"Misquoting Jesus” is the only show where a six-time New York Times bestselling author and world-renowned Bible scholar uncovers the many fascinating, little known facts about the New Testament, the historical Jesus, and the rise of Christianity. The show features Dr. Bart Ehrman and host, Megan Lewis.
…
continue reading
Each week on the Bart Ehrman Blog Podcast, John Mueller will read two posts from the Bart Ehrman Blog – the first will be a post from the not too distant past, and the second will be from the blog archives (one published roughly the same calendar week but from years 2012 to 2016). The Bart Ehrman Blog was created in 2012 to raise money for charities devoted to fighting poverty, hunger, and homelessness. Each week, Dr. Ehrman publishes 5 or 6 posts (approximately 1000 words each post) providi ...
…
continue reading
1
The Incredible Gospel of Judas (Iscariot)
47:59
47:59
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
47:59
How would you respond if I told you that, actually, Judas was the only disciple who understood what Jesus was doing on earth? Or that I said that Jesus is unrelated to the God who created the world? Or that the God who created the world is not the same as the one who created humans? From a modern Christian point of view, those are blasphemous state…
…
continue reading
1
Did Paul Actually Write the Pauline Epistles?
44:41
44:41
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
44:41
Writings attributed to the apostle Paul make up a large swathe of the New Testament, and have been of fundamental importance in the development of Christian theology. However, there are some serious questions over whether Paul actually wrote everything attributed to him. What texts do scholars think are not as…legitimate as they could be, and what …
…
continue reading
1
Does Acts Portray Paul the Way Paul Portrays Paul?
37:57
37:57
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
37:57
The Apostle Paul is a central figure in early Christianity, and features strongly in the New Testament in his own letters, and as a character in the Acts of the Apostles. But is the Paul of Acts the same man as the Paul of the Epistles? Does the writer of Acts change Paul's character and teachings, and why?…
…
continue reading
1
Celebrating Two Years of Misquoting Jesus: Your Questions, Bart’s Answers
49:00
49:00
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
49:00
A Second-Anniversary LIVE Q&A! Listeners ask their questions, and Bart tries to answer them. Rapid fire for an hour!
…
continue reading
1
Why Should We Think Luke and Acts Have the Same Author?
41:19
41:19
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
41:19
The Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles are widely understood to be a two-volume set, written by a single author. Given that we’ve spoken before on Misquoting Jesus about how difficult it is to identify authors of ancient texts, why are scholars so sure that these two texts share the same author? Who was that author, and why write two books…
…
continue reading
1
Pontius Pilate in a Different Light: A Little Known Apocryphal Gospel
46:44
46:44
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
46:44
Pontius Pilate is a relatively minor figure in the gospels of the New Testament, but one who plays a vital role as the Roman official in charge of Jesus’ sentencing. Given that he’s the face of Rome in the New Testament Gospels, he’s presented in a surprisingly positive light! The same is true for his appearances in some other early Christian writi…
…
continue reading
The phrase "synoptic gospels" is thrown around a lot in Biblical scholarship, but what does it mean, and why are they important? Are they as similar as people seem to think, and what do non-academics get wrong about them? Today, Megan is joined by Dr. Mark Goodacre, professor of Religious Studies and expert in all things synoptic, to answer these q…
…
continue reading
1
Did Early Christians Believe in Reincarnation?
35:54
35:54
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
35:54
Many people in the modern western world view reincarnation as a belief predominately from eastern religions - especially buddhism and hinduism. Believe it or not, reincarnation was also a theological concept for some early Christians! How does what early Christians taught about reincarnation differ from what we understand it to be? Was it a common …
…
continue reading
1
Where Was Christianity on its 100th Birthday?
45:00
45:00
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
45:00
Welcome everyone to a very special episode of Misquoting Jesus - our 100th episode! In keeping with our centesimal celebration (hey, it's a word!), we’re going to be exploring the world of Christianity 100 years after Jesus’ death. Was Christianity still a small, persecuted offshoot of apocalyptic Judaism, or had it spread far and wide? Was it stil…
…
continue reading
1
What Does the Bible Say about Abortion?
