Blog Search Results

Implications Of The Frankfurt Silver Amulet: Insights Into Early Christian Practice And Belief

...existing traditions. 1. Invoking St. Titus: A Connection to Apostolic Roots One of the most remarkable features of the inscription is its invocation of St. Titus, a disciple and confidant of the Apostle Paul. This early reference highlights the theological importance of Apostolic authority and continuity. Titus, known for his leadership within the early church, symbolises the rootedness of Christian faith in the teachings and mission of the Apostles. In this context, the invocation of a saint also invites a deeper exploration of the “cult of saints,” a term scholars use to describe the veneration of saints within Christian tradition. The cult of saints b...

Spiritual Disciplines of the Early Church: Ancient Practices for the 21st Century

...in later tradition. “But let not your fasts be with the hypocrites; … but fast on the fourth day (Wednesday) and the Preparation (Friday). … [But pray] as the Lord commanded in His Gospel (the Lord’s Prayer) … Thrice in the day thus pray.” Didache (c. 50 – 70) Alongside fasting, praying the Lord’s Prayer three times a day (morning, noon, evening) was a common discipline. From around the third century, liturgy and prayers in a church service would start to face East as that was seen where God’s glory arose, and in baptism ritual turning East was a sign of turning away from the devil towards Christ (Jews similarly prayed facing Jerusalem)...

BOOK REVIEW: Four Views on Hell 2nd edition

...pport the traditional view.”23 The ‘blackest darkness’ (which Burk links back to Jesus’ parables in Mt 8, 22 & 25 that indicate, not ECT, but being ousted into the dark Judean night-time away from the protective illumination of the torch-lit wedding feast) again perfectly fits lifeless obliteration, not least because no endless ‘hellish’ suffering is even hinted at by Jude. Ending on Rev 14 & Rev 20, Burk picks up on the terms ‘tormented’ (basanizo) in 14:10 plus the noun ‘torment’ (basanismos) in 14:11 to insist that “John says that the pain and distress do not end but go on everlastingly” (40). Equally, from Rev 20, he arg...

Is fasting an expectation for Christians?

...The season of Lent is here once again which of course brings up the topic of fasting, since the tradition of Lent comes from following Jesus’ example of his time in the wilderness (Luke 4:1–2). I wasn’t planning on writing anything specific this year like I have previous in previous years, but I felt inspired today at church from one of Gospel readings: Matthew 9:14–15 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is t...

Who was the real Santa Claus?

...where the tradition then came to England and merged with other ancient traditions of “Father Christmas”, a 15-17th century personification of Christmas in Britain. Did Coca-Cola invent the red-suited Santa? Although this is a popular urban legend about the colour of Santa’s suit being changed to match Coca-Cola’s famous red branding, it is just a persistent myth (I’ve heard it repeated since I was a child!). In 2008, Phil Mooney, the then director of Coca-Cola Company’s Archives Department, clarified in an interview by saying, “Actually, we do not claim the color of Santa’s coat, though it has worked out well for us since red is so closely rel...

Does Christmas have pagan origins?

...the pagan traditions dedicated to idols? We may not join in their feasts, which are celebrated in honour of demons. — Apostolic Constitutions, ~390 AD The Christian Calendar So what was this calendar which Tertullian mentioned? Well, it was something fairly well-established before this point in time, as Christians had been celebrating Easter (or Pascha) and Pentecost pretty much since the birth of the Church. If the apostle has erased all devotion absolutely of “seasons, days, months and years”, why do we celebrate Easter by an annual rotation in the first month? Why in the fifty ensuing days do we spend our time in all exultation? Why do we …...