P137 Took So Long To Publish, Most People Forgot It Even Existed

Background information For the textual critics and history nerds out there, you might recall that in some time around 2011 a new Greek papyrus manuscript of Mark was “discovered”. By discovered, I mean it was found already existing in a collection of manuscripts, where it has been housed since 1903. It was actually discovered by Bernard … Read more

Why Is Acts 8:37 Missing From Modern Bibles?

P45, Chester Beatty XII, leaf 3

Acts 8:37: Omission or Addition? The general argument when discussing a Bible translation should be based on a single question: what best represents the original manuscripts? Since we do not have a single original manuscript scholars must use the existing ones and piece together what they believe to most accurately represent the originals. It’s not … Read more

Biblical Archaeology: The Letter of Peter which he sent to Philip

Nag Hammadi Codex VI Opened

The Letter of Peter which he sent to Philip Dating and Discovery The Coptic versions currently known to exist were written between the late 2nd century CE and early 3rd century CE (170-220 CE), titled “The Letter of Peter which he sent to Philip“. Currently scholars have discovered two copies of this letter in Egypt. … Read more

Origins of Easter [Where does Easter really come from?]

happy-easter-jesus-resurrection

    If you ever wondered what bunnies and eggs have to do with Easter then you are not alone. Many have tried to connect Easter to various spring time celebrations and fertility festivals that have appeared in various cultures. The most popular Easter myth is that it stems from the festival dedicated to the … Read more

Ancient Egyptian Parallels to the Ark of the Covenant

Ark of Anubis side

Within the last few years, some fascinating research has been done concerning the Ark of the Covenant, the sacred box described in the Hebrew Bible. One significant individual in this field of study is Raanan Eichler, a credentialed scholar who has argued that some important clues about the physical form of the Ark of the Covenant could be found in ancient Egypt. In one article, Eichler submits that … Read more