What books are you currently reading?

[Matthias]

I picked up another one (book, not bookshelf) yesterday that I hope to read soon -

Jesus After The Gospels: The Christ of the Second Century, written by Robert M. Grant.

My reading / rereading of the Church Fathers has largely been concentrated for the past year on writers in the 3rd century. I need to get back to the 2nd century writers.

 

[Mr E]

View attachment 31837

I picked up another one (book, not bookshelf) yesterday that I hope to read soon -

Jesus After The Gospels: The Christ of the Second Century, written by Robert M. Grant.

My reading / rereading of the Church Fathers has largely been concentrated for the past year on writers in the 3rd century. I need to get back to the 2nd century writers.

 

[Matthias]

I’m still engaged in reading other people’s mail - The Epistles of Cyprian. 55 completed, 27 to go.

Has anyone else on this forum read them?

 

[Matthias]

 

[Michiah-Imla]

2 Chronicles 10/Acts 12

51% of Bible completed (day 59)

 

[Matthias]

2 Chronicles 10/Acts 12

51% of Bible completed (day 59)

Go, man. Go!

I thought about you when I read this -

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1653361693135872005

 

[Matthias]

I’ll get to some of them after I finish reading the Epistles of Cyprian. (67 down, 15 to go.)

 

[Matthias]

I’ve completed reading the Epistles of Cyprian. It was well worth the time invested.

Change of plan. I’ve begun reading today The Seventh Council of Carthage Under Cyprian. It’s short. I’ll reassess my reading plans after I complete it. (It’s true, it’s true. I’ll do almost anything to stave off reading more of Origen; but I will eventually get back to him.)

 

[Matthias]

There yet remains many writings of Cyprian for me to read and / or re-read. Even so, I’m going to set his writings aside for a while and give myself time to digest what I’ve been reading from his hand, and from the hands of those who wrote to him.

Goodbye (for now), 3rd century. Hello (for now), 2nd century.

I’m currently reading Jesus After The Gospels: The Christ of the Second Century, written by Robert M. Grant. An overview of Christian thought and writers from the 2nd century.

Is anyone on the forum currently reading any of the 2nd century Christian writings?

 

[Matthias]

 

[Matthias]

Grant’s overview of 2nd century Christianity completed, I’m currently reading The Shepherd of Hermas.

Popular reading in 2nd and 3rd century Christian circles. Popular today?

 

[Matthias]

Grant’s overview of 2nd century Christianity completed, I’m currently reading The Shepherd of Hermas.

Popular reading in 2nd and 3rd century Christian circles. Popular today?

The Shepherd is written in three sections, or books. I’m finished reading the first book (“Visions”) and about half way through the second (“Commandments”) - and for those wondering, the third is “Similitudes”.

Popular in early Christianity. Today?

”Realistically, most Christians sitting in our churches on a Sunday morning won’t have read The Shepherd of Hermas (or perhaps Irenaeus or Clement either, but that’s a conversation for another day), so what should we do with this ancient text? Much like the writings of Clement, Tertullian or Justin Martyr, The Shepherd of Hermas never claims to be scripture itself. This was another early Christian work seeking to help believers better understand the God of the Bible …

Should we read The Shepherd today? It is certainly a confusing text, one that requires attention and at times, a fair amount of hard work. But it is equally rewarding. …

The Shepherd is not a perfect work, but it can be a helpful one. Reading it offers us valuable insight into the world of the early church. We can see some of the theological questions, challenges and concerns these Christians would have faced, and the visual and literary imagery that pervaded their world. As with any early Christian text, it can require a bit of effort to work through, but it is part of a Christian historical tradition that at its best points us back to the God at the centre of that history.”

Scripture and The Shepherd of Hermas

Have we got our Bibles wrong?

academic.tyndalehouse.com

Suggestion: Don’t settle for being like “most Christians”. Read The Shepherd of Hermas. Read the early Christian writings. And as with all things that you read: read widely, read deeply, read thoughtfully, read critically.

 

[Matthias]

 

[Matthias]

The Shepherd of Hermas (2nd century) -> think, The Pilgrim’s Progress (17th century).

I’m now reading Victory over Violence: Jesus and the Revolutionists, written by Martin Hengel.

 

[ButterflyJones]

The God's of the Bible
By Mauro Biglino

​

 

[Mr E]

The Shepherd of Hermas (2nd century) -> think, The Pilgrim’s Progress (17th century).

I’m now reading Victory over Violence: Jesus and the Revolutionists, written by Martin Hengel.

I read Pilgrim's Progress when I was perhaps 14 years old. I love it. Your post has inspired me to read it again. It's where I first learned the tremendous value of story and allegory.... and to dream.

 

[Mr E]

The God's of the Bible
By Mauro Biglino

​

 

[Matthias]

Due to its bearing on the authorship of The Shepherd of Hermas, I read Fragments of Caius this afternoon.

With an eye toward eventually getting back to Origen … I’ve begun reading The Instructor, written by Clement of Alexandria.

 

[Matthias]

* Above all others, the books of the Bible *

 

[Matthias]

The Instructor contains three volumes. I finally finished slogging through the first book and - after seriously considering reading something else - I’ve decided to go ahead and read the second book. (I‘d almost rather have a root canal, but I don’t need one and they’re expensive.) I’ll decide what to do about reading the third book after completing the second.