Pursuing Veritas

Reflections by Jacob J. Prahlow
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  • Thinking with the Early Middle Ages

    “When the thinker thinks rightly, he follows God step by step; he does not follow his own vain fallacy.”1 Studying the Middle Ages is a complex process, not only for the plethora of information one must process in order to have a halfway-informed perspective into the period, but also for the multitude of ways in…

  • Syrian Clothing Terminology and the Goal of the Christian Life

    The use of “clothing terminology” by early Christians offers an opportunity to investigate the development of an important theological metaphor, one that would become rife with Christological implications by the fourth century. While Paul certainly employed clothing imagery in several of his letters (one immediately thinks of Romans 13, 1 Corinthians 15, and Ephesians 6),…

  • ECA: Definitions

    This post is part of an ongoing series examining Early Christian Authority. The great Roman orator Marcus Tullius Cicero once said that “every argument about something which is rationally undertaken should proceed from a definition so that it is understood what is being disputed.”[1] The importance of clear definitions, however, has often been neglected by…

  • Five Things Everyone Should Know About the Bible

    The Christian Bible remains the most influential written work of Western Civilization, influencing language, government, economics, social groups, institutions, and culture. While many people own a Bible and some even read it on occasion, there are some things that you should know about the Bible that you might not have heard before. (1) The writings…

  • Book Review: Ancient Christian Worship (McGowan)

    There are few times in history so important and yet so obscure as the years following the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, when the movement bearing his name transformed from a band of several dozen followers hiding in terror into an international community that would shape the subsequent history of the world. Despite…

  • Recommended Readings: February 21-27

    If you read one article this week, make it Biblical Manuscripts and Their Commentaries by Daniel Wallace. If you have more time to read, consider engaging the suggestions below. As always, feel free to suggest any additional places I should be reading on a regular basis.

  • Conceptions of the Ultimate in Early Christianity

    This post is part of our ongoing series concerning “Conceptions of the Ultimate”, the manner in which various world religions understand the Divine. Today’s reflection engages Paula Fredriksen’s discussion of ultimate reality in early Christianity, found in Robert Cummings Neville’s Ultimate Realities. In this reflection, I want to touch on two facets of her essay:…

  • American Christianity and the Hell of Paradise Lost

    In at least some contemporary circles, the topic of the afterlife and Hell are hot topics (pardon the pun). This is especially true within numerous Christian communities as they react to the perspectives of various pastors and scholars on hell and the state on non-Christians after death. It seems safe to say that most Americans…

  • Thoughts on Reading the Bible

    Ten thoughts on reading the Bible: 1. Never read a Bible verse. Always read at least a paragraph, preferably more. Best is reading a whole book (more on that below). You can make any one verse mean any number of things, but considering the larger context of passage places that verse within a more meaningful…

  • Women and the Church? Reflections from Romans

    In addition to writing here, I also serve as Managing Editor at Conciliar Post, a website dedicated to faithful and serious thinking about important topics. One of the many things I enjoy about Conciliar Post are the monthly Round Table discussions, where several writers offer answers to a question about a contemporary cultural or theological…