Bart D. Ehrman's Blog, page 7

A Hiatus in My Responses

Dear Fellow Bloggers! I want to let you know that I will not be able to respond to comments this week (or a bit more: July 21-28).  BUT, the blog itself will be going along swimmingly.  I've queued up all the posts for the week , you can make all the comments you want as [...]

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The Death of Peter

In my previous post I discussed the legendary account (the earliest we have) of the martyrdom of Paul.  In it I mentioned as well the martyrdom of Peter (also legendary, though better known) (many people have heard he was crucified “upside-down”), and realized I may as well post on that as well, since I’ll certainly [...]

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The Death of Paul

I sometimes get asked (once just a few days ago) about what we can say about Paul's death. We don't have any historical records (i.e., historically reliable accounts), but there is one relatively early reference to it and an intriguing legend from about a century after the event, whenever and however it happened. [...]

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Some Readers’ Questions and Responses

Here are some of the intriguing questions I have recently received from blog members.  The first one includes a reply to my response and my response to that reply.  Enjoy!   QUESTION: Have you considered the angle that Jesus may have been a revolutionary Essene?  This would explain his outward orientation instead of inward.  I [...]

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Paul’s Letter to the Romans “At a Glance,” and Questions for Reflection

Now that I have finished this subthread on the letters of Paul in a nutshell, I'd like to provide brief summaries of the various Pauline writings (both "undisputed" and deutero-Pauline).  These posts will be quick and to the point.  In them I reproduce my overviews called "At a Glance" for each letter that I give [...]

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The Transformation of Paul’s Teaching: The Apocalypse of Paul

In my previous post I began to discuss the non-canonical Apocalypse of Paul, a legendary tale that describes what Paul saw when he had his vision after being taken up to the “third heaven”  (see 2 Corinthians 12:1-6).  He was actually taken to see what was experienced by the dead in the afterlife.  For some [...]

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Fundamentalist Apologists, Christian and Mythicist

As I’ve been reading in preparation for my course on July 19, “Did Jesus Really Exist” (a freebie!  Check it out at https://courses.bartehrman.com/did-je.... )  another thought occurred to me, about the similarities between “mythicist” writers (those supporting the idea that Jesus of Nazareth never did exist) and conservative Christian apologists.  They seem to have a [...]

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Did Jesus Exist? Why I Don’t Enjoy Reading the Mythicists

I’ve been doing some reading in preparation for a two-lecture on-line course called “Did Jesus Really Exist” scheduled for July 19.   You can find out about it here: https://courses.bartehrman.com/did-je....  It’s a freebie, so, well, feel free to get it for free! Even though I'm pumped to do this course, and I don’t really much enjoy [...]

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July 2025 Gold Q&A

Gold & Platinum Members, As you know, one of your membership perks is the ability to submit your questions to Bart for him to answer in a live monthly Q&A. So...what's on your mind? Send in your questions at: ehrmanblog@gmail.com (Don’t ask them in the comments of this post – they won’t be included!) Remember, [...]

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Submit Your Platinum Post Vote!

Platinum Members, It’s time once again to cast your vote. One of the great perks of Platinum membership is the chance to shape what the whole blog community reads. Below, you’ll find four thought-provoking guest posts written by fellow Platinum members. Read through, reflect, and choose the one you believe deserves the spotlight. The winning [...]

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