Does God support those who go to war or not? The Pope and the Trump Administration are offering competing answers to this question, employing the notions of non-violence and just war in their response. Read about how early Christians might have responded to his question.
Out now 📚 Philo of Alexandria: Every Good Man is Free. Introduction, Translation, and Commentary 📜
Maren R. Niehoff presents the first commentary on Philo’s treatise on freedom, exploring philosophical, historical, literary and exegetical aspects.
Get your copy here: 🔗 brill.com/display/ti...
Read about a mother of the church for Women’s History Month: Syncletica of Alexandria. This fourth century desert mother provides us with a unique picture of the spiritual life through metaphors drawn from domestic tasks. This mother shows us the beauty in doing our chores.
What should we expect of the immigrant? Mike Johnson claims the Bible expects ‘assimilation’ of the immigrant into a society—read about how early Christians would find this untenable.
As part of living in the Arctic this year, I have learned quite a bit about geopolitical and security concerns in the region. I have seen firsthand the strength of our relationship with NATO and the EU, as well as this relationship’s vital role in protecting the Arctic from hostile intervention.
Coming soon: Origen's homilies on Ezekiel (Latin) + all of the Greek fragments — the latter having been translated for the first time into English.
Many thanks to Roger Pearse for allowing us to use the translation by Mischa Hooker than he commissioned and painstakingly edited a decade ago.
What do we do with the writings of theologians and writers who commit egregious sins? Read about how to consider Philip Yancey’s writings through the thought of Gregory of Nazianzus, a theologian from the fourth century.
Plus, you get to read about one of the figures featured in the Advent devotional that @lmillerrenberg.bsky.social and I co-wrote, “Candles in the Darkness”.
Time and space get a bit weird in the liturgical poems of Romanos the Melodist. Learn from the sixth century hymnographer, as his Advent reflections transports us to Eden, Bethlehem, the River Jordan, and the baptismal font in our own church.
A candle in front of a book cover, blue with gold lettering that reads “Candles in the Darkness,” sitting in front of a dark and snowy landscape.
In the darkness of the winter, as we look forward to the coming of Christ during this season of Advent, we look for lights to remind us of the hope we have in the Gospel.
Why practice the waiting of Advent when the Nativity has already taken place? It gives the opportunity to cultivate patience in a society obsessed with instant gratification. Read about how medieval Christians in Norway experienced Advent through church art and what we can learn from them:
📚 Great news for patristics scholars!
The proceedings of the International Conference on Patristic Studies (Oxford, 2011 & 2015) are now available in Gold Open Access.
That’s 42 volumes of cutting-edge research—now free to read on our website!
🔗 www.peeters-leuven.be/search_resul...
In my continued attempts to bring more attention to the ‘Mothers of the Church’, I have written a piece on Paula of Rome. While known for her great spiritual discipline in fasting and living in austere conditions, perhaps her greatest form of long-suffering for Christ was putting up with Jerome.
It was a privilege to share my research on theological anthropology and singing in Origen's homilies at the Dynamics of Religious Practice workshop at University of Tromsø. Great conversation around methodology, cognitive science of religion, and early Christian practice – glad to be a part of it!
I recently reflected on Origen of Alexandria and his understanding of sin and human nature. Read if you are interested in some strange exegesis, 'serpent-humans', and some questions about the phrase 'I'm only human'.
Our Greek-English edition of Cyril of Alexandria's Five Books/Tomes Against Nestorius is now for sale! Order your copy on our website: luxpatrum.com
Includes the authoritative critical Greek text by Eduard Schwartz, along with the only complete translation of the work available in English.
What is required for reading the Bible properly? History degrees? Knowledge of biblical languages? Perhaps, faith? Read about the contrasting assumptions of early Christian exegesis and historical critical exegesis, with the former prioritizing a life of virtue in Christian community.
Excited to see my article with @jts-journal.bsky.social out on exegesis and theology in the early Arian controversy. academic.oup.com/jts/advance-...
“How do we interpret the human weakness of Christ, if he does not have any weakness as the Son of God? Through debate amidst controversy, the early church developed a particular way to read the Bible which might guide us on this, sometimes called partitive exegesis.
I am delighted to announce the IRCI has 2 job openings in early Christianity (specialisation open, research-focus, early career). Closing date 15 Aug. Contact me with any questions. We hope you'll consider joining our excellent group of scholars!
candidate.aurion.cloud/acu/producti...
Come study with us! Fully-funded Ph.D. scholarship opportunity to work on the Late Antique translation of texts.
www.acu.edu.au/research-and...
Pedagogy of the Heart: Grammar, Philosophy, and the Christian Reader in Origen’s Greek Homilies on the Psalms. By John C. Solheid. Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae, Volume 190. Brill, 2025.
Another new volume from VCS 🎉💙 John C. Solheid’s “Pedagogy of the Heart” presents a detailed and accessible analysis of the recently discovered Greek “Homilies on the Psalms” preached by Origen in the late 240s CE.
Check it out here! ⬇️
brill.com/display/titl...
#ISBL #EABS #AcRel #Theology #SBL
Circulating this growing list of women NT/EC scholars again if any one else wants to add their name!
Please share if you can!
tinyurl.com/WomenNTECsch...
The early church provides a model for church discipline that acknowledges the severity of sin while always offering a way back into fellowship—but sometimes it took up to 20 years to do so! Read about it, here:
In recent years, moral failings in the church have been especially prominent as numerous Christian leaders have been embroiled in scandals. How should we treat grave sins, especially amongst our leaders? And should there always be a path towards rehabilitation?
As scholars continue to investigate the historical and theological dimensions of the Council of Nicaea (325), we cannot forget what was at stake for the original contributors of the creed - proper worship.
www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...
📢Try out this tool built by Dr. Moshe Blidstein, my partner in the Josephus Christianus project, which maps the similarity of passages in ancient Hebrew and Greek texts. It provides visualizations and filtering capabilities as well as the texts themselves in parallel. mblida.pythonanywhere.com
