Category Archives: Greco-Roman

Book Write-Up: The Gods of Olympus, by Barbara Graziosi

Barbara Graziosi.  The Gods of Olympus: A History.  New York: Metropolitan Books, 2014.  See here to purchase the book. Barbara Graziosi is a scholar in classics.  The Gods of Olympus concerns views about the Greek gods throughout history. Here are … Continue reading

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Philo and the Unborn in Special Laws III

A while back, I wrote a blog post, “Judaism, Abortion, and Joan,” in which I talked about ancient Jewish ideas about the unborn.  The post centered around different Jewish interpretations of Exodus 22:22-25.  This passage states (in the KJV): If … Continue reading

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Wanderlust: The Parable of the Prodigal Son, Star Trek, and Philo

At church this morning, the pastor preached about the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). Earlier in the service, there was a skit about the parable. The pastor made a point about the parable that overlaps with other themes … Continue reading

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A Comparison of Philo’s Special Laws I with the Epistle to the Hebrews

I recently finished Philo’s Special Laws I for my daily quiet time.  Yesterday, I moved on to Special Laws II.  Philo was a first century C.E. Jewish thinker in Alexandria, Egypt.  He interpreted the Torah in light of Greek philosophy. … Continue reading

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David Marshall on Bart Ehrman’s Comparison of Jesus in the Gospels with Apollonius

http://christthetao.blogspot.com/2015/12/bart-ehrman-scams-his-students.html Note: I don’t endorse the post’s provocative title, but the post itself is an informative evaluation of Ehrman’s argument.

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Meghan Henning: Views on the Afterlife in the Time of Jesus

http://www.bibleodyssey.org/people/related-articles/views-on-the-afterlife-in-the-time-of-jesus.aspx

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Book Write-Up: A Week in the Life of a Roman Centurion

Gary M. Burge.  A Week in the Life of a Roman Centurion.  Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Academic, 2015.  See here to buy the book. Gary M. Burge teaches New Testament at Wheaton College.  A Week in the Life of a … Continue reading

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Book Write-Up: Herodotus and Religion in the Persian Wars

Jon D. Mikalson.  Herodotus and Religion in the Persian Wars.  Chapel Hill and London: University of North Carolina Press, 2003. Herodotus was a fifth century B.C.E. historian, and he wrote about fifth century wars between the Greeks and the Persians.  … Continue reading

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Book Write-Up: Emperor Worship and Roman Religion

Ittai Gradel.  Emperor Worship and Roman Religion.  Oxford, New York: Clarendon Press, 2002. On the subject of emperor worship in ancient Rome, Ittai Gradel seems to present a similar picture to what I have read thus far in other scholarly … Continue reading

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Book Write-Up: Roman Ideas of Deity

W. Warde Fowler.  Roman Ideas of Deity in the Last Century Before the Christian Era: Lectures Delivered in Oxford for the Oxford University Fund.  London: MacMillan and Co., 1914. I have been looking for books to read about ancient Roman … Continue reading

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