Archaeology Brings Us Closer to John’s Context

It has been assumed for years by leading NT scholars that the oldest archaeological artifacts that can be traced back to early Christians were produced after AD 180 [Graydon F. Snyder, Ante Pacem: Archaeological Evidence of Church Life Before Constantine, rev. ed. 2003].  Therefore, many do not know that it is time to abandon that … Continue reading Archaeology Brings Us Closer to John’s Context

Tested in Smyrna

The church at Smyrna is the only congregation where John mentions imprisonment for believers.  To be sure, the imprisonment of believers is not only associated in the New Testament with saints who live in Roman Asia.  In Acts (5:21-23; 16:23; 23:18), Hebrews (10:34; 13:3), and the Pauline letters, the Apostles (2 Cor. 6:5; 11:23), Pauline … Continue reading Tested in Smyrna