Discussion Questions

Barnabas saw the prohibition against pork as teaching Christians not to associate with people who remember God only when they are in need; what does this interpretation suggest about how early Christians believed God embedded moral and spiritual wisdom in the Mosaic Law? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Barnabas said the pork law taught Christians not to be close to people who only remember God when they need help. What does this show about how early Christians thought God put moral and spiritual lessons in the Law of Moses?

David Bercot admits that he initially scoffed at Barnabas’s interpretation until he reconsidered Paul’s use of “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing” in 1 Corinthians 9; what does this reveal about the kinds of biblical reasoning modern Christians may accept in Scripture but reject when found in early Christian writers? JumpstartAnother way to ask: David Bercot first laughed at Barnabas's idea, but later thought about how Paul used the law, "Do not muzzle an ox." What does this show about Bible reasoning that modern Christians accept in Scripture but reject in early Christian writings?

Paul says the law about oxen was “written for our sake”; how might this challenge the common modern assumption that Old Testament laws are either directly binding or mostly irrelevant, rather than containing spiritual principles for Christians? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Paul said the law about oxen was "written for our sake." How does this challenge the modern idea that Old Testament laws are either still required or mostly useless?

Bercot argues that Paul’s interpretation of the oxen passage had to make logical sense to the Corinthians, not merely rest on Paul’s inspiration; how does this affect the way we think about apostolic reasoning, persuasion, and the shared assumptions of the early church? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bercot says Paul's use of the oxen law had to make sense to the Corinthians, not just depend on Paul being inspired. What does this teach us about how the apostles reasoned and persuaded people?

The chapter says the New Testament writers were “real people writing to other real people” in an “ancient Eastern Hellenistic world”; how might recognizing their actual historical world change the way we read passages that feel familiar because they have been “modernized, Westernized, and sanitized” for us? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The chapter says New Testament writers were real people writing to real people in an ancient Eastern Greek-speaking world. How can knowing their real world change how we read passages that now feel familiar to us?

Bercot asks whether, if Christianity around AD 100 seems distant and strange to us, we may be the ones who have moved away from first-century Christianity; what specific beliefs or practices in modern churches might early Christians find more foreign than we usually imagine? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bercot asks if Christianity around AD 100 feels strange to us, maybe we are the ones who have moved away from first-century Christianity. What beliefs or practices in modern churches might seem strange to early Christians?

The chapter claims that John would likely feel less at home in many twenty-first-century Western churches than in the second-century church; what does this possibility expose about our assumptions concerning biblical faithfulness, church tradition, and historical continuity? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The chapter says John might feel less at home in many modern Western churches than in the second-century church. What does this show about our ideas of being biblical, following tradition, and staying connected to the early church?

Bercot urges readers to “temporarily set aside everything you believe” in order to listen honestly to the early Christian writings; what fears, loyalties, or theological commitments might make that kind of openness difficult for Christians who say they want truth? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bercot asks readers to set aside their beliefs for a time so they can honestly listen to early Christian writings. What fears, loyalties, or beliefs might make this hard for Christians who say they want the truth?

The discussion of the Phoenix bird shows early Christians using a widely believed ancient legend as an illustration of the resurrection while still submitting to Scripture where their culture conflicted with it; how should this shape our expectations of early Christian writers as helpful witnesses but not inspired authorities? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Early Christians used the popular legend of the Phoenix bird to explain the resurrection, but they still followed Scripture when culture disagreed with it. How should this shape the way we see early Christian writers as helpful witnesses, but not inspired authorities?

Bercot warns against forming conclusions from only one early Christian writer, comparing it to reading only James and assuming one has the whole New Testament message on salvation; how should this caution affect the way we use both Scripture and early Christian writings when discussing doctrines such as grace, obedience, faith, and assurance? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bercot warns against building conclusions from only one early Christian writer, like reading only James and thinking you understand the whole New Testament message about salvation. How should this warning guide how we use Scripture and early Christian writings when talking about grace, obedience, faith, and assurance?