Was Jesus of Nazareth a real historical person or a fictional character in a religious legend? What do the Dead Sea Scrolls reveal about the origins of Christianity? Has there been a conspiracy to suppress information in the Scrolls that contradicts traditional church teaching? This book addresses these and many other questions.
Deceit and Ambition in Catholic Reformation Lisbon
No Saints tells a story of the Catholic Reformation from an unexpected vantage point. Instead of saints, it follows frauds, abusers, and opportunists whose lives-preserved in trial records and Inquisition casefiles-offer a different view of religious reform in the late sixteenth century. Set in Lisbon, one of the largest and most dynamic cities ......
The Quest for Episcopal Authority in Medieval Iberia
As Western Christendom expanded dramatically along its frontiers in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, Church leaders debated how to organize and administer newly captured diocesan lands. These questions were especially pressing in the Iberian Peninsula, where conquests ushered in piecemeal, multidimensional processes of consolidation and ......
Spectacle, Dress, and Appearance in Ancient Christian Martyr Texts
In the second and third centuries, Christian martyr narratives were written to evoke spectacle. In Dying in Style, James Petitfils demonstrates how these accounts transform scenes of suffering into displays that assert the dignity and ethical distinction of Christians during a time of widespread belittlement and persecution. Attending to ......
Spectacle, Dress, and Appearance in Ancient Christian Martyr Texts
In the second and third centuries, Christian martyr narratives were written to evoke spectacle. In Dying in Style, James Petitfils demonstrates how these accounts transform scenes of suffering into displays that assert the dignity and ethical distinction of Christians during a time of widespread belittlement and persecution. Attending to ......
The Wittenberg Circle and the Reformation of Christian Life
The Protestant Reformation brought significant changes to the shape of Christian life. Worship, preaching, catechesis, and prayer all changed enormously; a renewed focus on engaging the Bible took the place of other devotional acts; and schools and charitable institutions were reshaped and expanded. The Wittenberg theologians helped instill these ......
Theological Generosity in Black Pentecostal Thought
Pentecostalism is often characterized as either an ecstatic movement, centrally involving speaking in tongues, healing, and prophecy, or an exclusivist one, aligned with North American white evangelicalism. Yet there is a vibrant Black Pentecostal tradition stretching back more than a century that is both theologically complex and deeply grounded ......
Theological Generosity in Black Pentecostal Thought
Pentecostalism is often characterized as either an ecstatic movement, centrally involving speaking in tongues, healing, and prophecy, or an exclusivist one, aligned with North American white evangelicalism. Yet there is a vibrant Black Pentecostal tradition stretching back more than a century that is both theologically complex and deeply grounded ......
