Reader’s Questions Archives - Page 4 of 30 - The Bart Ehrman Blog

Why Did Paul Think Faith Would Bring Salvation?

I received this question recently and decided to post on it again. It seems like it should be a softball. It turns out, it's not. It's a hard curve. Here's the question and my response. QUESTION: Why did Paul establish the idea of salvation via faith? Why did he think that salvation by Jesus’ crucifixion was conditional on faith? Especially when Jesus’ ministry often promoted good works and when Jesus himself surely would have believed in salvation via good works (being Jewish)? I feel like this is a core tenet I struggle to get my head around since it seems almost contradictory to circumvent good works and then have so many good people--or at least as good as those who have faith--go to hell, or, more accurately, annihilation. RESPONSE: The easiest way to see how Paul came to think/believe/understand his evangelistic message that "salvation" with God can come only by "faith" in Christ's death is by realizing how he started reasoning backwards from his belief that Jesus was raised from the dead. Paul [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:54:37-04:00August 18th, 2021|Paul and His Letters, Reader’s Questions|

How I Take Notes When Doing Research for a Book

A couple of weeks ago when I first talking about my work on the next book dealing with Revelation, I was asked how I actually go about doing the research -- in particular, how I take notes on what I read. It's a big deal for any author: how does one keep track of the research? I discussed the issues a few years ago right after I had finished drafting my book Heaven and Hell, and thought it might be worth reposting now. Here 'tis: ****************************** Now that I have finished writing the draft of my book on the afterlife – which I’m tentatively titling “Heaven, Hell, and the Invention of the Afterlife (that will be the title until my publisher changes it!!) – I have received several questions from blog members about aspects of the writing itself. One reader wanted to know how I keep track of all the things that I read in preparation for writing a book like this (or like anything else). Here is how: When I decide what the [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:54:20-04:00July 8th, 2021|Book Discussions, Reader’s Questions, Reflections and Ruminations|

Some Intriguing Questions about Jesus’ Predictions and Mental Health

I've gotten a lot of terrific questions over the years on the blog, and looking through old posts, I came upon this one dealing with two of them, both on Jesus and his immediate followers. I thought they were worth addressing again. Both of these, as it turns out, deal with issues related to psychology and the early Christian movement: one has to do with why the followers of Jesus didn’t simply give up and disband when the end-of-the-world-apocalypse they had been anticipating didn’t happen (so that they were proven to be *wrong*) and the other about whether Jesus was, literally, crazy. Interesting questions! If you have one you would like me to address, just ask in a comment on any of my posts. QUESTION I get that when the Apocalypse didn’t happen as the apocalyptic Jesus had predicted that a kind of reinterpretation of events including the resurrection took place. But why? Why didn’t the fledgling fringe then Jesus-Jewish (my term) sect simply die out? RESPONSE Ah, this is a meaty question [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:53:51-04:00June 29th, 2021|Public Forum, Reader’s Questions, Reflections and Ruminations|

Gold Q&A for June!

Dear Gold Members, It is that time again! As you know, one of the perks of your elevated status as a gold member of the blog is that you are provided an audio Q&A once a month for gold members only. You provide written questions, I answer as many as I can, and I release the audio recording to gold members only. Have a question to ask? The sky's the limit. Go for it. I will be recording the next Q&A on Saturday Jun 19, to be released Tuesday June 22. Send your question(s) to our blog COO, Diane Pittman, at [email protected]. The deadline is midnight (in whatever time zone you're in) Friday June 18 . The best questions are only a sentence of two long at most. I hope to hear from you! Bart

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:54:19-04:00June 12th, 2021|Reader’s Questions|

What Kind of Ancient Christian Books Might Be Discovered?

On and off of the past few months I've posted on which books from early Christianity -- from the time of the New Testament! -- I'd love to get my grubby paws on. Here is a related question I received. What are the chances? QUESTION: What do you think are the odds that a really startling discovery like Q or an early Paul letter is still out there and likely to be discovered? RESPONSE: This is a really great question, and like many really great questions, there is no really great answer. It is, of course, impossible to come up with any actual “odds.” The best we can say is “pretty slim indeed." But let me put some flesh on the bare bones of that answer. The first thing to say is that there are indeed instances in which a modern discovery has been made of a book that we had reason to suspect at one time existed. But that very rarely happens. In virtually every case that it *has* happened, it is not a document [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:53:51-04:00June 12th, 2021|Early Christian Writings (100-400 CE), Reader’s Questions|

You Don’t Want To Blaspheme the Spirit! But What’s It Mean?

