BDEhrman, Author at The Bart Ehrman Blog - Page 13 of 203

About BDEhrman

Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he has served as the director of graduate studies and chair of the Department of Religious Studies.

Will Everyone be Saved? (Everyone??)
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Will Everyone be Saved? (Everyone??)

Early Christian Doctrine, Early Christian Writings (100-400 CE), Paul and His Letters

Will Everyone be Saved? (Everyone??)

There has been an extraordinary range of views in Christianity about who will be “saved,” whether people have any say in the matter, what it requires, whether salvation can be lost, and … most everything else connected with this central teaching of the religion. It may seem odd that disagreements among Christian thinkers would involve the very core message, rather than other issues of less significance and centrality, but, well, there it is. In my previous post I pointed to passages in the letter to the Hebrews that seem pretty clearly to indicate that a person could well lose their salvation. At the extreme other end of the theological spectrum was/is the view that in fact everyone will be saved. That’s a view more commonly thought to reside on the margins of Christendom, but it’s always been around – and is getting stronger now than ever – and can easily be traced, again, back to the New Testament, all the way back to its most revered author, the apostle Paul. It can be [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:50-04:00July 29th, 2025|Early Christian Doctrine, Early Christian Writings (100-400 CE), Paul and His Letters|

Can You “Lose Your Salvation”?

Does the New Testament teach that a person can lose their salvation? It depends whom you ask. And possibly which New Testament books you read. I have been discussing the letter to the Hebrews, and a couple of passages there are some of the key texts for discussing the issue. First, some background: Since the 16th century, many protestants have believed that that once a person has become a committed follower of Jesus and is therefore bound for heaven it is literally impossible for her/him to lose their salvation. In modern lingo, this is often expressed by the phrase “once saved/always saved.” The idea stems from the teachings of John Calvin (1509-1564), who, among other things, believed that people were “predestined” for salvation by God. Being saved was not based on a person’s choice/decision. It was determined by God, from the beginning. There was a clear logic to this view. In simple terms, if God is ultimately sovereign in every way, then he is the one who determines what happens in the world. [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:50-04:00July 27th, 2025|Catholic Epistles, Early Christian Doctrine, Public Forum|

Does the Book of Hebrews Indicate Jesus Ever Came To Earth? A Response to Richard Carrier.

In an earlier post I indicated that I have difficulty responding to writings of mythicists, largely because they often say things that I think are dead wrong, but it would take so much time and effort to explain why. This morning I did think I should at least give one example of the sort of thing I mean, and I have chosen (just) one of the claims made several times by one of the mythicists’ leading spokespersons, Richard Carrier. Carrier argues that the earliest Christians did not believe Jesus ever came to earth but was a god who ministered and crucified in the heavenly realms. He also claims this view is supported by a close reading of the early New Testament writings themselves. He lists a number of them and discusses them all. I am here simply picking one example, the book of Hebrews. I could do the same thing with others (he equally surprisingly includes the letters of Paul and the non-canonical book of 1 Clement, for example) but my idea is not to [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:50-04:00July 26th, 2025|Catholic Epistles, Historical Jesus, Mythicism, Public Forum|

The Letter to the Hebrews: For Further Reading

Here is a list of readings of relevance to the book of Hebrews. Some of the books, as you will see, are just on Hebrews itself; more are on the broader topic that Hebrews addresses, the relationship of Jews and Christians in early Christianity. This is a fraught topic: the first two on the list more or less argue that it’s not right to consider Judaism and Christianity as separate religions (!); the others address the question of how they became separate and how that led to the history of anti-Judaism and then, eventually, anti-Semitism. I include a a couple of important commentaries specifically on Hebrews. One benefit of serious commentaries is that they always begin by discussing major critical issues in understanding a book: authorship, date, historical context, major themes, disputed issues, and so on. Stand-alone books Beker, Adam, and Annette Yoshiko Reed. The Ways That Never Parted: Jews and Christians in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2007. A collection of essays by leading scholars [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:49-04:00July 24th, 2025|Catholic Epistles, Public Forum|

The Book of Hebrews: Who Wrote It, When, and Why?

