Category: Miscellaneous biblical articles

The Three Persons of the Trinity copyright 2019 by Joan Berry

The doctrine of the Trinity that is central to the Christian faith was not articulated in Scripture, but rather by the church in the first centuries following the writing of the New Testament and before the Council of Chalcedon (circa 100-451), (Grenz, 2000, p. 76; Grenz & Franke, 2001, p.172). The scope of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is beyond human intellect to accurately explain. However, scholars have attempted to express the Trinity as being economic, essential, and social and this essay will follow that train of thought in examining this view (GCU, 2011, para. 14).

In common knowledge, the trinity is often thought as the Father being the creator and provider, the Son as mediator of salvation, and the Holy Spirit as the activator of salvation. Other Thoughts regarding the trinity are Immanent or essential trinity is that in which ‘God exists internally, separated from history, time and space; and Essential trinity said to be focused on the relationship of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Among the trinity members, their relationship is known as social trinity.

Dawson McAllister, in his 1997 article, “I Don’t Understand the Trinity,” for Campus Life, explains the concept in answer to a student who asked him the following questions: What exactly is the Trinity? How can God be three people at once? Which one should I pray to? And what does each of the three do?  McAllister answers the student’s first and second questions with scripture by quoting Matt. 28: 18-20 NIV: ^18 “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  McAllister again quotes Matthew to answer the question about prayer: ^6” But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you,” (V.6 NIV). In answer to the question about what role each of the Trinity plays, McAllister gives a fuller answer: From God, the Father, things originate and are generated. He is equal to the Son and the Holy Spirit and he is responsible for sending the Son (John 3:16-17 NIV) and the Holy Spirit (John 14:26 NIV) into the world. God, the Son, was sacrificed to cover our sins and open the door to salvation. He also is our advocate before the Father (I Tim. 2:5; I John 2:1). God, the Holy Spirit, has many responsibilities because he helps us pray, comforts us, opens our minds to God’s Word, lifts up Jesus, convicts us of our sins and guides us toward righteousness (Rom. 8:26-27; John 3: 3-6, 14:26, 15:26, 16:7-11, Rom. 15:16 NIV). In addition, the Holy Spirit dwells within us, helps us witness to others, and is faithful to give us joy, love, kindness, peace, and self-control (Rom. 8:11; Acts 1:8; Gal. 5:22-23 NIV).  McAllister admits that we cannot precisely define the Trinity or God and leaves the student with this truth: “Who among us can know the mind of the Lord?” (Rom. 11:34), (p.80).

Steve Berg, in 2001, also writing for Campus Life, told why he believed in the Trinity even after being told that if something could not be explained, one should not believe it. He posits that just because the Trinity cannot be fully explained, it was not impossible for it to exist (p.42).  Berg asserted that if the Trinity was biblical, then it is true. He pointed out Old and New Testament scripture to back up his claim – Deut. 4:35; John 17:3; and I Cor. 8:6 NIV) – God, the Father. Other scripture that Berg pointed to were Paul’s writings for God, the Son, in Col. 2:9, Titus 2:13, John 1 NIV.  For reference to the Holy Spirit, Berg used the examples of Act 5, and I Cor. 3:16 where it said “Christians are God’s temples – the place where God’s Spirit lives.” He also used the examples of the Nicene and Apostles creeds and the names under which we were baptized as proof they were based on the Word of God (p.42).

Cappadocian author, Gregory of Nazianzus, wrote in circa 380 that the nature of the Godhead evolved in the three stages and he also revealed why he believed the doctrine of the Trinity was not clearly stated in the Scriptures (McGrath, 2011, p.163). According to Gregory, the Old Testament spoke of the Father openly, but the Son vaguely. The New Testament revealed the Son openly and gradually revealed the divinity of the Holy Spirit (p.163). Gregory posits that since the Spirit indwelled the believers, they could see this more clearly. Gregory believed that it was proper for God, the Father, be recognized first, God, the Son revealed, once the Father was clearly revealed, and then the Holy Spirit acknowledged (p. 163). He argued that it was a gradual progression in order to clarify the understanding of the Trinity through God’s divine self-revelation (p. 163).

Conclusion

            Although it is impossible for us to accurately and fully describe the Holy Trinity, we can have a certain amount of understanding about the Godhead. We can understand from the Scriptures that all things are generated by the Father, the Son is our mediator or salvation, and the Holy Spirit is the activator of our salvation and comforter. God has revealed the Trinity in an orderly manner throughout the Scriptures to help bring understanding to us about the Trinity as he uses self-revelation in nature and the Bible.

