Categories: parish-life, bible
Date: 28 October 2006 02:32:12
I'm leading my second Bible study tonight: we are still, after two weeks, on Topic 1: but I think that is a good sign -- there has been a lot of discussion and people are very interested in the topics covered. You can see an overview of the study itself and the topics on our parish website here.
Tonight we are looking at the Establishment of the New Testament Canon: how we came to have the books we have in our NT. I enjoyed preparing this study. As well as looking at historical events (persons, councils, etc.), the study also takes a look at one of the Gospels that didn't make it into the Canon: the Gospel of Thomas. A few verses have been selected from it, and we will discuss why, via these verses, it was clear that it is not an authentic gospel. For example, take this verse:
Simon Peter said to them, "Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of Life." Jesus said, "I myself shall lead her in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the Kingdom of Heaven."