Robin Griffith-Jones. Master of the Temple. Temple Church, London. by Travis Simpkins

Robin Griffith-Jones. Master of the Temple. Temple Church, London. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

The Reverend and

Valiant Master of the Temple

Robin Griffith-Jones

Fellow of the Society of Antiquities of London

Lecturer at King's College London

Master of the Temple

Temple Church - London, England

by Travis Simpkins

Robin Griffith-Jones, Reverend and Valiant Master of the Temple

For more info, please visit:

templechurch.com

Robin Griffith-Jones. The Gospel According to Paul. Temple Church, London. by Travis Simpkins

Jesus of Nazareth. Bust of Christ. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. by Travis Simpkins

Bust of Christ. Jesus of Nazareth. 1500. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. by Travis Simpkins

Sketch of a

Bust of Christ

1500

Italian Renaissance
Marble

Possibly by Cristoforo Solari (1468-1524)

Collection of the

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

by Travis Simpkins

From Jesus to Christ: Documentary

For more info, please visit:

mfa.org

Bust of Jesus Christ. by Travis Simpkins. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The Gospel of Mary Magdalene. Gnosticism. Divine Feminine. Jean-Yves Leloup

The Gospel of Mary Magdalene. Gnosticism. Divine Feminine. Jean-Yves Leloup

I've read the text of the Gospel of Mary Magdalene many times, but not this particular translation. I'm interested in reading the commentary.


Restores to the forefront of the Christian tradition the importance of the divine feminine

•The first complete English-language translation of the original Coptic Gospel of Mary, with line-by-line commentary

• Reveals the eminence of the divine feminine in Christian thought

• Offers a new perspective on the life of one of the most controversial figures in the Western spiritual tradition

Perhaps no figure in biblical scholarship has been the subject of more controversy and debate than Mary Magdalene. Also known as Miriam of Magdala, Mary Magdalene was considered by the apostle John to be the founder of Christianity because she was the first witness to the Resurrection. In most theological studies she has been depicted as a reformed prostitute, the redeemed sinner who exemplifies Christ's mercy. Today's reader can ponder her role in the gospels of Philip, Thomas, Peter, and Bartholomew--the collection of what have come to be known as the Gnostic gospels rejected by the early Christian church. Mary's own gospel is among these, but until now it has remained unknown to the public at large.

Orthodox theologian Jean-Yves Leloup's translation of the Gospel of Mary from the Coptic and his thorough and profound commentary on this text are presented here for the first time in English. The gospel text and the spiritual exegesis of Leloup together reveal unique teachings that emphasize the eminence of the divine feminine and an abiding love of nature over the dualistic and ascetic interpretations of Christianity presented elsewhere. What emerges from this important source text and commentary is a renewal of the sacred feminine in the Western spiritual tradition and a new vision for Christian thought and faith throughout the world.

The Essential Kabbalah. The Heart of Jewish Mysticism. Daniel C. Matt

The Essential Kabbalah. The Heart of Jewish Mysticism. Daniel C. Matt

"The Essential Kabbalah" by Dr. Daniel C. Matt is a good and very concise book on the subject.


"Daniel Matt's The Essential Kabbalah is all at once a striking anthology, an original meditation, and a mystic philosophy of life. Readers will return to this book again and again to see have they have grown, and to measure their souls against its deep, poetic wisdom."--David Wolpe, author of The Healer of Shattered Hearts: A Jewish View of God.

Daniel Matt's continued wonder at the confounding brilliance of kabbalistic writings is evident in this loving presentation of the key texts from the Jewish mystical tradition. This fine sampling of works from the earliest medieval European texts to 20th-century interpretations includes poems, symbolic stories, meditations, and ruminations by such important figures as Moses de Leon, Moses Cordovero, Isaac Luria, and Abraham Isaac Kook. Matt's translations have both a spareness and a poetic flair that makes reading these highly esoteric selections a richly moving experience.

