that's why Jesus send blasphemous sect of church to crush constantinopel you saying gospel thomas is truth? how Jesus in in gospel of thomas saying he will change His mother to be a MEN in order her can entering heaven is this a doctrine of God????
The Texts are truly interesting subjects and particularly when observed, absent in bias, and compared to those that were compiled by Constatine and his Priests for the "Bible" × the edits they made + (the following edits, mistransulations, misinterpretations, Greek to Latin and Greek to English, old Hebrew to Greek, and so on) and then there's those "King's edits" and more) ...as some very much qualified for the Bible, by their Own Standards or said to be. The "Gospel of Thomas" comes to mind and it largely/fully Jesus/Yeshua. Delicious subject and truly mind expanding studies. Continue the journey with a mind "free of" blocks and the picture emerges. That is just so exciting! Note: the Text Revelations is one I refuse to read/watch content on, as (I have a concept that it was either created for the Fear Factor, or requires all the Texts to be understood first, and still likely has had edits). I remain uncertain that the Dead Sea Scrolls have been translated w/o edits, "Rockefeller Museum in Israel", I'm not as familiar with who is managing the "Nag Hamadi Library" Texts. The Gnostics have a far greater value than one would initially presume and "the History absolutely Matters". I would encourage consideration for "a study of the various early groups of Gnostic Christains sources of information", further, Akhenaten *was not mindlessly worshiping the Sun, the planet,* rather "he used it as Symbology" as One God, and from which all souls are of and from (the rays with hands). This causes me to pause and ask myself: (could Mainstream Archaeologists/Egyptologists actually be "minds that are fully boundaries by learned information and so highly fearful it impedes any natural Logic? But that's not how I ask myself, I really must admit, my lower mind 1st screams: "Are they that definitively Ignorant or stupid?" But we will keep that beyween us, lol. One can see that those whom bring truths, threatening the minds of greed and power, are targeted and removed. Maybe the Revelation will be truths emerging so rapidly that the Powers can not react quickly enough and this are Consumed by Truths and Harmony "is" hey, Thoughts create...! Finally, why did they, Constatine and Priests, pick Paul, when they could have selected James, brother of Yeshua? Answer: My Perspective is, *"Because James was more correct, had credibility, and very much identified with Judaism, but that did not work for a Religion of Rome, fully preoccupied with Power, Control, and inequality."* It would not serve their purpose.
Yes because it contradicts revelation and was written by gnostics. And since the Catholic church is ran by gnostics that makes sense. Also since the papacy is the biblical antichrist they would odviously hate revelation.
One note about genre: Apocalyptic doesn’t mean “end times”. It just means “uncovering” or “revelation”, like Paul’s story of the Road to Damascus (Paul uses the word in Gal 1:12 and Gal 2:2, same word as the first word in the book of Revelation). Apocalyptic texts are often ones with prophetic images and visions, and many are often interpreted as relating to end times, but they certainly don’t have to be about the end times.
Yes, in ancient greek the word didn't mean "end times" it just meant "uncovering", but the word is modern english, it's not ancient greek, and it is indeed used both by scholars and laypeople to talk about a kind of end of this world and usually the establishment of a new better world to replace it. That is how the term is actually used so no, you cannot explain away the modern english meaning of the word by it's ancient greek precursor.
@@stoferb876 of course that is the modern meaning of the word. But when studying biblical genres we should make sure to use the word in the same way Biblical Greek and the authors used it. Otherwise we are misrepresenting or misunderstanding them
Good point to remember. But would it be accurate that even in the ancient world the word was already attaining the connotations of "end times" despite the etymology's difference?
I love how the history of the canonization of the Bible and the books that didn’t make the cut is more complex and interesting than Dan Brown and other clickbait articles make it seem. Could you make a video on the epistle of Clement?
The analogy of members being stones of a tower (or building) is very inclusive. For example, some are ready to take their place in the Church. Others, need some more shaping to fit into the structure. Finally, some will be 'cast aside', not to be used as stones. However, limestone and marble (common building materials) were also BURNED! Turned into lime, which was the mortar between stones. So, after being rejected, burned (punished?/purified), they ALSO are a part of the finished construction. A building without mortar, will fail!
The failings of others can serve a purpose to educate and further strengthen the bonds between those of a collective group. An interesting reading of the metaphor!
@@kellydalstok8900 I believe the implication was that the "purification" part can be argued redundant, as it subjects people to suffering in vain since mortar is not strictly necessary.
Fun fact: the Shepherd has the oldest known (as far as I know) depiction of the white bridal dress in Christian weddings. More interesting is that it's wearer is the primordial spiritual Church that appears extensively in the Visions. I've always suspected that that imagery was inspired by Ephesians, which depicts the Christian Church as the Bride of Christ.
@@poetryflynn3712 True, but the conception of wearing a white dress as a bride, as well as the association between whiteness and purity, came from earlier (usually Christian) ideas.
White was worn by priestesses in Rome and Egypt as a symbol of purity. They used white marble in the same way. Christianity, like all religions and beliefs evolved from previous religions, myth and spiritual teachings. It's globally dynamic as symbolism goes.
Christians from different areas and cultures wore different types of dress during weddings. You're conflating modern dress from a specific culture with something entirely different. Very misleading.
Very ineresting! On the people anslaved by God part, it is actually still said in Greece/Cyprus. The Greek Orthodox Church often describes christians as Gods slaves and it is used to describe people that are pious
I refer to myself as a puppet, with the prescient visions and words that God spoke to my right ear from Heaven. When He said, you are Anchor, He showed me. Fortunately He has a sense of humor.
@@BOLOforJESUStheTRIBULTIONear I disagree. God has spoken to my right ear from Heaven 20 times since 8.4.2015. I recommend you read some professor Joseph Campbell. Man and Myth. He also did interviews with Bill Moyer. 11.11.2015 morning, Honolulu I woke up that morning and God spoke to my right ear from Heaven. He said, you are Rain. I walked out to the balcony and stretched my arms to the sky and said, it's time for a rainbow. Immediately a double rainbow appeared beside the building and reached out to the pacific ocean. 11.17.2015...Eveving...Eve/ Ewa Beach Waikiki, One of the things God told me I am is Anchor. One of the things God told me I am is Evergreen. He is my Rabbi. Lchaim from Jacova, born March 11th in a Bethlehem. God, Gott, Elohim Adonai Hashem told me to make Israel One.
@@BOLOforJESUStheTRIBULTIONear *_"...occult symbols in the background. ...the evil ones at every turn. Pyramids are a huge big sign of satanic symbols. We are on the cusp of the tribulation..."_* Why, that's just Crazy Talk, you lunatic, delusional doubloon! {:o:O:}
Fun story: I watched your video and asked my professor, Dr. Brandon Simonson at Boston University School of Theology, if I could use it for my paper... he recommended your channel. Seems you are popular around these parts. Do you recommend any particular scholar(ship)s on this topic? Thanks! Watching videos like your are part of the reason I ended up at BU!
