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So far Diane has created 153 blog entries.

An Early Christian Advocate of Licentious Living? Carpocrates — Guest Post by Dr. David Litwa

Here now is a second post on a, well, rather unusual and widely unknown Christian group, by guest blogger David Litwa, one of the most prolific scholars of New Testament and Early Christianity over the past ten years. David was a graduate student at Duke some years ago and took a couple of my PhD seminars over at UNC. He is now at Boston College. (See: M. David Litwa - School of Theology and Ministry - Boston College (bc.edu) Each of these posts is a tantalizing introduction to a (different) book he has written for a general audience. In this one he deals with a group, and its leader, with a steamy but, he argues, completely undeserved bad reputation in early Christianity. Let us know what you think! ****************************** Who was Carpocrates? Most early Christian writers depicted him as the founder of a licentious cult, a magician, and a practitioner of “pagan” rites. They said that his followers practiced indiscriminate sex at their communal dinners. Carpocrates, said his opponents, demanded that his followers engage in [...]

Diane2025-09-10T13:07:41-04:00June 18th, 2024|Heresy and Orthodoxy, History of Christianity (100-300CE)|

June Gold Q&A: Whaddya Wanna Know?

Gold and Platinum members, Time again for our monthly Gold Q&A. Is there something in the New Testament that puzzles you or doesn't make sense (imagine that!)? Put it in a (short, to-the-point) question and send it to Diane at [email protected]. DEADLINE: Please get your question in by Thursday next week (06/24/2024) at midnight (whenever midnight is in your time zone).

Diane2025-09-10T13:07:13-04:00June 17th, 2024|Public Forum|

Platinums! Time to Upvote a Platinum Post!

It's time again for Platinum members to vote for a Platinum post to be published to the whole blog (exciting!). Here are links to the posts, in case you want to refresh your memory--then vote! Does God Have Chromosomes? by Doug Wadeson, MD Atonement Doctrine by Manuel Fiadeiro Did People Have Time for Jesus? by Doug Wadeson, MD Could Moses be Thutmose, the Overseer of the Borderlands? by Serene

Diane2025-09-10T13:07:42-04:00June 17th, 2024|Public Forum|

A Bizarre “Gnostic” Religion: The Naassenes – Guest Post by Dr. David Litwa
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A Bizarre “Gnostic” Religion: The Naassenes – Guest Post by Dr. David Litwa

Heresy and Orthodoxy, History of Christianity (100-300CE), Public Forum

A Bizarre “Gnostic” Religion: The Naassenes – Guest Post by Dr. David Litwa

I'm pleased to publish three posts by guest blogger David Litwa, one of the most prolific scholars of New Testament and Early Christianity over the past ten years. David was a graduate student at Duke some years ago and took a couple of my PhD seminars over at UNC. He is now at Boston College. (See: M. David Litwa - School of Theology and Ministry - Boston College (bc.edu) Each of these posts is a tantalizing introduction to a (different) book he has written for a general audience. This one starts off with a blast! Let us know what you think! ****************************** It is the only Christian group in antiquity to be accused of homosexual sex, of worshipping a snake, and of attending the mysteries of the Great Mother (Cybele). They worshiped God as Human, explored the Phrygian deity Attis as a manifestation of Jesus, and directly called themselves “gnostics.” They are known through a gossamer thread of tradition, a report preserved only in a worm-eaten medieval manuscript tucked away on Mount Athos, where no [...]

Diane2025-09-10T13:07:41-04:00June 11th, 2024|Heresy and Orthodoxy, History of Christianity (100-300CE), Public Forum|

Is There Even Such a Thing as the “Original” Text of Philippians?

What would it even *mean* to say that we have an "original" letter of Paul to the Philippians? In my previous two posts I began answering a series of questions asked by a reader about how we got Paul’s letter to the Philippians. In my previous post I explained why some critical scholars maintain that the letter was originally two separate letters that have been spliced together. That obviously makes the next question the reader asked a bit more complicated than one might otherwise imagine. And it’s not the only complication. Here is the reader’s next question: QUESTION: Do you agree that the first copy of the letter written by Paul to the Philippians was also an original? RESPONSE: First off, my initial reaction that I gave a couple of posts ago still holds. I’m not exactly sure what the reader is asking. If he’s asking whether a copy of the original letter to Philippians is itself an original of Philippians, then the answer is no. It is not the original. It is a [...]

