D. Ehrman is, as I call him, *a new 2000 power microscope* that shows very *minute details* of the Bible to the people from very sensitive, untold, different & true scopes. He raised many critical biblical issues that *most biblical scholars* always close their eyes off.
Great work Bart..Keep doing the work. There are many more Biblical scholars I'm sure wish they had the guts to go against the grain ,and tell the truth. But its much easier to stay in line.
Yes I'm sure those lucrative book deals and spots on numerous teleivision shows and podcasts and all those invites to debates to essentially knit pick a few inconsequential details is in no way influencing Ehrman to do this 'brave' thing and give the low-informaiton left some flimsy ammunition to throw at Christians while completely ignoring the far bigger threat of Islam because that may endanger his life. What a courageous soul attacking the people who'll turn the other cheek; we must inform the Nobel committee, some sort of prize should be created just for him, Rosie O'Donnell and the Democratic Party.
Andy, you may not realize that Prof. Ehrman donates his book proceeds to homeless and hungry. he was a pastor and his specialty IS the Bible, which is what he now teaches based on research in an historical light, not moral judgement.
For most Christians, the Bible is a book to be read without a single pinch of skepticism or doubt. If they read it at all, they take it as a given that God Almighty had it published. With that mindset they forgive or ignore all flaws even if they dare notice them. Christianity is the worship of the stories in the book. There is nothing else.
A bit of a sweeping statement; how did you investigate what 2.5 billion people believe exactly? What was your sample size? What questions did you ask? Or are you just spouting your random thoughts and pretending like they're facts? I don't know anyone who thinks God is a publisher, where are these people? Christianity also consists of worhsip in song, prayer, religious experience, fellowship, charity, they've setup thousands of schools, hospitals orphanages and refuges, inspired countless numbers to give their lives to medicine, education, science and scholarship, art and composition and brought the world objective morality, the progressive view of history, care beyond one's own family or community and ended slavery and many forms of oppression. How many stories have you written that have done any of that?
Andy Kench ...and yet none of those are things that cannot be achieved by secular means, such as the Red Cross. Lots of people are motivated to help people for different reasons. It doesn't prove the claims behind the motivation.
The Red Cross, hmm where'd that symbol come from? Anyhow, such organisations may be secular but are born out of Christian societies which is why China doesn't go around building schools or hospitals in the bits of Africa they're 'investing' in. The value of education, health, provision for the poor come from Christian values; there was no such help in the Roman Empire or the Greek world where babies were left to die on mountains if they weren't wanted or were deformed or disabled, those values that underly goodness come today from Jerusalem, many people just see them as 'obvious' but they're not obvious to China's government, or to many in the Islamic world or to many ancient cultures.
I had a cousin who sold guns. He used to preach nuclear apocalypse to close the sale. The Gospels' emphasis on the coming judgment is part of a standard call to repentance even today. Ehrman talks like it's something unique.
How many errors, omissions, embellishments and total elaboration of the reality of things does it take for a person to understand that some things are just stories and fairytales to lively up an account or event to teach a lesson or remember an event like the writing of books in the Bible. For Christians there is no limit.
This man provides an irreplaceable service to the Church and to the Biblical studies of recent times. If you can continue to believe and remain Christian then you would have probably found the real meaning of faith. I would argue that his books are not against religious faith but it shows that they need to transform into something else and that something else what bothers the bishops and the priests and all the brain washed people!
The coming of the Lord has several meanings. He comes when we are filled with the spirit, also the day we die to our carnal man and we are born from above, also he comes for us the day we physically die and again on the last day for the believers still alive.
I appreciate the professionalism of Bart Ehrman’s work. I’ve listened to many of his videos. But all of this attention to detail really means very little. What matters is the personal intimate relationship that is available with Jesus. Once you have that, I can’t imagine ditching it, as it is crucial to one’s life. Once you are attached to Him, you are fed invisible food that goes to the core of your being. I am 73, have left many times over the years. Each time, my grief was greater. He is my sustenance. And I know He is alive in another dimension. I do not belong to any church. I’m not interested in dogma, not well enough to join a group...I just love the Lord. ❤️✝️
"...when I began to see contradictions..." implies that he was blind to contradictions before. That's what I've seen. Christians cannot see, literally are blind to, contradictions. Christians believe the messiah has appeared on earth and await his second coming. Jews await the first coming. Muslims have their final truth and are blind to contradictions therein. I believe ~(A&~A) is true. I like to know when I've been wrong all along.
Yes well plenty of atheists hold to a deterministic view of life yet still hold people (particularly religious folks) morally accountable for the things they were determined to do. Contradictions exist in life, some become aware of them, some deal with them, some do further research, others just throw their hands up and cry 'It's all nonsense" while often holding contradictory views of their own. The basic historical facts of the resurrection are held by the majority of scholars so just ignore the other stories if you like and just focus on the resurrection.
