The twelfth and thirteenth centuries saw the development both of active, widespread movements that challenged the official theology and hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church, and the development of an apparatus, the Inquisition, to systematically identify and extirpate heretical communities. The earliest sect to pose such a challenge was that variously called the Cathars, Albigensians,… Continue reading →
For the Good Christians the role of genealogy isn’t a validation of the pope lineage or the apostolic succession the Church claims to have. In the minds of the Good Christians, according to Eberwin’s interpretation, the lineage cannot be passed down or even passed onto someone else because it has been corrupted. The Good Christians… Continue reading →
The main beliefs of the Good Christians, as described by Eberwin that the group of people practiced were, to follow in Christ’s footsteps, to imitate the apostolic lifestyle, forget earthly things, have no ties (to wander in a sense), not drink milk (which is very interesting to me; I wonder why they had a think… Continue reading →
In the late 1100’s Peter Waldes had a transformation of thought and belief. He was a rich man, and it is assumed that he acquired his wealth though “wicked practice of lending interest.” He heard someone singing about St. Alexius, who had given up his wealth to live the life of a beggar and in… Continue reading →
The Gospel of Thomas is one of the most disputed and discussed book that is not in the current canonical Bible. It is theorized that this Gospel was written by Jesus’ twin brother. The book records 114 unique and secret teachings. There are many things that are different from the Gospels to the Gospel of… Continue reading →
The Gospel of Thomas offers us 114 sayings of Jesus. Unlike other texts, it provides us with no context. These sayings are written in a sort of list format, one coming directly after another. Often there is no similar theme to tie one to the next. At first these sayings appear to be peculiar and… Continue reading →
One strong connection between the Gospel of Thomas and Greek philosophy is dualism. Greek thinkers divided the world into polar opposites: good/bad, spiritual/physical, light/dark. This dualism can be seen in the Gospel of Thomas when Jesus says that “On the day when you were one, you became two. But now that you are two, what… Continue reading →
In reading the Gospel of Thomas, we can see something that is truly unique and different from the other, more well-known gospels that we are used to reading. The writer of the Gospel of Thomas didn’t include miracles or even the death and resurrection of Jesus; the author only included parables and sayings! An example… Continue reading →
