New Testament

New Testament

Mar 16

Eunuchs in the Bible

By: Megan Sauter

Stephen J. Patterson discusses what Jesus meant when he referred to “eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:11–12).

Holy women at Christ's tomb, by Annibale Carracci

Feb 20

The “Strange” Ending of the Gospel of Mark and Why It Makes All the Difference

By: James Tabor

James Tabor presents a fresh look at the original text of the earliest Gospel.

Paul and Pri

Feb 20

Priscilla in the New Testament

By: Jonathan Laden

The name of Priscilla in the New Testament does not come up often in Bible study. Yet, as Ben Witherington III explains in “Priscilla—An Extraordinary […]

Woman, Unnamed

Feb 11

The Three Most Important Women in Mark’s Gospel—All Unnamed

By: James Tabor

Clearly in Mark the 12 male disciples are complete failures and are never presented as heroes, even at the end. However, what we do find in Mark, in stark contrast to this chosen group, are three unnamed women who become Mark’s heroines and carry the core message of the entire book for those readers with eyes to see and ears to hear.

Lorenzo Lotto, The Nativity, 1523

Feb 8

Who Was Jesus’ Biological Father?

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Was Joseph Jesus’ biological father? If not, who was Jesus’ biological father? Andrew Lincoln examines what early Christians thought about conception and explains how views about this subject have changed over time.

Woodcut from Historiae Celebriores Veteris Testamenti Iconibus Representatae—dated to 1712—depicts the Talents’ parable

Feb 6

What Does the Parable of the Talents Mean?

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Richard L. Rohrbaugh examines the Parable of the Talents’ meaning in his Biblical Views column “Reading the Bible Through Ancient Eyes” in BAR.

Cana Wedding

Feb 1

Mark and John: A Wedding at Cana—Whose and Where?

By: James Tabor

James Tabor discusses the wedding at Cana from the Gospels of Mark and John. Whose wedding was this and why were Jesus and his family present?

A 12th-century baptismal font in St. Bartholomew’s Church in Liège, Belgium

Jan 20

The Origin of Christianity

By: Noah Wiener

Geza Vermes explores the origin of Christianity by examining the characteristics of the Jewish Jesus movement to see how it developed into a distinctly gentile religion.

Jan 18

Gospel of John Commentary: Who Wrote the Gospel of John and How Historical Is It?

By: BAS Staff

The Gospels, the first four books of the New Testament, tell the story of the life of Jesus. Yet only one—the Gospel of John—claims to be an eyewitness account, the testimony of the unnamed “disciple whom Jesus loved.”

Mary Simeon Anna

Dec 23

Mary, Simeon or Anna: Who First Recognized Jesus as Messiah?

By: Ben Witherington III

Who was the first person to truly recognize Jesus as the messiah and understand the implications? Biblical scholar Ben Witherington III takes a close look at the account given in Luke, and sheds some light on what the Biblical narrative has to say about who was the first to recognize Jesus as the messiah.