@ Andy Kench ─ You wrote: "The basic historical facts of the resurrection are held by the majority of scholars" Simply not true. And if you mean "the majority of *Biblical* scholars", then yes, for sure, but the great majority of biblical scholars came to Bible Studies from a position of faith, i.e. not from a knowledge of the evidence. It's very clear that most such scholars ─WLC, Habermas, Licona, etc., etc.─ are apologists, i.e. they are dishonest in the way they use the evidence to confirm their irrational belief.
@ Johannes Richter ─ You wrote: "Camerinus I'd like to see you back up that assertion with some facts, otherwise it amounts to conspiracy theory and poisoning the well. Are you saying Bart Ehrman should be regarded as a fluke in his field, and mistaken in his area of expertise?" ► Could you please explain? What do you mean "conspiracy theory and poisoning the well"? Why should Bart Ehrman "be regarded as a fluke in his field, and mistaken in his area of expertise"? I don't see where all this is coming from.
Bart seems to ignore the assemblage of the Gospels as depending on different sources, thus constrained by preferences, individual memories, purposes, intended audiences, and perhaps all the factors that go into constructing a gospel to make a point.
The images you use of Jesus are based on recent art history. These images are without doubt based on the Shroud of Turin yet I have never heard you mention it ... any reason?
I am watching your series on early Christianity on The Great Courses platform. you look quite young, do you plan on new updated lectures on the Great Courses platform ? probably nothing major has been discovered in the last decade ?
The source material is almost two millenia old... Short of the Pope coming forward suddenly and saying, "because of Zika, God says condoms are okay now," I don't think there's going to be any more revelations from the ancient quarter.
Why does Bart Ehrmann always pick pictures of Jesus that look like Bart Erhmann to put on the covers of his books?! Cracks me UP! I wonder if he realizes these are the pics he gravitates to?! Maybe I notice because I am an art history student for decades and an artist and I just have that eye!
More importantly, if Ehrman is about clarity and authenticity he would not place a pale face Jesus on his book covers. He is doing what he decries of the Bible
The quran never say's that the al kitab is changed christians never say anything bad about the quran now don't get me wrong there are many clickbait videos out there of people reacting to the quran and there aren't as much as for the al kitab and not to mention there are christians who learn about islam and read the quran & bible side by side which is our job according to the quran second your here in a secular country because the country you or maybe your parents came from is a shit hole not to mention if you question or even criticize islam you would be put to death shame on you
Terry Gross has such a pleasant timber of voice and accent...she could narrate anything. Most men do not care to listen to female voices however...so almost all narrations are done by males...sucks to be a victim of male domination still in 2019...so Abrahamic still...When women contribute only 30 % of a conversation males think that the women are “trying to dominate” the conversation. Perception is insane...
@noor miah agreed , no matter how much these people can say about contradictions . The prophesies were true even 400 years apart . So regardless of who wrote it Jesus died and rose . You can lie and say it was coincidental but then you deal with him who has power to throw you into hell and give your reasons but I can assure you , youll never win against God Almighty and you can stand infront of Him and say what he did made no sense but then you are the same clay asking the potter why he made you the way he did it? Or why he did things that confused you ....goodluck my friends whoever you are .
I believe in the eternal existence of our consciousness and that suffering is payment for sins of past lives, but I'm not giving anyone any money for it.
Jesus (عليه السلام) said the robber will be with him in Paradise, ,,, so that means the robber BELIEVED Jesus (عليه السلام) died for the sins of Humanity, ,, ,,,right😕
The contradictions seem so obvious. The failed prophecies (e.g. that the end of the world was within Jesus' own generation) are so obviously failed prophecies. The character and attributes of Jesus seem to so obviously change from gospel to gospel. How can believers not see this? How can they not, at least, doubt a little and be disappointed? To me this is puzzling just as much as it is fascinating and, of course, frustrating. I cannot make sense of such irrationality, especially when the believer is also a scholar ─ that is, supposedly, a critical thinker.
Camerinus Believers do see it and can account for it in many ways. The reality of multiple perspectives is only threatening to theories of inspiration that demands a single, unified and unproblematic narrative.
Thanks for this. I'll have a look at Enns' arguments, though I can't take anything on faith (unlike him) and I see no evidence whatsoever to believe that the Bible was divinely inspired. I see he is a Christian. If the resurrection is key to his Christian convictions, then I am unlikely to be impressed. There is simply no reliable evidence for such a thing. Still, I'll have a closer look.
Mario world N.Y ─ You wrote: "I believe they do doubt. That's why they look to apologist for answers not just to defend their faith but to reinforce it." You're probably right. In my view, apologetics is a form of cognitive dissonance. The most dishonest I've seen so far are William Lane Craig and some of his sheep such as Inspiring Philosophy here on TH-cam. If people learned the basic methods of textual analysis and history, apologetics would collapse; its dishonesty would become obvious to all.
