Bart Ehrman: Jesus Before the Gospels, Basic Element 1: Maurice Halbwachs

Nearly a year ago, while reading Bart Ehrman’s blog, I became aware that he was writing a book on memory. That news gave me no joy. My sense of unease, if not distress, did not diminish even when he said he had spent practically all of his spare time for two years reading up on the subject, … Continue reading “Bart Ehrman: Jesus Before the Gospels, Basic Element 1: Maurice Halbwachs”


Metonymy, Messianism, and Historicity in the New Testament

Recently, I happened to notice a post on James McGrath’s site concerning a paper by Tom Thatcher about Jesus as a healer and a “controversialist.” As I take it, that term describes a figure who is no mere contrarian, but rather one who makes controversial statements or engages in controversial actions to stimulate debate or to educate and … Continue reading “Metonymy, Messianism, and Historicity in the New Testament”


What’s Wrong with the Word “Pericope”?

Sometimes I discover the most curious things en route to learning something else. I can’t even remember why now, but for some reason, I recently stumbled upon the definition of pericope (peh-RIH-kuh-pee) at the Oxford Biblical Studies Online site. If you’ve read my posts on the Memory Mavens, you’re no doubt aware that I sometimes … Continue reading “What’s Wrong with the Word “Pericope”?”


Ehrman Misremembers Halbwachs: “Everybody Wants ta Get inta the Act”

Early this morning, I was sipping coffee and catching up on some Biblioblogs. Hey, did you notice we’re number 31 on the list of the Top 50 Biblioblogs? Thanks for reading Vridar! Anyhow, I was reading the latest posts on the Ehrman blog, and lo and behold it turns out Brother Bart is interested in … Continue reading “Ehrman Misremembers Halbwachs: “Everybody Wants ta Get inta the Act””


A Tribute to Maurice Halbwachs

In a recent post on memory theory, I erroneously stated that of The Legendary Topography of the Gospels in the Holy Land: A Study of Collective Memory (La topographie legendaire des evangiles en terre sainte: Etude de memoire collective) was published posthumously in 1941. In actuality, Halbwachs died 70 years ago on this date in 1945, in the German … Continue reading “A Tribute to Maurice Halbwachs”


A Redactional Seam in Mark 8:28?

In a recent comment, Giuseppe asked about Mark 8:27-30 (the Confession at Caesarea Philippi). At issue is a grammatical error in the text, mentioned in Robert M. Price‘s Holy Fable Volume 2, but first (apparently) noticed by Gerd Theissen in The Miracle Stories of the Early Christian Tradition. Both Theissen and Price argue that the error reveals … Continue reading “A Redactional Seam in Mark 8:28?”


Who Depoliticized Early Christianity?

Who killed Jesus and why? With the Roman occupation of Palestine and its tense atmosphere of messianic hopefuls within the first century CE, the horrors of crucifixion were a real and ever present reality for messianic claimants like Jesus. A reality of which Paul and the first Christians would have been all too aware. Simply put, … Continue reading “Who Depoliticized Early Christianity?”


Form Criticism: Modern Scholarship’s Blind Spot

In a recent post, Neil discussed Helen Bond’s paper, “The Reception of Jesus in the Gospel of John.” I can’t find a print version of the paper, but the video released by Biblical Studies Online on my birthday, brings me both pain and pleasure. Pleasure, because I also believe the author of the Fourth Gospel … Continue reading “Form Criticism: Modern Scholarship’s Blind Spot”