“If we can move aside the veils of later ecclesiastical tradition, if we can see past the images of Paul the ex-Jew and of Paul the anti-Jew, if we can imagine ourselves back into the full-hearted eschatological conviction of this movement’s founding generation – which thought that it was history’s final generation – it is this other Paul whom we will more clearly see. Paul the dynamic, original, passionately committed late Second Temple visionary. Paul the apostle of the final Davidic messiah. Paul the brilliant student of Jewish law. Paul the expert interpreter of his people’s ancient scriptures. Paul the charismatic worker of mighty deeds. Paul the messenger of the Kingdom. Paul, the pagans’ apostle.”
– Paula Fredriksen, Paul the Pagans’ Apostle (Yale University Press, 2017), 173-174.
- Benjamin Wyatt talks with Shirley Paulson about the enduring importance of the Council of Nicaea.
- Why did John write his Gospel, especially if he was aware of the other Gospels as a growing number of scholars believe? Mark Goodacre answers.
- Claude Mariottini discusses Abraham before his call to leave for Canaan. I’m not convinced there ever was a historical Abraham but Mariottini nevertheless offers some interesting background for thinking about the story about Abraham in Genesis.
- Michael Kok is going to be interacting with a piece by Steve Mason in an upcoming SBL paper and provides a link to open-access material, including Mason’s work. The topic is the “gospel.”
- Dan McClellan (who in this video sounds like he has a cold) responds to a question about Pentateuchal criticism.
- Mark Goodacre (I KNOW. I HAVE A PROBLEM. LEAVE ME ALONE.) talks about fatigue in the Gospel of Matthew.
- Ellen Muehlberger has a review of Paula Fredriksen’s recent book Ancient Christianities. Fredriksen is my favorite scholar of antiquity and her book Paul the Pagans’ Apostle is one I return to over and again. Ancient Christianities is too an excellent read.
- Speaking of Fredriksen, you can listen to an interview with her over at the What Matters Most podcast where they talk about her book.
- I’ve been getting into playing Magic: The Gathering again. I played a lot as a kid casually. Now, in my 40s, I’m playing in more competitive environments at my local game shop. While sorting through my cards, I came across Durkwood Boars which has its subtext a verse from the Gospel of Mark. I’m eager to see what other cards have biblical references. I’ve found a few more but the Boars stick out because I remember using it in one of my decks way back in the late 90s.
The Amateur Exegete 
The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. The swineherds cried out, “Dude, that was protein and leather for the next three years!” and “Livestock insurance hasn’t even been invented yet!”
Then a fisherman lamented, “And think of the carcasses. All those dead pigs, just floating and bloating and rotting along the shore for weeks. The smell and pestilence will be . . . well, biblical. Truly, we are boned!”
“Oh,” said Jesus. “Well, I mean, the demons had to go somewhere.”
The chief swineherd asked, “But why into all of our swine?”
Jesus replied, “Um . . . you heard them. The demons specifically implored me–“
“Hang on,” interrupted the chief swineherd. “Our farm economy is devastated and many of us will go hungry because you immediately caved to a ridiculous request from a bunch of demons? Do you even hear yourself?”
“. . . . Okay, I can tell you’re having some big feelings right now,” said Jesus. “If we could all maybe–“
“And why not put the demons into a single old pig? They fit into one human being just fine for all these years.”
Jesus pretended to study his cuticles intently and then said, “Well, see, exorcism is, like, more of an art than a science. Plus swine have a very different . . . uh, midi-chlorian count.”
The chief swineherd stared. “Okay, now you’re just making things up. Why do I get the impression you didn’t think this through at all?”
Then Jesus threw a ninja smoke bomb and disappeared before the magistrates arrived.
–Lex Lata
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Ben, do you think the author of Jude believed that Jesus was God, based on verse 5? Some manuscripts read ‘the Lord’ instead of ‘Jesus’, but textual critics generally consider ‘Jesus’ the more likely original reading, which would suggest that Jesus is identified as the one who saved Israel from Egypt.
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To the Above Commenter:
I can’t speak for the Amateur Exegete, but even if that were that were the original reading, it would not preclude other interpretations than Jesus being fully identified with God as a member of the Trinity. One example is the understanding of the 2nd-Century Church Father Justin Martyr that Jesus was “the Angel of the Lord.” This would allow for an interpretation that Jesus was pre-existent but not quite an equal of God the Father. In fact, this could have been a step in the process that lead to the doctrine of the Trinity.
For more information, I would highly recommend How Jesus Became God by Bart Ehrman. He argues that Paul actually thought Jesus was some type of angel based on a reading of Galatians 4:14.
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I think one can believe in Jesus’s preexistence without concluding he is God. Divinity in antiquity was always a sliding scale and for ancient Jews there were many gods with Yahweh at the top. Regarding the text-critical issue, I’m partial to “the Lord” (see Bauckham’s commentary on Jude for reasons why) but if the original reading were “Jesus” then it would certainly signify Jude’s belief that Jesus existed prior to his ministry, perhaps as an avenging/protecting angel.
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Hello Ben, is your understanding of New Testament Christology based on James McGrath, Andrew Perriman, and Bart Ehrman? And do you consider interpretations that affirm Jesus’ divine identity at least plausible? For example, I personally adopt the ‘divine identity’ interpretation and understand 1 Corinthians 8:6 as including Jesus in the Shema. In verse 4, God is contrasted with idols, and verses 5–6 seem to expand on that. I interpret the ‘idols’ in verse 4 as false gods and lords, so the ‘God’ in verse 4 would refer not only to God the Father but also to the Lord Jesus.
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Ben, how do you understand the worship of Jesus? Larry Hurtado did a great job highlighting this point in early Christianity, showing that it was without precedent in Judaism. Of course, there are texts describing certain figures receiving some form of honor, but there are no records of worship being offered to them—no rituals centered on them. Do you agree with Hurtado on this?
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