All scripture is given by inspiration of God … (2 Timothy 3:16 KJV) No! Not according to Dr. Michael R. Licona, an evangelical apologist darling in English speaking world. He admitted that the bible he is holding in his hand is… Read More ›
Biblical scholarship
Br Paul Speakers Corner
Yesterday at Speakers Corner I had discussions with some Christians, a Jew, and an atheist. Ten minutes of one of them was recorded. In the film below I discussed: Understanding the gospels’ different portrayal of the disciples; Jay Smith’s inconsistent and tendentious… Read More ›
Does a person need to “have the Holy Spirit” in order to interpret the Bible?
Does a Person Need the Holy Spirit to Interpret the Bible? Is John’s Gospel Accurate? Readers Mailbag August 7, 2016 Source: The Bart Ehrman Blog: The History & Literature of Early Christianity Does a person need to “have the Holy… Read More ›
Either/Or
Professor Kreeft is a leading Roman Catholic apologist
Historian: No real evidence that Jesus thought he was God
Professor James Dunn of Durham university, possibly the leading New Testament scholar today in Britain, writes ‘there was no real evidence in the earliest Jesus tradition of what could fairly be called a consciousness of divinity’ Christology in the Making,… Read More ›
Oxford Professor Gives Historical Proof Muslims are Right on Trinity. 4 James White + Nabeel Qureshi
Yahya Snow writes: Oxford University Professor Mark Edwards gives historical information which proves the Trinity belief did not come from Jesus or his followers, rather it came from church philosophy (church tradition) centuries after. The belief of the 3-self Trinity… Read More ›
The meaning of ‘Lord’ in the Bible
A leading expert in the New Testament, Professor James Dunn, comments on the use of ‘lord’ in Aramaic and Greek at the time of Jesus: ‘We need not doubt that the Aramaic mari underlies the Greek kyrie (vocative)…Mar was used of… Read More ›
Who is God’s Suffering Servant? The Rabbinic Interpretation of Isaiah 53
by Rabbi Tovia Singer Despite strong objections from conservative Christian apologists, the prevailing rabbinic interpretation of Isaiah 53 ascribes the “servant” to the nation of Israel who silently endured unimaginable suffering at the hands of its gentile oppressors. The speakers,… Read More ›
The difference between the 2 Lords of Psalm 110.1
Getting the facts right about Psalm 110
Jesus and the Torah
Somewhat mischievously Yahya Snow comments on his Facebook page: I guess the Christians who are coming out of the woodwork supporting a death penalty for homosexuals would appeal to scholars like Prof. Greg Carey in arguing Jesus and his early… Read More ›
Was Jesus an Apocalypticist? Leading scholars discuss this important question
The video begins with a segment from the movie, “The Apocalypse – The Movie (2000)” starring Richard Harris, which leads into an interview where Bart D. Ehrman gives an overview of what an apocalypse means. Also interviews with Loren T…. Read More ›
Bart Ehrman at Fresno City College
Published on 20 Apr 2016 Bart Ehrman, UNC-Chapel Hill Professor of Religious Studies, discusses his work with Fresno City College philosophy instructor, Wendell Stephenson on February 18, 2016. About an hour of discussion, mainly concerning Ehrman’s book, How Jesus Became… Read More ›
The Qur’an reinforces a key truth found in the synoptic gospels
Observations like this one by Anthony F. Buzzard below illustrates why a scholarly approach to the gospels can be so threatening to traditional Christian faith. Matthew and Luke suggest that the ‘son of God’ came into existence at his biological conception in Mary. The Quran… Read More ›
The historical value of John’s Gospel: ‘one of the biggest gulfs between New Testament scholarship and the ‘man in the pew’
On the question of the historical value of John’s Gospel there is probably one of the biggest gulfs between New Testament scholarship and the ‘man in the pew’. In preaching and devotional Bible study the assumption is regularly made that all… Read More ›
The inevitable personal bias in historical Jesus studies
‘Who doubts that authors who themselves have a high christology tend to write books in which the historical Jesus himself has a high christology? Or that those who are uncomfortable with Nicea and Chalcedon more often than not unearth a… Read More ›
Today, May 22, Christians celebrate “Trinity Sunday”
As today is Trinity Sunday it seemed fitting to share an article by a Christian scholar about the Trinity. Does everyone believe in the Trinity? by Anthony Buzzard “It is exegesis of a mischievous if pious sort that would find… Read More ›
Reza Aslan: From Islam to Christianity back to Islam
Published on 20 May 2016 Reza Aslan: From Islam to Christianity back to Islam Recently we sat down with Muslim scholar and best selling author Reza Aslan for an in-depth interview on a wide range of issues. This is the… Read More ›
Markan Christology: Blasphemy, I Am, John’s Gospel, and the Rhetoric of Parallelomania
Published on the Jesus Blog…”a weblog dedicated to historical Jesus research and New Testament studies”. An interesting piece by James Crossley, Professor of Bible, Society and Politics at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, London The Markan Christology debate continues. I will repeat… Read More ›
The Jesus Blog Interviews Donald Trump on the Synoptic Problem
Sensational Jesus Blog interview I am a strong believer that blog posts are great entry points into complex topics. To this end, the Jesus Blog will be conducting a series of short interviews on complex topics in biblical studies. We hope… Read More ›
“Historians Have to Make Things Up” says Thucydides.
Why the four gospels and the accounts in Acts may not be quite what they seem. Peter Enns (American Evangelical biblical scholar and theologian) explains why: Over at Mere Student, John Oliff posted on the Greek historian Thucydides’s (c.460-c.395 BC)… Read More ›
Just delivered to my office. Very juicy.
This book was cited in the recent debate ‘What Does the Quran Teach About The Bible? David Wood vs Shabir Ally’. I am gorging myself on it now. Review to follow inshallah… Sidney H. Griffith is Professor in the Department of… Read More ›
A Review of ‘Narratives of Tampering in the Earliest Commentaries on the Qurʾān’
Dr Walid Saleh specialises in the Qur’an, its history, redaction and manuscripts; the history of the reception of the Qur’an and its exegesis, at the University of Toronto, Canada. His book review below contains some startling revelations (to me anyway). For… Read More ›
How Jesus Became God – Parts 1,2 and 3
On three days in January 2016, Bart D. Ehrman gave three separate lectures to attendees, a series that highlighted his book, “How Jesus Became God.” Rev. Megan Smith opened each session for the local parishioners and pastoral staff at Coral… Read More ›
Revd Dr Richard Burridge and the amazing claims of Jesus
The Revd Richard Burridge is Dean of King’s College London and Professor of Biblical Interpretation. He is recognised as a leading expert on the gospels. His acclaimed work is entitled: What Are the Gospels?: A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biography. He has… Read More ›
A Good Friday message from the Rev James Fields
My friend the Rev James Fields just emailed me his thoughts. He has a parish in London. Oh that there were more Christian ministers like him! His reflections, in part, concern my earlier article ‘Join us for our Solemn Liturgy at 3pm and… Read More ›
‘Join us for our Solemn Liturgy at 3pm and celebrate the Lord’s saving death which has won our salvation.’
Today Churches all over the world are inviting Christians to ‘celebrate the Lord’s saving death which has won our salvation.’ So says my local Catholic Church St. James’s, Spanish Place in London where I often worshiped as a Christian. Muslims, of… Read More ›
Amazing: Bart Ehrman Dissects 2 Corinthians
A brilliant intro to textual criticism with a shocking kick! I can confirm that what Ehrman says about 2 Corinthians is the view of most top scholars in the English-speaking world. But pastors, priests and ministers fail to teach their… Read More ›
Blogging Theology 