Biblical Studies

2007-04-07

Pharisees in Galilee?

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

by Neil Godfrey

In my “dating the gospels late” post I made a few statements that would appear outrageous to some. Rather than attempt to answer some of the objections raised in the tiny comments box I am opting to make separate posts justifying the points I made.

Pharisee from Monty Python’s Life of Brian

Here I cite reasons for claiming one anachronism in the gospels: Jesus’ disputes with the Pharisees in Galilee. Though there may have been the odd Pharisee in Galilee prior to 70 ce the impression given by the gospels that they were a significant presence there is unlikely historically — for the following reasons: Continue reading “Pharisees in Galilee?”

Existential Jesus extract

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

by Neil Godfrey

The Age has published an extract from The Existential Jesus by John Carroll. See Judging Pilate.

I have said a few things I like and don’t like about this book, but what I do like the most is that the ideas expressed in it are the result of years of collaborative discussion and study of the Gospel of Mark. I can’t resist exploring the insights of anyone else who has made that type of study and comparing notes. Only wish his Jesus wasn’t so much what I suspect John Carroll himself is, an existentialist. But what else should I have expected from the title! :-/

Killer Saints?

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

by Neil Godfrey

There’s a footnote in Brodie’s The Crucial Bridge I paid little attention to until I heard a radio discussion about Japanese warrior Samurai becoming Buddhist monks.

Then I thought again about Brodie’s footnote (p.12-13) Continue reading “Killer Saints?”

2007-04-06

For fundamentalists only: Isaiah 53 in context

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

by Neil Godfrey

Continue reading “For fundamentalists only: Isaiah 53 in context”

Why I like to be late when dating the gospels (and acts)

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

by Neil Godfrey

Continue reading “Why I like to be late when dating the gospels (and acts)”

Archer and Moloney’s Judas Gospel still not quite right

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

by Neil Godfrey

I have to confess I could not resist reading Archer and Moloney’s Gospel According to Judas — damn temptation! Continue reading “Archer and Moloney’s Judas Gospel still not quite right”

That other suspect entry in Josephus

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

by Neil Godfrey

There are two passages in Josephus that refer to Jesus Christ. The first one in Book 18 of his “Antiquities of the Jews” is widely known as the Testimonium Flavianum (TF) (=the testimony of Flavius Josephus). Another, in Book 20, is a briefer reference but it is cited in major works as authentic to Josephus, and not the work of a Christian scribe. It’s this latter reference under discussion here. Continue reading “That other suspect entry in Josephus”

2007-04-04

How a gospel works: Judas reveals all

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

by Neil Godfrey

So the truth is out. Professor Francis Moloney and Jeffrey Archer tell us how the gospels were written.

Note: No eyewitnesses! No oral traditions! No historiography! Continue reading “How a gospel works: Judas reveals all”

Judas and the Devil take on Dan Brown

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

by Neil Godfrey

Professor Francis Moloney is incensed that Dan Brown can get away with his Da Vinci Code nonsense without an equally popular rejoinder from orthodox scholarship, so has teamed up with convicted perjurer Jeffrey Archer to popularize the way gospels “really were written”. (See earlier posts in the Judas category.)

Nothing like the services of a convicted perjurer to get The Truth out there! Continue reading “Judas and the Devil take on Dan Brown”

Judas scholar and the devil again

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

by Neil Godfrey

Interview on the radio this morning again — 8.30 am EST. Or if you miss this live it will appear soon enough here. [Update: it’s now here with transcript and pod soon to follow.] Continue reading “Judas scholar and the devil again”

2007-04-03

The Medium is the Message

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

by Neil Godfrey

Chocolate Jesus! Now here’s a classic illustration of Vance Packard’s maxim: The Medium is the Message.

Marble good; oil on canvass good; but chocolate very bad!

At least no-one can call this art “tasteless” 🙂

Check out My Sweet Lord by Cosimo Cavallaro

Bauckham’s Jesus and the Eyewitnesses. Chapter 18a . . .

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

by Neil Godfrey

This chapter is still coming . . . . not forgotten — main reason for the delay is that Bauckham relies most heavily on C. A. J. Coady’s book, Testimony: A Philosophical Study (1992), so I am enjoying reading Coady (along with some of the scholarly discussion circulating about his book) at the moment — hopefully to better position me to discuss Bauckham’s argument.

2007-04-01

Existential Jesus — another review

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

by Neil Godfrey

youngalexander has alerted me/the iidb list to a new review of John Carroll’s book.

It’s in The Age, a review by another sociology professor, Gary Bouma. Promising an extract next week. Continue reading “Existential Jesus — another review”

Additional Sauces for the Feedings of 5000 and 4000

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

by Neil Godfrey

Earlier post looked at Elisha’s miracle as Mark’s principle source for the mass feeding miracles – here I list a few distinctly Moses sources, and a comparison with Matthew’s parallel accounts, summarized from Dale C. Allison Jr’s The New Moses: A Matthean Typology (pp.238-242). Continue reading “Additional Sauces for the Feedings of 5000 and 4000”

"I still wonder at all the material you turn out for Vridar. The more I read your stuff (and I still do, of course), the more I realize how much we all owe you. Your voice is unique."

— Earl Doherty, November 2013 (personal email)
"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."

— Richard Carrier, – March 2014
"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
"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
"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
"Vridar is consistently thought-provoking, well-informed, and asking the right questions. There are intelligent, thoughtful comments and commenters regularly offering productive discussion. Books and publications are covered with a range of perspectives with attempts at fair and accurate representation of others’ arguments and content (where there are occasional and inevitable missteps on that I notice Neil making corrections and apologies where warranted, which wins points with me). Please carry on."

