As a Christian I have a habit of thinking of Erhman as "the bad guy," but usually when I listen to him I don't get that impression. He doesn't typically come across as antagonistic, and I really think that the broader Christian TH-cam community would benefit from more of these types of discussions, rather than debates.
You're absolutely right man. I lean towards atheism now but it frustrates me when people unnecessarily antagonize each other around this issue, like Richard Dawkins or Christopher Hitchens do/did. My problem when I was a Christian was wondering why I felt like I could trust people like Bart but the bible rather plainly condemns doubt and unbelief. Eventually I let it go, which was very hard to do. Miracle claims was the last straw to break for me. All the best to you.
If you read his books or certain interviews, you’ll hear Bart say he’s not anti Christian, and isn’t trying to deconvert anyone. Dr Ehrman went from evangelical to liberal Christian due to his discoveries, and only later did he deconvert to agnosticism because of the problem of evil. I’d guess liberal Christians likely agree with a good chunk of Bart’s books.
Bart....you are shaking the entire beliefs of all Christianity.....but i love it because you have the soul of a truth seeker at all costs...im a truth seeker at all costs...
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Hi, professor I want to thank you for the great job. Through your thoughts and studies I was able to discover my disbelief in a productive way and do it in a good way for my improvement in biblical and religious studies, without dogmas, but also without exaggeration in skepticism that would take away my interest in the subject. I hope you continue the great work. Hugs here from Brazil.
Bart Ehrman my mentor, you changed my life completely in such that I'm so happy that i found myself now that I'm still young...... One of my best day in life is the day i come across your channel.
On the thing with Paul and Jesus and how to get to heaven: I asked this same question when I was about 10 years old and got frustrated when my parents insisted that they describe the same way. I thought I was losing it! Now I don't feel so alone. Hahaha.
@@spit-boy9991 Other scholars are also intelligent, but Dr. Ehrman is able to break complex ideas better than any other biblical scholar (IMO) and that's a special kind of intelligence.
I wish Bart would talk about how much Zoroastrianism influenced Jewish though since we see dualism creeping into the OT at around the same time of Jewish diaspora in Babylon.
The absurdity of an entity like Satan with the inequity of a place like Hell convinced me there were no such things. Then it was an easy final step to stop believing in Heaven and gods. Thanks once again for another great interview Bart, et al for providing the platform and questions.
@Language and Programming Channel Wow. Good example of compartmentalization. The key word in my comment was 'absurdity'. Do you not know where the 'fallen angel' originated? He was cast down from heaven by the archangel Michael. You know, heaven...?
Dr Bart Ehrman, you are one heaven/hell of a guy. Have never felt so much alive when someone else was debating or speaking. You have a certain tone of mockery and sarcasm and wit that really sets you in a different category of speakers. Thank you, Dr Bart Ehrman! ❤️
I find this assertive information useful to to reinforce my faith on the real Bible doctrine. I see professor Ehrman as a neutral docent element, unbiased. Thank you.
It's important to point out that while Dr. Ehrman talks about Plato originating certain ideas of the afterlife (i.e. reward in heaven, punishment in hell, cf. _Gorgias_ ) that Plato received many of those ideas from other sources, such as the Pythagoreans, the Babylonians and the Zoroastrians, who were all, at this time, propounding ideas from which Plato was clearly borrowing, such as the transmigration of souls (i.e. reincarnation) which was a common belief ranging from the Pythagoreans in Sicily all the way to the Rishis in India. So Plato did not so much originate these ideas as much as popularized them.
That’s highly speculative. There’s nothing anything like the sophistication of thought in Plato to be found anywhere else. Nothing survives of Babylonian ‘philosophy’, if it even existed in the way we understand the word. Where did you hear this?
Thank you so much, Dr. Ehrman, you've taught me far more online and in the Teaching Company than my "bricks-and-mortar" professors ever did, and for a tiny fraction of the price.
Thank you for bringing critical thinking into the analysis of Christian tradition-- stripping hell of its imputed powers is a little taste of heaven, on earth!
I'm really impressed by Bart Ehrman's approach to notions of heaven and hell. I have been wondering though how to interpret verses like Luke 23:43 "Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” What place did Jesus actually mean if not a literal heaven christians believe in?
The phrase "paradise" in jewish thought was Abraham's bosom, it refers to a place of comfort til the Resurrection of the Dead, so its not eternal happiness, and was a temporary place, its only in the Kingdom of God here on Earth, where the eternal happiness really takes hold
I was a Christian for 32 years. I taught eschatology. It's funny how the bible says numerous times that if you believe in Jesus you "have the truth", "built your foundation on the rock" etc. The reality is the exact opposite. Looking back I can see that I never seriously questioned the validity of the bible. I thought unbelievers were people who loved their sin and didn't want to repent. I never believed they could be genuine in their unbelief. I was dead wrong for 32 years. The sad reality is that most religious people might as well be on the other side of the universe. You can't reach them. They exchanged truth for comfort at the emotional unconscious level and they are not even aware that's what they did. Scary thing to find out about yourself.
I was a literalist Christian for about 32 years but worked my way out of it in the manner of Dr. Ehrman. I was quite critical of fundamentalist religion (and there is a lot to be critical of) and was glad to have escaped it. I remained an atheist for 31 years. Early on during my atheist years I found (as many before me) the poetic and general artistic view of life to be a replacement for "empty heaven and its hymns." But, surprisingly, last year I returned to Christianity, not the old one but one that is new and must, I think, always be so. For religion to remain vital and true, it must change, and people like Bart Ehrman are indispensable to it.
I was thinking that I have a secular religion (the Declaration of Independence) and a religion. I wish others would adopt that attitude instead of trying to mold politics and law to fit their scripture.
We can’t blame folks, we are all indoctrinated with the religious phenomena no matter where you live in the world. When I say indoctrinated it’s not always necessarily in the fundamental sense, it’s the Christmas Holidays or your lovely pious grandma who visited you as a child that you have fond memories of. And religion is not just a dogma, it’s a psychosocial phenomenon that can deeply ingrain our personal and collective psyche as we grow from childhood and try to understand the world. I personally always had this deep desire to seek “God” but the Abrahamic God just didn’t make sense or click with me even though I tried to experience the faith. All my logic and reasoning told me otherwise. Having studied religion from an academia approach finally broke the uneasiness I’ve always had after 20+ years and I am at peace. I believe we must strive to exercise Freedom from religion which Bart puts it best... does not mean we can choose to practice any religion we want, but most importantly it’s the freedom from the imposition of religion in our personal and civic lives whether it be government, public policy, business etc. and hopefully in the distant future where children should not be exposed to any faith based belief systems during their formative years which can potentially hold such catastrophic mental bondage. It amazes in this day in age that an individual or their religious community out of the 7 billion inhabitants on this earth think they hold the exclusive absolute truth when it comes to God and the afterlife. It’s not only extremely egotistical but a perverted distortion of reality. We are only holding beliefs that we have in hand i.e beliefs at our current disposal (among many that have been deprecated) that have been curated over place and time. I personally have no qualms in religious allegories, they were a way for our ancestors to understand the world in the metaphorically sense in the absence of science but it’s time to give them up as literal narratives. If one wants to practice any of the religion for spiritual gain, great. I’m actually all for that but it’s time to change our perspective about them and understand them as allegories to be learned from and not literal.