Diane2025-09-10T13:07:41-04:00June 5th, 2024|New Testament Manuscripts, Paul and His Letters, Public Forum, Reader’s Questions|

Is Paul’s Letter to the Philippians Actually Two Letters Cut and Spliced Together?
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Is Paul’s Letter to the Philippians Actually Two Letters Cut and Spliced Together?

Paul and His Letters, Reader’s Questions

Is Paul’s Letter to the Philippians Actually Two Letters Cut and Spliced Together?

Could Paul's moving and powerful letter to the Philippians actually be *two* letters that were later cut and spliced together? In my previous post I answered, in short order, a series of questions that a reader had about the “original” text of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. I will now take several posts in order to address some of the questions at greater length. Here was the first one: QUESTION: Would you agree that the letter written to the Philippians was an original writing of Paul? The short answer is Yes – it is one of the undisputed Pauline letters. The longer answer is, well, complicated. Scholars have long adduced reasons for thinking that this letter of Paul was originally *two* letters (or parts of two letters) that were later spliced together into the one letter we have today. I explain the reasons for thinking so in my textbook, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. Here is what I say there. (If you want to follow the argument particularly [...]

Diane2025-09-10T13:07:41-04:00June 4th, 2024|Paul and His Letters, Reader’s Questions|

John the Baptist: The Most Influential Religious Innovator in History by James McGrath (Part 3)
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John the Baptist: The Most Influential Religious Innovator in History by James McGrath (Part 3)

Public Forum

John the Baptist: The Most Influential Religious Innovator in History by James McGrath (Part 3)

Now we have the final installment of James McGrath's thread of posts on the importance of John the Baptist, which, as he argues, most people have overlooked. What do you think? Comment and ask away! ****************************** John the Baptist was probably the most significant religious innovator in the history of religion. We’ve failed to see this because of the extent that he has been overshadowed by his followers. This is perhaps the most important point made in my new books Christmaker: A Life of John the Baptist (Eerdmans, June 2024) and John of History, Baptist of Faith: The Quest for the Historical Baptizer (the latter due out in October). In this three-part series I offer an overview of John’s influence based on and incorporating some material from Christmaker so that readers of this blog can get a sense of what awaits them in these books, especially the biography which will be out very soon and which is aimed at a general audience. Part 3: John as Innovator and Leader In recent centuries, we find new [...]

Diane2025-09-10T13:07:27-04:00June 1st, 2024|Public Forum|

John the Baptist: The Most Influential Religious Innovator in History by James McGrath (Part 2)
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John the Baptist: The Most Influential Religious Innovator in History by James McGrath (Part 2)

Public Forum

John the Baptist: The Most Influential Religious Innovator in History by James McGrath (Part 2)

Is John the Baptist THE most significant religious innovator in religion, ever? Here James McGrath ( James F. McGrath - Wikipedia ) continues with the second of his three controversial posts on John the Baptist: the first few sentence remind you of the basic claim and the books in which he develops it -- the rest expands his views for us. What do you think? ****************************** John the Baptist was probably the most significant religious innovator in the history of religion. We’ve failed to see this because of the extent that he has been overshadowed by his followers. This is perhaps the most important point made in my new books Christmaker: A Life of John the Baptist (Eerdmans, June 2024) and John of History, Baptist of Faith: The Quest for the Historical Baptizer (the latter due out in October). In this three-part series I offer an overview of John’s influence based on and incorporating some material from Christmaker so that readers of this blog can get a sense of what awaits them in these books, [...]

Diane2025-09-10T13:07:27-04:00May 29th, 2024|Public Forum|

John the Baptist: The Most Influential Religious Innovator in History by James McGrath (Part 1)
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John the Baptist: The Most Influential Religious Innovator in History by James McGrath (Part 1)

Public Forum

John the Baptist: The Most Influential Religious Innovator in History by James McGrath (Part 1)

I am pleased to publish a short series of posts on John the Baptist by James McGrath, Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University (see James F. McGrath - Wikipedia) based on his TWO new books (one coming out next month, June 2024; the other in October). The books, as you will see, make some controversial claims -- see his first sentence below! James will be happy to respond to your comments and queries. So what do you think? ****************************** John the Baptist was probably the most significant religious innovator in the history of religion. We’ve failed to see this because of the extent that he has been overshadowed by his followers. This is perhaps the most important point made in my new books Christmaker: A Life of John the Baptist (Eerdmans, June 2024) and John of History, Baptist of Faith: The Quest for the Historical Baptizer (the latter due out in October). In this three-part series I offer an overview of John’s influence based on [...]

