Recent Posts
Committed Apologists and Serious Historians
Not to be the dog across the street who won’t stop barking all night, but…. Here is another post on committed Christian apologists who insist they are doing serious history. To ward off a misunderstanding: It is absolutely possible for a Bible-believing conservative evangelical to be a university-level, academically-gifted, peer-review-publishing, respected-in-the-field geologist. BUT, it is not possible for her to be a university-level, academically-gifted, peer-review-publishing geologist if her views of geology are influenced by her Bible-believing conservative evangelical faith. To wit: if she tries to publish an article in an academic journal arguing that the earth really is [...]
Two Intrigues About Noah’s Flood
The Flood of Noah is one of the most familiar stories of the Bible. But even those who know it well often don’t think about how it actually envisions the world (or rather, universe) or know about comparable stories from other (even more ancient) Near Eastern cultures (though some will know about the Epic of Gilgamesh). If you are among that crowd, here is the post for you! These are two more side-boxes from my book The Bible: A Historical and Literary Introduction, 2nd ed. (Oxford University Press), slightly edited here. ******************************* BOX 3.4 THE THREE-STORIED UNIVERSE [...]
Angels Seducing Women and the Rite of Circumcision: Two Peculiarities of Genesis
Was Noah’s flood meant to destroy the giants born to women seduced by angelic beings? And what exactly was the point of circumcision? I continue here my discussion of Hebrew Bible points of interest by sharing two more of the side-boxes found in my book The Bible: A Historical and Literary Introduction, 2nd ed. (Oxford University Press). These are both taken from my chapter on the book of Genesis. ***************************** BOX 3.1 SONS OF GOD AND THE DAUGHTERS OF MEN One of the most mysterious stories in Genesis happens right at the beginning of the Flood narrative (chapter [...]
How Old Was Jesus When He Was Baptized? And When He Died?
I have been talking about Jesus' life before he was baptized, the so-called "Lost Years." But how many years was that? How old was he when he met up with John the Baptist? And beyond that, how long did his ministry last? How old was he when he died? The standard line is that Jesus started his ministry when he was thirty and was executed three years later when he was thirty-three. But none of the Gospels says all that. So why is it the common view? It'll take a bit to explain how it's calculated (and a bit more to [...]
My Interview with James Carville
About a week ago, out of the blue, I was contacted by the producer of James Carville's podcast/youtube channel to do an interview. Most of you know him well -- he's one of the top political strategists of our time and an incredibly personable, affable, and funny guy. Unlike me on the blog, he is all ABOUT taking political sides. And I had no idea why he wanted to interview me or what we were going to talk about. Even his producer (when I asked him) didn't really know! OK then. So I went on, and had the time of [...]
More on Jesus’ Upbringing
I continue here with events from Jesus’ life before he started his public ministry that I think we can treat as historical. (If you need some background on how I’m claiming this information is historical, see the previous post). His Parents In all our sources Jesus’ parents are assumed to be Jewish. They, as we’ve seen, came from Nazareth, a small rural village in Galilee, the northern part of what we today think of as Israel. They are consistently named Joseph and Mary in our sources (for example, independently, Matt. 1:16-18; Mark 6:3; Luke 2:5, 16; 3:23; John 1:45; [...]
The Early Life of Jesus
I’ve been thinking a lot about the social/cultural/economic/historical context of Jesus lately, and reading a good bit on what we know about Galilee from the time. I’ll be saying more about all that anon, but I thought this might be a good chance to cover some of the basics on the blog – what do we know about Jesus from the time he was born to the time he was baptized as an adult, which is how he begins his ministry in the Gospels. For stories of his life before that, of course, all we have are Matthew [...]