Since I've been posting now on the role of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, I've been getting a number of questions about what it means to "blaspheme the Holy Spirit." In some cases the question is urgent, from someone who fears she or he has committed the sin. That would be a problem. Jesus says that THAT sin is the only one that is unforgivable. Forever. Serious stuff. My view is that anyone who is concerned they've committed it almost by definition has not committed it. But that will take a bit of explaining. I looked it up and I have posted on this a couple of times over the years, including just a year ago -- but since it keeps reappearing as a question, I thought I should go over the topic again. So here's the deal. The earliest reference to the idea of the “unforgiveable sin” comes to us in the Gospel of Matthew (it is taken from the so-called Q source): “Therefore I tell you every sin and blasphemy will [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:54:04-04:00June 3rd, 2021|Early Christian Doctrine, Reader’s Questions|

YHWH and Jehovah: Same? Different? Where’s Jehovah Come From?

I received a number of comments on my recent posts about whether Jesus was Yahweh (Hebrew: YHWH) in traditional Christian thinking/theology. And a number of people have wanted further explanation of the name. In particular: how does it relate to "Jehovah"? In fact, where does the name "Jehovah" come from? And is it in the New Testament? I was asked this question directly years ago on the blog, and posted on it. Here is the question and what I said in response. QUESTION: How firmly grounded in reality is the claim of Jehovah’s Witnesses that the ‘divine name’ (Jehovah) belongs in the New Testament? RESPONSE So this is an interesting question, with several possible ramifications. At first I should explain that the divine name “Jehovah” doesn’t belong in *either* Testament, old or new, in the opinion of most critical scholars, outside the ranks of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. That’s because Jehovah was not the divine name. So here’s the deal. In the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) God is given a number [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:53:34-04:00May 1st, 2021|Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Reader’s Questions|

Got a Question for Me? Gold Q & A for April!

Dear Gold Members, As you know, gold-level members will receive a special 45-50 minute audio post every month, in which I respond to questions gold-level members have asked me. Have a question? It can be on anything connected to the Bible, early Christianity, or anything else related even remotely to the blog. Ask away! We can take questions until this Monday, April 26 midnight (Eastern Time). To send in a question, simply zap an email to my assistant Diane Pittman [email protected]. She will collect the questions; I will record the session; and we will have it posted an audio file by Thursday April 29. It will be available only to you, those with Gold privileges! I’m looking forward to talking about anything you want me to talk about. And I hope you are enjoying the blog experience otherwise. If there is anything we can do to make it better, please let me know. Bart

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:53:35-04:00April 23rd, 2021|Reader’s Questions|

Could Jesus Read?

Here’s a question I have gotten repeatedly over the years: Could Jesus read? I received a form of the question in a comment recently: QUESTION: My question is: Could Jesus read? I thought I had read in your books or heard in one of your videos that you thought he, along with his immediate followers, were illiterate. But recently in one of your Sunday lectures you either stated or implied that he could actually read, and at least some of the instances in the gospels where he was reading from “the scrolls” were likely true. Please straighten me out on this topic. RESPONSE: I’ll begin with something that I've talked about on the blog several times before literacy in Roman Palestine. The reality is that the vast majority of people then and there could not read or write. This comes as a surprise to many people who have heard the modern myth that all boys in Palestine went to Hebrew school and became literate there. Turns out, that’s not true. This is a rather important [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:53:19-04:00April 20th, 2021|Historical Jesus, Reader’s Questions|

The Importance of What Is Lost: Paul’s Letters

In a previous post I began to answer the question of which lost books of early Christianity I would most like to have discovered, and I started my answer with the earliest writings of which we are familiar, the letters of Paul, most of which (presumably) have been lost. I would love for us to find some of them. I doubt if we ever will, but who knows? Maybe someone will announce that one is to be published later this year! Seriously, we would all love to have more letters from Paul, and not merely for sentimental reasons (Oh, wouldn’t that be *nice*?). Paul is without a doubt the most important figure in the Christian tradition next to Jesus himself. His writings have served as a basis for Christian ethical and theological thought for centuries. And yet we know so little about what he thought and taught. When people read Paul’s letters, they frequently neglect to realize that these are all “occasional” writings. By that I do not mean that Paul occasionally wrote letters, but [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:53:18-04:00April 7th, 2021|Paul and His Letters, Reader’s Questions|

Gold Members: Audio Q&A! This week!

