Born in the Second Century

BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY celebrates its three year anniversary with a discussion of the renowned Sermon on the Mount. Host Chris Palmero sets out to analyze this famous discourse of Jesus in the face of strange interference from the fourth dimension.Support the showYouTube: @borninthesecondcenturyE-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.comMusic: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud

BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY completes its survey of the Gospel of John, having demonstrated that the author of John borrowed wholesale from the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke to construct his narrative.In this episode, host Christ Palmero covers the final section of John, which deals with Jesus' arrest, trials, crucifixion, and burial. In examining the author's use of traditional setpieces like the Anointing at Bethany, the Entry into Jerusalem, the Division of Garments, the Two Malefactors, and the Vinegar Sponge, we demonstrate beyond any doubt that John's Gospel is a derivative work.Anyone who listens to this episode can learn about who wrote the Gospel of John; whether Justin Martyr was aware of the Gospel of John; why Christian theologians shouldn't use irreverent humor; and the meaning of the mysterious word "Pavement" that the author uses. Opening reading: Philip K. Dick's short story about a failed-time travel experiment helps demonstrate how the Jesus of John, like the proverbial pearl swept up in the currents, is doomed to suffer the same fate as his Synoptic counterpart.Support the showYouTube: @borninthesecondcenturyE-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.comMusic: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud

BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY continues its miniseries on the Gospel of John as a derivative work, with its author aware of the prior Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke.Host Chris Palmero follows the progress of Jesus from Galilee - where he urges a confused audience to eat his flesh and drink his blood - to the outskirts of Jerusalem, where he performs the Raising of Lazarus.Anyone who listens to this episode can learn about why the general public never seems to learn anything new about Jesus; about the origins of the strange new ritual in the Gospel of John; why some Christians thought that the Beloved Disciples would never die; why the middle chapters of john are so chaotic; why John doesn't seem to think that Jesus was born in Bethlehem; and about the several rewrites of the Lazarus Miracle.Opening reading: An academic paper by Hugo Mendez about the Gospel of John being a forgery has got the usually staid Mainstream Theologians extremely excited.Support the showYouTube: @borninthesecondcenturyE-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.comMusic: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud

BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY'S miniseries on the Gospel of John continues. Host Chris Palmero examines John's use of the Synoptic Gospels - Mark, Matthew, and Luke - as sources.Anyone who listens to this episode can learn about: why the Gospel of John contains two separate John the Baptist scenes; why Jesus only heals Gentiles at long range; the problems with the "Ecclesiastical Redactor" hypothesis; why John told us that Jesus was conducting baptisms; what the next logo of Born in the Second Century will look like; and why Jesus said that a prophet is only without honor in his hometown.Opening reading: Jesus cures the Royal Official's son, in a scene that not only borrows from Mark, Matthew, and Luke, but also gives John an opportunity to counteract those authors' opinions about miracles.Support the showYouTube: @borninthesecondcenturyE-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.comMusic: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud

BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY begins a multi-part exploration on whether the author of John's Gospel was aware of the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke. In presenting evidence that the Gospel of John does not draw from independent oral tradition, but from the prior Gospels, host Christ Palmero will establish that John is not a reliable witness for Jesus' ministry. John should be seen not as the weird younger brother of the Synoptics, but as the semi-respectable older brother of the early Apocryphal Gospels now extant, like those of Peter and Philip.Opening segment: a new discovery announced in August of 2023 threatens all that this podcast stands for.Anyone who listens to this episode can learn about whether John knew the name of Jesus' mother; Peter's hometown; why John doesn't bother to list out the Twelve Disciples; whether John knew Aramaic; why John moved the Temple Cleansing story to the beginning of his Gospel; whether John knew that Jesus was an exorcist; the specific reason why so many are so strongly convinced that Jesus was a historical figure; ; the danger of New Testament AIs; and a new variant reading of the famous John 3:16.Support the showYouTube: @borninthesecondcenturyE-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.comMusic: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud

BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY concludes its look at the Resurrection Appearances of Jesus. Host Chris Palmero examines the common elements of these legends, from the point at which Jesus appears to his disciples all the way up to his ascension at the end. The versions of the Resurrection as told by Celsus, the ancient pagan critic of Christianity, as well as the lost book called the Preaching of Peter, are also explored. Finally, Justin Martyr's version of the Resurrection story is analyzed, to see whether he is in fact using the New Testament Gospels as his source.Anyone who listens to this episode can learn about the earliest evidence for Christians in the city of Rome; why Jesus and the disciples are sometimes said to eat a meal during the Resurrection Appearance; why Jesus invites the disciples to touch him in some stories; about how Celsus' story of the Resurrection clashes with that of the New Testament; the Preaching of Peter and its possible links to Mark's Gospel; and the true source of Justin's strange "account" of the Resurrection.Opening reading: the Roman poet Martial, from the turn of the second century, grumbles about his neighbor in the manner of Annette Benning from American Beauty.Support the showYouTube: @borninthesecondcenturyE-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.comMusic: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud

BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY continues its investigation into Justin Martyr's non-use of the New Testament Gospels, with an examination of the Resurrection Appearances of Jesus. Host Chris Palmero analyzes the common themes of these tales in the Canonical and Apocryphal Gospels (including the Gospel of Peter and Gospel of the Hebrews), and the Nag Hammadi and Gnostic writings (including the Pistis Sophia, Gospel of Mary, Apocryphon of James, Wisdom of Jesus Christ, and Dialogue of the Savior).Anyone who listens to this episode can learn about why Justin doesn't seem to know anything about the miracles conducted by Jesus; about the earliest sources of the Passion and Resurrection Narratives; about the confusion in the various sources over the number of Disciples who were actually present to witness the Risen Jesus; about their differences regarding who appeared at the Empty Tomb and when; and about Mary Magdalene.Opening reading: the Healing of the Syrophoenician Woman's Daughter (as read in Wycliffe's version of Mark's Gospel) is a repurposed legend about an anonymous smartmouth Jewish Exorcist that may hold the key to the origins of miracle stories in our Canonical Gospels.Support the showYouTube: @borninthesecondcenturyE-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.comMusic: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud

BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY embarks on the effort to answer the most important question of our age, or of any age: whether Justin Martyr was aware of the New Testament Gospels. In a deep analysis of Justin's stories about Jesus from the so-called Memoirs of the Apostles, host Chris Palmero begins to excavate "the Gospel of Justin."Anyone who listens to this episode can learn about how Justin was truly a "somebody" in the early church; about the potential sources to which Justin had access; about how Justin apparently forgot that Jesus had visited his hometown; about the three specific instances where Justin's quotes of Jesus manage to line up with their Gospel counterparts; about Jesus and his disciples finding the colt; and about John the Baptist "sitting" by the Jordan River.Opening reading: Justin, in his Apology, explains that everything we want to know about Jesus can be learned in "the Acts Composed Under Pontius Pilate."Support the showYouTube: @borninthesecondcenturyE-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.comMusic: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud

There is a treasure that lies hidden behind the earliest Christian writings: the TESTIMONIA. Host Chris Palmero describes the theory that the earliest sources about Jesus of Nazareth may have been strange list of Biblical prophecies that were passed around among early sectarian Jews. These lost books may indeed have been the primary sources even for the authors of the New Testament.Anyone who listens to this episode of BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY can learn about how the "proof from prophecy" was the first and best defense of the faith among the earliest Christians; about why the Church Fathers sometimes seem to forget who exactly wrote certain Biblical books; what the Testimonia were, what they may have looked like, where we can still find evidence of them, and; the paramount importance of Psalm 110 to the entire concept of Christianity.Opening reading: The very first lines of the Gospel of Mark provide the occasion for the host to play a historic recording of an ancient phone call placed circa 116 AD.Support the showYouTube: @borninthesecondcenturyE-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.comMusic: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud

BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY brings the Montanism Trilogy to its bloody, triumphant ending. Host Chris Palmero shifts the focus to the spectacular changes that the war against the New Prophecy caused within the structure of Catholic Christianity itself, causing it to transform from just another "free radical" Jewish sect, to a truly organized religion, for better or worse. Anyone who listens to this episode can learn about the bogus list of early Roman Bishops; the dawn and progression of the Catholic Sect; why "Proto-Orthodoxy" is a vague and silly concept; how Asia Minor is so central to the story of Christianity; about the changes caused by Montanism in terms of organization, the Eschaton, prophecy, and the invention of the past; why the ancient Christians wanted their Church leaders to be rich; how the ancient Roman Church became so prominent; who its first real Bishop was; what finally happened to the New Prophecy; and about a curious little tome entitled..."Churchfails."Opening reading: The Jesus of the Book of Revelation, impressed with the city's cheesesteaks, grants the ancient city of Philadelphia an "Open Door," through which the first Montanist missionaries will step on their way to converting one man in a lost little valley, in one of the most momentous decisions in history.Support the showYouTube: @borninthesecondcenturyE-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.comMusic: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud

The second installment of BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY'S Montanism Trilogy examines the Christian reactions to this mysterious movement. Host Chris Palmero presents testimonies from Irenaeus, the Shepherd of Hermas, the Didache, Epiphanius, and of course, Eusebius. He also tackles a burning question: did Tertullian really convert to the New Prophecy, or was that illustrious fool merely participating in an elaborate LARP?Anyone who listens to this episode can learn about why Christians blow on the faces of their converts; whether Eusebius can really be trusted; the "Heretic's Journey;" whether the Catholics were trying to assassinate Montanus, Maximilla, and Priscilla; whether Irenaeus was a secret Montanist sympathizer; whether the Didache was originally a Montanist book; what the controversy between Christianity and the New Prophecy was really about; why Tertullian got involved in this movement; and how the pagan Celsus has taught us more about this "heresy" than any Christian commentator ever could. The host also shares a special time-saving technique that anyone can use when writing about Philip's Daughters.Opening reading: The Canons of the Council of Constantinople, from the late fourth century, look forward to the age in which Montanism eventually fades from the earth.Support the showYouTube: @borninthesecondcenturyE-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.comMusic: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud

BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY presents the first installment of a trilogy of shows on the Great Montanist "Heresy." Host Chris Palmero examines the tremendous impact that the second century religious movement of Montanism had on Christianity actually becoming a distinct religion. At the same time, Montanism will be revealed to be a heretical Jewish movement that originally had nothing to do with Christianity.For the first time ever on this show, we find ourselves in "Ordinary Time," surveying a historical narrative from the late 100's AD. This is the dividing line between Christian history and pre-history, and we are at the very moment when the Church first found it necessary to create a backstory for itself. Anyone who listens to this episode can learn about the theologian's explanation of Montanism and the flaws inherent in that explanation; about the oracles of the three mad prophets Montanus, Maximilla, and Priscilla; about the suspicious lack of connection between Montanism and Christianity; about the possible true date of this movement's origins; about the uncanny links between the New Prophecy and Blade Runner; and about a possible alternate history in which women led Christianity throughout history, Bene Gesserit-style. A new segment is introduced in which a history of the 1980's AD is given, but as if written by Eusebius.Opening reading: A Montanist prophetess delivers a fiery exhortation to her fellow women, in a passage that has ironically been preserved by Schmucko Supremo Tertullian.Support the showYouTube: @borninthesecondcenturyE-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.comMusic: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud

BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY explores the mystery of the strange portrayal of Paul in the Acts of the Apostles. Host Chris Palmero carefully examines the stories about Paul in Acts, and explains the author's motive for depicting him as a loyal, submissive, even-tempered company man: the polar opposite of the moody, outspoken mystic who speaks from Paul's letters.Anyone who listens to this episode can learn about the possible sources of Acts of the Apostles and the author's true motive for writing it, about that author's obsession with telling us that Paul was hardly ever alone, about whether and why Peter's career mirrors Paul's, about the author's reluctance to call Paul an "apostle," about how Acts was written in a universe that lacked the dimension of time, about Simon Magus and Stephen and Philip, about the "Hellenists" and who they really were, about Paul's supposed dual names, about the suppressed story of his conversion, about how Acts distorts two major events from his career, and whether he was bald.Opening reading: Paul's malicious blinding of a Jewish magician is exposed as a Christian rewrite of a sectarian fable in which the Christians themselves were the original antagonists.Support the showYouTube: @borninthesecondcenturyE-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.comMusic: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud

A haze of mystery surrounds the figure of Paul and his confusing, contradictory letters - especially the Matryoshka Doll that is his First Letter to the Corinthians, which seems to have eight smaller letters hiding inside of it. But host Chris Palmero reveals that First Corinthians is not only the key to understanding how and when Paul's letters were actually written. It's also "the shining weapon" that just might help us cut through the haze of mystery and reveal the truth about the Historical Paul.BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY continues its New Testament journey with a series of episodes on the Historical Paul and his most important letter. First Corinthians will be revealed as a late and composite patchwork - the product of serial editing over a period of decades, and clashing doctrines and opinions of the Pauline clerics who wrote in the name of a semi-mythical figure.Anyone who listens to this episode can learn about why the historical Paul should be considered the greatest genius in the history of the universe, about the many strange problems in the initial chapters of First Corinthians, about the strange "glitch in the matrix" feeling that we sometimes get when reading Christian texts, about the source of Paul's mysterious "ailment" to which (some of) his letters allude, and about why these second century clerics chose to write in Paul's name.Opening reading: The great psychologist Julian Jaynes believed that ancient people had no consciousness. Might this help us understand why Paul's letters sometimes resemble angry, argumentative online comment sections, rather than actual epistles?Note: the host reads "ultra-literal" New Testament translations at one point. These come from www.biblicalaudio.com. Support the showYouTube: @borninthesecondcenturyE-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.comMusic: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud

The letter of Jude is a short, strange little book; a violent and angry "diss track" that's ignored by most Christian believers and neglected by theologians. And it has no home in the traditional paradigm. BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY continues its New Testament Journey, as host Chris Palmero examines the evidence for the date and origin of Jude, and tries to find a home for it. If even this innocuous little letter is found to be late and spurious, what implications does that have for the other Christian scriptures?Anyone who listens to this episode can learn about the Letter of Jude, its use of apocryphal books, the questions over its canonicity, its earliest reception, and its likely date and occasion for writing.Opening reading: The Odes of Solomon are a mysterious book of hymns, said to have been written under the influence of the gospel of John and after 100 AD.  But their suspiciously "pre-Christian" character - including a total lack of knowledge about Jesus of Nazareth - suggest a hidden secret that may be a key to Christian origins.Support the showYouTube: @borninthesecondcenturyE-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.comMusic: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud

BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY continues its New Testament Journey with the second part of the series on Luke's gospel.  Host Chris Palmero examines the traditional views on Luke's date, responds to them, and provides his own thoughts on this self-evidently late text.Anyone who listens to this episode can learn about how fundamentalists and mainstream theologians have determined the date of Luke's gospel, about the absurdity of the "80 to 90 AD" date range in which it's commonly placed, about the major anachronisms found within its pages, and about the likely process by which its title was assigned.Opening reading: Joseph Smith's fake cover story from 1832 about the beginnings of the Mormon faith shows how difficult it can be to pin down the Day One origins of any religion. Also featured in the episode are readings from Alfred Loisy (on the late date of Luke's gospel), Luke's prologue, and the New York Times (on the discovery of Luke's skeleton).Patreon: www.patreon.com/borninthesecondcenturyWebsite: facebook.com/BornInTheSecondCenturyE-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.comMusic: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, SoundCloudSupport the showYouTube: @borninthesecondcenturyE-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.comMusic: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud

BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY'S journey through the New Testament continues with the undeniably late gospel of Luke. This is the first of a two part episode.Host Chris Palmero examines the structure and sources of Luke, and tracks Luke's earliest mentions in history. What we'll find is that Luke's gospel can't be detected in the historical record until almost the very end of the second century. When it finally appears, we can see that it seems to have gone through at least two phases of editing.Anyone who listens to this episode can learn about the theory of Proto-Luke; as well as the strange fact that the first draft of Luke appears to have been unaware of Mark. The supposed use and reception of Luke's gospel by the great arch-heretic Marcion is also covered. In the next episode, the date of the book will be examined.Patreon: www.patreon.com/borninthesecondcenturyWebsite: facebook.com/BornInTheSecondCenturyE-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.comMusic: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, SoundCloudSupport the showYouTube: @borninthesecondcenturyE-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.comMusic: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud

Host Chris Palmero has been listening to a lot of Christian apologetics programs lately. He is therefore now compelled to conduct a full-length parody of them.In this satirical broadcast, Dr. E, the renowned host of the Season of Reason Christian Apologetics Show, interviews the formidable Christian apologist Dr. Walter Pupp. Dr. Pupp - who was saved by the powerful passage in Mark that says that Jesus was asleep with his head on a cushion - is a former prosecutor whose experience in the 21st century American courtroom is readily applied to tracing the origins and development of a classical Mediterranean religion.BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY generally likes to discuss problems with the mainstream or conventional view of Christian origins, but every now and then it's useful to highlight the apologetics and fundamentalists arguments as well. It's a fascinating world in which you can hear such things as "the gospels are reliable because they differ, and they're also reliable because they agree."Patreon: www.patreon.com/borninthesecondcenturyWebsite: facebook.com/BornInTheSecondCenturyE-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.comMusic: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, SoundCloudSupport the showYouTube: @borninthesecondcenturyE-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.comMusic: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud

The gospel of Matthew is in the sights of BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY's Brighten the Corners miniseries on the late dates and spurious authorship of the New Testament books. Host Chris Palmero discusses the limits of the conventional ways of assigning a date to Matthew's gospel.Anyone who listens to this episode can learn about how both fundamentalists and mainstream theologians have determined the date of Matthew's gospel, about the likely origin and background of this book, about some honking big anachronisms that are found in it, and about its parallels with Talmudic texts created by the early rabbis - Matthew's true opponents in the creation of this famous second century gospel. Opening reading: Matthew's story of the disciples plucking the heads of grain is revealed to be one of the best guides to the way he approached Mark's material.Support the showYouTube: @borninthesecondcenturyE-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.comMusic: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud

BORN IN THE SECOND CENTURY continues to brighten the corners with an exploration of the date and authorship of the Gospel of Mark. Host Chris Palmero examines the conventional paradigms and presents a new perspective.Anyone who listens to this episode can learn about how mainstream theologians - as well as fundamentalists - have pinpointed the date of Mark's Gospel, about their theories on its authorship, and about the infamous "P52" papyrus that supposedly suggests an early date for the Gospels.Support the showYouTube: @borninthesecondcenturyE-mail: secondcenturypodcast@gmail.comMusic: Pompeii Gray on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud