Recent Posts
Was Moses Called God?
In my last couple of posts I've talked about how the King of Israel could, oddly enough, be called "God." That seems contrary to what we think of ancient Judaism, where only God can be God. But it helps explain why later Christians could call Jesus God. There was precedent for a human to be called that, even within Judaism, Possibly yet more unexpectedly, within the Jewish tradition even Moses was sometimes considered a divine being, and called God. Here's how I explain it in my book How Jesus Became God (HarperOne, 2014) ****************************** It is interesting to note that [...]
The King of Israel Was Called … God?
In my previous post I showed that beings other than God could be called God in the Old Testament and other ancient Jewish literature. It seems strange, but there it is. I continue now with an especially important case in point: the king of Israel. In this case there is not a lot of ambiguity about the matter, as odd as that might seem. Again, this is from my book How Jesus Became God. ****************************** Hebrew Bible scholar John Collins points out that the Israelite notion that the human king could be considered in some sense divine ultimately appears to [...]
Jewish Precedents for Jesus Becoming God
In my previous post I showed how Jews could and did conceive of humans who became super-human beings -- angels. But that's a far cry from thinking humans could be GOD! And yet the Jewish followers of Jesus claimed that's what he was. How'd that work exactly? That may come as a surprise: Jews who were monotheists thought that others could be God, along with the one God? Uh, how does *that* work? As it turns out, you can find it in the Hebrew Bible and in later Jewish traditions as well. Angelic beings are sometimes called “gods” (e.g. Psalm [...]
How Can Monotheists Think a Human Could Become God?
One of the questions I regularly get is how we can imagine that Jews -- specifically, the Jewish followers of Jesus after his death -- could possibly imagine that he had become God. They were monotheists. How could someone in addition to God be or become God? That maybe makes sense in pagan circles, where there are many gods and a rather fluid transition between humanity and divinity. But not in Judaism, right? Well, wrong. As it turns out Jews also sometimes thought that a human could become divine. In this post I’ll talk about one variant of this view, [...]
August 2026 Gold Q&A Announcement
Gold and Platinum Members, the date for the August Q&A is in the books. Bart will be answering your questions live on Saturday August 15th at 3pm Eastern. During the first half of the session, Bart will answer questions submitted in advance. Please send your question to [email protected] no later than Thursday August 13th. For the second half, we’ll open the floor to live questions from attendees. In previous months, we asked participants to keep their questions focused on a particular topic. This time, anything goes: early Christianity, the New Testament, Bart’s career, his current research, or whatever else you’ve [...]
Personal Faith, Textual Problems, and the Miracles of Jesus: More Readers’ Questions
Here are three quite disparate questions from readers (with attempts at answers), each interesting and together showing the kind of range of issues that are involved with trying to make sense of the Bible from a historical point of view. QUESTION: I am at one of the hardest points of my life, the dimming of my faith. I have always been a person of faith throughout my young age, and I really want to keep that faith mainly because I want a better future for my son. However, upon the discovery of the contradictions, errors, and upon actually studying [...]
How the Year 1517 Revolutionized Biblical Studies
Two events in 1516-1517 CE unexpectedly altered the field of biblical studies for all time. Yesterday I discussed the first published edition of the Greek New Testament by Erasmus (1516); today I discuss the “95 Theses” of Martin Luther. Neither scholar would likely have approved the tenets or conclusions of historical criticism that emerged from the foundation they laid. But emerge they did. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, an Augustinian friar and ordained Catholic priest, posted his “95 theses” – traditionally said to have nailed them to the door of All Saints Church in Wittenburg. This moment is usually [...]
Two Years that Transformed the World of Biblical Studies.
Someone should write a book on the inordinate significance of the years 1516 and 1517 for the rise of modern biblical scholarship. Two publications by two ordained Catholic Priests, Desiderius Erasmus and Martin Luther, revolutionized how the Bible came to be studied, in some ways marking the beginnings of the historical-critical study. Both men would have been completely surprised by the outcome. The Bible had long been understood in light of traditional perspectives and interpretations advanced by ecclesiastical writers for centuries; in the Latin-speaking West, based on theological understandings of the Vulgate. The grounds for a seismic change, for not [...]
