Search
Advanced search
July Gold Q&A: Your Turn
You are unauthorized to view this page. Username Password Remember Me Forgot Password
July 5, 2024
We Need An Experienced Fundraiser!
Do you have fundraising experience? Are you a fan of the mission of this blog–to disseminate scholarly knowledge of the New Testament and the earliest periods of the Christian church to a non-scholarly audience, and (most importantly) to raise funds for charity? The blog has raised over $2,000,000 for our charities (The Urban Ministries of Durham, Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, The Durham Literacy Center, CARE, and Doctors Without Borders). You can read more about each of them here. But we want to do more. We’re looking for a volunteer with experience in fundraising for nonprofits to help us find new and better ways to contribute to those in real need. Do you have that experience? Please drop us an email at [email protected].
April 18, 2024
An Astounding Quran Manuscript Discovery
In my previous posts I’ve mentioned the course I’ll be doing on the Quran and the NT with scholar of Islam, Javad Hashmi. In the course I won’t myself be dealing with the Quran, since it’s not my expertise and I prefer as a rule talking about things I know about. But in past years on the blog I have published some posts on aspects of the Quran and Islam that I AM able to say something about, and thought this would be a good time to re-air them. Here’s one of them: ****************************** Those of you who follow the news have heard that a truly great manuscript discovery has been made public this week, coming out of the University of Birmingham, England. The university has a very important collection of manuscripts, and for New Testament scholars it is famous for its Institute devoted to the study, analysis, and editing of Gospel manuscripts, an institute headed by my long-time friend and colleague David Parker, indisputably one of the top NT textual scholars in the world. […]
April 23, 2024
More Hard Issues on the Qur’an Fragments
Here are a couple of more reflections on the fragments on the Quran that were discovered some years ago, in a post that I published at the time. ****************************** My plan is to make this the final post for now on the issue of the Qur’an fragments discovered at the University of Birmingham. Obviously the discussion could go on forever (it’s been going on for 1500 years and is not likely to stop any time soon). But I’m not a scholar of the Qur’an or of Islam, and I would prefer sticking to topics that are within my realm of expertise.
April 25, 2024
Does My Work on the Historical Jesus Confirm the Quran?
Here is a final post dealing with the Quran. Well, a post from years ago that dealt with the Quran and two other unrelated issues, in one of those rare moments some years ago where I decided to try a rapid-fire approach to questions I get. They’re all great questions! Here’s the repost: ****************************** Here is the weekly Readers’ Mailbag, three questions this time – one about my alleged “support of Islam against Christianity,” one about why we think the NT Gospels were originally written in Greek, and one about what I mean when I talk about the views held by the majority of “critical” scholars (as opposed to what other kind of scholar?). COMMENT: [After this person pointed out that whoever said I was about ready to convert to Islam was obviously makin’ it up, or influenced by someone else who was makin’ it up, this Muslim reader commented as follows:] Anyways, that won’t stop us from using your awesome arguments against Christianity. You confirmed like 99% of Islamic belief about Jesus without even […]
April 30, 2024
Fundamentalist Christians Are Not the Only Ones to Make Dumb Arguments…
My high school debate colleague (who later became a national debate champion as a sophomore in college…) used to always say: “Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.” Boy did he ever get that right. Here’s another post connected with the Quran. The post is NOT dealing with anything at all negative with Islam or the Quran itself. It’s about horrible arguments that people make about it. They are right down there on the ridiculousness-scale as those fundamentalists sometimes make about Christianity and the New Testament. As I point out in this republished post from years ago. ****************************** I’m always puzzled about why smart people make (and believe) such stupid arguments. We see this all the time, of course, in political discourse and family disagreements, not to mention department meetings, but since my field is religious studies I hear it the most in connection with the great religions of the world. Actually, I guess I find it less puzzling than aggravating. A lot of conservative Christians
April 28, 2024
Fundraiser for Sudan With James Tabor
I am very pleased to announce a fund-raiser for the Bart Ehrman blog on May 6, a special event in which I interview fellow New Testament scholar and social commentator Dr. James Tabor on a topic sure to be of interest. James, as you may know, is a retired professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. He is a public figure who has a large following on his own blog and in his many public appearances. Among his numerous popular is Why Waco, which deals directly with the 1993 disaster at Waco just over 31 years ago. James was consulted by the FBI, testified before a joint Committee in the US Congress on Waco, and was able to interpret the apocalyptic views endorsed by the Branch Davidians under David Koresh. The topic of our conversation will be connected to a broader issue that lay behind the disaster. As you know, modern “prophets” in the Christian tradition (not just Koresh) use ancient texts to support their prognostications of what is soon to […]
April 22, 2024
April Gold Q&A Video
You are unauthorized to view this page. Username Password Remember Me Forgot Password
May 13, 2024
John the Baptist: The Most Influential Religious Innovator in History by James McGrath (Part 1)
I am pleased to publish a short series of posts on John the Baptist by James McGrath, Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University (see James F. McGrath – Wikipedia) based on his TWO new books (one coming out next month, June 2024; the other in October). The books, as you will see, make some controversial claims — see his first sentence below! James will be happy to respond to your comments and queries. So what do you think? ****************************** John the Baptist was probably the most significant religious innovator in the history of religion. We’ve failed to see this because of the extent that he has been overshadowed by his followers. This is perhaps the most important point made in my new books Christmaker: A Life of John the Baptist (Eerdmans, June 2024) and John of History, Baptist of Faith: The Quest for the Historical Baptizer (the latter due out in October). In this three-part series I offer an overview of John’s influence based on and incorporating […]
May 28, 2024
John the Baptist: The Most Influential Religious Innovator in History by James McGrath (Part 2)
Is John the Baptist THE most significant religious innovator in religion, ever? Here James McGrath ( James F. McGrath – Wikipedia ) continues with the second of his three controversial posts on John the Baptist: the first few sentence remind you of the basic claim and the books in which he develops it — the rest expands his views for us. What do you think? ****************************** John the Baptist was probably the most significant religious innovator in the history of religion. We’ve failed to see this because of the extent that he has been overshadowed by his followers. This is perhaps the most important point made in my new books Christmaker: A Life of John the Baptist (Eerdmans, June 2024) and John of History, Baptist of Faith: The Quest for the Historical Baptizer (the latter due out in October). In this three-part series I offer an overview of John’s influence based on and incorporating some material from Christmaker so that readers of this blog can get a sense of what awaits them in these books, […]
May 29, 2024
John the Baptist: The Most Influential Religious Innovator in History by James McGrath (Part 3)
Now we have the final installment of James McGrath’s thread of posts on the importance of John the Baptist, which, as he argues, most people have overlooked. What do you think? Comment and ask away! ****************************** John the Baptist was probably the most significant religious innovator in the history of religion. We’ve failed to see this because of the extent that he has been overshadowed by his followers. This is perhaps the most important point made in my new books Christmaker: A Life of John the Baptist (Eerdmans, June 2024) and John of History, Baptist of Faith: The Quest for the Historical Baptizer (the latter due out in October). In this three-part series I offer an overview of John’s influence based on and incorporating some material from Christmaker so that readers of this blog can get a sense of what awaits them in these books, especially the biography which will be out very soon and which is aimed at a general audience. Part 3: John as Innovator and Leader In recent centuries, we find new […]
June 1, 2024
Is Paul’s Letter to the Philippians Actually Two Letters Cut and Spliced Together?
Could Paul’s moving and powerful letter to the Philippians actually be *two* letters that were later cut and spliced together? In my previous post I answered, in short order, a series of questions that a reader had about the “original” text of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. I will now take several posts in order to address some of the questions at greater length. Here was the first one: QUESTION: Would you agree that the letter written to the Philippians was an original writing of Paul? The short answer is Yes – it is one of the undisputed Pauline letters. The longer answer is, well, complicated. Scholars have long adduced reasons for thinking that this letter of Paul was originally *two* letters (or parts of two letters) that were later spliced together into the one letter we have today. I explain the reasons for thinking so in my textbook, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. Here is what I say there. (If you want to follow the argument particularly […]
Tags: original text, Paul, Philippians
June 4, 2024
Is There Even Such a Thing as the “Original” Text of Philippians?
What would it even *mean* to say that we have an “original” letter of Paul to the Philippians? In my previous two posts I began answering a series of questions asked by a reader about how we got Paul’s letter to the Philippians. In my previous post I explained why some critical scholars maintain that the letter was originally two separate letters that have been spliced together. That obviously makes the next question the reader asked a bit more complicated than one might otherwise imagine. And it’s not the only complication. Here is the reader’s next question: QUESTION: Do you agree that the first copy of the letter written by Paul to the Philippians was also an original? RESPONSE: First off, my initial reaction that I gave a couple of posts ago still holds. I’m not exactly sure what the reader is asking. If he’s asking whether a copy of the original letter to Philippians is itself an original of Philippians, then the answer is no. It is not the original. It is a […]
Tags: original text, Paul, Philippians
June 5, 2024
An Early Christian Advocate of Licentious Living? Carpocrates — Guest Post by Dr. David Litwa
Here now is a second post on a, well, rather unusual and widely unknown Christian group, by guest blogger David Litwa, one of the most prolific scholars of New Testament and Early Christianity over the past ten years. David was a graduate student at Duke some years ago and took a couple of my PhD seminars over at UNC. He is now at Boston College. (See: M. David Litwa – School of Theology and Ministry – Boston College (bc.edu) Each of these posts is a tantalizing introduction to a (different) book he has written for a general audience. In this one he deals with a group, and its leader, with a steamy but, he argues, completely undeserved bad reputation in early Christianity. Let us know what you think! ****************************** Who was Carpocrates? Most early Christian writers depicted him as the founder of a licentious cult, a magician, and a practitioner of “pagan” rites. They said that his followers practiced indiscriminate sex at their communal dinners. Carpocrates, said his opponents, demanded that his followers engage in […]
June 18, 2024
A Bizarre “Gnostic” Religion: The Naassenes – Guest Post by Dr. David Litwa
I’m pleased to publish three posts by guest blogger David Litwa, one of the most prolific scholars of New Testament and Early Christianity over the past ten years. David was a graduate student at Duke some years ago and took a couple of my PhD seminars over at UNC. He is now at Boston College. (See: M. David Litwa – School of Theology and Ministry – Boston College (bc.edu) Each of these posts is a tantalizing introduction to a (different) book he has written for a general audience. This one starts off with a blast! Let us know what you think! ****************************** It is the only Christian group in antiquity to be accused of homosexual sex, of worshipping a snake, and of attending the mysteries of the Great Mother (Cybele). They worshiped God as Human, explored the Phrygian deity Attis as a manifestation of Jesus, and directly called themselves “gnostics.” They are known through a gossamer thread of tradition, a report preserved only in a worm-eaten medieval manuscript tucked away on Mount Athos, where no […]
June 11, 2024
The Arch-Heretic of Them All? Simon of Samaria — Guest Post From Dr. David Litwa
This now is the final guest post by David Litwa, one of the most prolific scholars of New Testament and Early Christianity over the past ten years. David was a graduate student at Duke some years ago and took a couple of my PhD seminars over at UNC. He is now at Boston College. (See: M. David Litwa – School of Theology and Ministry – Boston College (bc.edu) All of these posts are tantalizing introductions to (three different) books he has written for a general audience. This one is about one of the most infamous figures from the early church. But is his infamy deserved? Let us know what you think! ****************************** With Simon of Samaria, we enter the maelstrom, a Charybdis of confused and cacophonous incriminations, slanderous stories, and inimical innuendo. It seems that the man Simon existed—as much as any other figure in recorded history—but he has long since been swallowed in the abyss of myth and countermyth. Anti-Simon stories and reports begin to appear in the early to mid-second century CE. In […]
June 25, 2024
Platinums! Time to Upvote a Platinum Post!
You are unauthorized to view this page. Username Password Remember Me Forgot Password
Tags: Platinum
June 17, 2024
The Evolution of Jewish Monotheism–Platinum Post By Daniel Kohanski
You are unauthorized to view this page. Username Password Remember Me Forgot Password
Tags: Platinum
July 8, 2024
A Remembrance of John Shelby Spong–Platinum Post By Ray Zubler
You are unauthorized to view this page. Username Password Remember Me Forgot Password
Tags: Platinum
July 12, 2024
Does God Have Chromosomes? Guest Post by Douglas Wadeson, MD
What happens when a modern physician starts asking difficult questions of familiar biblical stories? Here is one answer: an intriguing post covering a topic that will not have occurred to most of us. Let’s think about how a Virgin Birth works when (now, unlike antiquity) we have a pretty good idea of how Births work in general. If God made Mary pregnant through the spirit, what does that have to say about the nature of Jesus’ at the biological level and, well, the chromosomes of God? This Platinum guest post is delivered to us courtesy of Platinum member Doug Wadeson. As I’ve mentioned, Platinum members can publish posts for other Platinum members, and they then vote on one to go to the blog at large. Doug won *twice* recently, so here’s the second one. I have to admit, HERE is something I never thought of before! But I don’t know, does it sound controversial to you? ****************************** Does God Have Chromosomes? Dr. Ehrman has many posts discussing the technical difficulties of the two birth stories […]
July 4, 2024