Very interesting lecture. Mr. Ehram seems like a fun guy to hang with, and I love his story telling mannerisms. That said there are times that he makes assumptions about certain events, meanings of words, or sources. One such example was his explanation of Sheol, where he himself says that it's a belief of his that this means grave/pit. I think his knowledge of the story in the Bible are mastered and he knows his gnostic writings(non canon Christian texts) as well, but his connecting of dots aren't always right IMO. His interpretations come from a very Protestant point of view which usually leans on literal interpretations of the Bible. This differs from Roman Catholic and Christian Orthodox which have understanding that certain teachings, stories, and other parables are giving symbolic meanings. Which is why Roman Catholics/Orthodox Bible understanding are not Sola Scriptura but have interpretation by tradition, unlike Protestant who let anyone read the Bible(which is great) but without the historical and traditional context backed behind it the interpretation become countless. That is also why there are so many Protestant denomination because of the lack of understanding behind the scripture. Mr.Ehram got his degrees most likely from a Protestant univeristy/college or at the very least was taught by Protestant teachers using Sola Scriptura as their base technique for analysis, which shows throughout the video. This is not noticiable by non practicing Christians(including non practicing Catholic or Orthodox) who know little of their own religion to begin with, but it stands out like a sore thumb with nominal understand how Biblical texts are read and understood by Catholic or Orthodox methods. Still many things he says are thought provoking and fun listening to, I don't think his works have been anti-Christian or trying to make people view only falsehood in Christianity, but rather forces the reader to really think about their faith and improve upon it. From some other peoples remarks I agree that he portrays himself either as an agnostic or liberal Christian, although I'm sure he is still culturally Christian at the very least. Apart from that, I suggest that he shouldn't be the only writing you read, and having a fair balance of reading of many other scholars who make a case for Christianity is a must, best to see as many opinions as possible and not just one. This last statement goes to both Christians and Atheists/Agnostics.
When we are in a deep sleep we are unaware of our existence and unaware of the passage of time. If we wake up 5 hours later or 5 centuries later we won't know. Same thing occurs in death. IMHO.
You are taking a lack of memory for an ontology. Just because you can't remember something doesn't mean nothing happened in what the awake mind calls deep sleep.
I've always thought that as well, people from thousands of years ago could wake up today and felt like they were sleep for a few minutes and be stunned about how the world has changed since they fell asleep thousands of years ago.
This is so refreshing. Being raised a Catholic, this is so amazing to me. I'd go to his parish anyday. I'd like to know if he thinks that a Catholic can attend Mass, while not believing in many tenants that are important to Christianity.
Of course you can, and many do. It requires some role play, but if that does not trouble you than and it serves to crutch up your heart mind and spirit than I think it is a fine thing.
Why would you not be able to attend mass without believing all the dogmas of the church? Not even the church says all attendants must. They are picky about receiving the magic bread and wine though. But they would also tell a catholic believing in all the dogmas but having comitted a mortal sin not to receive the magic bread and wine without having been to confession and received absolution first. So you go and sing along with all the songs and have fun.
I agree. and the point is that also islam is heavily leaning on concepts of heaven and hell that have evolved as a result of these christian afterlife beliefs back in those days. Might be very important to involve some muslims in the conversation as well.
Of late I've been asking my Christian friends who believe in a literal heaven "what do they expect to be doing in heaven" and their answers are senseless. Thanks Dr Ehrmam. I became convinced of the non-existence of heaven and hell after listening to Bishop John Shelby Spong.
Modern Christianity is utterly pointless without the belief in heaven and hell. Without the threat or the promise of reward, the so-called justice in the afterlife, there's no tool of fear with which to manipulate and control.
@@dusty3913 You're about 500 years late. One of the core foundational principles of Protestantism is "sola gratia" - you can't earn your way into Heaven by good deeds. Salvation is a free gift from God, so the belief goes, because *no one* is truly deserving and without sin. The whole Reformation got started in part because Martin Luther wrestled with feelings of unworthiness while he was still a Catholic monk. It's not a reward and punishment based system.
I mean.. yes and no. The entire bible is a collection of the most disgusting absurd suffering that has ever been written about. The Israelites killed anyone they didn't like. and God killed the entire earth, and all the animals, lol. in one big "extinction event" Suffering is the "Feature" of this book
I have had the worst anxiety, from this, and preachers say i don't believe etc. I have had a very screwed up fear from this stuff. But can we hear of a soul ? Im afraid to get a gift of money mom left from fear of money. It's as though we are in a perpetual punishing and harming thing. When we see Jesus, it blood and nails. I could not sleep when young.
I realize this is 4 months late, so I'm not sure if you're still going through your anxiety. It sounds like you might have received some harmful spiritual teaching, focusing on fear and guilt rather than the love of God. Are the preachers you're listening to making you feel this way?
Thank you, Dr. Ehrman. I found you by way of Christopher Hitchens referencing you in god is not Great. I'd like to purchase one of your books; which do you recommend as my introduction? I was leaning toward Misquoting Jesus. I too had a gradual journey away from Evangelical Christian faith (staring in my mid 20's. I'm nearly 40 now). The idea of Hell prompted my doubt, and began my genuine intellectual questioning. I appreciate your connecting the dots between Plato, apocalyptic Judaism, Jesus' message, and the early church's "adaptation." You have to love the Zoom platform: 1:20:40 "...God's going to do it, and you can't stop him [BUUUURP!]" All the best.
I once had a visions (dream) of heaven and hell. It started off with me in heaven, which was rather dull. If you were in heaven, then you were allowed to go to hell and come back whenever you wanted. Since the woman I was dating didn’t seem to be anywhere around, I went downstairs. Turns out, hell is Fenway Park. The bleachers were full, everyone was in a great mood. Someone noticed that Elvis was sitting just a few rows in front of me, so he stood up and waved to everyone, who cheered. I started walking around, and there was cake, and it was good cake. Never found my partner. So there you have it. Hell is being in a ball park with Elvis, eternally waiting for the game to start, and the cake is good. I’m not making any of this up, I really did have this dream. From what I’ve gathered, most people simply do not dream with this level of detail and structure, but some of us do. A follower of The Jesus from way back then who had vivid dreams would, inevitably, have nightmares about hell. It’s not up for debate - it happened, it had to happen. We have nightmares about the world around us in our head. If hell is the scariest thing imaginable, the nightmares will happen. And these people, not knowing anything about what dreams are, thought they were shown Visions! And with Visions! Comes power and attention.
A wonderful and interesting talk here. Thank you so much The level of respect is great to see. No arguments, no loud voices, just open discussion and History Brough to the table. To me, the Gnostic view prevails. Heavens and Hells within our psyche. Carl Jung etc.
