By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
The story of the Three Wise Men visiting the infant Jesus shortly after his birth in Bethlehem is a well-known feature of the Nativity story. And yet the only account of the visit of the Wise Men or ‘Magi’ is found in the Gospel of Matthew: the other Gospel which treats the birth of Jesus doesn’t mention the Magi.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.’ These are among the most famous lines in the New Testament: they begin the Gospel of St. John. But what does ‘In the beginning was the Word’ mean? Let’s take a closer look at the meaning of this famous opening sentence.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Let’s begin with a quiz question. How many people did Jesus feed with the bread and fishes in the famous miracle recounted in the New Testament?
a) 5,000 people
b) 4,000 men
c) more than 5,000 people
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Say the name ‘Mary Magdalene’ to most people and they will say that she was present at the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus in the New Testament narrative. The other thing people might say is, ‘Wasn’t she a prostitute?’ The first of these is true while the second is more complicated. Who was Mary Magdalene? And did she really wash the feet of Jesus in her tears?
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
The Last Supper is the meal that Jesus shares with his disciples after his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. At the Last Supper, Jesus announces that one of his disciples will betray him. The meal is the subject of one of the greatest works of Renaissance art, a mural painted on the wall of a nun’s refectory by Leonardo da Vinci; it is also, of course, the origins of the ceremony known as the Eucharist, in which bread and wine are taken in memory of Jesus’ body and blood.