Bart D. Ehrman's Blog, page 112

Problems in the Gospels–How do YOU Talk to Believers About Them? What Do You Think?

I recently received this query by a blog member, and it's a question I often get, both on the blog and off.  I'm hoping that maybe you yourself have some wisdom on it.  How do you talk about historical and literary problems (contradictions!) of the Gospels to people who are convinced the Bible has no [...]

The post Problems in the Gospels–How do YOU Talk to Believers About Them? What Do You Think? appeared first on The Bart Ehrman Blog.

Writings of the Apostles in the Canon of the New Testament

How did we get the twenty-seven books of the New Testament?  And why?  I’m in the middle of a thread that is meant to provide a *sketch* of how it happened; I’ll be writing a book on the question, and these are my preliminary thoughts about the topics that I’ll be covering, one at a [...]

The post Writings of the Apostles in the Canon of the New Testament appeared first on The Bart Ehrman Blog.

I’m Doing a Speaking Event in Waynesville Next Week!

Interested in coming to hear me give a talk/book reading?  It’s next Tuesday, August 26, in Waynesville NC.  All proceeds go to the local Indie, Blue Ridge Books, a terrific bookstore that managed to survive the crisis.  I hope you can come!  

The post I’m Doing a Speaking Event in Waynesville Next Week! appeared first on The Bart Ehrman Blog.

The Birth of (the Messiah?) John the Baptist? Anniversary Guest Post by James F. McGrath

I continue now with a post that was produced for us by a fellow scholar in celebration of the ten-year anniversary of the blog.  James McGrath has made several intriguing posts for us, and this one is particularly interesting.  Is it possible that stories about Jesus -- especially in the birth narratives were *originally* told [...]

The post The Birth of (the Messiah?) John the Baptist? Anniversary Guest Post by James F. McGrath appeared first on The Bart Ehrman Blog.

Why Did Christians Even Need a Canon of Scripture?

In my previous posts on how we got the canon of the New Testament I’ve discussed several books allegedly written by Peter – one that got into the New Testament (2 Peter); one that came close to getting in (the Apocalypse of Peter – the one that gives Peter’s first-hand description of heaven and hell; [...]

The post Why Did Christians Even Need a Canon of Scripture? appeared first on The Bart Ehrman Blog.

Reminder: Ask Me Anything! Tomorrow! (Wed. Aug. 17).

Have you signed up yet?  See the annoucement below.  I hope you can come! ******************* We will be holding a blog fundraiser, donations voluntary, on Wednesday August 17, 8:00 - 9:15 PM Eastern Time.   It will be an Ask Bart Anything.  Any question on any topic is welcome.  If I am unable to answer, I [...]

The post Reminder: Ask Me Anything! Tomorrow! (Wed. Aug. 17). appeared first on The Bart Ehrman Blog.

Is That One a Difference or a Contradiction?

In my previous post I began discussing the difference between differences and contradictions.  I see contradictions as a kind of difference, one that cannot be reconciled.  Some statements are just different:  Jimmy Carter was a peanut farmer; Jimmy Carter was president.  Different but not mutually exclusive.  Others are contradictory: Jimmy Carter became president in 1976; [...]

The post Is That One a Difference or a Contradiction? appeared first on The Bart Ehrman Blog.

The Difference Between Differences and Contradictions

There is a difference between a difference and a contradiction.   A difference can be reconciled; a contradiction cannot.  The trick is figuring out which is which. That’s obviously a big issue when it comes to reading the Gospels of the New Testament.  There are many, many differences, and there are also contradictions.  Some readers claim [...]

The post The Difference Between Differences and Contradictions appeared first on The Bart Ehrman Blog.

Critical Scholarship from a Sophisticated Faith Perspective. Blog Anniversary Guest Post by Judy Yates Siker

This incredibly thoughtful guest contribution by Judy Yates Siker is part of an ongoing series I'm posting in honor of the tenth anniversary of the blog.   All the guest posts in the series are by serious scholars who have provided us with us with guest posts before, over the years; one of the striking features [...]

The post Critical Scholarship from a Sophisticated Faith Perspective. Blog Anniversary Guest Post by Judy Yates Siker appeared first on The Bart Ehrman Blog.

An Equally Strange View of the Crucifixion

Yesterday I posted about the Coptic Apocalypse of Peter, which clearly differentiated between the man Jesus and the spiritual being, the Christ, who inhabited him temporarily – leaving him at his suffering and death since the divine cannot suffer and die.  That understanding of Jesus Christ is sometimes called "docetic," but strictly speaking that's not [...]

The post An Equally Strange View of the Crucifixion appeared first on The Bart Ehrman Blog.