Pursuing Veritas

Reflections by Jacob J. Prahlow
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  • A (Free) College Education for Everyone?

    This article originally appeared at Conciliar Post. You may have heard that last week President Obama announced an initiative to provide “free” community college education for qualifying students, tentatively defined as those maintaining a “C” average in school. As noted several months ago here at Conciliar Post, the status quo of the American education system…

  • The Long Loneliness

    Dorothy Day’s autobiography, The Long Loneliness, offers numerous insights into the life story of one of the 20th century’s greatest American Catholics and the experiences and thinking behind her journalistic and social work. While Day stood outside the traditional bounds of American Catholicism, her commitment to journalistic excellence and learning, social poverty, and a re-thought…

  • Book Review: Fortress Commentary on the Bible: The New Testament

    There is no shortage of literature available on the Christian New Testament. Whether you peruse Amazon or wander through your local bookstore, there is no denying that scholars, pastors, and writers aplenty have published their thoughts on the history and meaning of the New Testament. How do we make sense of all this literature? One…

  • Recommended Readings: January 10-16

    If you read one article this week, make it Owning Our Baptism by George Weigel. For those of you with a bit more time on your hands, consider perusing the suggestions below from this past week. As always, if you think there’s something I should be reading, please let me know in the comments section…

  • The Importance of Narrative in the Axial Age

    This post is the first in a series of reflections concerning “Conceptions of the Ultimate”, the ways in which various world religions conceive of and interpret the Ultimate Being of the cosmos. In today’s reflection I consider some of the implications of the “Axial Age”, a term first coined by Karl Jaspers to designate the…

  • Stride Toward Freedom

    “To deprive man of freedom is to relegate him to the status of a thing, rather than elevate him to the status of a person.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stands apart in American History as a figure of seminal importance. His contributions to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s and 60’s were virtually…

  • ECA: Shepherd of Hermas

    This post is part of our ongoing series examining Early Christian Authority. Even after nearly 2000 years, the Shepherd of Hermas remains an intriguing set of apocalyptic writings from the early Church. The central concern of Hermas revolves around post-baptismal sin: What can Christians do if they have fallen into sin after their baptism? In…

  • Reflections on Beginning Anew (Semester)

    For as far back as I can remember, the New Year has been something forth looking forward too. In the lull that follows the festivities and joy of Christmas (seeing old friends, eating too much good food, sharing gifts with family), having something to look forward to helps quite the spirit. “New” is invigorating –…

  • Book Review: Galilee in the Late Second Temple and Mishnaic Periods (Ed. Fiensy and Strange)

    A longstanding problem for those attempting to study early Christianity involves the obscurity of the first centuries of the Common Era. Though nearly constantly reflected upon and studied since those years faded into the past, there remain numerous gaps in our understanding of the world and context of Jesus and his earliest followers. Unfortunately, this…

  • Recommended Readings: January 3-9

    If you read one article this week, make it The Gospel According to Steve Martin by Mark Shea. If you have time to peruse additional readings, consider the follow selections. As always, if you think there’s anything I should have read this past week (or should be reading regularly), please let me know in the…