42:15
42:15
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
42:15
The Bible is frequently invoked in the ongoing national debates about abortion, almost always to show that abortion is murder and strictly forbidden. Is that true? This episode is not meant to resolve the issue about whether abortion should ever be considered a legitimate procedure or not. The focus is on what the Bible actually says. Does it conde…
…
continue reading
1
How to Detect a Forgery: The Secret Gospel of Mark
44:08
44:08
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
44:08
New manuscripts discoveries in Biblical studies are often outed as forgeries, But sometimes -- rarely -- they turn out to be authentic. How do scholars distinguish between fact and fiction, especially when they only have access to photographs or copies? Is it possible for a text to pass all authenticity tests and still be a clever forgery? Today we…
…
continue reading
1
Was A Secret Gospel of Mark Discovered?
46:42
46:42
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
46:42
When a scholar claims to have discovered a new text from early Christianity, it can send shockwaves through the academic community. In the case of the "Secret Gospel of Mark," the shockwaves are still being felt today after over 65 years later. And scholars still can't agree on whether the text in question is authentically ancient, a modern forgery…
…
continue reading
1
When Is a Christian Not A Christian?
42:05
42:05
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
42:05
Why do so many Christians claim that other Christians are not really Christians? Is there a definition written in the sky somewhere? Here we talk about the history of the problem, from its very beginning. Among other things we'll discuss why some biblical scholars today refuse to use the word "Christian" for the apostle Paul, the members of his chu…
…
continue reading
1
Jesus in the Writings of the First-century Jewish historian Josephus
33:17
33:17
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
33:17
The Antiquities of the Jews, written by the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus in 93 CE, is our most important resource for knowing about the history of Israel around the time of Jesus and his earliest followers. This twenty-volume work contains two brief references to Jesus himself, and are in fact the only two mentions of Jesus in any non-Christia…
…
continue reading
1
Was Jesus a Copycat? The Role of John the Baptist in the Ministry of Jesus.
40:29
40:29
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
40:29
Jesus is usually credited with starting the Christian movement, but were his ideas orignally his? It appears that John the Baptist preached a similar message and that Jesus was originally a follower of his. So who started Christianity? In this episode we consider what we can know about John, why he engaged in his ministry, and what influence he had…
…
continue reading
Anyone familiar with American politics and the empty rhetoric used to promote divisive views is never much surprised when politicians appeals to the Bible to support their own social agendas. Depending on who you listen to, the bible is both pro life and pro choice, pro and anti immigrant, pro and anti homosexuality…the list goes on. On today’s epi…
…
continue reading
1
Featuring Megan Lewis! And all that entails.
46:41
46:41
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
46:41
Everyone watching is familiar with Dr. Bart Ehrman, renowned New Testament scholar and New York Times bestselling author…but who on earth is Megan? How did she make her way from the study of ancient Mesopotamia to host a New Testament and Early Christianity podcast?
…
continue reading
Today we take it for granted that an important and influential person can write. Not so for the ancient world. Would a fisherman from rural Galilee have been able to write well enough to compose whole texts?
…
continue reading
1
Do We Believe in the Separation of Church and State?
43:58
43:58
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
43:58
For a country that was apparently founded on the separation of church and state, US politics seems to be deeply enmeshed with Christianity. Now, Louisiana classrooms are required by state law to display the ten commandments…which definitely seems to be blurring the lines between church and state! Today we’re talking about what the separation of chu…
…
continue reading
1
"What Did the Prophet Isaiah Say About Jesus? "
44:49
44:49
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
44:49
…
continue reading
Were Jesus and Paul were on different pages when it came to the most important issue for them both, how a person can be saved? In this episode, Bart and Megan explore Gospels and the letters of Paul to see where these two pivotal figures share many similar views and yet appear to stand completely at odds on the major question. If they did, then is …
…
continue reading
In this episode, Bart and Megan dive into the ancient doctrine called the "Harrowing of Hell," which is still believed by millions today. But what are we to make of idea that Jesus' salvation was universal? Literally everyone gets saved?
…
continue reading
1
Christian Monks in a Desert Full of Sound
37:29
37:29
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
37:29
Most of us think of early Christian monks moving into the desert to escape the chaos and noise of civilization to lead the quiet contemplative life. In a fascinating study by Kim Haines-Eitzen we learn that in fact the desert was and is unexpectedly filled with sound. Based on her high-tech own recordings in some of the major deserts of the world, …
…
continue reading
1
Why the Doctrine of Inerrancy Contradicts the Gospels
45:40
45:40
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
45:40
Many modern Christians view the Bible as the inspired, inerrant word of God. Is that what its own authors thought? Did the author of Matthew, for example, think the Gospel of Mark was infallible? If so, why did he change it? In this episode we look at the views of the Gospel writers about the inerrancy of other Gospels -- even those also found in t…
…
continue reading
1
Were Early Christians Known to Be Moral Reprobates?
