We have established that it is highly probable that the author of the text now referenced as ‘the Gospel according to Mark’ was the founder of perhaps the earliest organized veneration of Jesus. It would be impossible to properly call this sect ‘Christians’ as they did not hold Jesus to be a man. Read More »

The understanding that Paul refers to the Gospel of Mark as ‘his gospel’ was championed in the last century by the Protestant theologian Hermann Raschke. Read More »

That this apostle established the ‘first edition’ of a definitive collection of his own writings makes a lot of intuitive sense. This is something that writers have always down throughout the ages. Yet the Catholics and Marcionites disagreed as to what was contained in this apostolic codex. Read More »

It is simply impossible to believe that the earliest Christians established their body of sacred writings in order to negatively define their tradition against Judaism. Read More »

It is very important to place the Marcionite embracing of the codex as one of the most critical decisions in the future success of the Jesus religion. The idea of developing a faith around a new piece of technology was unprecedented. There are no agreed upon dates for the emergence of Marcionitism. Read More »

It is common knowledge that the name of our western collection of sacred writings comes from the common Greek word meaning ‘book.’ The Bible is supposed to be ‘the book,’ the last word on God, yet there have perhaps been more books written to clarify the meaning of this book than any other written text. Read More »

To gain a proper perspective on the Eastern view of salvation, we have to be aware of its distinctive anthropological outlook and its implications. In the main, Eastern anthropology looks forward to the renewing of the image of God. Read More »

Stephan Huller has had a life long interest in religion and spirituality dating back to conversations with his grandfather, Gaston Frank. “He said we represent one of the last descendants of the Frankist Jewish faith in the world,” he muses. “I grew up thinking that our family was something like the Last of the Mohicans. Read More »

After all, or, if you like, before all, since you (Marcion) have said that he has a creation of his own, and his own world, and his own sky; we shall see, indeed, about that third heaven, when we come to discuss even your own apostle. Read More »

Let’s start at the beginning once again. There are all the people who believe Jesus was a real person. You can include religious people (Christians, Jews, Muslims etc) and everyone else who figures the religious people must know what they are talking about. So just about everyone. Read More »

Jesus bar-Nun circumcised the Nation a second time with a ‘scimitar’ of stone when he crossed the Jordan, he and his Nation; Jesus our Saviour has circumcised a second time, with the circumcision of the heart, the Nations who have found faith in him, Read More »

There is much to dislike about the ‘establishment’ in Biblical scholarship. I have my issues with identifying the culture of the ‘Old Testament’ with ‘Judaism’ given that evidence from Qumran suggests that in some form, Samaritanism was likely the original Hebrew culture. Read More »

The day has come to an end and at the very moment that most people would be going to bed I start to write these posts. This happens every night. I am sure that as a result of staying up this late, I am slightly more abrasive to those whom I meet during the day. Nevertheless, I am acutely aware that time is slipping away. Read More »

I know this might come as a shock to many readers, but atheists aren’t the only one who deny the existence of God. I had to remind my mother about this the other day who is both Jewish and an atheist. According to all the great Jewish mystics, it is in the highest sphere that we find the God who does not exist. Read More »

I have been noticing that my posts are becoming less obscure and I don’t know whether this has to do with a change in my personal life or simply a random occurrence. For whatever reason I find myself looking at life with better focus. Read More »

Irenaeus, the canonical Gospel of Mark and the canonical Gospel of Matthew all share something in common – they consistently identify Jeremiah and Isaiah as the authors of things that were never written by these prophets. Mark 1: 2 is a perfect example. Read More »

Almost every model developed to explain early Christianity starts with the assumption that Jesus was a real person. The reason for this is simple – this was the understanding confirmed at Nicaea. Every surviving Christian faith accepts that Jesus was born through immaculate conception to his mother Mary. Read More »

Rabbi Abraham ben Meir Ibn Ezra lived in eleventh and twelfth century Spain. He was an incredibly gifted man. Ibn Ezra excelled in philosophy, astronomy/astrology, mathematics, poetry, linguistics, and exegesis; he was called The Wise, The Great and The Admirable Doctor. Read More »

I am really busy right now but I happened to have noticed that an Italian author has come to many of the same conclusions about the name of Jesus. The link to his book (in Italian) is here. Read More »

I never belonged anywhere. It is not something which necessarily saddens me any longer. It’s just a feeling that I had for most of my life. When I look back however, I can’t imagine that any one thing is more important to helping make me what I am now. I don’t look to ‘fit in. Read More »