Page 83 – The Bart Ehrman Blog

When / If you have a blog problem!

I regularly get comments on one of my posts from a member who is having some kind of technical problem -- for example, only part of the post shows up for them, or they can't seem to access something etc. (Other people have problems with what I actually *say*, but that's a different matter....). Sometimes there are indeed technological problems that arise. What to do? The VERY BEST thing is to contact our help staff. I won't get to your comment a day or so later, and the problem is almost always individual, not system wide. So there's not much I can do to help in response to a comment, even if I did have the wherewithall to deal with the technological details. (As Groucho once said, Why a four-year-old child could understand this ...! Run out and find me a four-year-old child, I can't make head or tail of it.”) So, are you haveing a problem? Click on HELP and contact support. Someone will get in touch and figure it out for you. If there are even [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:55:07-04:00August 20th, 2021|Public Forum|

Platinum Members! Vote for your Favorite Platinum Post to Go To the Blog!

Dear Platinum Members, It is time to vote for the next Platinum guest post to become a blog guest post! The winner's post will go to all blog members for reading and comment. The winner this past month was a big success: Frederick Ackun's post, "The Essence of Religious Literacy" appeared on the blog (a couple of days ago!), and has received very interesting and postive feedback. Now it's the next round. Do you remember them? Wanna read them again? Willing to vote? Here they are in chronological sequence. If you’re willing to vote, please remember: I am NOT asking which one you think is the most scholarly. They are all high quality. I’m asking: which did you find most interesting and, given what you know about the members of the blog, would best address the interests of most blog members? To vote, please send an email indicating your choice to my assistant Diane Pittman, at [email protected] . You will have until Tuesday midnight, August 24. We will tabulate the votes then I"ll announce [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:55:07-04:00August 19th, 2021|Public Forum|

Jesus as a Healer: “First: Do No Harm” Platinum Guest Post by Douglas Wadeson

I have very much enjoyed these guest posts by Doug Wadeson, who spent his long career in medicine, reflecting on Jesus' healing miracles in light of contemporary medical knowledge. This final post is unusually thought provoking. Did Jesus sometimes do more harm than good? Let Doug know what you think. [[And if you have a post you'd like to get out there to your fellow Platinum members, with a chance that it could appear on the entire blog, zap me a note at [email protected] ]] ***************************** In the previous 3 posts I suggested some ways that Jesus could have achieved apparent success at healing various afflictions and thus gained a reputation as a healer, and presented some evidence from the Gospels that there were limitations to Jesus’ ability to heal and that some people may have relapsed after their apparent healings. In this final post I would like to discuss both negative and positive aspects of Jesus’ reputation as a divine healer, with some concluding thoughts. I doubt that Jesus knew the medical phrase, [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:55:06-04:00August 18th, 2021|Canonical Gospels, Historical Jesus|

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|

It’s Coming Soon

But we don't know when.... Many apologies. Because of production problems (involving me, the producer) I have not been able to get the Gold Q&A uploaded for your listening pleasure. It may yet be a couple of days. I've recorded it -- there were some fantastic questions, including some I couldn't get to -- and even the recording was an adventure (my power cut out half way through....). But, well, it'll be two or three days. Sorry 'bout that. But no worries, with us mere mortals a day is as a day, not a thousand years, and it should be available in a couple of days.

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:54:53-04:00August 18th, 2021|Public Forum|

The Essence of Religious Literacy: A Christian Perspective. Guest Post by Fredrick Ackun

As you probably know, Platinum members of the blog receive several additional perks -- a quarterly webinar with me, a chance to provide a "guest post" for Platinum members only, and so on. After several of the guest posts have been posted, the Platinum members vote on one of them to be posted on the entire blog for all blog members to read. Would you be interested in getting in on that action? Check out the membership tiers and see what it (and each of the tiers) involves. Just click Join Now and you'll see them. Here is the latest Platinum post winner, Frederick Ackun, who provides us with an unusually interesting set of reflections on issues related to faith, knowledge, and how to read the Bible -- important matters for anyone interested in our blog. Here is Frederick's post. Enjoy! ****************************** In this post, I wish to share and elaborate a bit on some personal realizations I have made in my faith journey. They are some of the main reasons why I am of [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:54:52-04:00August 17th, 2021|Public Forum, Reflections and Ruminations|

Is This a God You Want to Worship? Some Horrors of Scripture.

