This month, both of my published books have been discussed online! My first book, The Upper Room and Tomb of David: The History, Art and Archaeology of the Cenacle on Mount Zion (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2016) was discussed in the Bible History Daily webpagepublished by Biblical Archaeology Review. Mark Dospěl considers "Did Jesus’ Last Supper …
Author: David Christian Clausen
Why Did Jesus Attack the Temple Merchants?
One of the most fascinating events in the recorded life of Jesus occurred in Jerusalem and perhaps led to his death. I am referring to his actions in the temple with regard to the animal merchants and money changers. All four gospels report some version of the story in which Jesus drives out these functionaries …
About Me
Hello and welcome to the site! I am writing this blog to help interested readers explore the historical origins of Christianity. There are many great blog sites on the internet and I encourage you to explore them. My humble contribution focuses on issues that are of particular interest to me. Who am I? I am …
Do Historians Deny the Miraculous?
In some of my university classes on Christian origins we discuss Jesus and the gospels. A number of my students are nonplussed to find that historians do not automatically add Jesus’s miracles to the historical data bank of all the things that Jesus likely did. “All the gospels,” they correctly claim, “present Jesus as a …
Just Published! Meet Paul Again for the First Time: Jewish Apostle of Pagan Redemption
I am happy to announce the publication of my latest book, Meet Paul Again for the First Time: Jewish Apostle of Pagan Redemption (Wipf and Stock, 2021). This book offers a new way to read and understand the self-styled “apostle to the Gentiles,” not as a hopeless sinner, not as an apostate Jew, not as …
Elements from the Christmas Nativity Display: What Gospel Does That Come From?
At this time of year throughout Christendom churches and homes (no longer, it appears, governmental institutions, at least in the U.S.) recreate for display the scene of Jesus’s birth. Actually, they depict not the birth itself but a moment in time afterward. How long afterward? That is a question that cannot be satisfactorily answered. The …
Continue reading Elements from the Christmas Nativity Display: What Gospel Does That Come From?
‘Tis the Season (for Miraculous Birth Stories)!
Most people are familiar with the basic elements of the stories of Jesus’s miraculous conception and birth as recounted in the New Testament gospels of Matthew and Luke. Though there are numerous differences between the two stories (a fact not often recognized or acknowledged – see my posts Are the Nativity Stories of Jesus Based …
Continue reading ‘Tis the Season (for Miraculous Birth Stories)!
Did Baby Jesus Go to Egypt?
As many readers know, there are two stories of Jesus’ birth and childhood in the New Testament. They are told in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Even so, the stories are quite different. Beyond the core themes shared by both authors (Mary becomes pregnant but not by Joseph; Jesus is born in Bethlehem) the …
The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem
In Bethlehem, somewhat off the path beaten by most tourists, lies the Church of the Nativity, so called for the tradition that it was here in the manger-cave below that Jesus was born. The tradition is quite old and led the emperor Constantine to erect a basilica here in the early 4th century. Crusaders rebuilt and …
Was Jesus Born on December 25?
The Christmas season often leads to many questions about the historicity of events surrounding the birth of Jesus. In this post, I would like to survey the historical evidence for the celebration of Christmas and the establishment of its date which did not necessarily happen at the same time. It may be surprising to learn …
David Christian Clausen 