Loading...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….
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A Blog Dinner In Central London July 15. Wanna Come?
June 26, 2026
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Darn, we missed you by a month. We stayed a few nights at the Mornington London Kensington and celebrated my birthday at the Blackbird Pub on Earl’s court.
Lovely!
96 without air conditioning = NO
Dr. Ehrman:
1
There is one god (monotheism).
There is a group of gods (Elohim).
There is one god greater than other gods (henotheism).
2
There is one God who is the Creator.
There is a group of Gods who is the Creator (Elohim).
There is one God who is the Creator who creates via the Logos.
4
Eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge/Awareness (Original Sin) was a bad thing.
Gaining knowledge/awareness was a good thing.
7 Contradictions between Jesus and Paul
a
Jesus: Matthew 5: 17 I have not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill them
Paul: Ephesians 2: 15 Jesus abolished the law in his flesh through crucifixion and death
b
Jesus: Matthew 7:21 Not everyone who calls me Lord will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
vs
Paul: Romans 10:9 If you say Jesus is Lord you will be saved.
and
[Again,] Gospel of John 3:16
8
Enoch was the Son of Man.
Jesus was the Son of Man.
QUESTION: Can any of the contradictions above be resolved?
Any contradiction can be resolved if you hafe the will to do it….
“Eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge/Awareness (Original Sin) was a bad thing.”
god did not command Eve
2. Adam & Eve Locke’s blank slate theory [reality] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabula_rasa
god clearly has a communication problem
so who violated [sinned] against? the creator or the created
London is also a place I love, since I lived there for seven years. What I especially miss is the extraordinary variety of non-British food there.
You mentioned Elaine Pagels to me as a scholar who has written on John, and that led me to wonder about a related question. I would be interested to know how persuasive her broader approach is considered among scholars today, especially when applied to John and Thomas.
Thomas appears more prominently in John’s Gospel than in the Synoptics. Yet in John 20, although he makes the climactic confession, “My Lord and my God,” he is also remembered as “doubting Thomas.” That seems somewhat unfavorable, and it makes me wonder why a later Gospel would be attributed to Thomas if John had already portrayed him as a doubter.
Could the relationship possibly work in the opposite direction? That is, could some Thomasine traditions have existed earlier, and could John’s Gospel have shaped Thomas’s role partly to relativize or contain the authority of such traditions?
What interests me is whether John’s portrayal of Thomas may reflect a real debate about what counted as reliable access to Jesus: apostolic witness, resurrection faith, secret sayings, or inner knowledge.
Elaine wasn’t the first to express the view that author of the Gospel of John was responding to the Gospel of Thomas. I don’t know, offhand, of any scholars of the Gospels that have been convinced by that (apart from the ones she got the idea from). It’s more likely by far that if there was any connection (which I rather doubt) it went the other way. I doubt it because I don’t think two literary texts with broad and non-verbatim overlaps necessarily indicate that one of them is based on the other (both authors could have heard similar stories among the thousands of stories in circulation)
Hi Bart, I’m stuck in California but it sounds like fun. Do you ever attend Wimbledon or any of the other tennis tournaments when you’re in England during June or July? Just wondering, not expecting an answer. I’m a big woman’s tennis fan.
This is my first comment and I just wanted to say thanks for all the books, lectures, YouTube content with Megan, this blog, and your wonderful TTC/The Great Courses offerings. I’ve been a big fan since I read Misquoting Jesus back in 2005, and I’ve read every book you’ve written for a lay audience ever since.
Interestingly, I grew out of the Christian faith many years before 2005, but I’m fascinated by early Christianity, textual criticism, and history and philosophy in general. I continue to enjoy your work as much as I did 21 years ago! Stay well and keep to the shade… —JMS—
Yup. (Our flat is in Wimbledon) But more often I attend the US Open in NYC.
I’m a bit late to reading this, but yes intending to be there! Update us with the venue(s) when you’re able to, as I’ll need to figure out if I need a hotel! Cheers!
Heather