References

Grenz, S. (2000). Theology for the community of God. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company

Grenz, S. J. & Franke J. (2001). Beyond foundationalism: Shaping theology in a postmodern context. Louisville, KY: Westminister John Knox

Life Application Study Bible –New International Version (NIV). (2005). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers

McGrath, A. (2011). Christian Theology: An introduction. (5^th ed.). West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

McGrath, A. (Ed.) (2011). The Christian theology reader. (4^th ed.). West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

Electronic sources:

Berg, S. (2001). Why believe in the trinity? Campus Life, 60(1), 42. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/eds/detail?sid= . . .

Allister, D. (1997). I don’t understand the trinity. Campus Life, 56(4), 80. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebsohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/eds/detail?vid=30&sid=ee871674-a82a-4a0c-. . . ty(c,b,g

Gentile Conversions

Copyright 2018 by Joan Berry

The stoning of Stephen in Jerusalem was the event that triggered the spread of the gospel to the Gentiles. Many of the believers fled for their lives to Antioch in Syria where a large population of Jews was already established. Once there, the refugees established the mother church for the believers (Carson & Moo, 2005, p.238).  Antioch is where the first Gentile church was established because the gospel message of Jesus was so well received (Alexander & Alexander, 2009, p. 643). After a controversy over restrictions Jews wanted to place on Gentile converts, Paul removed the two main obstacles that Gentiles faced in converting to Christianity; the circumcising of men and dietary laws. [In Galatians 2, Paul removed these restrictions from non-Jewish converts.  He wanted no obstacles in the way of their conversion]. From the Antioch church, Paul’s missionary journeys were commissioned to the world as presented in the Book of Acts which covers 30 years beginning with the birth of the new church at Pentecost until Paul’s imprisonment in Rome (Alexander & Alexander, 2009, p. 643).

Paul’s Missionary Journeys

Paul’s missionary home base was in Antioch, Syria about 300 miles north of Jerusalem. Looking on a map (see insert) one can see the advantage of that location as access to other regions. Antioch was a Christian stronghold and remained so until the Muslim invasion in the seventh century (Niswonger, 1992, p. 206). The founding of the church at Antioch is believed to have taken place circa 32-44 A.D. by church members fearing for their lives following the stoning of Stephen (Niswonger, 1992, p. 208).  Believers in Antioch were the first to become known as Christians, given that name by people outside the fellowship of the church (Niswonger, 1992, p. 207). At the time of Paul’s missionary journeys, the Jewish population in the city was about a half million and under Roman rule. Antioch was a commercial center and due to the wealth of the Christians there, they were able to send Paul and Barnabus with supplies to the Jerusalem poor during the famine (Acts 11:29-30), (Niswonger, 1992, p. 206).  It was during the trip to Jerusalem that they added John Mark, cousin of Barnabus, to their company. The first missionary journey most likely began around 47-48 A.D. and was commissioned by the Antioch church.

         Map of Paul’s missionary journeys courtesy of Ken Anderson.

Paul’s Missionary Journeys Timeline.

Circa 47-48 C. E.,.  Paul’s first missionary journey was to Galatia (Acts: 13-14 NIV).  The places Paul and Barnabus traveled to were: Selucia, Cyprus (native land of Barnabus), Salamis, Paphos, Attalia, Perga, Antioch of Pisidian, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, and then returned to Antioch of Syria. At Paphos, Paul struck Elymas, a sorcerer, blind because he had interfered with the faith of a new convert, Proconsul Sergius Paulus (Niswonger, 1992, p. 212). John Mark, for reasons not explained, left the journey shortly after the group landed at Perga in Pamphylia which created a rift between the apostles (Niswonger, 1992, p. 210). Paul and Barnabus preached first to the Jews in the synagogues and when the message was rejected, they preached to the Gentiles (Carson & Moo, 2005, p.288). At Lystra, they encountered a problem with the pagans proclaiming they were gods after they healed a lame man and Paul preached to them that they needed to worship the true God.  The Jews stirred up a crowd which stoned Paul and left him for dead outside the city (Niswonger, 1992, p. 213). 

Paul’s Second Missionary Journey: Greece.

