• Browsing: »
  • Home
  • »Early Christian History

Early Christian History

Interesting Presentations at Weber State

By Mormon Heretic August 7, 2011 18 Comments

Due to a scheduling conflict, Sunstone was forced to find a new venue for this year’s conference. Rather than stay at the Sheraton in Salt Lake City as they have for the past few years, the conference moved to Weber State University in Ogden. I was only able to attend the Saturday conference, but wanted […]

The Apocryphal book of Judith

By Mormon Heretic July 31, 2011 3 Comments

Many people refer to “the Apocrypha” as if it is a clearly defined set of books.  The work “apocrypha” means literally “things hidden away.”  In modern usage, an apocryphal book is any book not part of the Bible.  In that sense, the Book of Mormon could be called an apocryphal book; there is a new […]

Should We Credit Luther for the Apocrypha?

By Mormon Heretic March 26, 2011 14 Comments

There are many Christian stories not contained in the Bible.  For example, I have reviewed the First Infancy Gospel of Jesus, the Gospel of the Birth of Mary, and the Gospel of Judas (to name a few).  These writings are referred to as apocryphal writings.  Some Christians have referred to the Book of Mormon as […]

Who was St. Valentine?

By Mormon Heretic February 14, 2011 Leave a comment

That’s a really good question, because very little is known about him.  He seems to be a real person, because archaeologists have discovered an ancient catacomb in Rome and church dedicated to him.  In 496 Pope Gelasius set up his feast day as February 14 (along with other martyrs) “… whose names are justly reverenced among […]

A Letter Written by Jesus

By Mormon Heretic December 19, 2010 8 Comments

No writings have ever been attributed to Jesus in the Bible.  However, there is an ancient manuscript that claims to be letters written between Abgarus, King of Edessa, and Jesus.  It’s a very short “book”, so I will quote it entirely.  But first, here’s a bit of background.  The official name of the document is […]

Stories about Jesus’ Childhood

By Mormon Heretic December 12, 2010 7 Comments

Ever wondered what kind of a child Jesus was?  Well, The First Gospel of the Infancy of Jesus Christ tells us that Jesus was part healer, part genius, part brat.  It starts out with some interesting stories about happened to the holy family in Egypt (following Herod’s edict to kill all boys age 2 and under), […]

The Untold Story of Joseph and Mary

By Mormon Heretic December 5, 2010 16 Comments

The biblical account of the interactions between Joseph and Mary is very small.  To me, it almost makes Joseph and Mary appear 2-dimensional, and I never feel like I know them very well.  When Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant before their wedding, we know that he considered cancelling the betrothal.  An angel intervened, and […]

Gospel of the Birth of Mary

By Mormon Heretic November 27, 2010 19 Comments

A few months ago, I picked up a book called Lost Books of the Bible by William Hone on the clearance rack at Barnes and Noble.  It is one of the coolest books I have ever picked up.  There are 26 ancient books included in the compilation, dating to the earliest centuries after Christ.  These […]

Women with the Priesthood in Ancient Christianity

By Mormon Heretic October 19, 2010 18 Comments

I attended Sunstone back in August.  Bridget Jack Jeffries (who runs a blog called Clobberblog), gave a fascinating presentation on female priesthood holders in the ancient Christian church.  Bridget is a “never Mormon” that attended BYU, graduating in 2005.  She “seduced” (her words, not mine) and married a BYU priesthood holder while there, and she is […]

Did Peter Get Demoted? Was James the Real Leader of Early Christianity?

By Mormon Heretic August 22, 2010 32 Comments

I just finished the book Saint Peter: A Biography by Michael Grant.  I think it is misnamed.  I don’t feel like I know Peter any better, but it is a good book for learning about early Christianity.  The author describes how tough it is to really understand Peter both at the beginning, as well as […]