37:54
37:54
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
37:54
Many modern Christians think Christians are inherently more moral than non-believers. Non-Christians, as a rule, don't think so. What about in the ancient world? Why is it that the most widely attested view among ancient pagans was the opposite, that Christians were dangerously immoral reprobates? Why weren't they seen as stalwart proponents of fam…
…
continue reading
1
Did Jesus Have to Suffer? Trying to Make Sense of a Troubling View
42:56
42:56
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
42:56
Did Jesus himself think or talk about his imminent sufferings—did he predict his own brutal end, or have those parts been creatively interpreted by later authors to fit a theological agenda? This episode offers a chance to uncover the layers of historical, religious, and philosophical complexities surrounding these ancient texts.…
…
continue reading
We are all familiar with the disturbing parts of the Bible, with it's divinely sanctioned violence from the destruction of Jericho in the Old Testament to the destruction of the world in the New, from the passages that justify slavery to the patriarchal views of ancient Israel and the writings in the name of Paul. How have evangelicals tried to sal…
…
continue reading
1
Was Jesus Buried on the Day of His Crucifixion
50:14
50:14
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
50:14
All the Gospels agree that on the day Jesus was crucified, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body and took it from the cross to bury in a tomb. What almost no one realizes is that this would have been unprecedented, so far as we know, in the Roman world, where part of the humiliation of crucifixion was for the corpse to be left on the cross …
…
continue reading
The Gospels agree that Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, even if they don't agree on why he did it. But is their view about *what* he did plausible? That he told the authorities where they could find Jesus without any crowds around? There are, in fact, reasons for thinking that Judas did something far more sinister, that he revealed a key teaching of …
…
continue reading
1
The Disturbing Views of God and Suffering in the Book of Job
47:10
47:10
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
47:10
Most readers don't realize, however, that the vast majority of the book comes from a different author who has a completely different view of why people suffer.
…
continue reading
Most people think that everyone has a soul that is resident in the body. The vast majority of Christians believe the soul lives on after the body dies. But ironically the vast majority of people -- even devoted readers of the Bible -- have never noticed what the biblical writers actually say about it. In this episode we look at views of the soul fo…
…
continue reading
1
Did Slaves Give Us the New Testament?
48:23
48:23
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
48:23
This week Bart will be interviewing New Testament scholar and public intellectual Candida Moss, on her new book, God's Ghostwriters: Enslaved Christians and the Making of the Bible. In the book, Dr. Moss (Professor in the Department of Theology and Religion at the University of Birmingham) maintains that parts of the Bible may have been written by …
…
continue reading
1
Newly Discovered PROOF: Jesus Was an Illusionist
42:14
42:14
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
42:14
In an absolutely shocking turn of events, Bart has learned of a first-century Gospel that will overturn everything scholars think they know about Jesus, showing that he was a charlatan exposed by the Roman government for duping the Jewish crowds by sophisticated works of magic. The Gospel, set to be published this week by the NY Times, details how …
…
continue reading
1
Was Peter a Rock or Shifting Sand? Jesus' Closest Disciple in History and Legend.
43:59
43:59
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
43:59
Jesus' closest disciple was Simon, whom henicknamed "Peter" -- that is "The Rock." But in the Gospels and the writings of Paul, Peter is fickle, clumsy, and unreliable, less like a rock than shifting sand. After the New Testament we have numerous writings both about and allegedly by him. In looking over all these records, what can we say about the …
…
continue reading
Jesus' followers have always called him the "messiah," from the earliest days of the religion -- so much so that "Christ" (the Greek word for Messiah) became his second name. But most Jews, both then and now, rejected the claim, pointing out that Jesus in fact was nothing like the messiah. Do they have a point? If so, why did Jesus' early followers…
…
continue reading
1
Do Fundamentalists (actually) Follow Jesus?
46:49
46:49
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
46:49
Why do so many seem to overlook or ignore many of Jesus' key teachings? Surely they know what he said about loving the enemy and the foreigner? Why do they claim that Jesus said things he never, actually, talked about (many of the most pressing social questions fundamentalists are keen on)?
