Bart D. Ehrman's Blog, page 13

Galatians in a Nutshell   Paul’s letter to the Galatians is one of the most important and intriguing books of the New Testament, in parts not difficult to understand and in other parts densely packed with meaning, and therefore heavily disputed (check out Galatians 2:17-19 or 3:19-20 some time; if you think either is obvious, [...]

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I continue to get terrific questions from readers.  Here are two rather tough ones on the Gospel of Luke, with my responses.   QUESTION: This is a question of whether there is some good evidence that Luke used Matthew (rather than both of them using the hypothetical Q source.) How do you explain the fact [...]

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In my previous post I indicated that among the five letters that may have been cut and pasted together to make up 2 Corinthians is one that some scholars suspect Paul did not write.  If not, how did it get in 2 Corinthians with fragments of letters he did write? To remind you: this is [...]

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I've mentioned several times in these posts on 2 Corinthians that scholars are reasonably confident that it is made up of two letters of Paul that have been cut and spliced together (chs. 10-13 was the first chronologically; chs. 1-9 later), and I've pointed out that some think it is made up of four or [...]

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This annotated list of readings on 2 Corinthians will look very familiar to those of you who have looked carefully at the list for 1 Corinthians I gave earlier.  That is because many books deal with both together, either on their own or as a part of a broader discussion of Paul and his letters. [...]

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Now that I’ve given a 50-word summary of the book of 2 Corinthians and a fuller discussion of its contents “in a nutshell,” I can turn to the questions of “Who, When, and Why.” As with Romans and 1 Corinthians there is not a lot of debate about who wrote the letter: it is one [...]

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In this series of posts have been summarizing each book of the New Testament, in canonical sequence, “in a nutshell.”  I have now come to 2 Corinthians, a book less-frequently read and known than 1 Corinthians. Have you read it?  Do you know it?  If so, try to give a summary of it, in one [...]

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Get ready for our exclusive quarterly Platinum webinar—an intimate Zoom gathering where Bart connects directly with Platinum members for deep dives and candid conversation. Mark your calendar: Tuesday April 29, at 7:00 PM EDT This time, Bart will be tackling a fascinating topic:“A Massively Successful Heretic:  Marcion and His Followers”Come ready to think critically—and bring [...]

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Here are some questions I've recently received from blog readers on various intriguing topics, and my responses. QUESTION: Thanks for the extremely helpful distinction between apocalypticism and eschatology. I would appreciate clarification on another distinction, namely the distinction between “consistent” eschatology and the “realized” eschatology promoted by C.H. Dodd. If I understand correctly, the “consistent” [...]

The post Questions on Jesus’ Eschatology, Mark’s Accuracy, and Why Genre M...

Now that I've discussed the major themes and emphases of 1 Corinthians, explained when and why Paul wrote it, and given some bibliography to check out if you decided to dig deeper, I'd like to explain the one passage of 1 Corinthians I get asked about more frequently than any other. It involves Paul's view [...]

The post One of the Most Misunderstood Verses of Paul: Flesh and Blood Will Not Inherit the Kingdom appeared first on The Bart Ehrman Blog.