The Martyrdom of Polycarp (Another Book of the Apostolic Fathers): In a Nutshell
Do you know the first account of a Christian martyr -- the actual narrative of his trial and executio -- from outside the New Testament? It's one of the Apostolic Fathers, and for many readers one of the most intriguing: The Martyrdom of Polycarp. Here is a nutshell summary of the work, an edited version of my Introduction to the translation I made for my collection, The Apostolic Fathers (Harvard University Press) ****************************** The Martyrdom of Polycarp has long occupied a place of special intrigue for readers of the Apostolic Fathers. This is an account, evidently based on the testimony of [...]
2 Clement (one of the “Apostolic Fathers”) in a Nutshell
What does our earliest Christian sermon outside the New Testament look like? It is found in one of the apostolic fathers, in a book called 2 Clement, allegedly (but not really) written by the early bishop of Rome, Clement, and historically associated with another book of the Apostolic Fathers, 1 Clement. The following is an edited version of the Introduction to my translation of the text in The Apostolic Fathers, vol. 1 (Loeb Classical Library; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003) ****************************** Second Clement is probably the most overlooked and least appreciated of the writings of the Apostolic Fathers. This is [...]
Christian Justifications for Lying
Isn't lying acceptable and even the "right thing to do" in some circumstances? I became keenly interested in this question when writing my books oon early Christian forgeries (Forged and Forgery and Counterforgery) -- canonical and non-canonical writings by authors claiming to be Peter, Paul, John, or even Jesus, knowing full well they were, well, someone else. Contrary to what you sometimes hear, this was decidedly (and repeatedly) talked of as a kind of "lying" throughout the ancient world, intentional attempts to deceive others. But isn't intentional deception the right thing to do sometimes? It is certainly possible ancient [...]
Ancient Christians Who Wanted to Lie
Is it ever OK to lie in order to promote the truth? Even in Christian circles? In my previous post I talked about an evangelical Christian who flat-out lied about things I've said and written. It's also possible, of course, that he simply repeated a complete falsehood he had heard about my views without bothering to take a minute to check. That too would be bad, but different. But to give him the benefit of the doubt, so to say, I'll assume that as an influential speaker on scholarly matters and a representative of conservative evangelical Christianity he usually does [...]
Evangelicals Who Lie to Promote the(ir) Truth….
I was looking through the archives of posts from many years ago and came across one that struck me as rather hilarious. Why do devout Christians sometimes tell flat-out lies to support their truth-claims? Here's what I said in the post: ******************************* Sometimes it’s enough to make my blood boil. Maybe someone can explain it to me. If you were to interview the billions of occupants of this planet, you would find no group of people who declare themselves more committed to “truth” than evangelical Christians. Evangelical Christianity, historically, is about nothing other than the Truth. Jesus himself said [...]
Free Course on … Hell!
I am pleased to let all you blog members to know that on Saturday July 18, 2:00 - 5:00 pm ET, I will be doing a FREE two-lecture course on where the Christian idea of hell (as a place of eternal conscious torment) came from. This course is NOT connected with blog per se, except insofar as I am connected with both. It is rather a production of my on-line course company, Paths in Biblical Studies. But since this is a complete Freebie, I thought I would be remiss not to let all of you know about it who haven't learned [...]
Exonerating Pilate to Implicate the Jews
Why did early Christians portray Pontius Pilate, who ordered Jesus' crucifixion, as increasingly innocent in Jesus' death? Was it be blame Jews for being "Christ killers"? In a couple of recent posts I've talked about a couple of the "Pilate Gospels" -- apocryphal accounts of Jesus' trial and crucifixion -- in which Pilate himself is shown to be innocent and "the Jews" (either their leaders or the entire people) were at fault for the execution of the son of God. These accounts may have started to appear in the second century, but the texts we have now are from later [...]