Awesome. Thanks. Always interesting to hear your teaching and expertise. It's great to have access to this on TH-cam! 👍 44:40...that is the best synopsis of how that occurred that I've ever had explained to me. (...I'm 55, and I was pressured into Christianity when I was ten) I have had bits and pieces of this here and there over the years, but never heard it explained so comprehensively.
love the session. i have a question. The Messiah/Christ said ; "if you believe in me as scriptures have said, rivers of life shall flow from you" also, he said "if you believe in me, you will do things far more greater than I". What scriptures was he referring to since we know that the new testament was not written at the time of the quote. I have a inclination it is torah. Can you verify ? peace upon you
Are the Seven tribes from the sea be thingy be like the "Sea People" from the Bronze age collapse ? distant memory of that or something like that happening in the past?
Amazing how a person's faith will blind them to facts that are right in front of them. Jesus told the sinner next to him 'truly I tell you today, you will be with me in paradise" how does this make any sense to a hell supporter??
Never once in his life (as we know it in the gospels) did Jesus expect anyone accept him as their savior. All that was made up after he died and the world didn't end as he predictied.
The Gospel of Luke is a later redaction added to Jesus's story. The Earliest gospels we have are the gospels of Matthew and Mark with the Gospel of Mark being the oldest. The parable of the Rich man and Lazurus as well as that phrase is not found among the original work of Matthew or Mark. So hence why scholars don't believe it
@Bart, what’s your comment on 1 Samuel 28 : 3 - 24, where King Saul consults a sorcerer to talk to Samuel. Does that not points to soul surviving after death?
While it does, it can also refer to Saul speaking to Samuel from the grave, meaning that his body and soul were still in the grave. And not in Heaven and Hell and is awaiting the Resurrection of the Dead on Judgement day
Professor Ehrman, some people are talking about the letter of Pontius Pilate to the Emperor Tiberius as a proof of Jesus's existence and a description of his appearance. Apparently its a copy of the original that is in the Library of Congress. Do we have any information of the original or where the copy is coming from or if its a forgery or not?
Yes, being “cast down to hell” is basically being forced to reincarnate after death. Heaven would be a spiritual realm outside of the physical often called ‘the pleroma’ where Jesus and the other aeons come from.
Matthew 13:41-42, 49-50 “The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Mark 9:43, 48-49 “And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire…where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ For everyone will be salted with fire.”
The "End of the Age" was the destruction of the Temple - THAT generation ! Something that seems to be always overlooked - Jesus said He was only talking to the Jews of HIS generation when He spoke of these events - it's about the inevitable rejection of the "Son of Man" etc ....
Did you even listen to what Bart even said. And secondly nothing in those 2 verses support the idea that the person is burning for eternity. Its only the worm and the fire that doesn't die, but nothing about the person not dying and being tortured for eternity
1:08:37 In summary, 1. It's a parable. 2. Dr. Ehrman doesn't think Jesus actually said that, the reason being that the parable seems to assume in advance that a man can be raised from the dead (Jesus), and that there were those with Moses and the Prophets who did not believe him (Unbelieving Jews).
Virgin's don't have babies. Personally I don't believe all the miracle nonsense it's just made up because that's what people back then needed to believe Jesus was the son of God. Jesus's teachings are good enough for me.
Family, I have a question about a scripture I read somewhere in the bible. It says something along the lines of a nation being destroyed from the period between the full moon and the new moon. Can anyone help me out with where I can find this passage?
Dr. Ehrman, I would also recommend a Neo-Assyrian text dubbed "The Underworld Vision of an Assyrian Crown Prince". Seth L. Sanders, professor of Religious Studies at the University of California gives a detailed assessment of this work in his paper "The First Tour of Hell: From Neo-Assyrian Propaganda to Early Jewish Revelation "
As you describe the thinking that lead to the resurrection of the body I can imagine myself being there. You bring history to life. I'd go right along with it if I were there at the time, because, what do I know? Thank you Bart.
I don't think When an would agree. It is always best to see things for yourself rather than placing complete faith in a man. Now to be fair, I have looked for myself and never found an occasion where he was mistaken, but it is different to see for yourself than to just believe in the testimony of any human.
The Preterist thought is that the judgment came in A.D. 70 as spoken by Jesus. It would happen within the lives of the apostles. Could this have been the end that people relate now in error to the coming of Jesus and the judgment?
Bart what elements are the soul made of? it would have to be something from this universe , since we die in this universe . Obviously there is no such thing .
The soul concept is just a word salad by philosophers which was picked up by religious people. And as with most philosophical concepts, they haven't a shred of explanation to back it up with. So, there's no known material in the universe which the soul is made from.
If you were to be scientific about it, you're basically looking at electrons. Energy is what powers our clay structure. It is also the conduit that allows our brain to both retain memory and to tell our cells to do things, like beat our hearts or kick a ball. This transmission of data is not unlike a computer chip using electricity to show us silly cat videos that are years old. There are theories that since energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it only transfers from one state to another, this could be the basis for reincarnation- which is the oldest doctrine known to man. Whether this reincarnation of energy becomes a tree or a president, or the force needed to lift toast in a toaster, I haven't found anyone tackling it yet.
This man's gift of teaching is glory to God for his fine brain and clear thinking and pure logic. If God didnt give us this rational reasoning what else did he give us? I think it is testament to the enlightenment of the holy spirit to rightly divide the word of truth. What is hard is that so much of Christendom is wrong, bit of a shocker. Leave judgement to the Creator and be thankful for evidence of unravelling of the scriptures, this will lead to faith, the precious gift of God.
From past to present, there's nothing in this world that the adversary cannot infiltrate or corrupt whether religious institutions or scriptures ; so in this case, there's also duality in this principle which states that, by the testimony of two or three (more) witnesses ( Inspired Testaments or books other than man's historical texts), the truth shall be established , line upon line, precept upon precept, like truth upon truth in every dispensation of the gospel / Mysteries of the Kingdom until its Fullness will be revealed in God's due time.
@@INFINITEMODIFICATIONS Obviously there is a lot of evil in the world. If people are going to think there is a person making all the good things happen, then it doesn't seem absurd to believe there is someone else responsible for all the bad.
@@INFINITEMODIFICATIONS You belong to the Matrix (figurative) so you're too blinded to see that you are actually working on their side, or one of their Minions. one of those SELF-MADE GOD OF BEING Cult. Your Logic is not even good enough to sway a scientologist.
"It's not about going to Heaven, it's about bringing Heaven down to earth" - that's how theologian N.T Wright also interprents the new testament, interesting...
That’s basically the Jewish view, instead of “going to heaven”, their mission is to create heaven on Earth. Unfortunately, amongst Christians (especially Protestants) that idea would be viewed as blasphemous since most of their doctrine is based on devaluing this life and putting almost all emphasis on the next.
The Jehovah's Witnesses believe in a Paradise on earth after Judgment Day. They also believe 99.9% of all humans will die on Judgement Day and their bodies will help fertilizing the earth. JWs will then make earth a paradise with their own hands. Heaven on the other hand is only for 144,000 Witnesses, who have been chosen to become high priests and kings under Jesus.
With the incomprehensible vastness of “creation” and possibilities of the universe, being limited to dwell on Earth for eternity would seem nothing more than a never ending prison sentence.
Hebrews 5:7 Jesus who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His Godly fear. How could Christians over look verses in the New Testament as this with our giving thought? Just wondering has anyone had a Christian try to explain this verse before? I’m just curious how they dance around it.
