Author A Distant Echo
Previously, we considered the first part of 1 Peter 5.13, arriving at the tentative conclusion that ‘she’ or ‘the one’ (ἡ) likely refers to the church. Let’s remind ourselves of the Greek: ἀσπάζεται ὑμᾶς ἡ ἐν Βαβυλῶνι συνεκλεκτὴ καὶ Μᾶρκος… Continue Reading →
The letter of 1 Peter concludes with a rather cryptic circumlocution: ἀσπάζεται ὑμᾶς ἡ ἐν Βαβυλῶνι συνεκλεκτὴ καὶ Μᾶρκος ὁ υἱός μου. Roughly translated: “She/the [feminine] one in Babylon greets you, and also my son Mark.” Does this verse in… Continue Reading →
Prologue Another one from the scribbles of decades past. Rest Only comfort of weary nights, Days of endless dispassioned flights, Toils and troubles so cloak my sight, Burdened, helpless to face the fight. What is rest? God promised the Israelites… Continue Reading →
Prologue I wrote a lot when I was younger — all sorts of stuff. I rather wish I had assigned a date. Anyway, it makes for interesting reading while poring through old files and folders. Recently, I found this. Some… Continue Reading →
It is perhaps best to let Irenaeus, a contemporary bishop in southern France, introduce our next guest: But Polycarp also was not only instructed by apostles, and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also, by apostles in… Continue Reading →
When was 1 Peter written? It would be really nice to know. If it was the work of the Apostle Peter (as is explicitly claimed in the first four words), then latest it could possible have been written was around… Continue Reading →
In the last post, we looked in general at Asia Minor, seeing it as crossroads of early Christianity. We wanted to pay particular attention to the provinces/regions mentioned in 1 Peter 1: Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. This time,… Continue Reading →
First Letter of Peter opens with an address to certain territories to which he addresses his correspondence: “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the elect living as exiles and scattered in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.”[1] We can… Continue Reading →
So, you want to read the New Testament in its original language? You have to learn vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. While vocabulary and grammar are mostly settled — in other words, you’ll get more or less the same instruction from… Continue Reading →
N. T. Wright recently published an article in Time[1] in which he discusses appropriate Christian reactions to the current coronavirus pandemic. For those unfamiliar, Wright is a leading academic in early Christianity, with a focus on Paul — and Paul’s… Continue Reading →