Loading...I have been doing a lot of podcast interviews for the release of my book, Love Thy Stranger: How the Teachings of Jesus Transformed the Moral Conscience of the West. Most of these podcasts
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Rethinking Faith Podcast Interview About Love Thy Stranger
April 4, 2026
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And Brother Douthat??
Thank you God for allowing so much misery and injustice in this world because fighting injustice and alleviating misery are what make me happy. I’m so happy.
Hello families. I just published a book on Amazon please check it out the title is “ruin of a sacred light” author Covensky Pierre. It is on faith in the modern time.
Dr. Ehrman — I’m loving the book! I’m curious about one point, though. You indicate that you think that the account of Jesus’ encounter with the Syrophoenician women is probably fictitious (p. 236, n. 13). It strikes me, though, that the incident satisfies both the criteria of multiple attestation and dissimilarity. Matthew tells a similar story, and in both gospels Jesus frankly comes across as a bit of a jerk. Would the gospel writers really have made him so nasty? And would they have made up an account in which a woman — a Gentile woman at that! — got the better of Jesus rhetorically? I do not know of a single other instance in the gospels in which Jesus surrenders in a rhetorical skirmish. I have to believe that there is at least a grain of historical truth embedded in the account.
It’s usually thought that Matthew has reworked the story (to make her simply a Canaanite); so it’s not clear if it’s multiply attested or not. I’ve also wondered if early Christians had the same reaction we moderns have that it sure makes Jesus seem like a jerk. So — i’m not totally sure one way or the other.
One guy who most assuredly didn’t “get it” is Sean McDowell. When I hear Christian apologists talk about “objective moral values” my head spins.
thanks for rebroadcast.
I gave away my life to God.
I am in bad shape.
Thank you for comforting me for over a decade!
https://biblehub.com/kjv/psalms/37.htm
3Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Dear Professor Ehrman,
I just listened to the podcast and enjoyed it very much. Your point that Jesus’ teachings were not created out of whole cloth but are deeply rooted in the Hebrew Bible and in the teachings of other Jewish teachers of his time resonates strongly with what I think and feel. Lately I became interested in Christianity. Reading the Gospels I see that Jesus’ message was deeply rooted in Jewish tradition and scripture. He taught in synagogues, and quoted the Torah extensively.
As an Israeli I think that books like “Love the Stranger” may foster deeper understanding between Christianity and Judaism. I think that it is time for the Jewish community to view Jesus as their brother and welcome him with love. You said in the podcast, “If one is a follower of Jesus it seems right that he should follow what Jesus taught.” And since, as you said, Jesus’ teachings were not created out of whole cloth but are deeply rooted in the Hebrew Bible, it seems to me that likewise, if the Christian community truly believes in following the path that Jesus outlined, it is time for them to embrace the people from which he came.
You also mentioned that in ancient Judaism the commandment “love your neighbor” was generally understood to refer to those living within one’s own land or community. Today—in Israel—the phrase “your neighbor” is widely understood to mean all human beings. (I’m not sure how the ultra Orthodox interpret it, but in general Israeli society the universal meaning is taken for granted.)
Thank you again for your work. I’m very much looking forward to reading the book.
Henrik Kochan (Israel)