In this illustrated reading of the Preface to my book Paul and Jesus: How the Apostle Transformed Christianity (Simon & Schuster 2012) I present a very personal overview of how I view and understand “The Thirteenth Apostle” since I first encountered him at age 17 in my Testament Greek course with the late Professor Abraham [...]
In this video I invite you to join me in an interactive test of when and how AI can go wrong dealing with Historical Research. To allow for comparisons please paste this query right into your chosen AI model/s: “Did Origen ever mention the idea that in the name Yesua ben Pantera, often found in [...]
Biblical StudiesChristian OriginsGospel ResearchHistorical Jesus
Whether you have watched this one before or not, I think you will find it fairly unique and of value. I did! I just rewatched it in choosing what to post as Easter Sunday fades into our past this evening. I had forgotten just how thorough it was. The description contains links to the study [...]
ArchaeologyBiblical ExpositionsBiblical StudiesChristian OriginsDeath and ResurrectionFamily of JesusJames Brother of JesusJesus DiscoveryNew Tabor ResearchResurrection of Jesus
As we move from Thursday through Sunday morning, observed as Easter tomorrow, this 30 minute overview of the events surrounding Jesus’s crucifixion and burial takes you on the ground with plenty of archaeological evidence. I wanted to share it with you all this Saturday night–when I think Jesus’ corpse was most likely moved from the [...]
2nd Temple JudaismAcademic Study of ReligionsChristian OriginsChristologyCoursesDead Sea ScrollsEssenesJames Brother of JesusJesus FamilyJewish Christianity
In this long form interview with notes and maps I discuss who were the Ebionites? Were John the Baptist, Jesus, and James part of a “stream” of faith and piety that traced back to the Dead Sea Scroll group, and down through a so-called “Christianity,” before, during, in contrast to the message of the apostle [...]
2nd Temple JudaismChristian OriginsGospel ResearchHistorical Jesus
As we move along into what Christians traditionally call “Holy Week”–with both Passover and Easter ahead, I wanted to share a blog post I did back in 2022– with links to just about every aspect of the main events from Palm Sunday through Easter–and thereafter. Here is the main link to that main post, with [...]
Today is Nisan the first on the Hebrew Calendar–the biblical New Year in the Spring based on Exodus 12:1. Nice time–in the Northern Hemisphere at least, for resolutions and New Beginnings as Spring begins. I recorded this video in late March 2025 when I was in Jerusalem on Nisan 1st–the first lunar months of the [...]
2nd Temple JudaismChristian OriginsCoursesFamily of JesusGospel ResearchJames Brother of JesusMary MagdaleneMary Mother of JesusTabor Books
This is a more public version of a lecture I presented last month to those in my on-line course, “Christianity Before Paul.” The Ten recorded topics/lectures in the course are supplemented by monthly Zoom meetings in which we explore aspects of the Mary-John-Jesus-Mary Magdalene-James movement more in depth. In this slide-illustrated lecture I present a [...]
Christian OriginsHistorical JesusJames Brother of JesusJesus FamilyMary Mother of Jesus
In this extended interview with Johnny Ova, Pastor of the “Sound of Heaven” Church and host of the “Dig In” Podcast @thejohnnyova, we explore some of the key issues in any quest for the Historical Mary.
2nd Temple JudaismArchaeologyChristian OriginsJames Brother of JesusJames OssuaryJesus Discovery
I recorded this video four years ago. I wanted to put it up and ask you to think about what we have learned, forgotten, or need to remember or reconsider since this was presented. Enjoy!