Jesus the Forager
Is there any evidence to support the idea that Jesus and his followers survived during his public ministry principally, normally, or often by foraging? In my previous post I explained why it is plausible. But is there any reason to consider it probable? (Sidenote: In my view, far too many scholars of New Testament and early Christianity in recent years have succumbed to the temptation of advancing claims/views that could be true, without worrying if there is evidence that shows they probalby are [or at least without citing and evidence]; and without considering counter-evidence. For readers, books that do that can [...]
Foraging in the World of Jesus
I don’t recall hearing or reading anyone make the case that Jesus and his disciples survived during their time of itinerant ministry by foraging. But it’s an idea that makes a good bit of sense and there is some evidence for it in the Gospels. In this post I explain why it seems to make sense; I’ll deal with some of the evidence in the next post. Let me say I’ve only started thinking and reading about all this – so this is my first attempt to articulate my thoughts (at this point). In most developed countries today, [...]
Pro-Roman Jews in First-Century Palestine? Guest Post by Christopher Stanley
I am please to publish this guest post by Christopher Stanley, a scholar of the New Testament and Early Christianity who enjoyed a long career at St. Bonaventure University (after receiving his PhD in NT at Duke!) The post deals with a topic most of us haven't thought about before. In the Jewish uprising against Rome that led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 CE, were there *some* Jews who were actually opposed to the revolt and sympathized with the Romans? The answer may be surprising. This is a topic of Chris's recent research and a novel [...]
Did Jesus Have Wealthy Donors?
In my previous post I raised the question of how Jesus and his disciples supported themselves for a year or three (depending on which Gospel you read) when they were unemployed itinerates? One of the options (I'll get to two others in the posts that follow, so stay tuned) would be that they had wealthy donors, as explicitly indicated in one passage of the Gospels (that I'll discuss below), and intimated in other ways. But is it likely? To begin with, Jesus does seem to get invited to a lot of homes for dinner in the Gospels. It is difficult [...]
How Did Jesus and His Disciples Get Enough to Eat?
How did Jesus and his disciples support themselves? They left their families, homes, and jobs, to engage in a life of itineracy, preaching about the coming kingdom. But until it came, how did they survive? Specifically, how did they eat? I don’t recall ever seeing any extended discussion of the question in a scholarly (or a popular) book or article. If one of you has, let me know. It seems like an obvious question, and I suppose most people think there is an obvious answer. There may be (I can think of three), but it’s worth thinking about in greater [...]
The Execution of Pontius Pilate for Killing Jesus (!)
In my previous post I explained and provided a translation of the intriguing apocryphal letter that Pontius Pilate (allegedly) wrote to the Emperor Tiberius to explain why he had crucified the Son of God. Later, another Christian author wrote a fictional account of what happened next. Tiberius did not take kindly to Pilate's horrible crime and ... well, it ends up not going well for the governor of Judea. But on the upside ... he converts! Here is my introduction to the text and a fresh translation of it from the Greek, as found in the collection of apocryphal Gospels [...]
July 2026 Gold Q&A Announcement
Gold and Platinum Members, your next monthly Q&A is on the calendar. Bart will be answering your questions live on Saturday July 11th at 12pm Eastern. For July, we are continuing with the split format. Bart will spend the first half of our Zoom session answering your pre-submitted questions. Please email your questions to [email protected] no later than Thursday July 9th. For the second half of the hour, we’ll be opening things up to live attendee participation, giving you the opportunity to ask Bart questions in real time on a specific topic. For July, Bart has chosen: The Acts of the [...]
A Blog Dinner In Central London July 15. Wanna Come?
I’m in London for a bit just now, as is my summer wont, currently enjoying the heatwave (96 degrees without air conditioning!), as all you other London and thereabouts residents are! But this too shall pass. And so.... I would love to have a blog dinner in central London with anyone who can make it, hopefully in cooler conditions, on the evening of Wednesday July 15. Would you be interested? I’ll probably start around 6:00 or so for a pint with whomever is interested in quenching thirst before satisfying hunger, and then head over to dinner at 7:00 [...]
