In Luke 24:47 the KJV says "repentance AND remission of sins," whereas most modern versions like the ESV and the NASB say "repentance FOR remission of sins." While this may seem like a small difference, it can have deep implications for how we understand Biblical doctrines of salvation. But before we can discuss the theological…
I recently finished reading Jesus' Bible: A Concise History of the Hebrew Scriptures by Christopher Dost. The book is a small one (less than 120 pages if you don't count the preface or the bibliography) but it is packed with information, especially for those of us who know more about the Greek New Testament than we…
Sometimes little words can carry big distinctions. Both words are only a few letters long, and they even share a common letter, but there is a world of difference between my wife and your wife! Confuse the two at your own risk. Little differences like this become even more important when we attempt to study God's word.…
For the first phase of the MVC Project, we learned the script of SIU's copy of the Meditationes Vitae Christi manuscript and compared the manuscript to the published scholarly edition of the text, noting any differences. Now we are on to the second phase of our task. SIU's copy of the MVC is unique, but not simply…
Currently in my work with the MVC Project, I have been examining the manuscript for textual variants by comparing the SIUC copy of the manuscript against the critical edition. Up until fairly recently, the differences that I have found have been small: changing word order in a way that doesn't affect translation, omitting or adding…
With Christmas coming quick, I wanted to share the Christmas story as it is beautifully told in the Meditationes Vitae Christi. If you don't know what the MVC is, or you aren't aware of my research with a newly discovered MVC manuscript at Southern Illinois University, go back and read about it some time. For now, just enjoy the…
Mark 16 is one of the most awesome chapters in the entire New Testament. It tells us how Jesus rose from the dead (v.1-8), and how he appeared to Mary Magdalene and a couple other disciples (9-13). It tells us how he commissioned his apostles to preach the gospel and baptize (14-16), and how the…
Lately I have been participating in an undergraduate research project at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. We are examining a late 14th/early 15th century copy of Meditationes Vitae Christi (Meditations on the Life of Christ). The Meditationes Vitae Christi (MVC) was written in Latin around 1365-1390 AD by Johannes de Caulibus, but it was formerly attributed to St.…
I noticed something the other day as I was studying. One day Jesus' disciples tried to cast out a devil but couldn't. After Jesus had successfully cast the devil out, the disciples asked him why they were unable to. In Mark 9:29 Jesus gave them the answer: "And he said unto them, This kind can…
Lectionary 