Page 14 – The Bart Ehrman Blog

Could James, the Brother of Jesus, Even Write?
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Could James, the Brother of Jesus, Even Write?

Catholic Epistles

Could James, the Brother of Jesus, Even Write?

In my previous post I tried to show what the author of James is almost certainly claiming to be “that” James, the actual brother of Jesus. In this post and the next will be explaining why it probably (well, almost certainly was not, in my view) written by him. I’ve decided, as is my occasional wont, to get down into the weeds a bit here; sometimes that’s important because it’s oh so very easy to give broad and general reasons for a view that are so general and broad they’re not convincing to anyone who wants to get the real low down. So here we go, down low. (This taken from my book Forgery and Counterforgery, but I’ve edited it a bit to make it more user friendly, including by removing the academic footnotes). ****************************** There are solid reasons for thinking that whoever wrote this letter, it was not James, the brother of Jesus. The first, as already mentioned, is that James of Nazareth could almost certainly not write. That of course, needs to be [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:51-04:00August 5th, 2025|Catholic Epistles|

James: Who, When, and Why? Does It Claim to be by THAT James (the brother of Jesus)?

In my previous post I summarized the major themes and emphases of the five-chapter letter of James, one of the Catholic Epistles. I now want to get into the questions of Who Wrote It, When, and Why. This will take a couple of posts, and I've decided to give a fuller scoop in this case than usual, by citing how I discussed the matter in my book Forgery and Counterforgery. I think the discussion is accessible to the non-expert. I have edited it a bit here, in paret to make it more more user-friendly). This issue is rather important for anyone interested in the history of early Christianity. Do we have a writing from Jesus’ own brother? Now *that* would be interesting! ****************************** The letter of James begins simply enough: “James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the dispersion, greetings” (1:1). A number of persons are named James in the New Testament, including the father of Joseph (Jesus’ “father,” Matt. 1:16), the son of Zebedee [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:51-04:00August 3rd, 2025|Catholic Epistles|

The Book of James in a Nutshell

In this “New Testament in a Nutshell” thread I come now to the intriguing book of James, long one of my favorites among the Catholic epistles. At one point in my earlier existence, I liked the book so well that I memorized it. Don’t ask me to recite it now; that was 50 years ago. Even so, I still think it is a terrific book. And now I realize it is intriguing for all sorts of reasons I never would have imagined back when I was able to recite it at a drop of the hat. I start here with a one-sentence, fifty-word summary. The Book of James consists of ethical instruction for followers of Jesus who are to live in ways pleasing to God as a way of demonstrating their faith, since anyone who thinks they can be saved only through what they believe does not understand that “faith without works is dead.” For the rest of this post, I will summarize the major themes and emphases of this short, five-chapter book, which, hey, [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:51-04:00August 2nd, 2025|Catholic Epistles|

1 and 2 Corinthians “At a Glance,” and Questions for Reflection

In earlier posts I provided discussions of both 1 and 2 Corinthians: their major emphases and themes, what we know about their context, when they were written, and why. Check them out here: 1 Corinthians in a Nutshell 1 Corinthians: Who, When, and Why? 2 Corinthians in a Nutshell 2 Corinthians: Who Wrote It, When, and Why? Below is a concise summary of both discussions (each book “At a Glance”), taken from my book The New Testament: A Historical Introduction (Oxford University Press) and some questions for reflection to help you think through some of the issues that the books (and scholarship on them) raise. 1 Corinthians at a Glance First Corinthians is written to a church located in Corinth, in the Roman province of Achaia, a city with a reputation for dubious morals in antiquity. Paul had established the church by converting former pagans to faith in Jesus; most of his converts were poor and uneducated, but some came from the upper classes. The different socioeconomic levels of the Corinthian Christians may [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:50-04:00July 31st, 2025|Public Forum|

Some Readers’ Questions and Some Responses

I continue to get excellent questions from readers of the blog. I can't devote a post to all of them (I do answer all the ones I get in the comments section), but I do like to address a few of them publicly for everyone to see, every week or so. Here's a current outstanding batch. QUESTION: Re 2nd Thessalonians: If it was written a few years after First Thessalonians couldn’t Paul have changed his mind on how imminent the end times were? Also, if he asked Timothy to write to the Thessalonians and use 1st Thess as a template so they know its from Paul, and Paul would sign it at the end – wouldn’t that explain things just as well as a later forger? RESPONSE: Yup! Most anything's possible. Some people, for example, continue to think Paul also wrote 3 Corinthians and the Letter to the Laodiceans. But that’s almost certainly not the case. It's always a judgment call. But in the case of 2 Thessalonians, it appears even to those [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:51-04:00July 30th, 2025|Reader’s Questions|

Will Everyone be Saved? (Everyone??)
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Will Everyone be Saved? (Everyone??)

