October 2026 - The Bart Ehrman Blog

Ghosts in the Bible? Check Out This New Blog by Travis Proctor

How appropriate for today, October 31!! My one-time PhD student Travis Proctor, now teaching at Wittenberg University, and familiar to many of you because of the courses he’s taught for the Biblical Studies Academy, has started a very interesting new blog focusing on ghosts, spirits, hauntings, demons, and so on in the Bible. You may be interested in it! If so, check it out here: The Haunted Bible I’ve asked Travis for a blog post to describe it, along with a sample post -- and here it is, an introduction to The Haunted Bible and an example of what kinds of posts you’ll find on it, this one on the odd and spirit-like portrayal of God in the Garden of Eden. Here ‘tis. ****************************** Why does God lie to Adam and Eve? (Introducing The Haunted Bible) Travis Proctor Introducing The Haunted Bible Did ancient Jews and Christians believe in ghosts? Based on biblical literature, scholars have often assumed the answer to be ‘no.’ We do not find extensive recommendations [...]

BDEhrman2026-10-28T09:10:37-04:00October 31st, 2026|Public Forum|

Did Jesus Go to India and Tibet?

Among the questions I randomly get asked on occasion is if it’s true that Jesus went to India as a child or young man to consult with the Brahmins, or to Nepal to consult with Buddhists. I suppose the best answer would be: “It depends which Gospel you read.” If you read the New Testament Gospels – or in fact any writing of the New Testament, early Christianity, or Christianity down to modernity – the answer is, uh, no. So where do these ideas come from? Modern Gospel forgeries (see my previous post). Here’s one of the most (in)famous, as I talk about it in my book Forged (HarperCollins 2011). ****************************** One of the most widely disseminated modern Gospel forgeries is called The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ.[1] From this account we learn that Jesus went to India during his formative teen years, the “lost years” before his public ministry, and there learned the secrets of the East. The book made a big splash when it appeared in English in 1926; but as [...]

BDEhrman2026-10-25T18:30:40-04:00October 29th, 2026|Public Forum|

The Best Forgery Story of Modern Times (IMHO)

When people today tell me, or want to know if, Jesus travelled to India in his youth to learn the “wisdom of the East” or to Egypt to learn how to do “magic,” or any other rather exorbitant claim for a lower-class peasant born and raised in a small rural Jewish village, I tell them that the idea comes from one of the modern-day (usually 19th century) Gospel forgeries. Sometimes my informant/questioner tells me they don’t believe the book they read about it (or heard about it) was forged but was an authentic account of Jesus hidden by the authorities (usually “the Vatican”), afraid of the truth being revealed. I simply sigh. I’ve written about a few of the most important of these modern forgeries in my book Forged, which is mainly not about them, but about ancient Christian writings produced in the name of a famous person by someone who was, well, someone else – that is, what we would today called forgeries. Some such books are found in the New Testament (1 Timothy, [...]

BDEhrman2026-10-25T18:30:30-04:00October 28th, 2026|Forgery in Antiquity, Religion in the News|

Did Mark Make Up the Idea Jesus Was a Carpenter?
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Did Mark Make Up the Idea Jesus Was a Carpenter?

Canonical Gospels, Historical Jesus

Did Mark Make Up the Idea Jesus Was a Carpenter?

If Jesus was not a carpenter – I have my doubts – can we think of a reason Mark may have wanted to say he was (Mark 6:3).? I’ve never seen this discussed before, but I can indeed imagine a reason. Recall the setting. In the opening chapters of Mark, Jesus has been preaching, healing, casting out demons, doing other miracles, and gathering crowds. Then in chapter six we come to this: 6 He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2 On the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, [...]

BDEhrman2026-10-22T08:30:05-04:00October 27th, 2026|Canonical Gospels, Historical Jesus|

Casting Doubt on Jesus as the Carpenter…

As a late teenager deeply committed to Christianity and invested in debate – making arguments, evaluating evidence, convincing skeptical judges – I was naturally drawn to Christian “apologetics,” the attempt to demonstrate the truth claims of Christianity based not on faith but on proof. And so, like others in that boat at the time, and like many still today (often still using the same arguments we did), I had at my ready disposal numerous “proofs” for the existence of God, the fulfillment of prophecy, the divine nature of Christ, his (actual, physical, historical) resurrection from the dead, and the full inspiration of Scripture. One of my favorite go-to guides for persuasive logic was a book by Josh McDowell, Evidence that Demands a Verdict. Later I became equally interested in his Christologically-focused (but still apologetic), More than a Carpenter. These days I am obviously no longer arguing for the truth claims of Christianity, and even more – as I head further down the slippery slope that leads to perdition (as we used to say) [...]

BDEhrman2026-10-21T20:44:21-04:00October 25th, 2026|Historical Jesus, Public Forum|

What’s Wrong with Being a Carpenter??