            A.D. 50-52.The second missionary journey (Acts 15:36-18:22 NIV) began in Antioch of Syria and from there they traveled through Cyria and Cilicia to Lystra, Phrygia, Galatia, Traos, Philippi in Macedonia, Thessalonica (largest city in Macedonia, Berea, Athens, Corinth (where they stayed for nearly two years, Ephesus, Caesarea, and then returned to Antioch of Syria. Due to the rift over John Mark, the apostles separated for this trip with Paul recruiting Timothy and teaming with Silas to return to Asia Minor; Barnabus took Mark with him to continue ministering in Cyprus (Niswonger, 1992, p. 222). Paul and Silas run into trouble in Philippi when Paul performed an exorcism and landed in jail. Paul fell back on his Roman citizenship and secured his release. They likewise had to flee Thessalonica and Berea and ended in up in Athens for safety (Carson & Moo, 2005, p.288-289). They preached for a time in Athens but not with much success and they moved on to Corinth where they remained for about a year and a half and where he had to defend himself before Gallio, a Roman official.  Also at this juncture, they recruited Priscilla and Aquila to help spread the gospel and they in turn enlisted the help of Apollos (Carson & Moo, 2005, p.289). Paul, Silas, and Timothy left for Ephesus where they remained for two and one-half years. Forced to leave by an uprising, Paul left there and made his way to the coast, sailed to Caesarea and then further traveled to the mother church at Antioch, Syria (Acts 18:20-22 NIV).

Paul’s Third Missionary Journey: Return to Asia and Greece.

            A.D. 53-58. The third missionary journey (Acts 18:23:21-21:15 NIV)  of Paul began in Antioch, Syria through regions of Galatia and Phrygia, Ephesus where he remained for about two years, Macedonia in Greece, Traos where he raised Eutyches from the dead, Assos, Mitylene, Chios, Samos, Miletus, Tyre, Ptolema, Caesarea, and Jerusalem. On his return to Ephesus, Paul learned that the disciples there only knew of John the Baptist’s baptism and he laid hands on them so they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  His book of I Corinthians was written in Ephesus and later wrote 2 Corinthians somewhere else in Macedonia (Niswonger, 1992, p. 233; Acts 19:4-7 NIV).  His plans to sail to Syria were changed when he learned of an assassination plot to kill him on board the ship. Instead, he went to Miletus where he met the elders for what they thought would be their last meeting. From there he traveled to Palestine where he received the prophetic message that he if he went to Jerusalem he would be arrested (Niswonger, 1992, p. 238). He was determined to deliver an offering for the church there and was arrested as prophesized, his missionary journey at an end (Acts 21:27 NIV). 

Epilogue:

            A.D. 60. Paul was arrested in Jerusalem and imprisoned in Caesarea and Rome. However, on the way to Rome, his ship was caught in a storm and drifted to Malta from where Paul eventually made his way to Rome and placed under house arrest (A.D. 60-62). Due to that limitation, he wrote letters to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon (NIV note on p. 1876). Tradition says that Paul was released and he again traveled about the region spreading the gospel until arrested again during the reign of Nero and beheaded in A.D. 64 (NIV note on p. 1876).

Conclusion:

            God, as usual, used a tragic event to bring greater glory to the cause of salvation. Stephen is stoned to death in Jerusalem causing believers to scatter in fear, but taking the gospel with them to share with others; in this case, it was a large Gentile audience who gladly received it.  The church born at Pentecost was established in Antioch which then sent apostles on missionary journeys to the world. The missionaries endured hardships and some were martyred but the gospel message was delivered, received and spread throughout the known world.

References

Alexander, P., & Alexander, D. (2009). Zondervan handbook to the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI:   Zondervan

Carson, D.A. & Moo, D.J. (2005). An introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan

Life Application Study Bible –New International Version (NIV). (2005). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers

Niswonger, R.L. (1992). New Testament History. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan

Illustrations: Anderson, K. (n.d.). Apostle Paul’s missionary journeys. Retrieved from http://kenanderson.net/bible/html/apostle_paul.html

Gnosticism, Essenes, and Christianity

Copyright 2019 by Joan Berry

         “Know what is in front of your face and what is hidden from you will be disclosed to you. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed,” (From the Book of Thomas).