Just watch out where you're posted as I've noticed some churches are less concerned about being spiritual shepherd's and are more concerned with getting mortal possessions. I don't think priests should live in dire poverty, but there's such a thing as too lavish. I just doubt the merit of their character, and I'm sure Jesus would have some choice words for these mega church owners buying private jets and mansions.
A decade ago I made the Sheperd part of my second canon which includes Enoch, Baruch, Barnabas, Clement and more. I printed all and attached them into a folder. I was Evangelical Christian at that time but couldn't fit in.
Studying Ancient History along with Religions has become my hobby and you are a wealth of knowledge of which I learn what is real truth. I can count on what you say to be the real deal and many thanks for all your work to bring us what is real~!👍👍
It is so good to see videos about stuff you never knew about in religion! Good job, RFB for making learning about religion so valuable since i never learned about this before!
I'm surprised you didn't mention the Muratorian fragment (c. AD 170). It says Hermas was the brother of the Roman bishop Pius, and by implication, composed between AD 140-154.
@@ikengaspirit3063 It is only gnostic if the Apocalypse of Peter mentioned in it is the same as the known Coptic Apocalypse of Peter found in the Nag Hammadi library. The Greek Apocalypse of Peter is not only not gnostic, it's the basis of the modern Christian view of the afterlife. Unfortunately we don't know for sure which one the Muratorian fragment refers to.
7:50 The classification as apocalyptic literature is appropriate. The genre is not explicitly about “end times” rather it means revealing. The Shepherd has a character escorted by an angelic being and being shown the heavenly perspective of events. It’s a peek behind the scenes so to speak. That is why it’s considered apocalyptic.
ffs i just wasted 15 mins looking into this because I forgot that barnabas !== barabbas...or maybe not wasted; that character (i'd imagine) provides a lot insight in to the socio-political and philosophical mindsets of the apocryphal writers incidentally it also is a good reminder why the pronunciation of jesus of nazareth's fixed the way it did- imagine spending half the gospel having to be like 'then he spoke to Josh....no not himself....no not Josh G either, i mean Josh T- you know, Josh T, the guy who was always doing that thing? Anyway so the messiah is dying he's talking to Josh B...no not Josh like himself, i mean the other josh who as it happened was being executed at the same time.' Fanfic explanation that Pilate was like 'look, I can consider freeing multiple people here, but for record-keeping purposes I'm afraid I can release only one Josh'. Then there was too much furore so he just made a selection based on alphabetical order.
I came here after hearing this book mentioned in another video and the story of Hermas seeing a woman bathing. Hermes from the Greek Pantheon if memory serves had a child with Venus whom was a hermaphrodite.
Never even heard of it. It seems so odd to realize something a lot of people thought was important for a movement is virtually unknown by modern adherents. It kinda reminds me of how young people post reaction videos to songs from the 70s, 80s, or even 90s.
Good example! Or the reception of the movie John Carter of Mars. Many consider it derivative when in fact it came out before the idea of superman and star wars.
2:54 I distinctly remember hearing the "The Tower" story in Sunday school. Except the "Stones" were bricks that were already shaped and would play chicken with a rock crusher.
Me too, l always think to the last verse in John and believe we are supposed to seek his word. I have been looking into all the gnostic teachings and texts, fascinating stuff.
@@xwhitetruthseekerx be carefull with those books everybook that is in the bible or is mentioned in it is the true word of god everything else cannot be considered valid!
I've once read in a Christian Newspaper that the qualification for a scripture to get into the Canon was the message of the pardoning of any truly repentant sinner and of the eternal salvation in Jesus Christ. According to your very interesting explanations the Shepherd of Hermas lacks exactly this.
@Michael Fox Yes it's probably the lack of apostolic connection which meant the book didn't make the canon. Being so long might not have helped either. It would have been weird to give this guy more space than St Paul.
Great video! So glad to know there are other religious scholars making great educational content for UA-cam! Happy to have caught this video early when it released. I’ll be sharing this with my class when we talk about Hermas!
Thank you for this church history lesson. As long as I’ve been a believer I’ve always wondered why some books never made it into the Canon and this video helps shed a lot of light on the book’s history and that question.
This video has me thinking of Voodoo and also the Ghost Dance. How do Oppressed people flip the script on a dominant culture? How do oppressed individuals empower themselves to resist? We see in Voodoo a threat, employing the fears of the dominant culture against itself. The Ghost Dance did this too. There’s a gangster rap responsive, reframing narrative. A story of the futility of the master sealing his fate with each crack of the lash. The evil he fears is himself and he can’t escape. His fate is sealed, while my destiny will triumph ultimately. For those interested, I recommend “God’s Red Son the Ghost Dance and the making of Modern America” by Louis Warren. Any recommendations on the cultural development of Voodoo?
You can check out my video on Haitian Vodou for a quick intro. More broadly: there are social-psychologists and anthropologists that theorize that "spirit possession" rituals are common among marginalized people groups as practitioners (the ones being possessed) take on a new, powerful identity outside the usual social norms. Being possessed or "mounted" by spirits called lwa is a central ritual of Haitian Vodou.
@@BOLOforJESUStheTRIBULTIONear Viewers of religion for Breakfast appreciate the scholarship. The host organizes information to present complex history with clarity. This channel is an excellent secular resource. Your reference to occult symbols, the Good Book, Tribulation and evil doers signal that you have strong beliefs in the Supernatural. I don’t share your convictions, but it angers me when thieves take advantage of people on line. People with Strong beliefs can be exploited by wolves in sheep’s clothing because it reveals their confidence and vulnerabilities (like Goliath). As you know, The Good Shepherd doesn’t need your credit card number or personal information, so he won’t ask for those things. Thanks for the heads up Rhee, we all need to be critical thinkers, good advice.
All I know about voodoo is that it created my favorite "jive" and "swagger" character, Baron Semadi. I may have misspelled his last name as I easily blur the lines between the real character in myth with the fictitious character from Warcraft known as 'Bwon Samdi' who is essentially the same character from my uninformed perspective. Warcraft Trolls are seemingly a direct copy of voodoo culture so if you like one you should like the other. This has been Lucas here for another biased self insert of my own interests at an ungodly hour.
Very informative video. Perhaps a video on a list of all the books that were at least under consideration to become part of the Bible would be great. It could be helpful for people to know what books didn't besides only what books did make it into the Bible.
What I really like about these videos is the message that they convey about how everything changes over time whether it be people, languages, or religions. And just as religions change over time so to do their perspectives on what should be considered Canon as well their views on ethics, culture, society and humanity's role in the cosmos. The greatest mistake we often tend to make is assume that a religion's views are set in stone from day one and that how a religion feels about a particular topic in today's modern world is not only how it has always felt about said topic but how it will always feel about said topic.
