Judeo-Christian Origins & Gnosticism

A welcome expansion of the fragile territory known as common ground. The New York Times

The bestselling author of Misquoting Jesus, one of the most renowned and controversial Bible scholars in the world today examines oral tradition and its role in shaping the stories about Jesus we encounter in the New Testamentand ultimately in our understanding of Christianity.

Are there still Gnostics and can their roots be chased back to John the Baptist?

From a historical perspective, the Bible is shockingly, provably wrong—a point supported by today's best archaeological and historical scholarship but not well understood by (or communicated to) the public. Yet this emphatically does not mean that the Bible isn’t, in some very real measure, true, argues scholar of mysticism Richard Smoley.

The Song of Songs; Ruth; Esther; Jonah; and Daniel offer readers a range of pleasures not usually associated with the Bible. As distant in time from the Five Books of Moses as Updike is from Shakespeare, these Late Biblical books are innovative, entertaining literary works. Women often stand center stage.

Centuries after the brutal slaughter of the Cathars by papally endorsed Northern French forces, the medieval Cathars continue to exert a powerful influence on both popular culture and spiritual seekers.

The renowned biblical scholar, author of The Misunderstood Jew, and general editor for The Jewish Annotated New Testament interweaves history and spiritual analysis to explore Jesus most popular teaching parables, exposing their misinterpretations and making them lively and relevant for modern readers.