of the curtain, the earthquake, and … Read more
What is the nature of the Johannine characterization of Pontius Pilate at the trial of Jesus? Did John portray Pilate as a strong and competent leader, a weak and compromising leader, or some combination of the two? These questions have been the subject of much scholarly debate. The goal of this paper is to explore … Read more
IVF has been at the forefront again after Alabama’s court decision. This is indicative by Nature’s recent headline that states the following: Is IVF at risk in the US? Scientists fear for the fertility treatment’s future An Alabama court ruling that human embryos outside the uterus should be regarded as children has raised concerns among … Read more
The two Thessalonian letters are unique in the biblical corpus (and among wider epistolary evidence) in naming three overt participants in the letters’ prescripts. Debate continues as to whether Silvanus and Timothy join Paul as “coauthors” or merely as “cosenders.” This paper continues the exploration, recognizing and pursuing several incomplete avenues of inquiry. Scholarship is … Read more