The words of 14th-century mystic Shem Tov ibn Shem Tov, for example, are rendered with a startling immediacy: "How did God create the world? Like a person taking a deep breath and holding it, so that the small contains the large. Similarly God contracted his light to a divine handbreadth, and the world was left in darkness. In the darkness God carved cliffs and hewed rocks to clear the wondrous paths of wisdom." A short introduction traces the history of Kabbalah, explaining its salient concepts and symbols, and extensive notes provide background on the featured texts and writers. A brief bibliography is provided for those who will want to savor more of these extraordinary texts after tasting their richness in this collection.

A translation of the Kabbalah for the layperson includes a compact presentation of each primary text and features a practical analysis and vital historical information that offer insight into the various aspects of Jewish mysticism.

Daniel C. Matt has written many books and articles on Jewish spirituality, including Zohar:The Book of Enlightenment and God and the Big Bang. He is a professor of Jewish mysticism at the Center for Jewish Studies, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA.

The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered. Robert Eisenman. Michael Wise

The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered. Robert Eisenman. Michael Wise

"The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered" by Robert Eisenman and Michael Wise is concise and insightful.


Two scholars compile and interpret fifty documents that are key and previously inaccessible portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls.


"For the first time the public will be able to see the most interesting and exciting texts from the unpublished corpus and judge for itself. Providing precise English translations and complete transcriptions into modern Hebrew characters, The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered makes generally available in a clear and accessible style fifty of the best texts. Accompanied by incisive and readable commentaries aimed at both lay person and scholar alike, these texts provide exciting and ground-breaking insights into Messianism, an alternative presentation of the flood story, ecstatic visions, prophecies, Mysteries, astrology, divination, and much more." "This is nothing less than the literature of the Messianic Movement in Palestine. Responsible for the uprising that led to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, its later stages are virtually indistinguishable from the rise of Christianity in Palestine. Professors Eisenman's and Wise's research will go a long way towards solving the problem of the Scrolls in the context of Jewish history of the period and shed new light on the formation of early Christianity."

Bishop Robert J. McManus. Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts. by Travis Simpkins

Bishop Robert J. McManus. Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester, MA. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of 

The Most Reverend

Robert J. McManus

Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester, MA

by Travis Simpkins

Come Follow Me - Bishop Robert McManus

For more info, please visit:

worcesterdiocese.org

Bishop Robert McManus. by Travis Simpkins. Cathedral of St. Paul. Worcester, MA

The Gnostic Discoveries. The Impact of the Nag Hammadi Library. Marvin Meyer

The Gnostic Discoveries. The Impact of the Nag Hammadi Library. Marvin Meyer

I'm enjoying "The Gnostic Discoveries" by Marvin Meyer. He passed away about 10 years ago and is still one of my favorites among Religion scholars.


The archaeological find of the twentieth century was the astounding discovery by an Egyptian peasant in December 1945 of a large storage jar filled with ancient papyrus manuscripts. Painstakingly restored and translated, these fragments came to be known collectively as the Nag Hammadi library. Through them we glimpse a fascinating alternative perspective on Jesus and many of his earliest followers, including the influence of Gnosticism on their beliefs.
"Gnosticism," a term alluding to special mystical knowledge, designates a series of religious movements that have existed since ancient times. This philosophy permeated Judaism, Greco-Roman religion, and what now appear to be different varieties of Christianity. Some of these alternative views, including Jesus’s relationship to Mary Magdalene, have revolutionized biblical scholarship and were recently sensationalized by Dan Brown in his bestseller, The Da Vinci Code.
The struggle to publish these ancient manuscripts has at times seemed like an ancient story of Egyptian magic -- filled with curses and drama. Included in these discoveries are several gospels of Jesus’s life that never made it into the modern Christian Bible as well as a treasury of lost, esoteric wisdom that portrays a side of Christianity suppressed by the institutionalized church. Meyer provides an overview of all the texts and their contents, grouping the codices by their respective genres, schools of thought, or attributed author, and discussing their meaning and significance for us today. He also provides an appendix that for the first time offers a quick survey of all the texts of the Nag Hammadi library and the Berlin Gnostic Codex, summarizing the contents of each of the texts and offering select quotations to illustrate their character and style.
The Gnostic Discoveries is the best available guide to the history and significance of the find at Nag Hammadi- an amazing archaeological link to the founding of the largest religion in the world.