One more thing brother Bart. I have all your books ,and love your knowledge ,but I think you should stop riding that fence of agnosticism, and come on over to righteous atheism..lol..There is a poverty to agnosticism. We are all agnostic to something. But you still that dude..Peace!
I'm going with neutrality, Bart is not stupid as a scholar or a businessman. Why step on toes when he is appealing to as many as he can with his books, no problem with him considering himself agnostic. I stand firm in emphatically stating no man made God(s) exist, that part makes me an atheist. No one knows what happens after death, I understand and accept that and do not fear what is inevitable for us all. If there were a Creator, I would be the first in line to profess my gratitude, until then my non belief must deem me an atheist in this existence. I have lived my life expecting nothing so my disappointment has been kept to a minimum so not expecting anything after my physical demise either. All the best my friends.
Emperor Atheist: I agree with you my Emporer (a fan). I think Bart straddles the fence and sometimes talks out of both sides of his mouth to appease the religious. Sometimes, I feel i'm listening to a theist. But, I may be incorrect here to a certain point. I need to listen to more of his debates.
k0smon: No One KNOWs whether a god exists or not. There is No way to prove either scenario. So, it is absolutely POINTLESS to profess to be Agnostic. You either BELIEVE in a god or NOT. It is that simple. Bart does not believe in a biblical god, there is no doubt of that. He is an atheist, but will not stress that.
He explicitly states (maybe not in this talk but in others) that he is both an atheist AND an agnostic. Those terms refer to two different conceptual realms: 1. Knowledge - absolute, objective. If you don’t know whether God exists (and let’s be honest, no one does), you’re an _agnostic._ 2. Belief - personal, subjective, relative. If you don’t believe in a god (regardless of what you know) you’re an _atheist._ You can believe Handel’s Messiah is the most beautiful musical piece ever written, without knowing for a fact whether or not you’ll ever hear one you like better.
11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11 KJV) With That being said why do we have a Genesis and Revelation?? Great work Bart I use to want to believe as well til I started asking question and got ignored by the very same who's who says God called them to preach well if that's the cast why then Moses said God told him only the levite men are the only ones who's suppose to teach because they didn't get any inheritance but you have rich pastors today then Jesus comes alone and he's from the tribe of Judah and he his preaching as well as the other disciples are from other tribes so now the question is how are they able to preach if the 1 God told Moses only the levites are the only ones who can teach that the type of question I asked and got no answer only don't question Jesus lol what BS
If Jesus tells the man next to him that they will wake up in paradise, how does this fit in with Bart's teaching that Jesus never spoke of an afterlife, rather, he preached of a heaven on earth when God returns to create the kingdom?
I believe all gospels seem to be recording events while Jerusalem was still standing I think dating is a bit questionable they just rely on Greek manuscripts not go back prior to that
God is nothing to do with cotratictions and misinterpretations since it is man made.we need not belive that the scriptures are directly inspired word of God cos there are many contrtictions.God cannot make any mistake.
Bart is still arguing with Moody Bible and is still a student of Moody Bible. Bart still does not understand that his conversion to evangelical Christianity is emblematic of Christianity from the very beginning. Some personal internal experience bringing a person to Christianity has been described by many at the very start of Christianity. Bart still tries to construct Christianity, as does Moody Bible, into some series of logical steps and these steps shows what Christianity is about, if wrong then it must be wrong and then we look for error in either the way one thinks or what has been written. The problem with this is these logical steps are not what spread Christianity. It was not the "Christology" of Jesus that spread Christianity. Like most agnostics and atheist they reject "internal experience" because it can not be proven but how can you study Christianity with out seeing some "internal experience" that drives people. Belief structure is not enough to explain Christianity. Almost every story of the saints includes some bliss. Bart makes much travel of the assertion reported by Jesus in Mark of "my god my god why has though forsaken me". His interpretation of this assertion negates all of Christianity. If Rome contained the power to force God to forsake those they choose to crucify then the Romans won. Assuming one believes in Christianity clearly Jesus was not responding to his fate. The question then comes how did he know that he was forsaken of God? I suggest "internal experience" to be the answer. I suggest God is Life not death.
As they say, one man's personal experience is another man's heresy. If I can not experience what you are experiencing, then what you experience is internal to yourself and can not be verified. Given how easy it is to deceive ourselves, I'm not inclined to trust ANYTHING that can not be externally verified.
