In this article, we tackle an alleged error in the Gospel of Luke that some critics use to paint Luke as an unreliable historian. Let’s take a look at the offending verse, Luke 3:2 (English Standard Version): “…during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.”
So, what is the alleged mistake? Continue reading
The gospels, the book of Acts, and other New Testament documents have proven their worth as historically accurate documents over the centuries. Nevertheless, anti-Christian scholars persist in their efforts to paint the gospel writers as liars at worst and careless historians at best. Continue reading
This is the last in our series of posts sharing Ben Witherington’s critiques of Bart Ehrman’s work. Today, we share a critique of Misquoting Jesus: The Story of Who Changed the Bible and Why.
I have to ask the question: Does Bart Ehrman have any original thoughts? This book, like his others, contains many criticisms that are old, as well as busted. Misquoting Jesus asserts that belief in the divinity of Christ, as well as many other core tenets of Christianity, are basically the result of scribes altering the original texts over the centuries, either intentionally or unintentionally. Continue reading
Dr. Ben Witherington
Below is the description from Amazon.com of Bart Ehrman’s book, Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (And Why We Don’t Know About Them):
The problems with the Bible that New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman discussed in his bestseller Misquoting Jesus—and on The Daily Show with John Stewart, NPR, and Dateline NBC, among others—are expanded upon exponentially in his latest book: Jesus, Interrupted. This New York Times bestseller reveals how books in the Bible were actually forged by later authors, and that the New Testament itself is riddled with contradictory claims about Jesus—information that scholars know… but the general public does not. If you enjoy the work of Elaine Pagels, Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan, and John Shelby Spong, you’ll find much to ponder in Jesus, Interrupted.
Dr. Bart Ehrman
Bart Ehrman is the man that gives Christians more heartburn than any other academic these days. Erhman is a well-known Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a specialist in New Testament textual criticism, and he has written a wide range of books that are, in my opinion, damaging the Christian faith by repeating and amplifying various false theories.
Ehrman is an agnostic, but he didn’t start out that way. Raised with a fundamentalist background, he seems to have “rebelled” against that during his time as an academic, and now works to deconstruct the Christian faith. Continue reading
The disciples Peter and John running to the tomb the morning of the resurrection, by Eugène Burnand, painted 1898
On Easter Sunday, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and the salvation of mankind. Here, we share a condensed retelling of the resurrection event using all four gospels. The full story is, of course, far more robust and inspiring than this shortened compilation. We encourage you to read (or re-read) the accounts for yourself. Happy Easter… Continue reading
Crucifixion by Andrea Mantegna, painted between 1457 and 1460
Good Friday is the day Jesus was crucified, fulfilling his mission to sacrifice himself for humanity. In celebration of Good Friday, we share the story of Jesus’ crucifixion through excerpts from the four gospels. Happy Easter… Continue reading