Question to Bart, There is inconsistency in your interpretation of the saying of Jesus that some of those who are here will see the kingdom of God, and that this generation will not pass unless this happen. If the gospels are written more than 40 years( a full generation) after Christ how can all the Synoptic gospels write about something that never happened ? and by so doing prove that Christ was wrong.
Here are a few scriptures on the afterlife, mostly attributed to Jesus (the way, the truth, the life). Matt. 25:46, John 3:16, Matt. 10:28, Hebrews 9:27, Luke 23:43, Revelation 21:8, Luke 16:19-31, Matthew 25:41...Please forgive us poor, ignorant, unlearned, peasants and peons for believing in a literal hell and heaven. But it seems the divinely inspired (fought over, debated over, struggled over, anguished over, prayed over, vexed day and night over, and martyred over) word of God have lead us to this conclusion. 😳🙏
THE FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM IS THAT HELL IS NOT A JUDEO-CHRISTIAN CONCEPT. That is not its origin. Jews didn't believe in the existence of a Hell based upon their own cosmology and stories.... You want to know where the concepts originated 1) Egyptian faith 2) Zoroastrianism 3) Babylonian religions 4) Greece mythology. So all of this can be historically traced and YET Jews didn't believe in Hell until a SEGMENT OF JEWS took elements of these ideas from their conquers. Overall most Jews still don't believe in Hell and this is the FOUNDING RELIGION of Christianity -- Jesus and his disciples were all Jewish adherents Like 16 - The story of the Rich man and Lazarus is not literal, Simply because 1. It Does NOT Support Immortal Soul Doctrine. 2. If the hell doctrine was real, no one would ever return to earth.
If you want to talk about the origins of heaven and hell, then you need to look at the source material (philosophy/theology) of the Persians and Zoroastrianism. Follow that line and history and you’ll get closer to the truth.
That was great Bart. I can't wait to find out what it's like after death. I found lots of this presentation amusing and definitely entertaining and educational.
Thank you Dr. Ehrman. I've turned my kin on to your wise words. Some have scoffed you off and others eyes have been opened minded and have listened. I appreciate all that you do.👍
Christ accused God of "forsakenment" my god my god why hast thou forsaken me? My question is... what came the reply? Nowhere in the bible does God reply to Christ! He doesn't attempt to say...no! no! You have it all wrong son! Nothing! No response, no nothing...
For Bart Ehrman history of religion starts with old testament. If you ask him that there was a religious traditions like Zoroastrianism which highly influenced Judaism specially in concept of heaven and hell, he totally ignores that. To him there is not even a religion called Zoroastrianism existed.
I have worked most of my life and every now and again they would gives a three day weekend late on fri. afternoon . We would never have dreamt to come back to work early sun. morning . Are you sure that's right ? Mk.8.31 He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things , be rejected by the elders, chief priests, scribes, be killed, and after three days rise again. Gen.1.5 He separated the light from the darkness. The light he called day the darkness he called night. The evening and the morning one day
Do you suppose that Paul may have been speaking about the last day and receiving his new body at that time. Having been contrasting the two types (current and future bodies) in the context? "absent from the body, present with the Lord." What if it were possible that it is consistent in teaching? Must we assume the authors were at odds in understanding? I wish you would give the textual reasons for your seeming presumption that there was inconsistency of doctrine among the authors. Then we could evaluate the possibility of your thesis of doctrinal variance among the writers. Who's separation in time is contested among respected scholars, as I understand it.
Bart has written immense amounts of scholarly work as well as a small library of popular books. This is a brief talk on TH-cam. I think you’d be better engaging with the former. This kind of talk is to spark interest in his written work. Ps, the doctrinal differences between biblical authors is so widely accepted - by all critical scholars and most everybody else as well. It’s just so basic, there’s no need to address these questions at someone like Dr. Ehrman.
Paul is only different then Jesus if you presuppose Sola Fide and read it back into his letters. The fact is that no one subscribed to the doctrine until long after Paul wrote his letters. Where is it taught in the anti Nicene Fathers? Clearly Paul has been misunderstood and did not teach this reformation doctrine.
From the little I understand, it seems as though Luther was frustrated in his own spiritual development, and found Sola Fide as a "short cut" to salvation. It reminds me of Zen Buddhism, which I understand to be a short cut to enlightenment.
As a Christian I have a habit of thinking of Erhman as "the bad guy," but usually when I listen to him I don't get that impression. He doesn't typically come across as antagonistic, and I really think that the broader Christian TH-cam community would benefit from more of these types of discussions, rather than debates.
You're absolutely right man. I lean towards atheism now but it frustrates me when people unnecessarily antagonize each other around this issue, like Richard Dawkins or Christopher Hitchens do/did. My problem when I was a Christian was wondering why I felt like I could trust people like Bart but the bible rather plainly condemns doubt and unbelief. Eventually I let it go, which was very hard to do. Miracle claims was the last straw to break for me. All the best to you.
If you read his books or certain interviews, you’ll hear Bart say he’s not anti Christian, and isn’t trying to deconvert anyone. Dr Ehrman went from evangelical to liberal Christian due to his discoveries, and only later did he deconvert to agnosticism because of the problem of evil. I’d guess liberal Christians likely agree with a good chunk of Bart’s books.
Dr. Ehrman is a treasure. Thanks for your service!
Bart....you are shaking the entire beliefs of all Christianity.....but i love it because you have the soul of a truth seeker at all costs...im a truth seeker at all costs...
Hi, professor
I want to thank you for the great job.
Through your thoughts and studies I was able to discover my disbelief in a productive way and do it in a good way for my improvement in biblical and religious studies, without dogmas, but also without exaggeration in skepticism that would take away my interest in the subject.
I hope you continue the great work.
Hugs here from Brazil.
Bart Ehrman my mentor, you changed my life completely in such that I'm so happy that i found myself now that I'm still young......
One of my best day in life is the day i come across your channel.
On the thing with Paul and Jesus and how to get to heaven: I asked this same question when I was about 10 years old and got frustrated when my parents insisted that they describe the same way. I thought I was losing it! Now I don't feel so alone. Hahaha.
Bart...you never disappoint. Thank you for another great history lesson and thoughtful discourse.
I'm always amazed by dr. Ehrman's intelect.
I do like his affable and thorough style, but I thought it was funny when he said if he was such a genius he wouldn't have to work so hard lol.
Why would you be amazed of the doctors intellect ? Do you often run across scholars achieving a doctorate that are unintelligent ?
@@spit-boy9991 who are unintelligent
@@spit-boy9991 Maybe not unintelligent, but not particularly intelligent either
@@spit-boy9991 Other scholars are also intelligent, but Dr. Ehrman is able to break complex ideas better than any other biblical scholar (IMO) and that's a special kind of intelligence.
I wish Bart would talk about how much Zoroastrianism influenced Jewish though since we see dualism creeping into the OT at around the same time of Jewish diaspora in Babylon.
Dr Barr Ehrman is excellent, one of the best. Always a pleasure to listen to him.
The absurdity of an entity like Satan with the inequity of a place like Hell convinced me there were no such things. Then it was an easy final step to stop believing in Heaven and gods.