BlackEpyon noted "As they say, one man's personal experience is another man's heresy. If I can not experience what you are experiencing, then what you experience is internal to yourself and can not be verified. Given how easy it is to deceive ourselves, I'm not inclined to trust ANYTHING that can not be externally verified." The problem with this is that no one can experience what another person experiences. It is all guess work. We are all alone in our own little cave when we look at what we experience. If however some external event causes us to have an experience then we ascribe this to the external event not to the internal workings of our own biology. If another person describes a similar experience then we assume that it is the same but this is an assumption which can never be proved. We truly have only internal experiences, many of which we believe others are having as well. Having argued this many times I know that some will note the electrodes that can be attached thus proving a biological event but even this is not proof that the experience is the same in every case. Operant psychologists do not care about the experience but only the behavior for this very reason. Skinner once said that (to paraphrase) "internal reinforcers may or may not exist but they can not be proven" and I understand why he said that for internal experience is always subjective. This however does not dismiss the fact that their may be internal reinforcers of all kinds even though science may never know their nature.
mwdarc err... Bart was not discussing moody bible or the internal experiences of christians. He was discussing the bible, specifically the gospels from a critical scholarly POV. However it is interesting that you would bring up your internal experiences as a response to this video. Has what he has said shaken the foundation of your internal experiences? Or affected it in some way? Why would you bring up your internal experience as a response to this?
PermanentWater noted"mwdarc err... Bart was not discussing moody bible or the internal experiences of christians. He was discussing the bible, specifically the gospels from a critical scholarly POV. However it is interesting that you would bring up your internal experiences as a response to this video. Has what he has said shaken the foundation of your internal experiences? Or affected it in some way? Why would you bring up your internal experience as a response to this?" Bart has made the observation many times that the reported words of Jesus in Mark of "Lord Lord why has though forsaken me" was in response to Jesus's perceptions about his fate. This is a conjecture on the part of Bart that is self serving at least if we assume Bart is an agnostic as he claims. I conjecture that it was a response to an internal experience that had left Jesus. If Bart's conjecture is true then it is clearly a total denial of Christianity and I suggest would not explain the spread of Christianity. If Bart's conjecture is true then Rome would be the final arbitrator of God's presence which would be abhorrent to any true Christian and for that matter any true humanitarian. I was not talking about my internal experiences but only the reported experiences of 1st and 2nd and 3rd century persons which Bart ignores.
Yes I know this and I did not bring up my internal experiences. I only offered an alternative to a conjecture that Bart has made concerning Jesus. This conjecture is revealing to me of Bart's main error. Bart has refereed many times to the fact that he went to Moody Bible school and to Wheaten College which as you may or may not know are conservative evangelic institutions. This is one of his selling points and he has done well in selling his books. I disagree with Bart and his implied if not specific interpretation of Christianity. He may suggest that he is not studying Christianity but history however I would disagree with him in that. In his study of Christianity he overlooks many parts of documents if not documents them selves that do not fit into his Moody Bible driven take on Christianity. It is hard to look at Bart and not see a straw dog called Evangelical Christianity which he likes to beat. He is embracing what he thinks is science. He is not looking for the truth in Christianity he is looking for a construct that fits his agenda and an agenda that has made him much money.
For what it is worth, as much as I appreciate so much of the work Bart has done, it appears Bart is horribly, horribly mangling the exegesis and content of the book of John -which has nothing at all to do with any claim of Jesus to be divine. One easy example - John 10.30 "I and the Father, we are one". If one simply goes a few chapters later to John 17.11 and John 17.22, one sees exactly what Jesus is intending and it has nothing to do with any sort of claim to divinity. I'm uncertain why Bart can't get ahold of something this obvious in light of his otherwise impeccable scholarship...😖
Luke 6:43-45 New International Version A Tree and Its Fruit 43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
D. Ehrman is, as I call him, *a new 2000 power microscope* that shows very *minute details* of the Bible to the people from very sensitive, untold, different & true scopes.
He raised many critical biblical issues that *most biblical scholars* always close their eyes off.
I respect this great professor of biblical studies for speaking frm the bottom of his heart..honestly i mean.
Great work Bart..Keep doing the work. There are many more Biblical scholars I'm sure wish they had the guts to go against the grain ,and tell the truth. But its much easier to stay in line.
Yes I'm sure those lucrative book deals and spots on numerous teleivision shows and podcasts and all those invites to debates to essentially knit pick a few inconsequential details is in no way influencing Ehrman to do this 'brave' thing and give the low-informaiton left some flimsy ammunition to throw at Christians while completely ignoring the far bigger threat of Islam because that may endanger his life. What a courageous soul attacking the people who'll turn the other cheek; we must inform the Nobel committee, some sort of prize should be created just for him, Rosie O'Donnell and the Democratic Party.
Andy, you may not realize that Prof. Ehrman donates his book proceeds to homeless and hungry. he was a pastor and his specialty IS the Bible, which is what he now teaches based on research in an historical light, not moral judgement.
@@mimib616 He gives the money he raises from membership to his blog to charity. He has never claimed to give the proceeds of his books away.