Dear Gold Members, As you know! Gold-level members will receive a special 45-50 minute audio post every month, in which I respond to questions gold-level members have asked me. Have a question? It can be on anything connected to the Bible, early Christianity, or anything else related even remotely to the blog. Ask away! We can take questions until this Saturday March 27, noon, EST. To send in a question, simply zap an email to my assistant Diane Pittman [email protected]. She will collect the questions and I will record the session Saturday afternoon; it will be posted as an audio file by Tuesday – and only to you, those with Gold privileges! I’m looking forward to talking about anything you want me to talk about. And I hope you are enjoying the blog experience otherwise. If there is anything we can do to make it better, please let me know. Bart

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:52:33-04:00March 23rd, 2021|Reader’s Questions|

Lost Christian Writings I’d Love to Get My Hands On!

I thought it might be fun to intersperse some posts from years ago to break up here and there the thread on the Trinity, for those who have, well, lots of other interests too! So here's a good option. I did a short thread before the vast majority of you were on the blog (and maybe before you were born. :-) ) based on a question: among all the ancient Christian writings that have been lost, which ones would I especially love to get my grubby paws on? Here's the original question and my first response to it. QUESTION: What lost early Christian books would you most like to have discovered? RESPONSE: Ah, this is a tough one. There are lots of Christian writing that I would love to have discovered – all of the ones that have been lost, for example! But suppose I had to name some in particular. Well, this will take several posts. To begin with, I wish we had the other letters of Paul. Let me explain. In [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:53:04-04:00March 21st, 2021|Early Christian Writings (100-400 CE), Paul and His Letters, Reader’s Questions|

How Old Was Jesus ???
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How Old Was Jesus ???

Canonical Gospels, Historical Jesus, Reader’s Questions

How Old Was Jesus ???

I received a very interesting question from a blog reader, and it has led to an unexpected answer. QUESTION Is there any significance to the age of Jesus and its relation to the start of his ministry? RESPONSE: I don’t know what the questioner actually means about the “significance” of Jesus’ age, and so I’ve decided to answer a related question. What, in fact, was his age? Well, the matter is … like so much else in our universe … unexpectedly complicated. It turns out I dealt with this years ago on the blog. I know because I just checked. I had forgotten about that post, and even more interesting, I had forgotten my answer, which contains some information that I ALSO FORGOT. In fact, some really interesting information. I bet you didn’t know (as I apparently used to know) that there is a discussion of Jesus’ age in the writings of one of the most important early church fathers, which indicates that Jesus grew to be a relatively old man before he [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:52:34-04:00February 17th, 2021|Canonical Gospels, Historical Jesus, Reader’s Questions|

Do We Have Paul’s Original Letter to the Philippians?

A few days ago I answered a question about whether someone in the very earliest church who was reading one of the Christian writings to his congregation in the church -- say, one of the Gospels or one of Paul's letters -- might have *changed* it in places orally so that the people who were listening to him (most of whom wouldn't be able to read themselves) might have heard something other than what was written. Great question. In this and the following posts I want to deal with an equally vexed question. Stick with that same situation. That writing the person is reading (unless he is living in the same town as the author and this is just a little while later) is presumably a copy of the original writing, or, more likely, even if it's just a few years after the original, a copy of a copy. What are the chances that that copy was different in places from the original, and if it was, do we now, today, actually have the original. [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:51:23-04:00November 27th, 2020|New Testament Manuscripts, Paul and His Letters, Reader’s Questions|

What Really Happened at Jesus’ Trial Before Pilate?

An important question I’ve received from another scholar who is interested in New Testament studies but is an expert in a different field. QUESTION: Have you ever encountered the argument that the Gospels’ portrayal of Pilate giving in to the crowd’s call for Jesus’ death could be possible in as much as Pilate would have wanted to avoid a riot and so acquiesced for that reason? I am wondering whether this is an old apologist argument of some sort? RESPONSE: It is a great question and it has an easy answer. Yes I have indeed. This is a standard argument made by people, including scholars, who think that the Gospel accounts are entirely reasonable and probably accurate. It’s the view I myself had for years. The idea behind it is pretty simple, and works in easily delineated stages: Jesus was exceedingly controversial among the crowds in Jerusalem. His trial was a major public event. The Jewish leaders were intent on having him executed, and they stirred up the crowd by having them shout [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:51:23-04:00November 23rd, 2020|Canonical Gospels, Historical Jesus, Reader’s Questions|

“Oral” Changes in the Christian Bible?
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“Oral” Changes in the Christian Bible?

New Testament Manuscripts, Reader’s Questions

“Oral” Changes in the Christian Bible?