Now that I have discussed the overarching themes and emphases of the letter to the Hebrews, I can turn to the historical question of who actually wrote it, when, and why. ****************************** The authorship of the book has been debated for nearly as long as the book has been in circulation; and part of that question involves the issue of what kind of writing it actually is. Although Hebrews is normally labeled an epistle, this designation is not particularly apt. The book has an epistolary closing – where the author gives a final exhortation, gives some personal greetings, and signs off by wishing his readers the best (Heb 13:20–25). That is, it ends the way letters tend to end. But there is no epistolary prescript. That is, in the opening the author never names himself nor his addressees, he nor does he include an opening prayer, benediction, or thanksgiving on their behalf (check out Paul’s letters, which always begin that way). So is it really a “letter”? Scholars have long been [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:50-04:00July 23rd, 2025|Catholic Epistles, Public Forum|

The Letter to the Hebrews: In a Nutshell
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The Letter to the Hebrews: In a Nutshell

Catholic Epistles, Jews and Christians in Antiquity

The Letter to the Hebrews: In a Nutshell

I now return to my long “Nutshell” thread, explaining each book of the New Testament in brief terms, with one post laying out its major themes and emphases; another discussing what we can know about who wrote it, when, and why; another that provides suggestions for further reading; and at least one (and sometimes more) on other aspects of the book that are very much worth bearing in mind. Eventually we will collect all these and issue them together (in some format or other – to be decided). For now, if you want to check out earlier posts in the series, simply do a word search on the blog for “Nutshell.” We have finished the Gospels, Acts, and the Pauline epistles, and now move on to the “Catholic” or “General” epistles. In this context “catholic” does not refer to the Roman Catholic church (or any other “Catholic” church), but means simply “universal.” The idea, rightly or wrongly, is that rather than being addressed to a specific congregation, these books were written to be [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:50-04:00July 22nd, 2025|Catholic Epistles, Jews and Christians in Antiquity|

A Hiatus in My Responses

Dear Fellow Bloggers! I want to let you know that I will not be able to respond to comments this week (or a bit more: July 21-28). BUT, the blog itself will be going along swimmingly. I've queued up all the posts for the week , you can make all the comments you want as normal, Jen will be on top of all things as usual, and all else will be AOK, likely even thriving. I just won't be around and will not be able to respond to comments. So sorry! But, well, not totally. I'm off for the week on a meditation retreat -- not, as normally happens, with others but all by my lonesome, living the life of the anchorite. Kind of. I'll be in a reasonably remote place in a nice part of the world where I can meditate, read, hike, think deep thoughts, figure out my life (and all things of universal significance), recharge my depleted batteries, and hope they don't need to be replaced. I did something [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:52-04:00July 20th, 2025|Public Forum|

The Death of Peter

In my previous post I discussed the legendary account (the earliest we have) of the martyrdom of Paul. In it I mentioned as well the martyrdom of Peter (also legendary, though better known) (many people have heard he was crucified “upside-down”), and realized I may as well post on that as well, since I’ll certainly be getting some questions on it. Here is what I say about it in my book Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene (Oxford University Press). ****************************** By the end of the first and into the second century it was widely known among Christians that Peter had suffered a martyr’s death. The tradition is alluded to in the book of 1 Clement: “Because of unjust jealousy Peter bore up under hardships not just once or twice, but many times; and having thus borne his witness (or “having been martyred”) he went to the place of glory that he deserved” (5:4). And a hundred years later Tertullian speaks of Peter enduring “a passion like the Lord’s” -- possibly referring [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:36-04:00July 20th, 2025|Christian Apocrypha, Early Christian Writings (100-400 CE)|