Foundationally is pretty obvious that religions are based on mystical experiences, that's really the only way for people to claim or to believe that they have acquired knowledge of cosmology-theology, typically in the form of revelations from gods but not necessarily always, *but* , there are branches of religions that rejected at least some mystical experiences (typically those that were about acquiring knowledge). You can see people discussing the topic of mysticism very negatively in 18th and 19th century sources, and really, mysticism had not a very good image for most people (Christians) at that time. They essentially rejected the idea that people could acquire knowledge via mystical experiences; revelations were something that happened to chosen people mostly only in Biblical times. It fits with the Enlightment's conception of religion that heavily downplayed things seeing as "superstititous" like miracles; and mysticism is not even empirical testable, which meant that they probably were making stuff up and many were in fact "hereticals". Precisely because of that, people valued studying the sources and natural theology in favor of "subjective experiences". There are also mystical experiences like contemplative prayer, which is particularly relevant in Orthodox Christianity, that are about "feeling the divine". Those were also rejected by many protestants. Apart, mysticism is very prominent in Sufist Islam for example.
Great content! Fascinating history of this book that I wasn’t aware of. I can see why it might have been so popular with early christians but without mentioning Jesus I guess it was an reasonable editorial decision not to include it in canon. Thanks!
If your interested in the shepherd of hermas I've uploaded it on my channel I also upload other scriptures banned from the bible and other ancient religions
I thought the "shoulder angel/shoulder devil" derived from the ancient Greek agathos daimon and cacodaimon. Maybe the Shepherd of Hermas is the missing link?
The idea of the Angel of Righteousness and the Angel of Wickedness remind me a lot of the Jewish idea of the Yetzer Hara and Yetzer Tov, especially the Kabbalistic interpretation of that idea.
Love the haircut. I've never heard of this codex, and I wish you'd gone more in depth in what it claimed to preach about being a good Christian. I also wonder if the author(s) had any sense of its impact on the Chrisitan community when it was written. AND I'm curious as to how the angels mentioned in it rank/fit in with the other angels/archangels that are talked about in Christian theology.
Excellent! Bravo! Never could understand why this book, which had very little overt references to the New Testament, was so well received by early Christians. Possibly because of its early dating.
It's because for all its faults the Shepherd of Hermas is still the most concise description of how to live a Christian life (according to Hermas, other denominations may disagree). It's basically the blueprint.
In comparing remaining papyri you should consider the length of the work. SoH is much longer than any NT book. Also it has much better textual support.
Thanks for this helpful video. I had to go reread the book which I haven’t bothered with in decades. Yep, I remember why, now. It’s going back on the shelf. RE: “Book of Eldad and Modat” at 6.03 Actually: Shep 7.4 ὡς γέγραπται ἐν τῷ Ἐλδὰδ καὶ Μωδάτ, τοῖς προφητεύσασιν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τῷ λαῷ This verse doesn’t actually have “book” (Βίβλος) written, so it might be saying, “As written in the [account] of Eldad and Medad, those who were prophesying in the wilderness to the people.” Compare the LXX Num 11.27 Ελδαδ καὶ Μωδαδ προφητεύουσιν ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ.
I think there are many religion scholars who think Islam was either started by or heavily consisted of members from a splinter sect (or sects) of Christianity that was considered “heretical” by the wider Christian world
Yeah and the phrase also appears several times in the Bible, most notably Paul's letters where he will either call himself a slave of Christ or of God, and will call others slaves of Christ or God as compliments of their faithfulness.
@@johnkeefer8760 Muslims believe that Islam is basically a continuation of the work of Moses and Jesus. Late sixth century pagan Arabs were well acquainted with Christianity and Judaism and pagan Arabs actually endorsed the belief that they were descendants of Abraham through Ishmael
I love that statue of emperor Constantine because it looks like he's rolling his eyes. Either the artist made a minor mistake or had an excellent sense of humor.
As I recall, aren't the Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus believed to have been among the Bibles requisitioned by Emperor Constantine I after Nicaea I?
Could be. According to Diarmaid MacChulloch author of the History of Christianity, Constantine commissioned fifty copies of the Bible from Eusebius of Cesarea and proposes it's possible that the Codexes are both survivors from this gift.
The Shepherd sounds sort of like the Book of Job. It’s outside of the prophetic, apostolic lineage, but fully supports the pilgrim’s process, thus it would have been relegated eventually to the apocryphal arena, since the Formalizing Church was more concerned with its own Religious Authority and Centralization of Ecclesiastical Power and influence. What would be your recommendation on a well done transcript for this text, please?
So to my knowledge like the church tradition believe this was written by one of the early converts. I think he was a brother of Clements of Rome. But because that could never be verified fully Fuller as great of a spiritual book as it was. And trust me I'm Eastern orthodox practicing and and we read this. My priest actually has a reading class where we go through this. Because it is very spiritual helpful but also gives you an insight of how in the inside of how the church was working through the holy tradition.
The Muratorian Fragment, that's roughly contemporary to the Sheperd (it states the Sheperd had been written by the brother of Pope Pius I, and so it could not be considered canonical, as it was too recent) already estabilished a canon that's practically the modern one. The deciding factor was the age of the texts that had to be included. Not first century material=not canon (roughly obviously, since modern dating had yet to be invented).
I grew up going to a Presbyterian family and for good friday we did a play told from the perspective of a sheperd, probably not directly hermas, but it sounds similar to the play
Very interesting here that the stereotype of the "devil on your shoulder' was originally written as another angel. Maybe because later folks thought that was too manipulative for a good guy angel to be seen doing and so changed them into a creature with a clearer negative connotation?
one other reason it got rejected was its similarity to Islam, in fact you can look up the Migration to Abyssinia (modern day Ethiopia) and see how Muslims and Ethiopians agreed back then that jesus was just a messenger of god, they had a lot in common, i have always heard those stories when i was a child but i didnt know that this book existed, this book just confirmed all stories my grandparents used to tell me 25 years ago
A video on how idols were made would be neat. What were the rules on who could make an idol? Were there any rituals that had to be followed to ensure that the spirit of the god resided in the idol? Etc.
That's way too wide a subject. Take the Elagabalus stone mentioned in the Sol Invictus video. This particular object of worship was both the god and the idol of the god El Gabal. To its worshippers there was no such thing as "the spirit of god" in the stone. The stone WAS the god. This was how most people in the Fertile Crescent originally viewed their gods. That's why you get Assyrian and Babylonian kings saying that they'd taken the gods of their conquered peoples from their temples. Not the idol or the spirit of god; THE GOD. The idol was the god. Now go to the Indian subcontinent and look at the still very vibrant industry of making idols for worship. Back in the 2010s the biggest idols on the block were RGB Ganesh statues made in China. I kid you not. Indians actually bought these items and used them in their home shrines. Obviously the path by which the stone of El Gabal became the god must have been literally worlds apart from how RGB Ganesh became an idol. How do you make a video about that?