Platinum Lecture on October 1
Platinum members, we've got our next quarterly lecture on the calendar. It's an opportunity for Bart and just Platinum blog members get together on Zoom. Our topic for this quarter is: Matthew and the Rise of Anti-Judaism As always, there will be time at the end for questions…be prepared! Can't make it live? Don't worry. We’ll record the lecture and send it out for all Platinum members to watch after the event. Event Info: When: Thursday October 1 at 7pm Eastern Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88260423137?pwd=aSwenEJvbTcsaOou6Alyqt8lINpIx8.1 Meeting ID: 882 6042 3137 Passcode: 425313
My Odd Situation, Writing this Book…
For the first time in my life, I’m not really sure what I'm going to be arguing in the book I’m working on.. As I’ve said before, some months ago my publisher suggested I change course for the next book. Instead of what I had been focusing on for some months (a book on the canon – how we got the 27 books of the NT – a book that I’ll do soon as well, but not first), she said they would love to have a book about: Jesus the Socialist. As always, with virtually every suggestion I get about [...]
How the World Was Created in 4004 BCE
Now that I've started talking about the Hebrew Bible on the blog, I think maybe I'll keep talking about it for a bit. Let's start at the beginning. As in "In the Beginning..." Lots of people know that (some) fundamentalist Christians insist the beginning was when the world was created "6000 years ago." But most of those people don't know where the idea came from. (It's not stated, of course, in the Bible itself. If you find dates in the margins of your Bible, it's because modern English editors have put them there.) The "6000" years is only [...]
Hebrew Bible/English Old Testament: Charting Their Differences
Some blog readers have requested more posts on the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. I'm happy to comply! We begin with the foundational issue of which books are in each, in which order, and why are they so very different but also in some senses just the same. In my textbook The Bible: A Literary and Historical Introduction (Oxford University Press; a new edition of which will appear in about a year, co-authored this time with Hebrew Bible scholar Joel Baden) I explain it all and lay it out in charts. Here it is, in compact form: The Bible in Hebrew [...]
The Moral Benefits of Capitalism
In my previous post I began to argue that an economic system is not inherently good or evil. Like other things (wine, automobiles, guns, computer games), systems can be used in ways the produce very good consequences and truly awful ones. It’s a point I want to emphasize because most people I know outside of academic circles think that Marxism and even socialism are inherently evil, and most people I know within academic circles think that capitalism is. (Damn intellectuals…) Here I’m focusing on capitalism since, well, like it or not, it’s the system we and virtually everyone [...]
Is Capitalism Anti-Christian?
It is dead easy to attack the fundamental principles and historical practices of capitalism on religious, and particularly Christian, grounds. A system that thrives on self-interest and personal gain, that leads to massive exploitation, to the subjection of entire indigenous populations to colonial powers, to enormous economic and social inequalities, that celebrates greed and focuses entirely on wealth and power – is this anything like the teachings of Jesus? The Jesus who told his followers not even to be concerned even about what to eat and drink, to sell what they have and give to the poor, to bypass material [...]
September 2026 Gold Q&A
Gold and Platinum Members, our September Q&A is coming up. Join Bart live on Tuesday September 8th at 7pm Eastern as he answers your questions. Bart will spend the first half of our Zoom session answering your pre-submitted questions. Send yours to [email protected] no later than Monday September 6th so we can add it to the queue. Then we’ll open things up. During the second half, you’re invited to come on the microphone and ask Bart a question live. There’s no theme this month, so anything goes: the New Testament, the historical Jesus, early Christianity, Bart’s books and research, or that [...]
Martyrs, Forgers, and Textual Scholars: Intriguing Questions From Readers
Here are some spot-on questions from readers with (spotty?) attempts to answer from me.... QUESTION: (Note: this is a question about my views on how early Christians appealed to their martyrs as evidence of the truth of the Christian message in order to convert outsiders. The question is specifically based on the book called “the Martyrdom of Polycarp,” our earliest account of a Christian being tried and martyred for his faith) Your integrated model, developed over this series, is becoming clearer: hell provides urgency, miracles provide credibility, and martyrdom functions as miracle in human form. That is a coherent [...]
Flipping a Coin. Cephas and Peter: One Person or Two?
I have recently finished republishing a series of posts from years ago that explored the tradition that Peter and Cephas were in fact two different people. Anyone who is not interested in the Bible would not care, of course, but then again, no one like that would be on the blog! For those who are both interested and familiar with the New Testament, the idea is unusual and odd – a bit of a bombshell, actually, since it is normally assumed that these are two names for the same disciple of Jesus, Simon son of Jonah, nicknamed “Cephas” (an Aramaic [...]
Other Suggestions That Peter and Cephas Were Two Different People
I have been reposting a thread from years ago about whether Peter and Cephas, almost universally "known" to be the same person (Peter is his Greek name; Cephas is the Aramaic equivalent) may in fact have been two different people with the same name. I pulled all this from an article I wrote over back when I was young and foolish: "Cephas and Peter," Journal of Biblical Literature, 109 (1990) pp. 463-74. It stirred up some controversy and some occasional animosity among colleagues. But most, when they'd see me at a conference, would ask: "Were you serious?" Ha! I would [...]
Did Paul Know that Peter and Cephas were Two Different People?
Very few readers have ever noticed that even though almost everyone (including the Gospel writers) assumes that Peter and Cephas are simply names for the same person (Simon Peter, Jesus's disciple), Paul -- our only author from antiquity who knew Peter indicates he was not the same person as Cephas. WHAT? In my previous post I gave the evidence that in the early church there were writers who maintained that Cephas and Peter were *not* the same person, despite what is explicitly said in John 1:42. Some readers may point out that these later Christian authors *may* have differentiated between [...]
Paying Your Religious Dues: The Studied Indifference of Jesus
I have been arguing that that are many political and social issues that many of us care deeply about that, surprisingly, Jesus apparently did not. Another passage that illustrates Jesus relative indifference to governmental policies and economic systems is his discussion with Simon Peter about paying the “temple tax,” a story found only Matthew (17:24-27). They have come to the town of Capernaum and some collectors of the “two drachma” temple tax ask Peter if his teacher pays the tax or not. Peter replies that he does, but when he goes back home, Jesus talks to him about it, asking [...]
Were Peter and Cephas the Same Person?
In Galatians 2 Paul describes a serious blow up that he had with "Cephas" over the relationship of Jews and Gentiles in the church. Major conflict. Possibly never resolved. Throughout history this event has usually been cited to show that Paul and Peter had very different views of things. But what if the Cephas Paul attacked was not Peter but someone else? A couple of weeks ago I gave a webinar on “Cephas and Peter” for members of the Biblical Studies Academy (my for-profit business that produces on-line courses, etc., not connected with the blog). I had written an academic [...]
Problems of Suffering and Why Gospels Started Being Written: Questions from Readers
Here are some excellent questions I've received from readers of the blog that I'd like to share with y'all, along with my attempts at responding.... QUESTION: Do you think that the presence of mass suffering is not necessarily an argument against the existence of God, but rather an argument against the existence of a loving God? If so, what would a loving God be expected to do regarding suffering? Or at what point does the amount of suffering become incompatible with the existence of a loving God? I’m curious how you would define divine love in this context and [...]
What Did Jesus’s Violent Action in the Temple Actually Mean?
Several aspects of Jesus’s actions in the temple – the so-called “Cleansing of the Temple” – have long puzzled scholars. As I indicated in the previous post, in all four Gospels – with some important differences among them – Jesus enters the temple compound, is angered by what he sees, overturns the tables of those who are changing Roman currency for temple currency to allow people to purchase sacrificial animals, drives out those who are selling (and even buying) the animals, prevents (in one account) anyone from carrying anything needed for the sacrifices though the temple, and forcefully declares that [...]
Blog Dinner in NYC, September 1. Interested?
I will be in NYC on Tuesday, Sept. 1, for an extremely important academic engagement (aka, the U.S. Open....). I'll be hosting a blog dinner for any blog members who would be interested. Yup up for it? I’ll probably start around 6:00 pm for drinks with whomever wants both to quench thirst and cha, and then head over to dinner (with both quenchers and non-quenchers) at 7:00 or so. Location TBD -- but somewhere relatively interesting and easy to get to. My plan (subject to whimsical change) is to limit the table to 10. For those who come there are [...]
