A time to be rich and a time to be poor: Eschatological reversal in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus

The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus can be effortlessly incorporated into interpretative programs of progressive social action. This fable of a bourgeois oppressor receiving his just desserts for neglecting the poor—coming straight from the mouth of Jesus Christ—provides dependable ammunition for socialistic causes. Had the rich man only listened to the Law and … Continue reading A time to be rich and a time to be poor: Eschatological reversal in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus →

A marginal evangelist: Mark and the mythological origins of the Gospels

By the beginning of the 2nd century two anonymous Gospels had established themselves throughout the Empire as early authoritative biographies of Jesus: The Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Mark. The task set before the 3rd and 4th generation leaders of the church was thus to determine the origin of these texts—the source of … Continue reading A marginal evangelist: Mark and the mythological origins of the Gospels →

Sons of God at war: Apollonian Christ and Pythian Caesar in Revelation 12

One function of divine sonship in the ancient world was to legitimize the rule of kings, sons of God, by associating them with deities and heroes of old. Such rulers were not merely the most powerful, the most wise, and the most crafty by nature's lot but were invested with such traits by their heavenly … Continue reading Sons of God at war: Apollonian Christ and Pythian Caesar in Revelation 12 →

Θεοί at war: The deity of Christ and the fate of the empire

Most interpreters confine the development of divine Christology in the writings of the New Testament within the parameters set by the monotheistic Judaism of the second temple period. In this way the central hero of the work, "our great god and savior, Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13), is recognized as none other than the one and only … Continue reading Θεοί at war: The deity of Christ and the fate of the empire →

After Jerusalem fell: Israel’s dispossession and the emergence of New Testament narrative

At its inception the Christian gospel was a message to and for Israel. Two Hebrew prophets, John and Jesus, had been sent to the Jewish people on behalf of the Jewish people. They had come to turn Jacob's progeny back to God on the eve of the arrival of Israel's messianic kingdom. John and Jesus … Continue reading After Jerusalem fell: Israel’s dispossession and the emergence of New Testament narrative →

Last of the disciples: John’s death and the Johannine relocation

The redactional treatment of the Apostles—and of John of Zebedee in particular—within the New Testament corpus offers clues as to the dating of the earliest Christian documents and as to the development of earliest Christian belief. In the first Gospel, the Gospel of Mark, Jesus predicts that the sons of Zebedee, the brothers James and … Continue reading Last of the disciples: John’s death and the Johannine relocation →

Of them the world was not worthy: Israel’s heroes with and without Christ

Israel's better savior Christians tend to evaluate the Israelite saviors of old as wholly inadequate in comparison to the sinless and eternally-sufficient savior of the new covenant—Jesus Christ. It is only God's beloved Son, unstained by a sinful nature, who is able to deliver his people from sin and its consequences. Since all other human … Continue reading Of them the world was not worthy: Israel’s heroes with and without Christ →

Silvanus to the church of the Thessalonians: Salvaging Paul’s eschatological legacy

Paul infamously includes himself among those who would still be alive when the Lord returned from Heaven to judge the idolatrous nations and rescue his churches spread across the empire: "We who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep… Then we who are … Continue reading Silvanus to the church of the Thessalonians: Salvaging Paul’s eschatological legacy →

Allegory of the end: Matthew’s crucifixion apocalypse

Albert Schweitzer concludes his Quest like so: There is silence all around. The Baptist appears and cries: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Soon after that comes Jesus, and in the knowledge that He is the coming Son of Man lays hold of the wheel of the world to set it moving … Continue reading Allegory of the end: Matthew’s crucifixion apocalypse →

True Satan from true Satan: Mirror Christology in Revelation 13

John of the Apocalypse presents the Dragon-Beast cycle (e.g. Revelation 12-13) as the diabolical inversion of the God-Christ cycle (e.g. Revelation 4-5). God and the Dragon each orchestrate sweeping collateral action through various anointed intermediaries, in particular Christ and the Beast from the sea, respectively, in order to exert their incompatible wills upon the world. … Continue reading True Satan from true Satan: Mirror Christology in Revelation 13 →