@@andrewsuryali8540 In addition to this you also have to contend with the theology of "animist" religions throughout the Americas, Africa, and parts of Asia where everyday objects (human made or not) were often contended to have "spirits" or be "gods" in some fashion. This whole idea of "idols" as a category has honestly been too tainted by Abrahamic bias. Jews, Christians, and Muslims applied a broad definition of "idolatry" to every other belief system they encountered around the world without giving any care to understanding the theological underpinnings of these practices, and how they differed from one another.
Why do I feel like I remember someone telling me this story as a very small child? It's one of those incredibly old memories where you can't even pinpoint the timeline and where you can't even tell if it's a real memory unless someone else confirms it to be one... Like a fairytale told to me only once by my mother when I wasn't even old enough to crawl.
@@brucedressel8873 Fables are about animals, a more accurate picture or what you are describing is a myth. Also it is important to remember that myths are not stories that are not untrue, rather they are tales that don't fit neatly into the historical record that serve as a foundation for a culture. Furthermore when studying objectively such labels breed bias.
Hello Dr. Henry, the video was amazing, as usual. I have a request and didn’t know how to reach you so here goes nothing. I’m Armenian, and am an atheist, but am very much involved with religious and historic discourse and wanted to ask if there is any way you could do a video on the christian history of Armenia. I tried doing my own research and fell short, this and talking to a local historian and priest is my last hope. Thank you so much❤️
Great exposition on a gospel that was eventually booted out of the Christian Bible for (a) not mentioning Christ at all, and (b) being a little too lenient.
@Denmark Empire Catholicism falls apart without Christ immediately. Are you a protestant? It seems like you are just trying to call catholicism "unchristian" without explicitly saying it. No other church understands and needs the incarnation of God so deeply. Protestants don't get the incarnation, but they really get some parts of the resurrection.
It’s in a book called the writings of the desert fathers Just as a historical piece of literature is fascinating What is should have been or was edited to fit into the Bible is a never ending debate I view most biblical literature as just that literature of a time.
Sometimes i imagine alternate versions of the bible being discovered. Like hypothetically what if they dug up in the tarim basin and found a kushan language bible from 456 that had all of the new testament and the 3 enochs but was missing Ruth Esther Hosea Lamentations Ezra Nehemiah Joel Obadiah Amos Nahum Micah Zephaniah Haggai malachai And the catholic and orthodox deuterocanon
We still read this story in the Orthodox Church. It's not canon, but it's not forbidden. It is considered "good for reading" and is categorized as an ethical work rather than a theological one. ☦
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that's why Jesus send blasphemous sect of church to crush constantinopel
you saying gospel thomas is truth?
how Jesus in in gospel of thomas saying he will change His mother to be a MEN in order her can entering heaven
is this a doctrine of God????
@@endtimeslips4660 hes a gnostic. Any Christian who reads it will see its comical nonsense. Literary garbage. Not Satans best work.
The Texts are truly interesting subjects and particularly when observed, absent in bias, and compared to those that were compiled by Constatine and his Priests for the "Bible" × the edits they made + (the following edits, mistransulations, misinterpretations, Greek to Latin and Greek to English, old Hebrew to Greek, and so on) and then there's those "King's edits" and more)
...as some very much qualified for the Bible, by their Own Standards or said to be.
The "Gospel of Thomas" comes to mind and it largely/fully Jesus/Yeshua.
Delicious subject and truly mind expanding studies.
Continue the journey with a mind "free of" blocks and the picture emerges.
That is just so exciting!
Note: the Text Revelations is one I refuse to read/watch content on, as (I have a concept that it was either created for the Fear Factor, or requires all the Texts to be understood first, and still likely has had edits).
I remain uncertain that the Dead Sea Scrolls have been translated w/o edits, "Rockefeller Museum in Israel", I'm not as familiar with who is managing the "Nag Hamadi Library" Texts.
The Gnostics have a far greater value than one would initially presume and "the History absolutely Matters".
I would encourage consideration for "a study of the various early groups of Gnostic Christains sources of information", further, Akhenaten *was not mindlessly worshiping the Sun, the planet,* rather "he used it as Symbology" as One God, and from which all souls are of and from (the rays with hands). This causes me to pause and ask myself: (could Mainstream Archaeologists/Egyptologists actually be "minds that are fully boundaries by learned information and so highly fearful it impedes any natural Logic? But that's not how I ask myself, I really must admit, my lower mind 1st screams: "Are they that definitively Ignorant or stupid?" But we will keep that beyween us, lol.
One can see that those whom bring truths, threatening the minds of greed and power, are targeted and removed. Maybe the Revelation will be truths emerging so rapidly that the Powers can not react quickly enough and this are Consumed by Truths and Harmony "is" hey, Thoughts create...!
Finally, why did they, Constatine and Priests, pick Paul, when they could have selected James, brother of Yeshua?
Answer: My Perspective is, *"Because James was more correct, had credibility, and very much identified with Judaism, but that did not work for a Religion of Rome, fully preoccupied with Power, Control, and inequality."*
It would not serve their purpose.
Aaa;
"by the shepherd of hermas" is my new exclamation whenever something shocking happens
Roman Catholic Church considers Hermas as part of the “holy tradition” and it is included in Church Fathers book collections
Yes. Unfortunately they also still consider the Epistle of Barnabas part of the same tradition. They just don't talk about it.
Same with the Orthodox Church.
Yes because it contradicts revelation and was written by gnostics. And since the Catholic church is ran by gnostics that makes sense. Also since the papacy is the biblical antichrist they would odviously hate revelation.
@@LadyMaria the orthodox church is controlled by Rome.
@@andrewsuryali8540 yes and the corrupted manuscripts that contain these books are the only ones that the apostate churches use for modern bibles.
One note about genre: Apocalyptic doesn’t mean “end times”. It just means “uncovering” or “revelation”, like Paul’s story of the Road to Damascus (Paul uses the word in Gal 1:12 and Gal 2:2, same word as the first word in the book of Revelation). Apocalyptic texts are often ones with prophetic images and visions, and many are often interpreted as relating to end times, but they certainly don’t have to be about the end times.
In Greek the Book of Revelation is actually called the Apocalypse of John (Αποκάλυψις Ιωάννου)
Good observation, that's something I knew but didn't remember.
Yes, in ancient greek the word didn't mean "end times" it just meant "uncovering", but the word is modern english, it's not ancient greek, and it is indeed used both by scholars and laypeople to talk about a kind of end of this world and usually the establishment of a new better world to replace it. That is how the term is actually used so no, you cannot explain away the modern english meaning of the word by it's ancient greek precursor.
@@stoferb876 of course that is the modern meaning of the word. But when studying biblical genres we should make sure to use the word in the same way Biblical Greek and the authors used it. Otherwise we are misrepresenting or misunderstanding them
Good point to remember. But would it be accurate that even in the ancient world the word was already attaining the connotations of "end times" despite the etymology's difference?
