Discusses feminist spirituality, looks at the concept of wisdom and provides exercises, meditations, and sermons

Wisdom's Feast: Sophia in Study and Celebration

Politics & Social Sciences

Cady, Susan

Ronan, Marian

Taussig, Hal

Cole, Susan

Sociology

Harpercollins

From the creative minds of the scholarly group behind the groundbreaking Jesus Seminar comes this provocative and eye-opening look at the roots of Christianity that offers a thoughtful reconsideration of the first two centuries of the Jesus movement, transforming our understanding of the religion and its early dissemination. Christianity has endured for more than two millennia and is practiced by billions worldwide today. Yet that longevity has created difficulties for scholars tracing the religion's roots, distorting much of the historical investigation into the first two centuries of the Jesus movement. But what if Christianity died in the fourth or fifth centuries after it began How would that change how historians see and understand its first two hundred years Considering these questions, three Bible scholars from the Westar Institute summarize the work of the Christianity Seminar and its efforts to offer a new way of thinking about Christianity and its roots. Synthesizing the institute's most recent scholarship--bringing together the many archaeological and textual discoveries over the last twenty years--they have found:&nbsp; <ul> <li>There were multiple Jesus movements, not a singular one, before the fourth century</li> <li>There was nothing called Christianity until the third century</li> <li>There was much more flexibility and diversity within Jesus's movement before it became centralized in Rome, not only regarding the Bible and religious doctrine, but also understandings of gender, sexuality and morality.</li> </ul> Exciting and revolutionary, After Jesus Before Christianity provides fresh insights into the real history behind how the Jesus movement became Christianity.&nbsp; After Jesus Before Christianity includes more than a dozen black-and-white images throughout.

After Jesus Before Christianity: A Historical Exploration of the First Two Centuries of Jesus Movements

History

Scott, Brandon

Vearncombe, Erin

Westar Institute, The

Ancient Civilizations

HarperOne

"Important both historically and theologically. Readers will not be able to see the New Testament in the same way again."—Marcus Borg, author of The Heart of Christianity “A New New Testament does what some of us never dreamed possible: it opens the treasure chest of early Christian writings, restoring a carefully select few of them to their rightful place in the broad conversation about who Jesus was, what he did and taught, and what all of that has to do with us now.” — Barbara Brown Taylor, author of Leaving Church and An Altar in the World There are twenty-seven books in the traditional New Testament, but the earliest Christian communities were far more vibrant than that small number might lead you to think. In fact, many more scriptures were written and were just as important as the New Testament in shaping early-Christian communities and beliefs. Over the past century, many of those texts that were lost have been found and translated, yet are still not known to much of the public; they are discussed mainly by scholars or within a context of the now outdated notion of gnostic gospels. In A New New Testament Hal Taussig is changing that. With the help of nineteen important spiritual leaders, he has added ten of the recently discovered texts to the traditional New Testament, leading many churches and spiritual seekers to use this new New Testament for their spiritual and intellectual growth. “Remarkable . . . Not meant to replace the traditional New Testament, this fascinating work will be, Taussig hopes, the first of several new New Testaments.” — Booklist

A New New Testament: A Bible for the Twenty-first Century Combining Traditional and Newly Discovered Texts

