Bart D. Ehrman's Blog, page 76

The Lost Gospel of Basilides

I sometimes get asked about "lost Gospels" -- Gospels that we know at one time did exist (because they are mentioned and sometimes even discussed by ancient authors)  but that, alas, exist no more.  I dealt with this question on the blog many moons ago, and I regret to say that in the interim, the [...]

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The Road from the “Duo of Philo” to the “Trinity of Nicaea”–Guest Post by Omar Robb

As you know, blog members at the Platinum level are allowed to publish posts on any topic of their choosing (related to blog interests!) to other Platinum members.   After a month or so, the other Platinums vote on which one can appear on the blog at large.  If you yourself are interested in getting in [...]

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Did Paul Get Along with the Other Apostles?

I mentioned in my previous posts that there are discrepancies between Paul’s letters and the book of Acts in both major and minor ways, and in my last post I dealt with some differences that appear when one looks closely at the details (the issue I addressed: what does Paul do immediately upon his conversion).  [...]

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After Paul Converted… Does the Book of Acts Contradict Paul Himself?

Is the account of Paul's life in Acts at odds with what Paul says himself?  If not, are the stories in Acts just invented out of whole cloth? Some people who responded to my previous post on the historical trustworthiness of the book of Acts suggested that maybe its author “Luke” (we don’t know the [...]

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Was Paul Authorized to Persecute Christians?

Who gave Paul the authority to persecute Christians?  The book of Acts suggests it was the authorities in Jerusalem.  Can that be right?  In fact, is Acts right in what it says about Paul generally? The questions matter:  Acts provides our oldest surviving narrative description of the first thirty years of Christianity, and the only [...]

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Was Abraham “Just Plain Nuts?” A Platinum Post by Douglas Wadeson MD

Here is an unusually challenging post that deals directly with one of the major religious/ethical problems of the entire Bible.  The focus is Abraham, a central figure for the three major monotheistic religions of the world that are together followed by over half the humans on the planet.  But is Abraham actually a commendable figure [...]

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Can the Qur’an and Early Islam Be Studied Critically (Like the NT and Early Christianity?) Guest Post by Stephen Shoemaker

Why don’t scholars engage in a historical-critical study of the Qur’an the way they do with the New Testament and the Hebrew Bible?   I get asked this kind of thing all the time – with variations: “Where can I find a scholarly discussion the critical problems with the Qur’an like scholars publish about the Bible [...]

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Did the Curtain in the Temple Really Rip in Half at Jesus’ Crucifixion?

Did the curtain in the temple really rip in half when Jesus died?  That’s what the Gospels say.  But can it be true? [[RECALL, in case you haven’t been reading each of the posts in this thread: I’ve been trying to show how experts in the phenomenon of “memory” can help us reflect on the [...]

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Was Jesus an Ascetic Street Preacher or a Man With a Plan? A Platinum Post From Omar Robb

In this post Platinum guest poster Omar Robb takes on one of the key questions anyone must grapple with in studying the New Testament: how are we to understand the activities and mission of Jesus?  Feel free to comment with your own views! ****************************** I am going here to generate a story (a made-up story) [...]

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Did The Twelve Become Only Three? Platinum post by Douglas Wadeson MD

As you know, Platinum members on the blog are allowed to publish posts for other Platinum members, who then vote on one to be included on the entire blog.  I'm pleased to publish this guest post by Douglas Wadeson, on an unusually intriguing and important topic.  Did Jesus twelve disciples stay committed to the movement [...]

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