In the 20th century, an engineer from Philadelphia encouraged others to create their own Mary gardens and established a company that sold seeds with Marian plant names.
Each Easter we see many images of Jesus on the cross – inevitably wearing a loincloth. But the historical evidence shows victims of crucifixion were fully naked to maximise shame as well as pain.
(L-R) The Rockox Triptych by Rubens (1613–1615), Christ as the Man of Sorrows by Maerten Jacobsz van Heemskerck and The Last Judgement by Michelangelo (1541).
Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp/Sistine Chapel
Ideas about resurrection had been developing for centuries before Jesus’ life, but his followers took them in new directions.
Christian Palestinian tattoo artist Walid Ayash draws a tattoo on the arm of a Coptic Egyptian pilgrim on April 28, 2016, at his studio in Bethlehem.
Thomas Coex /AFP via Getty Images
Those in Spain who have objected to Jesus being portrayed as ‘effeminate’, ‘camp’ or ‘sexualised’ seem to imply that there is something wrong or deviant about such portrayals.
There are several views about the origin of Christmas celebrations and when they actually began.
Kipgodi/shutterstock
Is Jesus a peacemaker or a warrior? A socialist or a capitalist? Depending on whom you ask, American Christians see Christ as all these things and more.
On AI Jesus’ Twitch channel, chatbot Jesus answers questions on personal and spiritual matters.
Twitch user ask_jesus
Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity
Managing Director of the McCourtney Institute of Democracy, Associate Research Professor, Political Science, Co-host of Democracy Works Podcast, Penn State