Prophetic Condemnations of Jews Within Judaism Before Jesus
Over the past few decades scholars have become loathe to label Jesus’s actions in the Temple (Mark 11:14-17; also in the other three Gospels) with the traditional phrase “The Cleansing of the Temple.” One reason is the hateful afterlife of this phrasing, because it makes it sound as if Judaism at its very heart was foul, dirty, unclean, and vile, and Jesus is the one who purified it. In other words, this phrase can be/has been taken to mean that God hates Jews and their religion and sent Jesus in order to show the true path of holiness. The social [...]
Gist and Exaggeration: Jesus and the Cleansing of the Temple
It is virtually impossible to disentangle religion and politics when studying ancient sources:, they were not separate entities but tightly interwoven aspects of the same entity, involving questions of authority, who wields it, how they should wield it, and how these “authorities” are “authorized.” Kings could be gods, and vice versa. Priests were governmental officials and vice versa. Laws were divinely sanctioned. Opposition to the state meant opposition to the gods who supported it and opposition to the state gods meant opposition to the state. That’s why Jesus’s “religious” views that God was soon to bring in a new kingdom [...]
Categories on the Blog
Click on a category for the full archive, arranged by date.
- Anniversary Post #3: My Response to an Ill-Tempered Richard Carrier April 12, 2026
- Anniversary Post #1: Defending Misquoting Jesus April 9, 2026
- Can We Trust You When You Say “Most Scholars” Think Something? May 3, 2025
- A Really Scathing Review of My Book on Suffering March 31, 2024
- Making the Gospels Say What You WANT Them To Say March 30, 2024
- Dealing With Reviews of My Books By People Who (Apparently) Haven’t Read Them March 28, 2024
- But Your Own Teacher Bruce Metzger Didn’t Think That! November 21, 2023
- Why Do Some (Many?) Scholars Not Treat the Bible Like Other Ancient Sources? August 26, 2023
- My Odd Situation, Writing this Book… August 27, 2026
- Anniversary Post #5: Why I Was Reluctant to Write The Triumph of Christianity April 15, 2026
- My Next Book: Creating the Bible — How We Got the Canon of the New Testament September 7, 2025
- Jesus as God in the New Testament October 24, 2024
- Oral Traditions and the Dates of Our Gospels October 23, 2024
- Suffering. Is It Really Worth Talking About? Doesn’t the Bible Give the Right Answer? October 20, 2024
- The Problem of Suffering? So What’s the Problem? October 17, 2024
- How Can We Imagine That God is Active in Our World? (A genuine, not rhetorical, question) October 16, 2024
- My Odd Situation, Writing this Book… August 27, 2026
- The Moral Benefits of Capitalism August 23, 2026
- Is Capitalism Anti-Christian? August 22, 2026
- Christian Justifications for Lying July 9, 2026
- Ancient Christians Who Wanted to Lie July 8, 2026
- What Are the Chances? The Logic of “Intelligent Design” February 28, 2026
- Pubs and Churches on Christmas Eve December 24, 2025
- Reflecting on the Christmas Tree and Faith December 23, 2025
- Does the Book of Hebrews Indicate Jesus Ever Came To Earth? A Response to Richard Carrier. July 26, 2025
- Did Jesus Exist? Why I Don’t Enjoy Reading the Mythicists July 12, 2025
- More About My Book “Did Jesus Exist” September 25, 2024
- My Book “Did Jesus Exist” (an answer to the mythicists) September 24, 2024
- Nazareth in the Time of Jesus: the Archaeological Record December 27, 2023
- Did Nazareth Even Exist? December 21, 2023
- Would I Be Personally Upset if the Mythicists Were Right (That Jesus Never Existed)? October 8, 2022
- Richard Carrier: A Fuller Reply to His Criticisms, Beliefs, and Claims about Jesus April 25, 2022
