From the Editor

What a story! A cache of papyrus manuscripts at a remote outpost on the upper Nile, initially of interest only to a handful of scholars, captures the imagination of a public increasingly suspicious of authority and ready to believe just about any conspiracy theory. Pure fiction spun from a fertile imagination succeeds in convincing a surprising number of people that Jesus was married, that the Bible is not trustworthy, and that the church pursues power not truth.

You are surely aware of some of the fine resources produced by reputable Bible scholars rebutting the fantasies of The Da Vinci Code. But that book, along with popular presentations of the Gnostic “gospels” and the National Geographic’s sensationalizing of the publication of Gospel of Judas, raise deeper questions that trouble many devout Christians.

In this issue of Sundoulos, two of our New Testament faculty begin a series which will touch on these deeper issues. Mike Wilkins surveys the Gnostic “gospels” and asks whether they have any real historical value. Clint Arnold questions whether Gnosticism is even relevant for NT studies.

In coming issues we will look into such issues as the recent proposals that there were a number of competing “orthodoxies” in the early church, the formation of the canon, and the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture. We believe these issues will prove to be a resource you can use in your ministry.

We are your fellow-servants in Christ,
Garry DeWeese