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21 records
Preprint

The Gospel of Thomas and the Problem of Secret Christianity: Sayings, Knowledge, Salvation, and the Limits of the “Hidden Gospel” Narrative

Grace, Daniel J.

The Gospel of Thomas is frequently described in popular culture as a suppressed secret gospel that preserves an alternative Christianity based on hidden knowledge. This article argues that such descriptions flatten a far more complicated text and scholarly debate. Thomas is a collection…

Biblical Studies & InterpretationView record
Preprint

Under the Sun After Modernity: Ecclesiastes, the Search for Meaning, and Christian Reading in a Postmodern Literary Culture

Daniel J. Grace

This article examines Ecclesiastes as a sustained theological and literary exploration of meaning, finitude, mortality, pleasure, labour, wisdom, and divine sovereignty. It places the book in conversation with ancient conceptions of the meaningful life while also asking why Ecclesiastes continues to resonate within…

Biblical TheologyView record
Journal article

Beyond the Nestorian Charge: Calvin, Chalcedon, and the Grammar of Mediatorial Unity

Grace, Daniel J.

This article reconsiders the recurring accusation that John Calvin’s Christology tends toward Nestorianism by shifting attention from denominational polemic to the theological grammar governing Calvin’s account of the incarnate Son. Rather than asking only whether Calvin can be classified as Nestorian, the study…

Systematic & Philosophical TheologyView record
Working paper

Abrasax, Abraxas, and the Making of a Modern Gnostic God: Basilidean Cosmology, Late Antique Magical Gems, Nag Hammadi Traditions, and Jung’s Reinterpretation

Grace, Daniel J.

This article re-examines Abrasax (later commonly Abraxas) by separating four historical layers frequently collapsed in modern accounts: Basilidean traditions reported by early Christian heresiologists; late antique magical gems and amulets; appearances of Abrasax in Nag Hammadi literature; and Carl Gustav Jung's twentieth-century reappropriation…

Religious Traditions & TextsView record
Working paper

Scripture, Authority, and the Word of God: Rethinking Inspiration Beyond the Dictation Model

Grace, Daniel J.

This article examines the relationship between divine inspiration, human authorship, and biblical authority, arguing that a high doctrine of Scripture does not require a mechanical or dictation model of inspiration. It distinguishes revelation, inspiration, canon, authority, inerrancy or infallibility, and interpretation as related…

Biblical Studies & InterpretationView record
Journal article

Divine Concealment and the Missing Esther Commentary

Grace, Daniel J.

The Hebrew Book of Esther is remarkable for what it does not say. God is never explicitly named, yet the narrative is structured around concealment, reversal, threatened destruction, and unexpected deliverance. These features made Esther fertile ground for later Jewish interpretation, including readings…

Biblical Studies & InterpretationView record
Journal article

Similarity Is Not Genealogy: Transmission, Convergence, and Anachronism in Cross-Cultural Interpretation

Grace, Daniel J.

Cross-cultural comparison often begins with a real observation and ends with an unjustified genealogy. Similar names, images, foods, technologies, or religious functions may reflect historical transmission, but they may also arise through independent adaptation, recurring engineering constraints, or later metaphorical reuse. This article…

Practical Theology & Public LifeView record
Journal article

When Artificial Intelligence Becomes a Spiritual Authority: Christian Discernment in the Age of Algorithms

Grace, Daniel J.

Generative artificial intelligence has moved from a specialised technical instrument into an everyday conversational presence. People now ask AI systems for moral advice, biblical interpretation, prayer, vocational guidance, emotional reassurance, and answers to questions of meaning. This article examines the transfer of spiritual…

Theology, Science & TechnologyView record
Working paper

Beneath Lake İznik: New Archaeological Evidence and the Search for the Meeting Place of the First Council of Nicaea

Grace, Daniel J.

This article examines the submerged early Christian basilica in Lake İznik (ancient Nicaea) and the newly reported archaeological evidence for an earlier church phase beneath the later structure. It evaluates the possibility that this earlier sacred building was connected with the First Council…

Christian History & ArchaeologyView record
Journal article

Beyond the Ethiopic Canon: Distinctive Theological Motifs in the Geʽez Tradition of Jubilees

Grace, Daniel J.

The Ethiopic tradition of the Book of Jubilees represents one of the most significant examples of ancient Jewish literature preserved within an African Christian manuscript tradition. While Jubilees originated within Second Temple Judaism, its survival primarily through Geʽez manuscripts demonstrates the complex movement…

Religious Traditions & TextsView record