In my previous post I tried to show why the evidence that Jesus was a carpenter before beginning his public ministry is thin at best. It is found only in Mark 6:3 (“isn’t this the carpenter?”), which is changed in Matthew (to “son of the carpenter”) and Luke (to “son of Joseph”). John doesn’t have the passage and doesn’t say anything about Jesus being a carpenter, nor do any of the other books of the New Testament, nor any other early Christian writing at all, apart from those that are getting it from Mark. This raises three questions that may seem different (since they are) but are actually related: (1) Why did Matthew and Luke, and then later scribes of Mark, change it? (2) Is it true historically? (3) If not, can we think of a reason Mark may have invented it? I’ll take them in order. This will take three posts. Why Did Matthew, Luke, and Later Scribes Change It? With the change, Jesus is no longer said to be a carpenter. Later [...]

BDEhrman2026-10-21T20:17:26-04:00October 24th, 2026|Canonical Gospels, Historical Jesus, New Testament Manuscripts|

Next Platinum Lecture on November 14th

Platinum members, as you know, one of the benefits of your subscription is a quarterly lecture by Bart followed by a Q&A. These lectures provide an opportunity to dig deeper into a particular topic and offer an opportunity to ask your questions to Bart directly. mark your calendars for our next Platinum lecture, which is scheduled to take place on Saturday November 14th at 2pm Eastern. The topic for this quarter's lecture is: The World Jesus Was Born Into: What Do We Know about Nazareth? Can't make it live? I'll send the recording out to all Platinum members shortly after the event. Here's the info you need to join live us on November 14th. When: Saturday November 14th at 2pm Eastern Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87488828498?pwd=qpZuae7Da52zGVR6BuVU2o17AnU9NZ.1 Meeting ID: 874 8882 8498 Passcode: 063466 We hope to see you there!

jennao2026-11-05T15:13:23-05:00October 23rd, 2026|Public Forum|

Was Jesus a Carpenter? The Surprisingly Thin Evidence.

Was Jesus a carpenter? Nearly everyone assumes he was – not just the two billion Christians but also the other billions who have ever thought or heard about it. And they have done so for 2000 years. As it turns out, the evidence for it is very thin. I just came to think seriously about this recently. I’ve been doing a lot of reading and reflecting on what it would be like to grow up and live in a place like Nazareth, a small rural village of maybe fifty small houses that together accommodated maybe 400-500 people altogether. Archaeologists have uncovered no indications of any wealth there (e.g., nice kitchen ware, mosaics, large residences, etc); no public buildings (synagogue, school, town hall, or whatever), and have concluded that it was – like so many other rural villages – an agricultural community. Everyone would have had their own plots of land large enough to grow what they needed and nearly everyone would have “made a living” by working their plots. Some people may have [...]

BDEhrman2026-10-21T20:01:37-04:00October 22nd, 2026|Canonical Gospels, Historical Jesus, New Testament Manuscripts|

Supernatural “History.” Church Fathers. Atonement. Gospel Sources. All Sorts of Questions!

I continue to receive great questions from folk and continue to try to answer them. Here is a wide range on key issues for anyone interested in the informed study of the New Testament. ****************************** QUESTION: Do critical scholars agree that miracles and the supernatural are outside the purview of the historical process? If so, can you present the evidence to that effect? Is this what is taught in post grad history schools outside evangelical institutions? RESPONSE It doesn't take much evidence. Read any historical account of, say, WWII, the Civil War, the French Revolution; the presidency of George Washington, JFK, Obama; the voyages of Christopher Columbus, the Industrial Revolution, the rise of Capitalism; the ... pick any historical topic. In every case there were people who said prayers of relevance for the persons, events, etc; some of these people at the end of the person’s life or at the end of the episode concluded that God must have been on their side (since what they hoped had happened did happen). You [...]

BDEhrman2026-10-21T19:48:52-04:00October 21st, 2026|Reader’s Questions|

An Even Stranger View of Eternity in the Book of Revelation
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An Even Stranger View of Eternity in the Book of Revelation

Revelation of John

An Even Stranger View of Eternity in the Book of Revelation

In my previous post I pointed out that there seems to be an irony in the teachings of Jesus about the coming Kingdom of God. On one hand, it seems like it should be a completely utopian place where there are no longer any enemies of God or animosity and strife among humans, a return to the glory days (maybe literally only days) of the Garden of Eden. On the other hand, Jesus will be the “king” and his twelve disciples will be “co-rulers” in this kingdom. But why will they need a king and rulers? There is only now peace, harmony, love, and an eternal ecstatic existence without sin, suffering, pain, or misery caused by illegal or illicit activity, right? So what are the rulers going to be doing exactly? This same irony is found in even more pronounced terms in the final book of the New Testament, the book of Revelation. In my book Armageddon I argue at some length that the values and priorities of Jesus are almost completely missing from this [...]

