Platinum Archives - The Bart Ehrman Blog

March 2025 Gold Q&A

Gold & Platinum Members, Our monthly Gold Q&A is here—your opportunity to submit your burning questions and have Bart answer them. What have you always wanted to know? Send in your questions at: [email protected] (Don’t ask them in the comments of this post – they won’t be included!) Remember, short, to-the-point questions will be given preference. We have limited time for Q&A, so do what you can to keep things concise. The March Q&A will take place on Sunday March 30th at 2pm EDT. If you can’t make the live recording, the session will be recorded as usual. We will send a link to the recording out via email within a day or two. The deadline for your question submission is Thursday March 27th, at 11:59pm (whenever that happens to land for you). Zoom Link to join the Q&A on March 30th: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85658751075?pwd=FP6pMwvc7qXjCu6qsKt2wk50QygzyX.1 Hope to see you there! P.S. - Are you looking for replays of previous months' Q&As? We're working on a long-term solution to make them easier to find. In the meantime, here's an inventory [...]

jennao2025-03-07T10:58:00-05:00March 6th, 2025|Public Forum|

Did Jesus Have a Near-Death Experience? – Platinum Post by Douglas Wadeson MD

There have been books written and at least one movie I know of that are based on the idea of near-death experiences. An NDE is an episode in which a person suffers some significant medical problem, like a heart attack or a drowning, and almost dies and has some sort of out-of-body experience or vision before being resuscitated. Let me put my cards on the table right at the start: there is really no such thing as a “near-death” experience; it is like saying a woman is “near-pregnant.” Either you are dead or you are not; pregnant or not. As a doctor I never told a woman, “Congratulations! You’re almost pregnant!” I think part of the problem is the term “dead,” or “death.” You might hear someone say, “I died on the operating table, but they brought me back.” What that person probably means is that his heart stopped for some period of time before being started back up again. Heart stoppage is not death. Stopping breathing, as in drowning, is not death. Cardiac surgeons [...]

jennao2025-02-26T09:43:25-05:00February 17th, 2025|Public Forum|

Q1 Platinum Webinar: The Mystery of the Beloved Disciple

Platinum blog members, it's time for our Quarterly Platinum Webinar! Mark your calendars – the live lecture will take place on Wednesday March 5th at 7:00pm Eastern. As always, if you are not able to attend live, the lecture will be recorded and distributed via email after the event. The topic for this quarter's lecture is: The Mystery of the Beloved Disciple NOTE: The live recording of this webinar has concluded. Please find the replay here: Ehrman Blog Q1 Platinum Webinar Replay

jennao2025-03-06T21:36:41-05:00February 14th, 2025|Public Forum|

Materialism, Personal Identity, and Resurrection: Part 2 – Platinum Post by Dennis J. Folds, Ph.D.

Materialism, Personal Identity, and Resurrection: Part 2 In part 1 of this post, I explored the link between a specific individual and the idea of the resurrection of that individual. I contrasted the Hebrew notion of the resurrection of the body and the Greek notion of the immortal soul. I found both to be rooted in the cosmology of the ancient world, almost impossible to express in modern terms. In this second part, I’ll see what I can do to relate the notion of resurrection to modern thought. Modern Science and Resurrection: Modern science – biology and psychology – are more aligned with the Hebrew viewpoint of what constitutes a person than the Greek. Although there is still a lot of uncertainty and debate about whether there is a non-physical answer that can explain consciousness, it is clear that consciousness has some sort of biological basis. (Consciousness is altered by biological phenomena such as sleep, coma, drugs, fatigue, and disease.) In this framework, no matter how consciousness is ultimately explained, the person cannot be defined [...]

jennao2025-02-06T09:21:05-05:00February 10th, 2025|Public Forum|

Materialism, Personal Identity, and Resurrection: Part 1 – Platinum Post by Dennis J. Folds, Ph.D.

In this two-part post I’ll explore the link between a biological reality (the human body), the identity of a specific individual, and what resurrection of that person might mean. In Part 1, I explore the link between personal identity and resurrection. In Part 2, I attempt to relate the notion of resurrection to modern thought, and offer my personal reflections. Sometimes when we think we are being clever, we consider the rhetorical question: In the resurrection, will I come back as myself in my prime? Surely I won’t be a newborn baby, or a toddler, or an adolescent, or a mixed-up teenager. And heaven knows I don’t want to be a demented octogenarian or whatever decrepit state I might be when I die. Will I be 24? 36? 48? Of course there’s no answer to that question. But it does pose the question of just who is this person that will be resurrected? Let’s consider a purely hypothetical subject called Bart. Physically, Bart was lots of things over the course of his life. From embryo [...]

jennao2025-02-06T09:22:16-05:00February 7th, 2025|Public Forum|

Gold Q&A for February!