Diane2025-09-10T13:07:27-04:00May 28th, 2024|Public Forum|

April Gold Q&A Video

It's a little late, but we got it together! https://vimeo.com/945923685/ad96b13857?share=copy

Diane2025-09-10T13:07:26-04:00May 13th, 2024|Public Forum|

May Gold Q&A: Keep Those (Metaphorical) Cards & Letters Coming!

Gold and Platinum members, Time again for our monthly Gold Q&A. But I can't do it (literally!) without YOU! Send me your urgent (short, to-the-point) questions on any blog-related topic. Have you submitted a question in the past that wasn't picked? Feel free to try again. Don't put your question in a Comment, though--send it to Diane at [email protected]. DEADLINE: Please get your question in by Friday of next week (05/17/2024) at midnight (whenever midnight is in your time zone).

Diane2025-09-10T13:07:13-04:00May 9th, 2024|Public Forum|

Does My Work on the Historical Jesus Confirm the Quran?
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Does My Work on the Historical Jesus Confirm the Quran?

Public Forum

Does My Work on the Historical Jesus Confirm the Quran?

Here is a final post dealing with the Quran. Well, a post from years ago that dealt with the Quran and two other unrelated issues, in one of those rare moments some years ago where I decided to try a rapid-fire approach to questions I get. They're all great questions! Here's the repost: ****************************** Here is the weekly Readers’ Mailbag, three questions this time – one about my alleged “support of Islam against Christianity,” one about why we think the NT Gospels were originally written in Greek, and one about what I mean when I talk about the views held by the majority of “critical” scholars (as opposed to what other kind of scholar?). COMMENT: [After this person pointed out that whoever said I was about ready to convert to Islam was obviously makin’ it up, or influenced by someone else who was makin’ it up, this Muslim reader commented as follows:] Anyways, that won’t stop us from using your awesome arguments against Christianity. You confirmed like 99% of Islamic belief about Jesus without [...]

Diane2025-09-10T13:07:14-04:00April 30th, 2024|Public Forum|

Fundamentalist Christians Are Not the Only Ones to Make Dumb Arguments…

My high school debate colleague (who later became a national debate champion as a sophomore in college...) used to always say: "Never underestimate the power of human stupidity." Boy did he ever get that right. Here's another post connected with the Quran. The post is NOT dealing with anything at all negative with Islam or the Quran itself. It's about horrible arguments that people make about it. They are right down there on the ridiculousness-scale as those fundamentalists sometimes make about Christianity and the New Testament. As I point out in this republished post from years ago. ****************************** I’m always puzzled about why smart people make (and believe) such stupid arguments. We see this all the time, of course, in political discourse and family disagreements, not to mention department meetings, but since my field is religious studies I hear it the most in connection with the great religions of the world. Actually, I guess I find it less puzzling than aggravating. A lot of conservative Christians get upset with me when I push [...]

Diane2025-09-10T13:07:14-04:00April 28th, 2024|Public Forum|

More Hard Issues on the Qur’an Fragments

Here are a couple of more reflections on the fragments on the Quran that were discovered some years ago, in a post that I published at the time. ****************************** My plan is to make this the final post for now on the issue of the Qur’an fragments discovered at the University of Birmingham. Obviously the discussion could go on forever (it’s been going on for 1500 years and is not likely to stop any time soon). But I’m not a scholar of the Qur’an or of Islam, and I would prefer sticking to topics that are within my realm of expertise. I know that comment itself will prompt emails from two groups of people, (a) from Muslims urging me to study the Qur’an so I will see that it is true and convert to Islam and (b) from Christians urging me to subject the Qur’an to the same kind of scrutiny to which critical scholars have subjected the NT, in order to show that Islam too has abundant problems. The reason I [...]

Diane2025-09-10T13:07:14-04:00April 25th, 2024|Public Forum|

An Astounding Quran Manuscript Discovery
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An Astounding Quran Manuscript Discovery

New Testament Manuscripts, Public Forum

An Astounding Quran Manuscript Discovery

In my previous posts I've mentioned the course I'll be doing on the Quran and the NT with scholar of Islam, Javad Hashmi. In the course I won't myself be dealing with the Quran, since it's not my expertise and I prefer as a rule talking about things I know about. But in past years on the blog I have published some posts on aspects of the Quran and Islam that I AM able to say something about, and thought this would be a good time to re-air them. Here's one of them: ****************************** Those of you who follow the news have heard that a truly great manuscript discovery has been made public this week, coming out of the University of Birmingham, England. The university has a very important collection of manuscripts, and for New Testament scholars it is famous for its Institute devoted to the study, analysis, and editing of Gospel manuscripts, an institute headed by my long-time friend and colleague David Parker, indisputably one of the top NT textual scholars in the world. [...]

