Preface to 'Jesus' - a Blending of the Gospels Jesus Christ is undoubtedly the single most influential figure in the history of Western civilization. His influence touches the daily life of every individual. Yet, most know little about him. More often than not, what they do know has been altered by myth and colored by misconception. The story of his birth is familiar through numberless recounting at Christmas time, as are the details of his death through annual Easter celebrations, but his life and his teachings are little known and less understood. The Jesus portrayed in the four accounts in the gospels is unlike the commonly held conceptions of him, and anyone expecting to read in these pages of the "gentle Jesus, meek and mild" will be caught by surprise. There are other obstacles. It was for precisely these reasons that this book, Jesus, was prepared. It should be understood that what is presented here is not nor does it purport to be another translation of the gospels: it is a synthesis of the gospels rendered in a paraphrase.
Wesley Center-Noncanonical Literature Noncanonical Literature Documents to Aid Students and Scholars in Biblical Interpretation including Introductions and Summaries of Many Noncanonical Works Non-Canonical Literature Disclaimer The Bible is an invaluable collection of sacred ancient texts, written and assembled over several hundreds of years by numerous authors. These texts were written to particular people living at a definite time and place who shared common experiences and knowledge. By studying similar literature that precedes and follows the biblical writings chronologically, students of the Bible are better prepared to discover the intended meaning. Apocryphal and pseudepigraphal literature was apparently intended either to supplement or supplant existing canonical literature. Table of Contents Click here to read about the recently discovered and published Gospel of Judas at the nationalgeographic.com. Old Testament Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha Old Testament Apocrypha Old Testament Pseudepigrapha Apocryphal NT Acts
Early Christian Writings: New Testament, Apocrypha, Gnostics, Church Fathers First Council of Nicaea The First Council of Nicaea (/naɪ'si:ə/; Greek: Νίκαια /'ni:kaɪja/ Turkish: Iznik) was a council of Christian bishops convened in Nicaea in Bithynia by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325. This first ecumenical council was the first effort to attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all of Christendom.[5] Its main accomplishments were settlement of the Christological issue of the nature of the Son of God and his relationship to God the Father,[3] the construction of the first part of the Creed of Nicaea, establishing uniform observance of the date of Easter,[6] and promulgation of early canon law.[4][7] Overview[edit] Eastern Orthodox icon depicting the First Council of Nicaea The First Council of Nicaea was the first ecumenical council of the Church. Another result of the council was an agreement on when to celebrate Easter, the most important feast of the ecclesiastical calendar, decreed in an epistle to the Church of Alexandria in which is simply stated:
Biblos.com: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages Help wanted - CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science From CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science Article Improvement Stub articles - are the titles identified by the CreationWiki users as containing little content. They may just contain a portion of an article - some simply have a picture and still need to be written. Short pages - are the titles identified by the Mediawiki software as containing little content. They may just contain a portion of an article - some simply have a picture and still need to be written. Spell Check Many articles contain basic typos because the CreationWiki editing toolbar does not contain a spell check feature. A plugin for internet explorer called IESpell, is also very usefull and can be used to spell check entire forms, or highlighted text within a form. Stubs No content To recommend an article for the CreationWiki, list it here. International Translations Main Article: CreationWiki:translation Bible book translations Ongoing Collaborative Projects Portal Organization Creationist Resources Biographies
The Corinthians in Corinthians Figure Analysis The Corinthians sure get lots of screen time in the Bible, but just who were they? And why does Paul spend so much time writing letters to their little neck of the woods? The Corinth of Old Ancient Corinth was a lovely little town, which was located in the southern part of Greece on the Isthmus of Corinth. See, Corinth was pretty cosmopolitan at the time (for a place that didn't have flushing toilets, that is): Corinth was home to major seaports, which meant its exports of bronze and terra cotta always sold well.It was a major manufacturing and commercial hub of the ancient world. Paul's Arrival in Greece So Paul hits Corinth and establishes a church pretty quickly. Not quite. Sin's Really Got a Hold on Them The Corinthians get a bad wrap for being a bunch of ancient sinners and sex freaks. "Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers […] this is what some of you used to be" (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Wrong:
The Trinity Popular Myths About the Bible Well, perhaps there's another view that we can examine by looking at Scripture. Remember, Jesus was a Jew and the Jewish Sabbath is Saturday; Christians are the ones who observe Sunday as Sabbath. Jesus made a direct, prophetic statement concerning His death: "FOR AS JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE WHALE'S BELLY; SO SHALL THE SON OF MAN BE THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE HEART OF THE EARTH" (Matthew 12:40 KJV). So, Jesus may have been crucified Wednesday and arose on Saturday: Wednesday - 6pm - Burial & Night 1 Thursday - Day 1 & Night 2 Friday - Day 2 & Night 3 Saturday - Day 3 Jewish Sabbath* *The Jewish Sabbath is not so much a day as a period of time. So, before sunrise Sunday (the first day of the week) morning: "The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, (the tomb) and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre" (John 20:1 KJV).
Gospel of John The Gospel of John (also referred to as the Gospel According to John, the Fourth Gospel, or simply John) is one of the four canonical gospels in the Christian Bible. In the New Testament it traditionally appears fourth, after the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. John begins with the witness and affirmation of John the Baptist and concludes with the death, burial, resurrection, and post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. Chapter 21 states that the book derives from the testimony of the "disciple whom Jesus loved" and early church tradition identified him as John the Apostle, one of Jesus' Twelve Apostles. Raymond E. Composition[edit] Authorship[edit] The gospel identifies its author as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." The earliest manuscripts to contain the beginning of the gospel (Papyrus 66 and Papyrus 75), dating from around the year 200, entitle the gospel "The Gospel according to John". Sources[edit] Order of material[edit] Signs Gospel[edit] Discourses[edit] Inspiration[edit]
Theology An Introduction to the Doctrines of the Christian Faith The pages listed below were written seeking to accurately express the teaching of the Bible on each subject in an "introduction and overview" format. As such, each study begins with a detailed summary of the teaching outlined below, and a listing of related studies is included so that you can follow from one study logically onto another. The Bible on God: (top) The Bible on Mankind: (top) The Bible on Salvation: (top) The Atonement (the work Jesus did to save us) The 'salvation stream': Predestination (election to be saved) Conversion and the Christian Life (faith and repentance) Justification (God views us as righteous) Adoption (becoming children of God) Sanctification (becoming more like God) Glorification (receiving 'resurrection bodies') The Bible on the Future (top) References (top) Many books were helpful in the completion of the theology section of this site, but these especially: -