Public Forum Archives - Page 33 of 89 - The Bart Ehrman Blog

Digging Deep into Afterlife Journeys

I don't recall *ever* having a podcast interview in which I was asked to go down seriously into the weeds of my scholarship as found in one of my scholarly books. But that happened in this interview, done on June 14, for the Christian Humanist Podcast. It's a serious podcast, where the perspective is Christian and the topics are intellectually meaty. The interviewer is a PhD in English literature and professor at Emmanuel College. He's a bright guy, who knows a lot, who read my book Journeys to Heaven and Hell carefully, realized clearly what both the scholarly issues and the wider payoff were, and grilled me on it for an hour. Here's the podcast for your viewing pleasure.

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:58:35-04:00June 29th, 2022|Afterlife, Public Forum|

Blog Dinner. London. Tuesday, July 12. Interested?

We had to cancel the last proposed London blog dinner because of the rail strike, but now I'd like to make a second go of it, if anyone's interested. Possibly a pint in advance. Are you in the vicinity? Interested? If we can get 3-4 (and no more than 7) people together, I'd be happy to do it. It would be Tuesday, July 12, somewhere in central London. No obligations other than: Being a blog member Showing up Talking Paying for what you consume. If you're interested, do NOT reply here as a comment. Send me an email at [email protected] Hope it happens!

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:58:50-04:00June 28th, 2022|Public Forum|

Yeah, Those Are Contradictions. My Response to Firth.

Matthew Firth came up with interesting responses to my examples of contradictions in the Gospels (in the previous post); here now I try to show how his explanations simply don't work. ****************************** Thanks, Matt, for your thoughtful comments on the four contradictions I discussed in my opening post. I agree – this form of debate is much better than the oral back-and-forths I’m used to on a stage in front of an audience, where it’s so easy to say something unwittingly that is completely stupid or wrong. With this format I’m able to think about it a bit before saying something completely stupid! I appreciate your attempts to reconcile the contradictions. For years I wished I could reconcile all the ones I found – and did my best to do so, using many of these kinds of arguments. I ended up thinking it just didn’t work. I’ll try to explain below why I think so, step by step. I’ve decided that it would be easier for readers of the blog to be able to compare [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:58:35-04:00June 26th, 2022|Book Discussions, Public Forum|

Gold members Q&A for June

Dear Gold Members, It's that time again. Time for the Gold Q&A for June -- a perk of your membership! Do you have any questions you'd like to ask, on anything related to the blog? Ask away, and I'll do my best to answer. To get your question on the list: zap a note to Diane at [email protected] DEADLINE for your question. Midnight (your time) on Saturday, June 25. I will record the Q&A that weekend, and it will be available, if all goes to plan, by Thursday, June 30. Fire away! Bart

Diane2025-09-10T12:58:36-04:00June 22nd, 2022|Public Forum|

Check Out this Play in NYC!!

Are you in NYC or at least planning to be in October or November? There is a new play called “The Unbelieving” that you should check out! It is a dramatization of a real-life phenomenon that most people don’t know about: pastors who have left the faith but are still active in ministry. There’s more of these religious professionals than you might imagine. Here is the brief description of the play on the show’s website (here: http://Shows | www.59e59.org) Show Info By Marin Gazzaniga Directed by Steve Cosson In the classic tale of religious conversion, finding God holds the promise of a life filled with purpose and meaning. But what happens when this transformation occurs in reverse, and a faith you have built your life around begins to fall away? The Unbelieving takes a penetrating look into the lives of practicing clergy members— Catholics, Episcopalians, Evangelicals, Fundamentalists, Jews, Mormons, Muslims—who have stopped believing in God. Staged by NYC’s acclaimed downtown theater company The Civilians in the brilliant investigative-theater style they pioneered, THE UNBELIEVING tells the intimate stories of these [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:58:35-04:00June 22nd, 2022|Public Forum|

An Interesting Interview on Journeys to Heaven and Hell

I don't recall ever doing any podcast interviews before on any of my academic books since, well, they are written for scholars rather than the general public and few podcasts target scholars (at least early Christian scholars!) per se. But I've had a couple on my recent book Journeys to Heaven and Hell, and I think it's because the topic really is interesting to more than scholars. Here's one that helped bring out some of the intriguing material I cover, with an interviewer -- Mike Delgado -- who both knows his stuff and knows what is interesting. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU9enCbE7SM&ab_channel=delgadopodcast

Diane2025-09-10T12:58:21-04:00June 19th, 2022|Afterlife, Public Forum|

Blog Dinner in London? Interested?