Diane2025-09-10T13:07:14-04:00April 23rd, 2024|New Testament Manuscripts, Public Forum|

Fundraiser for Sudan With James Tabor

I am very pleased to announce a fund-raiser for the Bart Ehrman blog on May 6, a special event in which I interview fellow New Testament scholar and social commentator Dr. James Tabor on a topic sure to be of interest. James, as you may know, is a retired professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. He is a public figure who has a large following on his own blog and in his many public appearances. Among his numerous popular is Why Waco, which deals directly with the 1993 disaster at Waco just over 31 years ago. James was consulted by the FBI, testified before a joint Committee in the US Congress on Waco, and was able to interpret the apocalyptic views endorsed by the Branch Davidians under David Koresh. The topic of our conversation will be connected to a broader issue that lay behind the disaster. As you know, modern “prophets” in the Christian tradition (not just Koresh) use ancient texts to support their prognostications of what is soon to [...]

Diane2025-09-10T13:07:14-04:00April 22nd, 2024|Public Forum|

“Lovemaking” in the Song of Songs – Platinum Post From Dan Kohanski

The Song of Songs is the most, well, sexy book of the Bible, a book that translators and interpreters have a difficult time with since its literal rendering sure creates problems for traditional Jewish and Christian sexual ethics. But if you've read it recently, you may not have seen the half of it. Here are some reflections on several of the book's key passages, based on an examination of the Hebrew text, by Platinum post member Dan Kohanski. What do you think? ****************************** The most famous love poem in the Bible, the Song of Songs, opens by stating its name, then declares: "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, for dodecha/dodayich[1] (dodim with the plural “your” pronominal suffix) is better than wine.”[2] Most English translations, both Jewish and Christian, render דדיך as “your love.” Robert Alter translates it as “your loving,” while Bloch and Bloch render it as “your sweet loving.” The Blochs have a footnote explaining that dodayich “is a comprehensive term for lovemaking, that is, kisses and caresses as [...]

Diane2025-09-10T13:06:56-04:00April 19th, 2024|Public Forum|

We Need An Experienced Fundraiser!

Do you have fundraising experience? Are you a fan of the mission of this blog--to disseminate scholarly knowledge of the New Testament and the earliest periods of the Christian church to a non-scholarly audience, and (most importantly) to raise funds for charity? The blog has raised over $2,000,000 for our charities (The Urban Ministries of Durham, Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, The Durham Literacy Center, CARE, and Doctors Without Borders). You can read more about each of them here. But we want to do more. We're looking for a volunteer with experience in fundraising for nonprofits to help us find new and better ways to contribute to those in real need. Do you have that experience? Please drop us an email at [email protected].

Diane2025-09-10T13:07:14-04:00April 18th, 2024|Public Forum|

Could Moses be Thutmose, the Overseer of the Borderlands? – Platinum Post from Serene

Here's a provocative post by your fellow Platinum member, Serene: can Moses be identified with another known figure from history, the Egyptian overseer of the Borderlands, Thutmose? Read her case and let us know what you think! ****************************** Could Moses be Thutmose, Overseer of Foreign Lands and Frontier Lands? “…he changed his name and called himself Moses” — Josephus in Against Apion, quoting 3rd C BCE Egyptian historian Manetho. Hi Platies! Thank you for the kind reception to my first post, “Jesus, the Half-Nabataean Prince. The question I’m asking today is, “Could Santa Claus be Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra?” Ok, that one’s solved already — he is. It’s just easier to base something on something pre-existing. Like the historical basis for Moses. Manetho claimed that Moses governed from an Egyptian city called Avaris. And archaeologists agree that the Exodus’ Land of Goshen was the area around Avaris. Well, Ancient Egypt’s records have only one Moses-like name that governed from Avaris (that I can find) — and that’s Overseer Thutmose. [...]

Diane2025-09-10T13:06:56-04:00April 15th, 2024|Public Forum|

April Gold Q&A: Ask Away!

Hey Gold and Platinum members, Time to jump in on the April Gold Q&A; my plan is to record it some time next weekend. If you have a question -- and I bet you do -- send it along! To do so, do NOT reply on a comment here, but zap an email to Diane at [email protected]. DEADLINE: Please get your question in by next Friday (04/19/2024) at midnight (whenever midnight is in your time zone). Shorter and to-the-pointer questions are more likely to be picked. Ask accordingly.

Diane2025-09-10T13:07:13-04:00April 12th, 2024|Public Forum|

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