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 [...]

If you read these posts every day, you will have learned that I’m retiring from UNC at the end of this semester, am ecstatic about it, and am highly grateful for the career the university and my department has made available and possible for me, as well as for all the students I have had over the years, from still-teenage-recent-high-school grads to seasoned veteran PhD students. My colleague and friend Hugo Mendez, whom many of you know, has taken the lead to set up a final “Retirement Lecture” for me, to commemorate my farewell, on campus at UNC Chapel Hill.   It will be at 5:00 pm on Sunday December 7 on the UNC campus (exact building TBA).  The event will be free of charge and open to the public.  If you can attend in person, great!  Register (free) here.  My title is “The Greatest Discovery in the History of Biblical Studies.”  I will not tell you here what I think it is.  😊  I imagine the talk will be recorded and made [...]

1 Peter at a Glance 1 Peter claims to be written by Simon Peter, the close disciple of Jesus. Modern scholars have shown reasons to doubt this ascription. It may have been written in Peter’s name by a later Christian living near the end of the first century. If so, it is one of a number of early Christian pseudepigrapha allegedly written by Peter. The book is addressed to Christians in Asia Minor who have been experiencing persecution. The book is written to encourage them in their suffering, to explain why it is happening to them, and to urge them to remain faithful to God in the midst of it so that they may earn an eternal reward for their wrongful mistreatment.   Questions for Reflection What do you think are the strongest arguments that 1 Peter was not actually written by Peter? Do you find these arguments convincing?  Why or why not? In what ways does 1 Peter sound a lot like the teachings of Paul? Explain how a context of persecution [...]

I continue here with my posts that give brief bullet-point summaries of each book of the New Testament “At a Glance” along with questions for reflection to help think through some of the major issues each book presents. Here I cover the first two books of the “General (or Catholic) Epistles,” Hebrews and James. AT A GLANCE: Hebrews The book of Hebrews is anonymous, although it was eventually admitted into the canon by Christians who thought Paul had written it. Modern scholars are unified in thinking that he did not. The book was probably produced sometime near the end of the first century. It is frequently called an “epistle,” but it appears in fact to be a Christian homily or sermon—the earliest one we have, outside of those in the book of Acts. It is written for a group of Christians who have experienced persecution. Despite the book’s title (“To the Hebrews”), the recipients appear to have been Gentiles. The author’s purpose is to convince his listeners not to convert to Judaism. [...]

Some of you have asked when / where my next lecture tour would be, and now I've decided. Sometimes I do kinda obvious ones (Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, etc.) and sometimes less obvious (or, well, unexpected) ones because ... I've never done them before.  And so this time.  It's supposed to be flippin' amazing.  A cruise from Bergen Norway up the gorgeous coast to Svalbard and check out the polar bears (and lots of other things). It'll be this June.  I'll be lecturing on a topic of key interest for anyone connected with the blog.  (It will not be related to Polar Bears; others will be doing that.  'Cause we'll be seeing them). Wanna come?  I'll be giving out more information anon, but for now, here is the description that I've written for the forthcoming brochure.  Give it some thought for now, with more details coming soon. ******************************   On June 1-14, 2026, I’ll be giving lectures on a cruise traveling up the western coast of Norway to the incredible Svalbard [...]

Teaching has long been a passion of mine, even before I took my first university position at Rutgers in 1984, gulp, forty-one years ago.  After four years there I moved to Chapel Hill and have taught in the Religious Studies Department here since 1988.  And now I have decided it is time for me to retire.  This semester will be my last.  As of January 1, 2026, I will be gainfully unemployed. At least, at the university.  I will still be engaging – actually, having more time to pursue – my other academic interests: my research and publications (Books!), the Blog, and what we originally called BEPS (my company, co-owned with Chris Huntley, that produces online courses, holds conferences, provides consultation services, and so on; if you don’t know about it, see my website bartehrman.com). In short, now that I’m moving out of the ABC’s it will be almost entirely the BBB’s (Books, Blog, BEPS). Well, not exactly.  In addition I will also be able to put more attention to those things that matter most [...]