Bart D. Ehrman's Blog, page 25

Twelve Days of Christmas Day 9: A Key Contradiction in the Birth Narratives of Jesus

Here now is the ninth of my twelve favorite Christmas posts of years gone by, in our celebration of the Twelve Days of Christmas. This one comes from 2018. ****************************** Let’s explore the key contradiction in the Birth Narratives of Jesus. Several readers have asked about my comment that Matthew and Luke appear to contradict each [...]

The post Twelve Days of Christmas Day 9: A Key Contradiction in the Birth Narratives of Jesus appeared first on The Bart Ehrman Blog.

Twelve Days of Christmas Day 8: Why Was Jesus Born of a Virgin in Matthew and Luke?

Here now is the eighth of my twelve favorite Christmas posts of years gone by, in our celebration of the Twelve Days of Christmas. This one is from 2014. ****************************** A few days ago I raised the question of why anyone should think that you have to believe in the Virgin Birth in order to be a Christian.  [...]

The post Twelve Days of Christmas Day 8: Why Was Jesus Born of a Virgin in Matthew and Luke? appeared first on The Bart Ehrman Blog.

Twelve Days of Christmas Day 7: The Birth of Jesus in Luke

Here now is the seventh of my twelve favorite Christmas posts of years gone by, in our celebration of the Twelve Days of Christmas. ****************************** As I’ve indicated, it is only Matthew and Luke that tell the tales of the infancy narrative, and the annual “Christmas Pageant” that so many of us grew up seeing is in [...]

The post Twelve Days of Christmas Day 7: The Birth of Jesus in Luke appeared first on The Bart Ehrman Blog.

Twelve Days of Christmas Day 6: Why Does Matthew Have the Story of the “Wise Men”?

Here now is the sixth of my twelve favorite Christmas posts of years gone by, in our celebration of the Twelve Days of Christmas. ****************************** QUESTION: My Bible group had a good time yesterday comparing Matthew's and Luke’s accounts of the Christmas story. One question that came up was why would Matthew relate the story of [...]

The post Twelve Days of Christmas Day 6: Why Does Matthew Have the Story of the “Wise Men”? appeared first on The Bart Ehrman Blog.

Twelve Days of Christmas Day 5: Matthew’s Version of the Birth of Jesus

Here now is the fifth of my twelve favorite Christmas posts of years gone by, in our celebration of the Twelve Days of Christmas. ****************************** Yesterday’s blog was about the account of Jesus’ birth in Luke; today I talk about Matthew. Even a casual reading shows that these are two very different accounts. Matthew has nothing [...]

The post Twelve Days of Christmas Day 5: Matthew’s Version of the Birth of Jesus appeared first on The Bart Ehrman Blog.

Twelve Days of Christmas Day 4: O Little Town of Nazareth?

Here now is the fourth of my twelve favorite Christmas posts of years gone by, in our celebration of the Twelve Days of Christmas. ****************************** On several occasions on the blog I have discussed the similarities and differences between the accounts of Jesus’ birth in Matthew and Luke (Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2), most recently, I think, [...]

The post Twelve Days of Christmas Day 4: O Little Town of Nazareth? appeared first on The Bart Ehrman Blog.

Twelve Days of Christmas Day 3: A Different Account of Joseph and Mary!

Here now is the third of my twelve favorite Christmas posts of years gone by, in our celebration of the Twelve Days of Christmas. ****************************** As we move to the Christmas season, I thought it would be interesting to post some extracts on one of the most popular Gospels in the Middle Ages, an account of [...]

The post Twelve Days of Christmas Day 3: A Different Account of Joseph and Mary! appeared first on The Bart Ehrman Blog.

Twelve Days of Christmas Day 2: The Myth of the First Christmas

Here now is the second of my twelve favorite Christmas posts of years gone by, in our celebration of the Twelve Days of Christmas. *********************** Once more the season is come upon us. At its heart stands a tale of two-thousand year vintage, the Christmas story. Or perhaps we should say the Christmas myth. When Post-Enlightenment [...]

The post Twelve Days of Christmas Day 2: The Myth of the First Christmas appeared first on The Bart Ehrman Blog.

A Cruise This Summer: From Athens to Venice. Interested?

I’m happy to announce another trip I’ll be doing come summertime, June 5 - 14, 2025, a cruise that goes from Athens to Venice.  Wanna come?  It’s an unusually good itinerary to some incredible spots, and I’ll be lecturing and hanging out with everyone who comes. The brochure for the trip is below, and here [...]

The post A Cruise This Summer: From Athens to Venice. Interested? appeared first on The Bart Ehrman Blog.

Twelve Days of Christmas Day 1: From a Historical View

The Twelve Days of Christmas!  I’d like to honor the tradition by giving twelve of my favorite Christmas-themed posts over lo these many years the blog has been in existence.  I am not ranking them in any particular way as a countdown to my #1 favorite, much as the famous English Christmas Carol itself.  Speaking [...]

The post Twelve Days of Christmas Day 1: From a Historical View appeared first on The Bart Ehrman Blog.