THE NEWSLETTER OF IBTM
with Douglas Jacoby
.
18 October 2026
Greetings from Amsterdam (a quick layover)! I’ve just flown in from Istanbul, after what may well have been our best Biblical Study Tour ever (Greece & Turkey). The sites we explored were exciting, of course (Corinth, Athens, Ephesus, Miletus…). But it was the fellowship that made this tour exceptional. It was also good fun—and an honor—to co-lead my friend Paul Copan. Also cool: running in Marathon!
Turkey is a Muslim land (although secular), and so we were treated to some insightful talks on Islam. I certainly enjoyed two weeks with David Wood, an expert on Islam—and like Paul Copan, a PhD in philosophy. Appropriately, Athens I took Paul and David to see the site of Plato’s Academy and Aristotle’s Lycaeum.
Photo: Jacoby, Copan, Wood
Speaking of Islam, you may be interested in a study by Dr. Jay Smith—it’s simply amazing. The claim the Qur'an has been copied / transmitted perfectly is not just exaggerated, but mendacious. To learn the truth, click here. Smith’s ministry has an excellent team of workers. I had the pleasure of dinner with Jay Smith a couple of years ago. I appreciate men like him who have taken the time to study this important world religion.
Smith's book, available for free in pdf form, is In Search of a Book: Assessing the newest research on the historicity of the Qur’an.
BST group (45 persons, from the US, UK, China, Jamaica, & the Philippines), Pergamum / Death mask, Mycenae / Laodicea / Sunset over Smyrna / Corinth Canal / Parthenon, Athens / Egyptian obelisk in the Hippodrome of Justinian (post-tour group, 30 persons), Istanbul / Ceiling of Blue Mosque, Istanbul
COLOSSAE UPDATE
One of the highlights of the Biblical Study Tour was visiting the site of ancient Colossae, and meeting Barış Yener, the man tasked with excavating it. The excavations are in the early days—in large part because funding is much needed. (If you like, you can help offset expenses at the DONATE section of our website.) Previously Yener ably excavated Laodicea—a massive site with much to see—he is eminently qualified to uncover Colossae.
Click HERE for a recent interview with Dr. Yener. Photo: Over 80 ancient tombs have been unearthed, shedding significant light on ancient Colossae.
FRESH MATERIAL
One of the aims of the ministry is to furnish you with a stream of fresh material. (See the Fresh Material Daily button at our homepage.) Some of the newer items:
*Q&A 1765—Should we read the Book of Enoch?
*Q&A 1766—What is a “Bema”?
*iFaith Against the Flow 17: Esther—handling the pressure to remain quiet
*iFaith Against the Flow 18: Job—resisting the power of popular Christian doctrines
MOUNTAIN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
The seminary in which I (and 20 other brothers and sisters) teach boasts students from over 40 nations. Our aim is to equip spiritual leaders globally. Could that mean you?
This isn’t just for church workers. MTS is open to all Christians—of all denominations.
Learn more about the seminary HERE.
Video footage of the last two graduations:
GRADUATION (09/26)
SPANISH DIV’N GRADUATION (10/25)
ANCIENT CHRISTIAN WRITINGS: THE SHEPHERD OF HERMAS
After a 22-month break, we finally resume our study of the ancient Christian writings! Click HERE for the intro to this series, and scroll down. Parts 1-19 appeared in the 31 July-11 Dec 2024 newsletters. We continue with part 20.
There are some 10,000 pages of writings in the first 3 centuries of Christianity!
The Shepherd consists of five visions given to Hermas, a former slave. These are followed by twelve commandments and ten similitudes (parables). The work, extremely popular among the early Christians, was completed 90-150 AD. It is included as an appendix, along with the Epistle of Barnabas, in the Codex Sinaiticus (c.325 AD), which is probably the oldest surviving (and near-complete) Christian Bible.
Following are a few things that struck me. I don’t claim to be comprehensive in my overview of these and other writings, and admit the subjective nature of some of my impressions. Today we’ll peek at Book I, Visions, and Book II, Commandments.
