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Engaging Discussions about Early Christianity

Blog Dinner in Tampa Fl. Friday January 17. You Interested?

I will be in Tampa next week and would like to do a Blog Dinner on Friday, January 17, with any blog members who happen to be around or can, well, get around.  Probably around 6:30 or so for drinks to start (for whoever is interested in quenching thirst before satisfying hunger), and location TBD. You interested?  I'll limit the table to 8, me and the perfect number 7.   For those who come there are no obligations other than: Being a blog member Showing up Talking Paying for whatever you ingest.  Whatever you exgest is free. If you're interested, do NOT reply here as a comment.  Send along an email at [email protected]. Hope some of you can come!    

2025-09-10T13:07:58-04:00January 8th, 2025|Public Forum|
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Did Christians Invent the Idea of “Atonement” / “Vicarious Suffering”?

My textbook, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings is now out in its 8th edition, co-authored with my colleague Hugo Mendez.  One of my favorite features of the book since I first wrote it in the mid 90s is the use of side-bar “boxes” that deal with issues that are – to me – particularly interesting but not directly related to what I’m talking about in the chapter.  As a rule I use these boxes to deal with highly relevant but more “human-interest” kinds of things. For a long time I’ve thought about the Christian idea that Jesus’s death was a “vicarious atonement” for sins.  It’s an unusual view, when you think about it.  Why does God need someone else to die for you to forgive what you’ve done?  Can’t he just forgive you? In one of the boxes in the book I point out that Christians were not the first to come up with the idea.  Here’s what I say there in a box in my chapter 16. ****************************** [...]

2025-09-10T13:10:28-04:00January 7th, 2025|Early Judaism, Greco-Roman Religions and Culture|
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Was There No Room in the “Inn” or in the “Guestroom”? And Doesn’t Caesar Augustus Himself Describe His Census? More Questions from Readers

Here are some more particularly interesting and significant questions I've received from readers, with answers for all here to check out.   QUESTION: Dr. Ehrman: I find it interesting how the understanding of the Greek translation might affect such a crucial NT story. Also, it is in Luke’s narrative that we get the “no room in the inn” comment. I have read one commentary that the Greek original literal translation is more like “the travelers shelter was not for them”. Do you have any thoughts on the Greek original of Luke 2:7? RESPONSE: It's a tricky Greek word (KATALUMA) that could mean either "inn" or "guestroom."  It is found in only two other places in the NT, Mark 14:14/Luke 22:11 (Luke has copied Mark's verse verbatim) where Jesus is clearly referring to a room, not an inn.  In Luke 2:7, though, the context appears to suggest "a place where travelers stayed" rather than "a particular room in a house" since, having not found a “place” to stay in it (the KATALUMA) they [...]

2025-09-10T13:10:13-04:00January 5th, 2025|Reader’s Questions|
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Was Jesus from “Israel”? Did Jesus “Pre-exist”? Answers to Readers Questions

I’ve received a number of interesting and important questions from readers over the past couple of weeks, and would like to devote a couple of posts to airing my answers to everyone.   QUESTION: I have a question for Bart. Every year right before Christmas we get numerous claims that Jesus was a Palestinian or a Palestinian Jew. As far as I know it’s not true but if you have academic evidence it’s true I will change my mind.   RESPONSE: It's a tricky business.  The areas of Galilee, Samaria, and Judea were together renamed "Palestine" in 135 CE.  In Jesus' day they were called by their separate names.  They were not called "Israel."  In two of the Gospels, Jesus is born in Bethlehem of Judea; does that make him a Judean?  Normally yes.  But he is raised and ministers in Galilee. Does that make him a Galilean?  Normally yes.  Today we usually refer to both areas as Israel, as it was originally called.  Should he be called an Israelite?  That term was [...]

2025-09-10T13:10:13-04:00January 4th, 2025|Public Forum|
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Finding Value in Writings You Don’t “Believe” (In response to my Newsweek article on Christmas)

Last week, the final two reprints of my favorite "Posts of Christmas Past" reproduced an article I had written over a decade ago for Newsweek about the Christmas stories of the New Testament.  I received a good bit of blow-back from the article itself, from various directions; that led me to write post explaining my views of a broader issue.  Is there anything to appreciate from a narrative that "didn't happen that way" or that we simply don't believe?  Here is what I wrote. ****************************** When the editor at Newsweek asked me if I would be willing to write an article on the birth of Jesus, I was hesitant and wrote him back asking if he was sure he really wanted me to do it.  I told him that I seem to be incapable of writing anything that doesn’t stir up controversy.  It must be in my blood.  Still, he said that they knew about my work and were not afraid of controversy, and they did indeed want an article from me. What’s [...]

2025-09-10T13:10:13-04:00January 2nd, 2025|Public Forum|
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