I received a very interesting question recently on a topic I’ve never been asked about, ever, to my recollection, but which I’ve thought about a good deal. Here ‘tis: QUESTION: Given that most people in the ancient world could not read, and that gospels, letters and so forth were read to gatherings to help propagate Christianity, is there any evidence that readers were not always faithful to the written word, but changed it as they read to reflect their own beliefs? RESPONSE: This is such an important issue that it is amazing the question hasn’t occurred to most people. Including, I should emphasize, the vast majority of biblical scholars! Go figure. Scholars are well aware, of course, that scribes copying the early Christian texts modified them on occasion, often in minor ways and sometimes significantly. But what about other kinds of alterations, arguably every bit as important, made when the texts were being read aloud to ancient congregations? The first thing I’ll say is that ... The first thing I’ll say [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:51:23-04:00November 22nd, 2020|New Testament Manuscripts, Reader’s Questions|

Ancient Numerical Interpretations of the Bible

I have recently received this question about a very interesting and little known phenomenon in the New Testament. QUESTION: What is the use of the concept of Gematria? And was it used in the NT? RESPONSE: Ah, the question is a bit tricky but pretty fascinating. Gematria was an ancient Jewish way of interpreting texts that relied on the fact that in ancient writing systems (Greek, Hebrew, etc.) the letters of the alphabet also designated numbers. It doesn’t work that way for us, since we use the Latin alphabet (A B C D E….) but Arabic numerals (1 2 3 4 5….). But in ancient languages, the letters were also the numerals. So, in Greek, the language of the New Testament, the first letter alpha was 1; beta was 2; gamma was 3; etc. Once you hit iota it was 10, and after that it went by tens, so that the next letter kappa was 20, lambda was 30, and so on. Once you hit a hundred it went by hundreds. Greek in the [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:51:03-04:00November 4th, 2020|Early Christian Writings (100-400 CE), Reader’s Questions|

Where Did the Idea of a “Suffering Messiah” Come From?

This now is a seventh favorite post from years past. As you know, I frequently simply write posts on questions readers have raised. For understanding Christianity, here is one of the most important of all. Christians maintain that the messiah had to suffer and die for the sins of the world. Jews do not understand the messiah this way. But Christians started off as Jews. So where did their understanding of the messiah come from? QUESTION: Where did the idea of a Jewish messiah dying for the sins of mankind originate from? OT? Did Jews prior to Jesus’ existence believe this notion of the Messiah dying for other’s sins? RESPONSE: I deal with this issue in a couple of my books. Here is one of my fuller discussions from Did Jesus Exist?, where I talk about the issue in connection with the question of why Paul originally opposed Christians before converting to the faith. ********************************* Why, as a highly religious Jew, did Paul originally persecute the Christians before he himself joined their ranks? It appears [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:51:04-04:00October 30th, 2020|Early Judaism, Historical Jesus, Reader’s Questions|

How Were the Gnostic Gospels Discovered?

This now is the fourth of FIVE FAVORITES with which I'm beginning the new launch of our blog site, one from our fourth year of operation 2015. I am trying to pick different kinds of posts and even though I am not saying these are my all-time favorites of all, they certainly are posts (from five from sequential years) that for one reason or another I very much like. I need to give a more extensive introduction to this one. It is actually one of a series of posts connected with the discovery of the "Nag Hammadi Library" -- known more popularly as "the Gnostic Gospels." These "heretical" books were discovered by accident in 1945, not by archaeologists looking for ancient books but by Egyptian fellahin in a wilderness area near the village of Nag Hammadi Egypt. Scholars have long told the story of their discovery -- I have done so roughly 4000 times; but my friend and colleague in NT studies at Duke, Mark Goodacre, has argued that the story itself is an unsubstantiated [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:51:03-04:00October 26th, 2020|Heresy and Orthodoxy, History of Christianity (100-300CE), Reader’s Questions|

Who Would Die for a Lie?
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Who Would Die for a Lie?

Historical Jesus, Reader’s Questions

Who Would Die for a Lie?

OK, here's another weird blog coincidence that happened 94 seconds ago. A few days ago I posted on the issue of why someone would invent a story of women finding the empty tomb (since women were "seen as unreliable": if you invented a story, wouldn't it be *men* who found it?). I got a lot of responses, including several that more or less openly mocked me for thinking the disciples made up the story of the resurrection. The typical line I got was something like "Yeah, right Ehrman: all those disciples died for a *lie*. Gee, you're smart...." So, OK, leaving smarts out of the equation, I thought today I would repost a post that I had done long ago that dealt with this question. Then I thought, Nah, don't bother. Do something else. But then I decided to look through old posts just for the heck of it and decided to look up the one that I had done on precisely this date, October 12, the first year of the blog, 2012. It was [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:51:03-04:00October 12th, 2020|Historical Jesus, Reader’s Questions|

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