Sermon - Heretics

See how church history affects us today

http://sermon.net/chandlerbible/sermonid/119796337

Here's a handout on the Councils of Ephesus, Robbers', and Chalcedon that the youth group went through recently. Credit and thanks go to Dr. Steven Hallam for his class slides on the topic.

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The Councils of Ephesus (431), Robbers’ (449); and Chalcedon (451 A.D.)

The Issue

·         Was Mary the Θεοτόκος? (theotokos) - i.e. the mother of God?

o   Was Christ always divine, or was He human and became divine?

·         The combatants:

o   Cyril of Alexandria

o   Bishop Nestorius of Constantinople

The Council of Nicea - Handout

Here's a handout on the Council of Nicea that the youth group went through recently. Credit and thanks go to Dr. Steven Hallam for his class slides on the topic.

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The Council of Nicea

The First Ecumenical Council at Nicea (325 A.D.)

·         Called by Emperor Constantine

                                                              i.      Question: Is Christ equal with God?

·         The issue began between Alexander and Arius both of Alexandria

                                                              i.      Alexander was a bishop

                                                            ii.      Arius was a presbyter, elder

New Semester

So obviously being between semesters, there haven't been too many assignments to post. That will be changing very soon! This year my posts will be revolving around relationships and modern ethical dilemmas. Time permitting I'll also being doing book reviews for things I've read outside of class this year. Let me know which one you want first.

                        

Jonah’s Tale of a Whale

It's a fishy week here at the Desert Seminary. I'll be posting my sermon on Jonah once it's available. For now, here is a paper on the historicity and importance of Jonah.

Jonah’s Tale of a Whale

Fishing tales are always viewed as suspect. Every time the story is retold, the details seem to be more and more exaggerated. Within the Old Testament, Jonah is sometimes viewed as such a ‘whale of a tale’.[1] Despite these claims, Jonah can and does stand the test of historicity. While one must accept supernatural miracles, as in the fish or whale, the surrounding facts are not only substantiated as true, but also give greater insight into the book. Reading Jonah as a parable not only ignores facts, but also lessens the appreciation for the message of the book. This paper will show that Jonah contains the most impactful message when understood in a literal and historical context.

Reference- Early Church Figures

Here's a reference sheet I've been working on for important people throughout early church history. Most of my information I've gotten from Justo Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity. Its long but hopefully helpful.

Where does Mark end?

THE ENDING OF MARK

The end of Mark presents an interesting dilemma for the biblical textual critic. Looking at chapter 16, most modern bibles have footnotes, brackets, and markings trying to help the reader understand that the ending of the book is in question. Mark 16:9-20 forms the verses in question. The shorter ending at verse eight, supported by a respected few manuscripts, is thrust into contention with later more numerous manuscripts[1] with a longer ending. While there are many divergent views, the facts lead to only one conclusion. Mark canonically ends in verse eight and all following verses are non-canonical additions.

Book Review - The Lost History of Christianity

The Lost History of Christianity

Book Review - Constantine's Bible

Another project I'm working on is putting up book reviews. These are works that I've read for fun or for a class and that I think may be of worth talking about.

Constantine's Bible