History of Christianity

One of the most important events in the first century for both Jews and Christians was the Jewish War (66-73 AD). This war included the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. Nothing would ever be the same. This episode gives a summary of the events of this first Jewish War. If you want more details ... Read More "Episode 29 – The Jewish War" »

The book of Acts describes a church in which the members held all things in common. But how seriously should we take those passages? How common was that practice? And how do we interpret those passages in light of modern experiences of communism? In this episode, I talk to Roman Montero, author of All Things in ... Read More "Episode 28 – Interview With Roman Montero on Early Christian Commu...

As important as the Jewish background is to the rise of Christianity, so is the Roman background. All of the events of the New Testament take place within the borders of the Roman Empire and there are frequent interactions with various aspects of Roman authority. This episode includes a short summary of the Roman emperors ... Read More "Episode 27 – The Roman Empire in the First Century" &#1...

Christianity emerged out of Judaism. We have already looked at the Jewish background of Christianity. While there are many ways for us to learn about Judaism, one important way is to look at Jewish texts. Certain texts of Jewish origin were very influential on either Judaism or Christianity. In this episode we look at Tanak, ... Read More "Episode 26 – Jewish Texts You Need to Know About" &#...

This is the final episode of the series on the Synoptic Gospels based on my lectures from Tyndale University College. Although there were more lectures given for the course, this is the last one that will be posted here. In the episode we ask the question, Did Jesus exist? Those who hold to the Jesus ... Read More "Episode 25 – Synoptic Gospels (Did Jesus Exist?)" »

We take a short break from our regular scheduled episodes to bring you a special announcement. I have decided to start a new podcast on World War Two. It is called the Second World Podcast and you can find it here. If you are interested in military history or just history in general, I hope ... Read More "Special Announcement" »

We take a break from our series on the Synoptic Gospels for a short Christmas episode. In this episode we look at how Dec. 25 came to be the date of Christmas. One of the things that I discovered in this episode was that the fixing of the date actually took place during the life ... Read More "Episode 24 – Happy Birthday Jesus!" »

In this lecture from the course Jesus and the Synoptic Gospels taught at Tyndale University College, we look at the Gospel of Luke. We look at some of the specific interests of Luke, including women, Samaritans, the poor and the marginalized in general. We also look at some of the popular parables unique to Luke, ... Read More "Episode 23 – Synoptic Gospels (Luke)" »

One of the most popular Gospels is that of Matthew. It is in Matthew that we get the Sermon on the Mount and the classic version of the Lord’s Prayer. Matthew has helped shape Christian theology and worship for centuries. This lecture from my course on Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels that was taught at ... Read More "Episode 22 – Synoptic Gospels (Matthew)" »

In this lecture on the Synoptic Gospels from Tyndale University College, we look at the Gospel of Mark. Mark is generally considered to be the earliest of the Synoptic Gospels. We look at some of the unique aspects of Mark to set up the rest of our study of the Synoptic Gospels.

This is a continuation of my lectures on Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels as taught at Tyndale University College. In this episode, we look at the authorship and the dating of the Gospels. Were Matthew, Mark and Luke really the authors? And when were they written? There are some who date the Gospels early and ... Read More "Episode 20 – Synoptic Gospels (Authorship and Date)" »

This is a continuation of the course on Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels that I taught at Tyndale University College. In this section, we look at the synoptic problem, various forms of historical criticism, the three quests for the historical Jesus and the criteria of authenticity. The book I recommend is this book that was ... Read More "Episode 19 – Synoptic Gospels (Synoptic Problem and Hist...

This the second part of a lecture on Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels taught at Tyndale University College. In this section, I give a quick summary of the Greco-Roman background of the Gospels. In addition we look at the genre of the Gospels. We finish with a look at the development of the canon, including ... Read More "Episode 18 – Synoptic Gospels (Background, Genre, Canon)" »

This episode is the first part of a series of lectures I gave for a course on Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels for Tyndale University College. This first lecture deals with the Jewish background to the Synoptic Gospels. While some of this material was given in our episode on Second Temple Judaism, it is worth ... Read More "Episode 17 – Synoptic Gospels (Jewish Background)" »

The family of Herod the Great weaved in and out of the story of the early church, including the lives of Jesus and Paul. But who were the Herods? What was so great about Herod the Great? And what was their relationship to the Romans? This episode looks at those questions as we examine Herod ... Read More "Episode 16 – Herod and Sons" »

Introduction Many children are looking forward to October 31. They enjoy dressing up as their favourite superhero or some other character, and even more the large amounts of sugary treats that they will consume. It is a great time for all. But this October 31 is much more significant than Halloween. Many people in the ... Read More "Episode 15 – Martin Luther Nailed It: A Reformation Day Ser...

Christianity didn’t emerge out of a vacuum. Although considered a separate religion now, it was originally a sect of Judaism. The culture in which it appeared is called Second Temple Judaism. In this episode, we look at some of the history of the Jewish world from the construction to the destruction of the second temple. ... Read More "Episode 14 – Second Temple Judaism" »

In this episode of the podcast, we have an interview with Dr. Mark Steinacher. Mark is an assistant professor of history at Tyndale University College. Mark shares with us how he came to be interested in history and offers some fascinating insights into the relevance of history for the church. Books mentioned in this episode:War, ... Read More "Episode 13 – Interview With A Historian: Mark S...

One of the interesting things about the Apostle Paul was his insistence on working with other Christian leaders. At one point Barnabas believed in Paul, and Paul went on to disciple Silas, Luke, Timothy and Titus. Paul understood that making of disciples of Jesus meant gathering his own disciples. This episode looks at these associates ... Read More "Episode 12 – Paul and Company" »

Much of our New Testament is made up of letters by the Apostle Paul. We are fortunate to have both an account of Paul’s ministry in Acts and letters by him. This episode puts the letters in their context, looking at some of the major themes. This episode also addresses the claim that a number ... Read More "Episode 11 – The Letters of Paul" »

In this episode, we look at the life of the Apostle Paul. We examine his beginnings in Tarsus as a faithful Jew to his death in Rome as a follower of Jesus.  

This episode of the History of Christianity asks the questions: 1) Was Jesus really the brother of Jesus and 2) Did he really write the epistle of James in the New Testament. This episode is based on the following blog posts: Recommended Book: The Brother of Jesus: The Dramatic Story & Meaning of the First ... Read More "Episode 9 – James: Brother and Author" »

In this eighth episode of the History of Christianity, we take a look at the three men that the Apostle Paul describes as the pillars of the church: Peter, James and John. For More Information: Find more episodes here.

In this seventh episode of the History of Christianity, we take a look at the beginnings of the church, starting with the day of Pentecost and going to the Jerusalem Council. For More Information: Find more episodes here. Recommended Book: <br />

In this sixth episode of the History of Christianity, we take a look at Jesus as he enters Jerusalem, is arrested and crucified. We also look at the resurrection and why historians should discuss it. For More Information: Did Jesus Ride Two Donkeys into Jerusalem? What the Romans Said About Crucifixion 5 Reasons Why the Resurrection of ... Read More "Episode 6 – Jesus: Crucifixion...