A major question in New Testament studies is whether the people who wrote these texts thought of them as Scripture. Put more directly: did they see their work as inspired by God and connected to the sacred writings of Israel, or did they simply think they were writing letters, stories, and advice for their own…
When we look at figures from the ancient world, our understanding depends on the surviving sources. For example, we know about Julius Caesar not because we can independently verify every detail, but because we have his own writings, accounts from contemporaries, later historians, and archaeological evidence. This is also true for people like Augustus, Cicero,…
If we ranked mythicist arguments by their real scholarly value, the idea that Jesus is just a recycled pagan dying-and-rising god would be near the bottom. It ranks lower than Carrier’s Bayesian method, Doherty’s celestial-Jesus theory, and even the debates about Josephus. Most serious mythicists avoid this argument. Richard Carrier has even criticized the pagan-parallels…
In the first part of this article, we examined why Richard Carrier’s Bayesian methodology failed. Specifically, we looked at the reference class he used to derive his prior probability and saw how it was not only manipulated but stacked in favor of Mythicism. While the argument in the first article would be sufficient to undermine…
Of all the figures in the modern mythicist movement, Richard Carrier stands out. He holds a PhD in ancient history from Columbia University. He’s incredibly active in the community, and he has engaged in the scholarship properly. His 2014 work, On the Historicity of Jesus: Why We Might Have Reason for Doubt, successfully passed peer…
Most scholars argue that Mark was the first Gospel to be written. This seems rather obvious, as both Matthew and Luke clearly borrowed from Mark. So where we place Mark in history will influence the dating of the other Gospels. If Mark were shown to be a product of the early first century, a work…
Mention Jesus on social media, and it generally won’t take long for someone to pipe in with the idea that he didn’t actually exist. What tends to follow is a whole litany of supposed evidence for their claim that can seem quite persuasive. It is no wonder that so many people think that there is…
When it comes to faith, I believe one of the most important things a person can do is find it for themselves. Not inherit it. Not adopt it because it’s familiar. But genuinely wrestle with it, develop it, and ultimately build it on a ground that is solid enough to stand on when the storms…
Continuing our series on Dan Baker’s Worse Bible Passages. From feticide to invasion. When I saw this on the list, I was a bit surprised. The Old Testament is filled with warfare, which is expected as the Middle East was in a strategic position, and thus quite desirable. Besides larger civilizations such as Egypt, Assyria,…
1 Timothy 2:12 Women be Silent This is a verse attributed to Paul that states: “I permit no woman to teach or have authority over a man; she is to keep silent.” The overall context doesn’t help the matter at all. In the preceding verses, the author tells women to dress modestly and to study…