The Meaning of the Nag Hammadi, now in paperback opens the with the thrilling adventure story of the discovery of the ancient Papyrii at Nag Hammadi. Muhammad Ali, the fellahin, discovered the sealed jar, he feared that it might contain a jinni, or spirit, but also had heard of hidden treasures in such jars. Greed overcame his fears and when he smashed open the jar, gold seemed to float into the air. To his disappointment, it was papyrus fragmenst, not gold, but for scholars around the world, it was invaluable.
Meyer then discusses the pre–Christian forms of wisdom that went onto influence what Christians believe today. In addition, some Nag Hammadi texts are attributed to Valentinus, a man who almost became Pope, and whose rejection changed the church in significant ways. Text by text, Meyer traces the history and impact of this great find on the Church, right up to our current beliefs and popular cultural fascination with this officially suppressed secret knowledge about Jesus and his followers.

Bishop Robert McManus. Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts. by Travis Simpkins

Bishop Robert J. McManus. Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester, MA. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of 

The Most Reverend

Robert J. McManus

Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester, MA

by Travis Simpkins

Come Follow Me - Bishop Robert McManus

For more info, please visit:

worcesterdiocese.org

Bishop Robert McManus. by Travis Simpkins. Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester, MA

Jesus Christ. Bronze Bust. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. by Travis Simpkins

Jesus Christ. Bronze Bust. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. by Travis Simpkins

Sketch of

"Head of Christ"

Wearing the Crown of Thorns

1867

French, Bronze Bust

Sculpted by Jean-Baptiste Clesinger (1814-1883)

Collection of the

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

by Travis Simpkins

From Jesus to Christ: Documentary

For more info, please visit:

mfa.org

Jesus Christ. Bronze Bust. by Travis Simpkins. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Elaine Pagels. Professor of Religion. Princeton University. The Gnostic Gospels. by Travis Simpkins

Elaine Pagels. Professor of Religion. Princeton University. The Gnostic Gospels. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Elaine Pagels, Ph.D.

Author of "The Gnostic Gospels"

Harrington Spear Paine Foundation

Professor of Religion

Princeton University

Princeton, New Jersey

by Travis Simpkins

Elaine Pagels - Price Lecture. Trinity Church, Boston

For more info, please visit:

religion.princeton.edu/elaine-pagels

Elaine Pagels. Princeton University. The Origin of Satan. by Travis Simpkins

Adam, Eve, and the Serpent. Elaine Pagels. Sex and Sin. The Holy Bible. Early Christianity

Adam, Eve, and the Serpent. Elaine Pagels. Sex and Sin. The Holy Bible. Early Christianity

Elaine Pagels is one of my favorite religion scholars. "Adam, Eve, and the Serpent" is her examination of how the beliefs regarding sex and sin evolved during the early centuries of Christianity.

How did the early Christians come to believe that sex was inherently sinful? When did the Fall of Adam become synonymous with the fall of humanity? What turned Christianity from a dissident sect that championed the integrity of the individual and the idea of free will into the bulwark of a new imperial order—with the central belief that human beings cannot not choose to sin? In this provocative masterpiece of historical scholarship Elaine Pagels re-creates the controversies that racked the early church as it confronted the riddles of sexuality, freedom, and sin as embodied in the story of Genesis. And she shows how what was once heresy came to shape our own attitudes toward the body and the soul.

Museum of Russian Icons. Clinton, Massachusetts. Russian Orthodox Church

Museum of Russian Icons. Clinton, Massachusetts. Russian Orthodox Church

Earlier today, my wife and I enjoyed a visit to the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton, Massachusetts. Fascinating subject and place...