Did Pontius Pilate Write a Letter Explaining Why He Crucified Jesus?
I was recently asked about a letter allegedly written by Pontius Pilate to the Emperor Tiberius, explaining why he crucified the Son of God. Outside of academic circles, this apocryphal letter is not well known. For that matter, it's not well known even within academic circles. Most New Testament scholars don't know it exists. But it does! It is part of a group of texts that scholars (the ones who study these things) sometimes call the "Pilate Gospels." There are a number of these writings -- all of them legendary/apocryphal, of course. This particular letter is called the Anaphora Pilati (= The [...]
Jesus and the Gospel of John: Some Readers’ Good Questions
I've received some interesting and important questions involving the Gospel of John -- who actually wrote it and whether it's record of Jesus' claims to be divine are likely historical. Here are the questions an my attempts to answer QUESTION: I heard Mike Licona say the other day, that he seems to think Tertius wrote Romans in the same way a literate Greek-speaking secretary wrote the Gospel of John on behalf of John, the son of Zebedee. So strictly speaking, these are his words and the letter ought to be called, the Letter to the Romans according to Paul. [...]
Categories on the Blog
Click on a category for the full archive, arranged by date.
- Anniversary Post #3: My Response to an Ill-Tempered Richard Carrier April 12, 2026
- Anniversary Post #1: Defending Misquoting Jesus April 9, 2026
- Can We Trust You When You Say “Most Scholars” Think Something? May 3, 2025
- A Really Scathing Review of My Book on Suffering March 31, 2024
- Making the Gospels Say What You WANT Them To Say March 30, 2024
- Dealing With Reviews of My Books By People Who (Apparently) Haven’t Read Them March 28, 2024
- But Your Own Teacher Bruce Metzger Didn’t Think That! November 21, 2023
- Why Do Some (Many?) Scholars Not Treat the Bible Like Other Ancient Sources? August 26, 2023
- Anniversary Post #5: Why I Was Reluctant to Write The Triumph of Christianity April 15, 2026
- My Next Book: Creating the Bible — How We Got the Canon of the New Testament September 7, 2025
- Jesus as God in the New Testament October 24, 2024
- Oral Traditions and the Dates of Our Gospels October 23, 2024
- Suffering. Is It Really Worth Talking About? Doesn’t the Bible Give the Right Answer? October 20, 2024
- The Problem of Suffering? So What’s the Problem? October 17, 2024
- How Can We Imagine That God is Active in Our World? (A genuine, not rhetorical, question) October 16, 2024
- Hurricanes, Suffering, And My Loss of Faith October 15, 2024
- Christian Justifications for Lying July 9, 2026
- Ancient Christians Who Wanted to Lie July 8, 2026
- What Are the Chances? The Logic of “Intelligent Design” February 28, 2026
- Pubs and Churches on Christmas Eve December 24, 2025
- Reflecting on the Christmas Tree and Faith December 23, 2025
- My Birdbrain View of Agnosticism December 11, 2025
- Am I? AI? What do you think? August 9, 2025
- Should We Keep “Slaves” in the New Testament? July 6, 2025
- Does the Book of Hebrews Indicate Jesus Ever Came To Earth? A Response to Richard Carrier. July 26, 2025
- Did Jesus Exist? Why I Don’t Enjoy Reading the Mythicists July 12, 2025
- More About My Book “Did Jesus Exist” September 25, 2024
- My Book “Did Jesus Exist” (an answer to the mythicists) September 24, 2024
- Nazareth in the Time of Jesus: the Archaeological Record December 27, 2023
- Did Nazareth Even Exist? December 21, 2023
- Would I Be Personally Upset if the Mythicists Were Right (That Jesus Never Existed)? October 8, 2022
