A Virtual File Cabinet for Our Studies of Christian Origins & Hebraic Faith
This post is ChatGPT’s 1000-word summary of Robin Gallaher Branch’s article, “Who Was Phoebe? A Closer Look at Paul’s Trusted Patron and Emissary.” published by BAS on 2/26/2026. The full article is in his directory in Dropbox. His article examines Romans 16:1–2 to reassess Phoebe’s status in the early Christian movement. Branch argues that Phoebe […]
Continue ReadingThe outline covers 13 chronological events spanning from the giving of the Law at Sinai through the composition of the gospels after 70 CE. Each entry identifies the key figures, describes what happened, and explicitly notes how it connects to the events immediately before and after it in Fredriksen’s argument. The narrative chain Fredriksen is […]
Continue ReadingThis post contains the conversation at BSA titled “Jesus sacrifice” started on 2/23/26 by Kimberly Callaway, but first here is an extract from a Bart response to a question. “Technically, if God releases a person from the consequences of their sin based on the death of Jesus he is not “forgiving” (foregoing payment or penalty) […]
Continue ReadingThis post contains most of an interesting thread, started on 2/8/2026, by non-scholars at BSA titled Equality In The Kingdom. All emphasis is mine. John R.‘s Original Post — In his letter to the Galatians, Paul writes, “There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer […]
Continue ReadingBart Ehrman published his responses to four questions from different readers in a post titled “Important Questions About Matthew and Paul” on January 20, 2026. Below is Claude.ai’s summary of the four questions and responses. The four are:
Continue ReadingThis post contains eight ChatGPT Prompts and Responses about Robyn Faith Walsh’s very interesting article about Paul’s references to heaven that are mistranslated as “heaven” but should be “starry heaven”; thereby obscuring his true meaning and leading the reader to the later theological views. The article is in her directory in DropBox and at Harvard […]
Continue ReadingPosted 1/4/2025 – In Paula Fredrikson’s YouTube video “When Does Christianity Begin…” during the Q&A a young lady asked Paula if she understood correctly what Paula was saying about Paul being a Judaizer. Paula’s response to the audience began forcefully that the young lady made “a very rich comment” The gist of the question was […]
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT on 1/4/2026 and below that are extracts from a good BAR article. Prompt: When did Saul become Paul in the New Testament? In the New Testament, Saul does not undergo a formal “name change” moment like Abram→Abraham. Instead, the shift from Saul to Paul happens quietly and narratively in the book of Acts. […]
Continue ReadingBelow are extracts from The First Paul: Reclaiming the Radical Visionary Behind the Church’s Conservative Icon, Kindle Edition by Marcus J. Borg (Author), John Dominic Crossan (Author). HISTORICAL CONTEXT Our second foundational concept is also shared in common with mainstream scholarship. It is the basis of all historical study of ancient texts, namely, the importance of setting texts within historical […]
Continue ReadingFrom ChatGPT on 12/13/2025. Below is a James vs. Paul timeline with a third column for Peter as a mediating figure, extracted from the historical framework and chronology used by Dr. James Tabor in “The Jewish World of John, Jesus, and James the Just” . The focus is where James and Paul overlap in time […]
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