It is release day! @lmillerrenberg.bsky.social rrenberg.bsky.social and I are thrilled that Candles in the Darkness: Experiencing Advent with the Early and Medieval Church (with @ivpacademic.bsky.social) has made its way into the world. Come learn about Christ's advent from ancient Christians.

and it's out! OA thanks to @romanaerc.bsky.social www.cambridge.org/core/element...

Ancient Apologetics and the Bibliographic Imagination

Cambridge Core - History of Religion - Ancient Apologetics and the Bibliographic Imagination

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I am thrilled to share my article length entry in the St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology on Eusebius of Caesarea. If you need an introduction to the man, his theology, or the vast and creative scholarship on the Palestinian bishop, this is for you! www.saet.ac.uk/Christianity...

What comes first: doctrine or ritual practice? Cognitive Science of Religion is challenging the standard answer, encouraging us to examine how embodied practices might shift our understanding of God. Read about some of the implications of this approach, here.

What Comes First: Doctrine Or Ritual Practice?

As a child, I was taught to kneel next to my bed as I prayed to God in the evening. Now, I must admit that I rarely pray in this sort of way, often

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With all of the excitement over Homer recently (Homer loving mummies and Nolan induced controversy are great for headlines!), it seemed worthwhile to consider how Early Christians viewed and used the great bard. Read about his relevance to the ancient church.

What Does Homer Have To Do With Christ?

Homer is having a bit of a moment. The controversy around Christopher Nolan’s creative decisions in his forthcoming Odyssey, the recent discovery of an

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Does God support those who go to war or not? The Pope and the Trump Administration are offering competing answers to this question, employing the notions of non-violence and just war in their response. Read about how early Christians might have responded to his question.

Just War, Non-Violence, And Pete Hegseth

In a homily on Palm Sunday, Pope Leo XIV condemned violence and war and those who perpetuate it: “This is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war,

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Out now 📚 Philo of Alexandria: Every Good Man is Free. Introduction, Translation, and Commentary 📜 Maren R. Niehoff presents the first commentary on Philo’s treatise on freedom, exploring philosophical, historical, literary and exegetical aspects. Get your copy here: 🔗 brill.com/display/ti...

Read about a mother of the church for Women’s History Month: Syncletica of Alexandria. This fourth century desert mother provides us with a unique picture of the spiritual life through metaphors drawn from domestic tasks. This mother shows us the beauty in doing our chores.

Mothers Of The Church: Syncletica Of Alexandria

Amidst writing this post, I had to take a break to sweep and mop the floors of my home. A simple and easy task, really, but one that seemed to take away

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What should we expect of the immigrant? Mike Johnson claims the Bible expects ‘assimilation’ of the immigrant into a society—read about how early Christians would find this untenable.

What Should We Expect Of The Immigrant? On 'Assimilation'

In a press conference a few weeks ago, US House Speaker Mike Johnson responded to a question concerning Pope Leo’s condemnation of the mass deportation

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As part of living in the Arctic this year, I have learned quite a bit about geopolitical and security concerns in the region. I have seen firsthand the strength of our relationship with NATO and the EU, as well as this relationship’s vital role in protecting the Arctic from hostile intervention.

Coming soon: Origen's homilies on Ezekiel (Latin) + all of the Greek fragments — the latter having been translated for the first time into English. Many thanks to Roger Pearse for allowing us to use the translation by Mischa Hooker than he commissioned and painstakingly edited a decade ago.

What do we do with the writings of theologians and writers who commit egregious sins? Read about how to consider Philip Yancey’s writings through the thought of Gregory of Nazianzus, a theologian from the fourth century.

Yancey, Gregory, And Theology Amidst Sin

It was recently revealed in a Christianity Today article that Philip Yancey is “retiring from writing, speaking, and social media,” after having

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Time and space get a bit weird in the liturgical poems of Romanos the Melodist. Learn from the sixth century hymnographer, as his Advent reflections transports us to Eden, Bethlehem, the River Jordan, and the baptismal font in our own church.

On The ‘Middle’ Coming: Advent Reflections With Romanos

Time and space are peculiar during the Advent season. The emphasis on repeated family traditions resurrects memories of the past amidst present

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In the darkness of the winter, as we look forward to the coming of Christ during this season of Advent, we look for lights to remind us of the hope we have in the Gospel.