Thanks once again for another great interview Bart, et al for providing the platform and questions.
@Language and Programming Channel Wow. Good example of compartmentalization. The key word in my comment was 'absurdity'.
Do you not know where the 'fallen angel' originated? He was cast down from heaven by the archangel Michael. You know, heaven...?
i click inmediately every time there's a new video on this channel. Ehrman's content is always utterly fascinating to me.
Dr Bart Ehrman, you are one heaven/hell of a guy. Have never felt so much alive when someone else was debating or speaking. You have a certain tone of mockery and sarcasm and wit that really sets you in a different category of speakers.
Thank you, Dr Bart Ehrman! ❤️
Bart is back! It will be a great evening ...
thanks all of you, I really enjoyed the conversation and the manner in which it was done. looking foe another one!
I find this assertive information useful to to reinforce my faith on the real Bible doctrine. I see professor Ehrman as a neutral docent element, unbiased.
Thank you.
It's important to point out that while Dr. Ehrman talks about Plato originating certain ideas of the afterlife (i.e. reward in heaven, punishment in hell, cf. _Gorgias_ ) that Plato received many of those ideas from other sources, such as the Pythagoreans, the Babylonians and the Zoroastrians, who were all, at this time, propounding ideas from which Plato was clearly borrowing, such as the transmigration of souls (i.e. reincarnation) which was a common belief ranging from the Pythagoreans in Sicily all the way to the Rishis in India. So Plato did not so much originate these ideas as much as popularized them.
That’s highly speculative. There’s nothing anything like the sophistication of thought in Plato to be found anywhere else. Nothing survives of Babylonian ‘philosophy’, if it even existed in the way we understand the word. Where did you hear this?
no civilization exist in a vaccum..
Thank you so much, Dr. Ehrman, you've taught me far more online and in the Teaching Company than my "bricks-and-mortar" professors ever did, and for a tiny fraction of the price.
Thank you for bringing critical thinking into the analysis of Christian tradition-- stripping hell of its imputed powers is a little taste of heaven, on earth!
I'm really impressed by Bart Ehrman's approach to notions of heaven and hell. I have been wondering though how to interpret verses like Luke 23:43
"Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” What place did Jesus actually mean if not a literal heaven christians believe in?
The phrase "paradise" in jewish thought was Abraham's bosom, it refers to a place of comfort til the Resurrection of the Dead, so its not eternal happiness, and was a temporary place, its only in the Kingdom of God here on Earth, where the eternal happiness really takes hold
It is interesting that my efforts to understand christianity were always a struggle
But when I listen to Bart... everything seems to make sense
Me too
,his job is always simple and my level.^^
He helps a lot
I was a Christian for 32 years. I taught eschatology. It's funny how the bible says numerous times that if you believe in Jesus you "have the truth", "built your foundation on the rock" etc. The reality is the exact opposite. Looking back I can see that I never seriously questioned the validity of the bible. I thought unbelievers were people who loved their sin and didn't want to repent. I never believed they could be genuine in their unbelief. I was dead wrong for 32 years. The sad reality is that most religious people might as well be on the other side of the universe. You can't reach them. They exchanged truth for comfort at the emotional unconscious level and they are not even aware that's what they did. Scary thing to find out about yourself.
I was a literalist Christian for about 32 years but worked my way out of it in the manner of Dr. Ehrman. I was quite critical of fundamentalist religion (and there is a lot to be critical of) and was glad to have escaped it. I remained an atheist for 31 years. Early on during my atheist years I found (as many before me) the poetic and general artistic view of life to be a replacement for "empty heaven and its hymns." But, surprisingly, last year I returned to Christianity, not the old one but one that is new and must, I think, always be so. For religion to remain vital and true, it must change, and people like Bart Ehrman are indispensable to it.
I was thinking that I have a secular religion (the Declaration of Independence) and a religion. I wish others would adopt that attitude instead of trying to mold politics and law to fit their scripture.
We can’t blame folks, we are all indoctrinated with the religious phenomena no matter where you live in the world. When I say indoctrinated it’s not always necessarily in the fundamental sense, it’s the Christmas Holidays or your lovely pious grandma who visited you as a child that you have fond memories of. And religion is not just a dogma, it’s a psychosocial phenomenon that can deeply ingrain our personal and collective psyche as we grow from childhood and try to understand the world.
I personally always had this deep desire to seek “God” but the Abrahamic God just didn’t make sense or click with me even though I tried to experience the faith. All my logic and reasoning told me otherwise.
Having studied religion from an academia approach finally broke the uneasiness I’ve always had after 20+ years and I am at peace. I believe we must strive to exercise Freedom from religion which Bart puts it best... does not mean we can choose to practice any religion we want, but most importantly it’s the freedom from the imposition of religion in our personal and civic lives whether it be government, public policy, business etc. and hopefully in the distant future where children should not be exposed to any faith based belief systems during their formative years which can potentially hold such catastrophic mental bondage.
It amazes in this day in age that an individual or their religious community out of the 7 billion inhabitants on this earth think they hold the exclusive absolute truth when it comes to God and the afterlife. It’s not only extremely egotistical but a perverted distortion of reality. We are only holding beliefs that we have in hand i.e beliefs at our current disposal (among many that have been deprecated) that have been curated over place and time. I personally have no qualms in religious allegories, they were a way for our ancestors to understand the world in the metaphorically sense in the absence of science but it’s time to give them up as literal narratives. If one wants to practice any of the religion for spiritual gain, great. I’m actually all for that but it’s time to change our perspective about them and understand them as allegories to be learned from and not literal.
Very interesting lecture. Mr. Ehram seems like a fun guy to hang with, and I love his story telling mannerisms. That said there are times that he makes assumptions about certain events, meanings of words, or sources. One such example was his explanation of Sheol, where he himself says that it's a belief of his that this means grave/pit. I think his knowledge of the story in the Bible are mastered and he knows his gnostic writings(non canon Christian texts) as well, but his connecting of dots aren't always right IMO. His interpretations come from a very Protestant point of view which usually leans on literal interpretations of the Bible. This differs from Roman Catholic and Christian Orthodox which have understanding that certain teachings, stories, and other parables are giving symbolic meanings. Which is why Roman Catholics/Orthodox Bible understanding are not Sola Scriptura but have interpretation by tradition, unlike Protestant who let anyone read the Bible(which is great) but without the historical and traditional context backed behind it the interpretation become countless. That is also why there are so many Protestant denomination because of the lack of understanding behind the scripture. Mr.Ehram got his degrees most likely from a Protestant univeristy/college or at the very least was taught by Protestant teachers using Sola Scriptura as their base technique for analysis, which shows throughout the video. This is not noticiable by non practicing Christians(including non practicing Catholic or Orthodox) who know little of their own religion to begin with, but it stands out like a sore thumb with nominal understand how Biblical texts are read and understood by Catholic or Orthodox methods.
