In 2015 the Office of Art and Archives focused on adding more art and archival content to the History, Art & Archives website (http://history.house.gov/). The website is a collaborative effort: curators and archivists in the Office of Art and Archives and Office of the Historian staff work on and contribute content. The Office of Art and Archives…[Read more]

This is the new and final version of the book, Performing Prowess: Essays on Localized Hindu Elements in Southeast Asian Art from Past to Present. It explores Hindu elements which have been localized in Southeast Asian art and culture from the ancient to contemporary periods.

This research it isn’t confined to António Joaquim Padrão (c. 1730-71) – marginal personality in the portuguese capital artistic scene, yet with a independent workshop operating in the city during the third quarter of the eighteenth century, working has a painter and engraver – historical-biographical reconstruction, nor to his artistic corpu…[Read more]

In the history of old Romanian painting, the icon of Saint John the Baptist with scenes from his life from Budești‑Josani occupies a very important place due to its exceptional artistic quality, as well as the Slavonic inscription with the master’s signature and date. The inscription, in a very poor state of preservation, has already been part…[Read more]

This study identified the icon of Virgin Moscovita and the icon of the Holy Mandylion, described in Konstantinos Dapontes’ writings, with the icon of the Virgin and the icon of the Holy Mandylion preserved in his family monastery Evangelistria in Skopelos island. We can now retrace the “biography”of these two artefacts, the history of their creat…[Read more]

La découverte d’une inscription slavonne dans le narthex de l’église du monastère de Râmeț (comté d’Alba) en 1966, sa relecture avec des moyens techniques spéciaux en 1978 et sa publication officielle en 1985 ont porté à l’attention des historiens le nom du peintre (Mihul du Criș-Blanc), le nom de l’évêque fondateur (archevêque Gélase),…[Read more]

A short peer-reviewed essay exploring my pedagogical approach at teaching a required Introduction to New Testament course for students at a Criminal Justice program. It outlines creative ways to engage students in biblical material by focusing attention on those aspects of it that directly relate to the legal profession and sensibility.

Our earliest Christian sources suggest that it was common for Christian communities in the first and second century to disregard or ignore statements by Jesus that were perceived to be problematic, even at times claiming they originated with their enemies. This paper turns attention to this early Christian phenomenon of rejecting Jesus’ sayings, e…[Read more]

An article that explores the theology of Sabbath keeping, and the biblical arguments for when God wishes his laws to be violated. A theology of the Sabbath, if it is to serve God’s desire in Scripture, must focus on the why of Sabbath, not the when. It cannot rely on arguments from authority or the Law as a cheap excuse for not engaging in a…[Read more]

A survey of Adventist church statements regarding church policy in the North American Division and World Church regarding Climate Change. It will be argued that unlike other policies the Adventist church supports, its statements on Climate Change lack the typical biblical support common for other initiatives and indicates a lack of spiritual…[Read more]

The passage of Genesis 22 is reviewed and examined through four interpretive lenses: Narrative Criticism, Canonical Criticism, Historical Criticism, and a Hermeneutic of Confrontation. After reviewing extensively the history of child sacrifice in Ancient Israel, the argument of Omri Boehm’s reconstructed text (lacking the angelic speeches), and…[Read more]

This short-form article explores the various presentations of “the Middle” within Valentinian authored documents (the Gospel of Truth and Gospel of Philip) and sources which report about the Valentinians (Irenaeus and his report about Ptolemy’s theology). It suggests underscores the deep distinctions each view has and suggests that these may be…[Read more]

Discussions about the history of the reception of the Apocrypha within Protestantism are often mired by blanket negative presumptions that differ markedly from the actual beliefs attested to in available historical sources. This chapter seeks to rectify such historical misrepresentations by presenting an initial attempt to summarize the entire…[Read more]

This essay seeks to introduce briefly the background and idea of what can be called a confrontational approach to theology. It will begin by outlining the biblical background of this often-ignored portrait and then will proceed to outline how this theological approach can breathe new life into various approaches toward God.

In this chapter, a biblical overview of the topic of doubt is provided, focused on the Gospel accounts. A theological argument is made for the necessity and contribution of doubt toward the process of faith.

The book deals with the wide background and context of early Christianity. Particularly, it highlights the rise of Jewish national identity and the influence of the Essene Yahad, seeing the New Testament in the light of cultural conditioning and regarding as central the divinization doctrine. in the last section it delves into doubt, faith, and mysticism.

A fresh attempt to explain the suicide of Judas and the death of Ananias and Sapphira as imagined consequences of an allegedly deadly excommunication.

A summary and review of a creative and neutral approach to teaching the Documentary Hypothesis to undergraduate students.

According to popular scholarly consensus, the role of the classical prophets ceased following the rebuilding of Jerusalem during the Second Temple period. This paper will attempt to propose an explanation of 1 Maccabees’ comments about the cessation of prophecy by undertaking a careful and broad examination of the dynamics involved in the Hebrew B…[Read more]