- Richard Carrier: A Fuller Reply to His Criticisms, Beliefs, and Claims about Jesus April 25, 2022
- August 2026 Gold Q&A Announcement July 17, 2026
- Evangelicals Who Lie to Promote the(ir) Truth…. July 7, 2026
- Free Course on … Hell! July 6, 2026
- Exonerating Pilate to Implicate the Jews July 5, 2026
- Jesus the Forager July 4, 2026
- Pro-Roman Jews in First-Century Palestine? Guest Post by Christopher Stanley July 1, 2026
- The Execution of Pontius Pilate for Killing Jesus (!) June 27, 2026
- July 2026 Gold Q&A Announcement June 26, 2026
- Jesus and the Gospel of John: Some Readers’ Good Questions June 24, 2026
- The Parable of the Sower as Advice for Capitalists June 16, 2026
- The Capitalist Parables of Jesus June 14, 2026
- More Criticisms of the Criticisms of the Gospel of John (by John! Spong) June 10, 2026
- Controversies About the Gospel of John: The Views of John Spong June 9, 2026
- These Are Weird Parables. Do They Make Sense? June 4, 2026
- Some Important Readers’ Questions on Some Gospel Head-Scratchers May 12, 2026
- Anniversary Post #8: When Is a Contradiction Not a Contradiction? April 21, 2026
- Eyewitness Accounts of Miracles March 14, 2026
- A New Proof of the Resurrection. What Do YOU Think? March 10, 2026
- Fundamentalist Apologists, Christian and Mythicist July 13, 2025
- More on the Initial Debacle on First-Century Mark (in relation to the Dead Sea Scrolls) July 20, 2024
- The Debacle Over the First-Century Copy of Mark July 18, 2024
- Toe-to-Toe with Evangelical New Testament Scholar Peter Williams: Can We Trust the Gospels? June 19, 2024
- A High-level Intellectual with an Infuriating “Solution” to Why There is Suffering May 7, 2024
- A Self-Evaluation of My Self-Debate: Is the Book of Acts Historically Reliable? March 24, 2024
- Two Years that Transformed the World of Biblical Studies. July 14, 2026
- A Common But Lousy Argument That We KNOW What the NT Originally Said: Anniversary Post #14 May 5, 2026
- Anniversary Post #9: Misquoting Misquoting Jesus April 25, 2026
- Anniversary Post #1: Defending Misquoting Jesus April 9, 2026
- Has Luke Gotten Rid of the Idea That Jesus Died for Your Sins? February 19, 2026
- The Controversy Over Jesus’ Last Supper in Luke (Did He Speak of Dying “For you”?) February 18, 2026
- The Weird Textual Variant of 1 John 4:3: False Teachers Who “Loose” Jesus? September 16, 2025
- Interpolations and Textual Variants in the New Testament April 17, 2025
- Personal Faith, Textual Problems, and the Miracles of Jesus: More Readers’ Questions July 16, 2026
- How To Figure Out If a Miracle Happened… Questions from Readers June 11, 2026
- Questions on Proving the Resurrection and Sundry Other Things June 6, 2026
- Doesn’t Goodness Point to the Existence of God? And Gospel Perplexities. Good Readers’ Questions May 31, 2026
- Different Words, VERY Different Theologies, and Understanding Which Words They Were. Readers’ Questions April 23, 2026
- Understanding the Gospels, Jesus, and the Spread of Christianity: Great Readers’ Questions April 5, 2026
- Readers’ Questions on the Accuracy of the Gospels March 25, 2026
- Paul’s Lost Letters March 17, 2026
- Unpacking 1 Enoch, the Apocryphal Writing Quoted by Jude October 1, 2025
- 1 Enoch: The Scripture Quoted by Jude September 30, 2025
- Why Wasn’t Peter’s Apocalypse Included in the New Testament? September 9, 2025
- The Transformation of Paul’s Teaching: The Apocalypse of Paul July 15, 2025
- Paul’s Vision of Heaven and Hell July 10, 2025
- What About People Who Come Back From the Dead in the Hebrew Bible? April 17, 2024
- More on Sheol: Was it an Actual Place? April 16, 2024
- What Is Sheol in the Hebrew Bible? April 14, 2024