Yes! This is the perfect listening material for my yard work.
I love her voice. Great radio voice.
What a delightful interview. Thank you for sharing.
For most Christians, the Bible is a book to be read without a single pinch of skepticism or doubt.
If they read it at all, they take it as a given that God Almighty had it published.
With that mindset they forgive or ignore all flaws even if they dare notice them.
Christianity is the worship of the stories in the book. There is nothing else.
A bit of a sweeping statement; how did you investigate what 2.5 billion people believe exactly? What was your sample size? What questions did you ask? Or are you just spouting your random thoughts and pretending like they're facts? I don't know anyone who thinks God is a publisher, where are these people? Christianity also consists of worhsip in song, prayer, religious experience, fellowship, charity, they've setup thousands of schools, hospitals orphanages and refuges, inspired countless numbers to give their lives to medicine, education, science and scholarship, art and composition and brought the world objective morality, the progressive view of history, care beyond one's own family or community and ended slavery and many forms of oppression. How many stories have you written that have done any of that?
Andy Kench ...and yet none of those are things that cannot be achieved by secular means, such as the Red Cross. Lots of people are motivated to help people for different reasons. It doesn't prove the claims behind the motivation.
The Red Cross, hmm where'd that symbol come from? Anyhow, such organisations may be secular but are born out of Christian societies which is why China doesn't go around building schools or hospitals in the bits of Africa they're 'investing' in. The value of education, health, provision for the poor come from Christian values; there was no such help in the Roman Empire or the Greek world where babies were left to die on mountains if they weren't wanted or were deformed or disabled, those values that underly goodness come today from Jerusalem, many people just see them as 'obvious' but they're not obvious to China's government, or to many in the Islamic world or to many ancient cultures.
Even stories don't match up, so they are not true or fabricated.
Lies that inspire people to do good things are still lies. 'Useful' is not synonymous with 'true'.
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
I'm an Apologist I agree with Ehrman
I had a cousin who sold guns. He used to preach nuclear apocalypse to close the sale. The Gospels' emphasis on the coming judgment is part of a standard call to repentance even today. Ehrman talks like it's something unique.
crazy how ppl dont understand a dam thing as it relates to what they believe. smh
How many errors, omissions, embellishments and total elaboration of the reality of things does it take for a person to understand that some things are just stories and fairytales to lively up an account or event to teach a lesson or remember an event like the writing of books in the Bible. For Christians there is no limit.
Spot on
This man provides an irreplaceable service to the Church and to the Biblical studies of recent times. If you can continue to believe and remain Christian then you would have probably found the real meaning of faith. I would argue that his books are not against religious faith but it shows that they need to transform into something else and that something else what bothers the bishops and the priests and all the brain washed people!
The coming of the Lord has several meanings. He comes when we are filled with the spirit, also the day we die to our carnal man and we are born from above, also he comes for us the day we physically die and again on the last day for the believers still alive.
I appreciate the professionalism of Bart Ehrman’s work. I’ve listened to many of his videos. But all of this attention to detail really means very little. What matters is the personal intimate relationship that is available with Jesus. Once you have that, I can’t imagine ditching it, as it is crucial to one’s life. Once you are attached to Him, you are fed invisible food that goes to the core of your being. I am 73, have left many times over the years. Each time, my grief was greater. He is my sustenance. And I know He is alive in another dimension. I do not belong to any church. I’m not interested in dogma, not well enough to join a group...I just love the Lord. ❤️✝️
How is a personal relationship possible to have with a being you can't see, hear, or (other than in your own head) have a conversation with?
"...when I began to see contradictions..." implies that he was blind to contradictions before. That's what I've seen. Christians cannot see, literally are blind to, contradictions.
Christians believe the messiah has appeared on earth and await his second coming. Jews await the first coming. Muslims have their final truth and are blind to contradictions therein.
I believe ~(A&~A) is true. I like to know when I've been wrong all along.
Yes well plenty of atheists hold to a deterministic view of life yet still hold people (particularly religious folks) morally accountable for the things they were determined to do. Contradictions exist in life, some become aware of them, some deal with them, some do further research, others just throw their hands up and cry 'It's all nonsense" while often holding contradictory views of their own. The basic historical facts of the resurrection are held by the majority of scholars so just ignore the other stories if you like and just focus on the resurrection.
@ Andy Kench ─ You wrote:
"The basic historical facts of the resurrection are held by the majority of scholars"
Simply not true. And if you mean "the majority of *Biblical* scholars", then yes, for sure, but the great majority of biblical scholars came to Bible Studies from a position of faith, i.e. not from a knowledge of the evidence. It's very clear that most such scholars ─WLC, Habermas, Licona, etc., etc.─ are apologists, i.e. they are dishonest in the way they use the evidence to confirm their irrational belief.
