Bart D. Ehrman's Blog, page 21

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, [...]

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Why Assume the Synoptic Gospels Were COPYING One Another (and Other Sources)?

Why couldn't Matthew, Mark, and Luke just have the same stories?  Why do we have to assume someone was copying someone else's? In yesterday’s post,  I simply stated that copying must have been going on to explain the literary relationship among Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the Synoptic Gospels, since they have so many similarities: they [...]

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The Synoptic Problem: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Who’s Zoomin Who?

Why are Matthew, Mark, and Luke are so similar to each other and yet have so many differences, lots of them minor but some of them significant? In my previous posts I’ve given “Nutshell” explanations of each of these Gospels.  Before moving on to John – which is remarkably different in many ways from these [...]

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Bart Ehrman and Kevin Grant – The Apocalypse: Literal or Metaphor?

A while back blog member Kevin Grant and I did a recorded interview on the teachings of Jesus about the coming apocalypse.  Did he really mean it?  Are we supposed to take it literally?  How can readers understand the dire predictions?   Here is the video! Kevin is the author of What the Hell is Hell?  [...]

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Is the Gospel of Luke Anti-Jewish?

If Luke is the most "gentile" Gospel, is it also "anti-Jewish"? In my earlier post on "The Gospel of Luke in a Nutshell," I argued that Luke, more than the other Gospels, went out of its way to portray Jesus as a great prophet (like Samuel, like Elijah, etc.).  In part, in Luke’s understanding, that [...]

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The Gospel of Luke: For Further Reading

Now that I’ve devoted two posts to the major sine qua non of Luke's Gospel – one that lays out its major themes and emphases, the other that deals with who wrote it, when, and why, I can provide some suggestions for further reading, important works written by scholars for non-scholars.   I have given brief [...]

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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: ehrmanblog@gmail.com (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 [...]

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The Gospel of Luke: Who Wrote It? When? And Why?

Everyone says that the Gospel of Luke was written by … Luke!  Do we know if that’s true?  Whether Luke or not, do we know when he wrote it?  And why did he want/need to do so?  Now that I’ve summarized the major themes and emphases of the Gospel we can delve into these equally [...]

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The Gospel of Luke in a Nutshell

If you already have Matthew and Mark, why would you need Luke?  Aren't they all the same? Nope. Next question:  do you know these Gospels very well?  If not, AOK:  Keep reading!  If so – see if you can summarize the themes and emphases of Luke in one sentence (say, 50 words) in a way [...]

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Mark’s Messianic Secret

In my previous posts I have pointed out that the Gospel of Mark  (unlike the other Gospels) portrays Jesus as trying to keep his messiahship a secret.  He doesn’t allow the demons to identify him when he casts them out; when he heals people he strictly instructs them not to tell anyone; he teaches his [...]

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