I love how the history of the canonization of the Bible and the books that didn’t make the cut is more complex and interesting than Dan Brown and other clickbait articles make it seem.
Could you make a video on the epistle of Clement?
.... " SIMON COWELL"-ESQ... OOOH!… The Thought... 😂
The analogy of members being stones of a tower (or building) is very inclusive. For example, some are ready to take their place in the Church. Others, need some more shaping to fit into the structure. Finally, some will be 'cast aside', not to be used as stones. However, limestone and marble (common building materials) were also BURNED! Turned into lime, which was the mortar between stones. So, after being rejected, burned (punished?/purified), they ALSO are a part of the finished construction. A building without mortar, will fail!
The failings of others can serve a purpose to educate and further strengthen the bonds between those of a collective group. An interesting reading of the metaphor!
Hmm an interesting insight🙌
If I'm not mistaken, the Incas didn't use mortar. Interesting idea, though.
@@runningtraveler1193 It is true the Incas didn’t use mortar. The book, however, was written in the Eastern Mediterranean area.
@@kellydalstok8900 I believe the implication was that the "purification" part can be argued redundant, as it subjects people to suffering in vain since mortar is not strictly necessary.
I had no idea that this book existed and I've been a Christian my entire life. Thank you, Andrew!!!
Christian teachers are either ignorant or actively lying and deceiving you, so they won't tell you this sort of thing.
Fun fact: the Shepherd has the oldest known (as far as I know) depiction of the white bridal dress in Christian weddings. More interesting is that it's wearer is the primordial spiritual Church that appears extensively in the Visions.
I've always suspected that that imagery was inspired by Ephesians, which depicts the Christian Church as the Bride of Christ.
@@poetryflynn3712 True, but the conception of wearing a white dress as a bride, as well as the association between whiteness and purity, came from earlier (usually Christian) ideas.
White was worn by priestesses in Rome and Egypt as a symbol of purity. They used white marble in the same way. Christianity, like all religions and beliefs evolved from previous religions, myth and spiritual teachings. It's globally dynamic as symbolism goes.
Christians from different areas and cultures wore different types of dress during weddings. You're conflating modern dress from a specific culture with something entirely different. Very misleading.
Jesus, the first to be married to the church!
@@danielpaulson8838 Romans wore yellow as bridal dresses, and marble statues were fully painted
Very ineresting! On the people anslaved by God part, it is actually still said in Greece/Cyprus. The Greek Orthodox Church often describes christians as Gods slaves and it is used to describe people that are pious
Yes, very Islamic... (look up the meaning of Islam/Muslim)
Is this really that different from the standard “servant of god” thing though?
I refer to myself as a puppet,
with the prescient visions and words that God spoke to my right ear from Heaven.
When He said, you are Anchor, He showed me. Fortunately He has a sense of humor.
@@BOLOforJESUStheTRIBULTIONear I disagree. God has spoken to my right ear from Heaven 20 times since 8.4.2015.
I recommend you read some professor Joseph Campbell. Man and Myth. He also did interviews with Bill Moyer.
11.11.2015 morning, Honolulu
I woke up that morning and God spoke to my right ear from Heaven. He said, you are Rain. I walked out to the balcony and stretched my arms to the sky and said, it's time for a rainbow. Immediately a double rainbow appeared beside the building and reached out to the pacific ocean.
11.17.2015...Eveving...Eve/ Ewa Beach Waikiki, One of the things God told me I am is Anchor.
One of the things God told me I am is Evergreen. He is my Rabbi. Lchaim from Jacova, born March 11th in a Bethlehem.
God, Gott, Elohim Adonai Hashem told me to make Israel One.
@@BOLOforJESUStheTRIBULTIONear Schizopost moment
Doing a lot of religious studies courses this year so thanks for the inspiration! Love these videos!!
@@BOLOforJESUStheTRIBULTIONear
*_"...occult symbols in the background. ...the evil ones at every turn. Pyramids are a huge big sign of satanic symbols. We are on the cusp of the tribulation..."_*
Why, that's just Crazy Talk, you lunatic, delusional doubloon!
{:o:O:}
@@ansfridaeyowulfsdottir8095 because hes a Catholic deciever.
Yo, Haedox is studying religion! Glad to see you bouncing back.
Weird seeing you here, God bless, I noticed the cross on your last video!
@@johnsherfey3675 Yes he is a Christian!
I saw the Codex Sinaiticus at the British Library, was really amazing to see it "in person."
Amazing fake piece of fraudulent garbage.
This is bar none, the best academic religious channel there is. I so appreciate your content. Thank you
Ya for heathens.
@@brucedressel8873 If you're looking for material on Heathens, you might wanna look at Jackson Crawford's channel.
@@brucedressel8873 Yeap The guy rejected the book of Enoch . he is no different for Jerome
bro do u even The modern Hermeticist or ESOTERICA?
I like the replies from the idiots. I watch many different sources. bro. We live in a world of infants in control.
Fun story: I watched your video and asked my professor, Dr. Brandon Simonson at Boston University School of Theology, if I could use it for my paper... he recommended your channel. Seems you are popular around these parts. Do you recommend any particular scholar(ship)s on this topic?
Thanks! Watching videos like your are part of the reason I ended up at BU!
Just watch out where you're posted as I've noticed some churches are less concerned about being spiritual shepherd's and are more concerned with getting mortal possessions. I don't think priests should live in dire poverty, but there's such a thing as too lavish. I just doubt the merit of their character, and I'm sure Jesus would have some choice words for these mega church owners buying private jets and mansions.
What is a BU?
@@edwinholcombe2741 Boston University I assume
So glad to have caught this fresh off the presses, at night here in the Philippines! Always wondered what this book was actually about.
Uy kabayan!
Subukan mo hanapin yung Apostolic Fathers ni Michael Holmes sa z-lib.
Eyy kababayan
Mga kabayan!
Hello po te ano po fb mo. God fearing po ako
A decade ago I made the Sheperd part of my second canon which includes Enoch, Baruch, Barnabas, Clement and more. I printed all and attached them into a folder.
I was Evangelical Christian at that time but couldn't fit in.
What are you now?
@@realtalk6195 Human, mortal, frail, sinful etc.
I think most of us here can relate to that, we don’t seem to fit in 😊
Nice, what are your Canons in order?
Enoch is not cannon at all complete blasphemy! Not even written by Enoch either
Studying Ancient History along with Religions has become my hobby and you are a wealth of knowledge of which I learn what is real truth. I can count on what you say to be the real deal and many thanks for all your work to bring us what is real~!👍👍
I've been loving the more obscure (?) topics and texts you've been covering in your videos lately. Great work as always.
It is so good to see videos about stuff you never knew about in religion! Good job, RFB for making learning about religion so valuable since i never learned about this before!
I'm surprised you didn't mention the Muratorian fragment (c. AD 170). It says Hermas was the brother of the Roman bishop Pius, and by implication, composed between AD 140-154.