@ Johannes Richter ─ You wrote:
"Camerinus I'd like to see you back up that assertion with some facts, otherwise it amounts to conspiracy theory and poisoning the well. Are you saying Bart Ehrman should be regarded as a fluke in his field, and mistaken in his area of expertise?"
► Could you please explain? What do you mean "conspiracy theory and poisoning the well"? Why should Bart Ehrman "be regarded as a fluke in his field, and mistaken in his area of expertise"? I don't see where all this is coming from.
Bart seems to ignore the assemblage of the Gospels as depending on different sources, thus constrained by preferences, individual memories, purposes, intended audiences, and perhaps all the factors that go into constructing a gospel to make a point.
I don't think he is ignoring it, he just isn't going into much depth on that aspect of the NT writingsin this interview.
≈ "When I started to see one mistake (in the bible) ... (then apparently) mistakes in ... everywhere!"
Hz..
It's interesting to see comments and how many experts emerge, as a wise man said,"ignorance is bliss" looks blissful to me
The images you use of Jesus are based on recent art history. These images are without doubt based on the Shroud of Turin yet I have never heard you mention it ... any reason?
I am watching your series on early Christianity on The Great Courses platform. you look quite young, do you plan on new updated lectures on the Great Courses platform ? probably nothing major has been discovered in the last decade ?
The source material is almost two millenia old... Short of the Pope coming forward suddenly and saying, "because of Zika, God says condoms are okay now," I don't think there's going to be any more revelations from the ancient quarter.
Why does Bart Ehrmann always pick pictures of Jesus that look like Bart Erhmann to put on the covers of his books?! Cracks me UP! I wonder if he realizes these are the pics he gravitates to?! Maybe I notice because I am an art history student for decades and an artist and I just have that eye!
More importantly, if Ehrman is about clarity and authenticity he would not place a pale face Jesus on his book covers.
He is doing what he decries of the Bible
The most important question still remains unanswered, where's the original Bible from Jesus in Aramaic??
Jesus didn't write a bible.
The quran never say's that the al kitab is changed christians never say anything bad about the quran now don't get me wrong there are many clickbait videos out there of people reacting to the quran and there aren't as much as for the al kitab and not to mention there are christians who learn about islam and read the quran & bible side by side which is our job according to the quran second your here in a secular country because the country you or maybe your parents came from is a shit hole not to mention if you question or even criticize islam you would be put to death shame on you
Terry Gross has such a pleasant timber of voice and accent...she could narrate anything. Most men do not care to listen to female voices however...so almost all narrations are done by males...sucks to be a victim of male domination still in 2019...so Abrahamic still...When women contribute only 30 % of a conversation males think that the women are “trying to dominate” the conversation. Perception is insane...
"Why hast thou forsaken me", comes from the fulfillment of Psalm 22. Have you not read?
Carol Rogers what are you on about you fool
@noor miah agreed , no matter how much these people can say about contradictions . The prophesies were true even 400 years apart . So regardless of who wrote it Jesus died and rose . You can lie and say it was coincidental but then you deal with him who has power to throw you into hell and give your reasons but I can assure you , youll never win against God Almighty and you can stand infront of Him and say what he did made no sense but then you are the same clay asking the potter why he made you the way he did it? Or why he did things that confused you ....goodluck my friends whoever you are .
I believe in the eternal existence of our consciousness and that suffering is payment for sins of past lives, but I'm not giving anyone any money for it.
Maybe a life of suffering is not punishment but a privelige . The kindest most generous people are those who have struggled and suffered.
Suffering simply exists... it’s no one’s fault
Jesus (عليه السلام) said the robber will be with him in Paradise, ,,, so that means the robber BELIEVED Jesus (عليه السلام) died for the sins of Humanity, ,, ,,,right😕
Adam Raheem yes that did happen you need to read a lot to understand
The contradictions seem so obvious. The failed prophecies (e.g. that the end of the world was within Jesus' own generation) are so obviously failed prophecies. The character and attributes of Jesus seem to so obviously change from gospel to gospel. How can believers not see this? How can they not, at least, doubt a little and be disappointed? To me this is puzzling just as much as it is fascinating and, of course, frustrating. I cannot make sense of such irrationality, especially when the believer is also a scholar ─ that is, supposedly, a critical thinker.
Camerinus Believers do see it and can account for it in many ways. The reality of multiple perspectives is only threatening to theories of inspiration that demands a single, unified and unproblematic narrative.
Camerinus Have a look at Peter Enns' blog for instance www.peteenns.com/
Thanks for this. I'll have a look at Enns' arguments, though I can't take anything on faith (unlike him) and I see no evidence whatsoever to believe that the Bible was divinely inspired.
I see he is a Christian. If the resurrection is key to his Christian convictions, then I am unlikely to be impressed. There is simply no reliable evidence for such a thing. Still, I'll have a closer look.