I'm heading over the pond today and would like to do a blog dinner if anyone's interested. Possibly a pint in advance. Are you over there? Interested? If we can get 3-4 (and no more than 7) people together, I'd be happy to do it. It would be next Thursday, June 23 (2022!), somewhere in central London. No obligations other than: Being a blog member Showing up Talking Paying for your meal. If you're interested, do NOT reply here as a comment. Send me an email at [email protected] Hope it happens! I may be able to do another one in a few weeks, depending on ... life.

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:58:35-04:00June 15th, 2022|Public Forum|

Why Not Just Believe in a Different Kind of God?

Several people have asked me recently about why, when I left the faith, I didn't simply start to believe in a different kind of God. I had come to think there was not an all-powerful, loving, and active God in the world simply because, after lots of reading, arguing, and thinking, I could no longer explain all the pain and misery in the world. But why would God have to be all-loving, all-powerful, and active? Why not believe in a different kind of God? I dealt with this question on the blog some years ago, and would like to revisit it now. Certainly in the realm of my expertise, the ancient world, there were very different views of the divine that could indeed explain why there is suffering. In antiquity everyone except Jews acknowledged that there were *lots* of other deities, at all kinds of level and of all sorts of temperament. Some divine beings could be hateful, malicious, and antagonistic. Can’t do much about that. Even with the good ones – if you got [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:58:21-04:00June 15th, 2022|Public Forum, Reflections and Ruminations|

Time Again: Vote on your favorite Platinum Post

Dear Platinum members, That time again — an opportunity for you to vote on one of our Platinum guest posts, to see which one will be posted on the blog at large. Take a look — they’re all terrific. To vote, just send a quick note to Diane at [email protected] Your deadline: this Saturday, June 18, midnight your time. And remember — you’re always welcome to submit a post yourself. Anything connected to the blog that strikes your fancy that you’d like others to read about? Any ideas/thoughts you’d like to have disseminated and discussed? Here’s your chance. Just zap me a note. March 14, 2022 How Luke Rewrote Matthew’s Nativity Story Platinum Dennis J. Folds April 29, 2022 The Plausibility of the Fourth Gospel: The Chronology of Jesus’s Ministry. Dennis J. Folds May 20, 2022 Early Christianity and War. Dan Kohanski May 31, 2022 Who Buried Moses? Lou Suarez

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:58:35-04:00June 14th, 2022|Public Forum|

Interested in Joining Me on a Tour To Tuscany?
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Interested in Joining Me on a Tour To Tuscany?

Public Forum

Interested in Joining Me on a Tour To Tuscany?

Now HERE is a happy announcement. I will be giving lectures on a tour to my favorite place in the known universe, Tuscany, on October 21-29, 2022. That is, in less than five months. WHOA! Wanna come? It will be a small group (no more than 18 folk, I should think), we will be spending time in Florence (which has more culture per square foot than anywhere in the cosmos); Siena (which I like even better); and surrounding towns/villages (that take your breath away). In addition to the lectures, I'll be hanging out with the people who come, day and night. A good bit of that time will involve pizza, pasta, gelato, and, for those inclined, some of the best wines in the history of the planet. This is with Thalassa tours. Interested? Here is the brochure. Check it out: just click on it and you'll get the full scoop. And any questions, let me know.

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:58:21-04:00June 12th, 2022|Public Forum|

Free Webinar on June 12! Did Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Actually Write Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John?

Interested in a free lecture on who wrote the Gospels? As you may know, I’ve started doing some online courses on the Bible (and related topics) as part of my new venture, Bart Ehrman Professional Services (= BEPS). This venture is not connected with the blog, but I do like to announce what is going on over there since a number of blog members have been interested. If you want to see what it all involves – and to see which courses are already available – you can find them on my personal website, www.bartehrman.com. The courses are for purchase, but I’ve decided to do a freebie for anyone interested. It will be a live event on Sunday June 12, 2:00 pm ET; a recording of it will also be made available. The title of my talk: “Did Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Actually Write Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John”? Here's the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81200470127?pwd=bU82SGFTT3lLdlhSbkEwdnNrcWFQdz09 If you'd like to officially register for the event (this is not necessary but if you do so, we will [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:58:21-04:00June 4th, 2022|Public Forum|

How Do You Get a Book Published??

