This is the second guest post by Judy Siker, who last week explained about her upbringing as a Christian in the south and then her move into the academic study of the Bible from a critical perspective.  If you recall, Judy was my student in the (very secular!) graduate program in New Testament/Early Christianity here at UNC, where she did both a Masters and PhD in the field, focusing, in her dissertation, on the socio-historical background to the Gospel of Matthew, in particular as that involved the relations of Jews and Christians in the author's community.   She had a rich and varied teaching career in a range of schools -- private liberal arts, Catholic university, and Baptist seminary, among them! In this follow up post Judy lays out her understanding of what the Bible is (among other things, a book that asks compelling questions about matters of faith) and is not (a book that gives us all the incontrovertible answers), partly in response to comments and questions she received.  She is willing once more to [...]

I am pleased and regret (at the same time) to say that the table for the blog dinner in Chicago for October 18 is now full.  I have a waiting list that I have started, and have notified everyone who contacted me (both those at the table and those on the waiting list.) But I’ll be doing others this coming year in a few other places!  Hopefully others can come to these.

On Friday,  October, 2019, at 7:00 pm, I will be hosting a Blog Dinner for blog members (members only, I'm afraid) in Chicago.  Well, kind-a.  I'll be in Oak Brook to give a paper the next day, so it would need to be near there.  The table is limited to eight.  I'm one of them.  That means that seven spots are available.  First come first served:  please do NOT response here on the blog, but send me a private email, at [email protected]. The occasion is  a bit  unusual for me.  There is a conservative evangelical conference focused on "apologetics" (called The "Defenders Conference") dealing with differences among the Gospels.  The other three speakers are themselves evangelical, two of them are scholars I know and have had interactions with before (Mike Licona and Craig Keener), the other I don't know (Rob Bowman), but he's apparently on expert on what he calls Christian "cults" (for example, Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses).   In any event, I'll be discussing why I think there are differences in the Gospels that cannot [...]

I often get asked where I"m giving a talk next.  I do keep a listing on my website (www.bartdehrman.com), which has other information about my life and activities as well.   But, well, I haven't been good this year at getting it up to date, until now.  (It was lost in the triage of my life....)  With Steven's help, it's now up and up to date.   Here it is, for anyone who's interested.  And available, as well, even for anyone who is not. All of these are open to the public (except, well, the two I've already done; they're now closed to everybody).  Most of them require registration.  If you google the date and organization, for most of them, you'll find the information you need to sign up.  If you have any problems or just can't find it, just zap me an email at [email protected]. I'll probably be adding a few things here and there, at least in the spring.  If I do, I'll keep you posted.   DATE LOCATION SUBJECT ORGANIZATION Sept. 7 Washington, DC [...]

We have had a cancellation for the blog dinner scheduled for 7:00 pm in NYC (Midtown), this coming Tuesday (August 27).  So we have one more seat at the table.  Anyone interested?   If so, email me at [email protected]    Only requirements for attendance: you be a member of the blog, you get there, you pay for your meal, you be interested in talking to us!

I am pleased  to say that the table for the blog dinner in NYC for August 27 is now full.  At this point I will start a waiting list, in the event that someone backs out, as often happens.   So let me know if you want to be on it. And as other opportunities come up, I'll be sure to post them.

  I am (very) happy to announce that I will be giving lectures on a tour to Egypt on October 16-29, 2020.  It's not too early to start planning!  On the contrary: the trip hasn't been seriously advertised yet, and already four people have signed up! The trip is sponsored by the University of North Carolina General Alumni Association, BUT -- big point here! -- you do not need to be an alumna/alumnus to come.   It's going to be a terrific trip.  The final brochure is not ready yet, but you can get the itinerary already from the company putting it on, Orbridge, at: https://orbridge.com/grp_departures/overview/partner_unc_egypt_2020  (Highlights below) It's spectacular.  I've done a number of these sites before (Cairo, Pyramids, Luxor, Valley of the Kingd, Karnak Temple, and on and on), BUT, this time we're doing something I've never done before and always wanted to:  a four-day cruise down the Nile.  How good can it get??? If you want to get more info, call the UNC Alumni office at 877.962.3980, and/or check out their travel website. [...]

Thanks to the incredible ongoing generosity of members of the blog, I am happy to announce that there are still some free one-year memberships available.   These have been donated for a single purpose: to allow those who cannot afford the annual membership fee to participate on the blog for a year.   I will assign these memberships strictly on the honor system: if you truly cannot afford the membership fee, but very much want to have full access to the blog, then please contact me.   Do NOT reply here, on the blog, as a comment.   Send me a separate email, privately, at [email protected].   In your email, let me know your situation (why you would like to take advantage of this offer) and provide me with the following information: 1)      Your first and last name. 2)      Your preferred personal email. 3)      Your preferred user name (no spaces). 4)      Your preferred password (should be 8 or more characters, no spaces).   The donors will remain anonymous, but here let me publicly extend my heartfelt thanks for such [...]

OK, this is a bit unexpected.  But I'm going to be in New York (Midtown Manhattan) for a few days (that part was expected) and it turns out I'll have an evening free, August 27.  And so if anyone's interested I can do a blog dinner.  Given the location, it might be kind of pricey, but ... well, if you're interested, wanna come? As per my custom:  the table will be limited to eight, of which I will be one.  That means seven spots are available.  First come first served:  please do NOT response here on the blog, but send me a private email, at [email protected]. No agenda from my end, other than simply to have some of us to have a chance to meet and talk about matters of mutual interest. The only requirements for attendance to the dinner are that (a) you are a blog member; (b) you pay your own way – both getting to the event and your meal itself.  Otherwise, there is no expense and no requirement.   You don’t even [...]

I am pleased and regret (at the same time) to say that the table for the blog dinner in D.C. in September is now full.  I have a waiting list that I have started, and have notified everyone who contacted me (both those at the table and those on the waiting list.) But I'll be doing others this coming year in a few other places!  Hopefully others can come to these

On Friday, September 6, 2019, at 7:00 pm, I will be hosting a Blog Dinner for blog members (members only, I'm afraid) at the Bistro Bis at the George Hotel in Washington D.C.   The table is limited to eight.  I'm one of them.  That means that seven spots are available.  First come first served:  please do NOT response here on the blog, but send me a private email, at [email protected]. The occasion is the Smithsonian Associates Seminar I'm doing the next day, four lectures on "More Controversies in Early Christianity":  Here's the website.  https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/more-great-controversies-in-early-christianity-bart-ehrman-ponders-four-new-questions?utm_source=RAad&utm_medium=OAtsa&utm_content=mwX&utm_campaign=MayWe Please note: you do NOT need to be attending the seminar to attend the dinner.  The dinner is designed simply to allow us to have a chance to get to know each other and talk about matters of mutual interest. The only requirements for attendance to the dinner would be that (a) you be a blog member; (b) you pay your own way – both getting to the event and your meal itself.  Otherwise, there is no expense and no requirement. [...]

Twice a year on the blog, around mid-year and Christmas, I open up a possibility to help out people who really want to be on the blog but cannot afford the membership fees.  We are at that point!  So here is the semi-annual appeal for you to pitch in, as you feel moved. We've been doing this for nearly six years.  It  all started off when two anonymous donors proposed that they provide some funds to pay for memberships for a few people who wanted to be on the blog but because of personal circumstances, could not afford the membership fees.   I put out the offer on my Facebook page, asking if anyone was in that boat, and within twenty minutes I had thirty requests –all from people who were eager to join but simply did not have the means to do so.  I had to shut down the offer nearly as soon as I made it.   This made me suspect that there were a lot more people out there like that. And so [...]

Thanks to the incredible ongoing generosity of members of the blog! I am happy to announce that there are a limited number of free one-year memberships available.   These have been donated for a single purpose: to allow those who cannot afford the annual membership fee to participate on the blog for a year.   I will assign these memberships strictly on the honor system: if you truly cannot afford the membership fee, but very much want to have full access to the blog, then please contact me. Do NOT reply here, on the blog, as a comment.   Please send me a separate email, privately, at [email protected].   In your email, let me know your situation (why you would like to take advantage of this offer) and provide me with the following information: Your first and last name. Your preferred personal email. Your preferred user name (no spaces). Your preferred password (should be 8 or more characters, no spaces). Country located The donors will remain anonymous, but here let me publicly extend my heartfelt thanks for such kind [...]