Search Results for: The Acts Seminar

How a historian approaches the question of the historical Jesus: concluding the PZ and Eddie Marcus discussion

Previous posts: PZ Myers interviews a historian about Jesus mythicism (2018-09-05) How do historians decide who was historical, who fictional? (2018-09-06) How do we approach the question of Jesus being historical or mythical? (2018-09-07) I have as a rule paraphrased main points that each person spoke in their exchange. –o– PZ: You (Eddie) say it is unlikely … Continue reading “How a historian approaches the question of the historical Jesus: concluding the PZ and Eddie Marcus discussion”

Gullotta’s Misleading Portrayal of Carrier’s claims…. Part 2

For an annotated list of previous posts in this series see the archived page: Daniel Gullotta’s Review of Richard Carrier’s On the Historicity of Jesus For other Archives by Topic, Annotated see the right margin. In the previous post we began to look at Daniel Gullotta’s treatment of Richard Carrier’s argument that the gospels are … Continue reading “Gullotta’s Misleading Portrayal of Carrier’s claims…. Part 2”

Testing the Claim that Jesus Scholars Use the Methods of Other Historians (Part 1)

Damn. I fell for it (again). A professor promoted a new book as “making the most sense of the crucifixion” and “making a fresh contribution to studies of the ‘historical Jesus’” so I made a rush purchase and read it the same day it arrived. Silly me, I should first have checked the University of … Continue reading “Testing the Claim that Jesus Scholars Use the Methods of Other Historians (Part 1)”

The Memory Mavens, Part 11: Origins of the Criteria of Authenticity (3)

In the previous post, I promised to discuss a group of scholars who changed the perspective of biblical scholarship. I was referring to those whom we commonly group into the religionsgeschichtliche Schule. In English we call this the History of Religions School. The German term, religionsgeschichtliche, implies a secular, critical-historical approach toward religion. The reputation … Continue reading “The Memory Mavens, Part 11: Origins of the Criteria of Authenticity (3)”

The Memory Mavens, Part 11: Origins of the Criteria of Authenticity (1)

[This post has been waiting in draft status since 19 February 2015. This year I’m going to try to finish up some of the series we’ve left dangling on Vridar. –taw] A considerable number of New Testament scholars have recently jumped on the memory bandwagon (see, e.g., Memory, Tradition, and Text, ed. Alan Kirk). Characteristics … Continue reading “The Memory Mavens, Part 11: Origins of the Criteria of Authenticity (1)”

Did the Search for Meaning in Scriptures Really Lead to the Gospel Narratives?

To some extent, the followers of Jesus knew the basic facts: he was crucified by the authority of Pontius Pilate (with the complicity of the Jewish leadership?) outside the city of Jerusalem around the time of the Passover. Yet what was the meaning of those events? As Koester has noted, that question led the followers … Continue reading “Did the Search for Meaning in Scriptures Really Lead to the Gospel Narratives?”

Dear Professor Bart Ehrman, Please explain, if you will…..

Dear Professor, You wrote on October 21 2016 in your post Mythicists: Did Nazareth Exist? for your paying readers the following: Mythicists often argue – one of them named Rene Salm has written an entire book arguing – that Nazareth did not exist.  And if no Nazareth, then no Jesus of Nazareth. I have always … Continue reading “Dear Professor Bart Ehrman, Please explain, if you will…..”

Professor John Moles — In Memoriam

I was very shocked and saddened to belatedly learn of the death of Professor John Moles: Professor John Moles: In Memoriam by Jane Heath Professor Moles was a Classicist (not a New Testament scholar) but some of his research did overlap with the earliest literature of Christianity. From time to time John Moles and I … Continue reading “Professor John Moles — In Memoriam”

“Who Is It That Struck You?” — Minor Agreements and Major Headaches

In the late 1990s, I worked as a consultant at a technology company based in the midwestern United States. At one point, our team was rolling out a new version of a help desk solution. They needed to send someone to Europe to train new users, and, as luck would have it, they picked me. … Continue reading ““Who Is It That Struck You?” — Minor Agreements and Major Headaches”

Scholars Doing Over Lay Readers with Apologetics

A few pebbles dropped (by Michael Bird, James McGrath, Anthony Le Donne and Brant Pitre) into the pond of bible studies blogs alerting me to a new book by Brant Pitre, Professor of Sacred Scripture at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. Brant Pitre recently joined The Jesus Blog as a regular contributor alongside James Crossley, Anthony Le Donne, Chris Keith, Christine … Continue reading “Scholars Doing Over Lay Readers with Apologetics”

We are not historians; we are Christians — (“I know what you mean, but don’t say it like that!”)

Scot McKnight is an American New Testament scholar, historian of early Christianity, theologian, speaker, author and blogger who has written widely on the historical Jesus, early Christianity, the emerging church and missional church movements, spiritual formation and Christian living. He is currently Professor of New Testament at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Lombard, IL. McKnight is … Continue reading “We are not historians; we are Christians — (“I know what you mean, but don’t say it like that!”)”

Introducing new students to Historical Jesus studies – 1

Anthony Le Donne drew our attention on The Jesus Blog to a book he highly recommended as an introduction to Jesus studies for his seminary students, Jesus among Friends and Enemies. Because Le Donne was fired back in 2012 by Lincoln Christian University over his book The Historiographical Jesus in which he argued for a way of studying the … Continue reading “Introducing new students to Historical Jesus studies – 1”

Saving Jesus From Hypocrisy: Explaining Jesus’ temper tantrum and mudslinging

We have recently seen how Hector Avalos argues for the irrelevance of biblical ethics in today’s world but this post looks at how and why Jesus emerges for the first time as a supremely ethical figure in the Gospel of Matthew. Stanley Stowers (Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at Brown University) argues that the author of this gospel … Continue reading “Saving Jesus From Hypocrisy: Explaining Jesus’ temper tantrum and mudslinging”

Comparing the sources for Caesar and Jesus

How do the roots of the Gospels compare to those of classical works? Is the historical evidence for Jesus Christ as good as that of Julius Caesar? People often raise such historical questions critically, claiming the evidence for Caesar’s life is better attested than for Jesus’s. But is this really so? ~ Darrell L. Bock . Professor Darrell … Continue reading “Comparing the sources for Caesar and Jesus”