Camerinus Because there is always an "explanation" to a prophecy. A way, often very twisted, to explain what was really meant.
Mario world N.Y ─ You wrote: "I believe they do doubt. That's why they look to apologist for answers not just to defend their faith but to reinforce it."
You're probably right. In my view, apologetics is a form of cognitive dissonance. The most dishonest I've seen so far are William Lane Craig and some of his sheep such as Inspiring Philosophy here on TH-cam.
If people learned the basic methods of textual analysis and history, apologetics would collapse; its dishonesty would become obvious to all.
Bart is lovely. Should also look up Rabbi Tovia Singer.
One more thing brother Bart. I have all your books ,and love your knowledge ,but I think you should stop riding that fence of agnosticism, and come on over to righteous atheism..lol..There is a poverty to agnosticism. We are all agnostic to something. But you still that dude..Peace!
EA///// He is an agnostic because he does not KNOW if there is a God or not. He is an atheist because he FEELS there is no God.
I'm going with neutrality, Bart is not stupid as a scholar or a businessman. Why step on toes when he is appealing to as many as he can with his books, no problem with him considering himself agnostic. I stand firm in emphatically stating no man made God(s) exist, that part makes me an atheist. No one knows what happens after death, I understand and accept that and do not fear what is inevitable for us all. If there were a Creator, I would be the first in line to profess my gratitude, until then my non belief must deem me an atheist in this existence. I have lived my life expecting nothing so my disappointment has been kept to a minimum so not expecting anything after my physical demise either. All the best my friends.
Emperor Atheist: I agree with you my Emporer (a fan). I think Bart straddles the fence and sometimes talks out of both sides of his mouth to appease the religious. Sometimes, I feel i'm listening to a theist. But, I may be incorrect here to a certain point. I need to listen to more of his debates.
k0smon: No One KNOWs whether a god exists or not. There is No way to prove either scenario. So, it is absolutely POINTLESS to profess to be Agnostic. You either BELIEVE in a god or NOT. It is that simple. Bart does not believe in a biblical god, there is no doubt of that. He is an atheist, but will not stress that.
He explicitly states (maybe not in this talk but in others) that he is both an atheist AND an agnostic.
Those terms refer to two different conceptual realms:
1. Knowledge - absolute, objective. If you don’t know whether God exists (and let’s be honest, no one does), you’re an _agnostic._
2. Belief - personal, subjective, relative. If you don’t believe in a god (regardless of what you know) you’re an _atheist._
You can believe Handel’s Messiah is the most beautiful musical piece ever written, without knowing for a fact whether or not you’ll ever hear one you like better.
So I am I understanding him correctly because there is suffering in the world there can be god, correct?
Matt//// It is doubtful that the god that the bible describes really exists. The Creator exists without religion.
Matthew Middleton ok, but it doesn't disprove the existence of a supreme being.
Faith versus Facts............
11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11 KJV)
With That being said why do we have a Genesis and Revelation?? Great work Bart I use to want to believe as well til I started asking question and got ignored by the very same who's who says God called them to preach well if that's the cast why then Moses said God told him only the levite men are the only ones who's suppose to teach because they didn't get any inheritance but you have rich pastors today then Jesus comes alone and he's from the tribe of Judah and he his preaching as well as the other disciples are from other tribes so now the question is how are they able to preach if the 1 God told Moses only the levites are the only ones who can teach that the type of question I asked and got no answer only don't question Jesus lol what BS
If Jesus tells the man next to him that they will wake up in paradise, how does this fit in with Bart's teaching that Jesus never spoke of an afterlife, rather, he preached of a heaven on earth when God returns to create the kingdom?
I believe all gospels seem to be recording events while Jerusalem was still standing I think dating is a bit questionable they just rely on Greek manuscripts not go back prior to that
God is nothing to do with cotratictions and misinterpretations since it is man made.we need not belive that the scriptures are directly inspired word of God cos there are many contrtictions.God cannot make any mistake.
KK//// The bible is the word of man, not of God.
We need not believe there is a god until it is demonatrated true.
Please provide evidence that there is any entity incapable of making a mistake.
Bart is still arguing with Moody Bible and is still a student of Moody Bible. Bart still does not understand that his conversion to evangelical Christianity is emblematic of Christianity from the very beginning. Some personal internal experience bringing a person to Christianity has been described by many at the very start of Christianity. Bart still tries to construct Christianity, as does Moody Bible, into some series of logical steps and these steps shows what Christianity is about, if wrong then it must be wrong and then we look for error in either the way one thinks or what has been written. The problem with this is these logical steps are not what spread Christianity. It was not the "Christology" of Jesus that spread Christianity. Like most agnostics and atheist they reject "internal experience" because it can not be proven but how can you study Christianity with out seeing some "internal experience" that drives people. Belief structure is not enough to explain Christianity. Almost every story of the saints includes some bliss.