                In some Christians’ opinion, they believe that Christianity in its early stages was of one accord; it was united, had one doctrine, and was charismatic. They further think all the people were inspired by the life and teachings of Jesus and that all believed in the same religion. In truth, all that is a myth. The early church was not united and there were many sects of Christianity that believed they were the only true believers. Some were Christians in name only. This is still true today with innumerable Christian Protestant denominations.

            In this study, there is a comparison between the most prominent sects aside from the basic Christianity; the Essenes and the Christian Gnostics. With the discovery of the Nag Hammadi Scriptures (NHS) in 1945, a portal was opened to present a fresh view of early Christian communities. Further studies revealed that Christian Gnostics and Christianity were not divergent branches of the same religious tree. Claremont Graduate University professor James M. Robinson translated the Scriptures and learned that Gnostic writers were not the depraved cult described by some church leaders who held  personal opinions. [These were the same leaders who discriminated against women and displaced them from church]. Gnosticism was recognized as a legitimate religious movement.

In the 1970s, after translation from Hebrew to Greek, to English, the NHS Codices provided a clear explanation of the diverse and philosophical ideas that found a place in early Christianity; an alternate view of the movement. Most of the NHS are Christian and were widely available in the early church. The contents of our Protestant Bible are only a small selection of Christian writings. Centuries later, various Christian writers used personal opinion as their guide to try to discredit the Gnostic Scriptures. Today, the NHS is a favorite with students of religions.

            At the time of the Jesus Movement, the society was influenced by Greek and Roman cultures. The Gnostics were influenced by these cultures as well as by Jew and Christian doctrines. They ascribed to the belief that the universe was composed of two realms. One was present and visible world of matter; the other was spiritual, light, and good. They further believed that within themselves was a spark of divinity and by living a righteous life they could acquire special knowledge and practices to allow them to be free of their bodies and join Jesus in Heaven. Apparently, they believed they were physical matter, but a spiritual being.

            A big difference between the Christians and Gnostics was that the Gnostics believed they were the only true believers and the Chosen Ones and that only they could have the special knowledge of the Gospels. Of course, the Christians were not having any of that and declared the Gospels were to be preached to all people – the world.

            Christianity has its origins in Judaism and was considered to be a Jewish sect for some time. The separation came after the resurrection of Jesus. Christians lived among other sects such as the Pharisees, Sadducees, Gnostics, and Essenes. There were texts among religious writings of the times describing the ascetic and apocalyptic beliefs of the Essenes. This sect was totally devoted to their faith and embracement of martyrdom. The belief in martyrdom may have influenced this practice in Christian thought. Both shared the belief such as the imminent end of the world and return of Jesus. Furthermore, they held in common the belief that they should live pious and ascetic lives, be separate from cities and secular places.  They ascribed to a life of solitary or communal prayer and self-denial. We see this today in convents, monasteries, and communal groups.

Conclusion:

While some of us, including myself, do not totally agree with Gnosticism [Remember there were different sects of Gnostics just as our Protestant churches], there is common ground and this is true of the Essenes to a degree. Christianity, as we know it, was not organized and fully developed at this time either.

A Great decade

During the 1940s, after 2000 prior years, two great biblical discoveries were discovered. In 1945, the Nag Hammadi Scriptures were found buried in a clay jar at the base of the Jabal Cliffs near the Nile River in Egypt. There were13 papyrus codices(bound as books, not scrolls). In all, there were 52 tractates, six were duplicates, and some were in tatters with many Christian writings included. This collection is also known as the NHS Library due to the variety of its contents. In later years, other copies of the NHS were discovered.

In 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered 30 miles from Jerusalem in a cave at Khirbet Qumran. The importance of this find is that its discovery, after being hidden for 2000 years, the scrolls proved the Old Testament had not been changed. The scrolls did not pertain to the Jesus Movement as this event occurred in New Testament times.

Making the Acquaintance of the Early Apostles and Disciples

Copyright 2919 by Joan Berry

The difference between disciples and Apostles is that the Lord had specially commissioned the twelve Apostles in the first century but He has also commissioned His disciples to be witnesses of His wherever they go. One has apostolic authority while the others have discipleship authority to make disciples of others.

Among the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus, there were three sets of brothers: James the Greater and John the apostle; James the Younger and Jude; and Peter and Andrew. It should be noted that certain names were prominent in Jewish society such as: James, John, Judas, and Simon. This accounts for the custom of Jewish males having two names so as to distinguish one from one another. In the case of Matthew and James the Younger, each had a father named Alpheus.  There was some speculation that these two were brothers. This is unlikely because the Scriptures are consistent in naming relationships and no scripture bears out that they were brothers. James the Just was not the brother of Jesus, for example. Joseph, Simon, Jude, and a James were cited in the New Testament (NT) as His brothers. Two of Jesus’ sisters were identified as Mary and Salome; both names were also prominent in the society.

