“Too often scholars have thought and even suggested that what happened during and after Constantine was that the church sought to replace the pagan temples, priests, and sacrifices with their own. This is at best a half truth. If this… — Ben Witherington III Copy Share Image
“One of the things that happened when the church moved from meetings in homes to having purpose-built buildings beginning before, but accelerated during, the Constantinian era, is that while the church itself was becoming less Jewish in character, it began… — Ben Witherington III Copy Share Image
“Is the Lord’s Supper only for Christians? Whenever I ask this question I immediately remember the character of those that partook of the Last… — Ben Witherington III Copy Share Image
“The ritual of the blood on the lintel of the door, which protected the Israelites from the angel of death, is an apotropaic (avoidance)… — Ben Witherington III Copy Share Image
“Sometimes silences are pregnant and sometimes not. It is hard to know what to make of the silence of much of the New Testament… — Ben Witherington III Copy Share Image
“Who should serve the Lord’s Supper? Well in the early church, considering Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 11, the host of the home presumably… — Ben Witherington III Copy Share Image
“When one gets to Clement or Hippolytus, we are clearly a long way from what we find in Paul and the Gospels, where the… — Ben Witherington III Copy Share Image
“It required an understanding of theology, and ethics, and ancient religions and philosophies. You had to have a working knowledge in a plethora of… — Ben Witherington III Copy Share Image
“Too often scholars have thought and even suggested that what happened during and after Constantine was that the church sought to replace the pagan… — Ben Witherington III Copy Share Image
“Christ did not exalt himself in a world full of self-promotion; rather he stepped down and served others, which most, especially the elite, in… — Ben Witherington III Copy Share Image
“We have seen some gatekeeping or fencing-the-table language already beginning to rear its head in this context. One needed to be baptized to take… — Ben Witherington III Copy Share Image
“The reference in 1 Corinthians 11:27 is to Christ’s actual body, which was crucified, as the reference to blood makes evident. Anaziõs has been… — Ben Witherington III Copy Share Image
“Verse 12 [of Ex. 12) tells us that the judgment of Yahweh is not only on the Egyptians but also on their deities. This… — Ben Witherington III Copy Share Image
“When exactly did this all change, and what were the social and theological factors that led to the change? The answer seems to be… — Ben Witherington III Copy Share Image
“One of the things that happened when the church moved from meetings in homes to having purpose-built buildings beginning before, but accelerated during, the… — Ben Witherington III Copy Share Image
“At this juncture it is important to say something about Exodus 12:7. This verse implies that we are dealing with a ritual that did… — Ben Witherington III Copy Share Image
