Category: ‘The New Testament’ (2016)
Shaily Patel: Queer Criticism
Shaily Patel, “Excursus: Methods of Ideological Criticism,” in Bart D. Ehrman, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction To the Early Christian Writings, sixth edition (OUP, 2016), 193. Like feminist criticism, queer criticism is a way of reading the New Testament that contests certain norms depicted… Continue Reading “Shaily Patel: Queer Criticism”
Shaily Patel: Postcolonial Criticism
Shaily Patel, “Excursus: Methods of Ideological Criticism,” in Bart D. Ehrman, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, sixth edition (OUP, 2016), 192. Postcolonial criticism emphasizes the influence that empires and imperial policies, both ancient and modern, have on the texts,… Continue Reading “Shaily Patel: Postcolonial Criticism”
Bart D. Ehrman: The Significance of John 9:22
Bart D. Ehrman, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, sixth edition (OUP, 2016), 187-188. This verse [i.e. John 9:22] is significant from a socio-historical perspective because we know that there was no official policy against accepting Jesus (or anyone else)… Continue Reading “Bart D. Ehrman: The Significance of John 9:22”
Bart D. Ehrman: Book Publishing in the Ancient World
Bart D. Ehrman, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, sixth edition (OUP, 2016), 178. When thinking about the relationship of the New Testament writings to one another, we must constantly bear in mind that in the ancient world books were… Continue Reading “Bart D. Ehrman: Book Publishing in the Ancient World”
Bart D. Ehrman: How Modern Readers Form Their Own Gospel Account
Bart D. Ehrman, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, sixth edition (OUP, 2016), 163. When modern readers act as if [the Gospels of Mark and Luke were portraying Jesus in precisely the same way], for example, by thinking that Jesus… Continue Reading “Bart D. Ehrman: How Modern Readers Form Their Own Gospel Account”
Bart D. Ehrman: Luke vs. Matthew on Mary and Joseph’s Hometown
Bart D. Ehrman, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, sixth edition (OUP, 2016), 155-156. One of the telling differences between the two accounts has to do with the question of Mary and Joseph’s hometown. Most people simply assume that the… Continue Reading “Bart D. Ehrman: Luke vs. Matthew on Mary and Joseph’s Hometown”
Bart D. Ehrman: Matthew’s Criticism of Jewish Authorities
Bart D. Ehrman, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, sixth edition (OUP, 2016), 147. Perhaps the best way to explain Matthew’s extensive criticism of the Jewish authorities is to say that his own community continued to experience opposition from non-Christian Jews,… Continue Reading “Bart D. Ehrman: Matthew’s Criticism of Jewish Authorities”
Bart D. Ehrman: Jesus and the Law
Bart D. Ehrman, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, sixth edition (OUP, 2016), 139. Contrary to what many Christians have thought throughout the ages, for Matthew, following Jesus does not mean abandoning the Jewish Law and joining a new religion… Continue Reading “Bart D. Ehrman: Jesus and the Law”
Bart D. Ehrman: Correcting Mark’s Style
Bart D. Ehrman, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, sixth edition (OUP, 2016), 123. Sometimes Mark used a Greek style of writing that is somewhat awkward or not aesthetically pleasing, sometimes he uses unusual words phrases, and sometimes he presents… Continue Reading “Bart D. Ehrman: Correcting Mark’s Style”
Bart D. Ehrman: Redaction Criticism
Bart D. Ehrman, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, sixth edition (OUP, 2016), 120-121. A “redactor” is someone who edits a text; “redaction criticism” is the study of how authors have created a literary work by modifying or editing their sources… Continue Reading “Bart D. Ehrman: Redaction Criticism”
The Amateur Exegete 