Category: Early Christianity
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The Targets of the Fourth Gospel (H&J Part 04)
If the Gospel of John really is, in part, a polemic, then just who was the gospel written against? In this entry, I propose that the Fourth Gospel contains a multi-front polemic directed towards several groups which can still, at least in a general way, be identified: Jews who rejected Jesus and his followers the…
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John’s Mission and Method (H&J Part 03)
What was the purpose of John’s gospel? What sort of changes did John hope to affect in and around his community? Just who made up his community? And by what means did he work to bring about these changes through his account of the ministry of Jesus? In this entry I will begin arguing that…
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GJohn as Polemic: A brief history of John studies (H&J Part 02)
Many have believed the Gospel of John stands against a backdrop of intra-Jewish community conflict. But could the Fourth Gospel also have a relationship with early Gnosticism? Could the gospel actually contain a carefully structured argument against Gnostic opponents or ideas current in John’s first-century environment? Many scholars, both ancient and modern, have thought so. In…
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Audio Interview: A Discussion on My Book, and on Pagan and Gnostic Influences on Orthodox Theology
This week I joined Sean Finnegan again for another interview on the excellent Restitutio podcast. In this interview, Finnegan and I discuss my new book, The God of Jesus in Light of Christian Dogma. You’ll hear about the books’ content and fundamental arguments, and a conversation on how historical pagan and Gnostic thinking influenced the development of orthodox…
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The Secret of Nag Hammadi: An Introduction
Mohammed Ali al-Samman and his brothers had approached the man while he slept. Their mother had told them to make sure their mattocks were sharp: their target was the son of a local sheriff, and they needed to work quickly. Without a sound, they tore Ahmad Hawara limb from limb. They ripped out his heart,…
Kegan Chandler, PhD 