The Bible and Beyond

An Interview with Dr. Benjamin DeVos
This episode reexamines Simon Magus, a controversial figure from the book of Acts, and his evolving role in early Christian tradition. Moving beyond the familiar story, it explores how later texts—especially the Pseudo-Clementines—transform Simon into a complex philosophical rival to Peter. Along the way, the discussion uncovers themes of truth, rhetoric, power, and moral ambiguity, challenging simple labels of heresy and revealing a far more nuanced picture of early Christianity.
Dr. Benjamin De Vos is a researcher and teacher within the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy at Ghent University in Belgium and is affiliated with the University of Regensburg and the Beyond Canon project. His particular research interest is in the figure of Simon Magus. This involves Neoplatonic philosophy, concepts of truth, and important forms of communication, such as myth and dialogue. He is the author of a volume with Cambridge University Press, as well as several articles and book chapters and edited volumes (with Mohr Siebeck en Groningen University/Barkhuis (on Truth-dynamics in Early Christianity)).

An Interview with Rev. Dr. Bridget Mary Meehan
What is "gnosis," and does it belong within Catholic tradition? In this conversation, Rev. Dr. Bridget Mary Meehan—bishop in the Roman Catholic Womanpriests movement—shares how inner, experiential knowing of God has long shaped Christian mysticism. From the Gospel of Mary to Teresa of Ávila, she explores how forgotten voices and lived experience challenge hierarchy and renew faith, offering a vision of a more inclusive and Spirit-led church today.
Rev. Dr. Bridget Mary Meehan is a bishop in the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWP) and a prophetic leader in the global movement for women's equality in the Church. She is also a certified minister in the Federation of Christian Ministries, co-founder of People's Catholic Seminary, and Dean of the Masters in Divinity and Doctor of Ministry programs at Global Ministries University. She was ordained in 2006 as one of the first eight Roman Catholic Women Priests in the U.S., and in 2024, she ordained three deacons and three priests at the historic "Ordination on the Tiber" in Rome, a landmark public witness for women's ordination.
Printed transcript is available on the show notes page: https://earlychristiantexts.com/gnosis-womanpriest-inner-awakening/

An Interview with Shawna Dolansky
Historian Shawna Dolansky invites listeners to rethink the story of Eve in Genesis. Rather than a villain responsible for humanity's fall, Eve may be the story's protagonist—reasoning, choosing, and moving history forward. Dolansky explores how ancient readers understood the Eden story, how later interpreters—from Ben Sira to Augustine and Milton—reshaped it, and why recovering the story's ancient Near Eastern context can change how we understand Genesis today.
Professor Shawna Dolansky is an historian who specializes in the emergence of the Hebrew Bible within its ancient Near Eastern context. Her work cuts across disciplinary boundaries of religious studies, literature, history, anthropology, and archaeology. Current research interests include a study of the history of Adam and Eve in popular culture and re-thinking the figure of Jezebel in the Hebrew Bible in light of historical and archaeological considerations. Both interests are part of a larger digital humanities graphic history project, "Women of the Ancient World," which is coming soon to woawhistory.com.
Dr. Dolansky will be presenting during the upcoming virtual conference "New Insights into the Hebrew Bible (NIHB)" offered by Bart Ehrman. NIHB is a three-day virtual conference (March 20-22, 2026) for people interested in serious biblical scholarship. The conference brings together leading experts to present focused, insightful talks on Genesis. Registration is open now. Click here for registration and more information.

An interview with Nathan Houstin
Nathan Houstin discusses the often-overlooked role of Joseph as the father of Jesus based on his reading of the New Testament, the Infancy Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Philip (which depicts Joseph as the carpenter of the cross!). Taken together, these texts illuminate Joseph's portrayal and significance in the context of Jesus' dual parentage. They highlight theological implications, the nature of fatherhood, and how these concepts resonate in contemporary understandings of family.
Nathan Houstin is a doctoral student in New Testament and Early Christianity at Loyola University Chicago. He holds a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Prior to his theological studies, Nathan worked in healthcare as a respiratory care practitioner, and he continues to practice this profession beside his doctoral work. His scholarly interests range from gender studies, health and medicine in Antiquity to infancy gospels and Nag Hammadi texts.

In this Bible and Beyond podcast episode, Shirley Paulson interviews Dr. Karen L. King, a prominent scholar of the early text, the Gospel of Mary. In this podcast, Shirley and Karen explore the portrayal of Mary Magdalene as a leader and the implications for women's roles in early Christianity. They also discuss themes of identity, the nature of sin, the journey of the soul, and the concept of the good in relation to ethical living. Dr. King's insights highlight the relevance of the ancient teachings in contemporary spiritual and social contexts.
Dr. Karen L. King is the Hollis Research Professor of Divinity, Harvard University's oldest endowed professorship (1721), and is the first woman to hold this chair. Her particular interests are in discourses of difference (orthodoxy and heresy), gender studies, and religion and violence. She completed her Ph.D. in History of Religions: Early Christianity at Brown University.  She also studied in Berlin at the Free University (West) and with the Koptisch-Gnostische Arbeitskreis (Coptic-Gnostic Working Group) at Humboldt University (East). She has received numerous awards for excellence in teaching and research.
A written transcript is available on the show notes page here:
 https://earlychristiantexts.com/karen-king-mary-magdalene