Image: Shepherd of Hermas, or the Good Shepherd. 3rd cent., catacombs, Rome
BOOK I – Visions
Vision 3, chapter 2—on persecution and martyrdom, in which Hermas beholds the trials of the martyrs: “What have they borne?” said I. “Listen,” said she: “Scourges, prisons, great tribulations, crosses, wild beasts, for God’s name’s sake. On this account is assigned to them the division of sanctification on the right hand, and to everyone who shall suffer for God’s name: to the rest is assigned the division on the left. But both for those who sit on the right, and those who sit on the left, there are the same gifts and promises; only those sit on the right, and have some glory.”
Chapter 7 seems to lend some support to the evolving notion of purgatory, a doctrine that would make its appearance on the stage by the fifth century.
Chapter 8 seems to intimate the end of the world is near—although I’m basing this deduction on a metaphor / parable. Living in eager expectation of the end was common among early believers.
Chapter 9: The wealthy are seemingly excluded from the kingdom. The patristic writings contain a range of opinions on wealth, and judgments about the wealthy.
BOOK II – Commandments
Command 4, chapter 1: If your wife commits adultery and you divorce her, remarriage on your part is adultery. That is because the divorcee might repent. This goes beyond the teaching of the N.T.
4.2: If I repent and yet after baptism continue to sin, there is no forgiveness. Further, baptism is for the forgiveness of past sins only. Sins after baptism are forgiven through confession and repentance.
4.3: If your spouse dies, remarriage is not a sin. However, remarriage is less glorious than remaining single. While this does honor Jesus’ teaching in Matt 19, once again, one wonders whether this is going beyond the teaching of the N.T.
4.6, ii: Good / evil angels can come into the heart, producing the fruit of the flesh / spirit.
Command 8: Care for widows, orphans, and the needy. Reverence the aged. Gently bring the discouraged or sinful back to the faith.
Command 11: Meekness, simple living, and humility are highly valued—and indicate whether a prophet is true or false. Signs of false prophets are ego, boldness, talkativeness, luxurious living, and insisting on payment for their prophecies.
Command 12, chapter 2: “… All luxury is foolish and empty in the servants of God.”
12.4: “But to those who have the Lord only on their lips, but their hearts hardened, and who are far from the Lord, the commandments are hard and difficult. Put, therefore, ye who are empty and fickle in your faith, the Lord in your heart, and ye will now that there is nothing easier or sweeter, or more manageable, than these commandments.”
In the next bulletin: The Similitudes (Parables) of Hermas
Q4 ENGAGEMENTS
Oct: Greece & Turkey: Biblical Study Tour
Oct: Salvation Series, pt. 5 (Baptism), Atlanta Braves Front Office
Nov: Sunday sermon at The Northview Church (Roswell, GA)
Nov: St Simons Island, GA: Soul Shepherding Retreat
Nov: World Religions Course begins, European School of Missions (ends 30 April)
Nov: Evangelical Theological Society, Society of Biblical Literature, Institute for Biblical Research, Evangelical Philosophical Society, and Tutku Educational Travel
Dec: Apologetics 600 concludes (Mountain Theological Seminary)
Dec: Sunday sermon at North River Church of Christ (Marietta, GA)
Dec: European School of Missions Zoom 1 of 5
Dec: iFaith Asia tour
Dec: Vientiane, Laos
THANK YOU!
With every issue it’s hard to know what to include, and what to leave out. For example, should I include information on the upcoming tour of Italy (May 2027)? Should I pass along more of the excellent articles I’ve discovered this week? Am I writing too much—or perhaps too little?
Please pray for wisdom for me, and for the impact of these newsletters.
And as always, thanks so much for your interest, support, and trust. — Douglas
For all bulletins 2004-2026 (100s of pages of biblical material), click here. Access the website here. New material every week—typically, every day! Become a website member ($1/week, paid annually) here. Your membership is a tremendous boost to this ministry. To donate, click here.