Apostle Andrew [and Peter] was the son of Jonas who resided in Bethsaida and Capernaum. Andrew was a fisherman as well as his brother. He was a disciple of John the Baptist until the baptism of Jesus. Following that event, he became Jesus’ first disciple and remained so for the rest of his life. Also, Andrew was the first to have a Home and Foreign mission. He preached in Greece, Asia Minor, and Scythia. He was martyred in Achaea, Greece on an X-shaped cross. His symbol is an X-shaped cross or two crossed fish because he was a fisherman.

Apostle Bartholomew [or Nathaniel] was the son of Talmai [of a royal line] and he was well educated in the Scriptures and scholar of the Law. The family lived in Cana of Galilee. For a time he was a missionary in Armenia and then in India where he was martyred. His symbol is three parallel knives in remembrance of his death by being flayed.

Apostle James the Greater, Boanerge, the son of Zebedee and Salome, was a fisherman and lived in Bethsaida, Capernaum, and Jerusalem. He was the brother of John the Apostle. He preached in Jerusalem where he was beheaded by Herod in 44 C.E. becoming the first apostle martyr. His symbol is three shells, a stalt [walking stick], and a sword representing his missions along the shores, his travels, and how he was killed.

Apostle James the Lesser [or Younger] was the son of Alpheus (Cleophas) and Mary and lived in Galilee. He was the brother of the Apostle John and Joseph. James preached in Palestine and was martyred in Egypt by crucifixion and being sawed into pieces. The saw became his symbol.

Apostle John, Boanerge, was the son of Zebedee and Salome, brother of James the Greater, and the Beloved Disciple. He and his brother were known as the “Sons of Thunder.” He also was a fisherman, from a wealthy family and resided in Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Jerusalem. He was the author of the Gospel of John and John 1, 2, and 3. He preached in Asia Minor until the Emperor Domitian banished him to the isle of Patmos. After Domitian died, John was release from imprisonment and allowed to return to Ephesus where he governed churches in Asia until he died a natural death ca. 100 C. E. There was an attempt on John’s life when he was given a chalice of poison, but God intervened and saved him. His symbol is a chalice containing a snake.

Apostle Jude [also known as Thaddeus in Mark and Lebbeus in Matt.] was the son of Alpheus [Cleophas] and Mary and the brother of James the Younger. The family lived in Galilee. Jerome referred to Jude as “Triomious” meaning a man with three names. Jude preached at Edessa near the Euphrates River and other places. He supported Jesus in a big way; he wanted the world to know his Lord. He was killed at Ararat by arrows. His symbol is a ship whose sail bears a cross because he was a fisherman and Christian.

Judas Iscariot, the traitor, was the son of Simon who lived in Kerioth. He was the treasurer for the group of apostles. Judas apparently had ulterior motives for joining the group because he was a violent Jewish Nationalist who hoped that Jesus would establish an earthly kingdom and he would be a participant. He hanged himself after his treasonous act against Jesus. His symbol is a hangman’s noose or a purse with pieces of silver falling from it.

Apostle Matthias was chosen by lots to replace Judas Iscariot. He was with Jesus when He was baptized by John the Baptist and remained with Jesus until he ascended to Heaven. He preached on the shores of the Caspian Sea and Cappadocia [Turkey]. He was martyred by being beheaded by a scimitar. His symbol is a scimitar and a Bible.

Apostle Matthew [Levi] was the son of Alpheus and employed as a tax collector whom the populace hated. He lived in Capernaum. He was well educated and the first to write down the teachings of Jesus. His name means “Gift of God.” Matthew preached in Ethiopia and Egypt where he died as a martyr when King Hercanus had him killed with a battle axe. His symbol is three money bags and a battle axe as a reminder that he was a tax collector before following Jesus and how he was killed

Apostle Simon Peter (or Cephas) was the only apostle mentioned as being married. He is the son of Jonas who resided in Bethsaida and Capernaum. He was a fisherman as well as his brother, Andrew. His name, Simon, means rock from the Greek; Peter also means rock from the Arabic. He was the first to confess that Jesus was the Son of God and Peter was on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus as well as seeing Jarius’ daughter rise to live again. He served as missionary traveling as far as Babylon. Out of love for Jesus, he refused to be crucified in the same position; he was crucified head down in Rome. His symbol is an upside-down cross with keys crossed. His bones and those of Paul were interred together in a double monument on the Appian Way beneath the church of Saint Sebastian on the Appian Way. Peter and Paul were entombed there before they were each taken to the basilicas that honor them: Saint Peter’s Basilica and Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls.

Apostle Phillip lived in Bethsaida and most likely a fisherman. As a follower of Jesus, he was an ordained deacon and one of the seven appointed when the church was forming. He had a successful campaign in Samaria and became a major figure in missionary work of the early church. He preached in Phrygia until he was martyred in Hierapolis. He was hanged and as he was dying he requested to be wrapped in papyrus rather than linen as was Jesus. He felt unworthy of being wrapped as his Lord. John’s gospel reports that Phillip was one of the first to respond to Jesus’ “Follow me.” His symbol is a basket because of his part in feeding the 5,000. Phillip is credited with having the cross as an emblem of Christianity

Apostle Simon the Zealot [in Matt, Luke, and Mark] was a Canaanite Zealot who lived in Galilee. He preached on the west coast of Africa, then to what is now England where he was crucified in 74 C. E. His symbol is a fish lying on a Bible representing his former life as a fisherman and before he became a fisher of men for the Kingdom of God through spreading the gospel.

Apostle Thomas Didymus [Thomas means twin] lived in Galilee and preached in Parthia, Persia, and India at Marbry near Madras at Mt. Thomas. Thomas was a pessimist and thus the nickname “Doubting Thomas.” He had to touch the wounds that Jesus suffered before he believed He had risen. Afterward, he proclaimed, “My Lord, My God.” Thomas was martyred in India. He was stoned, beaten, and shot with arrows and speared. His symbol is a group of stones, arrows, and spears.

Notes:

Barnabus, a companion to Paul, was from Cypress where Jews burned him to death ca. 100 C. E.

Silas, a companion to Paul, died a natural death in Macedonia 65-100 C. E.  At one time he and Paul were imprisoned together where they were freed by a miracle. His symbol shows him carrying chains.

Deacon Stephen was stoned to death. James the son of Zebedee and James, brother of Jesus were also killed.

I am sure there were many more martyrs in the early church.

Barnabus, Titus, Timothy, and Luke traveled with Paul at one time or another. John Mark traveled with Peter, Mark was from Libya, City of Cyrene in Pentapolis; Luke was from Antra, Spain.

Special note:

The Letters of Barnabus can be found on the Internet. www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/barnabas-lightfoot.html The Nag Hammadi Scriptures (Dead Sea Scrolls) have many books and letters of the apostles and disciples and other writings of interest. This information was not placed in the Canon. Following are examples of the content: Gospel of Mary Magdalene, Gospel of Judas Iscariot, Paul’s Letters to the Laodiceans, The Hidden Book of James, The Secret Book of John, Gospel of Phillip, Book of Thomas, The Revelation of Paul, The Revelation of James, Letters of Peter to Phillip, The Secret Book of John, and the Second Revelation of James.

Sources                                                                                     .

Chadwick, Henry (2019). St. John the Apostle

Holman, A. J.(1933). Holy Bible from the Ancient Eastern Text. HarperCollins, NY

Josephus: The Complete Works. (1998). (trans.) Wm. Whiston, A. M. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson

Kelly, B. (2016). How Did the Apostles Die? St. Richmond NH: St. Bernard Center:

Life Application Sudy Bible-NIV. (2005). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers

Nag Hammadi Scriptures. (2007). New York, NY: Harper Collins

New King James Version Study Bible. (2007). Pub. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.

St. Gregory of Tours. The Ten Book of History.  In Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.(2019)

Chadwick: Polycarp, bishop of Ephesus, claimed John’s grave is in Ephesus. He was a priest and wore the sacerdotal plate and that he also was a teacher, St. Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons claimed John wrote his gospel, letters, and the Revelation at Ephesus. He also claimed John was buried in Ephesus.                     Chadwick, Henry (2019). St. John the Apostle

Josephus: The Complete Works. (1998). (trans.) Wm. Whiston, A. M. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson

Josephus talks about the Revelation.

