At this point we need to discuss when Jesus was born to see if any comet appeared coinciding with this date. It is actually certain that Jesus was not born in 1 AD, but several years before this date. Matt 2:13-20 tells how, after the Magi left, Joseph had a dream in which an angelContinue reading “#3 When Was Jesus Born?”
Author Archives: clarevmerry
#2 Visit of the Magi in the Gospel of Matthew
Second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’”Continue reading “#2 Visit of the Magi in the Gospel of Matthew”
#1 Was the Star of Bethlehem a Comet?
At Christmas this year I decided to entertain the local Association of Christian Writers group at their Christmassy mince pie do with a piece on the Three Wise Men. Hence, I did some research on the origins of the three wise men coming from Persia and found they were priests and astronomers. I started toContinue reading “#1 Was the Star of Bethlehem a Comet?”
#27 Writings of Saints and Theologians of the Church
There are many writings by known writers in the church. Many of these writers were bishops. Eusebius bishop of Caesarea (260-339 AD) collected up what was known of the lives of early martyrs and recorded their stories. He also wrote the history of the church in a text entitled Ecclesiastical History. Eusebius influenced church theology with hisContinue reading “#27 Writings of Saints and Theologians of the Church”
#26 Assessment of Pseudepigrapha Writings
Having just gone to a Bible study group which just read the historical books of the Old Testament as they are written, and now looked at the texts of non-canonical books, I can say that Bible books and non-canonical books are completely different. There are clear and obvious reasons why the non-canonical books were notContinue reading “#26 Assessment of Pseudepigrapha Writings”
#25 Forerunners to Mystery Plays
The Emperor Constantine converted the Roman Empire to Christianity in 312 and consolidated it with the First Council of Nicaea in 325 in which the Nicene Creed was drafted. However, as the temples of gods went out along with their mythologies, a certain degree of Christian shrines came in with their heros and their miracleContinue reading “#25 Forerunners to Mystery Plays”
#24 Marian Sect Writings
A third category of pseudepigrapha writings seems to be writings akin to the mythologies ascribed to gods and goddesses of the previous cults of the pagan world. We must bear in mind that during the first to fourth century AD every city of the Roman Empire had its temple dedicated to a Greek or RomanContinue reading “#24 Marian Sect Writings”
#23 Christian Gnostic Writings
A second category of pseudepigrapha writings were written by Christians during the first to third century AD. These writings have as their subject matter the lives of the apostles after the crucifixion, as well as writings about Mary Magdalene and the Virgin Mary. These Christian writings as well as some Jewish writings belonged to theContinue reading “#23 Christian Gnostic Writings”
#22 Pseudepigrapha Writings
Pseudepigrapha writings are attributed to authors who were not the authors of these texts. For example, Acts of Thomas was not written by the apostle Thomas. Thomas is a pseudonym, an assumed name. There are pseudepigrapha works of four main types: Essene Jewish Mystic Writings The first type of pseudepigrapha writings are of Jewish origin written betweenContinue reading “#22 Pseudepigrapha Writings”
#21 Conclusion on Assumption Article
Belief in the assumption of Mary is both a Catholic and Orthodox thing, not followed by Protestants. But in its favour there are Old Testament precedents as Enoch and Elijah are shown to have been assumed into heaven. There are also Jewish traditions that Moses and the Ark of the Covenant were assumed into heaven.Continue reading “#21 Conclusion on Assumption Article”
Merry and True 