Theologia et Vita

Thoughts on the Antidicomarianites J. Neil Daniels When Epiphanius of Salamis (AD 310–403) wrote about the Antidicomarianites in the fourth century, he considered them little more than troublemakers, a sect whose only defining feature was their rejection of Mary’s perpetual virginity. To him, they were a thorn in the side of the church’s growing devotion to the Mother of God, men and women unwilling to honor her in the way tradition was beginning to demand. And yet, in their own way, they raise questions that Christians still wrestle with: what role does Mary play in our faith, and how do we keep our view of her anchored in Scripture rather than speculation? The Antidicomarianites (like Tertullian, Helvidius, Jovinian, and Bonosus) were not denying Christ’s miraculous birth. They confessed that He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin. Their dispute was over what happened next, whether Mary went on to live a normal married life with Joseph and raise a family, or wheth...

What Language(s) Did Jesus Speak? J. Neil Daniels Nota Bene: A "Deep Dive" audio overview is available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1y6zNepPvcKgsPeWlpM0BB-6YAFXTfeca/view?usp=drivesdk Introduction  If you had wandered the streets of first-century Galilee, your ears would have caught a swirling medley of voices—fishermen haggling over the morning’s catch, children yelling across dusty alleys, traders calling prices in the marketplace, scribes disputing fine points of the Law in the shaded colonnades. Beneath the noise lay a weave of languages: Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek, with the occasional Latin phrase drifting from a soldier’s lips. This was no monolingual backwater. Jesus of Nazareth grew up in that tapestry, and His speech reflected it. He was not a man of just one tongue, but of several, living at the fault line of cultures. Aramaic: The Mother Tongue By the time of Jesus’ birth, Aramaic had been the dominant spoken language in Palestine for centuries. Its ro...

Jesus as τέκτων: A Brief Reflection J. Neil Daniels The New Testament’s brief references to Jesus as a τέκτων ( tektōn , traditionally rendered “capenter,” but more accurately “builder” or “craftsman”), in Mark 6:3 and Matthew 13:55, open a window into the hidden years of His life. Far from an incidental detail, the term situates Him firmly within the artisanal economy of Galilee, a context illuminated by lexical study, archaeological evidence, and cultural history. Whether fashioning wood or shaping stone, the young Jesus labored with skill and humility, embodying the biblical esteem for honest work. In the mystery of the Incarnation, the divine Son not only took on flesh but also took up tools. The hands that would later heal the sick and bear the nails of crucifixion were first calloused in the service of others. Such knowledge deepens our worship and invites us to see our own daily labors, however humble, as places where the glory of God can be displayed.

Classifying the Cross: Justus Lipsius’s Forensic History of Crucifixion J. Neil Daniels In 1593, the Flemish humanist Justus Lipsius (1547–1606) published a work unlike anything his contemporaries had seen. De Cruce, libri tres (“Three Books on the Cross”) was not a devotional meditation nor a theological treatise in the conventional sense. Rather, it was a meticulous, almost forensic investigation into crucifixion in the ancient world, an unflinching study of the mechanics, the variations, and the sheer brutality of Rome’s most infamous execution method. Classifying the Cross Lipsius began by untangling the terminology. The crux simplex was the simplest form—an upright stake, bare and unadorned. More complex was the crux compacta , composed of two beams joined in several possible configurations: the decussata (X-shaped, as in the cross of St. Andrew), the commissa (T-shaped), and the immissa (†-shaped). Drawing on both Roman authors and early Christian witnesses such as Irenae...

Fr. John L. McKenzie on Prudence Trumping Scripture J. Neil Daniels John L. McKenzie, S.J. (1910–1991), former professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, wrote in 1969: "The Catholic Church does not pretend to adhere literally to the biblical text; [for example] celibacy is proposed and defended as justified by the historical experience of the living church. It is a law which the church made and which the church can unmake. The discussion can proceed only on whether it is prudent to retain the law, not on whether the law represents the New Testament." —John L. McKenzie, The Roman Catholic Church (New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1969), 75. McKenzie’s statement is telling. By openly admitting that the Catholic Church “does not pretend to adhere literally to the biblical text,” he affirms a principle that places ecclesiastical tradition and pragmatic reasoning above the authority of God’s revealed Word. The example of clerical celibacy underscores this approa...

