Category Archives: People

ehrman on the prophets

Posted on November 4, 2014 by christopher fisher

From God’s Problem: The writings of the prophets are among the most misunderstood parts of the Bible today, in no small measure because they are commonly read out of context.14 Many people today, especially conservative Christians, read the prophets as … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Ehrman | Leave a comment

the development of predestination in augustine

Posted on October 18, 2014 by christopher fisher

From Augustine, Manichaeism and the Good by Kam-lun E. Lee (dissertation for the Saint Paul University, 1996): Augustine’s development of the idea of predestination reveals the Manichaean concept of the Good [the Summum Bonum] at work in three ways: on … Continue reading →

Posted in Augustine, Calvinism, Church Fathers, History, Platonism, Theology | Leave a comment

Jesus preaches against the temple leaders

Posted on September 21, 2014 by christopher fisher

In Matthew 21, Jesus is in the temple preaching. The temple was the Jewish holy place, and the leaders of the temple did not take kindly to Jesus’ subversion of their own authority. They team up with the common religious … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Dispensationalism, Jesus, Morality, Theology | 1 Comment

aslan defines messiah

Posted on September 7, 2014 by christopher fisher

From the very recommendable book “Zealot” by Muslim author Reza Aslan: Messiah means “anointed one.” The title alludes to the practice of pouring or smearing oil on someone charged with divine office: a king, like Saul, or David, or Solomon; … Continue reading →

Posted in Jesus, Jewish History | Leave a comment

nt wright on the kingdom of God

Posted on August 22, 2014 by christopher fisher

From the unofficial NT Write page: But ‘theocracy’, in a sense yet to be defined, is of course what is meant by ‘the kingdom of God’, which the synoptic gospels highlight at the central motif of Jesus’ public announcements and … Continue reading →

Posted in Jesus, People, Theology | 1 Comment

jesus son of ananus

Posted on August 14, 2014 by christopher fisher

In Wars of the Jews, Josephus describes the signs and prophets that foretold of the destruction of the Jerusalem and the temple. Among these is Jesus, son of Ananus. Two significant things about this Jesus: 1. He predicted the destruction … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Jesus, Jewish History, People | 3 Comments

the wandering jew

Posted on August 13, 2014 by christopher fisher

In the book “Curious Myths of the Middle Ages“, the author recounts a very interesting myth about a wandering Jew. Supposedly, this Jew had been with Jesus. To those in the 13th century, this would definitely interesting considering the Jew … Continue reading →

Posted in Church History, Jesus | 1 Comment

plotinus reveals the mystery

Posted on August 8, 2014 by christopher fisher

The mystery cults were religious orders that existed from before the time of Plato. Mystery cults held their secrets very closely, hence the name. But modern readers can piece together their secrets with the varied sources that are in existence. … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Mystery Cults, Platonism, Plotinus | 3 Comments

an overview of neo-platonism

Posted on July 31, 2014 by christopher fisher

Neo-Platonists during the first few centuries AD would never call themselves Neo-Platonists. To them they were just Platonists, teaching the teachings of Platonism. They expanded Platonism, as described in my previous article, developing the attributes of the Summum Bonum, their … Continue reading →

Posted in Gnostics, Platonism, Plotinus, Theology | 7 Comments

an overview of platonism

Posted on July 27, 2014 by christopher fisher

Platonism is simply the theology derived from the works of Plato. Plato had a scattering of works dealing with a varied number of subjects. Some of his works spoke as if the Greek gods were real, but this seems to … Continue reading →

Posted in God, Immutablility, Plato | 5 Comments