Still many things he says are thought provoking and fun listening to, I don't think his works have been anti-Christian or trying to make people view only falsehood in Christianity, but rather forces the reader to really think about their faith and improve upon it. From some other peoples remarks I agree that he portrays himself either as an agnostic or liberal Christian, although I'm sure he is still culturally Christian at the very least. Apart from that, I suggest that he shouldn't be the only writing you read, and having a fair balance of reading of many other scholars who make a case for Christianity is a must, best to see as many opinions as possible and not just one. This last statement goes to both Christians and Atheists/Agnostics.
When we are in a deep sleep we are unaware of our existence and unaware of the passage of time. If we wake up 5 hours later or 5 centuries later we won't know. Same thing occurs in death. IMHO.
Sounds ideal to me. Just don't get your brains blown out. Don't want to miss that experience.
You are taking a lack of memory for an ontology. Just because you can't remember something doesn't mean nothing happened in what the awake mind calls deep sleep.
@@moesypittounikos it's more like pre birth one person put it, I fear death like I feared the 1000s of years before my birth
I've always thought that as well, people from thousands of years ago could wake up today and felt like they were sleep for a few minutes and be stunned about how the world has changed since they fell asleep thousands of years ago.
This is why I no longer fear death.
This is so refreshing. Being raised a Catholic, this is so amazing to me. I'd go to his parish anyday. I'd like to know if he thinks that a Catholic can attend Mass, while not believing in many tenants that are important to Christianity.
Tenets DUMMY. Jesus
Of course you can, and many do. It requires some role play, but if that does not trouble you than and it serves to crutch up your heart mind and spirit than I think it is a fine thing.
Why would you not be able to attend mass without believing all the dogmas of the church? Not even the church says all attendants must. They are picky about receiving the magic bread and wine though. But they would also tell a catholic believing in all the dogmas but having comitted a mortal sin not to receive the magic bread and wine without having been to confession and received absolution first. So you go and sing along with all the songs and have fun.
Dr. Bart Ehrman, You should promote by doing livestreams on youtube. This is getting huge.
I agree. and the point is that also islam is heavily leaning on concepts of heaven and hell that have evolved as a result of these christian afterlife beliefs back in those days. Might be very important to involve some muslims in the conversation as well.
His channel will blow up quickly doing live streams! Bart- this is something you should really consider...
Of late I've been asking my Christian friends who believe in a literal heaven "what do they expect to be doing in heaven" and their answers are senseless. Thanks Dr Ehrmam. I became convinced of the non-existence of heaven and hell after listening to Bishop John Shelby Spong.
Modern Christianity is utterly pointless without the belief in heaven and hell. Without the threat or the promise of reward, the so-called justice in the afterlife, there's no tool of fear with which to manipulate and control.
@@dusty3913 You're about 500 years late. One of the core foundational principles of Protestantism is "sola gratia" - you can't earn your way into Heaven by good deeds. Salvation is a free gift from God, so the belief goes, because *no one* is truly deserving and without sin. The whole Reformation got started in part because Martin Luther wrestled with feelings of unworthiness while he was still a Catholic monk. It's not a reward and punishment based system.
Glorifying God
There will be no more suffering because there won't be anything left to suffer
I mean.. yes and no. The entire bible is a collection of the most disgusting absurd suffering that has ever been written about. The Israelites killed anyone they didn't like. and God killed the entire earth, and all the animals, lol. in one big "extinction event" Suffering is the "Feature" of this book
Awesome stuff as always Mr Ehrman
The more I learn about Christianity the more it sounds so implausible !
Funny that. The more l learn about Christianity, the more and more it sounds probable
When you know better you should do better. Thank Bart for educating us👏🏾🥂
Cant get enough of Bart.
I have had the worst anxiety, from this, and preachers say i don't believe etc. I have had a very screwed up fear from this stuff. But can we hear of a soul ? Im afraid to get a gift of money mom left from fear of money. It's as though we are in a perpetual punishing and harming thing. When we see Jesus, it blood and nails. I could not sleep when young.
I realize this is 4 months late, so I'm not sure if you're still going through your anxiety. It sounds like you might have received some harmful spiritual teaching, focusing on fear and guilt rather than the love of God. Are the preachers you're listening to making you feel this way?
Thank you, Dr. Ehrman. I found you by way of Christopher Hitchens referencing you in god is not Great. I'd like to purchase one of your books; which do you recommend as my introduction? I was leaning toward Misquoting Jesus. I too had a gradual journey away from Evangelical Christian faith (staring in my mid 20's. I'm nearly 40 now). The idea of Hell prompted my doubt, and began my genuine intellectual questioning. I appreciate your connecting the dots between Plato, apocalyptic Judaism, Jesus' message, and the early church's "adaptation." You have to love the Zoom platform: 1:20:40 "...God's going to do it, and you can't stop him [BUUUURP!]" All the best.
Good work doctor from Pakistan
I once had a visions (dream) of heaven and hell.
It started off with me in heaven, which was rather dull. If you were in heaven, then you were allowed to go to hell and come back whenever you wanted.
Since the woman I was dating didn’t seem to be anywhere around, I went downstairs.
Turns out, hell is Fenway Park. The bleachers were full, everyone was in a great mood.
Someone noticed that Elvis was sitting just a few rows in front of me, so he stood up and waved to everyone, who cheered.
I started walking around, and there was cake, and it was good cake.
Never found my partner.
So there you have it. Hell is being in a ball park with Elvis, eternally waiting for the game to start, and the cake is good.
I’m not making any of this up, I really did have this dream.
From what I’ve gathered, most people simply do not dream with this level of detail and structure, but some of us do.
A follower of The Jesus from way back then who had vivid dreams would, inevitably, have nightmares about hell. It’s not up for debate - it happened, it had to happen.
We have nightmares about the world around us in our head. If hell is the scariest thing imaginable, the nightmares will happen.
And these people, not knowing anything about what dreams are, thought they were shown Visions!
And with Visions! Comes power and attention.
great video. cheers Bart
Thank you Bart. I truly appreciate all you do.
Thanks Mr. Ehrman.
Thx Dr. Ehrman!
A wonderful and interesting talk here.
Thank you so much
The level of respect is great to see.
No arguments, no loud voices, just open discussion and History Brough to the table.
To me, the Gnostic view prevails.
Heavens and Hells within our psyche.
Carl Jung etc.
Awesome. Thanks.
Always interesting to hear your teaching and expertise.
It's great to have access to this on TH-cam! 👍
44:40...that is the best synopsis of how that occurred that I've ever had explained to me. (...I'm 55, and I was pressured into Christianity when I was ten)
I have had bits and pieces of this here and there over the years, but never heard it explained so comprehensively.
Thank you very much Professor Bart Ehrman for posting this valuable interview.
love the session. i have a question. The Messiah/Christ said ; "if you believe in me as scriptures have said, rivers of life shall flow from you" also, he said "if you believe in me, you will do things far more greater than I". What scriptures was he referring to since we know that the new testament was not written at the time of the quote. I have a inclination it is torah. Can you verify ? peace upon you
Are the Seven tribes from the sea be thingy be like the "Sea People" from the Bronze age collapse ? distant memory of that or something like that happening in the past?
Amazing how a person's faith will blind them to facts that are right in front of them. Jesus told the sinner next to him 'truly I tell you today, you will be with me in paradise" how does this make any sense to a hell supporter??