Bart makes much travel of the assertion reported by Jesus in Mark of "my god my god why has though forsaken me". His interpretation of this assertion negates all of Christianity. If Rome contained the power to force God to forsake those they choose to crucify then the Romans won. Assuming one believes in Christianity clearly Jesus was not responding to his fate. The question then comes how did he know that he was forsaken of God? I suggest "internal experience" to be the answer. I suggest God is Life not death.
As they say, one man's personal experience is another man's heresy. If I can not experience what you are experiencing, then what you experience is internal to yourself and can not be verified. Given how easy it is to deceive ourselves, I'm not inclined to trust ANYTHING that can not be externally verified.
BlackEpyon noted
"As they say, one man's personal experience is another man's heresy. If I can not experience what you are experiencing, then what you experience is internal to yourself and can not be verified. Given how easy it is to deceive ourselves, I'm not inclined to trust ANYTHING that can not be externally verified."
The problem with this is that no one can experience what another person experiences. It is all guess work. We are all alone in our own little cave when we look at what we experience. If however some external event causes us to have an experience then we ascribe this to the external event not to the internal workings of our own biology. If another person describes a similar experience then we assume that it is the same but this is an assumption which can never be proved. We truly have only internal experiences, many of which we believe others are having as well.
Having argued this many times I know that some will note the electrodes that can be attached thus proving a biological event but even this is not proof that the experience is the same in every case. Operant psychologists do not care about the experience but only the behavior for this very reason. Skinner once said that (to paraphrase) "internal reinforcers may or may not exist but they can not be proven" and I understand why he said that for internal experience is always subjective. This however does not dismiss the fact that their may be internal reinforcers of all kinds even though science may never know their nature.
mwdarc err... Bart was not discussing moody bible or the internal experiences of christians. He was discussing the bible, specifically the gospels from a critical scholarly POV.
However it is interesting that you would bring up your internal experiences as a response to this video. Has what he has said shaken the foundation of your internal experiences? Or affected it in some way? Why would you bring up your internal experience as a response to this?
PermanentWater noted"mwdarc
err... Bart was not discussing moody bible or the internal experiences
of christians. He was discussing the bible, specifically the gospels
from a critical scholarly POV.
However it is interesting that you
would bring up your internal experiences as a response to this video.
Has what he has said shaken the foundation of your internal experiences?
Or affected it in some way? Why would you bring up your internal
experience as a response to this?"
Bart has made the observation many times that the reported words of Jesus in Mark of "Lord Lord why has though forsaken me" was in response to Jesus's perceptions about his fate. This is a conjecture on the part of Bart that is self serving at least if we assume Bart is an agnostic as he claims. I conjecture that it was a response to an internal experience that had left Jesus. If Bart's conjecture is true then it is clearly a total denial of Christianity and I suggest would not explain the spread of Christianity. If Bart's conjecture is true then Rome would be the final arbitrator of God's presence which would be abhorrent to any true Christian and for that matter any true humanitarian.
I was not talking about my internal experiences but only the reported experiences of 1st and 2nd and 3rd century persons which Bart ignores.
Yes I know this and I did not bring up my internal experiences. I only offered an alternative to a conjecture that Bart has made concerning Jesus. This conjecture is revealing to me of Bart's main error. Bart has refereed many times to the fact that he went to Moody Bible school and to Wheaten College which as you may or may not know are conservative evangelic institutions. This is one of his selling points and he has done well in selling his books. I disagree with Bart and his implied if not specific interpretation of Christianity. He may suggest that he is not studying Christianity but history however I would disagree with him in that. In his study of Christianity he overlooks many parts of documents if not documents them selves that do not fit into his Moody Bible driven take on Christianity. It is hard to look at Bart and not see a straw dog called Evangelical Christianity which he likes to beat. He is embracing what he thinks is science. He is not looking for the truth in Christianity he is looking for a construct that fits his agenda and an agenda that has made him much money.
For what it is worth, as much as I appreciate so much of the work Bart has done, it appears Bart is horribly, horribly mangling the exegesis and content of the book of John -which has nothing at all to do with any claim of Jesus to be divine.
One easy example - John 10.30 "I and the Father, we are one". If one simply goes a few chapters later to John 17.11 and John 17.22, one sees exactly what Jesus is intending and it has nothing to do with any sort of claim to divinity. I'm uncertain why Bart can't get ahold of something this obvious in light of his otherwise impeccable scholarship...😖
There are no magic books, including the bible.
Jesus Christ cried when He died on the CROSS: "It is finished" the debt has been paid in full, FOR US TO HAVE LIFE ETERNAL.
Depends on which book of the Bible you’re reading lol
Luke 6:43-45
New International Version
A Tree and Its Fruit
43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.