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The Coming Kingdom of The Son of Man

The importance of context of what's being said, and to whom, in Scripture. I came across this image The oTher day (in The header above; see larger here) that links togeTher three parts of MatThew’s Gospel to highlight The connection which many often miss, or read as separate events. I like The image because it shows that when Jesus spoke These things, he would have been saying Them directly to The disciples and oThers who were listening to his teaching, and not in some cryptic, ambiguous dictation to a prophetic scribe, devoid of all context and meaning to those around him at The time. Update Feb 2017: I am adding some additional information to this to dis...

Palm Sunday and The End Times

It’s not often we read The text of The triumphant entry into Jerusalem as an eschatological text thinking about The return of Christ. Especially as at this point The in The Gospel narratives, Jesus is on earth in his first coming, and still a week away from his crucifixion! While The texts usually read across The world on Palm Sunday may be familiar to us (Luke 19:28–40), we might miss The connection with The preceding parables if we don’t read The whole of Luke 19 togeTher. I won’t quote everything here, as you can read The whole text for yourself, but The pertinent verses come from The Parable of The Ten Minas in verses 11–27: Luke 19:11, 27As The...

Debunking The Myth: The Council of Nicaea and The Formation of The Biblical Canon

A myth that never seems to fade away: The idea that The Council of Nicaea, convened in 325 AD under The authority of Roman Emperor Constantine, played a pivotal role in establishing The Biblical canon. This notion suggests a conspiracy and power play orchestrated by a select group of elite bishops; a narrative popularised by works like Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code. However, a closer examination reveals a lack of historical basis for this claim. The Council of Nicaea and The Canon Contrary to popular belief, There is no evidence that The Council of Nicaea discussed or established The Canon of Scripture, leading to The creation of The Bible. Early Christian cano...

The Real St. Nicholas: A Man of Virtue, Not Violence

When we think of St. Nicholas, two contrasting images often emerge: The cheerful, gift-giving Santa Claus and The fiery bishop who supposedly punched Arius at The Council of Nicaea. The latter story, popularised through memes and tales of “righteous anger,” portrays Nicholas as a defender of truth through violence. But how much of this tale is rooted in fact? St Nicholas of Myra slapping Arius at The Council of Nicaea.Fresco from The Soumela Monastery (Turkey) The truth is both simpler and more profound: St. Nicholas embodied The teachings of Christ, not through impulsive acts of aggression, but through a life of love, generosity, and devotion. Sepa...

Lent: Day 9 - Ignatius to The Philadelphians

Day Nine: St. Ignatius of Antioch: Letter to The Philadelphians (full text) Who: Ignatius converted at a young age and later became Bishop of Antioch. A friend of Polycarp and fellow disciple of John, There is a long standing tradition that Ignatius was The child that Jesus held in his arms and blessed in Mark 10:13-16 What: As usual, a general call to remain in unity and heed Their bishop. Also to avoid listening to Judaizers who would have Them follow The Law. Why: Ignatius wrote a series of letters to The Churches in Asia Minor whilst en route to Rome to face martyrdom by wild beasts in The Colosseum around 108 AD. When: Around 107-108 AD As with The re...

I am one with The Force; The Force is with me – A Star Wars Theology

Warning: Minor spoilers ahead!I say “minor” because There’s no plot points given away here, I’m just discussing an aspect of a character in The film, but I know some people (like me) don’t like to hear too much of anything before They see a film! If you have seen The new Rogue One film though, you will be familiar with a guy called Chirrut Imwe. Whenever he is seen on screen, you will find him repeating a short mantra: “I am one with The Force; The Force is with me” whenever he feels threatened or in times of peril and wants protection. Now, Chirrut is not a Jedi (apparently [actual spoilers in this link]), but is a Force-sensitive “warrior monk...