Curated Video
Episode 1: Christian Origins & Early Church Schisms | Christian Denominations Family Tree Series
Episode 1: Christian Origins & Early Church Schisms | Christian Denominations Family Tree Series
Curated Video
Who Wrote the Bible? Episode 5: The Gospels
Who Wrote the Bible? Episode 5: The Gospels
Religion for Breakfast
Coptic: The Final Ancient Egyptian Language
00:00 Intro 00:52 Phases of the Egyptian Language 2:19 Dialects of Coptic 4:36 Origins of Coptic Script 7:55 Genres of Coptic Lit 12:22 Later History
Religion for Breakfast
The Valentinians: Ancient Christian Gnostics?
Valentinianism was a prominent variety of early Christianity starting in the 2nd century CE. Some call it a form of Gnosticism. But what is Valentinianism all about?
Religion for Breakfast
The Origins of the Jesus Fish
In this episode we examine the topic: The Origins of the Jesus Fish
Religion for Breakfast
Saturnalia Explained
What is Saturnalia? You may have heard of this Roman holiday, but the details are scant and fragmentary from Roman sources. This video explains what we know about Saturnalia and whether or not it influenced the institution of Christmas.
Religion for Breakfast
Gospel of Judas: What Does It Really Say?
The Gospel of Judas caused a huge stir when National Geographic published it back in 2006. But to this day, misconceptions about this text abound. Who wrote this text? And what does it really say?
Religion for Breakfast
How Star Wars Explains the New Testament Canon
The development of the New Testament canon was fraught with debates. But it is hard to imagine why the formation of a canon caused so much controversy. Looking at modern fandoms, we can catch a glimpse at what is at stake when you...
Religion for Breakfast
The Gnostic Gospels: Were They Illegal?
A common theory is that the Nag Hammadi Library, a collection of Gnostic texts, were an illegal stash of books hidden from Orthodox Christian authorities. But recent scholarship has called this theory into question. Were the Gnostic...
Religion for Breakfast
How Did the Nicene Creed Form?
How Did the Nicene Creed Form? This famous statement of Christian orthodoxy is recited all over the world today. But it was actually composed in the 4th century during a theological controversy. What was this controversy? And what can it...
Religion for Breakfast
"Orthodoxy" versus "Heresy" in Ancient Christianity
You might have heard about the bunches of heresies that popped up in the early centuries of Christianity. But historians don't generally like using the term "heresy" to describe these groups. Is there a more historically neutral way to...
Religion for Breakfast
The Reason Why They Gave Jesus a Beard
Why do depictions of Jesus always seem to portray him with long hair and a full beard? The reason stretches back to the earliest centuries of Christianity. The first images of Jesus actually depict him as beardless, but by the 4th...
Religion for Breakfast
Did Emperor Decius Target Christians?
In the mid-3rd century CE, Emperor Decius ordered that everyone in the Roman Empire is to offer a sacrifice to the Roman gods. This caused a controversy among Christian communities as bunches of Christians refused to sacrifice and ended...
Step Back History
What is the Gnostic Religion?
Long-buried secret books of the Bible. A good an evil god. A Gospel of Judas. These are all parts of a mysterious early branch of sects in Christianity called the Gnostics. Who were these people? What did they believe? And why did it...
Religion for Breakfast
Gospel of Thomas: Why Is It Not In the Bible?
The Gospel of Thomas. It is a famous text, but what do we really know about it? And why didn't it make it into the New Testament canon?
Religion for Breakfast
When Did Christianity and Judaism Part Ways?
In this episode we examine the topic: When Did Christianity and Judaism Part Ways?
Religion for Breakfast
The Conversion of Constantine: What Really Happened?
Emperor Constantine the Great famously converted to Christianity in the early 4th century CE. But how did this happen? What did Constantine really believe?