191 – How Early Christian Writings Help Us Understand the Bible with Shirley Paulson

191 – Did you know there are around 100 early Christian writings but only 27 of them are included in the New Testament?

This week my guest is Shirley Paulson, founder and principal producer of Early Christian Texts, the Bible, and Beyond. 

We talked about how the early Christian writings, which aren't in the Bible, can help us understand the Bible better. They  give us a bigger picture of what was going on in the early Christian church.

 Shirley's academic work focuses on early Christian writings, and she discussed the Secret Revelation of John, a long text focused on the theology of healing.

Shirley emphasized the connection between healing and restoring the body and soul, which she sees as the essence of healing. We also talked about the concept of Gnosticism and how scholars have wrestled with ideas about Jesus, Christianity, and believing in God.

We covered lots of topics relating to these early non-canonical writings:

• Consolidation of power by the Roman Empire under Constantine's rule 
•  Development of the concept of heresy and exclusion of women, healers, and spiritual thinkers from positions of power 
• Formation of the Biblical canon and disagreement on which books should be included 
• Interests in reading various texts to  understand better early Christianity and Jesus' followers 
• The Secret Revelation of John, a long text focused on the theology of healing 
• Shirley's focus on healing practices and theology in early followers of Jesus 
• Gnosticism is not what you thought it was
• And so much more...

I learned that when the church became institutionalized, it tried to stamp out spiritual healing, the leadership of women in the church, and spiritually understanding your relationship with God. These three things were the biggest threat to the authority of the church institution.

One of the best books to start with is the Gospel of Mary.

Shirley has written a book exploring The Secret Revelation of John, which is really a guide to spiritual healing.

Sh

Text me your questions or comments.

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James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life.

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