Bart D. Ehrman's Blog, page 14

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.

Since Paul’s letter of 1 Corinthians is so central to the modern study of Paul, most of the scholarly books written about Paul for general audiences will either deal directly with it or be in part based on it. I devote a fuller discussion of 1 Corinthians in my textbook, Bart Ehrman and Hugo Mendez, [...]

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  Scholars debate whether the apostle Paul invented the Lord’s Supper (aka the Eucharist or Communion) or merely inherited it from earlier disciples.  Here is what he says: For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; [...]

The post Do We Have the Lord’s Supper All Wrong? Platinum Post by Douglas Wadeson MD appeared first on The Bart Ehrman Blog.

  Now that I have summarized the major themes and emphases of 1 Corinthians in the previous post, I can address the more specific questions of authorship, date, and purpose. 1 Corinthians is one of the seven undisputed Pauline letters – which, of course, does not mean that no one has ever disputed its authorship, [...]

The post 1 Corinthians: Who, When, and Why? appeared first on The Bart Ehrman Blog.

I have a special request to make of all members of the blog. It won’t cost you a dime, but could help bring in thousands. It involves a bit of participation on your end that should be simple but fruitful. Can you help? Here’s the deal. Those of us who produce the blog (Jen, the [...]

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I continue now in my thread of providing “nutshell” overviews of each of the books of the New Testament by moving on to one of the favorite Pauline letters for many readers, Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians Paul deals with a number of ethical issues confronting the Christian community.  Among its [...]

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Among the  interesting questions I've received recently from blog readers, two strike me as especially key for understanding how scholars make the claims they do; one of the questions challenges whether I have grounds to make one of the claims I do!  Good questions.  Some grounds (say, of coffee) are better than others.  Here are [...]

The post Two Fundamental Questions: How Do You Date a Manuscript and How Do you Know the Meaning of a Word? appeared first on The Bart Ehrman Blog.

Dear Gold & Platinum Members, It’s that time again—your monthly Gold (and Platinum!) member perk: our exclusive Q&A session. You send in the questions—on anything connected to the blog’s focus on early Christianity—and Bart will answer as many as he can in an exclusive hour-long recording. This month’s session will be recorded live on Easter [...]

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  This is the third and, alas, final post by Paula Fredriksen, William Goodwin Aurelio Professor of Scripture, emerita, at Boston University, on her new book Ancient Christianities: The First Five Hundred Years. As you'll see, it is smart, interesting, and accessible.  You can find it most anywhere you buy books, including Amazon: (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=ancient+ch......

Here now is the second post by Paula Fredriksen, William Goodwin Aurelio Professor of Scripture, emerita, at Boston University, on her new book Ancient Christianities: The First Five Hundred Years. As you'll see, it is smart, interesting, and accessible.  You can find it most anywhere you buy books, including Amazon: (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=ancient+ch......