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How Old Was Jesus When He Died? A Fresh Look At the Historical Clues

We often hear that Jesus was “about 33 years old” when he was crucified and only had a three-year ministry. But have you ever wondered how precise that number is, or why we assume that was his age, especially when Scripture doesn’t specify? Table of Contents the Gospel of Luke: “About Thirty” Early church Testimony: Irenaeus and the Longer Ministry Historical Anchors: Birth, Pilate, and the Crucifixion Window the Death of Herod Cross-referencing with Pilate, Caiaphas, and Jesus When Did Tiberius Begin to Reign? 1. From his co-regency with Augustus (AD 11–12) 2. From the death of Augustus (AD 14) How Does This Affect Jesus’ Ag...

Before the Pumpkins: the Barbecued Deacon

In our last post, we walked with Perpetua and Felicity through the sands of the amphitheatre, their faith outshining Rome’s cruelty. Now for the final part in this series, we turn to another of the church’s earliest heroes — one whose courage was matched by an unexpected wit. His name was Lawrence, a deacon of Rome, remembered across centuries as the man who kept his humour even while lying on the griddle. the Setting: Rome, AD 258 Under Emperor Valerian, a fresh persecution of Christians swept through the Empire. Bishops, priests, and deacons were hunted down, their property seized, and their churches closed. the bishop of Rome at that time was Six...

Kirk Cameron And the Biblical Case For Annihilationism

...not mean the church has “always been wrong”, but it does mean the church must always remain “reformable” under the Word of God, and also open to those secondary doctrines which aren’t salvation or Gospel issues, which can still be grounded in Scripture — even if you disagree with the conclusion! Why the Reaction to Kirk Cameron Reveals a Deeper Anxiety Much of the outrage surrounding Cameron’s comments betrays a deeper fear: that removing eternal conscious torment somehow weakens evangelism. But this assumes that fear is the main thrust of the Gospel. the New Testament presents eternal life — not eternal torment —...

Women should be silent?

...rry - and the church is fighting its hardest to make that apply to all people, secular or otherwise - despite Paul saying judging those outside the church is not our business (1 Cor 5:12). So why in the instance of women being silent, should this same creation-order command from Paul be only situational and the other not? Leaving aside the silence issue for a moment, those women out there who do keep to this non-authority, staying quiet thing - do you follow the preceding verse as strictly?  ...also that the women should dress themselves modestly and decently in suitable clothing, not with their hair braided, or with gold, pearls, or expensive clothes... (v...

Lent Day 21: Athanasius: Life of Anthony: Chaps. 1-10

...tely from the church, and gave the possessions of his forefathers to the villagers”, and sold everything else he had and gave the money to the poor, keeping only a little back for his sister. Early ascetic life But then later, at another time while he was at church, he heard a reading from Matt 6:34 where Jesus teaches us but to worry about the next day because God is in control of our needs. So, like before, he ran out of the church and gave away the last little bit he'd kept aside for himself and his sister. After doing this, he committed his sister to a well respected convent to be brought up, and then went away outside of his house to dedicate himself t...

New Covenant Israel is no longer physical (nor literal)!

...e this to the church in Rome: Romans 9:6-8 It is not as though the word of God had failed. For not all Israelites truly belong to Israel, and not all of Abraham’s children are his true descendants; but “It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named for you.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as descendants. Paul is building his case that it is not simply a matter of being born a Jew any longer. God's plan all along was to include Gentiles (ie. non-Jews), but that was only going to happen after his Messiah had come. God's p...