Bart D. Ehrman's Blog, page 77

📢 Help Wanted: Join Bart Ehrman Professional Services as a Writer/Editor!

Are you a talented, educated, and skilled writer or editor with a passion for Biblical and Christian studies? We're excited to announce an opportunity to contribute to bartehrman.com, Bart’s other prominent website with thousands of readers. We're ramping up our content production and need your expertise! Bartehrman.com serves as Bart's professional website, offering online courses, [...]

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Did Pilate Really Release A Dangerous Criminal, Barabbas, at Jesus’ Trial?

Is it true that at Jesus’ trial, the Roman governor Pontius Pilate tried to get him off the hook by offering to let him loose, according to his annual custom, but that the Jewish crowd insist that he release to them Barabbas instead, a serious criminal? [[RECALL, in case you haven’t been reading each of [...]

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Were Jesus Followers Really Armed and Dangerous in the Garden of Gethsemane?

Can it be true that Jesus’ followers were armed when Jesus was arrested, and that they put up a fight to defend him, as indicated in the Gospels?  Did Jesus’ disciples believe in armed engagement with the enemy?  Did Jesus???   [[RECALL, in case you haven’t been reading each of the posts in this thread:  [...]

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The Slippery Slope of Extreme DIAKRISIS (Discernment). A Platinum Post by Barry Haney

Here is a creative and imaginative Platinum guest post that explores key religious differences among various traditions in the early period of the church, through a plausible (fictional) conversation.   So, in 200 CE, a pagan, a Jew, and a Christian come into a wine bar.... These are some intriguing reflections.  What do you think? ****************************** [...]

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Did Jesus Really Cleanse the Temple?

In all the Gospels Jesus enters into the temple in Jerusalem and becomes enraged by what he sees there.  He overturns tables and drives merchants out and shuts down the operation.  Could this actually have happened?  Or is it an exaggerated – or completely invented – account?   [[RECALL, in case you haven’t been reading [...]

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Away from life for a while

     I'm sorry (well happy) to say that I'm on a meditation retreeat this week, until June 24, in a remote part of Merry Ole, walking (aka hiking) and thinking deep thoughts. I will be almost entirely incommunicado as I reflect on reality and try to figure out my life....      I've set up posts [...]

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Did the Triumphal Entry Really Happen?

Did Jesus really come into Jerusalem on a donkey to the acclamations of the crowd welcoming him as the coming messiah?  Or is that a distorted understanding of what happened?   [[In this thread of posts I’ve been trying to show how experts in the phenomenon of “memory” can help us reflect on the Gospel [...]

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June Gold Q&A

Dear Goldies & Plats, Our monthly Gold Q&A is coming upon us.  DEADLINE for your question(s):  Friday, June 23, midnight your time.  Interested in anything I can deal with?  Now's your chance: Ask away! I'm more likely to answer questions that are relatively short and to the point than those that go on for a [...]

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The Bart Ehrman Movie Club Presents: Life of Brian

Every year I teach an undergraduate course called “Jesus in Scholarship and Film.”  In the class, students study about a dozen gospels (canonical and non-canonical), see what historians say about the historical Jesus, and watch/evaluate Jesus movies.  The point is that every portrayal – ancient literary, modern scholarly, cinematic – has a slant and a [...]

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Jesus’ Trial Before Pilate: Some of the Distorted Memories of the Gospels

In my previous post I discussed some of the important differences between our four Gospels in their accounts of  Jesus' trial before Pilate.  Just read them, carefully, compare them in detail with one another, and see for yourself!  I continue with that discussion here, and then look to see what we can say are (certainly? [...]

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