Category Archives: Early Church

Fredriksen-the apocalyptic Paul and his non-apocalyptic afterlifes

Posted on March 19, 2019 by

According to Paula Fredriksen, the Apostle Paul had taught that the current age was about to end and the God of Israel was about to inaugurate a new age with the risen Jesus as the royal messiah. His coming from … Continue reading →

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Soulen–Barth, Rahner and missed possibilities

Posted on October 22, 2018 by

R. Kendall Soulen, in The God of Israel and Christian Theology talks about how in the mid to late 20th century the two Karls, Barth and Rahner, attempted to modify the standard Christian model. Both of them were responding to the … Continue reading →

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Terrien-the suppression of Prisca

Posted on March 12, 2018 by

During this new phase of the history of the church (A.D. 65-96), the position of womanhood was theologically and ethically altered.  The ambiguities entertained be the second generation of Christian leaders hardened into a male one-sidedness, which excluded women from … Continue reading →

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Carr-final observations

Posted on November 27, 2017 by

I am finishing up David M. Carr’s Holy Resilience today. My first observation is that there are reasons to think his understanding of trauma in early Christian experience is too one-dimensional.  He emphasizes what he sees as the trauma of … Continue reading →

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Carr-survival after the Jewish War

Posted on November 22, 2017 by

We have been reading through David M. Carr’s Holy Resilience, where he highlights the role trauma has played in Jewish and Christian history. Two more traumas mark the start of a new era for Judaism and Christianity.  The main one … Continue reading →

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Carr-Paul, trauma, and zeal

Posted on November 20, 2017 by

David M. Carr in Holy Resilience treats Paul as the traumatized apostle. Some of his points do not convince me. He tries to suggest that Paul’s christiopanies (appearances of Christ and visions)were trauma-related. He points especially to the vision recounted … Continue reading →

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Carr-trauma, atonement, and the Jesus Jews

Posted on November 17, 2017 by

David M. Carr, who wrote Holy Resilience, is a Christian.  More specifically he is a Quaker.  You might like to know that as we turn to the part of his book that looks at how early Christianity dealt with trauma. … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Church, historical Jesus | 3 Comments