For more info, please visit:

museumofrussianicons.org

Museum of Russian Icons. Clinton, Massachusetts. Russian Orthodox Church

Museum of Russian Icons. Clinton, Massachusetts. Russian Orthodox Church

Museum of Russian Icons. Clinton, Massachusetts. Russian Orthodox Church

Museum of Russian Icons. Clinton, Massachusetts. Russian Orthodox Church

Museum of Russian Icons. Clinton, Massachusetts. Russian Orthodox Church

Museum of Russian Icons. Clinton, Massachusetts. Russian Orthodox Church

Museum of Russian Icons. Clinton, Massachusetts. Russian Orthodox Church

Museum of Russian Icons. Clinton, Massachusetts. Russian Orthodox Church

Museum of Russian Icons. Clinton, Massachusetts. Russian Orthodox Church

Museum of Russian Icons. Clinton, Massachusetts. Russian Orthodox Church

Museum of Russian Icons. Clinton, Massachusetts. Russian Orthodox Church

Museum of Russian Icons. Clinton, Massachusetts. Russian Orthodox Church

Museum of Russian Icons. Clinton, Massachusetts. Russian Orthodox Church

 

Karen L. King. Professor of Ecclesiastical History. Harvard Divinity School. by Travis Simpkins

Karen L. King. Professor of Ecclesiastical History. Harvard Divinity School. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Karen L. King, Ph.D.

Author & Scholar

Professor of Ecclesiastical History

Harvard Divinity School

Cambridge, Massachusetts

by Travis Simpkins

Karen L. King - "Jesus said to them, my wife."

For more info, please visit:

harvard.edu/karen-l-king

Karen L. King. Harvard Divinity School. Reading Judas. by Travis Simpkins

Jesus Christ. Bronze Bust. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. by Travis Simpkins

Jesus Christ. Bronze Bust. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. by Travis Simpkins

Sketch of

"Head of Christ"

Wearing the Crown of Thorns

1867

French, Bronze Bust

Sculpted by Jean-Baptiste Clesinger (1814-1883)

Collection of the

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

by Travis Simpkins

From Jesus to Christ: Documentary

For more info, please visit:

mfa.org

Jesus Christ. Bronze Bust. by Travis Simpkins. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The Book of Enoch. Apocrypha. The Bible. The Watchers

The Book of Enoch. Apocrypha. The Bible. The Watchers

It has been a while since I last read through "The Book of Enoch." It's a good one to revisit, a fairly short read.


The Bible, as we hold it today, is esteemed by many religious institutions and especially Conservative Christians to be the inspired, inerrant Word of God. This doctrinal position affirms that the Bible is unlike all other books or collections of works in that it is free of error due to having been given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). While no other text can claim this same unique authority, the Book of Enoch is an ancient Jewish religious work, ascribed by tradition to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah, which played a crucial role in forming the worldview of the authors of the New Testament, who were not only familiar with it but quoted it in the New Testament, Epistle of Jude, Jude 1:14 15, and is attributed there to "Enoch the Seventh from Adam" (1 En 60:8). The text was also utilized by the community that originally collected and studied the Dead Sea Scrolls. While some churches today include Enoch as part of the biblical canon (for example the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church), other Christian denominations and scholars accept it only as having historical or theological non-canonical interest and frequently use or assigned it as supplemental materials within academic settings to help students and scholars discover or better understand cultural and historical context of the early Christian Church. The Book of Enoch provides commentators valuable insight into what many ancient Jews and early Christians believed when, God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets (Heb. 1:1). As Dr. Michael S. Heiser in the Introduction to his important book Reversing Hermon so powerfully notes: For those to whom 1 Enoch sounds unfamiliar, this is the ancient apocalyptic literary work known popularly (but imprecisely) as the Book of Enoch. Most scholars believe that 1 Enoch was originally written in Aramaic perhaps as early as the 3rd century B.C. The oldest fragments of the book were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls and dated to roughly the second century B.C. This places the book squarely in the middle of what scholars call the Second Temple Period (ca. 500 B.C. 70 A.D.), an era more commonly referred to as the Intertestamental Period. This book will use the more academic designation ( Second Temple Period ) [...] The Watcher story of 1 Enoch, as many readers will recall, is an expansion of the episode described in Genesis 6:1-4, where the sons of God (Hebrew: beney ha- elohim) came in to the daughters of man (Gen 6:4; ESV). Consequently, Watchers is the Enochian term of choice (among others) for the divine sons of God. While the story of this supernatural rebellion occupies scant space in Genesis, it received considerable attention during the Second Temple Period [...] The Enochian version of the events of Gen 6:1-4 preserves and transmits the original Mesopotamian context for the first four verses of the flood account. Every element of Gen 6:1-4 has a Mesopotamian counterpoint a theological target that provides the rationale for why these four verses wound up in the inspired text in the first place. Connections to that backstory can be found in the Old Testament, but they are scattered and unsystematically presented. This is not the case with Second Temple Jewish literature like 1 Enoch. Books like 1 Enoch preserve all of the Mesopotamian touchpoints with Gen 6:1-4 when presenting their expanded retelling of the events of that biblical passage. The Book of Enoch is therefore intended to be an important supplemental resource for assisting serious researchers and students in the study of the Bible.