The Death of Paul

I sometimes get asked (once just a few days ago) about what we can say about Paul's death. We don't have any historical records (i.e., historically reliable accounts), but there is one relatively early reference to it and an intriguing legend from about a century after the event, whenever and however it happened. Here is what I say about it in my book Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene. ****************************** The Martyrdom of Paul We do not have any contemporary accounts of Paul’s death, although traditions from several decades afterwards indicate that he was martyred. The earliest reference comes in the letter from the church of Rome to the church of Corinth known as 1 Clement, written around 95 CE, some thirty years after Paul’s death. This anonymous author refers to the “pillars” of the Christian faith who were persecuted for their faith, “even to death.” He refers especially to the apostles Peter and Paul. About Paul, he states: Because of jealousy and strife Paul pointed the way to the prize for endurance. [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:36-04:00July 19th, 2025|Paul and His Letters, Public Forum|

Some Readers’ Questions and Responses

Here are some of the intriguing questions I have recently received from blog members. The first one includes a reply to my response and my response to that reply. Enjoy! QUESTION: Have you considered the angle that Jesus may have been a revolutionary Essene? This would explain his outward orientation instead of inward. I mean he fits right in with being a disciple of John the Baptist and has a very Essene worldview. A good amount of his followers were also followers of John the Baptist. Most of the points he makes, eating with tax collectors and sinners, doing things on the Sabbath, not obsessing over ritual purity == all of these seems strangely specifically targeted towards the Essenes, which means he is very familiar and actively critiquing them. I am wondering if Jesus’ relation to the Essenes could be comparable what to Luther’s relation to Catholicism. As in Luther was a Catholic and started a revolution inside Catholicism. On the surface it doesn’t fit but if he’s a counterculture within [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:35-04:00July 17th, 2025|Reader’s Questions|

Paul’s Letter to the Romans “At a Glance,” and Questions for Reflection

Now that I have finished this subthread on the letters of Paul in a nutshell, I'd like to provide brief summaries of the various Pauline writings (both "undisputed" and deutero-Pauline). These posts will be quick and to the point. In them I reproduce my overviews called "At a Glance" for each letter that I give in my textbook as the final bit of each discussion for each book, along with a couple of questions to reflect on. If the summaries don't make immediate sense and/or the questions don't seem to have an obvious question, I'd recommend rereading the relevant posts from a while back. In this post I deal the the letter to the Romans. Here are the previous posts, in case you need a reminder: https://ehrmanblog.org/pauls-letter-to-the-romans-in-a-nutshell/ https://ehrmanblog.org/the-letter-to-the-romans-who-when-and-why/ https://ehrmanblog.org/unusually-important-for-pauls-letter-to-the-romans-pauls-models-of-salvation/ ROMANS: AT A GLANCE Unlike Paul’s other surviving letters, Romans was written to a church he had not founded or even visited. It was written evidently to secure the support of the Roman Christians for Paul’s missionary endeavors farther west, in Spain. [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:35-04:00July 16th, 2025|Paul and His Letters|

The Transformation of Paul’s Teaching: The Apocalypse of Paul
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The Transformation of Paul’s Teaching: The Apocalypse of Paul

Afterlife, Early Christian Writings (100-400 CE), Paul and His Letters

The Transformation of Paul’s Teaching: The Apocalypse of Paul

In my previous post I began to discuss the non-canonical Apocalypse of Paul, a legendary tale that describes what Paul saw when he had his vision after being taken up to the “third heaven” (see 2 Corinthians 12:1-6). He was actually taken to see what was experienced by the dead in the afterlife. For some lucky souls, it was fantastic. For others, well … read on. He first sees two souls being taken to their eternal destiny, one is happy, and the other miserable. The one is carried by angels before the throne of God to be given an eternal reward; the other is dragged off by some very angry angels to face eternal damnation. Paul then is shown the actual places of bliss and torment. The bliss is amazing—a glorious utopian place of goodness, where Paul meets with the saints of the Jewish tradition and converses with them in paradise. The torment, on the other hand, is horrific. Here are all sorts of punishments arranged for all kinds of sinners, Christian and [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:35-04:00July 15th, 2025|Afterlife, Early Christian Writings (100-400 CE), Paul and His Letters|

