Articles written by Karen Pusey

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About me - Karen Pusey

I am a retired Senior Lecturer.My whole academic existence has been in theology- mostly Biblical.( BD, M.Phil. Ph.D.)I am a published author and have written several articles. I live in small village in N.Yorks.I am interested in historic houses and am a volunteer

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Religion & Spirituality > Bible Study Was Jesus' mother Mary divine or just human?: 2 of 48
" My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour". It might be thought that this verse in Luke 1:46-47 would have settled the matter once an for all. How could Mary be anything but human if she requires a Saviour? These phrases have been sung or said by millions each day down the centuries as the openin... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Bible Study Bible study: Creation, the origin story in Genesis: 1 of 10
The story starts in chaos.The Hebrew words tohu-va-bohu translated variously as "formlessvoid", "Vaste waste", " formless and empty", " form and void", or paraphrased as " a shapelss chaotic mass", "barren,empty, with no form of life" or "formless and desolate" are almost onomatopoeic in their force. None of these translatio... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Bible Study Bible study: The Epistle to the Philippians: 1 of 8
At the heart of this little letter is a Christian hymn. Since 1928,when Lohmeyer published his Kyrios Jesus (Heidleberg) most scholars have agreed that in 2:5-11, Paul is using a ready made piece of liturgy. Was this sung as Christians celebrated the Lord's Supper,soon after the momentous happenings of the death, resurrection... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Christian Doctrine & Issues The church's look at women: 8 of 45
Reflections on the role of women in the New TestamentThis important subject has been chewed over, particularly in the last twenty years. There has been a rash of books, some denying a limited role for women in the early church, others contending that every office was open to women. Two American organisations have been set up,... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Bible Study Bible study: The book of Ephesians: 1 of 4
Imagine a long upstairs room in the great city of Ephesus.It is empty of furniture because it is packed with people- men and women eager and expectant. There is a footfall on the stair and into the room bursts Tychicus, a man known to be Paul's agent. Under his arm he has a scroll. He is about to deliver for the first time a ... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Bible Study Bible study: Parable of the Sower: 2 of 5
Imagine the scene. It is a beautiful warm day. Blue skies are overhead and the prospect of hills can be seen in the distance.Jesus is standing by the shore of Lake Galilee. The crowd is so great he has to stand in a boat tethered to a landing stage. As he looks away from the lake, he can see a sower.His field is small hedged ... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Bible Study Bible study: Revelation 22: 2 of 5
After all the weird and wonderful images that the writer of the Apocalypse presents us with,the epilogue is a calm and comforting end to this perturbing book. As G.B.C. Caird says,"The splendour fades, and John is left alone with his guide." (v.6). The guide,of course, is a theophany like those occurrences in the Old Testamen... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Bible Study Paul's ministry in the early Christian church: 5 of 12
Paul is a pain! Controversy is his middle name. His statements on women and their place in church, that is the body of Christ, has caused such a waste of time and effort. Two opposing organisations have been set up- The Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and the Council for Bible Equality. The first calls itself "comp... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Bible Study Bible study: The Creation: 4 of 8
Humans are created in the image of God. Theologians have puzzled over the meaning of the phrase "image and likeness". Many, like Tertullian (160-220 CE) have made a distinction between the two words. In a treatise on baptism,Tertullian says that "image" refers to his form and "likeness" to his eternity, the latter given to hu... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Bible Study Bible study: Junia or Junias - A female apostle in Romans 16:17?: 1 of 1
Getting to the end of Romans 15 is rather like breasting the tape in a marathon. All that heavy theology is past. It's time for the bottle of water and a good sit down. Chapter 16 is hardly worth bothering with. It's just a list of greetings to largely unknown people.It might not be an original part of the letter anyway.Perha... More..