Guardrails for Theology: Paul’s Prohibition Against Exceeding Scripture in 1 Corinthians 4:6 J. Neil Daniels When Paul tells the Corinthians “not to go beyond what is written” (1 Cor. 4:6), he is drawing a firm line for the boundaries of both theology and church authority. His words were not spoken in a vacuum. The Corinthian congregation had begun to elevate certain leaders above others, dividing into camps based on personal allegiance rather than their shared allegiance to Christ. In recalling “what is written,” Paul directs them back to the Hebrew Scriptures (what we now call the Old Testament) which, following the example of Christ and the apostles, the early church received as God’s authoritative Word. His concern is clear: every theological conclusion and every ecclesiastical practice must rest on the solid ground of Scripture, not on the shifting sands of human speculation or the allure of novel ideas that cannot be substantiated from the text. The Greek phrase τὸ μὴ ὑπὲρ ἃ γέγρ...

The Value of a Home Theological Library J. Neil Daniels Introduction The pursuit of theological knowledge is not a mere academic exercise but a spiritual discipline that nourishes both the mind and the soul. A home theological library stands as a personal sanctuary where sacred Scripture and theological discourse intersect with devotion and contemplation. Like a cultivated garden, it is a space where seeds of understanding are planted and nurtured through disciplined reflection, producing enduring fruit in the life of the disciple. In an age where digital access to information is nearly limitless, the question naturally arises: is there still value in a physical theological library? I believe that the answer is a resounding yes. While digital tools offer convenience, the home theological library offers something more enduring: depth, continuity, and embodied engagement with the theological tradition. To appreciate its full worth, one must consider its historical precedent, spiritua...

Glastonbury Abbey and the Charge of Forgery: A Historical Overview J. Neil Daniels Historical Importance of Glastonbury Abbey Glastonbury Abbey, situated in Somerset, England, was among the most prominent and wealthy monastic houses in medieval Britain. It served as a center of religious life, cultural production, and political influence for centuries. By the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, it had established a formidable reputation, attracting pilgrims, scholars, and patrons alike. Yet despite its impressive legacy, the abbey’s purported antiquity and its legendary associations, especially those linking it to Joseph of Arimathea and King Arthur, have come under sustained critical scrutiny. Modern historians have increasingly viewed Glastonbury not only as a religious institution but also as a place where myth and invention were consciously cultivated. Accusations of Forgery and Legendary Claims The characterization of Glastonbury as a “factory of fraud,” a phrase famously coine...

"Catholic" but not "Roman Catholic"? J. Neil Daniels The objection to the term “Roman Catholic” as a Protestant invention collapses under the weight of the Roman Church’s own usage. Papal encyclicals, conciliar documents, and ecclesiastical publications have long employed the phrase without hesitation. Pope Pius XII in Humani Generis (1950) explicitly states that “the Mystical Body of Christ and the Roman Catholic Church are one and the same thing.”¹ Such terminology is not the product of polemical Protestantism, but an established form of self-identification within the Roman communion. The term “Roman Catholic” is not a derogatory label imposed from without, but a designation historically and officially used to distinguish that particular ecclesial body from other groups that also lay claim to the name Catholic. The vocabulary of the Roman Church is saturated with the adjective Roman: Roman Pontiff, Roman Curia, Holy Roman Church, Roman Rite, Sacred Roman Rota , a...

Turretin’s Caution on Trinitarian Analogies J. Neil Daniels Francis Turretin (1623–1687), the eminent Reformed scholastic theologian of Geneva, is widely regarded for his rigorous and nuanced Institutes of Elenctic Theology . As a leading figure in post-Reformation orthodoxy, Turretin defended the doctrines of the faith with precision, including the doctrine of the Trinity. One area in which he exhibited theological restraint was in the use of analogies to explain this divine mystery. In response to the long-standing temptation to illustrate the Trinity using natural or philosophical images—be it water in three states, the sun and its light, or the facets of a triangle—Turretin gave sober guidance. While recognizing their potential pedagogical use among believers, he warned that such analogies are always limited and prone to misrepresentation. “But as this mystery far transcends the reach of the human reason, so it can be solidly demonstrated from the revealed word alone. Whatever ...

Important Update: Now Also Publishing on Substack Dear Readers, Thank you for your continued support of this blog. It has been a joy to share theological reflections, biblical studies, and apologetic resources with you here on this platform. The growth in readership, shares, and comments have been truly encouraging. I’m writing to let you know that I’ve now launched a parallel publication on Substack, where all the same free content currently available on this blog will also be posted. This move is not a departure from Blogger, but an expansion aimed at reaching a broader audience and enhancing the accessibility of my work. In addition to the free material, Substack will also feature a paid subscription option for those who wish to support this ministry. Paid subscribers will receive exclusive, in-depth, and academically rigorous articles, which will not be available elsewhere. These will include extended essays, research-based theological discussions, and other premium content des...

The Glossa Ordinaria as a Witness Against the Apocrypha J. Neil Daniels Introduction The Glossa Ordinaria , or Ordinary Gloss, stands as one of the most authoritative biblical commentaries of the medieval Western Church. Compiled during the 12th and 13th centuries and used extensively throughout the scholastic centers of Europe, the Glossa not only shaped theological education but also reflected the prevailing convictions of the Church. As William Webster has pointed out (especially here ), among these convictions was a clear and repeated distinction between canonical Scripture and the Apocryphal writings. Far from embracing the Apocryphal books as inspired Scripture, the Glossa explicitly affirms the Jewish canon of twenty-two books, following the lead of Jerome and other early authorities. As such, the Glossa Ordinaria serves as a significant historical witness against the inclusion of the Apocryphal books in the Old Testament canon, countering later Roman Catholic claims about ...

Autotheos and the Self-Existence of the Son in John 5:19–26 J. Neil Daniels Introduction  The doctrine of autotheos —that God is “of Himself”—stands as a vital pillar in the edifice of classical Christian theology. It affirms that God’s existence, being, and essence are underived and independent. In trinitarian theology, this doctrine plays a central role in articulating both the unity of essence among the divine persons and the distinction of personal relations. John 5:19–26 is one of the most consequential texts in the New Testament for understanding this doctrine, especially in relation to the Son of God. The Controversy in John 5 In this passage, Jesus makes a series of declarations that, to His Jewish hearers, amounted to blasphemy. He called God His Father, and thereby, in their eyes, made Himself equal with God (John 5:18). Jesus does not correct this assumption. Rather, He builds upon it with further affirmations of His divine identity and prerogatives. The climactic sta...

Semper Reformanda: Recovering the Reformed Meaning of “Always Being Reformed” J. Neil Daniels The Latin phrase semper reformanda , commonly translated as “always reforming,” is frequently invoked in contemporary theological debates to support revisions in doctrine or practice. Whether addressing matters such as human sexuality, biblical authority, or the historicity of Adam and Eve, modern appeals to this phrase often assume that the Reformed tradition welcomes doctrinal flexibility in light of cultural change. This reading, however, misrepresents both the historical origin and theological intent of the phrase. Historically, semper reformanda was not a call for progressive innovation but for spiritual renewal under the authority of Scripture. Historical Origins: Van Lodenstein and the Nadere Reformatie The earliest known use of semper reformanda in this context comes from the seventeenth-century Dutch minister Jodocus van Lodenstein (1620–1677), a leading figure in the Nadere Refo...

On X (formerly Twitter), Matt Ferris (@ferrismattic) introduces the term κλεπτοευλογία—from klepto (to steal) and eulogia (blessing)—to describe the misappropriation of blessings intended for all believers. When access to spiritual gifts, identity in Christ, or priestly standing is reserved for a select few, we risk denying what Scripture freely gives. Every Christian is a saint (1 Cor 1:2), part of a royal priesthood (1 Pet 2:9), and indwelt by the Spirit (Rom 8:9). Restricting these to an exclusive class is not piety; it is kleptoeulogia. Ferris' critique recalls the Reformers’ rejection of clerical privilege and their recovery of the priesthood of all believers. While the New Testament affirms distinct offices for shepherding and teaching (Eph 4:11; 1 Tim 3:1–7), it never grants monopoly over divine grace. Faithful ecclesiology affirms spiritual equality and ordered ministry without collapsing one into the other. Ferris’s coinage is timely. The church must resist spiritual gat...

Jeremy Taylor on the Danger of Eucharistic Idolatry J. Neil Daniels In his voluminous writings, the 17th-century Anglican divine Bishop Jeremy Taylor offered a theologically rigorous and biblically grounded critique of Roman Catholic eucharistic theology. One of his most striking warnings concerns the danger of rendering divine worship to Christ’s human nature as if it were locally present in the elements of the Eucharist. In his Works , Taylor offers this sobering reflection: “We may not render divine worship to Him as present in the blessed Sacrament according to His human nature, without danger of idolatry, because He is not there according to His human nature, and therefore you give divine worship to a non ens, which must needs be idolatry.… He is present there by His divine power, and His divine blessing, and the fruits of His Body, the real effective consequents of His Passion; but for any other presence, it is idolum , it is nothing in the world. Adore Christ in heaven, for t...