Early Christian Doctrine, Early Christian Writings (100-400 CE), Paul and His Letters

Will Everyone be Saved? (Everyone??)

There has been an extraordinary range of views in Christianity about who will be “saved,” whether people have any say in the matter, what it requires, whether salvation can be lost, and … most everything else connected with this central teaching of the religion. It may seem odd that disagreements among Christian thinkers would involve the very core message, rather than other issues of less significance and centrality, but, well, there it is. In my previous post I pointed to passages in the letter to the Hebrews that seem pretty clearly to indicate that a person could well lose their salvation. At the extreme other end of the theological spectrum was/is the view that in fact everyone will be saved. That’s a view more commonly thought to reside on the margins of Christendom, but it’s always been around – and is getting stronger now than ever – and can easily be traced, again, back to the New Testament, all the way back to its most revered author, the apostle Paul. It can be [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:50-04:00July 29th, 2025|Early Christian Doctrine, Early Christian Writings (100-400 CE), Paul and His Letters|

Can You “Lose Your Salvation”?

Does the New Testament teach that a person can lose their salvation? It depends whom you ask. And possibly which New Testament books you read. I have been discussing the letter to the Hebrews, and a couple of passages there are some of the key texts for discussing the issue. First, some background: Since the 16th century, many protestants have believed that that once a person has become a committed follower of Jesus and is therefore bound for heaven it is literally impossible for her/him to lose their salvation. In modern lingo, this is often expressed by the phrase “once saved/always saved.” The idea stems from the teachings of John Calvin (1509-1564), who, among other things, believed that people were “predestined” for salvation by God. Being saved was not based on a person’s choice/decision. It was determined by God, from the beginning. There was a clear logic to this view. In simple terms, if God is ultimately sovereign in every way, then he is the one who determines what happens in the world. [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:50-04:00July 27th, 2025|Catholic Epistles, Early Christian Doctrine, Public Forum|

Does the Book of Hebrews Indicate Jesus Ever Came To Earth? A Response to Richard Carrier.

In an earlier post I indicated that I have difficulty responding to writings of mythicists, largely because they often say things that I think are dead wrong, but it would take so much time and effort to explain why. This morning I did think I should at least give one example of the sort of thing I mean, and I have chosen (just) one of the claims made several times by one of the mythicists’ leading spokespersons, Richard Carrier. Carrier argues that the earliest Christians did not believe Jesus ever came to earth but was a god who ministered and crucified in the heavenly realms. He also claims this view is supported by a close reading of the early New Testament writings themselves. He lists a number of them and discusses them all. I am here simply picking one example, the book of Hebrews. I could do the same thing with others (he equally surprisingly includes the letters of Paul and the non-canonical book of 1 Clement, for example) but my idea is not to [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:50-04:00July 26th, 2025|Catholic Epistles, Historical Jesus, Mythicism, Public Forum|

August 2025 Gold Q&A

Hey Gold & Platinum Members, It’s that time again—our monthly Gold Q&A is coming up, and Bart’s ready to take on your burning questions. The August Q&A will take place on Wednesday August 20th at at 7 PM Eastern. Have something you’ve been dying to ask? Send your question to: [email protected] (Please don’t drop it in the comments—only emailed questions make it into the Q&A!) A few notes: Keep it short and sharp—quick, focused questions are more likely to be answered. Can’t join us live? No worries—we’ll send you the recording a day or two later. Question deadline: End of day Monday August 18th. Here's the Zoom link to join the Q&A on 8/20: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84583907692?pwd=D8hgIOKkreczJBGUHavoAnWHNn9rI8.1 Get your question in now and see what Bart has to say. See you there!

jennao2025-09-10T13:12:52-04:00July 25th, 2025|Public Forum|

The Letter to the Hebrews: For Further Reading

Here is a list of readings of relevance to the book of Hebrews. Some of the books, as you will see, are just on Hebrews itself; more are on the broader topic that Hebrews addresses, the relationship of Jews and Christians in early Christianity. This is a fraught topic: the first two on the list more or less argue that it’s not right to consider Judaism and Christianity as separate religions (!); the others address the question of how they became separate and how that led to the history of anti-Judaism and then, eventually, anti-Semitism. I include a a couple of important commentaries specifically on Hebrews. One benefit of serious commentaries is that they always begin by discussing major critical issues in understanding a book: authorship, date, historical context, major themes, disputed issues, and so on. Stand-alone books Beker, Adam, and Annette Yoshiko Reed. The Ways That Never Parted: Jews and Christians in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2007. A collection of essays by leading scholars [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:49-04:00July 24th, 2025|Catholic Epistles, Public Forum|

The Book of Hebrews: Who Wrote It, When, and Why?