Mariner Books

It is time for a new New Testament. Over the past century, numerous lost scriptures have been discovered, authenticated, translated, debated, celebrated. Many of these documents were as important to shaping early-Christian communities and beliefs as what we have come to call the New Testament; these were not the work of shunned sects or rebel apostles, not alternative histories or doctrines, but part of the vibrant conversations that sparked the rise of Christianity. Yet these scriptures are rarely read in contemporary churches; they are discussed nearly only by scholars or within a context only of gnostic gospels. Why should these books be set aside? Why should they continue to be lost to most of us? And don’t we have a great deal to gain by placing them back into contact with the twenty-seven books of the traditional New Testament—by hearing, finally, the full range of voices that formed the early chorus of Christians? To create this New New Testament, Hal Taussig called together a council of scholars and spiritual leaders to discuss and reconsider which books belong in the New Testament. They talked about these recently found documents, the lessons therein, and how they inform the previously bound books. They voted on which should be added, choosing ten new books to include in A New New Testament. Reading the traditional scriptures alongside these new texts—the Gospel of Luke with the Gospel of Mary, Paul’s letters with The Letter of Peter to Philip, The Revelation to John with The Secret Revelation to John—offers the exciting possibility of understanding both the new and the old better. This new reading, and the accompanying commentary in this volume, promises to reinvigorate a centuries-old conversation and to bring new relevance to a dynamic tradition.

A New New Testament: A Bible for the 21st Century Combining Traditional and Newly Discovered Texts

Religion & Spirituality

Christian Books & Bibles

Houghton, mifflin, harcourt

What were the origins of the Eucharist? Taussig, a founding member of the SBL Seminar on Meals in the Greco-Roman World, brings a wealth of scholarship to bear on the question of Christian origins. He shows that in the Augustan age, common meals became the sites of dramatic experimentation and innovation regarding social roles and relationships, challenging expectations regarding gender, class, and status. Rich comparative material and rigorous ritual analysis reveal that it was in just such a swirl of experimentation that the early Christian assemblies, with their "love feasts" and "supper of the Lord," were born. This cutting-edge monograph sheds new light on the social context of early Christian gatherings, illuminating the origins of the Eucharist and of Christianity itself. Taussig draws important implications for the practice of Christian community today.

In the Beginning Was the Meal: Social Experimentation & Early Christian Identity

World

Fortress Press

Attempts to reconcile spirituality and feminism, discusses the role of Sophia in the scriptures, and examines spirituality from the perspective of modern social issues

Sophia: The Future of Feminist Spirituality

Religious Studies

Winston Pr

Lady of the Dance: A Movement Approach to Biblical Figures of Wisdom in Worship and Education

Sharing Co

What difference does scholarship on the historical Jesus make for the way we think about the meaning of Christian faith in the twenty-first century? In The Historical Jesus Goes To Church, biblical scholars--Fellows of the Jesus Seminar--speak directly to the ways in which new knowledge of the Jesus of history requires and enables us to think differently about the significance of Jesus and about the reliability and authority of the Bible. They also imagine what these new understandings imply for public worship, preaching, prayer and practice, and life in community. These articles evoke the spirit of Paul, Christianity's first theologian, who like us found himself standing at the intersection of two eras and knew that he had to let go of his past if he hoped to have a future.

The Historical Jesus Goes to Church (Jesus Seminar)

Patterson, Stephen J.

Hoover, Roy W.

Hedrick, Charles W.

McGaughy, Lane C.

MacNab, Francis

Bessler-Northcutt, Joe

Jackson, Glenna S.

Polebridge Pr Westar Inst

A new kind of Christianity is emerging at the grass roots. Full of heart-felt expression, artistic creativity, and liberal social values, progressive churches and small Christian communities have established themselves across the denominational spectrum. Reporting on a national research study that undercuts the impression that right-wing Christianity is the only new development on the contemporary American religious landscape, Hal Taussig identifies thousands of progressive churches and para-churches and describes five characteristics of this new movement. He then proceeds to analyze its blind spots, project its future, and suggest how to start a progressive church

A New Spiritual Home: Progressive Christianity at the Grass Roots

Polebridge Press

Jesus Before God examines new ways the historical Jesus can teach us to pray. The prayer that emerges is very different from the prayers of Jesus' contemporaries, from traditional church prayers, and from new fashions of spirituality. The surprise that awaits the reader may be as unsettling as that experienced by Jesus' audience two thousand years ago.

Jesus Before God: The Prayer Life of the Historical Jesus

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Books by Taussig, Hal