Bart D. Ehrman's Blog, page 172

The Number 666 in the Context of the Book of Revelation

In my previous posts, I have talked about the use of “gematria” in early Christianity – the interpretive technique that uses the numerical significance of letters of the alphabet to provide keys to the interpretation of words. It is almost a highly *creative* interpretation of words.  E.g.,  I have shown how gematria gets used on [...]

Interested in Volunteering for the Blog?

As the blog has developed and grown, administrative needs have increased, and we are all very fortunate indeed that there is a devoted group of Volunteers pitching in to make this a success.  We simply could not be doing this without them. Now with the launch of the new site, more opportunities and needs are [...]

Luke and Matthew at Odds: The Genealogies

I have devoted several posts to Matthew's genealogy, and I realized it's only fair for me to say something about Luke's as well.  As you may know, these are the only two Gospels -- in fact the only two books of the New Testament -- that provide an account of Jesus' birth and very young [...]

Another Unusual Feature of Matthew’s Genealogy: The Women!

Since I've started talking about Matthew's genealogy, I've decided to stick with it a bit longer.  Most of my students, when they pick up the New Testament and I have them start at the beginning, they begin with Matthew 1:1 and moan.  A genealogy?!?  Ugh. I tell them to get over it.   This thing is [...]

A Numerical Puzzle in Matthew’s Genealogy

I started this small thread in response to a question about the use of “gematria” in the New Testament, the ancient Jewish interpretive technique that uses the numerical value of letters to find deeper significance in the words they are found in.  If you did it in English, and  a = 1, b= 2 and [...]

Curiosities and Puzzles from the Very First Passage of the New Testament

Yesterday I was asked about the use of the Jewish interpretive procedure called gematria (the interpretation of words by the numerical value of their letters), and its use in the NT.  In that post, I explained how it worked.  Now I want to explain how it gets used in the NT.  As it turns out, [...]

Ancient Numerical Interpretations of the Bible

I have recently received this question about a very interesting and little known phenomenon in the New Testament. QUESTION: What is the use of the concept of Gematria? And was it used in the NT? RESPONSE:               Ah, the question is a bit tricky but pretty fascinating.  Gematria was an ancient Jewish way of interpreting [...]

Comments on the Blog

I’ve been getting very good feedback from users of the new blog site, and am naturally very pleased.  There are also a lot of new users now, reading, listening, and making comments.  Fantastic!  If you have any problems with the blog, please be sure to contact us.  Click the HELP button and you will see [...]

Why Do Some People Make Such Bad Arguments for the Superiority of their Religion?

Here now is the final post in my series of Favorite Posts from the Past.  We are now in year nine of the Blog, and this post came from earlier this year. Sometimes I am in a feisty mood when writing a post, especially when I am dealing with arguments that strike me as a [...]

Speaking Event This Thursday and Friday (4 lectures, remote)

I'm doing a four-lecture series related to my book Heaven and Hell, this Thursday and Friday evenings for the UNC Public Humanities Program;  I'll be doing them remotely from a studio in a local bookstore.   Both days it's a lecture at 5:00 and another at 7:00; the lecture will be 50-60 minutes then Q&A.   Interested [...]