Parts of the Hebrew Bible insist on the absolute purity of the Israelites – they are to have no contact with outside influences that might compromise their devotion to Yahweh, the God of Israel, in any way whatsoever. If they do come to be influenced by outsiders, God punishes them severely; and sometimes, as a further response, he orders the slaughter of the outsiders. This is the wrath of God in its most severe and unbending form, evidently against people who didn’t even know he existed. Nowhere is this theme shown more graphically than in the case of Moses and the Midianites, as found in Numbers 25 and 31, passages that I would venture to say very few people on the blog or otherwise have ever read or at least paid much attention to. But they are among the most horrifying narratives of the entire Hebrew Bible. The account begins with a group of outsiders, the Moabites (inhabitants of the land of Moab). While Israel is still in the wilderness during their 40 year wandering, [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:54:52-04:00August 15th, 2021|Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Reflections and Ruminations|

A Blog Event! Want to Join a three-week Blog Book Club??

Are you interested in joining a Blog Book Club (the BBC)? We’re going to give one a try! This will function as a fund-raiser for the blog. This first BBC will involve three meetings over the course of three weeks, discussing one of my books and a published (unfavorable!) response to it. I will be joining participants in the third meeting for a Q&A about it all. The first week all participants will read and discuss my book Misquoting Jesus. This is my best-selling book and probably my most controversial (which has always struck me as odd, since to my knowledge there isn’t any factual misinformation in it!) There were five books written to counter it! The second week participants will read and discuss one of the counter-books, Misquoting Truth: A Guide to the Fallacies of Bart Ehrman’s Misquoting Jesus, by Timothy Paul Jones. The third week everyone will join a Q & A, as we discuss the matter among ourselves, with questions from you and attempts to answer them from me. How’s it sound? [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:54:53-04:00August 14th, 2021|Public Forum|

Why God Had to Destroy the Outsiders…

As I pointed out in my previous post, the “purity” of Israel was seen as massively important to most of the writers of the Hebrew Scriptures, including the various sources that eventually came to make up the Pentateuch and the other books (Joshua – 2 Kings) that describe the history of ancient Israel. Nowhere can that be seen more clearly than in narratives about the children of Israel as they journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, after God delivered them from their slavery at the Exodus under their leader Moses. Once Israel escapes (Exodus 1-15), Moses leads them to Mount Sinai, where he is given the Law -- starting with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20 all the way through Leviticus). Much of this law is about how Israel is to worship and live, now that they have been chosen by God to be his people. Once they receive the law, the Israelites journey to the promised land, but they sin en route, and God judges them by forcing them to remain in the wilderness [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:54:52-04:00August 12th, 2021|Hebrew Bible/Old Testament|

Platinum Webinar for August!

It's time for another Platinum webinar; as you know, this is a four-time year event, and our last was in the spring, so time to go again. It is on an intriguing topic that I've never give a public talk on before (see below). The date: August 28; 4-5:15 (Eastern Time). No need to register; just show up. The topic: The History of Biblical Scholarship: A Bird’s Eye View. What it's about: This webinar will give a brief overview of how scholars came to approach the Bible critically as an object of historical study rather than confessionally as an object of religious devotion. The process began with the Reformation and Luther’s insistence that the Bible was to be the only source of authority (sola Scriptura) and that it had to be interpreted *literally* rather than figuratively, to see what it actually said instead of using it simply to support church tradition. But that was just the beginning. Later, in the Enlightenment, scholars began to realize that it was important to place the books of the [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:54:05-04:00August 11th, 2021|Public Forum|

God is Holy and You Better Worship Him!