Now that I have discussed the overarching themes and emphases of the letter to the Hebrews, I can turn to the historical question of who actually wrote it, when, and why. ****************************** The authorship of the book has been debated for nearly as long as the book has been in circulation; and part of that question involves the issue of what kind of writing it actually is. Although Hebrews is normally labeled an epistle, this designation is not particularly apt. The book has an epistolary closing – where the author gives a final exhortation, gives some personal greetings, and signs off by wishing his readers the best (Heb 13:20–25). That is, it ends the way letters tend to end. But there is no epistolary prescript. That is, in the opening the author never names himself nor his addressees, he nor does he include an opening prayer, benediction, or thanksgiving on their behalf (check out Paul’s letters, which always begin that way). So is it really a “letter”? Scholars have long been [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:50-04:00July 23rd, 2025|Catholic Epistles, Public Forum|

The Letter to the Hebrews: In a Nutshell
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The Letter to the Hebrews: In a Nutshell

Catholic Epistles, Jews and Christians in Antiquity

The Letter to the Hebrews: In a Nutshell

I now return to my long “Nutshell” thread, explaining each book of the New Testament in brief terms, with one post laying out its major themes and emphases; another discussing what we can know about who wrote it, when, and why; another that provides suggestions for further reading; and at least one (and sometimes more) on other aspects of the book that are very much worth bearing in mind. Eventually we will collect all these and issue them together (in some format or other – to be decided). For now, if you want to check out earlier posts in the series, simply do a word search on the blog for “Nutshell.” We have finished the Gospels, Acts, and the Pauline epistles, and now move on to the “Catholic” or “General” epistles. In this context “catholic” does not refer to the Roman Catholic church (or any other “Catholic” church), but means simply “universal.” The idea, rightly or wrongly, is that rather than being addressed to a specific congregation, these books were written to be [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:50-04:00July 22nd, 2025|Catholic Epistles, Jews and Christians in Antiquity|

A Hiatus in My Responses

Dear Fellow Bloggers! I want to let you know that I will not be able to respond to comments this week (or a bit more: July 21-28). BUT, the blog itself will be going along swimmingly. I've queued up all the posts for the week , you can make all the comments you want as normal, Jen will be on top of all things as usual, and all else will be AOK, likely even thriving. I just won't be around and will not be able to respond to comments. So sorry! But, well, not totally. I'm off for the week on a meditation retreat -- not, as normally happens, with others but all by my lonesome, living the life of the anchorite. Kind of. I'll be in a reasonably remote place in a nice part of the world where I can meditate, read, hike, think deep thoughts, figure out my life (and all things of universal significance), recharge my depleted batteries, and hope they don't need to be replaced. I did something [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:52-04:00July 20th, 2025|Public Forum|

The Death of Peter

In my previous post I discussed the legendary account (the earliest we have) of the martyrdom of Paul. In it I mentioned as well the martyrdom of Peter (also legendary, though better known) (many people have heard he was crucified “upside-down”), and realized I may as well post on that as well, since I’ll certainly be getting some questions on it. Here is what I say about it in my book Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene (Oxford University Press). ****************************** By the end of the first and into the second century it was widely known among Christians that Peter had suffered a martyr’s death. The tradition is alluded to in the book of 1 Clement: “Because of unjust jealousy Peter bore up under hardships not just once or twice, but many times; and having thus borne his witness (or “having been martyred”) he went to the place of glory that he deserved” (5:4). And a hundred years later Tertullian speaks of Peter enduring “a passion like the Lord’s” -- possibly referring [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:36-04:00July 20th, 2025|Christian Apocrypha, Early Christian Writings (100-400 CE)|

The Death of Paul

I sometimes get asked (once just a few days ago) about what we can say about Paul's death. We don't have any historical records (i.e., historically reliable accounts), but there is one relatively early reference to it and an intriguing legend from about a century after the event, whenever and however it happened. Here is what I say about it in my book Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene. ****************************** The Martyrdom of Paul We do not have any contemporary accounts of Paul’s death, although traditions from several decades afterwards indicate that he was martyred. The earliest reference comes in the letter from the church of Rome to the church of Corinth known as 1 Clement, written around 95 CE, some thirty years after Paul’s death. This anonymous author refers to the “pillars” of the Christian faith who were persecuted for their faith, “even to death.” He refers especially to the apostles Peter and Paul. About Paul, he states: Because of jealousy and strife Paul pointed the way to the prize for endurance. [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:36-04:00July 19th, 2025|Paul and His Letters, Public Forum|

