This post appeared on Easter day, four years ago, and received the second-most comments of any that I have done (218 of them).  It is, in fact, a reflection on the significance of that holiday and how Christianity itself actually began.   ****************************** An Easter Reflection 2018 April 1, 2018 It is highly ironic, but relatively easy, for a historian to argue that Jesus himself did not start Christianity.  Christianity, at its heart, is the belief that Jesus’ death and resurrection brought about salvation, and that believing in his death and resurrection will make a person right with God, both now and in the afterlife.  Historical scholarship since the nineteenth century has marshaled massive evidence that this is not at all what Jesus himself preached. Yes, it is true that in the Gospels themselves Jesus talks about his coming death and resurrection.  And in the last of the Gospels written, John, his message is all about how faith in him can bring eternal life (a message oddly missing in the three earlier Gospels of Matthew, [...]

Here now is my #3 all time most commented-on post, coming in at 210 comments.  It's about my religious views as an agnostic.  Or an atheist?   Or, actually, how should we think about whether we even *could* imagine a God.  Read on.   ****************************** A Revelatory Moment about “God” January 12, 2020 I had a “revelatory moment” last week that I think may have changed my view about “God” for a very long time – or at least about the existence of superior beings far beyond what we can imagine. As most of you know, I have long been an agnostic-atheist, and as some of you may recall, I define “atheist” differently from most people, at least in relationship to “agnostic.”   The word “agnostic” means “don’t know.”   Is there a God?  I don’t’ know.  How could I possibly know?  How could you?  I know a lot of you do “know” – or think you know.  But my view is that if you’re in that boat you “think” there is a God – really, really think [...]

Here now is my most-commented-from-the-last-ten-years-post #4.  It is also by far the longest post I have done in all this time.  It addresses an attack on my stupidity and ignorance. I should say at the outset that the one issue/topic I do NOT enjoy going into on the blog these days (for the past three or four years) is the "mythicist" view of Jesus (the idea that Jesus never existed; there never was a Jesus of Nazareth; it's all made up).  The people who hold this view tend to have completely boundless energy and no matter what you say, they keep coming back at you like a terrier.  It's exhausting.  And so these days I stay away from it all.  Let them get on with it. But it is the topic of one of my books (what was I thinking?), and oh boy did it provoke a response.  I thought *Christian fundamentalists* were a hard audience.  HA!  Welcome to the mythicists. All that is explained in this post, which in the end elicited 207 comments. [...]

We are counting down the TOP TEN commented posts in our TEN year venture on the blog.  We've had a range of topics so far, and here now is Post #5, with 207 comments.   ******************************   The Religion of a Sixteen-Year-Old June 1, 2014 I just got home from spending a week in Lawrence Kansas, my home town.   As I’ve done now for years, I took my mom fishing in the Ozarks for a few days.  She’s 87, and on a walker, but still able to reel them in! I go back to Lawrence probably three or four times a year, and each time it is like going down memory lane.  I left there to go to Moody Bible Institute in 1973, when I was all of 17 years old; I still called it home for years, but never lived there full time, not even in the summers usually.  I was married and very much on my own only four years later.  So my memories of the place are entirely of childhood through high [...]

As we celebrate our ten-year anniversary of the blog (April 18) by reposting the ten most commented-on posts, here now is #6, with 200 comments. This one deals with one of THE most significant issues in the study of the New Testament and Early Christianity.  Maybe the single most significant.   ****************************** Are Paul and Jesus on the Same Page? January 26, 2018 In response to my previous post on the importance of Paul, I have had several people ask me about the relationship between the teachings of Jesus and Paul: are they actually representing the same religion?  I dealt with that question some years ago on the blog.  Here is the first of two posts on the issue. ****************************** I have spent several posts explicating Paul’s understanding of his gospel, that by Christ’s death and resurrection a person is put into a restored relationship with God. He had several ways of explaining how it worked. But in all of these ways, it was Jesus’ death and resurrection that mattered. It was not keeping the [...]

As we celebrate our ten-year anniversary of the blog (April 18) by reposting the ten most commented-on posts, here now is #7, with 198 comments. Let me say that I think this is one of my most important posts in the history of the blog, since it argues against a view that most NT scholars simply assume to be right without ever thinking about it....   ****************************** Did Romans Allow Jews to Bury Crucified Victims? Readers’ Mailbag January 1, 2018 January 1, 2018 Here on the first day of the new year, I was digging around on the blog and I found a post that I *meant* to make a couple of months ago that I never did.  Don’t remember why!  But here it is.  It is from the Readers’ Mailbag, and about a very interesting and controversial issue: would the Romans have allowed anyone to bury Jesus the afternoon on which he was crucified?  I think not, even though I’m in the decided minority on that one.  Here’s the post:   ******************************   QUESTION: [...]

As we celebrate our ten-year anniversary of the blog (April 18) by reposting the ten most commented-on posts, here now is #8, with 187 comments.   ****************************** Why Did Judas Iscariot Betray Jesus? June 3, 2018 In this edition of the Readers’ Mailbag I address an interesting and perplexing question about Judas Iscariot:   QUESTION You may have mentioned this (I cannot recall) but why did Judas go to the authorities in the first place?   RESPONSE               I wrestled with this question long and hard while writing my book The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot, which includes a section on what we can know about the historical Judas.  In the book I argue that there are some things that we can know with relative certainty about Judas (he was one of the Twelve and was the one who actually betrayed Jesus); other things we can profitably surmise based on our evidence (e.g. what it is Judas betrayed to the authorities – not just Jesus’ whereabouts, I argue); and other things that are almost entirely [...]

Just a reminder in case you missed it the first time!  Come one, come all!   In celebration of our TENTH anniversary for the blog, I'm happy to announce a FREE webinar for anyone who is interested.  No need to register, no need to pay, no need to donate, no need to do nada.  Just come. It will be this coming Saturday, April 23, 5:00 EST.    And GOOD news.  If you can't come, it will be recorded and I will make it available to the entire known universe. The topic.  An unusually important one.   "Does the Bible Condemn Homosexuality?"   Well, does it?  The lecture will deal with the issues of sex, gender, and same-sex relations in both Old and New Testaments. I will give a 50 minute lecture and then take questions for 25-30 minutes. Interested in coming?   Below is the link.  Just come to it.  Want the recording?  I'll be posting it on the blog so no need even to inquire. Thanks so much for being part of the blog.  I hope you [...]

As we celebrate our ten-year anniversary of the blog (April 18) by reposting the ten most commented-on posts, here now is #9:  Decent Burials for Crucified Victims in antiquity, with 180 comments.   ****************************** Decent Burials for Crucified Victims October 20, 2017 My post a couple of weeks ago about the burial of Jesus (understandably) struck a nerve for some readers; I was just now digging around in the archives, and see that I addressed most of the important issues, head on, in this rather controversial post I made back in 2012.  All these years later, I’m still open to being convinced otherwise!!! ****************************** In my previous post I quoted a number of ancient sources that indicated that part of the torture and humiliation of being crucified in antiquity was being left, helpless, exposed not just to the elements but to scavenging birds and other animals. These sources suggest that the normal practice was to leave the victims on the cross to be pecked and gnawed at both before and after death; in some instances [...]

A Post From Bart's Advisory Circle:   Today, April 18, 2022, the Ehrmanblog.org marks its Ten Year Anniversary! We take this opportunity to thank all of the Donors, Members and other followers who have made this adventure possible. This blog brings world-class scholarship about the New Testament and early Christian literature to an enthusiastic audience of over 10,000. Twelve wonderful people have been on board ever since Day One (see their names below), and 237 others have been Members since that first year. We thank all of you for being here, and for your generosity. Over the years, the Blog has raised more than $1,500,000, and every nickel of your Blog Membership fees goes directly to charities dealing with poverty, hunger, homelessness, and medical needs.   Many volunteers contribute to the effort, helping with everything necessary to keep the website running smoothly, and many incredibly generous supporters provide gifts beyond membership fees that cover all the essential costs of operations. Many readers of the blog contribute with incredibly insightful comments on Bart's posts, adding richness and [...]

Today is the TENTH year anniversary of the blog.  We began this venture in April 2012; I wrote my first post on April 3, but we didn't open up access to the blog until April 18.  And it's been a steady stream ever since.  I've published 2964 posts since then, over five a week for every week.  These posts have received nearly 127,000 comments, and I've replied to about 42,000 of them (2/3 are just comments, not asking for replies). As you know, we are celebrating the blog in various ways -- principally because it has raised so much for charities helping those in need, raising so far well over $1.5 million, with more every year.  Last year we hit $360,000 and are doing better so far this year. So what's not to celebrate! One way we will be doing so:  to celebrate our completion of Year Ten, I will be devoting the next Ten posts to republishing the Ten most commented-on posts from the outset.  Of course, posts in recent years are favored by this [...]

In celebration of our TENTH anniversary for the blog, I'm happy to announce a FREE webinar for anyone who is interested.  No need to register, no need to pay, no need to donate, no need to do nada.  Just come. It will be this coming Saturday, April 23, 5:00 EST.    And GOOD news.  If you can't come, it will be recorded and I will make it available to the entire known universe. The topic.  An unusually important one.   "Does the Bible Condemn Homosexuality?"   Well, does it?  The lecture will deal with the issues of sex, gender, and same-sex relations in both Old and New Testaments. I will give a 50 minute lecture and then take questions for 25-30 minutes. Interested in coming?   Below is the link.  Just come to it.  Want the recording?  I'll be posting it on the blog so no need even to inquire. Thanks so much for being part of the blog.  I hope you enjoy the event!  Here's the link: ******************** Topic: Blogaversary Webinar! Does the Bible Condemn Homosexuality? Time: [...]