We’ve been in a series on the Two Powers heresy. So far, we’ve looked at First Enoch, Philo, the Mishnah, and the Tosefta as we’ve systematically surveyed the primary sources in chronological order. Next up, we’ll analyze two sources within the Midrashim. We’re going to encounter the first clear mention of two powers in heaven. Read more about 678. Two Powers in Heaven 5: The Midrashim[…]
Well, we’ve been in a series on the two powers in heaven heresy for a few weeks now. Funny enough, we haven’t learned much about two powers. Hopefully, you’ve learned a lot about Jewish apocalyptic literature and Jewish Platonic theology, which are two important, but totally different strands within first-century Judaism. Now, today, we’re focusing Read more about 677. Two Powers in Heaven 4: Mishnah & Tosefta[…]
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts Ignatius of Antioch lived in the first generation of Christians after the apostles died during the late first and early second century. Modern day apologists regularly point to Ignatius’ letters to prove the antiquity of the deity of Christ and one-bishop church governance (monarchical episcopate). But Read more about 522 Problematizing Ignatius of Antioch’s Middle Recension (Nathan Massie)[…]
This is part 5 of the Early Church History class. Have you heard of the Gnostics before? Gnostics of different types claimed to have secret knowledge of humanity’s true origins and destiny. They were intellectuals who combined the philosophical thinking of their day with Jewish and Christian scripture to produce a compelling alternative to biblical Read more about 485 Early Church History 5: Gnostics and Valentinians[…]
This is part 3 of the Early Church History class. Today we begin to look at the second century. We’ll start by considering Jewish Christian movements, including the Nazarenes and the Ebionites. Next we’ll shift gears and explore the cultural pressure of asceticism and how it began infiltrating Christianity. We’ll briefly survey the influence of Read more about 483 Early Church History 3: Christianity in the Second Century[…]