Some Readers’ Questions and Responses

Here are some of the intriguing questions I have recently received from blog members. The first one includes a reply to my response and my response to that reply. Enjoy! QUESTION: Have you considered the angle that Jesus may have been a revolutionary Essene? This would explain his outward orientation instead of inward. I mean he fits right in with being a disciple of John the Baptist and has a very Essene worldview. A good amount of his followers were also followers of John the Baptist. Most of the points he makes, eating with tax collectors and sinners, doing things on the Sabbath, not obsessing over ritual purity == all of these seems strangely specifically targeted towards the Essenes, which means he is very familiar and actively critiquing them. I am wondering if Jesus’ relation to the Essenes could be comparable what to Luther’s relation to Catholicism. As in Luther was a Catholic and started a revolution inside Catholicism. On the surface it doesn’t fit but if he’s a counterculture within [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:35-04:00July 17th, 2025|Reader’s Questions|

Unusual Fundraiser: Want to Read the Pre-Published Manuscript of my New Book?

I'm just about finished (finally) with a reasonably polished draft of my next book, The Origins of Altruism: How the Teachings of Jesus Transformed the Moral Conscience of the West. We have decided to turn the moment into a fund-raising opportunity for the blog. Unlike our other fundraisers, where we suggest an amount but accept whatever you can pay, for this one we are asking for set donation amounts for anyone who can and wants to participate. If you can't afford this, no fears! The book itself will eventually be published and you can read it to your heart's content. But if you want to see it in its prepublished state, make comments on it for me, and be acknowledged by name in the Preface (if you choose; this is not a requirement!), then this is the fundraiser for you! I will also be sending it out to colleagues in the field who are expert in one or another of the areas I cover in my discussions (there are a lot of them). But since it [...]

admin2025-07-16T17:50:57-04:00July 16th, 2025|Public Forum|

Explaining the Triumph of Christianity

The ancient triumph of Christianity proved to be the single greatest cultural transformation our world has ever seen. Without it the entire history of Late Antiquity would not have happened as it did. We would never have had the Middle Ages, the Reformation, the Renaissance, or modernity as we know it. There could never have been a Matthew Arnold. Or of any of the Victorian poets. Or of any of the other authors of our canon: no Milton, no Shakespeare, no Chaucer. We would have had none of our revered artists: Michelangelo, Leonardo, or Rembrandt. And none of our brilliant composers: Mozart, Handel, or Bach. To be sure, we would have had other Miltons, Michelanglos, and Mozarts in their place, and it is impossible to know whether these would have been better or worse. But they would have been incalculably different. By conquering the Roman world, and then the entire West, Christianity not only gave rise to a vast and awe-inspiring set of cultural artifacts, it also changed the way people look at the world [...]

admin2026-05-20T08:45:57-04:00July 16th, 2025|Public Forum|

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Diane2025-09-10T13:04:11-04:00July 16th, 2025|Public Forum|

Paul’s Letter to the Romans “At a Glance,” and Questions for Reflection

Now that I have finished this subthread on the letters of Paul in a nutshell, I'd like to provide brief summaries of the various Pauline writings (both "undisputed" and deutero-Pauline). These posts will be quick and to the point. In them I reproduce my overviews called "At a Glance" for each letter that I give in my textbook as the final bit of each discussion for each book, along with a couple of questions to reflect on. If the summaries don't make immediate sense and/or the questions don't seem to have an obvious question, I'd recommend rereading the relevant posts from a while back. In this post I deal the the letter to the Romans. Here are the previous posts, in case you need a reminder: https://ehrmanblog.org/pauls-letter-to-the-romans-in-a-nutshell/ https://ehrmanblog.org/the-letter-to-the-romans-who-when-and-why/ https://ehrmanblog.org/unusually-important-for-pauls-letter-to-the-romans-pauls-models-of-salvation/ ROMANS: AT A GLANCE Unlike Paul’s other surviving letters, Romans was written to a church he had not founded or even visited. It was written evidently to secure the support of the Roman Christians for Paul’s missionary endeavors farther west, in Spain. [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:12:35-04:00July 16th, 2025|Paul and His Letters|

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