I was having a chat with a good friend who has spent much of his career as an editor for various Christian publishing houses. While I had noticed that some things were changing, I had not fully realize how much that was the case for Christian publishing. So I asked my friend— why? Why were things so different now compared to say 15-20 years ago. His answer surprised me— COVID 19 was a game changer for Christian publishing. How so?... Read more
Here’s another good post by Philip Jenkins… The Rediscovery, and Re-Forgetting, of the Lost Gospels Read more
Rediscovering Lost Scriptures: Two Astonishing Years Read more
Having grown up in small town North Carolina, I found it moving to see what that was like 2 decades before I was born. This was during the Great Depression when my parents were coming of age. There is much to notice besides the cigarette smoking. For one thing, there was little or no obesity. For another, look at all the smiles. These people did not have a lot of possessions, but they had plenty of friends, plenty of joy... Read more
Let us talk perspective for a moment. One of the things I kept looking for in this book is a discussion of eschatology and how it affects the discussion of ethics. For example, when Paul talks about being conformed to the image of Christ, he does not imagine this process could possibly be completed before one is raised from the dead and receives a resurrection body like that of Christs. (see e.g. Rom. 8) and furthermore, he does not see... Read more
It has been said that ‘imitation is the most sincere form of flattery’. But this book is not really about early Christian attempts at flattering one’s teacher, or mentor, or spiritual parents. It is about ethical transformation of persons, and in particular ethical transformation in the image of Christ, which is indeed an important subject in the NT. In one sense the book is a reminder that a person becomes what they admire, particularly when one is admiring a person... Read more
Not far from the theater was a huge thermal bath, with a giant caldarium, tepidarium, and frigidarium one of the largest spas in the ancient world, with hot, tepid, and cool separate room, the frigidarium. And what would a thermal bath be without a deity, in this case Neptune lounging with you. There was of course a market place, and a bouleterion where the city fathers met to settle the city business near to the delphinion Along with the remains... Read more
Besides the problem of the silting up of the harbor, the next stage of decline and decay was the marshland that appeared in that same place– the haven of bugs and mosquitoes, some of whom brought disease to human beings. Today, the harbor area is where once there was an impressive Delphinon, a famous statue, a lion statue, and more. From this map you begin to see how much more there was to the city center in antiquity. Here was... Read more
If one does a proper tour of the Miletus theater there is much to discover. Above is the view down the ramp on the right side of theater. Below is a shot looking into the exit ramp on the left side of the theater. The Romans called the exit ramp ‘the vomitorium’ (no joke). Here is an honorific column next to the theater for an ‘Archon’ a high ranking Greek official. Notice at the top of the inscription... Read more
While nearby Ephesus is swarmed with tourists all the time, not least because of the cruise boats making it the one site they dropped tourists near if they are hopping from country to country and island to island, nevertheless, Miletus is also a large site, as one can see from the maps below, which still has considerable remains of its theater. Like Ephesus, the city’s main means of commerce was by sea, but also like Ephesus, the harbors (and there... Read more
Select your answer to see how you score.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In