Loading...
A couple of weeks ago I posted a debate that I had with Craig Evans, an evangelical Christian New Testament scholar. That debate was held at Saint Mary’s University in Nova Scotia. The next night we had a second debate — on the same topic (!) but in a different location, at Acadia University, where Craig currently teaches in the Acadia Divinity College. The topic, again, was “Does the New Testament Present a Historically Reliable Portrait of Jesus.”
I was hesitant to post this debate on the blog, since it’s on the same topic as the other one. But I watched it and saw that I actually make my case differently this time, as does he. So, what the heck — you can start watching it and if it sounds like old hat, you can stop! But in a way it’s interesting how we changed our presentations, in no small measure because we had heard the night before what they other guy was going to argue….
Please adjust gear icon for 720p High-Definition:
See first video here: https://ehrmanblog.org/video-jesus-interrupted-commonwealth-club/
Bart… Did you by any chance debate some scholar from the Catholic camp? Some day I would like to hear what you think about Catholics. My Cathjolic friends tell me that for you it is easy to debate (fundamentalist) Evangelical scholars, but not Catholic ones. I don’t agree, but would be glad to read your thought about that, or see a good debate. Thnx!
I’m not sure what we’d debate! But I’m always open to invitations. (I never set these things up myself)
I enjoyed it, but I confess I don’t remember enough from the previous face-off to know how either of you changed your emphases.
The day after viewing it, I find myself asking, “Does Dr. Evans believe Jesus is God?” Since I wasn’t thinking about that last night, I may have missed something that answered that question, one way or the other.
Here’s what I’m getting at. I was intrigued by his willingness to allow the *possibility* of miracles taking place in non-Christian settings. It wasn’t clear to me whether he thought it possible that humans possessed those powers in themselves (a paranormal rather than supernatural explanation), or that the one true God might respond to non-Christian pleas for help. Either way, he’d be denying that Jesus was “special,” unique in history in the miracles he could perform. That would be no problem if he thinks of Jesus merely as a preacher whose message he believes in – but a big problem if he believes Jesus is God.
Yes, I believe that Craig Evans does think Jesus is God.
i am confused about something ,i ve always thought that Christians believe that the bible is word of God and that the holy spirit inspired the the bible writers including the gospels writers and they wrote down what he said
i feel when i watched this debate that neither you nor Craig Evans support this idea, i feel that Mark Luke John and Matthew were writers who depend on sources and other things and are not directly inspired by the Holy Ghost
my question is How do Christians scholars or Christians in general see the bible? do they believe its an inspiration by God to the writers ? or just stories written by disciples or prophets ?
I’m not a Christian. But those who are Christian have very many different beliefs about the Bible, not just one belief.