Never once in his life (as we know it in the gospels) did Jesus expect anyone accept him as their savior. All that was made up after he died and the world didn't end as he predictied.
The Gospel of Luke is a later redaction added to Jesus's story. The Earliest gospels we have are the gospels of Matthew and Mark with the Gospel of Mark being the oldest.
The parable of the Rich man and Lazurus as well as that phrase is not found among the original work of Matthew or Mark. So hence why scholars don't believe it
@Bart, what’s your comment on 1 Samuel 28 : 3 - 24, where King Saul consults a sorcerer to talk to Samuel. Does that not points to soul surviving after death?
While it does, it can also refer to Saul speaking to Samuel from the grave, meaning that his body and soul were still in the grave. And not in Heaven and Hell and is awaiting the Resurrection of the Dead on Judgement day
Professor Ehrman, some people are talking about the letter of Pontius Pilate to the Emperor Tiberius as a proof of Jesus's existence and a description of his appearance. Apparently its a copy of the original that is in the Library of Congress.
Do we have any information of the original or where the copy is coming from or if its a forgery or not?
What is the Gnostic Christian view of Heaven and Hell? Is Earth actually considered to be Hell by Gnostics?
Yes, being “cast down to hell” is basically being forced to reincarnate after death. Heaven would be a spiritual realm outside of the physical often called ‘the pleroma’ where Jesus and the other aeons come from.
Very learned. But is Comic Sans necessary?
Right!? He should be using papyrus...
Matthew 13:41-42, 49-50 “The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Mark 9:43, 48-49 “And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire…where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ For everyone will be salted with fire.”
The "End of the Age" was the destruction of the Temple - THAT generation !
Something that seems to be always overlooked - Jesus said He was only talking to the Jews of HIS generation when He spoke of these events - it's about the inevitable rejection of the "Son of Man" etc ....
Quoting fiction?
Did you even listen to what Bart even said. And secondly nothing in those 2 verses support the idea that the person is burning for eternity. Its only the worm and the fire that doesn't die, but nothing about the person not dying and being tortured for eternity
What about purgatory? I haven't heard that word used, since I was a child, 65 years ago.
What about it? It's a Roman Catholic tradition. It's not mentioned in the bible
Remember God is good all the time! Today u say there is no God, tomorrow he will make you say he is Exists.
I love Bart. Such a genuine human being.
Appreciate all he does
I'm interested in this topic, but don't have 1.5 hours of time
Excellent. Thank you!
Maybe I missed it but doesn't the parable of Lazarus and the Rich man suggest eternal damnation?
1:08:37 In summary, 1. It's a parable. 2. Dr. Ehrman doesn't think Jesus actually said that, the reason being that the parable seems to assume in advance that a man can be raised from the dead (Jesus), and that there were those with Moses and the Prophets who did not believe him (Unbelieving Jews).
1:09:04
If Jesus didn't have a human father, what did his DNA look like?
Great question. If you believe in Adam, Jesus is similar to him in that sense.
Virgin's don't have babies. Personally I don't believe all the miracle nonsense it's just made up because that's what people back then needed to believe Jesus was the son of God. Jesus's teachings are good enough for me.
Family, I have a question about a scripture I read somewhere in the bible. It says something along the lines of a nation being destroyed from the period between the full moon and the new moon. Can anyone help me out with where I can find this passage?
Why was Paul Obsessed with blood of Jesus Sacrifice ??
Jews back in those days practiced blood magic.
Dr. Ehrman, I would also recommend a Neo-Assyrian text dubbed "The Underworld Vision of an Assyrian Crown Prince". Seth L. Sanders, professor of Religious Studies at the University of California gives a detailed assessment of this work in his paper "The First Tour of Hell: From Neo-Assyrian Propaganda to Early Jewish Revelation "
@TTS NEWS
Enoch was written in 2nd century BCE and NOT by Enoch son of Jared.
As you describe the thinking that lead to the resurrection of the body I can imagine myself being there. You bring history to life. I'd go right along with it if I were there at the time, because, what do I know? Thank you Bart.
I wish i could discuss with him about Islamic perspective about Heaven & Hell. He is legend historian in ours time.
He’s said before that he doesn’t want to get into Islamic literature because I quote “he doesn’t want to die”. 😂
I don´t need to read the bible, I got Dr. Ehrman.
I don't think When an would agree. It is always best to see things for yourself rather than placing complete faith in a man. Now to be fair, I have looked for myself and never found an occasion where he was mistaken, but it is different to see for yourself than to just believe in the testimony of any human.
The Preterist thought is that the judgment came in A.D. 70 as spoken by Jesus. It would happen within the lives of the apostles. Could this have been the end that people relate now in error to the coming of Jesus and the judgment?
Bart what elements are the soul made of?
it would have to be something from this universe , since we die in this universe . Obviously there is no such thing .
I don't think he believes there is a soul.
@@utubepunk Actually, he doesn't.
The soul concept is just a word salad by philosophers which was picked up by religious people. And as with most philosophical concepts, they haven't a shred of explanation to back it up with. So, there's no known material in the universe which the soul is made from.
If you were to be scientific about it, you're basically looking at electrons. Energy is what powers our clay structure. It is also the conduit that allows our brain to both retain memory and to tell our cells to do things, like beat our hearts or kick a ball. This transmission of data is not unlike a computer chip using electricity to show us silly cat videos that are years old. There are theories that since energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it only transfers from one state to another, this could be the basis for reincarnation- which is the oldest doctrine known to man. Whether this reincarnation of energy becomes a tree or a president, or the force needed to lift toast in a toaster, I haven't found anyone tackling it yet.
Love your process and knowledge Bart.
You had a great knowledge of religion
Do you all know what a John 6:66 Christian is? Would Bart Ehrman qualify as one of them?
This man's gift of teaching is glory to God for his fine brain and clear thinking and pure logic. If God didnt give us this rational reasoning what else did he give us? I think it is testament to the enlightenment of the holy spirit to rightly divide the word of truth. What is hard is that so much of Christendom is wrong, bit of a shocker. Leave judgement to the Creator and be thankful for evidence of unravelling of the scriptures, this will lead to faith, the precious gift of God.
Excellent lecture
Bart is the best.
From past to present, there's nothing in this world that the adversary cannot infiltrate or corrupt whether religious institutions or scriptures ; so in this case, there's also duality in this principle which states that, by the testimony of two or three (more) witnesses ( Inspired Testaments or books other than man's historical texts), the truth shall be established , line upon line, precept upon precept, like truth upon truth in every dispensation of the gospel / Mysteries of the Kingdom until its Fullness will be revealed in God's due time.
Why should any grown person believe in the devil? Dont you think a bit silly to actually believe in an ancient man made supernatural being?
@@INFINITEMODIFICATIONS Obviously there is a lot of evil in the world. If people are going to think there is a person making all the good things happen, then it doesn't seem absurd to believe there is someone else responsible for all the bad.
@@INFINITEMODIFICATIONS You belong to the Matrix (figurative) so you're too blinded to see that you are actually working on their side, or one of their Minions. one of those SELF-MADE GOD OF BEING Cult. Your Logic is not even good enough to sway a scientologist.
Great presentation. Thanks for posting.
