Another discrepancy that Dr. Ehrman often brings up is “Which day was Jesus crucified?” This is a very complicated question that Dr. Ehrman explains in his book at length. The Synoptic Gospels – Matthew, Mark, …
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On Quirinius’ Census
Another good historical problem Dr. Ehrman raises is the issue of Quirinius’ census. Quirinius is the governor who is associated with the change-over from Archaleus being removed as the ruler of Judaea to the appointment …
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What are Some Passages You Interpret Differently than Dr. Ehrman? ( Mark 16:9-20)
Mark 16:9-20, the last twelve verses of Mark’s gospel, are found in the vast majority of manuscripts – something like 98% of our manuscripts. But our two oldest Greek manuscripts lack the twelve verses. It …
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Will there be Freewill in Heaven?
There are several different answers to the question. One is that God may see it as very appropriate to have free creatures at some stage, but not necessarily free creatures at every stage. Just as …
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How do you Explain the ‘Long Ending of Mark’?
I will be the first to say that I have questions about the long ending of Mark. But I do think there is solid evidence that the long ending of Mark is very old. I …
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The Issue of Oral Tradition
Another key topic that comes up in relation to the gospels is the issue of oral tradition. Dr. Ehrman’s “Jesus, Interrupted” portrays oral tradition as someone told someone a story about Jesus, who told the …
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Is the Bible Historically Reliable?
One of the most common questions that people ask is “How do I know what Luke, or Paul, or John wrote in the 1st century is what I am reading now? How do I know …
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What Answers Does the Bible Give for the ‘Problem of Evil’?
The answers that the Bible gives to what we call ‘the problem of evil’ are hugely diverse. But hugely diverse does not necessarily mean mutually contradictory. It is a subtle set of answers. Let me …
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Aren’t there 400,000 Variants or Errors in the New Testament? (I)
400,000 variants in the New Testament – that is a big number. I think the 400,000 number is true. I would object to describing all of them as errors. There really are about 400,000 – …
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Aren’t there 400,000 Variants or Errors in the New Testament? (II)
The fourth category is generally considered to be “minor textual variants‟. They are significant. They are the kind of things that textual critics pay attention to. But they are of such a nature that they …
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