Searching - My Journey Along a Spiritual Path

W ho wrote the Gospels and the New Testament? The foundation of any discussion of Christianity must stand on the figure of Jesus.   He is the central character of the four gospels, and the primary subject of most of the other letters and writings found in Christianity’s New Testament.   It was his teachings and ministry that caused a small group of first century Jewish followers to radically reinterpret centuries-old Jewish teachings and, over time, helped found a new movement completely separate from traditional Judaism and whose adherents eventually became known as “Christians”.     After centuries of internal struggles and external (and sometimes internal) persecutions, this new faith – or at least the ultimately dominant sect of this faith – was to become the official religion of the once-hated Roman empire and its teachings and methods spread around the globe.   Today, Christianity in its huge variety of forms is considered the largest religious group in ...

Being born into a Catholic family and reared in the faith, I was exposed to the Catholic Bible from a very early age.   While I do not recall my parents reading the Bible to me, they both would reference it when they wanted to impart a valuable lesson or story.   The earliest recollection I have of the Bible is from my doctors and dentists’ offices.   While waiting to be seen by the doctor for what seemed to be an interminable amount of time – something that still hasn’t changed in 60+ years – I would eagerly grab the richly illustrated children’s Bibles that seemed to always be amongst their collection of magazines and reading material to browse.   I vividly recall being amazed at the beautiful artistic renderings of Noah in his Ark battling oceans of rain and perilous waves.   I was soothed by the images of baby Jesus in the manger surrounded by his adoring parents and apparently equally adoring farm animals.   I was terrified by the incredibly unsettli...