Visit Greece in the footsteps of St Paul in April 2027
PLEASE NOTE: This trip is now fully booked! If you would like to be on a waiting list for our future trips to Greece (likely April 2028), Turkey (September 2027) or Israel (possible 2028), please email Steve Upton at at [email protected] I am planning to lead a study trip to Greece in the footsteps of St Paul, from Tuesday 20th to Thursday 29th April 2027 inclusive visiting Thessaloniki, Philippi, Berea, Meteroa, Delphi, Corinth, and Athens. It is a great time of year to go, as the weather is warm but not too hot, the sites are less busy, and for…
Gospel commentary index Lectionary Year A
On this page, you can find an index to all the commentary articles on the gospel lectionary readings for the whole of Year A, together with links to the video discussions between Ian and James. The articles will be reposted with updates during the year—but they are listed here for convenience and planning ahead.
Jesus (and Peter) walk on the water in Matthew 14 video discussion
The gospel for Trinity 10 in Year A is Matthew 14.22–33, Jesus walking on the sea to the terrified disciples. The episode has parallels in Mark and John, but only Matthew includes the further account of Peter stepping out of the boat to meet Jesus—and this raises import issues of interpretation. Should we focus on Peter, and whether he is a good or bad example, why he left the boat, and what his response tells us? Or does his role in the narrative ironically challenge our reading—so that what really matters is what we learn about Jesus, and in our…
Roman writing tablets and reading Luke-Acts
The discovery of the Vindolanda tablets in the 1970s, and since then the Uley tablets and the Bloomberg tablets, has transformed our understanding of ordinary, functional literacy in the Roman…
Jesus (and Peter) walk on the water in Matthew 14
The common reading of Jesus (and Peter) walking on the water is: when there is a storm, and you get out of the boat, keep your eyes on Jesus. But the…
Slavery, Ghana, and the Church
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, has been visiting west Africa, and was pictured meeting both the King of the Ashanti (above) and visiting the sites of slave trading, in…
A Cry and a Curriculum: Reading Kairos II Before Using It
In July of this year, the General Synod voted to ‘hear’ the Kairos II Palestine document as a ‘cry’ of their Palestinian Christian brothers and sisters. This caused serious offence…
Jesus feeds the 5,000 in Matthew 14
The feeding of the 5,000 in Matthew is much briefer than in the other gospels. But he draws extensively on images from the Old Testament, and focuses on Jesus, the…
Has the word of God to Israel failed in Romans 9? video discussion
If gentiles are now coming to faith in Jesus, and many Jews are not, has the word of God and his promise to Israel failed? That is the critical question…
Why Many Jewish Believers in Jesus Feel Increasingly Alienated
The Church of England’s motion on Kairos Palestine II has dismayed many of Jewish heritage, including Jewish Christians in the UK. If the Church of England wishes to hear Palestinian…
The Jewish Shape of the Fourth Gospel: a new translation of John 1:17
Steve Stewart has recently complete his PhD thesis. The following is a short summary of one chapter, “The Law of Moses in John’s Prologue: the Law As Central to a…
The kingdom of God: treasure, pearl, leaven, and net in Matthew 13
The readings for Trinity 8 in Year A are Romans 8.26–39, the ‘pinnacle’ of the New Testament, and Matt 13.31-33, 44-52, the collection of short—yet vivid and compelling—parables of the…
God being for us in Romans 8 video discussion
In Romans 8.26–39 (the reading for Trinity 8 in Year A), Paul offers us a remarkable exposition of life in the Spirit. There is a dense cluster of Trinitarian language…