There are, of course, good reasons for people thinking that the God of the Old Testament was a “God of Wrath.” God does indeed engage in wrathful acts of punitive justice throughout the Hebrew Bible, and he requires his chosen people to execute his wrath as well. As one would expect, often this wrath is directed against people who break his commandments. But less expected, probably, for many modern readers, is that these commandments do not involve merely what we would call “ethical” rules involving personal and communal behavior per se – e.g. murder, adultery, robbery, etc.. At least as, or even more often they involve situations in which the “Chosen People” have begun to act like “outsiders” who are not among the people of Israel, and against those outsiders who try to “seduce” Israelites into worshiping and behaving like everyone else. In these cases God’ vengeful wrath is about “purity.” The terms “purity,” “holiness,” and “sanctity” all have the same root idea. They involve an object, activity, or person that is “set apart” from [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:54:52-04:00August 11th, 2021|Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Public Forum|

Jesus the Healer, Repossessed? Platinum guest post by Douglas Wadeson MD

I am pleased now to publish the third of Doug Wadeson's four posts on Jesus as a healer, based on Doug's own extensive experience as a practicing physician and a deep understanding of the biblical texts. The first two have been terrific and this one is especially intriguing, dealing with a question most people have never even thought to ask: If Jesus healed someone, did they stay healed? The biblical evidence is tantalizing, and almost never considered. Remember: you too can offer up a Platinum post. Just come up with an idea, write it up in around 800-1200 words, and zap it to me to look at in a personal email at [email protected]. All platinum posts have a chance to appear not just to Platinum members but to the whole blog. So why not share your thoughts? Here now is Doug's provocative post on the possibility of "repossession." Feel free to share your comments and views! **************************** In the previous post I examined some possibilities that might explain how Jesus achieved some spectacular successes in [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:54:53-04:00August 11th, 2021|Canonical Gospels, Historical Jesus|

Finally: Cephas and Peter. What Do I Really Think?

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 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 term that means “rock”) by Jesus. When the term “Rock” was translated into Greek by later story tellers, they simply used the Greek term “Petros,” which gets transliterated into English as “Peter.” No problem, right? Well for 99.99% of the readers of the NT over the centuries, right. No problem. But for roughly .01% of us there is a problem, as I have outlined in the previous posts. I showed that there was in fact an [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:54:52-04:00August 10th, 2021|Canonical Gospels, Paul and His Letters, Reflections and Ruminations|

Gold Q&A for August!

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 August 14 to be released Tuesday August 17. 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 August 13 . The best questions are only a sentence of two long at most. I hope to hear from you! Bart

BDEhrman2025-09-10T13:04:12-04:00August 8th, 2021|Public Forum|

The God of Wrath According to the Prophet Amos

In my previous post I began to explain the book of the prophet Amos, the earliest named author of the Bible, in particular his portrayal of the coming “wrath of God.” My ultimate reason for dealing with Amos is to set up a later discussion of the book of Revelation, where the portrayal of God’s wrath is even more stunning. But Amos’s message was certainly stunning enough for his original readers, the Israelites living in the northern kingdom of Israel. Amos was telling them in rather direct and uncomfortable terms that God was soon going to wipe them out in an act of judgment. Prophets were rarely the bearers of good news. But their condemnations were always brought against people precisely because they had sinned and God was soon to do something about it. Here is more of how I describe Amos in my book The Bible: A Historical and Literary Introduction, 2nd ed. (Oxford University Press, 2017). ****************************** Amos stresses that the coming suffering for the nation will derive not from the accidents [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:54:37-04:00August 8th, 2021|Hebrew Bible/Old Testament|

The God of Wrath in Both Old and New Testament

It is a very big mistake to think that the "God of the Old Testament" is a different God from the "God of the New Testament" -- even though that is a common view among Christians who want to insist that unlike the OT God of wrath, their God is a God of love. Not only does that smack of rather unsubtle anti-Judaism (that "harsh religion of a vengeful God" as opposed to "our God who loves each and every one of us and is merciful instead of judgmental"), it simply is not at all the view of the authors of the New Testament, let alone Jesus himself. Jesus understood himself as a teacher of the Jewish Scriptures. He didn't have another God. Moreover throughout the entire NT the OT is quoted, up and down the line, all over the place, in complete affirmation of its message. Jesus and his followers may have had their own interpretations of the OT (they had different interpretations even among themselves), but they would have been shocked and offended [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:54:37-04:00August 7th, 2021|Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Revelation of John|

For Blog Members in the U.K.! Special Zoom Event.