— Gregory Doudna, – January 2019
"These reviews of yours are so bloody weird!"

— James Crossley, – April 2010
"I always enjoy reading Neil’s blog because I think that he is careful, thorough, intellectually fair, and honest."

— April DeConick, – November 2007
"Many thanks for this post, and for the quality of your blog."

— Philippe Wajdenbaum, – November 2018
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
"Here I give an admittedly subjective short list, in random order, of useful, high level and regularly updated weblogs on the study of the Old Testament . . . ‘Vridar: Musings on biblical studies, politics, religion, ethics, human nature, tidbits from science’ (http://vridar.org/) by Neil Godfrey"

-- Klaas Spronk, - Bibliotheca Orientalis LXXI, 3/4 (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."

— Mary Booker, – February 2020 (personal email)
"Thanks for this detailed interaction! I’ll try to offer something more substantial than 'Thank you' in response at some point, but I didn’t want to wait . . . to express appreciation for your detailed interaction with what I’ve written!"

— James McGrath, – June 2009
Congratulations, Vridar, . . . I declare, Vridar, your own hard work translating Bruno Bauer will make a major difference in future studies of Bruno Bauer and the evolution of Hegel’s philosophy of religion.

-- Paul Trejo, - April 2023
"Very good. This post is going straight to the March 2016 Biblical Studies Carnival."

—N.T. Wrong, – March 2016
It is worth saying another word of appreciation here for Neil Godfrey's effort to make Bruno Bauer accessible in English.

-- Peter Kirby, - May 2023
"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
"For an excellent example of generally high-quality scholarship by someone who isn’t a biblical studies professor, see Neil Godfrey’s work posted on the website vridar.org."

— Tom Dykstra, – JOCABS 2015
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.

-- Paul Trejo, M.A., - November 2022
Editor, An English Edition of Bruno Bauer’s 1843 Christianity Exposed
"Neil, this is actually rather useful. Good job."

— R. Joseph Hoffmann, – June 2014
"Neil, You’ve done a clean job in your posting on ‘Jesus the Healer’. It reflects well on you. Best, John"

— John Moles, September 2011 (personal email)
"Fantastic. I’m so glad you’re helping to spread these ideas!"

Nancy Fraser - June 2019 (personal email)
"I want to say here that this site is so resourceful and highly on top of the most modern scholarship in the areas discussed here. . . I know of no other site which offers a wide range of topics related to careful critical analysis of historically and scripturally related issues."

-- Martin Lewadny, - March 2009
"I think you have a high quality blog that provides a positive public service by discussing academic topics within a wider audience."

— Russell Gmirkin, – October 2016
"I find your blog most interesting and appreciate your ongoing effort to keep to the evidence for the issues discussed!"

-- Thomas L. Thompson, - April 2020
"Neil, for what it is worth it is obvious to me that if you had earlier in life tracked into a graduate program at one of the world’s leading research universities you would be one of the world’s formidable ones. You are doing essentially the same quality now (apart from the philology and languages) except mostly sticking to commenting on others’ work as informed comment/discussion."

— Gregory Doudna, – January 2019
"By the way, my thanks to Neil for an ongoing superb job of exposing Jim’s review for what it is: a farcical and none too effective exercise in mythicism assassination, nothing to do with rational, let alone unbiased, scholarship. I’m also happy to see even Jim giving Neil credit where credit is due."

— Earl Doherty, June 2011
"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

Neil Godfrey on Palestinians, written out of their rights to the land – compared with a new history: “Surely the bottom line is that the ALP has chosen to be a lapdog of the US. Subimperial Power by…” Nov 12, 01:03
Gordon Rouse on Palestinians, written out of their rights to the land – compared with a new history: “I do not believe that Penny Wong supports the current genocide, but I do wonder at this attempt to walk…” Nov 12, 00:13
Bailey on Why (to me) the Old Testament “Feels” Hellenistic: “I have been thinking the same things recently. The literary genres and devices used in Genesis, in my opinion, are…” Nov 10, 16:32
Neil Godfrey on Palestinians, written out of their rights to the land – compared with a new history: “Yes, ethnic cleansing of Gaza is well under way now that we learn the Gazans who on Israeli orders fled…” Nov 10, 07:08
Gordon Rouse on Palestinians, written out of their rights to the land – compared with a new history: “I could not imagine the situation getting worse, but with Israel now enacting the “General Plan” while the world was…” Nov 10, 04:30
Neil Godfrey on Seeking a Plausible Origin for the Seducing Serpent in the Garden of Eden: “I might add my observation that one paper delivered at that 2022 conference does not appear in the De Gruyter…” Nov 4, 21:43
Neil Godfrey on Seeking a Plausible Origin for the Seducing Serpent in the Garden of Eden: “Forget the Catholic Church. Closer to home one can stir up all sorts of blanket vitriolic abuse (including charges of…” Nov 4, 21:27
Mickey N. on Seeking a Plausible Origin for the Seducing Serpent in the Garden of Eden: “If I were to suggest to an ordinary Catholic priest that the Pentateuch might be Hellenistic literature, he would probably…” Nov 4, 20:00
Neil Godfrey on Archaeological Support for Gmirkin’s Thesis on Plato and the Hebrew Bible: “I haven’t seen it (yet) but I do have an interest in some recent presentations by Gad Barnea. He presented…” Nov 3, 01:24

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: