Spilled Coffee on Ancient Scrolls
Finding Ways to Live as Humans Fully Alive
A short while before Jesus walked the earth and the Romans conquered the western world, Antiochus IV ruled Judea. He was a Seleucid (Greek) and he didn’t like the Jews. He thought they were too…uncivilized and uncouth. And so, in an attempt to bring them kicking and screaming into the 2nd century BC, he passed …
The word “heretic” is often thrown around today to denounce someone for espousing an idea deemed “unbiblical” or “unorthodox” or “contrary to the teachings of the church.” It carries a negative connotation, often meant to cast a poor soul out of a community to be shunned, exiled, and sometimes even tortured with words or sharp implements. And in extreme cases, killed and ultimately damned. But as one looks at the history of heretics, one finds quite a few surprises.