Knowing God by Revelation

Copyright 2019 by Joan Berry

The matter of knowing God or rather his revelation of himself to us comes through the process of two sources: general revelation (nature, history, and human experience), and special revelation through the events and reflection within the scope of our scriptures — vision, dreams, angelic messengers; God walked and talked with Adam and Eve, Abraham and Moses and other prophets Genesis; Exodus NIV). According to Grenz (2000), general revelation is God’s self-disclosure, in part, to everyone through the natural world whereas; special revelation is disclosed supernaturally by God or his messengers which mankind is incapable of doing on its own by reason or observation (p.133). General revelation, in a nutshell, is meant to make us aware of God as our Creator while special revelation is meant to bring us into a fellowship with God through salvation (p.133). Mankind, being finite, and God, being infinite mean that we cannot know him or be in fellowship with him until he reveals himself to us (Erickson, 2001, p. 43).

Some of the challenges to general revelation have come through such movements as deism, cosmological, and theological arguments. Placing an importance on human reasoning came as a result of the Enlightenment rationalism with deists claiming that reason was fundamental to God and everything else. Some posited that God made the world and then left it to fend for itself). Cosmological arguments are based on the cause and effect nature of the world with God being the first cause. Another argument suggests intelligent design due to the complex nature of the make-up of the completed world. Karl Barth, Swiss Protestant theologian, expressed his dislike of general revelation because he believed it “subverted the necessity of divine revelation,” meaning it was an effort to know God under conditions set by man, not by God (McGrath, 2011, p.164).

Weaknesses noted, especially by theologians, suggest man’s reasoning alone through general revelation cannot lead to sufficient understanding of God because this method conceals important facets of God’s nature and purposes. They posit that God’s goal of salvation is not clarified and that his love through Jesus is not adequately expressed. In addition, because of man’s sinful nature, his observation and reasoning will be inaccurate..

While there have been challenges to general revelation, human experience throughout the history of the world reveals knowledge of God because of an assumption that the earth was created by God and He remains active in it. History is not only a verification of God’s feelings toward his creations; it is a verification of His purpose and ultimate objective of history — the doctrine of eschatology. One example of a trend of God’s hand in history is that of the preservation of Israel; it has a remarkable pattern of survival as God’s chosen people (Erickson, 2001, p. 43).  Revelation’s strongpoints remains in that it serves to show that it is part of God’s self-revelatory actions; the Creation reveals his existence (Romans 1: 19-20; Psalms 8:1 NIV); it serves to make man aware of God and it makes man sensitive to the gospel messages. 

According to S. C. Guthrie, Jr. (1994), the world is not self-explanatory – there must a God; the universe displays a purpose – there is order and harmony; history and experience indicate God’s existence; humans have a moral sense (conscience); humans have spiritual awareness of a divine presence; the natural world functions in a logical and rational way indicating a Great rational mind is in control (pp. 42-43).  He summarized this analysis by saying this is evidence of God’s foundation of wisdom, power, goodness, and eternity revealed by him to us (p.43).

Dr. S. L. Johnson (2009) agrees with Guthrie because in the creation of nature is the indication by God that he wants to be known and in nature we discover him as Creator. Johnson goes on to say that God is an infinite spiritual being and we cannot know him by human (finite) searching. He can only be known if he reveals himself to us.

Conclusion

Although general revelation cannot stand alone as revealing everything we want to know, we must remember that revelation, general or special, is at God’s discretion. It is his self-revelation to us that he reveals what he considers appropriate. We must first start with the basics and he deems when, what and to whom special revelation will be revealed. Through general revelation, we are exposed to the handiwork of God in the natural world and through our experience and history. In this way, we become aware of him and receptive to the gospel messages. . It is God’s way of preparing us to get to know him not only as a spirit but as a person.                                                                 

References

Books:

Erickson, M.J. (2001). Introducing Christian doctrine. (2^nd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academi

Grenz, S. (2000). Theology for the community of God. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Compan

Guthrie, S.C., Jr.  (1994 . Christian doctrine.  (revised). Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Pres

McGrath, A. (2011). Christian Theology: An introduction. (5^th ed.). West Sussex, UK: Wiley-  Blackwell

Electronic sources:

Johnson, S.L. Dr. (2009). Revelation, or has man a word from God. Retrieved from http://www.sljinstitute.net/sermons/doctrine/systemtheo_pages/systemtheology5.html

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