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| The blog's logos over the years (2010-2025) |
As the years passed, the blog—and its author—entered new phases of reflection and development. In 2015, the tone shifted from debate to dialogue. Posts began to explore interfaith engagement, Catholic social teaching, and reflections on Franciscan spirituality, as well as broader theological questions. The blog was retitled Veritas Ministeria—Latin for “Truth Ministries”—to reflect this expanded mission.
For a brief period of time in mid-2016, the idea of renaming the website to "the embrace" was toyed around with. This would have included a variation of the Tau cross, with the rest of the letters in lowercase. The idea of "the embrace" re-branding would have been to emphasize the divine, loving and merciful embrace that ought to welcome all people of all cultures, religious traditions, ethnic backgrounds as well as socio-political statuses. However, since the website has been known for this long as Veritas Ministeria, the name remained the same, but the quality, focus and emphasis of the recent articles and posts have been changed in order to better express this idea of "the embrace."
In 2020, a more scholarly dimension began to emerge. Posts turned toward New Testament studies, Christian origins, and the history of ancient Mediterranean religions, reflecting the author's graduate-level academic training and evolving research interests.
By 2024, and more clearly in 2025, a major transition took place. The blog was renamed The Apocryphal Pilgrim, a title that honors both the author's intellectual and spiritual journey. The word Apocryphal signals a long-standing fascination with Christian apocrypha—over 17 years of engagement—as well as an 8-year interest in ancient Christian magic, material culture, and marginalized voices in early Christian history. The word Pilgrim recognizes both the theological tradition of journeying (inspired in part by Franciscan spirituality) and the personal evolution of the blog itself, which has undergone significant reconstructions roughly every five years.
Though no longer an active ministry or formal theological blog, The Apocryphal Pilgrim continues to be animated by a mission: to restore and elevate the voices of lay Christians in Late Antiquity. While much of our knowledge of early Christianity comes from elite theological figures like St. Augustine or ecclesiastical councils, the lived religion of ordinary Christians—their worries, hopes, rituals, and local expressions of faith—are often found in magical texts, apocryphal stories, and devotional objects. A simple Christian amulet, for instance, might speak more honestly about everyday anxieties than a theological treatise ever could. Likewise, apocryphal texts often preserve the voices and memories of Christian groups that didn’t make it into the “orthodox” canon, but still shaped the broader Christian landscape.
The Tau cross, a symbol once featured prominently in the blog’s earlier logo during the Veritas Ministeria era, was chosen intentionally. The Tau has deep biblical and Christian roots: it appears in the Hebrew Bible (Ezekiel 9:4), was used as a cruciform symbol by the Romans, and became especially significant for St. Francis of Assisi, who adopted it after the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215. Inspired by Pope Innocent III’s exhortation to “be bearers of the Tau,” Francis began signing his letters and artwork with the Tau instead of his name. His followers wore Tau crosses as necklaces or embroidered them onto their habits. Over time, the Tau became a Franciscan symbol of humility, solidarity, love, and radical hospitality.
The current logo's earthy brown color of the font continues serves as a quiet homage to that Franciscan spirit—a tradition rooted in lived faith, concern for the marginalized, and a willingness to walk alongside others. Today, as the blog shifts toward the academic study of religion, it continues to carry that legacy of hospitality and restoration into new terrain. The scroll depicted in the logo is a public domain image from Adobe, while the round amber gem is Item 79b from Boston University School of Theology Library Archives' "Scarborough Coin Collection" (undated̄; used with permission).
This blog, like its author, is still on a journey. Theological, intellectual, and personal growth has always been part of its identity. That’s why it’s not just apocryphal—it’s also a pilgrimage.