Are you on the blog? Do you live in the U.K.? Well lucky you! A group of blog members who came to a London Blog Dinner last month have decided to host a UK Zoom meeting among themselves, to discuss topics of mutual interest. For and by Brit Bloggers! It is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug 10, 2021, 8:00 pm (London time). The organizer is Angus Nisbet. If you need additional information, you can reach him here: [email protected] Below are the topics and the Zoom link to join. English members only please. Enjoy! Topics for discussion Should we throw the Bible out with the bathwater? Revelation Heaven & Hell Jesus - a failed apocalypticist? Zoom Details: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86859219342?pwd=SHlyMnBDNlV5MTFZNnIzQjhXenBJUT09 Meeting ID: 868 5921 9342 Passcode: 605295 ******************************************************************************************************************** This message may contain confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient please inform the sender that you have received the message in error before deleting it. Please do not disclose, copy or distribute information in this e-mail or take any action in relation to its contents. To do [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:54:53-04:00August 7th, 2021|Public Forum|

My New View of the Book of Revelation
Gallery
My New View of the Book of Revelation

Book Discussions, Revelation of John

My New View of the Book of Revelation

The Book of Revelation. The Apocalypse of John is a book many people revere, many dread, and few actually read. Most who do read it approach it like every other book of the Bible – they’ll read a few verses here or there when someone says something about them but do not read the whole thing from beginning to end. I do find this a bit irritating as a rule, at least among people who insist that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and our guide for all belief and practice, who virtually worship the Bible but have no clue what is actually in it. What’s *that* all about??? The Book of Revelation - Have You Read It? Having just typed that reminds me of the spiritual leader I had as a teenager, the man who “led me to Christ” (away from the Episcopal church where I faithfully attended every week, saying the prayers, confessing my sins, taking communion – where I was the head altar boy!). He repeatedly said with complete conviction [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:54:37-04:00August 5th, 2021|Book Discussions, Revelation of John|

The Naivety of the Nativity: Platinum Guest Post by Joel Scheller

This week's Platinum Guest Post comes to us from Joel Scheller. As you know, only Platinum members can read these posts and only Platinums can write them. This is a platinum thing. BUT, once a month we vote on one to appear on the entire blog. Are you interested in reaching the Platinums with your ideas? And possibly the entire blog? Submit a post to me, on any topic related to the blog that you're interested in, simply at my email [email protected]. Joel's post is about an interesting and important topic: the birth narratives of Matthew and Luke, with much broader implications for our understanding of the entire Bible. Feel free to comment! *************************************** I am a Christian. I have a respect for the bible as containing the sacred scriptures of my faith. However, that does not mean I accept all that is written in the bible as fact or truth. It is undeniable that the writings are those of human beings, and, as such, must be weighed with reason, taking into consideration all the [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:54:52-04:00August 4th, 2021|Canonical Gospels, Public Forum|

Cephas and Peter: Final Arguments, Summary, and Implications

Here I give my last supporting arguments that Cephas may have been someone other than Peter, despite widespread assumptions and views that go back at least to the time of the New Testament, e.g., John 1:42, where they are explicitly identified as one and the same! But were they? It's an intriguing question rarely asked. Below is the final bit of my article on the topic, written for a scholarly audience but obviously with a view toward what non-scholars would be interested in. At the end I provide a summary and draw out the implications. In the next post I will discuss whether now -- all these years later, when I'm older and wiser (or at least older) -- I still buy the argument. (!) ****************************** What now of Paul's other references to Cephas? Here the one thing that cannot be overlooked is that, taken at least on face value, they appear to stand somewhat at odds with what we "know" about Peter's role in the early Christian church, at least as Paul describes it [...]

BDEhrman2025-09-10T12:54:37-04:00August 4th, 2021|Paul and His Letters, Public Forum, Reflections and Ruminations|

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