Robin Griffith-Jones. Master of the Temple. Temple Church, London. by Travis Simpkins

Robin Griffith-Jones. Master of the Temple. Temple Church, London. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

The Reverend and

Valiant Master of the Temple

Robin Griffith-Jones

Fellow of the Society of Antiquities of London

Lecturer at King's College London

Master of the Temple

Temple Church - London, England

by Travis Simpkins

Robin Griffith-Jones, Reverend and Valiant Master of the Temple

For more info, please visit:

templechurch.com

Robin Griffith-Jones. Beloved Disciple: Mary Magdalene. Temple Church, London. by Travis Simpkins

Reza Aslan, Author of "Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth." by Travis Simpkins

Reza Aslan. Author. Scholar of Religions. University of California. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Reza Aslan, PhD

Author and Scholar of Religions

Professor of Creative Writing

University of California, Riverside

Member of the

American Academy of Religion

by Travis Simpkins

Reza Aslan - Does Islam Promote Violence?

For more info, please visit:

rezaaslan.com

Reza Aslan. by Travis Simpkins. Zealot: Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth

Joseph Fort Newton. Baptist Minister and Masonic Author. The Builders. by Travis Simpkins

Joseph Fort Newton. Baptist Minister and Masonic Author. The Builders. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

The Rev. Dr.

Joseph Fort Newton

( 1880 - 1950 )

Baptist Minister

Freemason

Masonic Author, best known for

The Builders, published in 1914

Member of Friendship Lodge No. 7

Dixon, Illinois

Raised a Master Mason on May 28, 1902

Grand Chaplain ( 1911 - 1913 )

Grand Lodge of Iowa

by Travis Simpkins

 Joseph Fort Newton - The Builders - Audio Book

The Rev. Dr. Joseph Fort Newton. Baptist Minister and Freemason. Masonic Author

 For more info, please visit:

wikipedia.org/Joseph_Fort_Newton

Joseph Fort Newton. Baptist Minister and Masonic Author. The Builders. by Travis Simpkins

Karen L. King. Professor of Ecclesiastical History. Harvard Divinity School. by Travis Simpkins

Karen L. King. Professor of Ecclesiastical History. Harvard Divinity School. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Karen L. King, Ph.D.

Author & Scholar

Professor of Ecclesiastical History

Harvard Divinity School

Cambridge, Massachusetts

by Travis Simpkins

Karen L. King - "Jesus said to them, my wife."

For more info, please visit:

harvard.edu/karen-l-king

Karen L. King. Harvard Divinity School. What Is Gnosticism? by Travis Simpkins

The Holy Eucharist with the Madonna, Archangel Michael and Saint Padre Pio. by Travis Simpkins

The Holy Eucharist with the Madonna, Archangel Michael and Saint Padre Pio. by Travis Simpkins

The Holy Eucharist 

with the Madonna, Archangel Michael 

and Saint Padre Pio

by Travis Simpkins

Roman Catholic Diocese of Campo Limpo

Sao Paulo, Brazil