Part XI Matthew: Proof Texting the Birth Narratives

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on January, 16 2014

Matthew never allows us to forget that he is a learned scribe in charge of a synagogue made up of Jewish people who are the followers of Jesus. He …

Part VI Matthew: The Genealogy (1:1-17)

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on November, 7 2013

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” — that is how the gospel of Matthew begins. The word “ …

Part III Matthew: The Shadow of Moses Continues

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on September, 26 2013

Using the gospel of Matthew as our guide we have begun the task of opening the background necessary to grasp, as members of the current generation of Christians, the …

Did the Crucifixion Take Place at the Time of Passover?

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on March, 28 2013

Mark, the earliest gospel to be written (ca. 72 CE) locates the crucifixion of Jesus in the season of Passover, suggesting that the “Last Supper” was a Passover meal. Matthew, …

The Birth of Jesus, Part IV. The Two Versions of the Birth Story

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on December, 5 2012

The familiar stories of Jesus’ miraculous birth entered the Christian tradition in two different forms, separated by perhaps a decade. The original narrative was written by a man we …

Examining the Meaning of Resurrection, Part VI: Seeing Through a Glass Darkly

Column by Bishop John Shelby Spong on July, 7 2011

Something happened at the first Easter.  Some insist that it was an event that occurred on a single day.  Others suggest that an experience was identified with that day …

Cancel