Fundamentalist Apologists, Christian and Mythicist

As I’ve been reading in preparation for my course on July 19, “Did Jesus Really Exist” (a freebie! Check it out at https://courses.bartehrman.com/did-jesus-really-exist. ) another thought occurred to me, about the similarities between “mythicist” writers (those supporting the idea that Jesus of Nazareth never did exist) and conservative Christian apologists. They seem to have a lot in common, even though they take virtually the opposite views of things. I suppose I noticed that long ago but never delved much into it. But it was probably 15-20 years ago when I was struck by the fact that the mathematical principle, “Bayes’ Theorem” – which works to work out the probability of a cause based on the known effects, and which sure seems highly scientific (in the general sense), and in fact has been used to reach remarkable conclusions in a number of fields – has been applied by two scholars with respect to the historical Jesus: by Oxford philosopher Richard Swinburne, a deeply committed Christian, to demonstrate (on statistical probability) that Jesus was probably raised from [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:36-04:00July 13th, 2025|Bart's Debates|

Did Jesus Exist? Why I Don’t Enjoy Reading the Mythicists

I’ve been doing some reading in preparation for a two-lecture on-line course called “Did Jesus Really Exist” scheduled for July 19. You can find out about it here: https://courses.bartehrman.com/did-jesus-really-exist. It’s a freebie, so, well, feel free to get it for free! Even though I'm pumped to do this course, and I don’t really much enjoy reading about it (that is, reading the work books that argue Jesus did not exist). I once did, back when I wrote my book Did Jesus Exist. But unlike most issues I deal with, I don’t find it very interesting or intellectually challenging. Still it’s a topic that comes up a lot among lay people, especially over the past 20 years or so, and so I feel a need to address it, and will do so with vigor. In preparation, Ive been rereading some of the work of one of the leading spokespersons among the “mythicists." In this view, it’s not just that Jesus did not do and say a number of things recorded of him in [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:35-04:00July 12th, 2025|Historical Jesus, Mythicism, Public Forum|

Paul’s Vision of Heaven and Hell

I now turn to another non-canonical text connected with Paul, one of the most famous throughout the Middle Ages, an account of his journey to observe the fate of souls in the afterlife, both the glories of the saints in heaven and the torments of the sinners in hell. This tale is not simply meant to convey factual information about what happened to Paul once. It is intended to teach a clear lesson. Isn’t all interesting history like that? Here's how I discuss it in my book Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene (Oxford University Press). This will take two posts. The Apocalypse of Paul Is anyone ever interested in the past for purely antiquarian interests – that is, they just want to know what happened but for no other reason? Well, not usually. Most people think about the past because they are interested in the present. One of the ways that people who are interested in the present use history is by making the past itself present—that is, by making it relevant to [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:35-04:00July 10th, 2025|Afterlife, Early Christian Writings (100-400 CE), Paul and His Letters|

Chastity Within Marriage? Paul Taught THAT?

In my previous post I summarized the legendary account of Paul and his most famous female disciple Thecla, and ended by quoting the “gospel message” that he preaches in the tale. It’s not at all what you would expect. He says no word about believing in Christ’s death and resurrection. It is all about remaining sexually chaste, even when married. No sex. That’s what God is most interested in. Here are some snippets by way of reminders. Blessed are those who have kept the flesh chaste, for they will become a temple of God. Blessed are those who are self-controlled, for God will speak to them. Blessed are those who have renounced this world, for they will be pleasing to God. Blessed are those who have wives as if they did not have them, for they will be the heirs of God. Blessed are the bodies of the virgins, for these will be pleasing to God and will not lose the reward for their chastity If (since!) this is not the main gospel message [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:34-04:00July 9th, 2025|Early Christian Writings (100-400 CE), Paul and His Letters, Sex and Sexuality in the Bible|