I am celebrating the tenth year anniversary of the blog, this past April 18, with previous year's April 18 blog posts. Here's the one from 2016 -- highly relevant to prospective authors. How can you publish a book you've written? ****************************** I regularly get emails from people who want to break into publishing for the first time, who ask me “How can I get my book published?” As I indicated in my previous posts, almost always what they have in mind is not a work of scholarship for scholars but a trade book for a general audience. And so here is a weird fact about me: even though I have been publishing trade books for eighteen years, I’m not completely sure of the answer. But I know some things, and in this post I’ll indicate what those things are. I absolutely know how one gets his or her first scholarly book published. I help my graduate students, and other scholars just starting their careers, do that all the time. There I’m an expert. But a [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:58:20-04:00June 4th, 2022|Book Discussions, Public Forum|

Apologies to Gold/Platinum Members!

I need to apologize for being late on the Gold Q&A this month. I've been in Italy the past two weeks giving lectures for a tour group; I had hoped to be able to squeeze in a recording of the Q&A while there, but the trip had me running from dawn to dark. I've just arrived back stateside now and, as we speak, am in catch-up mode. I have the Questions for the Q&A, and now just need to record Answers. But given re-entry obligations, it probably will not be till next week (May Q&A in June!). And about then we'll be soliciting new questions for June. So sorry 'bout this! On the upside, at least with the blog, a day is not as a thousand years.... Bart

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:58:21-04:00May 30th, 2022|Public Forum|

Early Christianity and War. Platinum Guest Post by Daniel Kohanski

I am pleased to publish a new guest post by Platinum member Dan Kohanski, for all you Platinums. Here Dan treats a perennially important topic: how ancient people (including biblical authors) understood the legitimacy of war, particularly in light of their specific historical and cultural contexts. Dan will be happy to address questions and comments. Remember: you, too, can submit a Platinum post. It can be anything of any relevance to the blog. Have an idea? Send it along! ****************************** The history of how religions approach war is evidence that theology is a product of reaction to events rather than the application of eternal and unchanging laws. Look at the ancient Israelites, who lived in a period of endemic local wars, in which one petty kingdom after another (including those of the Israelites) made frequent attacks on their neighbors for territorial and monetary gain. Canaan was also the land bridge between Egypt and the empires of Mesopotamia. When those giants went to war, lesser nations such as Israel and Judah often became collateral damage. [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:57:55-04:00May 20th, 2022|Public Forum|

Fabulously Rich But Not Attached to the Lucre (?)
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Fabulously Rich But Not Attached to the Lucre (?)

Greco-Roman Religions and Culture, Public Forum

Fabulously Rich But Not Attached to the Lucre (?)

In the previous post I talked about how and why ancient Cynics condemned wealth – as in fact they condemned anything that a person had and considered important to their happiness and wellbeing. If wellbeing resides in things you possess, they can be taken away from you, leading to misery. And so, the key to happiness is not to be attached to anything. And the only way to assure that you’re *not* attached to something is not to have it at all. So Cynics maintained you should give it all away – for the sake of your happiness. This was considered an extreme view, but it reveals an underlying sentiment among many ancient philosophers, that happiness cannot reside in your possessions. Most of these philosophers, though, maintained that the problem was not wealth per se, but a personal attachment it. For these thinkers, it was perfectly fine, even good, to be abundantly affluent. The (potential) problem was being obsessively attached to possessions and allowing wealth to control the course of life. That is: you could [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:58:07-04:00May 19th, 2022|Greco-Roman Religions and Culture, Public Forum|

