Category: Gospels
Musings on Mark: Reign of the Demons
Jesus’ first public miracle in the Gospel of Mark is an exorcism (Mark 1:23-26) This is no coincidence; neither is the fact that it is contained within a pericope portraying Jesus as a teacher (vv. 21-28). On a narrative level, the Markan author desires… Continue Reading “Musings on Mark: Reign of the Demons”
Jade Sylvan on the Gospels as “Fan Fiction”
In the Spring/Summer 2018 edition of the Harvard Divinity Bulletin there is an interesting piece by Jade Sylvan, an MDiv student at Harvard Divinity School, discussing what the Gospels share in common with the modern literary genre of fan fiction. They write, As a… Continue Reading “Jade Sylvan on the Gospels as “Fan Fiction””
SJ’s Biblical Blunders: Or, First We Do the Reading, Then We Do the Writing
Acknowledgment: I stole the title for this post (i.e. “SJ’s Biblical Blunders”) from @CounterApologia in a conversation he and I had on Thomason’s piece. It was too good not to use! INTRODUCTION I’ve been busy with a major project that will hopefully be out… Continue Reading “SJ’s Biblical Blunders: Or, First We Do the Reading, Then We Do the Writing”
Amateur Exegesis on YouTube
The first season of Amateur Exegesis is in the books and available on iTunes, Google Play, and other podcast platforms. But I realized that it had no presence on YouTube and so I uploaded all ten episodes onto my channel for your listening pleasure.… Continue Reading “Amateur Exegesis on YouTube”
Amateur Exegesis – Episode 1: Something’s Off
The inaugural episode of my new podcast Amateur Exegesis has arrived!
The Weekly Roundup – 6.7.19
“When Jesus calls Herod Antipas a ‘fox’ (Luke 13:32), most modern European readers will automatically think this means he considered Herod to be particularly clever or craft….The same association would naturally have occurred to a Greek reader in the 1st century. In Greek literature,… Continue Reading “The Weekly Roundup – 6.7.19”
The Christian Defenders’ 5 Reasons: The Criterion of Embarassment
For other posts in this series, please visit the series’ page. The Christian Defenders’ second reason for believing that the Bible is true is that the Bible contains “embarrassing details.” They begin, If I were to create a religious book I would make sure… Continue Reading “The Christian Defenders’ 5 Reasons: The Criterion of Embarassment”
Lost in the Weeds: SJ Thomason Takes on Bart Ehrman, part 1
To see all posts in this series, please refer to its index. Last year I wrote a five-part series on Heather Schuldt’s terrible attempt at taking on biblical scholar Bart Ehrman.1 Now pop-apologist SJ Thomason wants to have her moment in the sun as she responds to… Continue Reading “Lost in the Weeds: SJ Thomason Takes on Bart Ehrman, part 1”
Jesus’ Death in Mark and Luke: A Response to Pop-Apologist Mike Winger on Bart Ehrman
It never ceases to amaze me the lengths to which the inerrancy crowd will go to in order to defend a position “the Bible” never even makes for itself. The worst offenders are by far pop-apologists; people like J Warner Wallace, Hugh Ross, Frank… Continue Reading “Jesus’ Death in Mark and Luke: A Response to Pop-Apologist Mike Winger on Bart Ehrman”
On SJ Thomason’s Argument for Dating the Gospels Early
By and large the New Testament was written in the decades following the death of Jesus of Nazareth in 30 CE. The earliest writings came from a man by the name of Paul, a Pharisee turned Christian who traveled the Mediterranean spreading his message… Continue Reading “On SJ Thomason’s Argument for Dating the Gospels Early”
The Amateur Exegete 