Dear Gold & Platinum Members, It's time for another monthly Gold Q&A. You ask the questions, Bart answers them. Have any questions you've been itching to get answered? Submit them to: [email protected] (Don't ask them in the comments of this post – they won't be included!) Remember, short, to-the-point questions will be given preference. We have limited time for Q&A, so do what you can to keep things concise. The February Q&A will take place on Sunday February 16th at 2pm EDT. If you can't make the live recording, the session will be recorded as usual. We will send a link to the recording out via email within a day or two. The deadline for your question submission is Thursday February 13th, at 11:59pm (whenever that happens to land for you). Zoom Link to join the Q&A on Feb. 16th: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87378737327?pwd=LFnIl2BULniPf5hV4g71Uo8EUhrXLK.1 We are looking forward to it, as always!

jennao2025-01-30T18:22:36-05:00January 30th, 2025|Public Forum|

January 2025 Gold Q&A

Dear Gold Members, The New Year is upon us, and with it, another opportunity to get your questions answered by Bart. As you know, the monthly live Q&A session is one of the perks of your elevated status as a gold member of the blog. Mark your calendars! Bart will be recording the session live on Sunday January 19th at 2pm Eastern. Send your written questions to Jen at [email protected] and Bart will answer as many as he can live. The deadline to submit your question is midnight (in whatever time zone you’re in) Thursday January 16. (Note: This had originally been scheduled for 7pm EST but has been moved to 2pm EST.) The best questions are only a sentence of two long at most. Short and to-the-point questions will be given priority. You can join us live on Zoom on January 19th at this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81071242705?pwd=GVDmtI5XKlX0an8vxI6UJCpBNclqMm.1 We hope to see you there!

jennao2025-01-10T10:35:18-05:00December 26th, 2024|Public Forum|

Platinum Webinar for December: Topic TBD

Dear Platinum Members, It's time for our Quarterly Platinum Webinar. We have it scheduled for Thursday, December 5, 2023, at 8:00pm ET. The topic is TBD, but we will update you with that information ahead of the talk. For now, we wanted to give you the date, time, and link so you can mark it down on your calendar. As always, Bart will do a live presentation on the chosen topic and a Q&A session will follow the presentation. Here's the link to join on 12/5: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88666751578?pwd=SNxrJNrlD3elIHNrRkXzt4R5EmX9ej.1 We hope to see you there, but if you're not able to attend live, the event will be recorded. Jen

jennao2024-11-21T23:40:36-05:00November 21st, 2024|Public Forum|

December 2024 Gold Q&A – Get Your Questions Answered!

Hey Gold & Platinum Members, Bart will be recording the December Gold Q&A on Sunday December 1st at 4pm Eastern Time. Have any questions you've been eager to ask him? Ask anything related to the blog and Bart will do his best to answer. (Bonus points if you can stump him!) Send your questions over to Jen at [email protected]. DEADLINE: Get your question in by the end of the day on Wednesday 11/27 (whenever that is in your time zone). You are invited to join the recording of this session LIVE. Just use this Zoom link to join on Sunday December 1st at 4pm Eastern Time. (Jen will send out an email reminder with this information as well.) We hope to see you there!

jennao2024-11-20T14:57:34-05:00November 20th, 2024|Public Forum|

Could Moses Have Been Thutmose, the Overseer of Borderlands? Platinum Post by Serene

Here is a creative proposal for the true identity of Moses by Platinum Member Serene. She has a daring thesis! What do you think of it? Tell us your response and your views! And remember: you as a Platinum member not only get access to all Platinum posts written by other Platinums, but you also can write some yourself! You don't have to be thoroughly well-versed in the field to write one! Do you have any thoughts or ideas or curiosities you would like others to see and respond to? Send us a post!! ****************************** Egyptologist Jan Assman writes, "Three different interpretations have been proposed for this story [Moses' Exodus]. The first sees in it a legend that is a disguised remembrance of the Amarna period." [1] While many scholars view Moses as a mythical figure placed within a historical context (interpretation three), I suggest Thutmose, the Overseer of Borderlands among many other titles, whose career culminated during the Amarna period (14th century BCE). [2] Thutmose served Amenhotep III and then his radical [...]

