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Forty days in the wilderness: Temptations of Christ, St Mark’s Basilica.
29 March, 2018 - 13:57 ancient-origins

The Surprising Truth About Fasting for Lent

M J C Warren / The Conversation The excesses of the carnival are over, the clean-up completed. And so begins the year’s traditional period of abstinence. Leading up to Christianity’s most holy day,...
The Lady Chapel, Glastonbury Abbey.
27 March, 2018 - 01:56 ancient-origins

Glastonbury: Archaeology is Revealing New Truths About the Origins of British Christianity

Roberta Gilchrist/The Conversation New archaeological research on Glastonbury Abbey pushes back the date for the earliest settlement of the site by 200 years – and reopens debate on Glastonbury’s...
Representative image. The Eruption of Vesuvius in December 1820 by Johann Christian Dahl
20 March, 2018 - 17:54 ancient-origins

Did a Brutal Volcanic Eruption Lead People to Abandon Their Pagan Gods and Embrace Christianity?

Memories of the largest lava flood in the history of Iceland, recorded in an apocalyptic medieval poem, were used to drive the island's conversion to Christianity, new research suggests. A team of...
Right: Detail of a statue of a reclining Attis. The Shrine of Attis is situated to the east of the Campus of the Magna Mater in Ostia. Statue of Jesus Christ as a shepherd with a lamb.
22 February, 2018 - 19:00 Caleb Strom

The Pagan Attis and Christian Jesus: A Spurious Connection?

Recently, it has been popular to suggest in some circles that Christianity was influenced, or even derived from, the ancient Roman mystery religions – religions often known to have orgiastic rituals...
A shepherd (Jesus? Tammuz? Other?) with his flock.
8 February, 2018 - 22:48 Caleb Strom

Tammuz and Jesus: More Than a Distant Connection?

Christianity has its origins in a Middle Eastern religion, Judaism, so it is little surprise that there are some residual similarities between Christian theological thought and ancient Middle Eastern...
The tomb of Jesus Christ in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem.
29 November, 2017 - 14:00 Alicia McDermott

The Tomb of Jesus Christ is Proven Older than Experts Thought

The tomb where Jesus Christ is said to have been prepared for burial and then buried following his crucifixion has now been dated to the imperial Roman era around the time of Constantine. A recent...
Taking of Jerusalem by the Crusaders, 15th July 1099, Emile Signol
17 November, 2017 - 01:58 ancient-origins

Why the Crusades Were Not a ‘Clash of Civilizations’

Ask pretty much anyone – whether terrorists, politicians (of all camps), dinner party guests, or religious leaders – and the one thing that they will say with confidence about the Crusades is that...
An illustration of the ‘Black Dog’ series by Dusty Crosley, a twisted Halloween tale of horror written by Terry Lambert.
31 October, 2017 - 17:57 ancient-origins

Tricking and Treating Has a Long History

Over the past few decades, Halloween celebrations have gained in popularity , not only with children and families, but with all those fascinated with the spooky and scary. As a scholar of myth and...
A model of the Ark of the Covenant from biblical description
23 October, 2017 - 15:16 jim willis

The Missing Contents of the Ark of the Covenant: What Was Inside the Ark? (HINT: Not just the 10 Commandments)

Whenever the subject of ancient technology comes up, most people have been conditioned by spectacular movies and TV shows to think right away about the Ark of the Covenant . Some say it was a...
Carved into the rock face, with a plaster façade, is Abba Yohani Church
2 June, 2017 - 13:57 Caleb Strom

Hidden Religion: Abba Yohani and the Clandestine Cave Churches of Ethiopia

Ethiopia is a land full of ancient relics. For example, the fossil remains of the earliest hominins were found in Ethiopia. The oldest stone tools known to have been intelligently manufactured by...
God the Father (represented by an old patriarch with white hair) by Cima da Conegliano, c. 1515
20 May, 2017 - 01:49 ancient-origins

Arguments Why God (Very Probably) Exists

The question of whether a god exists is heating up in the 21st century. According to a Pew survey, the percent of Americans having no religious affiliation reached 23 percent in 2014. Among such “...
Saint Margaret and Olybrius. Margaret herds sheep when Olybrius arrives by Fouquet 15th Century.
24 April, 2017 - 14:00 dhwty

She Met the Devil, Escaped a Dragon, and Survived Several Attempts on Her Life: The Remarkable Story of St. Margaret of Antioch

St. Margaret of Antioch is a Christian saint venerated in both the Churches of the West and of the East. In the latter, she is known as Saint Marina the Great Martyr. Little is known for certain...
An Easter postcard depicting the Easter Bunny.
16 April, 2017 - 18:46 ancient-origins

The Very Strange History of the Easter Bunny

While you’re biting the heads off your chocolate bunnies this weekend, you might wonder how rabbits became so central to our Easter celebrations. It’s tempting to assume that because there’s no...
Antique portrait of a woman, Austria
12 April, 2017 - 15:30 nrushton

Bodies Left Behind - A Cruel History of Persecution, Shamanic Ecstasies & the True Witches Sabbath

‘The witches are carried sometimes in their bodies and clothes, at other times without, and the examiner thinks their bodies are sometimes left behind. Even when their spirits only are present, yet...
Domes of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
4 April, 2017 - 18:59 dhwty

Why is the Holiest Shrine in Christianity Guarded by Two Muslim Families?

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is considered to be the holiest site in Christianity. According to tradition, this was the place where Jesus Christ was crucified, buried, and...
The birthday party of Lazaro Salsita, born 15 years ago, in the body of Lazaro Medina Hernandez, 35, Sculptor. Havana (La Habana), Cuba.
14 March, 2017 - 00:53 Natalia Klimczak

A Unique Mixture of Afro-Cuban Religious Rituals or Witchcraft? The True Story Behind Santeria

Some religious practices can be very surprising because they link aspects from different beliefs which may appear incompatible at first glance. In the case of Santeria, the connection between native...

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