BDEhrman2026-10-13T11:27:22-04:00October 20th, 2026|Revelation of John|

The Irony of Jesus as the King of the Coming Kingdom

Jesus believed there would be levels of reward in the coming Kingdom of God, as I began to show in my previous post. Could there be any problems, though? Any unruliness? Any need for discipline and judgment for people who did something illicit or harmful? Could or would people sin in the Kingdom of God? These are tricky questions that Jesus never addresses directly in the canonical Gospels. I never even thought about them or realized they could be problems until, well, something like two weeks ago. My assumption since I became a sentient human being has always been that the afterlife for the saved would be perfect in every way, that there would be no pain, misery, suffering of any kind, no harm done to anyone, no sin or disobedience. A realm of perfection. This indeed is what most people think about heaven today. But as I’ve repeatedly emphasized, Jesus had a different understanding than his modern day followers about the “Kingdom of God.” For him it was not to entail a [...]

BDEhrman2026-10-07T22:20:21-04:00October 18th, 2026|Historical Jesus|

A Head-Scratcher in the Sermon on the Mount: Who Gets Into the Kingdom?

There is a passage in the Sermon on the Mount that is crucial for understanding Matthew’s portrayal of Jesus, as I’ve taught for years, without, though, being able to get my mind around it completely. It doesn’t seem consistent with itself. Here’s Matthew 5:17-20 in the New Revised Standard Version (Updated Edition): 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. The problem I’ve had with understanding the [...]

BDEhrman2026-10-06T16:45:34-04:00October 17th, 2026|Public Forum|

November 2026 Gold Q&A

Gold and Platinum Members, our November Q&A is coming up. Join Bart live on Saturday November 7th at 3pm Eastern as he answers your questions. Bart will spend the first half of our Zoom session answering your pre-submitted questions. Send yours to [email protected] no later than Thursday November 5th so we can add it to the queue. Then we’ll open things up. During the second half, you’re invited to come on the microphone and ask Bart a question live. If you’d like to participate in the live Q&A: Prepare your question in advance Keep your question to roughly 20 seconds or less Be ready to ask it live during the session Meeting Details: Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82830700496?pwd=X00BfdDVOTY6Vh36zDPQacEDXDArji.1 Meeting ID: 828 3070 0496 Passcode:875235 And if you’re unable to make it live, I always send the recording of the event to all Gold and Platinum members shortly after the event. We hope to see you there. – Jen

jennao2026-10-16T00:10:55-04:00October 16th, 2026|Public Forum|

How Much Reward Do You Want? The Tiers of Heaven

I have become deeply interested in the question of whether Jesus thought that people should be considered equally and treated as equals, and that has led to my ponderings on Jesus’ view of the afterlife for those who are “saved.” Will everyone in the future kingdom of God be treated equally? That made me reflect on the fact that there is a longstanding view within the Christian tradition that says: definitely not. This view of differentiated afterlives is portrayed most emphatically in one of the most popular and influential portrayals of the realms of the blessed and the damned referenced in my previous post, the Apocalypse of Paul. This is a fictional narrative of a personal tour granted to the apostle, which attempts to explain Paul’s claim in 2 Corinthians 12:1-4 that he was taken up to “the third heaven” and shown things that he is not to reveal. The fourth or fifth century author of the Apocalypse of Paul, claiming himself to be Paul, decided to reveal what “he” (allegedly Paul) actually saw. That [...]

BDEhrman2026-10-06T11:51:25-04:00October 15th, 2026|Christian Apocrypha|

Are People Treated Equally in the Age to Come?

For nearly all my life – until a few months ago, actually – I assumed that Jesus favored and promoted equality: everyone deserves equal treatment and will receive equal rewards from God if they are on his side and survive the coming day of judgment. This really was a pure assumption on my part. I never much thought about it and didn’t realize I was simply assuming it. Hey, I believe everyone deserves to be treated equally. And if that’s what makes sense to me, obviously all right-minded people would think that. And who was more right-minded than Jesus? But now that I have put some thought into it, I’m not sure Jesus would agree. Certainly, I’d say, Jesus thought everyone was free to accept and follow his teachings and could equally receive God’s gracious gift of salvation. For Jesus, “salvation” meant surviving the coming onslaught that was to appear soon on the Day of Judgment, when God intervened in history by sending a cosmic judge who destroy all of God’s enemies – [...]

