Category: Isaiah
Yale Bible Study on First Isaiah
Those readers acquainted with biblical scholarship know that there is a general consensus that the book of Isaiah was not entirely penned by the eighth century BCE prophet. That the book underwent some kind of editing is virtually undisputed. For example, chs. 36-39 contain… Continue Reading “Yale Bible Study on First Isaiah”
Bart Ehrman: The Isaian Suffering Servant
Bart D. Ehrman, Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2020), 113. Another reason for thinking Isaiah 53 does not refer to just one person, the future messiah who would die for sins, is that the passage describes… Continue Reading “Bart Ehrman: The Isaian Suffering Servant”
Invasion of the Bible Snatchers: Ray Comfort’s ‘Scientific Facts in the Bible’ – The Circle of the Earth
To see other posts in this series, please go to the series’ page. Next in his Scientific Facts in the Bible, Ray Comfort claims that the biblical authors knew the earth was round at a time when most believed it to be flat. He quotes from… Continue Reading “Invasion of the Bible Snatchers: Ray Comfort’s ‘Scientific Facts in the Bible’ – The Circle of the Earth”
The Weekly Roundup – 5.17.19
“To be clear, some religious people evaluate their subjective experience as a piece of the evidential pie without taking this strong of a stance – but I want to address those who attempt to build atop the ‘unshakable’ ground of religious experience. The epistemology… Continue Reading “The Weekly Roundup – 5.17.19”
The Weekly Roundup – 4.12.19
“Mark, wanting to make a theological point, locates the event in a place whose name is associated with casting out demons – the language, as Marcus points out, does kinda support this. This strengthens the exorcism theme of the pericope– seems legit. A few years later, Matthew, using Mark… Continue Reading “The Weekly Roundup – 4.12.19”
The Weekly Roundup – 3.1.19
“Israel did not ‘believe’ in dragons anymore than their neighbors did. When Israel says God defeated the dragon, they use this myth in two ways. Most of the time, as in Psalm 74; Isaiah 27:1, where the dragon is named Leviathan just as in… Continue Reading “The Weekly Roundup – 3.1.19”
The Weekly Roundup – 2.8.19
“The assertion by the opposing narrative that Elijah’s wife was a prostitute and later, that Elijah ate her son, does seem a little over the top and may indicate that the opposing narrative itself was propaganda and was responding to an even earlier narrative.… Continue Reading “The Weekly Roundup – 2.8.19”
The Weekly Roundup – 10.26.18
Enjoy! Over on his blog, Bart Ehrman has a short post on the Lukan story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). Ehrman thinks that while the historical Jesus certain railed against the rich, calling them to repent before the impending reign of… Continue Reading “The Weekly Roundup – 10.26.18”
Musings on Mark: The Baptism of Jesus (2) – Baptized in the Spirit
“You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Mark 1:11b, NRSV In my first post covering Jesus’ baptism I argued that the baptism Jesus underwent implied that he too needed to repent of his sins (Mark 1:4). Not only is… Continue Reading “Musings on Mark: The Baptism of Jesus (2) – Baptized in the Spirit”
Some Thoughts on SJ Thomason’s Response to Elisha Ben Abuya
In December Twitter user Elisha Ben Abuya posted to his blog a piece on Isaiah 53. In it he lays out his case that the passage which Christians attribute to divine prophecy about Jesus is actually about Israel and is hardly prophetic at all.… Continue Reading “Some Thoughts on SJ Thomason’s Response to Elisha Ben Abuya”
The Amateur Exegete 