Reflections on Teaching at UNC-Chapel Hill

In celebration of our tenth year anniversary on April 18, I'm publishing all the posts from previous years on April 18. It's a random collection. Here's the second in the series, from 2013; it's a self-congratulatory one (!) that I was using to explain the different kinds of colleges/universities around the country (in later posts on that thread). ****************************** It is always interesting for me to travel around the country giving lectures at different colleges and universities. This past week I have been struck with just now different institutions of higher education can be from one another. Let me preface my remarks by saying – in this post -- that I absolutely love my university. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is always ranked very near the top of state research universities in the country, and for very good reasons. The faculty are on the whole absolutely stellar. Just within my own Department of Religious Studies we have eighteen full time tenured or tenure-track faculty, not counting adjuncts and emeriti, and every single [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:58:07-04:00May 15th, 2022|Public Forum|

May Q&A

Dear Gold Members, These monthly Gold Q&A's have been a lot of fun to do. Time for another one! Have a question? Ask it! Anything related to the blog! To enter your question on to the list: send it to Diane at [email protected] DEADLINE for your question. Monday May 16, midnight (whenever midnight is where you live). I will try to get it recorded a soon after that, with a goal of releasing it that following weekend. Questions that are relatively short (a sentence or two) are more likely to be chosen; and feel free to ask a zinger! I'm looking forward to it! Bart

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:58:07-04:00May 12th, 2022|Public Forum|

Do My Research Assistants Do My Work for Me?

In celebration of our blog 10 year anniversary on April 18, I've decided to post the past ten years posts that were posted on April 18 of each year! Here is the first, from April 18, 2012. You will notice (if you pay attention to how I write these posts), that I was even more thin-skinned, defensive, and argumentative than I am now! Ha. I thought about editing these then thought, ah, why? In this first from ten years ago, I was responding to an accusation that I don't do my own work. (!) ****************************** I was surprised, shocked, dismayed, incredulous, and well, OK, pretty ticked off and aggravated when some of the mythicists that I deal with in my book, Did Jesus Exist, went on the attack and made it personal. Let me make a confession: before getting ready to do this Blog, and getting into Facebook as a preparation for it, I had no idea how grimy the Internet can be. It is one messy place. I know, I know – welcome to [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:58:06-04:00May 8th, 2022|Public Forum|

What Is the Didache & When Was the Didache Written
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What Is the Didache & When Was the Didache Written

Early Christian Writings (100-400 CE), History of Christianity (100-300CE), Proto-Orthodox Writers, Public Forum

What Is the Didache & When Was the Didache Written

What is the Didache (pronounced DID-ah-kay)? In the recent exchange that I posted on the blog (dealing with the existence of Q) the document known as the Didache was mentioned. Especially by guest contributor Alan Garrow, who thinks that the Didache was a source used by the authors of Matthew and Luke. I think even Alan will agree that this is a highly anomalous view; I don’t know of any other scholar who accepts it (though if Alan knows of any who do, I’m sure he can tell us in a comment). The Didache is almost always assumed to have quoted the Gospels – or at least the traditions found in the Gospels – not vice versa. I realized this morning that I haven’t talked about it much on the blog. I better do so! What is the Didache I published a translation of the Didache (the title means “Teaching”) in my two-volume edition of the Apostolic Fathers in 2003, in the Loeb Classical Library (Harvard University Press). In that edition, I talk about what [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:39:32-04:00May 1st, 2022|Early Christian Writings (100-400 CE), History of Christianity (100-300CE), Proto-Orthodox Writers, Public Forum|

Does Isaiah 53 Predict Jesus’ Death and Resurrection? Most-Commented Blog Posts: #1

Here now is THE post that has received the very most comments in the past ten years - 233 - more than any of the 2,965 OTHER posts. And as it turns out, it's on an unusually important topic, for both Christians and those who want to understand Christians: is Jesus' death and resurrection predicted in the Hebrew Scriptures? Read on: ****************************** Readers Mailbag: Does Isaiah 53 Predict the Death and Resurrection of Jesus? May 8, 2020 I would like to get back into the practice of devoting one post a week to answering questions raised by blog members. I have a fairly long list of good questions I haven’t been able to get to, so why not just go through them week by week? If you have any pressing questions that are particularly intriguing or perplexing for you about the NT or early Christianity or any related topic, let me know as a comment on a post (any post will do, whether relevant or not). If it’s not something I can address or [...]

Diane2025-09-10T12:57:53-04:00May 1st, 2022|Public Forum|

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