…
continue reading
Some evangelical preachers claim that Jesus is walking all over the pages of the Old Testament. The Old Testament, of course, doesn't say so. But believing Christians all the way in antiquity claimed that the Jewish Scriptures not only predict Jesus but also portray him, as a person involved with the creation of the world and the history of Israel.…
…
continue reading
In this special episode Bart interviews one of the world's leading archaeologists of ancient Israel, Jodi Magness, whose discoveries are regularly covered in National Geographic. The interview is a prelude to an interesting four-lecture remote course Jodi is giving on March 2-3, called "Archaeology in the Time of Jesus" (available at bartehrman.com…
…
continue reading
1
Was Luke Written by Luke? And Why Should We Care?
45:07
45:07
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
45:07
The Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts were both allegedly written by a companion of Paul, Luke "the gentile physician." But the books never name their author. So why Luke? Are are there any good grounds for naming him in particular? Or any grounds at all? Were the books probably written by a doctor? Was he probably a gentile? *Was* there a Luke? …
…
continue reading
1
Why Did Paul Convert? Did He Convert?
50:55
50:55
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
50:55
The New Testament describes Paul's experience on several occasions: but can the accounts be trusted? Are they even consistent with each other? If we want to understand such a world-shattering experience, do we need to invoke the supernatural? Are there other plausible explanations? And is it right to call the event a "conversion" in the sense that …
…
continue reading
1
Why Did Paul Hate Jesus and His Followers?
43:29
43:29
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
43:29
Next to Jesus, Paul is the most important figure in the history of Christianity, but as is well known, before he was a zealous apostle he was an equally zealous antagonist. What was that all about? Why would a Jew in the Roman world outside Israel even care if a small group of Jews were claiming that Jesus was the messiah who brought salvation? Wou…
…
continue reading
1
Gospel Thrillers! When Jesus Meets Robert Ludlum
50:26
50:26
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
50:26
The backstory is fascinating and illuminating: these books started to appear during the Cold War, in the context of the increasingly serious questioning of authority, imperialism, and colonialism, and just when biblical scholars were themselves publicizing new finds that called into question the traditional truths of Christianity.…
…
continue reading
1
Why Fundamentalism is Not (Always) Such a Bad Thing. Take Bart for example...
51:24
51:24
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
51:24
In this episode he spills the beans on how being a fundamentalist proved, in some ways, to be a good thing. (Even if he doesn't advise going there!)
…
continue reading
1
Is the New Testament Actually Filled with Forgeries?
40:57
40:57
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
40:57
In our previous episodes on "literary forgery" in early Christianity, we have never yet talked about the elephant in the room. Why are there so many in the New Testament? In this episode we will not be going over the old ground of what forgery is (an author falsely claiming to be a famous person) or how it was justified in the ancient world, even a…
…
continue reading
1
If There Is a God, Why Do We Suffer?
50:28
50:28
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
50:28
…
continue reading
1
Who Really Wrote the Gospel of John?
47:39
47:39
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
47:39
Almost everyone assumes that Jesus' disciple, John the Son of Zebedee, wrote the Gospel of John. But is there any compelling reason to think so? In this episode we look into many of the issues that most people have never thought about. Most, for example, do not realize that the author of this book never mentions John, let alone calls himself John. …
…
continue reading
Mary is definitely the more famous of Jesus' mortal parents…but what about Joseph? Few people have asked about him but he is obviously a significant part of the Christmas story. But what can we know about him? Why are the writers of the New Testament virtually silent about him? What we can infer about his life and the role he played in Jesus' life?…
…
continue reading
1
Why Mary? What Made the Mother of Jesus so Special? The Proto-Gospel of James
40:47
40:47
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
40:47
The Proto-Gospel of James, a kind of "Gospel Before the Gospels," was one of the most influential non-canonical writings throughout the Middle Ages. The narrative does not focus on the life of Jesus but on the supernatural birth, young life, betrothal, and pregnancy of his mother Mary. From this Gospel come many traditions that remain important in …
…
continue reading
1
Can There Be Meaning In A World Without God?
45:46
45:46
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
45:46
Many people of faith think, and strongly believe, that without an almighty, sovereign being over this world life would (and can!) have no meaning: it's just a matter of chance and circumstance with no ultimate end, no goal, nor purpose, no meaning. Bart had that view for years, and feared that leaving the faith would lead to a purposeless, meaningl…
…
continue reading
This miraculous event is found in only two passages of the entire New Testament (in Matthew and Luke). Did the other New Testament authors know about it? If so, why didn't they mention it? If not, how could they not? And where did the idea of a virgin birth even come from? In this episode we deal with these and other intriguing issues highly releva…
…
continue reading