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many." -Jesus
A fantastic intellectual who can communicate valuable information. Brilliant
"It's not about going to Heaven, it's about bringing Heaven down to earth" - that's how theologian N.T Wright also interprents the new testament, interesting...
That’s basically the Jewish view, instead of “going to heaven”, their mission is to create heaven on Earth. Unfortunately, amongst Christians (especially Protestants) that idea would be viewed as blasphemous since most of their doctrine is based on devaluing this life and putting almost all emphasis on the next.
The Jehovah's Witnesses believe in a Paradise on earth after Judgment Day.
They also believe 99.9% of all humans will die on Judgement Day and their bodies will help fertilizing the earth. JWs will then make earth a paradise with their own hands. Heaven on the other hand is only for 144,000 Witnesses, who have been chosen to become high priests and kings under Jesus.
"... thy will be done on earth..." taking for granted that in heaven nobody is studying how to take advantage of their neighbor, etc.
Pablo Henriksen N.t. Wright is a believer in the bible, Jesus and God nonsense. It's still a ridiculous belief
With the incomprehensible vastness of “creation” and possibilities of the universe, being limited to dwell on Earth for eternity would seem nothing more than a never ending prison sentence.
Hebrews 5:7 Jesus who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His Godly fear. How could Christians over look verses in the New Testament as this with our giving thought? Just wondering has anyone had a Christian try to explain this verse before? I’m just curious how they dance around it.
People don't even realize that their ideas about heaven and hell are mostly based on Dante and have next to nothing to do with the Bible
More Milton IMO
@@HkFinn83 That as well or more good sir
@@pauljimerson8218 what’s your thoughts on Hell near death testimonies on TH-cam? They are very disturbing to me
Thank god that we finally have some new Bart. Or does that depend on which Gospel you read?
Question to Bart,
There is inconsistency in your interpretation of the saying of Jesus that some of those who are here will see the kingdom of God, and that this generation will not pass unless this happen. If the gospels are written more than 40 years( a full generation) after Christ how can all the Synoptic gospels write about something that never happened ? and by so doing prove that Christ was wrong.
Here are a few scriptures on the afterlife, mostly attributed to Jesus (the way, the truth, the life).
Matt. 25:46, John 3:16, Matt. 10:28, Hebrews 9:27, Luke 23:43, Revelation 21:8, Luke 16:19-31, Matthew 25:41...Please forgive us poor, ignorant, unlearned, peasants and peons for believing in a literal hell and heaven. But it seems the divinely inspired (fought over, debated over, struggled over, anguished over, prayed over, vexed day and night over, and martyred over) word of God have lead us to this conclusion. 😳🙏
THE FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM IS THAT HELL IS NOT A JUDEO-CHRISTIAN CONCEPT. That is not its origin. Jews didn't believe in the existence of a Hell based upon their own cosmology and stories.... You want to know where the concepts originated 1) Egyptian faith 2) Zoroastrianism 3) Babylonian religions 4) Greece mythology. So all of this can be historically traced and YET Jews didn't believe in Hell until a SEGMENT OF JEWS took elements of these ideas from their conquers. Overall most Jews still don't believe in Hell and this is the FOUNDING RELIGION of Christianity -- Jesus and his disciples were all Jewish adherents
Like 16 - The story of the Rich man and Lazarus is not literal, Simply because 1. It Does NOT Support Immortal Soul Doctrine. 2. If the hell doctrine was real, no one would ever return to earth.
Scriptures are jut the scribblings of ancient ignorant men.
Prove to me otherwise.
Is that Comic Sans in your presentation? Wow
Thanks for posting Bart!
Why Ehrman doesn't speak about Islam
Because he hasn't studied it.
Because he's a New Testament scholar not a scholar in the Quran
If you want to talk about the origins of heaven and hell, then you need to look at the source material (philosophy/theology) of the Persians and Zoroastrianism. Follow that line and history and you’ll get closer to the truth.
I'm surprised that Bart didn't bring up Zoroastrianism as a likely influence.
Excellent!
Dr. Bart,
Gostaria que tivesse tradução para o Português!
Who's is Peter by the way 🤔
I don't know 😙🙃☺️
That was great Bart. I can't wait to find out what it's like after death. I found lots of this presentation amusing and definitely entertaining and educational.
Be sure and write!
Well, you should probably wait a little. 😁
Thank you Dr. Ehrman.
I've turned my kin on to your wise words. Some have scoffed you off and others eyes have been opened minded and have listened. I appreciate all that you do.👍
I would love Bert Airmens take on Revelation 14:9
Christ accused God of "forsakenment" my god my god why hast thou forsaken me? My question is... what came the reply? Nowhere in the bible does God reply to Christ! He doesn't attempt to say...no! no! You have it all wrong son! Nothing! No response, no nothing...
For Bart Ehrman history of religion starts with old testament. If you ask him that there was a religious traditions like Zoroastrianism which highly influenced Judaism specially in concept of heaven and hell, he totally ignores that. To him there is not even a religion called Zoroastrianism existed.
I have worked most of my life and every now and again they would gives a three day weekend late on fri. afternoon . We would never have dreamt to come back to work early sun. morning . Are you sure that's right ? Mk.8.31 He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things , be rejected by the elders, chief priests, scribes, be killed, and after three days rise again.
Gen.1.5 He separated the light from the darkness. The light he called day the darkness he called night. The evening and the morning one day
Thank you, for exposing the nonsense of Christinsanity.
Except nothing Ehrman says here debunks Christianity in any way.
@@jordancox8802 Sure it does.
Thank you for kindly sharing this.
Just to note that reincarnation was also an idea found in Plato.
Do you suppose that Paul may have been speaking about the last day and receiving his new body at that time. Having been contrasting the two types (current and future bodies) in the context? "absent from the body, present with the Lord."
What if it were possible that it is consistent in teaching? Must we assume the authors were at odds in understanding? I wish you would give the textual reasons for your seeming presumption that there was inconsistency of doctrine among the authors. Then we could evaluate the possibility of your thesis of doctrinal variance among the writers. Who's separation in time is contested among respected scholars, as I understand it.
Bart has written immense amounts of scholarly work as well as a small library of popular books. This is a brief talk on TH-cam. I think you’d be better engaging with the former. This kind of talk is to spark interest in his written work.
Ps, the doctrinal differences between biblical authors is so widely accepted - by all critical scholars and most everybody else as well. It’s just so basic, there’s no need to address these questions at someone like Dr. Ehrman.
I am a full preterist, I would love to debate the good Dr. on this site. Contact me Dr. Ehrman.
Paul is only different then Jesus if you presuppose Sola Fide and read it back into his letters. The fact is that no one subscribed to the doctrine until long after Paul wrote his letters. Where is it taught in the anti Nicene Fathers? Clearly Paul has been misunderstood and did not teach this reformation doctrine.
From the little I understand, it seems as though Luther was frustrated in his own spiritual development, and found Sola Fide as a "short cut" to salvation. It reminds me of Zen Buddhism, which I understand to be a short cut to enlightenment.
Bart for pope
The secret of freedom lies in educating people, whereas the secret of tyranny is in keeping them ignorant.
Maximilien Robespierre