Diane2024-10-27T19:47:38-04:00November 11th, 2024|Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Public Forum|

An Imagined Dialogue for the Dispute Between Paul & Barnabas in Acts Part 4 by Angus Nisbet

We come now to the final post by Angus Nisbet on the dispute recorded in the NT between Paul and Barnabas, in which he tries to reconstruct what may have really happened (covered up by the NT reporting). Is it possible that Barnabas actually lashed seriously into Paul and became his enemy? Is it possible that Paul's enmity with Jewish Christians is what ultimately led to his martyrdom? Read on! And Respond! And remember: you as a Platinum member not only get access to all Platinum posts written by other Platinums, but you also can write some yourself! You don't have to be thoroughly well-versed in the field to write one! Do you have any thoughts or ideas or curiosities you would like others to see and respond to? Send us a post!! ****************************** In this fourth post on an Imagined dialogue between Paul and Barnabas for their dispute mentioned in Acts 15: 37-40, Barnabas points out to Paul in the dialogue that Paul’s words about being all things to all people (1 Cor 9: [...]

Diane2024-10-30T10:10:49-04:00November 8th, 2024|Acts of the Apostles, Paul and His Letters, Public Forum|

November Gold Q&A: Ask Your Questions!

Update: Here is a link to the replay of this Q&A. Hey Golds and Platinums: Mark your calendars – we've got a monthly Gold Q&A coming up on Sunday November 17th at 7pm Eastern. If you can, join us for the live session—it’s a chance to dive into your burning questions and catch the conversation as it unfolds! Can’t make it live? Not to worry; the replay and audio will be available shortly afterward. You can join the live recording via Zoom using this link. Got a Question? Send it to [email protected], and Jen will compile and send me the list. Remember, brevity is key—short, focused questions will rise to the top! Question Deadline: Thursday, November 14th, by 11:59pm (whenever that occurs in your time zone). (Note: We'll send out reminders in the Friday Recap emails leading up to the 17th.) Looking forward to another lively round of inquiries and insights!

jennao2024-11-21T12:46:11-05:00November 4th, 2024|Public Forum|

An Imagined Dialogue for the Dispute Between Paul & Barnabas in Acts Part 3 by Angus Nisbet

Now we come to the third of four posts by Platinum member Angus Nisbet on the dispute between Paul and Barnabas recorded in the book of Acts, where he maintains that Mark (as in John Mark, allegedly the author of the Gospel!) was a spy who ratted Paul out. And it involves a connection with the Essenes who produced the Dead Sea Scrolls. Whoa! Check it out and tell us what you think! Remember: you as a Platinum member not only get access to all Platinum posts written by other Platinums, but you also can write some yourself! You don't have to be thoroughly well-versed in the field to write one! Do you have any thoughts or ideas or curiosities you would like others to see and respond to? Send us a post!! ****************************** In this third post on the Imagined dialogue between Paul and Barnabas for their dispute mentioned in Acts 15: 37-40, the dialogue uses verses from Paul’s letter to the Galatians in which Paul attacks those whom he refers to as false [...]

Diane2024-10-30T10:11:34-04:00November 4th, 2024|Acts of the Apostles, Paul and His Letters, Public Forum|

An Imagined Dialogue for the Dispute Between Paul & Barnabas in Acts Part 2 by Angus Nisbet

Here Angus Nisbet continues his discussion of Paul and Barnabas and the dispute they had, where he gets into more fascinating issues, involving what might lie behind the dispute and how non-canonical writings that did not make it into the NT might help us figure it out. There are some controversial views here. What do you think? Remember: you as a Platinum member not only get access to all Platinum posts written by other Platinums, but you also can write some yourself! You don't have to be thoroughly well-versed in the field to write one! Do you have any thoughts or ideas or curiosities you would like others to see and respond to? Send us a post!! ******************************* In this second post on the imagined dialogue between Paul and Barnabas for their dispute mentioned in Acts 15: 37-40, I begin the first of 3 sections of the dispute dialogue, in which of Paul’s responses to Barnabas make use of Paul’s actual writings from his New Testament letters. In this first section of the imagined dialogue, [...]

