Bart D. Ehrman's Blog, page 189

Where Did the Gospel of John Get Its Stories?

In my previous two posts Ive talked about how John is very different from the other three Gospels, the Synoptics both in the stories it tells and the way it tells them.  That leads to the natural question.  Where did John (whoever the author was) get his stories from?   Its widely assumed he didnt make them all up and he certainly didnt make up the ones found in other Gospels, since they were written before him.   Then where did his stories come from?

Did Some of them the ones they have in...

Fresh Air Interview for Heaven and Hell: Airing Tuesday!

As most of you know, my new book Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife, is due to come out in two days, on Tuesday March 31.  I am very lucky to say that I have done an interview with Terry Gross for Fresh Air that will be playing  that day.  If youre not familiar with the show, it is probably the premier interview radio program in the country, with millions of listeners; it will be playing on your local NPR station and, of course, can be listened to online.  Check it out at ...

Is This the Same Jesus? John and the Synoptics (part 2)

In yesterdays post I began to show how vastly different the Gospel of John is in comparison with the Synoptics, purely in terms of contents.  What is even more striking are the differences when when John and the Synoptics contain the same kinds of stories (e.g., miracles; teachings; passion narrative).  This is where you can see how the portrayal of Jesus is REALLY different in the fourth Gospel (something no one can see if they simply assume theyre all saying the same thing and all have the...

Comparing John and the Synoptics

I am about to embark on a very long thread, on the Gospel and epistles of John.   As many of you know, my colleague, Hugo Mendez, assistant professor of New Testament and early Christianity at UNC, has started publishing on a major project involving the Johannine Community.  That phrase will not mean a lot to many of you.  To New Testament scholars it means volumes.  In fact there *have* been volumes written about it.   It is almost certainly the most important view about the Gospel of John...

Christians Against Christians: Already In the New Testament

Ive long been intrigued by the fact I think its a fact that the people we get in the BIGGEST fights with are those closest to us: spouses, siblings, parents, good friends.  Sometimes we fight with others, of course.  But its those closest to us that really seem to annoy us.  Which of us has not had situations get completely out of hand?

That has made some people wonder about the New Testament.  For example, Jesus main opponents during his ministry are with the Pharisees.  Is that because he...

Did Paul Really Have *That* Exalted a View of Jesus?

With this post I plan to end the rather long-running thread that began with a basic question several blog members asked me.   Some weeks ago I was posting on the unusually important Christ Poem of Philippians 2:6-11, where Paul appears to be quoting a poem about Christ, composed earlier and probably by someone other than himself, in which Christ is said to have been a pre-existent divine being who gave up his divine status to become a human and suffer and die, who was then, as a result,...

How To Begin with Heaven and Hell: An Excerpt

My new book is coming out next week March 31.   Very exciting, even if it is coming out at the absolute worst time in modern history to publish a book that is not about either Donald or Disease.   But still, Im excited.  And very oddly (I just checked) (OK, really, I dont check every day; its been some weeks), it is now the top new release on Amazon on the topic of reincarnation!  HA!!  What a scream.

OK, theres not a lot of competition there in the reincarnation market, and even more odd,...

Hard Times and Using the Blog for Charity

Some people maybe a lot of people dont think its the right time for a good sense of humor.  I have the opposite view.  I think very hard times are the best times.  But Ill never be as good at it as my dad.

When he was on his death bed in 1989, cancer metastasized flippin everywhere, he could barely get out of bed.  I was with him in the hospital.  He needed to use the toilet and insisted on going to it (instead of taking the obvious hospital option).  It took him about 10 minutes to sit up...

More Free Memberships to the Blog Available

These are trying times.  But here is a bit of good news, especially for those having a tough go of it.  Thanks to the incredible ongoing generosity of members of the blog, there are still a limited number of free one-year memberships available.   These have been donated for a single purpose: to allow those who cannot afford the annual membership fee to participate on the blog for a year.   I will assign these memberships strictly on the honor system: if you truly cannot afford the membership...

Heaven and Hell Pre-order Offer: Still Valid!!

Pre-order your Heaven and Hell!  So to speak.

Despite the current crisis, my new book Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife will still be available on March 31 less than two weeks! Want a great deal on it?  Have more time on your hands than you anticipated?  If you pre-order the book you can (still) get an unusually substantial discount on any of my courses from The Great Courses.

This would be a very good time indeed for all of us to stock up on Great Courses courses.  As you may...