2019-11-01

Revised Post: “Review, pt 1a: How the Gospels Became History / Litwa”

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

by Neil Godfrey

To anyone who has read the previous post . . . I have entirely rewritten the last part of that post. My original text was misleading. Now corrected.

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"I’ve even been cited by atheists with approval (which I really don’t know how to take, so thanks, I think, but I’m not sure, Vrider (even though I feel like I need to take a shower now))."

-- Jim West, – September 2010
This is superb work, Neil, and reminds me of Albert Schweitzer’s work from a century ago. . . . .

I commend you for being the first to even TRY to translate Bruno Bauer’s brilliant Kritik der Evangelien und Geschichte ihres Ursprungs, which is now more than 150 years old.

. . . . .Thank you for your historic effort.

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Editor, An English Edition of Bruno Bauer’s 1843 Christianity Exposed
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-- Thomas L. Thompson, - April 2020
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Nancy Fraser - June 2019 (personal email)
https://earlywritings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=145080#p145080
Neil made a good synthesis of the work without being an “expert” of the field.

-- Enrico Tuccinardi, - October 2022
"I’d like to thank you for this very nice representation of what I was trying to show in the book. It’s always gratifying when a reader zeroes in on exactly those aspects I thought were most interesting and most central to my argument. Thank you for this careful and engaged reading of my work – much appreciated!"

— Eva Mroczek, – June 2017
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— Philippe Wajdenbaum, – November 2018
"Neil, this is actually rather useful. Good job."

— R. Joseph Hoffmann, – June 2014
"I have found your website really valuable as an interpretive filter for Biblical scholarship, especially the origins of Christianity and historicity of Jesus issue. Your clarity of expression, fair comments and personal insights are much valued. I refer to your site frequently as yet more names and publications pop up requiring an academic critique and helpful recommendations for book purchases. So, please continue to delve deeply and share this intellectual sustenance with your grateful readers."

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It is worth saying another word of appreciation here for Neil Godfrey's effort to make Bruno Bauer accessible in English.

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— Gregory Doudna, – January 2019
"Very good. This post is going straight to the March 2016 Biblical Studies Carnival."

—N.T. Wrong, – March 2016
"Note that I do not use the term ‘amateur’ pejoratively. . . . In fact, Godfrey is extremely well read and his librarian skills have brought many important academic works to my attention."

Raphael Lataster - August 2019
"Thanks for your very elaborate review! I realized that I hadn’t added your blog to our blogroll. This oversight has been corrected. Looking forward to more segments."

— Anthony Le Donne, – September 2009
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— Tom Dykstra, – JOCABS 2015
"Thanks much for this book review. I think it expands, and contributes to, the effort in honouring Thomas that we with Lukasz originally had in mind with this volume. Best, Emanuel"

-- Emanuel Pfoh - August 2020
"Neil Godfrey and Tim Widowfield, who both write at Vridar . . . happen to be some of the most astute and well-read amateurs you can read on the internet on the subject of biblical historicity. I call them amateurs only for the reason that they don’t have, so far as I know, advanced degrees in the subject. But I have often been impressed with their grasp of logic and analysis of scholarship. I don’t always agree with them, but I respect their work."

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— April DeConick, – November 2007

exrelayman on REASONS NOT TO BELIEVE — P-L Couchoud: “Bayesian calculation is not an analysis. It is a simple formulation of a the probability of a particular outcome based…” Dec 7, 22:34
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Kuudere-Kun on What the Left Means by “Systemic”: “Very good analysis of what Systemic Means. On a related note I finally finished my post debunking the Protestant Work…” Dec 7, 09:28
Neil Godfrey on God reflects: “Oh dear, I didn’t mean for that bit to go into the Bible”: “Batch means clearly the various Athronges, Theudas, Judas the Galilean, the ‘Egyptian’ Prophet, the Samaritan Impostor, etc. Batsch writes (p.…” Dec 6, 23:54
Geoff Sheridan on Unspeakable…: “I have thought about you a little, Thomas, since we spoke. On the one hand, I’m quite impressed* that you…” Dec 6, 11:45
Neil Godfrey on God reflects: “Oh dear, I didn’t mean for that bit to go into the Bible”: “I will address your first comments later, but for now let me focus on your concluding points. I do not…” Dec 6, 10:26
Thomas Worthington on Unspeakable…: “One more for the Beeb: “Israeli settler violence brings destruction and fear to West Bank as war rages” (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67617920) I…” Dec 6, 09:21
Giuseppe on God reflects: “Oh dear, I didn’t mean for that bit to go into the Bible”: “Batch means clearly the various Athronges, Theudas, Judas the Galilean, the ‘Egyptian’ Prophet, the Samaritan Impostor, etc. Batsch writes (p.…” Dec 6, 07:20
Neil Godfrey on God reflects: “Oh dear, I didn’t mean for that bit to go into the Bible”: “I can add that when we do look for evidence of what Judean prophets had in mind before the war…” Dec 5, 22:20

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