Panta 1 shows that the authors of the New Testament understood Christianity and their world from the point-of-view of the pre-Socratic philosopher, Heraclitus of Ephesus who lived around 500 B.C. His philosophy served as the point of view of most of the authors of the New Testament. These statements are supported by examining the historical context of the New Testament, the texts of both the philosopher and the New Testament, and the concepts that they both endorse. Part One examines the bases of much of the New Testament scholarship as it has been formulated for the past century. This part pays particular attention to a critique of David Strauss, and of the tendency in modern theology to reinterpret the New Testament according to modern philosophical or ideological agenda. Part Two examines the philosophy of Heraclitus, based primarily on the commentary by Charles H. Kahn (Cambridge University Press, 1989). Part Three shows affinities between Heraclitus and the books of the New Testament, beginning with John. The author also proposes a theory concerning the identity of Tyrranus in the book of Acts. Part Four examines the Gospel of Thomas, and an interesting writing from the Nag Hammadi library. Part Five contains suggestions concerning Christian Theology and topics including God, Jesus, sin, atonement, and others are discussed.