This speaker has often left out important information, in maybe all of the videos of his I watched (at least 3, I think).
@@stephendevore LINK TO THOSE OTHER ONES
Its not that old but even if it was it wouldnt matter. Its gnostic not Christian. It contradicts revelation 100%.
@@joshportie what about it is gnostic?
@@ikengaspirit3063 It is only gnostic if the Apocalypse of Peter mentioned in it is the same as the known Coptic Apocalypse of Peter found in the Nag Hammadi library. The Greek Apocalypse of Peter is not only not gnostic, it's the basis of the modern Christian view of the afterlife. Unfortunately we don't know for sure which one the Muratorian fragment refers to.
The Shepherd and the Didache are my favorite early bodies of work.
Same, I also love 1 Clement
I've been subscribed for years..and watched you and this channel grow Andrew...thank you for all your work ..and continue to progress..
7:50 The classification as apocalyptic literature is appropriate. The genre is not explicitly about “end times” rather it means revealing. The Shepherd has a character escorted by an angelic being and being shown the heavenly perspective of events. It’s a peek behind the scenes so to speak. That is why it’s considered apocalyptic.
Could you also cover the other extra book in the Codex Sinaiticus, the Epistle of Barnabas?
Otherwise known as the "uh oh, we don't like to talk about the existence of this book" epistle.
ffs i just wasted 15 mins looking into this because I forgot that barnabas !== barabbas...or maybe not wasted; that character (i'd imagine) provides a lot insight in to the socio-political and philosophical mindsets of the apocryphal writers
incidentally it also is a good reminder why the pronunciation of jesus of nazareth's fixed the way it did- imagine spending half the gospel having to be like 'then he spoke to Josh....no not himself....no not Josh G either, i mean Josh T- you know, Josh T, the guy who was always doing that thing? Anyway so the messiah is dying he's talking to Josh B...no not Josh like himself, i mean the other josh who as it happened was being executed at the same time.'
Fanfic explanation that Pilate was like 'look, I can consider freeing multiple people here, but for record-keeping purposes I'm afraid I can release only one Josh'. Then there was too much furore so he just made a selection based on alphabetical order.
It the more anti semitic text of the early chistianity
@@Bruhver And what they did is not accept this new religion-in-the-forming.
@@andrewsuryali8540 Wdym? The Epistle of Barnabas is pretty mainstream for Christians interested in the pre-Nicene period, at least in my experience.
I requested this video! I don't think this actually has anything to do with my request but, still excited.
Its interesting that the shepherd in this book has a name very similar to the greek god of shepherds Hermes.
Hermes appears in many religion. In Greece as Hermes, and in Egypt as Hermes Trimegulus (“Thrice Great Hermes”).
I came here after hearing this book mentioned in another video and the story of Hermas seeing a woman bathing. Hermes from the Greek Pantheon if memory serves had a child with Venus whom was a hermaphrodite.
Never even heard of it. It seems so odd to realize something a lot of people thought was important for a movement is virtually unknown by modern adherents. It kinda reminds me of how young people post reaction videos to songs from the 70s, 80s, or even 90s.
Good example! Or the reception of the movie John Carter of Mars. Many consider it derivative when in fact it came out before the idea of superman and star wars.
Wow, the fact that this book is so long makes it even more impressive that we found a complete copy of it!
Thank you for posting this. Very well done.
What a fascinating text! Thank you for making this more widely known
2:54 I distinctly remember hearing the "The Tower" story in Sunday school. Except the "Stones" were bricks that were already shaped and would play chicken with a rock crusher.
What denomination of church did you attend Sunday school?
Early Christian literature that lacks a clear defined connection to earlier Judaic practices is incredibly fascinating
I LOVE researching all the texts not included in the NT or OT. They always have weird powerful teachings
Me too, l always think to the last verse in John and believe we are supposed to seek his word. I have been looking into all the gnostic teachings and texts, fascinating stuff.
@@xwhitetruthseekerx be carefull with those books
everybook that is in the bible or is mentioned in it is the true word of god
everything else cannot be considered valid!
@@lonnkon canonised by man.
Thanks for the videos they're so amazing
Gives me new insight on Bob Marley's "stone that the builder refuse".
It might not get as much hip attention now because the text doesn't overturn or challenge traditional Christian orthodoxy in any way.
I've once read in a Christian Newspaper that the qualification for a scripture to get into the Canon was the message of the pardoning of any truly repentant sinner and of the eternal salvation in Jesus Christ. According to your very interesting explanations the Shepherd of Hermas lacks exactly this.
@Michael Fox
Yes it's probably the lack of apostolic connection which meant the book didn't make the canon.
Being so long might not have helped either.
It would have been weird to give this guy more space than St Paul.
Great video! So glad to know there are other religious scholars making great educational content for UA-cam! Happy to have caught this video early when it released. I’ll be sharing this with my class when we talk about Hermas!
Would love an episode on that other book you mentioned, the Epistle of Barnabas
He isn't putting out these amazing videos now.
Sooooo glad you mentioned Simonides!! Such a weird and fascinating character! Great video overall
love and appreciate your work, man 🙏
It's interesting that your video popped into my feed after I was looking at illuminated manuscript art. Too cool.
Thank you for this church history lesson. As long as I’ve been a believer I’ve always wondered why some books never made it into the Canon and this video helps shed a lot of light on the book’s history and that question.
I didn't know a book like this existed. Great video, very interesting! 👍
This video has me thinking of Voodoo and also the Ghost Dance. How do Oppressed people flip the script on a dominant culture? How do oppressed individuals empower themselves to resist? We see in Voodoo a threat, employing the fears of the dominant culture against itself. The Ghost Dance did this too. There’s a gangster rap responsive, reframing narrative. A story of the futility of the master sealing his fate with each crack of the lash. The evil he fears is himself and he can’t escape. His fate is sealed, while my destiny will triumph ultimately. For those interested, I recommend “God’s Red Son the Ghost Dance and the making of Modern America”
by Louis Warren. Any recommendations on the cultural development of Voodoo?
You can check out my video on Haitian Vodou for a quick intro. More broadly: there are social-psychologists and anthropologists that theorize that "spirit possession" rituals are common among marginalized people groups as practitioners (the ones being possessed) take on a new, powerful identity outside the usual social norms. Being possessed or "mounted" by spirits called lwa is a central ritual of Haitian Vodou.
@@BOLOforJESUStheTRIBULTIONear Viewers of religion for Breakfast appreciate the scholarship. The host organizes information to present complex history with clarity. This channel is an excellent secular resource. Your reference to occult symbols, the Good Book, Tribulation and evil doers signal that you have strong beliefs in the Supernatural. I don’t share your convictions, but it angers me when thieves take advantage of people on line. People with Strong beliefs can be exploited by wolves in sheep’s clothing because it reveals their confidence and vulnerabilities (like Goliath). As you know, The Good Shepherd doesn’t need your credit card number or personal information, so he won’t ask for those things. Thanks for the heads up Rhee, we all need to be critical thinkers, good advice.