Diane2024-10-27T19:37:06-04:00November 1st, 2024|Acts of the Apostles, Paul and His Letters, Public Forum|

An Imagined Dialogue for the Dispute Between Paul & Barnabas in Acts Part I by Angus Nisbet

Here is the first of a four-post thread for Platinum members by long-standing Platinum member Angus Nisbet. It is a terrifically imaginative discussion of Paul and Barnabas (focused on the book of Acts) that touches on a wide range of issues that we deal with a lot on the blog -- Paul's conflict with other apostles such as James; the views of Christ and salvation dominant among the earliest Jewish followers of Jesus; early Christian Gnosticism; the reliability of the book of Acts; and ... more! Angus will be interested in your feedback, and so will I! Remember: you as a Platinum member not only get access to all Platinum posts written by other Platinums, but you also can write some yourself! You don't have to be thoroughly well-versed in the field to write one! Do you have any thoughts or ideas or curiosities you would like others to see and respond to? Send us a post!! ****************************** This first post is an introduction to a series of 3 further posts, in which I have [...]

Diane2024-10-30T10:13:05-04:00October 28th, 2024|Acts of the Apostles, Paul and His Letters, Public Forum|

October 2024 Gold Q&A Replay

Gold & Platinum Members, Thank you so much for submitting your questions and attending the live Q&A yesterday. For those of you who were not able to attend the Q&A live, the replay is ready and available for your viewing. Please find the replay at this link: October 2024 Gold Member Q&A Replay Mark your calendars now. November's Gold Q&A live recording is scheduled for Sunday November 17th at 7pm ET. We will send out a reminder and a link to attend live as we get closer to the date. We hope you enjoy the replay and look forward to seeing you next month! Jen

jennao2024-10-21T13:23:21-04:00October 21st, 2024|Public Forum|

October Gold Q&A – Get Your Questions Answered!

Gold & Platinum Members, Your moment is here—get ready to fire off those questions for the October Gold Q&A! If all goes according to plan, Bart will be recording on October 20 at 7-8pm ET, with the replay dropping later that week. Got something simmering on your mind, or maybe a curiosity brewing? Now’s your chance to ask anything related to the blog. Bart will give it his best shot! How to submit: Shoot your questions over to [email protected], and we will gather them all up for Bart. Deadline: Make sure to send your questions by Friday October 18, 2023—just before midnight (whatever that means in your time zone). Pro tip: Keep it short and sharp! The clearer and more focused your question, the better chance it has of being featured. And hey—zingers are always appreciated! You can join the meeting here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85000509720?pwd=qcT3gyDXphxPii5dVHlSmUTuaGpebJ.1 Looking forward to it!

jennao2024-10-18T10:19:53-04:00October 12th, 2024|Public Forum|

Platinum Webinar for October: “The Literacy of Jesus: Could the Christian Savior Read and Write?”

Dear Platinum Members, If you missed the live session of this quarter's Platinum Webinar, fear not. We have recorded the talk and it is now available for you to view. This webinar addressed The Literacy of Jesus: Could the Christian Savior Read and Write? Bart covers a lot of fascinating ground in this talk, including: Why this topic is even a question. Context around literacy in ancient societies. What the Bible says (and doesn't say) about Jesus reading and writing. ...and so much more. Please enjoy the lecture here: Platinum Webinar: The Literacy of Jesus (October 2024) Hope to see you next time! -Jen

jennao2024-10-10T10:38:35-04:00October 9th, 2024|Platinums, Public Forum|

Platinum Webinar: Could Jesus Read and Write?

Dear Platinum Members, Our next Quarterly Platinum Webinar is set for Wednesday, October 9, 2023, at 7:30 pm ET. For this talk, I’ll be tackling a question that has been widely debated among scholars and enthusiasts alike: Could Jesus read and write? While many have pondered this over the years, the scholarly evidence and interpretations are far from settled, and there’s more to the story than you might expect. I’ll explore the latest research and perspectives, followed by a Q&A and discussion, where we can really unpack the topic together. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Here's the Zoom link: Quarterly Platinum Webinar I hope to see you there. Bart

jennao2024-09-26T22:02:57-04:00September 26th, 2024|Public Forum|

Gold Q&A: Ask Your Questions!

Hey Golds and Platinums: It's that time again — the moment you've been waiting for: the September Gold Q&A is just around the corner! If all goes according to plan, I'll be recording it next weekend. Got a question on your mind? Whether it’s big, small, or somewhere in between, send it my way and I’ll do my best to tackle it. Send your questions to [email protected], and Jen will compile and send me the list. DEADLINE: Get your question in by 11:59pm Thursday September 26 (whenever that is in your time zone). Concise, direct questions stand the best chance of being answered — and if you’ve got a zinger, even better!

jennao2024-09-20T17:03:01-04:00September 20th, 2024|Public Forum|

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