Why practice the waiting of Advent when the Nativity has already taken place? It gives the opportunity to cultivate patience in a society obsessed with instant gratification. Read about how medieval Christians in Norway experienced Advent through church art and what we can learn from them:

Learning Patience: On Art And Liturgical Seasons

Western society has an odd relationship with patience. While most would claim patience is a virtue in some sense, our entire society is set up to deny its

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📚 Great news for patristics scholars! The proceedings of the International Conference on Patristic Studies (Oxford, 2011 & 2015) are now available in Gold Open Access. That’s 42 volumes of cutting-edge research—now free to read on our website! 🔗 www.peeters-leuven.be/search_resul...

In my continued attempts to bring more attention to the ‘Mothers of the Church’, I have written a piece on Paula of Rome. While known for her great spiritual discipline in fasting and living in austere conditions, perhaps her greatest form of long-suffering for Christ was putting up with Jerome.

Mothers Of The Church: Paula Of Rome

Of all the passages of the Gospels, I find Christ’s words in Luke 14 to be among the most challenging: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and

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It was a privilege to share my research on theological anthropology and singing in Origen's homilies at the Dynamics of Religious Practice workshop at University of Tromsø. Great conversation around methodology, cognitive science of religion, and early Christian practice – glad to be a part of it!

I recently reflected on Origen of Alexandria and his understanding of sin and human nature. Read if you are interested in some strange exegesis, 'serpent-humans', and some questions about the phrase 'I'm only human'.

I’m Only Human: Sin As The Rejection Of Human Nature

How should we think about our flaws and misbehavior? For some, flaws are something to be embraced: we should be loved ‘warts and all’. For others,

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Our Greek-English edition of Cyril of Alexandria's Five Books/Tomes Against Nestorius is now for sale! Order your copy on our website: luxpatrum.com Includes the authoritative critical Greek text by Eduard Schwartz, along with the only complete translation of the work available in English.

What is required for reading the Bible properly? History degrees? Knowledge of biblical languages? Perhaps, faith? Read about the contrasting assumptions of early Christian exegesis and historical critical exegesis, with the former prioritizing a life of virtue in Christian community.

Is Faith Required For Reading The Bible Properly?

Who reads the Scriptures better—Bart Ehrman or my grandmother? One is a world-renowned scholar of the New Testament and textual critic, the other has no

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Excited to see my article with @jts-journal.bsky.social out on exegesis and theology in the early Arian controversy. academic.oup.com/jts/advance-...

‘Yet not as I will, but as you will’: On the Development of Partitive Exegesis in the Early Arian Controversy

Abstract. John Behr and others have argued that partitive exegesis is central to ‘Nicene’ theology, especially when considering writers such as Athanasius

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“How do we interpret the human weakness of Christ, if he does not have any weakness as the Son of God? Through debate amidst controversy, the early church developed a particular way to read the Bible which might guide us on this, sometimes called partitive exegesis.

I am delighted to announce the IRCI has 2 job openings in early Christianity (specialisation open, research-focus, early career). Closing date 15 Aug. Contact me with any questions. We hope you'll consider joining our excellent group of scholars! candidate.aurion.cloud/acu/producti...

Come study with us! Fully-funded Ph.D. scholarship opportunity to work on the Late Antique translation of texts. www.acu.edu.au/research-and...

Another new volume from VCS 🎉💙 John C. Solheid’s “Pedagogy of the Heart” presents a detailed and accessible analysis of the recently discovered Greek “Homilies on the Psalms” preached by Origen in the late 240s CE. Check it out here! ⬇️ brill.com/display/titl... #ISBL #EABS #AcRel #Theology #SBL

Circulating this growing list of women NT/EC scholars again if any one else wants to add their name! Please share if you can! tinyurl.com/WomenNTECsch...

Women Scholars of NT and Early Christianity

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In recent years, moral failings in the church have been especially prominent as numerous Christian leaders have been embroiled in scandals. How should we treat grave sins, especially amongst our leaders? And should there always be a path towards rehabilitation?

Philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre has died.

Alasdair MacIntyre (1929-2025) - Daily Nous

Alasdair MacIntyre, professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame and Duke University, well-known for his work on moral and political philosophy, has died. Professor MacIntyre wrote...

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As scholars continue to investigate the historical and theological dimensions of the Council of Nicaea (325), we cannot forget what was at stake for the original contributors of the creed - proper worship. www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiou...

Nicene Worship: Then And Now

I had the privilege of attending a conference in Rome on the Council of Nicaea about a month ago. Throughout the various plenaries, panels, and

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