Now that I have spent two posts explaining the contents, structure, and organization of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, I can move on to explain how it is we got these books in particular.  Why not other books?  Who decided?  On what grounds?  And when? This will take two posts.  In this one, I give a brief overview of the understanding that was widely held for a very long time among scholars.  It was the one I was raised on! First I need to explain what we mean by "canon."  The term comes from the Greek word for “reed” or “rod.” A canon was a straight edge that was used, for example, by a carpenter to make sure that an alignment was correct; but it could also be used as a measuring stick. Eventually the word “canon” came to be applied in other contexts, by analogy, to refer to a rule or standard by which something could be judged, and in that sense it came to be applied to a collection or list of books. [...]

Here on the last day of 2025 it is time to write my annual Blog-Year-in-Review post.  This year I have been helped considerably in the task by our fantastically gifted and efficient CEO, Jen (Olmos), whom many of you have had contact with over the course of your (and her) time with us.  Jen has been the greatest gift to the blog since we started in 2012, and has eased my workload significantly.  Among a zillion other things, she dug out all the data for me and has summarized our most important accomplishments.  As you’ll see, well done us! As y’all know, over the course of its thirteen years the Blog has had two major objectives, to spread knowledge of biblical (and related scholarship) more broadly among non-scholars and to raise money for charity doing it.  I’m more or less responsible for the scholarship and all YOU, the paying members and donors, are responsible for the funds, and Jen and our generous team of volunteers makes it all happen and keeps it all running. [...]

I had an interview with Nicholas Kristof, columnist for the New York Times, which appeared electronically this past Saturday.  It was based on my book Love Thy Stranger (coming out in March) with a focus on Christmas. These kinds of interviews are very frustrating because it is impossible to back up a single thing you say and if you say anything that needs backing up, it is just sitting there for someone to take a potshot at.  Or at least when given as a bare statement seems really dubious.  But, it's the nature of the beast (kind of like being interviewed as a talking head for a documentary film/TV show; they interview you for three hours  and then take ten or fifteen ten- or fifteen-second soundbites!) So many of the comments the (NYT) interview has received show how many people in the world who have opinions about the Bible, Jesus, and early Christianity would really benefit from learning more.  There are so many commonplaces out there that simply seem true to people because they've heard [...]

Here are some of my favorite comics -- pinned to my office door for many years. I've just moved out of it -- I've had it for 37 years!  And these were the last things to take down.  I've always especially like the last one here. De-Parting is such sweet sorrow...  

On Saturday I was sitting in a comfortable chair in front of a large window with a nice cup of coffee watching the sun slowly rise.  I was in a contemplative mood, not dwelling on the quotidian duties bound to occupy me in the hours ahead, but thinking about some of the Big Issues in life, or at least in my life. I had two thoughts that I’d like to pass along.  At the time I wondered if they were possibly, but not necessarily, standing at odds with each other.  If so, so be it! The first had to do with the world all around and before me at the time.  The sunrise was glorious as the earth rotated and the sky slowly brightened, mixing colors in the scattered clouds above.  I started thinking both bout how amazing the natural world is and about how, at the end of the day, I think that all of it – every aspect of it – consists of material elements. At heart I’m a materialist.  [...]

Over the years I’ve done a lot of public debates, and deep down I suppose I think they can do some good.  Maybe not on a large scale, but at least for a few individuals in the audience who are open both to thinking about an important issue and to realizing that the view they’ve always held and simply assumed to be true may not be.  If there are 300 people there and five of them are like that, OK, that’s great.  Think Genesis 18:23-33. On the other hand, even though I get enthusiastic when I do debates, I really don’t enjoy them.  I’m not sure I’ve ever enjoyed one.  As some of you have heard me say, in virtually every debate I’m in, part way through I start writing notes to myself:  “WHY are you doing this??” I had a debate last week with my friend and conservative evangelical apologist Mike Licona on whether the apostolic “authorities” Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John actually wrote the Gospels named after them.  During the debate, [...]

Last week, for some reason I can’t remember (!) I decided to see what I had written about the book of Zechariah in my textbook, The Bible: A Historical and Literary Introduction (Oxford University Press).  As I read it, I thought — I bet most people on the blog haven’t actually read Zechariah (one of the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament — called “minor” not because they are unimportant but because they are shorter than the “major” ones — Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel…).  And I bet most people who have read it couldn’t summarize it to save the planet.  And hey, why should they?  (Summarize it; not save the planet…) So why not give a bit of info on it?  It’s a great little book.  Here’s what I say about it in my undergraduate textbook. ZECHARIAH Like other books of the Hebrew Bible (most famously Isaiah) the book of Zechariah does not appear to be the work of a single writer. Scholars have long considered Zechariah 1–8 to be by one author (called First Zechariah) and 9–14 by a different one, living later (Second Zechariah). First Zechariah [...]

