What do we do with the Secret Gospel of Mark? Some scholars accept it as an early Gospel, earlier even than our Synoptic Gospels. Others see it as twentieth century hoax. In this episode, we look at the Secret Gospel of Mark, how it was discovered and some of the conflicting views concerning it. The ... Read More "Episode 39 – What is the Secret Gospel of Mark?" »

In this episode, we finish up the collection of writings known as the Apostolic Fathers. While not as well known as some of the other Fathers, these two writings (or fragments) are important witnesses to the early Christian faith Recommended Audiobook A History of Christian Apologetics: Defending the Gospel Through the Centuries by John Warwick ... Read More "Episode 38 – Quadratus and the Epistle to Diognetus" »

The Gospel of Thomas is probably the extra-canonical gospel that most people have heard of but do not know anything about. In this episode, we take a look at the Gospel of Thomas. In this episode, I refer to a Stanford article about Elaine Pagels. You can find it here. You can find the online ... Read More "Episode 37 – The Gospel of Thomas" »

I had the opportunity to write a chapter for A Noble Company: The Canadians. I wrote about a Baptist who came from Scotland to Canada named Alexander Stewart. I was given two copies of this beautifully bound edition but I only need one. Comment on this post by Easter 2020 and I will randomly pick ... Read More "Episode 36 – A Noble Company: The Canadians" »

We continue to look at documents of the early church with a look at the Shepherd of Hermas and the Epistle of Barnabas. These documents were so important that both were included in the Codex Sinaiticus manuscript. While neither text made it into the canon, they were valued and were read by early Christians. You can ... Read More "Episode 35 – The Shepherd of Hermas and the Epistle of Barnabas" »

There are two ancient Christian writings that are attributed to the Twelve Apostles, even though they unlikely wrote them. One, the Apostle’s Creed is well known, the other, the Didache, less so. And yet both of these writings give us a helpful glimpse into the life and beliefs of the early church. My Recommend Audiobook ... Read More "Episode 34 – The Apostle’s Creed and the Didache" »

Papias is the most important church father that you have never heard of. Even though none of his writings survive in anything beyond fragments in other writings, he is still influential and is often consulted by New Testament scholars for his traditions about the origins of the Gospels. Recommend Audio Book: The Church History by ... Read More "Episode 33 – Papias of Hierapolis" »

One of the most inspiring of the Apostolic Fathers is Polycarp. At the age of 86, he became a martyr, even though he had the opportunity to escape. As a disciple of John and one who had an impact on Irenaeus, Polycarp plays an important role. Here are some important sources: The Epistle of Polycarp ... Read More "Episode 32 – Polycarp of Smyrna" »

It has been a while since the last episode but I have not given up on the podcast. I am busy with a couple of projects but am also working on an episode on Polycarp. I will try and get that out as soon as possible. In the mean while, check out these other podcasts ... Read More "Update on the Podcast" »

We continue our look at the Apostolic Fathers with a brief look at Ignatius of Antioch. Although we don’t have much information about the early life of Ignatius, what we do have is inspiring. The reading from the Letter to Polycarp in this episode comes from The Apostolic Fathers, edited and translated by Michael Holmes. ... Read More "Episode 31 – Ignatius of Antioch" »