BDEhrman2026-10-16T00:16:39-04:00October 14th, 2026|Christian Apocrypha, Early Christian Doctrine|

Great News For the Blog! A Significant Milestone
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Great News For the Blog! A Significant Milestone

Public Forum

Great News For the Blog! A Significant Milestone

I’ve got some exciting news about how we’re doing on the blog this year – with respect to funds raised, and in connection with a series of posts I did last year. The funds, as you’ll see below, are significant. To this point, in terms of the monies we’ve given to our charities, this is our best year yet of the fourteen we’ve had running this show. First let me explain a long-term project that ended up making a big difference. As (lots of you) know/remember, I did that “New Testament in a Nutshell” series in 2025, producing usually 3 or 4 posts on each book of the NT in canonical sequence, from Matthew to Revelation. You can still see them all, easily enough. Just do a word search for “nutshell” and you’ll see them. The first post gave a 50-word (exactly!) summary of the book, and then a longer exposition of its major themes and emphases. A second post discussed Who wrote it, When, and Why. A third post discussed one of the more [...]

BDEhrman2026-10-07T22:33:38-04:00October 13th, 2026|Public Forum|

Did Jesus Believe in Equality? You Might Think So….

Did Jesus believe in equality, and if so, what would that mean? It obviously means different things to different people in different contexts (we don’t equally mean the same thing…). Our (the U.S.) declaration of national independence insisted that “all men are created equal,” but it really did mean “men” (not women) and none of the Founders thought that their incomes and possessions should be equal to those of hoi polloi they saw in the streets. So too, the apostle Paul said that “There is neither New nor Greek, neither slave nor free, nor male and female; you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). But he also told women that the head of a “man” was Christ, the head of a “woman” was her husband, and women were therefore to show due deference by wearing a head covering in public (1 Corinthians 11:3-10). What about Jesus? Did he believe everyone was “equal,” or more important, that they should be? Was it part of his ethical teaching that we should strive for social, political, [...]

BDEhrman2026-09-30T17:25:10-04:00October 11th, 2026|Canonical Gospels, Historical Jesus|

A Very Different (not to say Bizarre) Gospel Featuring Mary Magdalene

To round out this brief thread of Gospels connected with Mary Magdalene, I've decided to repost something from a few years ago that almost no one outside of the small pond of early Christian studies knows about, a book called “The Greater Questions of Mary” (i.e., of Mary Magdalene). Trigger warning: sexual content! (Really???) One of the “great questions” for scholars is whether such a book ever really did exist. It is mentioned only once in ancient literature, in a highly charged polemical context by Epiphanius of Salamis, a Christian heresy-hunter who was prone to exaggeration and fabrication, who was incautious at best in his attacks against heretical sects in his book the Panarion (= “Medicine Chest”; in it Epiphanius supplies the “antidotes” for the “snake-bites of heresy”). The most notorious of the groups that Epiphanius attacks were known by a variety of names, including the “Phibionites.” According to Epiphanius -- our sole source of knowledge about the group -- these gnostic believers engaged in nocturnal sex rituals that involved indiscriminate sex, [...]

BDEhrman2026-09-30T10:24:02-04:00October 10th, 2026|Christian Apocrypha|

Where Christianity Started, And Why – Platinum Guest Post by Peter van Kan

I am pleased to publish this Platinum post by Peter van Kan, in which he explores why Jesus would come to think he was the messiah, and makes the case that he is best understood as a Jewish mystic, largely misunderstood by the writers of the Gospels. Interesting thesis! What do you think? Feel free to comment and give your opinion. ****************************** In this article I aim to narrow down where in history the junction ‘christianity or no christianity’ lay. Having found the place, the obvious next question is: why did history take the christianity direction? Not Before going into the issues, let me clarify that I take a lot for granted here. ‘Granted’ meaning: concluded by biblical scholars, genealogist, archeologists, etymologists and other gists. There was no Abraham and there was no Moses. And if there had been people by such names, they did not remotely resemble their namesakes pictured in the OT. God did not have a special bond with Hebrews or Jews. Or any other people for that matter. [...]

jennao2026-10-08T09:08:23-04:00October 9th, 2026|Public Forum|

Was Mary Magdalene the Actual Founder of Christianity?

In my last post I talked a bit about the relationship of / competition between Peter and Mary in early Christian traditions. Peter, of course, has traditionally been seen as the “rock” on which Christ built his church, the very foundation of Christianity (Matt. 16:18 – “You are Peter (Greek: petros) and upon this rock (Greek: petra) I will build my church.”). And indeed, according to 1 Cor. 15: 3-5, Peter was the first to see the resurrected Jesus (and realize he had been raised from the dead), and that is the very beginning of Christianity. But what if the Gospels are right, that Mary actually was the first. Wouldn’t it make better sense, then, to say that Mary started Christianity? Here is how I talk about the matter in my book Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene: ****************************** There is no doubt that Peter became dominant as the leader of the church early in the Christian movement, and Mary receded into the background. We have scores of passages that talk about Peter, his involvement with [...]

BDEhrman2026-09-30T10:32:52-04:00October 8th, 2026|Canonical Gospels, Women in Early Christianity|