In a post a few days ago I pointed out that people often don’t clearly differentiate between the nuances of words that mean similar but not identical things, and that this leads to misunderstandings. I posed a challenge then for readers to differentiate between the words: Error Mistake Falsehood Deceit Lie Some of you took me up on the challenge.  I’m not able to comment on all the responses, but I will say: Well Done! The point of the exercise was to stress that if we don’t have a clear idea of the differences between these related terms, we both mis-communicate with others and mis-interpret what others are saying. That happens – in the two examples I gave – when someone says that if the disciples claimed they saw Jesus after the resurrection but did not then they were “lying,” and when someone claims that if a Gospel writer intentionally reports that Jesus said the opposite of what he actually did say, it is not an error (since he changed Jesus’ words on [...]

At the end of each year, the blog highlights one of the charities we support through our ongoing charitable work. This year, we’re rallying behind the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina—a phenomenal organization that distributes food to those in need throughout my part of the state. What they do is both astonishing and essential. They gather millions of pounds of food from farms, manufacturers, grocery stores, and individuals, then manage the enormous logistical task of getting it to where it’s needed most. The operation is mind-bogglingly complex—but the result is beautifully simple: they keep people from going hungry. You can read more about their work here. This year, I’ve set a goal to raise $20,000 by the end of the year.And to double the impact, I’ll personally match every dollar raised, up to $20,000—meaning together, we can send $40,000 to help feed families in need. A Special Thank-You Gift: The New Testament in a Nutshell To thank you for your generosity, anyone who donates $50 or more will receive an advance digital [...]

I would like to describe for all of you the kind of webinar I did this past week for those blog members who have chosen to become Blog Stewards -- so you can see what you too could be involved with if you choose. For a long time I’ve wanted to try having a bona-fide seminar with a group of layfolk. Not a lecture, not a Q&A, but a discussion – something closer to what happens in a university classroom when everyone comes prepared and ready to wrestle with a text together. Our focus was the Prologue to the Gospel of John (John 1:1–18). Few passages in the New Testament have provoked more thought or more confusion than this one. What exactly does it mean to say “the Word was with God, and the Word was God”? How an entity be something and be with the same something? What does it mean for that Word to “become flesh”? Why is this high view of Jesus found here and nowhere else in the New Testament?  Is [...]

In my previous posts I indicated that the “Letter of Barnabas” was not actually written by Barnabas (named as an apostle in Acts 10-15). In fact, it could not have been, since it is almost certainly to be dated to the 130s CE (for reasons I could explain if anyone really wants to know….). Barnabas, the companion of Paul, must have died no later than the 70s CE, more likely the 60s – some seventy years before this letter was written. So Barnabas couldn’t have written it. So why was the (rather long) letter of Barnabas – which in fact is anonymous – eventually attributed to Barnabas, the companion of Paul? I dealt with this question once (and only once in my entire life, I believe); it was something like thirteen years ago on the blog (!).  And here's what I said: ****************************** Even though much of what I write about on the blog is widely known among scholars (and even accepted, mirabile dictu!) , I occasionally do set forth views that are [...]

I earlier mentioned that in June I'm doing a cruise with Thalassa Journeys that will go up the coast of Norway to Svalbard (think: Polar Bears!).  This is going to be a terrific adventure; gorgeous landscapes, picturesque villages; intriguing wildlife; and scintillating fellow-travelers all on a fantastic ship that I've been on and can certainly vouch for.  I'll be giving lectures on "Who Chose the Gospels," based on research I'm currently doing for my next book.  Come along and you'll be the first to hear!  (When I'm not lecturing, I'll be hanging out with my fellow travelers, sharing ideas and thinking deep thoughts!) Below is the brochure.  (You can scroll through it with the sidebar on the right.)  There is limited space available so you if you're inclined -- go for it. To that end, Thalassa Journeys has provided an EARLY BIRD  SPECIAL.  Anyone who signs up by December 15, 2025 will receive a $300 discount on the trip.  AND for everyone who takes advantage of the Early Bird pricing, I will provide a free webinar, early [...]

I continue here with my discussion of the book of 1 Clement, probably unknown to many people on the blog, but an important work written at about the time of some of some of the writings of the New Testament – or so I’ll be arguing in the post after this.  First I need to say something about the author.  Why is it attributed to someone named Clement?   Could this really have been written by a first-century pope (i.e., the Bishop of the church in Rome)? Again, I am taking this information from the Introduction to the letter, which I give in a new English translation (with the Greek text on the facing page) in the first volume of my Apostolic Fathers in the Loeb Classical Library (Harvard University Press, 2003). ****************************** The Author of the Book Even though the letter claims to be written by the “church ... residing in Rome,” it has from early times been attributed to Clement, a leader of the Roman church near the end of the [...]

From Jen: You've hopefully heard the big news by now. After more than three decades of teaching, Bart will soon step away from the classroom. (But don't worry, he's not stepping away from the blog!) This December marks his retirement from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where generations of students have sat in those lecture halls, scribbling notes while Bart brought the ancient world vividly to life. To honor that extraordinary career, Bart will return to the UNC campus one last time to deliver a final public lecture: “The Greatest Discovery in the History of Biblical Studies” When: Sunday, December 7, 2025, 5:00 pm Where: UNC Chapel Hill (Building  TBA) Free and open to the public (registration required) It’s hard to overstate what this moment represents. Bart has spent his life teaching others how to read the New Testament with both rigor and curiosity, stripping away assumptions to see what the texts actually say. This will be his final time doing so in a UNC classroom; the space that shaped so much of his work and [...]