All I know about voodoo is that it created my favorite "jive" and "swagger" character, Baron Semadi. I may have misspelled his last name as I easily blur the lines between the real character in myth with the fictitious character from Warcraft known as 'Bwon Samdi' who is essentially the same character from my uninformed perspective. Warcraft Trolls are seemingly a direct copy of voodoo culture so if you like one you should like the other.
This has been Lucas here for another biased self insert of my own interests at an ungodly hour.
Another great video, thank you for all your hard work!
At 13:58 to 14:15 you clearly explained why this scripture (Sheperd of Hermas) was left out of the Bible👍👍
@@BOLOforJESUStheTRIBULTIONear You're seeing devils everywhere and places that they aren't.
@@BOLOforJESUStheTRIBULTIONear You're a misguided fool. Begone and trouble people no further.
This is a wonderful presentation of this text! Very well done!
@@BOLOforJESUStheTRIBULTIONear You're seeing devils everywhere and places that they aren't.
Thank you,Dr.Henry. Great information here.
Very informative video. Perhaps a video on a list of all the books that were at least under consideration to become part of the Bible would be great. It could be helpful for people to know what books didn't besides only what books did make it into the Bible.
What I really like about these videos is the message that they convey about how everything changes over time whether it be people, languages, or religions. And just as religions change over time so to do their perspectives on what should be considered Canon as well their views on ethics, culture, society and humanity's role in the cosmos. The greatest mistake we often tend to make is assume that a religion's views are set in stone from day one and that how a religion feels about a particular topic in today's modern world is not only how it has always felt about said topic but how it will always feel about said topic.
Very, very good piece. Also, excellent photography!
An unrelated topic
I have noticed that major religions of the world have a common element of mysticism
Is is the strand that connects all religions
Foundationally is pretty obvious that religions are based on mystical experiences, that's really the only way for people to claim or to believe that they have acquired knowledge of cosmology-theology, typically in the form of revelations from gods but not necessarily always, *but* , there are branches of religions that rejected at least some mystical experiences (typically those that were about acquiring knowledge).
You can see people discussing the topic of mysticism very negatively in 18th and 19th century sources, and really, mysticism had not a very good image for most people (Christians) at that time. They essentially rejected the idea that people could acquire knowledge via mystical experiences; revelations were something that happened to chosen people mostly only in Biblical times. It fits with the Enlightment's conception of religion that heavily downplayed things seeing as "superstititous" like miracles; and mysticism is not even empirical testable, which meant that they probably were making stuff up and many were in fact "hereticals".
Precisely because of that, people valued studying the sources and natural theology in favor of "subjective experiences".
There are also mystical experiences like contemplative prayer, which is particularly relevant in Orthodox Christianity, that are about "feeling the divine". Those were also rejected by many protestants. Apart, mysticism is very prominent in Sufist Islam for example.
Your videos are amazing, mate.
Great content! Fascinating history of this book that I wasn’t aware of. I can see why it might have been so popular with early christians but without mentioning Jesus I guess it was an reasonable editorial decision not to include it in canon. Thanks!
Thanks for all you do.
If your interested in the shepherd of hermas I've uploaded it on my channel I also upload other scriptures banned from the bible and other ancient religions
I thought the "shoulder angel/shoulder devil" derived from the ancient Greek agathos daimon and cacodaimon. Maybe the Shepherd of Hermas is the missing link?
The term "those enslaved to God" doesn't seem strange, it's a term still used at least in Greek Orthodoxy.
The idea of the Angel of Righteousness and the Angel of Wickedness remind me a lot of the Jewish idea of the Yetzer Hara and Yetzer Tov, especially the Kabbalistic interpretation of that idea.
Definitely some new information on Hermes. Great video Brother 👍👍😎🤟🤟♒️
Love the haircut. I've never heard of this codex, and I wish you'd gone more in depth in what it claimed to preach about being a good Christian. I also wonder if the author(s) had any sense of its impact on the Chrisitan community when it was written. AND I'm curious as to how the angels mentioned in it rank/fit in with the other angels/archangels that are talked about in Christian theology.
Love the haircut?
@@charliebrown5755 The commenter likes his haircut
Another fantastic entry, Dr. Henry! 😁
Excellent! Bravo! Never could understand why this book, which had very little overt references to the New Testament, was so well received by early Christians. Possibly because of its early dating.
It's because for all its faults the Shepherd of Hermas is still the most concise description of how to live a Christian life (according to Hermas, other denominations may disagree). It's basically the blueprint.
I mean, look how popular books by Charles Spurgen are still today… I imagine this may have been one of the first massive biblical lifestyle hit.
Quite fascinating. Good video, thanks
In comparing remaining papyri you should consider the length of the work. SoH is much longer than any NT book. Also it has much better textual support.
Thanks for this helpful video.
I had to go reread the book which I haven’t bothered with in decades. Yep, I remember why, now. It’s going back on the shelf.
RE: “Book of Eldad and Modat” at 6.03
Actually:
Shep 7.4
ὡς γέγραπται ἐν τῷ Ἐλδὰδ καὶ Μωδάτ, τοῖς προφητεύσασιν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τῷ λαῷ
This verse doesn’t actually have “book” (Βίβλος) written, so it might be saying,
“As written in the [account] of Eldad and Medad, those who were prophesying in the wilderness to the people.”
Compare the LXX Num 11.27
Ελδαδ καὶ Μωδαδ προφητεύουσιν ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ.
Regarding the "People enslaved to God" statement, it is interesting to point out that Muslims continue to refer to themselves as God's slaves.
I think there are many religion scholars who think Islam was either started by or heavily consisted of members from a splinter sect (or sects) of Christianity that was considered “heretical” by the wider Christian world
It is actually still used in the Greek world as well
Yeah and the phrase also appears several times in the Bible, most notably Paul's letters where he will either call himself a slave of Christ or of God, and will call others slaves of Christ or God as compliments of their faithfulness.
@@johnkeefer8760 I find this interesting, where can I find more information about this
@@johnkeefer8760 Muslims believe that Islam is basically a continuation of the work of Moses and Jesus. Late sixth century pagan Arabs were well acquainted with Christianity and Judaism and pagan Arabs actually endorsed the belief that they were descendants of Abraham through Ishmael
*It's a great book. Highly recommended.*
I love that statue of emperor Constantine because it looks like he's rolling his eyes.
Either the artist made a minor mistake or had an excellent sense of humor.
As I recall, aren't the Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus believed to have been among the Bibles requisitioned by Emperor Constantine I after Nicaea I?
They date to Constantine's reign, so the connection to him is plausible but speculative.
Could be. According to Diarmaid MacChulloch author of the History of Christianity, Constantine commissioned fifty copies of the Bible from Eusebius of Cesarea and proposes it's possible that the Codexes are both survivors from this gift.