Paul and His Most Famous Woman Disciple
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Paul and His Most Famous Woman Disciple

Christian Apocrypha, Early Christian Writings (100-400 CE), Paul and His Letters

Paul and His Most Famous Woman Disciple

I have now finished my summaries and discussions of each of the thirteen Pauline letters, "In a Nutshell." In this long thread we have now covered 18 of the New Testament's 27 books, which, by my math, means we are two-thirds of the way through this thread. Nine more gems to go. I'd like to pause at this stage and provide a few other posts on Paul and his writings, specifically by talking a bit about Paul as found in early Christian writings outside the New Testament. I have a fuller discussion of the historical and legendary tales about Paul in my book Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene: The Followers of Jesus in History and Legend (Oxford University Press, 2006). This post and the next will contain excerpts discussing Paul and his female follower Thecla, one of the most famous early Christian women of all history (though widely forgotten today, she was virtually a household name throughout the Middle Ages.) ****************************** The Acts of Paul and Thecla One of the most popular legends about the [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:34-04:00July 8th, 2025|Christian Apocrypha, Early Christian Writings (100-400 CE), Paul and His Letters|

Should We Keep “Slaves” in the New Testament?

I’ve been talking about Paul’s view of slavery, in light of the book of Philemon; this seems to be a good time to talk about a very big issue connected with translating the New Testament from Greek into English. It may seem fairly straightforward, but in fact it is incredibly thorny: what English word is best to use for the Greek word that refers to a person who is owned by another and compelled (on every level) to do what the owner requires? It’s “slave,” right? How can it be complicated? Let me put it in a bigger picture. For a very long time I’ve been interested in the question of how to translate ancient texts, such as the Greek New Testament, into modern languages. Early in my scholarly career my interest was piqued by the work I did as a graduate student working as a research grunt for the translation committee for the New Revised Standard Version. My Doktorvater, Bruce Metzger, was the chair of the committee and he asked me, [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:34-04:00July 6th, 2025|Paul and His Letters, Public Forum, Reflections and Ruminations|

Paul’s Letter to Philemon: For Further Reading

Here is a list of readings on Philemon, all of which are relevant to all the undisputed Pauline epistles, with a couple of commentaries specifically on this significant, short letter. One benefit of serious commentaries is that they always begin by discussing major critical issues in understanding a book: authorship, date, historical context, major themes, disputed issues, and so on. ****************************** Aune, David. The New Testament in Its Literary Environment. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1987. Includes a superb discussion of the practices of letter writing in Greco-Roman antiquity as the social context for Paul’s epistles. Beker, J. Christiaan. Paul the Apostle: The Triumph of God in Life and Thought. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1980. A sophisticated and astute discussion of the apocalyptic character of Paul’s theology and its various forms of expression in different situations that the apostle confronted. For advanced students. Bruce, F. F. Apostle of the Heart Set Free. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1977. A full study of Paul’s life and teachings by a major evangelical Christian scholar. Dunn, James D. The Theology of Paul the Apostle. Grand Rapids, [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:34-04:00July 5th, 2025|Public Forum|

Philemon and the Morality of Slavery

Here are a few more comments about the short letter of Paul to Philemon, whose major themes and emphases I discussed yesterday. It may indeed seem a rather peripheral letter – it’s a private letter about a slave returning to his master, not about Paul’s great theological views or highly informative discussions of his life. But even so, this brief one-pager can provide us with some important insights into Paul’s view of his apostolic ministry, and even more about the role of social justice in his ministry (specifically: does he condone slavery?). One thing to observe is Paul’s reciprocal relationship with his converts in this letter. In his other letters, he occasionally appears to be the all-knowing and all-powerful apostle, who makes his demands and expects people to follow them. On certain points that he feels strongly about, such as what his congregations believe about his apocalyptic message and how they treat the Jewish law, he is altogether adamant. But on other issues, he falls short of making demands. In the present instance, [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:34-04:00July 3rd, 2025|Paul and His Letters|

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