As with a lot of scholars, books seem to make up my life. Books I’ve read, books I’ve studied, books I’ve revered, books I’ve scorned (my favorite professor in graduate school used to say: “Any fool can write a big book. And many have!”). There are also the books I’ve written and books I’ve edited; books my relations have written and edited (e.g., my brother, a Latin scholar at Kent State University; and Sarah, whose books are amazing for their erudition); books my friends have written and edited. Nearly all my friends are scholars. And all of them have written books. (My one really close friend who is not a scholar is Robert Miller – and he is my editor for Oxford University Press! He happens to live in Chapel Hill, and we have been close for many years; his wife Silvia is an editor as well –at Routledge Press in NYC when I first met her, and now at UNC Press in Chapel Hill).
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This was a beautiful post. I wish I could be as eloquent when asked this same question. I’m hopelessly attracted to the bible long after my belief in it has disappeared. People ask me why, and I usually answer “I don’t know”. But if I had to try to pinpoint a reason, it would probably have to do with the ease it is for large groups of people (my family included!) to accept the supernatural answers to life. It’s fascinating, and that is why I love to read your work…
Bart, I have a quick question. Now, please know that I’m not one of those people who gives others a tough time about the label they call themselves. In fact, may times, I think these lables can be less than helfpul. That being said, I’m pretty much a humanist and a skeptic of all supernatural claims (I’m a hypocrite! I just labeled myself! Ha!). As to the existence of some kind of higher power, I have my doubts, but I can’t rule it out, so on this question I’m agnostic.
Which finally brings me to my question. If you don’t think God exists, why do you refer to yourself as an agnostic? If this is your perspective, why not refer to yourself as an atheist? Could it be that you don’t believe the Christian God exists, but are open to the possibility that some kind of higer power exists (this is my perspective) and this is why you call yourself agnostic? Let me emphasize that I’m not trying to put you in a box or set you up. These are just questions I’m asking out of curiosity and I’m hoping you can provide some clarification.
I will be writing up a separate post, dealing with your question. But basically, yes, you’ve nailed it.
Mikail78 wrote: “Could it be that you don’t believe the Christian God exists, but are open to the possibility that some kind of higer power exists (this is my perspective) and this is why you call yourself agnostic?”
That pretty much describes me as well. I’ve been looking into Process Theology in fits and starts, but theological thinking makes my head spin. It is gratifying, though, to investigate various kinds of thinking without the burden of believing my “salvation” is at stake.
Dr. Ehrman, like others I really enjoy these posts. Thank you.
Following the thread of beach-reading a bit further:
1] While it’s hardly on a par with the books that you mention above I was wondering whether, by chance, you have ever read “The Q Document”?
There are of course, many books with this (or similar) titles but I’m referring to the book by Jame Hall Roberts, published in 1964.
If you don’t know the book think of it as noir detective novel (complete with mysterious deaths; Nazi spies; red Chinese agents;gun-toting priests; late night wanderings through the Ginza ;the occasional buxom babe –in short the whole nine yards) the main difference being that the main character (again, with all the proper attributes: world-weary, surly, having recently undergone a tragic loss) is a textual critic.
It’s actual kind of fun.
(Pop quiz: Can you think of, say, a Raymond Chandler novel that mentions Irenaeus or uses the word
‘quelle’?)
2] Anyway, a brief follow-up story:
You, and other scholars, have often lamented the poor level of “biblical literacy” not only among the population at large but even among the clergy.
I bought my copy of the “Q Document” off the paperback rack the local K-Mart when I was in early high school. As I say, I thought it was a lot of fun but when I finished I couldn’t help but wonder if the basic topic –i.e. the Q Document– was something something the author made up or was there more to the story than that.
So, in short, I made a quick trip to the local library, thumbed through their encyclopedia and read what it had to say on the Q doc and the 2/4 source hypothesis (which was probably about three sentences).
Still intrigued, I approached the next obvious source, going to to the office my youth minister after church on the following Sunday.
The short version here is not only was he not able to give me any additional information, but he had no idea what I was talking about. (I want to be clear, I don’t mean that he rejected the whole notion; or found the model flawed, etc. Rather, it was clear that he had never heard of _any_ of this.)
Again, this a very bright man with a full 4-year ministerial degree.
Nope, I never read it. My dad had it and read it, and it was on the home book shelf for forty years! But I never read it.
As to your youth pastor: let’s hear it for seminary educations!
Another off-topic question: What beers you been drinkin’ to go with all that readin’?
I’m afraid I’m a beer snob. Lately it’s been mainly Fuller’s London Pride and Old Speckled Hen, sticking with that spousal English thing….
Bart, I don’t want to toot my own horn but *beep* *beep*. Living in the land of the German purity law makes life good…and the beer better. When I drive by my local village brewery (Hochdorfer), I see the fields of tall growing hops and get teary-eyed. I happen to be a lager snob. Cheers to beer snobs!
Yes, twenty years ago, when I was in Germany for the first time, I remember walking by outdoor cafes at noon and seeing everyone with large beers, and thinking, My God! This is where I belong!
Well, as a British beer snob, may I suggest as you are in London at the moment, if you can spare time to visit the Harp in Chandos Place ( just off Trafalgar Square) they serve excellent beer – it was the Campaign for Real Ale national pub of the year recently – and IMHO beers like the Dark Star Hophead on offer are much superior to London Pride and Speckled Hen…….Enjoy if you can.
Ah, OK. You’ve named my two favorites, but I clearly need to branch out….
Being English, I obviously love English beer (I recommend Gales’ HSB and Wadworth’s 6X) but I prefer Belgian beer. My favourite is Leffe Vieille Cuvée but it is about as easy to find as the Holy Grail!
Anyway, to my question! Do you like Hermann Hesse at all? My favourite novel is “Narcissus and Goldmund” closely followed by “Demian”.
“Wuthering Heights” is my favourite Bronte, and, coming from Leeds, I am not far from Haworth and I have been inside the Bronte’s vicarage! 🙂
Best wishes, John.
I haven’t read Hesse since high school! Obviously need to. I like all of the “big three” Bronte books. I spent a week just outside of Haworth in summer of 2000. Fantastic walking on the moors.
Prof Ehrman
My favorite part of the Hebrew Bible are the stories about David. I’m a particular fan of Robert Alter’s translation of 1st & 2nd Samuel, “The David Story”. Great stuff!
I have to ask, tried any fiction writing yourself? Got a novel in the desk somewhere?
What is your tolerance for Science Fiction or Fantasy? A fine work is Michael Moorcock’s “Behold the Man”. A New Testament scholar obsessed with Christ invents a time machine and…well that would be telling! Actually a serious, thoughtful work which I highly recommend.
No, no fiction in my future. I wish I *could* write a novel. But if I did, it would not be about religion — too obvious a topic for a religion professor. I used to like science fiction a good deal, but I have not kept up with the field. For a long time Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy was among my favorite books of all time.
I very much like Alter’s The Art of Biblical Narrative, which I have begun to reread (in a new edition) after having read it many years ago.
I wonder how long a time traveler would last in Roman Palestine before being crucified?
Loved the Foundation series and also read an early autobiography, the title of which escapes me.
I have not read Vanity Fair myself, but I believe that Thackeray had the Vanity Fair in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress in mind for his title, not Paradise Lost. Either way, enjoyed the post, you may have inspired me to read it.
Yes, yes, yes!! Pilgrim’s Progress, of course! Sorry, my bad.
My own favorite novelist is Trollope. Maybe you’d want to try the Pallisers’ next summer? 🙂
Ah, he’s one of mine too. I did all the Pallisers last year!
🙂