- My Interview with James Carville September 1, 2026
- Platinum Lecture on October 1 August 28, 2026
- How the World Was Created in 4004 BCE August 26, 2026
- September 2026 Gold Q&A August 21, 2026
- Blog Dinner in NYC, September 1. Interested? August 10, 2026
- Render Unto Caesar: Jesus’s Indifference to Human Governments and Economies August 6, 2026
- Understanding Jesus: A Swedish Podcast Interview August 1, 2026
- Religion, Politics, and Resistance in Jesus’ Day July 30, 2026
- Committed Apologists and Serious Historians September 6, 2026
- What Did Jesus’s Violent Action in the Temple Actually Mean? August 11, 2026
- Gist and Exaggeration: Jesus and the Cleansing of the Temple August 8, 2026
- The Triumphal Entry and Jesus’s Mistaken Identity August 4, 2026
- The Implausibility of the Triumphal Entry August 2, 2026
- Jesus and the Gospel of John: Some Readers’ Good Questions June 24, 2026
- The Parable of the Sower as Advice for Capitalists June 16, 2026
- The Capitalist Parables of Jesus June 14, 2026
- Eyewitness Accounts of Miracles March 14, 2026
- A New Proof of the Resurrection. What Do YOU Think? March 10, 2026
- Fundamentalist Apologists, Christian and Mythicist July 13, 2025
- More on the Initial Debacle on First-Century Mark (in relation to the Dead Sea Scrolls) July 20, 2024
- The Debacle Over the First-Century Copy of Mark July 18, 2024
- Toe-to-Toe with Evangelical New Testament Scholar Peter Williams: Can We Trust the Gospels? June 19, 2024
- A High-level Intellectual with an Infuriating “Solution” to Why There is Suffering May 7, 2024
- A Self-Evaluation of My Self-Debate: Is the Book of Acts Historically Reliable? March 24, 2024
- Two Years that Transformed the World of Biblical Studies. July 14, 2026
- A Common But Lousy Argument That We KNOW What the NT Originally Said: Anniversary Post #14 May 5, 2026
- Anniversary Post #9: Misquoting Misquoting Jesus April 25, 2026
- Anniversary Post #1: Defending Misquoting Jesus April 9, 2026
- Has Luke Gotten Rid of the Idea That Jesus Died for Your Sins? February 19, 2026
- The Controversy Over Jesus’ Last Supper in Luke (Did He Speak of Dying “For you”?) February 18, 2026
- The Weird Textual Variant of 1 John 4:3: False Teachers Who “Loose” Jesus? September 16, 2025
- Interpolations and Textual Variants in the New Testament April 17, 2025
- Martyrs, Forgers, and Textual Scholars: Intriguing Questions From Readers August 20, 2026
- Problems of Suffering and Why Gospels Started Being Written: Questions from Readers August 12, 2026
- Personal Faith, Textual Problems, and the Miracles of Jesus: More Readers’ Questions July 16, 2026
- How To Figure Out If a Miracle Happened… Questions from Readers June 11, 2026
- Questions on Proving the Resurrection and Sundry Other Things June 6, 2026
- Doesn’t Goodness Point to the Existence of God? And Gospel Perplexities. Good Readers’ Questions May 31, 2026
- Different Words, VERY Different Theologies, and Understanding Which Words They Were. Readers’ Questions April 23, 2026
- Understanding the Gospels, Jesus, and the Spread of Christianity: Great Readers’ Questions April 5, 2026
- Unpacking 1 Enoch, the Apocryphal Writing Quoted by Jude October 1, 2025
- 1 Enoch: The Scripture Quoted by Jude September 30, 2025
- Why Wasn’t Peter’s Apocalypse Included in the New Testament? September 9, 2025
- The Transformation of Paul’s Teaching: The Apocalypse of Paul July 15, 2025
- Paul’s Vision of Heaven and Hell July 10, 2025
- What About People Who Come Back From the Dead in the Hebrew Bible? April 17, 2024
- More on Sheol: Was it an Actual Place? April 16, 2024
- What Is Sheol in the Hebrew Bible? April 14, 2024