@@ReligionForBreakfast please do on hindu extremism
“One who is enslaved to God” sounds an awful lot like the etymology behind the word Muslim.
Muslim means “The Submitted Ones” literally
Early Christians also frequently referred to themselves as “slaves of Jesus Christ”
The Shepherd sounds sort of like the Book of Job. It’s outside of the prophetic, apostolic lineage, but fully supports the pilgrim’s process, thus it would have been relegated eventually to the apocryphal arena, since the Formalizing Church was more concerned with its own Religious Authority and Centralization of Ecclesiastical Power and influence.
What would be your recommendation on a well done transcript for this text, please?
So to my knowledge like the church tradition believe this was written by one of the early converts. I think he was a brother of Clements of Rome. But because that could never be verified fully Fuller as great of a spiritual book as it was. And trust me I'm Eastern orthodox practicing and and we read this. My priest actually has a reading class where we go through this. Because it is very spiritual helpful but also gives you an insight of how in the inside of how the church was working through the holy tradition.
The Muratorian Fragment, that's roughly contemporary to the Sheperd (it states the Sheperd had been written by the brother of Pope Pius I, and so it could not be considered canonical, as it was too recent) already estabilished a canon that's practically the modern one. The deciding factor was the age of the texts that had to be included. Not first century material=not canon (roughly obviously, since modern dating had yet to be invented).
I grew up going to a Presbyterian family and for good friday we did a play told from the perspective of a sheperd, probably not directly hermas, but it sounds similar to the play
Very interesting here that the stereotype of the "devil on your shoulder' was originally written as another angel. Maybe because later folks thought that was too manipulative for a good guy angel to be seen doing and so changed them into a creature with a clearer negative connotation?
Excellent lecture! Thanks Andrew
Fantastic video! Thank you
Thanks for the explanation of this book.
you have a wonderful channel with some wonderful stuff, mate.
one other reason it got rejected was its similarity to Islam,
in fact you can look up the Migration to Abyssinia (modern day Ethiopia) and see how Muslims and Ethiopians agreed back then that jesus was just a messenger of god, they had a lot in common, i have always heard those stories when i was a child but i didnt know that this book existed, this book just confirmed all stories my grandparents used to tell me 25 years ago
The book was rejected before Muhammed was even born. The Christian Canon was already set up by about the 4th century.
Thanks for these excellent videos!
A video on how idols were made would be neat. What were the rules on who could make an idol? Were there any rituals that had to be followed to ensure that the spirit of the god resided in the idol? Etc.
That's way too wide a subject. Take the Elagabalus stone mentioned in the Sol Invictus video. This particular object of worship was both the god and the idol of the god El Gabal. To its worshippers there was no such thing as "the spirit of god" in the stone. The stone WAS the god. This was how most people in the Fertile Crescent originally viewed their gods. That's why you get Assyrian and Babylonian kings saying that they'd taken the gods of their conquered peoples from their temples. Not the idol or the spirit of god; THE GOD. The idol was the god. Now go to the Indian subcontinent and look at the still very vibrant industry of making idols for worship. Back in the 2010s the biggest idols on the block were RGB Ganesh statues made in China. I kid you not. Indians actually bought these items and used them in their home shrines. Obviously the path by which the stone of El Gabal became the god must have been literally worlds apart from how RGB Ganesh became an idol. How do you make a video about that?
@@andrewsuryali8540 In addition to this you also have to contend with the theology of "animist" religions throughout the Americas, Africa, and parts of Asia where everyday objects (human made or not) were often contended to have "spirits" or be "gods" in some fashion. This whole idea of "idols" as a category has honestly been too tainted by Abrahamic bias. Jews, Christians, and Muslims applied a broad definition of "idolatry" to every other belief system they encountered around the world without giving any care to understanding the theological underpinnings of these practices, and how they differed from one another.
Why do I feel like I remember someone telling me this story as a very small child? It's one of those incredibly old memories where you can't even pinpoint the timeline and where you can't even tell if it's a real memory unless someone else confirms it to be one... Like a fairytale told to me only once by my mother when I wasn't even old enough to crawl.
excellent and balanced scholarship.
Great video. Thank you.
I love when you talk about non canonical books
aka fables
@@brucedressel8873 Fables are about animals, a more accurate picture or what you are describing is a myth. Also it is important to remember that myths are not stories that are not untrue, rather they are tales that don't fit neatly into the historical record that serve as a foundation for a culture. Furthermore when studying objectively such labels breed bias.
@@brucedressel8873 - The Church Fathers will be distressed to read your comment calling the canon "fables". More power to you!
Great video, thanks!
Hello Dr. Henry, the video was amazing, as usual. I have a request and didn’t know how to reach you so here goes nothing. I’m Armenian, and am an atheist, but am very much involved with religious and historic discourse and wanted to ask if there is any way you could do a video on the christian history of Armenia. I tried doing my own research and fell short, this and talking to a local historian and priest is my last hope. Thank you so much❤️
Great exposition on a gospel that was eventually booted out of the Christian Bible for (a) not mentioning Christ at all, and (b) being a little too lenient.
@Denmark Empire Catholicism falls apart without Christ immediately. Are you a protestant? It seems like you are just trying to call catholicism "unchristian" without explicitly saying it. No other church understands and needs the incarnation of God so deeply. Protestants don't get the incarnation, but they really get some parts of the resurrection.
It’s in a book called the writings of the desert fathers
Just as a historical piece of literature is fascinating
What is should have been or was edited to fit into the Bible is a never ending debate
I view most biblical literature as just that literature of a time.
Great presentation :)
Sometimes i imagine alternate versions of the bible being discovered.
Like hypothetically what if they dug up in the tarim basin and found a kushan language bible from 456 that had all of the new testament and the 3 enochs but was missing
Ruth
Esther
Hosea
Lamentations
Ezra
Nehemiah
Joel
Obadiah
Amos
Nahum
Micah
Zephaniah
Haggai
malachai
And the catholic and orthodox deuterocanon
Thank you for your work! 🌹
The imagery of believers used as “living stones” in 1Peter is definitely echoed here.
We still read this story in the Orthodox Church. It's not canon, but it's not forbidden. It is considered "good for reading" and is categorized as an ethical work rather than a theological one. ☦
Absolutely fascinating!
I'd love to see you chat more on Mythvision Podcast with other scholars overall
Always interesting.
And informative.
Thank you
Peace 💕🇺🇲
I wonder if the copying of the text went like this:
"Crap I ran out of paper!"
"Here grab that land contract, there is space in the back!"
Read your comment under the Trey the Explainer's video a year ago. Was wondering when you would tackle the Shepherd of Hermas.
Great stuff!
... Jolly Good Listening As An Educational and Historical Audiobook... No 'Bumpf' to Speak Of... Cheers Alot From 🏴🖖🤓