On several occasions, we have examined aspects of the ancient city of Philippi in northern Greece. We have noted its connection with St. Paul, including archaeological evidence for women’s involvement in pagan cults and Roman religion as the early Jesus movement was growing, and we noted how women may have carved the unique rock reliefs […]
Valerie Abrahamsen
Christian Practices and Their Indebtedness to the Goddesses and Gods of Antiquity, Part I: Sunday Liturgies
As we have noted on several occasions, Western civilization as we know it emerged in a polytheistic (multi-deity) environment from the earliest times. The beginnings of the West as we know it today can be traced to the Middle East. The Jewish man Jesus of Nazareth lived from about 4 BCE (Before the Common Era) […]
Nurses, Ancient Goddesses and Healing: Reclaiming the Power of the Feminine Principle
Introduction Nurses throughout the United States, and indeed throughout the world, have been on the front line of care during the pandemic. They are among the heroes in our communities, but we know that they are facing severe challenges as individuals and as a profession. There has been a nursing shortage for years, and that […]
The Women of Romans 16
In several previous posts, we have looked briefly at the women around St. Paul and his great respect for them (The Trials and Tribulations of Translating Scripture 2; Ancient Corinth II; and Paul’s Female Colleagues). Here we will examine the women of Romans 16 in more depth (the full text of verses 1-23 are copied […]
Offering Hope in the Easter Season: Posts on the Resurrection and the Afterlife
We have discussed the afterlife and related issues, from the perspective of paranormal research, on a number of occasions. These are related to the Christian concept of the resurrection – at least in the sense that Christians’ belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ promises hope of our own eternal life with God after we […]
The Legend of Abgar and Jesus, Part II: The Philippian Correspondence
In Part I, we presented an overview of the legendary correspondence between King Abgar of Edessa and Jesus, noting its popularity and how it was preserved in both literary and archaeological sources. Here we will look specifically at the archaeological sample found at Philippi in northern Greece. As we have noted elsewhere, Philippi is important […]
The Legend of Abgar and Jesus, Part I: Introduction
Sometime in antiquity, a story developed that King Abgar V of Edessa, a Syrian city located in Mesopotamia, became ill, perhaps with leprosy, and wrote to Jesus of Nazareth to ask for a cure. In the correspondence, Abgar invited Jesus to come to Edessa to escape persecution. Jesus, according to the legend, replied in writing, […]
Reincarnation and Karma: Valuable Concepts for Religion Professionals (and the Rest of Us)
In the New (Christian) Testament parable of the wheat and the weeds, which we explored a few years ago, we noted that the doctrine of reincarnation and its cognate, karma (the law of cause and effect), appear to have been perniciously eradicated from Christian belief and dogma, leaving Christianity and thus the West, from at […]
The Women Artisans of Philippi
The rock reliefs carved on the acropolis hill at Philippi in northern Greece are a unique archaeological artifact that raise a number of important questions for the history of Christianity, the role of women in the church (and hence the West) and the legacy of St. Paul. The reliefs – which depict primarily the goddess […]
Valuing Silence in a Noisy World^
In June 2016, we explored the lives of the Sisters of St. Margaret, an Episcopal order of sisters based in Duxbury, Massachusetts. During this current season of staying at home – for longer periods of time than most of us ever imagined – much has been written about silence, isolation, loneliness, and other results of […]